Eloping Female Chess Player Reference

 The made for movies drama involving an American International Master and a Russian female who was using him to get to the USA popped into my mind after this sacrifice the farm game of chess played at the Internet Chess Club. The Russian female later divorced IM Donaldson and married another edgy, easy to irritate  chess player named Orlov who loves to move his Horses before his pawns in the opening. The dude also loved to Tango!!  

Black is already down a piece in the diagrammed position and it is not really clear who is attacking whom in a position where many commentators would just bale with  "chances for both sides". However there is a concrete continuation based on the violent tactical theme of diagonal clearance. The Nd4 is a forcing continuation due to the fork of the Queen and King and the move also threatens the eviscerating Ba4 CHECK!

John wrote some nice annotations where he suffered through a sacrifice the house attack at the hands of the Lexington Lion GM Gregory Kaidanov.  The former employee of Yasser Seirawan also wrote a nice opening tome on the Meran Defense. IM Donaldson is  a good teacher also. 

Meran Defense in Reverse

I believe it was IM John Donaldson, contributing editor to the wildly popular pre internet magazine Inside Chess, who wrote an excellent opening manual on the Meran variation of the Slav Defense.

The opening was exceptionally popular and effective to the extent that anti-Meran White systems were devised. The idea behind the opening was to wait until White developed his f1 Bishop and then give up the center with d pawn captures c pawn. When White recaptured with his twice moved prelate, Black would play a6 threatening  b5 with a tempo on c4 Bishop.

The pawn pawn move b5 also cleared b7 for the Black c8 bishop to occupy. Cliff Bunch, a high intensity Houston player, believed Black was already better not 10 moves out of the opening.

Check out the following lighting game played at ICC where Serbian Grandmaster PapMisa is flummoxed by Cuban or Peruvian player rayosx playing the Meran Defense in Reverse!