Game Spotlight: NCC 60th Open 2
The under 1800 section of the 2018 Nairobi Chess Club Open Championship was won by Geoffrey Dokoria, who won the first five rounds and drew the sixth for sole first place. This third round match features a solid positional attack, setting up behind an expanding centre to win off an array of pins. But that may not be the most interesting thing about this game, and the winners may not be the most notable thing about the tournament.
Being in charge of entering the games for chess databases, I had a unique vantage point for the tournament. So I got to see game after game come in, from both the Open and U1800 sections, in an attacking formation I’d never seen before — pushing d4, fianchettoing the kingside Bishop, castling kingside, and foregoing or delaying c4 in a kind of reversed Grunfeld. I’ve checked since the tournament, and there’s no consistent name for such an opening. So if the chess community will allow it, in the tradition of openings named after the tournament where they first saw significant play, I propose this be named the Nairobi Attack Formation.
An appealing example by our champion of what this Nairobi Attack Formation can accomplish.
Did you know we have a club presence on Chess.com? Since relaunching it earlier this year, we’ve grown to over 50 members. To celebrate, we’ll be having a postal tournament starting on September 15. Come join us!
