This Week's ChessVideos Show: Cheparinov Busts the Blumenfeld
Thursday, February 17, 2011 at 11:36PM It's too much to say that Ivan Cheparinov refuted the Blumenfeld Gambit in his convincing defeat of Ivan Salgado Lopez in the recently completed Aeroflot Open, but he probably did put an end to one of Black's standard ideas. Before this game, the Black plan of ...Rh8-g8-g4xe4 might have seemed viable; now, after Cheparinov's most convincing play, it looks so absurdly time-consuming that it's hard to believe anyone took the idea seriously. This is to the Bulgarian's credit, as was his efficient and energetic attack on poor Salgado's king.
It's thus not only a game with theoretical importance, but an attractive one as well. You can watch it with my commentary, here: as always, it's free of charge (free registration required), and will be available on-demand for the next month or so.
Reader Comments (1)
If it is a refutation, it is a refutation of the 5...Qa5+ line. The main line after 5.Bg5 is 5...exd5 I believe.
[DM: They're both main lines. Your comment is apt as a reply to the headline, but as I make clear in the video and even in the post itself, Cheparinov's accomplishment is even more modest than you suggest. At best, he has refuted one important idea within the 5...Qa5+ line. (Not that that's bad for a day's work!)]