lg wrote on 02/25/09 at 11:24:29:
Herbie
In the same way that the Topalov-carlsen game was not considered a
big achievement for Black (since White did not play the best moves) I also think that this Svidler - baburin should not be considered a big
achievement for White. Svidler played quite well but I guess from teh Alekhine defence point of view he did not follow known lines for Black which are supposed not to be bad (of course, Baburin is an Alekhine expert and may know a lot more than us, common human beings).
The game went 1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.Nf3 dxe5 5.Nxe5 c6 6.Be2 g6 7.c4 Nc7 8.Nc3 Bg7 9.Be3 0-0 10.f4 Nd7 11.0-0 Nxe5 12.fxe5 c5 13.dxc5 Bxe5 14.Qe1 Bd4 15.Bf3 e5 16.Rd1 a5 17.Bxd4 exd4 18.Qe5 Ne6 19.Nb5 Qe7 20.Nd6 Qc7 21.Bd5 Ra6 22.Kh1 h5 23.Rf6 1-0
After 6. Be2, Black either plays 6... Bf5 or 6.... Nd7. These moves are
well surveyed in a recent chessbase magazine (123, I think) and
6....Bf5 7. g4 was played in a recent game Navara-Short.
By playing 6 ... g6, he probably mixed two systems making a an hybrid between the Miles and Kengis (more precisely, I think the game startes as Miles and after move 6, it become an Kengis). However, you
should note that Baburin is an Alekhine expert.
With due respect to Baburin, I don't like ...Nc7. I would have preferred ...Nb6 with transposition to a Kengis. Against the Miles, I don't think that 6.Bc4 can be much, because with 6...g6 it simply transposes into the Kengis and Black has avoided c2-c4. So if the Miles is to be refuted, it must be with something else. Either that or the Kengis with 6.Bc4 is bad, which I doubt.
As I have said before, my problem with Miles's variation is how stodgy and Scandinavian-like it is. The Scandinavian makes me want to throw up, quite frankly. I keep wanting 4...Bg4 to work, because it appeals to my perhaps simple-minded desire to get my pieces out and challenge White's center. But if I ever give up on 4...Bg4 I would probably consider Kengis before Miles, just because 5...g6 looks more active to my simple mind than 5...c6 does.
I once considered the Four Pawns to be a major challenge to Alekhine's, and no doubt it is theoretically critical, but my present view is that the Modern is the best way for White to challenge Alekhine's. For the time being in the 4PA, it seems that 6...Nc6 holds up well with either 9...Be7 or 9...Qd7, 10...0-0-0 and Mile's 11...Kb8 step (but not, unfortunately, with 11...Bg4 if our present reasearches are correct). I don't share Craig's view that 3.Nc3 (which Bagirov called the "Vienna Variation") is much of a threat to Alekhine's, though I admit that White is White there.