Quote:


I think you're right about the proper name, so accordingly I've changed the subject title of the thread.

By the way, the 2nd 'secret' weapon on that Dzindzi dvd is supposed to be 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Nf6! - but didn't Dzindzi have some webpage somewhere on the net, claiming that 3.Bb5+ refutes 2...Nf6, or am I remembering wrong??

I don't know what they say, but what Chernikov does is to play 12...Qh6 (see some games from CB below). I consider Black to have long-term chances after 7.Bxf6 and has usually played 8...a6. That seems to be the patzer approach, but has still given me 2/3 vs. opposition around 2150 FIDE.

[Event "Rimavska Sobota"]
[Site "Rimavska Sobota"]
[Date "1990.06.??"]
[Round "13"]
[White "Mokry,Karel"]
[Black "Chernikov,Oleg L"]
[Result "1/2"]
[Eco "B60"]
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 d6 6.Bg5 g6 7.Bxf6 exf6 8.Bc4 Bg7 9.Ndb5 0-0 10.Qxd6 f5 11.0-0-0 Qg5+ 12.f4 Qh6 13.Kb1 fxe4 14.Nxe4 Bg4 15.Rde1 a6 16.Nbc3 Rad8 17.Nf6+ Kh8 18.Nxg4 Qh4 19.Qc5 Qxg4 20.Qg5 Qxg5 21.fxg5 Bxc3 22.bxc3 b5 23.Bd3 Rd5 24.Be4 Rc5 25.Bxc6 Rxc6 26.Re3 Rc4 27.g3 h6 28.gxh6 Kh7 29.Rf1 f5 30.Re6 Rfc8 31.Rxa6 Rxc3 32.Rf2 R3c6 
33.Rxc6 Rxc6 34.Kb2 Kxh6 35.Kb3 Rc4 36.c3 Kh5 37.Rd2 Kg4 38.Rf2 Kh3 39.a3 Rc7 40.Rd2 Rc8 41.a4 bxa4+ 42.Kb4 g5 43.Rf2 Kg4 44.c4 f4 45.gxf4  1/2

[Event "Wch Seniors"]
[Site "Grieskirchen"]
[Date "1998.11.08"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Klovans,Janis"]
[Black "Chernikov,Oleg L"]
[Result "1/2"]
[Eco "B60"]
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 d6 6.Bg5 g6 7.Bxf6 exf6 8.Bc4 Bg7 9.Ndb5 0-0 10.Qxd6 f5 11.0-0-0 Qg5+ 12.f4 Qh6 13.Kb1 fxe4 14.Nxe4 Bg4 15.Rde1 a6 16.Nbc3 Rad8 17.Nf6+ Kh8 18.Nxg4 Qh4 19.Qc5 Qxg4 20.Qg5 Qxg5 21.fxg5 b5 22.Bb3 Bxc3 23.bxc3 Rd2 24.g3 Kg7 25.h4 Na5 26.Rhf1 Nc4 27.Bxc4 bxc4 28.Re4 Rg2 29.Rxc4 Rxg3 30.Ra4 Rxc3 31.Rxa6 Rc4 32.Rh1 Re8 
33.Ra3 Re2 34.Rf1 Rcxc2 1/2

[Event "Moscow Aeroflot op"]
[Site "Moscow"]
[Date "2002.02.04"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Goloshchapov,Alexander"]
[Black "Chernikov,Oleg L"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Eco "B60"]
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Bg5 g6 7.Bxf6 exf6 8.Bc4 Bg7 9.Ndb5 0-0 10.Qxd6 f5 11.0-0-0 Qg5+ 12.f4 Qh6 13.Kb1 fxe4 14.Nxe4 Bg4 15.Rde1 Rad8 16.Nf6+ Kh8 17.Nxg4 Qh4 18.Qc7 Qxg4 19.Nd6 Qd7 20.Qxd7 Rxd7 21.Ne4 Nd4 22.c3 Rc8 23.Bxf7 Rf8 24.Bc4 b5 25.Bd3 Nf3 26.Rd1 Rfd8 27.Nf2 Nh4 28.g3 Nf3 29.Bxb5 Rxd1+ 30.Rxd1 Rb8 31.Kc2 g5 32.Be2 Nxh2 
33.Rh1 Re8 34.Kd1 Rd8+ 35.Ke1 gxf4 36.gxf4 Rb8 37.Nd1  1-0

I have occasionally played this line over the last 15 years, but mainly against young players likely to become over confident. Black's pawn structure is ugly but in my experience White's advantage is very small, as the extra f-pawn is quite useful and the dark-squared bishop is a powerful weapon should White be careless. I believe the line is likely to grow in popularity as the bishop-pair is higher valued than ever. 

Chernikov as you noted is the Grand Old Man in this line. So "the Chernikov variation" is a better name than "the Dzindzichashvili Variation" ("the Dzin variation" sounds slightly better).   

You, of course, need to prepare something against 6.Bc4 too, and as 6...g6?! 7.e5 is risky, 6...Bd7!?, planning 7...g6 is the natural attempt.

Just saw a blurb about one of Dzindzichashvili's DVDs, apparantly recommending a line in the Sicilian that has been considered bad since the stoneage I suppose, i.e:

"1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nx4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Bg5 g6!!"

Strangely, the blurb goes on to say that Dzindzichashvili has beaten many a strong player with this variation and that Dzindzichashvili thinks black even has an advantage after g6...

However, I can't find any game with Dzindzichashvili as black in this variation. But the variation does seem to be on the move, for example IM Oleg Chernikov has +4 =2 -1 as black and some strong GMs have tried it lately, D. Gurevich and Nisipeanu for example. 

Funny that such an established truth like 6.Bg5 g6? seems to have turned on its head, - though personally I still think it looks horrible... 

Any thoughts?