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The Mikenas Attack in the

English Opening• Samantha212 

• | Nov 11, 2015 at 10:02 PM 

• | Posted in: Samantha212's Blog 

• | 2329 reads

 

• | 16 omments

!ello "hess #ans,

 $he English Opening is a h%&ermodern a&&roahto ontroling the enter ith 1() laiming ontrolo* d5 *rom the +an( -t o*ten trans&oses intothe Reversed Sicilian Opening

 

hen Bla&la%s (((e5, giving .hite a tem&o /P or intotheCatalan a*ter g3, the Nimzo-Indian, Benoni,orQueen's Gambit a*ter d)(

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Named a*ter nglishman !oard Stanton in themid 100s, it asn't ntil the 1900s hen it as

emraed % 4rand Masters and reognied as asolid o&ening( Bo% #isher stnned the hessorld hen he deviated *rom his standard 1(e)o&ening to 1() in a .orld "ham&ionshi& mathagainst Boris S&ass% and on(

.hether %o rrentl% &la% the EnglishOpening or have een meaning to add it to %orre&ertoire, here's a variation that's een maing aresrgene sine !iar Naamra &la%ed itagainst .esl% So in the 2015 Millionaire "hess #inalin as 7egas, Nevada( -t's asall% non as TheMikenas Attack and o8iall% alled the Flohr -Mikenas - Carls Variation (A18!

 $he rain hild o* the ollaorative eorts o* three&o&lar &la%ers o* their da%:Salo Flohr"  leading "eh 4M in the 1920s and30s ho eame sh a national hero that hisname as sed to sell lr% &rodts at the time(

;Possil% h% the variation egins ith his name(

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Vladas Mikenas: ithanian -M ho learned to&la%ed hess in hess &arlors( !e as rerited toeome a hess tornament =ornalist e*ore he

 =oined the tornament rit and made a name*or himsel* in hess histor%( ;Possil% h% thevariation is aetionatel% non a*ter him( > ? =ornalist old no ho to ee& his name in&rint(<

Carl #ohan Carls" 4erman -M ho ons&ired onthe theor% and &la%ed this nel% reated variationin a ham&ionshi& math *or the in in 192@(

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$t%s act&all' a Maroc' )ind in the English

Opening!

et's go ste& % ste& to nderstand the theor% andthe moves that mae & this atta in the nglishA&ening: 

?*ter the rst 3 moves %o'll arrive at the *olloing&osition: 1. c4 Nf 2. Nc! e !. e4 ith 3(e) theeginning o* the dangeros Mienas ?tta( Blaill normall% have a di8lt time nless he noshat he's doing(

 

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.e've arrived at the Mora% Bind, hih B-NCS>/Pthe d5 sDare, maing it di8lt *or Bla to getonter&la% in the enter( et's ath somevariations o* Bla's hoies *or his 3rd move:"he #n$lish - %i&enas ttac& #lohrs>Mienas>"arls 7ariation

1. c4 $he nglish A&ening

1... Nf2. Nc!e!. e4 $he Mienas ?tta

!... d( $his is Bla's est move( -t reates onterattas *or Bla as o&&osed to his other hoies(

;3((( 5-* Bla &la%s (((5, the e) &an is

nontested( )( e5Psh the &an *orard( )((( Ng#oring

the night a to his original &osition( $here are no other

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sa*e sDares *or the night to retreat to( &an *or Bla's enter d>&an, advanes his

e>&an to e5 then s&&orts the &an enter ith

d)(

et's ath !iar Naamra se the Mienas?tta against .esle% So:)i&a*u Na&amu*a +s. esle SoMillionaire "hess #inal | as 7egas, Nevada | 2015 | "A:?1 | 1>0

1. c4Nf2. Nc!e!. e4Naamra has set into ation

the Mienas ?tta, a Maro% Bind in the nglish

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A&ening(

!... d(.esle% attas in the enter

4. cd(!e a&tres Bla's enter &an ith a +an

&an(

4... ed((. e( $o mae a% *or the e5 &an &sh

(... Ne4. d44iving .hite to entral &ans(

... Nc/. Bb(Be/0. N$e2-. -Bf(13. Be!Na(1

1. Ne4Be412. N$!a1!. Bd!Bd!14. Qd!Nc4.esle% is

nall% ale to &t his night in the enter

1(. Bc1f?ttem&ts to rea o&en the enter

1. b!"onter attas

1... NbJetreats

1/. eNaamra gains ontrol o* the *@ and d@ sDares(

1/... Qd $he Deen attas the &an

10. e1!iar de*ends

10... $.esle% ants to &revent the night *rom

attaing his Deen ith N*5, t moving the &ans in

*ront o* the ing eaens his de*enses(

1. BhB?MK Naamra taes advantage o* the

eaened dar sDares(

1... fe023. f4Moves the &an *orard to PJL o&en

the ingside &ans(23... 5h021. f($(.esle% avoids ehanging &ans t

reates even more holes arond his ing(

22. Nh(PA.K $aing advantage o* the o&ening and the

night lears the 3rd ran *or the Deen to slide over(

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22... $0Ce*ends the g>le

2!. h4?dds even more &ressre on the ingside &ans

2!... $424. f1Qd0.esle% rerotes his Deen to atta

the nde*ended night

2(. Qe2Qe02. Nf4Bd.esle% attas the night t

he old lose a e% dar sDare de*ender, hih old

enet .hite(

2/. ae1Naamra ignores the atta, &roal%

elomed it and instead strengthened his e>le ith a

rooDeen atter%(

2/... c20. e/Nc0Bla &ts a third attaer on the

&an( Notie ho that advaned e>&an has diverted

Bla's &iees aa% *rom arr%ing ot their on atta

and has &t them in the de*ensive &osition, hile .hite's

&iees are oordinating *or an atta(

2. QeBe/!3. h(Pshes the h>&an to s&&ort the

night's net move(

!3... b(!1. N$amiae night to rea o&en the

remaining &an de*enses

!1... h$!2. h$ $he &an a&tre los Bla's

ontrol o* the g>le leaving the g) &an hanging(

!2... a/!!. 5f2$!!4. 5f!$!(. f$Q$!. Qc05h/!/. h1.ith disovered hes soon to ome and the

Deen, isho& and roo oring in nison, Bla

resigned(

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EF

*  GH ,(I*hat +e learned ,ro .aka&ra%s gae"

1(?*ter Bla attaed ith 3(((d5, !iar a&tred

the &an ith his +an >&an, then &shed the e>&an to atta the night *olloed % strengthing

his &an enter ith d)(

2(!e develo&ed his ingside isho& ith a &in on

N6 to rede enter onter &la%(

3($hen &shed the e>&an *rther & the oard to

ontrol more s&ae and diverting Bla's &iees*rom reating their on atta(

)(!e immediatel% too advantage o* !AS arond

the ingside ased % Bla &shing his &ans

*orard(

5(.ith his &iees oordinated he &shed the *>&an

then the h>&an to *rther rea o&en Bla's

ingside &an de*enses(

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?nish 4iri on a Di game against his o&&onent

in the 2015 .orld "& $ornament sing the

Mienas ?tta( et's ath:

nish Gi*i +s. adosla6 o7tasze& .orld "& | 2015 | "A: ?1 | 1>0

1. c4Nf2. Nc!e!. e4d(Jadosla also &shes the&an to (((d5, attaing the enter(

4. cd(4iri taes Bla's enter &an ith his +an &an

4... ed((. e( $hen &shes the &an *orard to atta(

(... Ne4. Nf!!is move order is slightl% dierent than

Naamra's, develo&ing the night rst e*ore &shing

the d>&an into the enter(... Bf(/. d4S&&orts the &an enter

/... Bb40. Bd2Bc!. Bc!-13. Be2Jadosla hasn't

develo&ed his night %et to allo the B5 &in( -nstead,

4iri develo&s it to e2 to allo his ing to astle(

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13... c(Bla onters .hite's &an enter(

11. dc(Nc!12. bc!Be41!. -Nd/14. Nd4Nc(1(. f!

B$1. Nb(4iri sings his night arond to entralie on

d6, made &ossile % his advaned e>&an(

1... e01/. f4S&&orts the e5 &an

1/... Be410. Nde/1. c4dc423. Bc44iri has to

&iees attaing *@( Bla has to de*enders on the

sDare(

23... Bc21. Qc2!e moves his Deen to tae advantage

o* the o&en diagonal

21... Ne $he night los the isho&'s vie o* *@(

22. ad1 $he roo re&laes the Deen to reate &ossile

tatis ith disovered attas on Bla's Deen(

22... QbShe moves aa% *rom the >ra% atta ith

he(

2!. 5h1$Jadosla &shes the g>&an to de*end the h@

sDare t it eaens the dar sDares arond the ing

and .hite's ingside &ans are rolling & the oard(

24. f(!ere the% ome, &loing their a% throgh

24... Nd4!e onters ith an atta on the Deen, to

a&tre the *>&an(

2(. Qd2Nf(2. f($f(2/. Nf(.ith his roo attaedand the threat o* mate in 2, Bla resigned(

EF

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*  GH ,(I

*hat +e learned ,ro /iri%s gae"

1(-n addition to gaining a strong &an enter, 4iri

rilliantl% sed the e5 &an to anhor his night to

d6( ? ver% strong sDare *or the night(

2(.ith his d>&an traded in Bla's (((5 onter

atta, he &shed the *>&an to s&&ort the

advaned e5 &an(

)(!is Deen as &ositioned to tae advantage o* 

the ea dar sDares arond Bla's ingside(

)($he deisive &iee in the game as the ell&ositioned Nd6, hih as +eile enogh to

reate inning tatis ith .hite's oordinated

&iees(

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- ho&e this has shed some light on the resrgene

o* The Mikenas Attack in reent tornament &la%

that %o an a&&l% to %or on games( oo *or

the net in the series and *eel *ree to send a *riend

reDest to e notied o* *tre artiles( /ntil

then(((("heers(