The Nimzovich Sicilian

IM Malcolm Pein September 24, 2023

The Nimzovich Sicilian, 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nf6, has been making a comeback in online games, with Shak Mamedyarov and others having seemingly resurrected the main line.
Lei Tingjie, who challenged Ju Wenjun for the world title last July, is amongst its new adherents.
I was amazed to see that Lei Tingjie had despatched Anish Giri, Nils Grandelius and even the world champion Ding Liren with the opening in online games.
At the Julius Baer Tournament of Generations, part of the $2 million Champions Chess Tour, Fabiano Caruana resurrected an interesting idea, 5.Ne4, first used with success by the English master Frederick Yates, who defeated Nimzovich with it at Karlsbad 1929.
One can compare this line with a counter to Alekhine’s Defence: 1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.Nc3 Nxc3 4.dxc3 and now
4...c5 is just a bad move.

F Caruana – N Abdusattorov
Julius Baer Rapid
Nimzovich Sicilian 15+3

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.e5 Nd5 4.Nc3 e6 5.Ne4
(5.Nxd5 exd5 6.d4 Nc6 7.dxc5 Bxc5 8.Qxd5 d6 or 8...Qb6 9.Bc4 Bxf2+ 10.Ke2 0–0 11.Rf1 are the main lines)
5...f5 6.Nc3 Nxc3
(6...Nb4 7.a3 N4c6 8.b4! and if 8…cxb4 9.Nb5 was good for White, but Black won in Ding Liren – Lei Tiengjie Chess.com 2022, Lei defeated Grandelius and Giri with 6...Ne7 but 7.Nb5 and 7.d4 must be good for White)
7.dxc3 Nc6
(7...Be7 8.Bf4 Qb6 9.b3 Qc7 10.Bd3 b6 11.Qe2 was also good for White in Yates – Nimzovitch, Karlsbad 1929)
8.Bf4 Qc7 9.Bd3 b6 10.Qe2 a6 11.0–0–0 b5 12.g4! c4 (12...fxg4 13.Ng5 g6 14.Nxh7 Rxh7 15.Bxg6+ Rf7 16.Bxf7+ Kxf7 17.Qxg4 wins)

13.Bxf5!! exf5 14.gxf5 Bb7
(If 14...Bc5 15.Rhg1 0–0 16.f6 g6 17.Qe4 intending e5-e6 hitting the queen and Rxg6+)
15.Ng5 Ne7
(After 15...0–0–0 16.Nf7 Bc5 Black is lost, but he can continue the game)
16.Rhe1 Nxf5

White to play and drop a bomb:

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