How can you win quickly against a “booked-up” and higher-rated opponent?
Baadur Jobava’s solution at the recent Mind Games championships in Beijing was to get Anish Giri into an original opening position after just four moves.
Facing the world’s 28th-ranked player, Jobava began with 1 b3, a move that was briefly in fashion 40 years ago but never caught on.
Giri, the 18-year-old Dutch star, chose to imitate White’s move, 1 . . . b6 2 Bb2 Bb7 3 e3 e6.
This avoids traps such as 3 . . . f5?! 4 Be2!, which has caught strong players before after 4 . . . Bxg2 5 Bh5+! g6 6 Bf3 Bxh1 7 Bxh1, and both of Black’s rooks are attacked along the long diagonals. Black is also worse after 4 . . . Nf6 5 Bxf6.
Jobava, a Georgian GM, avoided routine play and chose the strange 4 Nc3, with the original strategy of d2-d4, Qd2 and 0-0-0.
Many fans who followed the game over the Internet also saw the simultaneous computer analysis that indicated White was in trouble by the fifth move.
The acclaimed Houdini program, for example, determined Black would have had a clear edge after 8 . . . Ng4 or 8 . . . d5.
But after 9 d5, White’s position just kept getting better. Black was lost by move 12, and resigned in view of 27 . . . Qxa8 28 Qh8+ and Qxa8.