bragesjo wrote on 05/14/09 at 14:31:35:


Well in chess these statistics can be relevant if we would know the elo-rating of the opponents and thus would be able to calculate the TPR of the games. 

Unless  these GM's only use this variation against lowerrated opponents it is still no mean feat in the light of the "shaky" reputation of the Kalashnikov.

TonyRo, how do you answer 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 and 3.Nge2/Nf3 ? This not only is an anti-Svesjnikov, also an anti-Kalasjnikov.

[quote author=nmga link=1242219363/0#5 date=1242289488]This is really interesting, TonyRo, thanks! I've been looking at the Kalashnikov ever since Stigma told me about 7 ...Be7, and am looking forward to hearing more of your repertoire suggestions! Completely agree with you about coverage (it'd be great to see more up to date coverage on ChessPub too) but for those of us who have Aagaard/Pinski but are without Khalifman could you give just a brief indication of the main areas in which A/P are not so hot/out of date? I'm interested in the 8 ...Be6 lines as well as 8 ...f5!?; also there are lines like 6 ...Be6, with ...Rc8 before ...Be7, which are often either not covered at all or else are randomly cited with no attempt made to present the transpositions logically. (I have the old [1995] S1 Editrice volume on the 'Labourdonnais System', and while Markovich is entirely right about these books -- move-dumps, basically -- I have found this one useful in drawing attention to possibilities ignored elsewhere ...)

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Well thanks for the nice words! I'd have to check the book again to see where I disagreed, but I remember their coverage of 7...Be7!? was pretty much useless for the most part, and also that they missed the critical move and some other stuff (I think) after [b]6. c4 Be7 7. b3 f5!? 8. Ba3 Nf6![/b]. I think if I remember correctly, they didn't analyze the obvious (and critical I believe) [b]9. N1c3![/b] 

This is some more inspiration to finish this e-book! Gah! I am at work surfing the internet, so don't hesitate to ask anything else if you have any questions... ;D

This is really interesting, TonyRo, thanks! I've been looking at the Kalashnikov ever since Stigma told me about 7 ...Be7, and am looking forward to hearing more of your repertoire suggestions! Completely agree with you about coverage (it'd be great to see more up to date coverage on ChessPub too) but for those of us who have Aagaard/Pinski but are without Khalifman could you give just a brief indication of the main areas in which A/P are not so hot/out of date? I'm interested in the 8 ...Be6 lines as well as 8 ...f5!?; also there are lines like 6 ...Be6, with ...Rc8 before ...Be7, which are often either not covered at all or else are randomly cited with no attempt made to present the transpositions logically. (I have the old [1995] S1 Editrice volume on the 'Labourdonnais System', and while Markovich is entirely right about these books -- move-dumps, basically -- I have found this one useful in drawing attention to possibilities ignored elsewhere ...)

I don't think so. I don't exactly know what you mean by  "the poor mans Sveshnikov", but I'm guessing you're asking me if I think it's a worse version of the Sveshnikov. 

To answer....no. I don't think so at all. I think it's very different. At least in my preferred lines, or in the lines I think are best, it doesn't resemble a Sveshnikov enough to draw a lot of parallels. For example, after 6. c4 Be7 7. N1c3 a6 8. Na3 f5 9. exf5 Bxf5 10. Bd3 Be6 11. 0-0 Nf6 12. Nc2, the structure doesn't really resemble a Sveshnkov all that much. Yes, Black has pushed ...f5, but he doesn't have doubled f-pawns, and his pawn hasn't hit the b5 square yet. It's completely different. 

One thing I came across was a couple of players who religiously play the Kalashnikov and who have ridiculously outlandish scores with it. For instance, Alexander Moiseenko has, as Black, scored +32 =19 -9 after 4...e5, and after 5. Nb5 d6 6. N1c3 a6 7. Na3 Be7, scored +8 =5 -0 ! 

Another exponent of the Kalashnikov, Vyacheslav Ikonnikov, has a score of +41 =29 -12, and after the same line (7...Be7!?) +7 =9 -3, when two of his loses were to 2600+ players. 

Another nice thing is that the Kalashnikov receives incredibly shabby coverage in most tomes. The newest MCO doesn't even give this 7...Be7 line, and Pinski's coverage, if I remember, either neglects a certain better Black move or stops earlier. Khalifman's coverage is the best, giving 7...Be7!? 8. Nc4! b5 9. Ne3 Nf6 10. g3 0-0 11. Bg2 b4 12. Nd5 Nxd5 13. Nxd5 Bg5 14. Bxg5 Qxg5 15. a3!? += That said, I think after 15...bxa3! 16. Rxa3 Rb8! Black is equal for sure. 

I think the best book is Aargard and Pinski's Everyman book, but even this book is somewhat old and maybe outdated. 

After 6. c4, I always prefer 6...Be7, intending to meet most moves (7. N1c3, 7. b3, and 7. Be2) with 7...f5!?. The other move, 7. Bd3, is another beast completely, but it's not very dangerous. 

Against 6. N1c3, I prefer 6...a6 7. Na3 Be7!?, which I think is completely fine for Black. 

I am actually working on an "e-book" of sorts on the Kalashnikov, using heavily annotated complete games to build a repertoire. I have finished all of 6. N1c3, and also 6. c4, except for 7. N1c3, which I haven't worked on for a while. Hopefully after I finish my Masters Degree in a few months I'll have time to finish it up and revise it....etc.....