No "Quick Ruy" this week, but it doesn't mean openings are off the table. My ChessVideos show for this week features offers a look at two fascinating and very early deviations.
The first emerged from an en passant remark by Simon Williams in his round 3 commentary to the Reykjavik Open, in which he mentioned the idea of meeting his opponent's Blumenfeld Gambit (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 c5 4.d5 b5) with 5.dxe6 fxe6 (so far, very well-known) 6.Nc3, which is a surprisingly interesting novelty.
Next, I take a look at the crazy and brilliant game given at the end of Malcolm Pein's article on the TWIC site about the London Candidates and its potential effect on the London Chess Classic. That game began 1.c4 a6 2.Nc3 b5!?, and it's hard to say that there's anything wrong with this gambit! Black got tons of activity for the pawn, and his opponent's unsure play lead to a spectacular win for the second player. This certainly isn't the end of the English Opening, but it's a fresh and lively response that's at least viable at the club level and higher.
So please check it out, both for the entertainment value as well as its possible instructional content. The show is free, as always (free registration required), and will be available on-demand for the next month or so.