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63-533: The position may readily be reached by a number of different move orders . Black's supporting pawns resemble a mixture of the Orthodox Queen's Gambit Declined , e6, and the Slav Defense , c6. Black is threatening to capture the white pawn on c4 and hold it with ...b7–b5. White can avoid this in a number of ways. About 80% of games continue 5.Bg5 or 5.e3: the former constitutes a sharp pawn sacrifice, while

126-551: A city during the 13th century and made it the capital of their County of Tyrol . After the county had been handed over to the Habsburg dynasty in 1363 upon the abdication of Margaret, Countess of Tyrol , in 1420 Duke Friedrich IV of Austria moved the Tyrolean court to Innsbruck . Though Merano remained the official capital until 1848, it subsequently lost its predominant position and almost all its importance as an economic hub across

189-564: A list of unorthodox chess pieces, see Fairy chess piece ; for a list of terms specific to chess problems , see Glossary of chess problems ; for a list of named opening lines , see List of chess openings ; for a list of chess-related games, see List of chess variants ; for a list of terms general to board games , see Glossary of board games . Merano Merano ( UK : / m ə ˈ r ɑː n oʊ / , US : / m eɪ ˈ -/ ; Italian: [meˈraːno] ) or Meran ( German: [meˈʁaːn] )

252-561: A minority attack on the queenside . Protecting the d5-pawn with the c-pawn has at least three implications for Black. First, it allows Black to keep the option to enter the Slav Defense, i.e., developing his light-squared bishop to f5 at the appropriate moment, before moving his e-pawn. Second, it may discourage White from capturing on d5, given the somewhat drawish reputation of the Exchange Slav. Third, it prevents White from entering

315-585: A permanent problem. An alternative is to play 11...a6 aiming at pushing c5 next, which more or less invites White to play 12.b4. Now Black can respond with 12...a5, and the game could continue with 13.Rb1 axb4 14.axb4 Qe7 15.e4 e5, with very dynamic play and opportunities for both sides. Playing 11...Qe7 takes the poison out of White's planned knight transfer, since after the moves 12.Ng5 h6 13.Nge4 Nxe4 14.Nxe4 c5 Black seems to be fine. However, after 11...Qe7, White can continue 12.e4 e5 13.Bg5, and White seems to retain some advantage. A very radical approach by Black

378-477: A slight advantage, but the imbalance in pawn structures will guarantee an exciting game with opportunities for both sides. White has the option of playing 10.d5 as well. This often transposes to the Reynolds Attack (described in detail below) after, for example, 10...c4 11.Bc2 Qc7 12.0-0 Bb7, or another move order. According to some sources, the move was first played in 1923. The strategic idea behind this move

441-463: A typical queen maneuver in such positions – with a very strong advantage for White). Now White has a couple of interesting alternatives to proceed. The first one is a flashy move 15.e5, played for example in 1994 by Kramnik against Shirov, and a couple of rounds later by Karpov against Kramnik himself. Play continues 15...Qxe5 16.Re1 Qd6 17.Qxd6 Bxd6 18.Be3 0-0 19.Rad1 Be7 20.Bxc5 Bxc5 21.Nxe6 Rfc8 with roughly equal chances for both. An alternative approach

504-474: A very interesting position. Black is up a pawn and has a very straightforward plan: play ...Bb7, ...Bd6, ...Rb8 and aim for the white king. Practice has shown, however, that White is doing very well in these positions, but precision is certainly required from both sides. Alternatively, Black can play 11...Ng4 (the Rabinovich Variation), where White might respond 12.Qa4, preventing the capture ...axb5 due to

567-433: A wall with four pieces of Ghibelline battlements and three arches that symbolize the city. The arms is known from the 14th century and the oldest seal dates from 1353, while the coloured one since 1390. In a 1759 image, the eagle is represented with a crown and a green wreath of honour. After World War I and the annexation of the city from Austria-Hungary to Italy, it was given a new coat of arms in 1928, which looked similar to

630-496: A wild and tactical game. A lot of theory and high-level games exist on Reynolds Attack and its different subvariations. As in many variations of the Semi-Slav, the game becomes wildly tactical and provides opportunities for both sides. Continuing the game with 9.e4 b4 10.Na4 c5 11.e5 Nd5 is still very much an option for White. Instead of captures on c5, White can play 12.0-0 with some attacking prospects. The most critical continuation

693-448: Is 12...cxd4, after which White can either play 13.Re1 or 13.Nxd4, both giving opportunity for some wild attacks on the black position. With accurate play, however, Black should be fine. White has a third option to play 9.a3 as well. The idea is to prepare b2–b4 by White, which would make it more difficult for black to achieve his strategic plan of pushing c6–c5. Black may respond with moves like 9...b4, 9...Bd6, 9...a6 or 9...a5. Intent of

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756-501: Is 15.Be3 h6, after which White can throw in the even flashier knight sacrifice 16.Nxe6, and the game typically continues 16...Nxe6 17.e5 Qxe5 18.Bg6+ (the point!) Ke7 19.Re1 and White has a strong attack against the black king, despite being a full piece down. Second, 14.Nd4 Nc5 15.Qe2 Bd6 leads to very interesting play, for example in the game Karpov–Anand, 1998, which continued 16.f4 e5 17.Ndxb5 axb5 18.Nxb5 Qb6 19.Nxd6+ Qxd6 20.fxe5 Qxe5 21.Rf5 Qe7 22.Qxc4 Rc8 23.Qb5+ Ncd7 24.Qxb7 Rxc2 with

819-491: Is August with 96 mm, while the driest is February with only 25 mm. This data was measured at the weather station Merano/Gratsch at an altitude of 333 metres between 1983 and 2017. The area is well known for its wines, both white and red, and vineyards extend right into the city. The local wine, Meraner Leiten (Meranese di collina) , is a light red wine , best drunk young. There are also extensive orchards, and apples are exported throughout Europe. The Forst Brewery on

882-683: Is a comune (municipality) in South Tyrol , Northern Italy . Generally best known for its spa resorts, it is located within a basin , surrounded by mountains standing up to 3,335 metres (10,942 feet) above sea level , at the entrance to the Passeier Valley and the Vinschgau . The city has been a popular place of residence for several scientists, literary people, and artists, including Franz Kafka , Paul Lazarsfeld and also Empress Elisabeth of Austria , who appreciated its mild climate . Both

945-648: Is completely fine and might be even better, with a very strong knight on d5 and strong bishops aiming at the White kingside. This forced White players to look for alternative approaches to Black's modern treatment of the Meran. White can simply play 9.0-0, and the game often continues 9...a6 10.e4 c5 11.d5 leading into the Reynolds Attack. 11.e5 is no longer an option as it was in the Classical Meran, since Black can respond with 11...cxd4 and now 12.Nxb5 no longer works since Black has

1008-496: Is designated by codes D43 through D49 in Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings . It is possible to reach the Semi-Slav through many move orders. White may start the game with either 1.d4, 1.Nf3 or even 1.c4, keeping the possibility of a Semi-Slav open. Black can choose different combinations of ...d5, ...c6, ...e6 and ...Nf6 as well in order to avoid certain variations or to open up some new opportunities of his own. This chapter looks at

1071-520: Is named after the city, from its successful use by Akiba Rubinstein against Ernst Grünfeld during a tournament held in the city in 1924. In 1981, the World Chess Championship match between Anatoly Karpov and Viktor Korchnoi was held in Merano. The first act of the musical Chess also has a world chess championship match set in Merano, and features a song entitled "Merano", which includes

1134-416: Is something Black might want to prevent. Black players have tried various approaches to combat White's plan, and the final word on this variation has certainly not yet been said. If Black responds with 11...a5, he is certainly slowing down White's intentions towards b4, but the cost may be too high: Black will never be able to support his b-pawn with a6, and the weakness of the queenside pawn structure will be

1197-442: Is to develop the light-squared bishop and possibly play b5–b4 and c6–c5 without wasting time on a7–a6. The move 8...Bb7 was long considered virtually unplayable due to the line 9.e4 b4 10.Na4 c5 11.e5 Nd5 12.Nxc5 Nxc5 13.dxc5 Bxc5 14.Bb5+ and the black king will be stuck in the center. However, it was later found, in particular through the work of Danish grandmaster Bent Larsen in the late 1960s and early 1970s, that after 14...Ke7 Black

1260-498: Is to play 11...Rc8, with a clear threat of placing the rook on the same file as the white queen. If White now plays 12.b4 to "prevent" Black from pushing the c-pawn, Black may simply respond with 12...c5!? (12...a5 is the computer preference), and after 13.bxc5 Bxf3 14.cxd6 Nd5 the game is wide open with massive tactical complications and opportunities for both sides. Playing 11.Rd1 is a possibility, but it looks like Black can neutralize White's play after 11...b4 12.Na4 c5 13.dxc5 Rc8 and

1323-419: Is to wait for Black to commit to ...dxc4 before playing Bd3. Black commonly replies with 6...Bd6. One such example was played between Magnus Carlsen against Viswanathan Anand at Linares in 2009, in which the white pieces ended victorious. White can choose between a couple of very different continuations: Most often White players choose the move 7.Bd3. Karpov first played 7.Be2 but it soon transpired that

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1386-602: The Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye , Merano became part of the Kingdom of Italy with the rest of the southern part of the former Cisleithanian crown land of Tyrol. During the Nazi occupation of the region in 1943–5, the Meranese Jewish population was almost completely deported and murdered within concentration camps. The city's coat of arms depicts the red Tyrolean eagle sitting on

1449-521: The 15th century. Also dating to this period is the Princely Castle ( Landesfürstliche Burg ), which was a residence of Archduke Sigismund of Austria . The Steinerner Steg stone bridge crosses the Passer river and dates to the 17th century. The city saw further development as it became increasingly popular as a spa resort, especially after Empress Elisabeth of Austria started visiting. Dating from

1512-676: The 19th century are the Civic Theatre , the Kurhaus and the Empress Elisabeth Park . Also famous are the arched Wandelhalle promenades along the river. After the annexation of the city by Italy in 1919, the Fascist authorities constructed the new city hall in the 1920s. Outside the city is Trauttmansdorff Castle and its gardens . Located there is the Museum of Tourism, which was opened in

1575-570: The Anti-Meran is the sharp 7.g4. Popularized by Alexander Shabalov and Alexey Shirov , the gambit destabilizes the center for Black and has been successful for several grandmasters , including Kasparov , who won the first game of his 2003 match against the computer chess program Deep Junior with it. Glossary of chess#move orders This glossary of chess explains commonly used terms in chess , in alphabetical order. Some of these terms have their own pages, like fork and pin . For

1638-510: The Anti-Meran section below. In addition there are some independent lines after 8...Bd6, where play continues with, for example, either 9.Ng5 Bb7 10.Qf3 h6 11.Qh3 or 9.Bd2 Bb7 10.Rc1 Rc8 11.a3. Also known as the Stoltz Variation, named after Swedish grandmaster Gösta Stoltz , the main alternative to 6.Bd3 has become 6.Qc2. Once a sideline, this move exploded in popularity in the 1990s, in large part due to Anatoly Karpov 's advocacy. The idea

1701-496: The Catalan opening with 3.g3. One drawback of playing 2...c6 is that White may continue 3.Nf3, and after 3...Nf6 play 4.e3 ("Slow Slav"), and now Black cannot really play the Semi-Slav since 4...e6 is considered to be good for White as he has not committed to Nc3 thus having other options to develop, for example Nbd2 or b3. Protecting the d5-pawn with the e-pawn allows Black to develop his kingside more rapidly, but it does block

1764-561: The Italian ( Merano ) and the German ( Meran ) names for the city are used in English. The Ladin form of the name is Maran . The official name of the municipality ( comune ) is Comune di Merano in Italian and Stadtgemeinde Meran in German (both are in official use). Archaic names of the city are Mairania (from AD 857) and an der Meran (from the 15th century). In 17th-century Latin ,

1827-468: The Italian master Max Romih , and 6...Bd6, which was much the most popular line before the debut of the Meran, and espoused by the American grandmaster Arthur Bisguier throughout his career. After the main line 6.Bd3 dxc4 7.Bxc4 b5 White has three alternative retreats for the bishop. The vast majority of games continue 8.Bd3, but the moves 8.Bb3 and 8.Be2 are also possible. By playing 8.Bd3 White returns

1890-585: The Meran, but deprives White of the Bg5 variations). White now has a number of possible continuations, including 5.a4 (see below), 5.e3 (often transposing to the line given below), 5.e4 (with similarities to the line given below), or even 5.Bg5. A typical line in the Noteboom Variation continues: 5.a4 Bb4 6.e3 b5 7.Bd2 a5 8.axb5 Bxc3 9.Bxc3 cxb5 10.b3 Bb7 11.bxc4 b4 12.Bb2 Nf6 13.Bd3 Nbd7 14.0-0 0-0 with an interesting position where Black has two connected passed pawns on

1953-529: The bishop on this ideal square, where it supports White's strategic ambition of pushing e3–e4 in the near future, and gives White the option of playing Ne4 if necessary. Black's main plan, on the other hand, is to find a way to push ...c6–c5 in order to free the long diagonal for his light-squared bishop and to eliminate the backward pawn on the semi-open c-file. In practice, Black has three alternative moves in this position: 8...a6 (Classical Meran), 8...Bb7 ("Modern/Improved Meran") or 8...Bd6 (which often transposes to

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2016-419: The bishop to e2 instead of the typical d3-square has an impact on certain continuations, when the white queen is protecting the d-pawn. An example can be seen in a line where Black plays in the typical Meran style: 8.Be2 a6 9.e4 c5 10.e5 cxd4 and now White has the option of playing 11.Qxd4 Bc5 12.Qf4 with a comfortable advantage. Black plays 8...a6 in order to protect his b5-pawn and threatening to follow up with

2079-474: The check with either his knight or bishop. Alternatively White can continue with 6.Nc3 (as in World Championship match Carlsen–Anand, 2013), and play continues 6...c5 7.a3 Ba5. Second, if White continues 4.Nf3, Black has the extra option of playing 4...dxc4 entering the Noteboom Variation. If White wants to avoid this variation, he must play either 4.e4 (Marshall Gambit) or 4.e3 (which usually transposes to

2142-887: The choice of whether or not to push the c-pawn to c4. The benefit of pushing the c-pawn is that should White play dxe6 and after the recapture fxe6 attack the e-pawn with either Ng5 or Nd4, Black has the opportunity to defend the pawn with ...Nc5. Alternatively, Black can refrain from pushing the c-pawn to c4, which prevents White from using the d4-square for his knight in some variations. An example variation where Black keeps his c-pawn on c5 is: 11...Qc7 12.dxe6 fxe6 13.Ng5 Qc6 after which there are many different ways to continue for both sides. If Black instead pushes his c-pawn, this opens up several interesting opportunities for White. For example: 11...c4 12.Bc2 Qc7 13.dxe6 fxe6 and now White has two possible knight moves (among other alternatives) pressure Black's e-pawn. First, 14.Ng5 has to be met with 14...Nc5 (now 14...Qc6 would lead to 15.Qf3 h6 16.Qh3 –

2205-611: The city and in the surrounding hills, not least "Meran/o 2000", where there is also skiing in winter. The city is reachable with the railway Bolzano -Merano, which continues to the Vinschgau Railway Merano-Malles. According to the 2011 census, 50.47% of the resident population spoke German as mother language, 49.06% Italian, and 0.47% Ladin . A chess opening , the Meran Variation of the Semi-Slav Defense ,

2268-506: The city was called Meranum . The area has been inhabited since the third millennium BC, as shown by the presence of menhirs and other finds. The story of the city proper began in 15 BC when the Romans occupied the Adige valley founding a road station, Statio Maiensis . The settlement was first mentioned in an 857 deed as Mairania . The Counts at Castle Tyrol elevated Merano to the status of

2331-434: The continuation 6...dxc4 7.Bxc4 b5 ( ECO codes D46 to D49) where black surrenders his center in exchange for queenside expansion and some tempo against the white bishop. The line was first played in 1906 in the game Schlechter–Perlis. The variation takes its name from the town of Meran ( Merano ) in northern Italy. During a 1924 tournament in Meran, it was used successfully in the game Gruenfeld – Rubinstein . Gruenfeld adopted

2394-423: The d3-square gives White better chances. Play usually continues 7...dxc4 8.Bxc4 0-0 9.0-0 b5 10.Bd3 Bb7, after which White has several interesting options to continue the game. One of the "hot" positions of Semi-Slav occurs after 11.a3. White intends to simply push b2–b4, which would seriously hamper Black's strategic plan of playing c6–c5. White also often looks at transferring his knight from f3 via g5 to e4, which

2457-669: The e-pawn is the classical approach by White, adopted in several high-level games, including World Championship match Kramnik–Anand in 2008. The black knight on f6 has no reasonable squares to go to, so Black must continue his aggression by 10...cxd4, attacking the white knight in return. Taking the knight on f6 would favor Black, so White responds 11.Nxb5 (the Blumenfeld Variation), sacrificing his knight while still threatening Black's f6-knight. Black now has three reasonable alternatives for how to proceed. The most popular and tested line continues 11...axb5 12.exf6 gxf6 13.0-0 Qb6 14.Qe2 with

2520-427: The edge of the city produces a popular range of beers, sold throughout Italy and Europe. Merano organizes the following events every year. Every second year, the literature competition Merano Poetry Prize (Lyrikpreis Meran) is held in Merano. Merano is a popular tourist destination especially for Germans and Italians. In the summer, there are concerts on the promenade almost daily, and there are fine walks around

2583-440: The equalizing move ...c6–c5. White cannot really prevent this plan directly, so he must immediately generate some counterplay in the center with 9.e4. It is also possible to play 9.a4, but 9.0-0 is a strategic mistake as it allows Black to freely push his c-pawn, equalizing immediately. Black will respond with 9...c5, after which White has the choice between pushing his d-pawn or e-pawn, leading to very different middlegames. Pushing

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2646-491: The first moves of the game from Black's point of view, assuming that he would prefer to play the Semi-Slav. If White opens the game with 1.d4, Black is happy to respond with 1...d5 when aiming for a Semi-Slav. Of course White can continue the game with 2.Bf4 or even 2.Bg5 (as is the case if Black opens 1...Nf6), and the game will take a completely different path. In vast majority of master games, however, White players choose to play either 2.c4 (Queens Gambit) or 2.Nf3. After 2.Nf3,

2709-608: The historical coat of arms was restored. Among the city's landmarks are the medieval city gates such as the Vinschgauer Tor , Passeirer Tor , and the Bozener Tor . Also belonging to the fortifications is the medieval Ortenstein tower, popularly called Pulverturm (lit. "powder tower"). The main churches are the Gothic St. Nicholas' Church and the St. Barbara's Chapel , both dating to

2772-502: The latter restricts the dark-squared bishop from its natural development to g5. Other possible moves are 5.Qb3, 5.g3 and 5.cxd5, the last of which, after 5...exd5, leads to a line of the QGD Exchange Variation where White's early Nf3 enables Black's queen bishop to freely develop, which should give equality ( ECO codes D43 and D45). 5.Bf4 is considered somewhat inaccurate, as 5...dxc4 is favorable for Black. The Semi-Slav

2835-439: The light-squared bishop for the time being. After 3.Nf3 Nf6 White has the option of entering the Catalan opening with 4.g3. If White continues 3.Nc3, Black has two options to proceed with a Semi-Slav in mind. First, Black can play 3...c6 (the "triangle setup", see below). Second, Black can play 3...Nf6, which gives White the opportunity to continue 4.cxd5 exd5 followed by 5.Bg5. After the move order 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Black has

2898-564: The line, "rosy-cheeked Merano, flourishing to a fault". The city's handball team, Pallamano Merano  [ it ] , is one of the most successful in Italy, winning the scudetto in 2005. The ice hockey team won two national championships but currently plays in the second division, Serie B . Each September, the Gran Premio Merano takes place in the Maia Racecourse ; this is

2961-565: The lines of the Anti-Meran). Maintaining the bishop on the long diagonal aiming at e6- and f7-squares is an aggressive approach by White. If Black is not careful, White will launch an aggressive attack towards the black king with possible knight sacrifices on e6 or f7 in the near future. An example continuation might be 8...b4 9.Ne2 Bb7 10.Nf4 Bd6 11.Ng5, when White is already threatening sacrifices to open up Black's position, and Black must respond with 11...Bxf4 in order to avoid trouble. Retreating

3024-444: The mean temperatures low enough for the city as a whole to have continental ( Dfa/Dfb ) influences with more distinct seasons. The average daily temperatures in summer in Merano lie between 27 and 30 °C, while at night temperatures usually drop to between 12 and 15 °C. The average daily temperatures in winter lie between 6 and 10 °C, while at night temperatures usually drop to between -4 and -2 °C. The wettest month

3087-419: The move 8...Bd6 is to allow rapid castling as well as to increase Black's control over the e5-square, which will be critical in many continuations. White's strategic idea in the Meran is to push e3–e4, and with a bishop on d6 Black is always ready to meet this with e6–e5, and typically Black is doing fine after such moves. Play might continue 9.0-0 0-0 10.Qc2 Bb7 transposing to one of the topical lines discussed in

3150-400: The natural continuation for Black is 2...Nf6. Playing 2...c6 or 2...e6 might be somewhat inaccurate, since White always has the option of avoiding c2–c4, so developing the knight first makes a lot of sense. If White chooses the most common 2.c4, Black has three practical choices: either protect the pawn on d5 by playing e6 or c6 (keeping the option of a Semi-Slav open), or alternatively capture

3213-406: The old one, but with five parts of the battlements and the arches with the gates opened on a lawn of shamrock. A mural crown was placed above the shield. The five parts of the battlement represented the districts of Maia Bassa, Merano (old city), Maia Alta, Quarazze and Avelengo , which were incorporated into the city by the Italian fascists. After World War II, Avelengo became independent again and

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3276-507: The opportunity to respond with 3...e6 instead of 3...Nf6. This "triangle setup" opens up some new alternatives for both players on the fourth move. First, White has the opportunity to enter the Marshall Gambit by playing 4.e4. Play continues 4...dxe4 (4...Bb4 is sometimes played, but should favor White) 5.Nxe4 Bb4+. Now White has two alternative paths to continue. The main line is considered to be 6.Bd2 Qxd4 7.Bxb4 Qxe4+ and then White blocks

3339-419: The option of playing 12...Bxf3 13.Qxf3 Nd5 with equality . After 11.d5 Black cannot really capture on d5, since the opening of the e-file could be disastrous for Black in a practical game (although with precise computer play Black seems to be fine after 11...exd5). Therefore, Black must allow White to capture on e6, and try to deal with the consequences. Black typically develops his queen with ...Qc7, with

3402-501: The option of transposing to a Nimzo-Indian with 3...Bb4. Should White choose to play 3.Nf3 instead, Black can simply play 3...d5, and then after 4.Nc3 c6 we are back at the start of the Semi-Slav. This move order, however, allows White to play the Catalan Opening with either 3.g3, or alternatively 3.Nf3 d5 4.g3. Roughly 50% of the games continue with 5.e3. White gives priority to developing his light-squared bishop, and accepts that for

3465-490: The pin on the a-file, as well as discouraging Black from capturing on e5 due to the discovered check on the black king. Nevertheless, play might continue 12...Ngxe5 13.Nxe5 Nxe5 14.Nd6+ Ke7 15.Nxc8+ Rxc8 16.Bxa6 Ra8 and White is clearly better but certainly not yet winning. A third alternative is to play 11...Nxe5 (the Sozin Variation), and after 12.Nxe5 axb5 13.Bxb5+ Bd7 14.Nxd7 Qa5+ 15.Bd2 Qxb5 16.Nxf8 Kxf8 White probably has

3528-451: The position seems very equal, though. Instead of preparing the e3–e4 push to free his dark-squared bishop, White can also play 7.b3 to support the pawn on c4 and develop the bishop on the long diagonal in anticipation of future opening of the center. Play might continue 7...0-0 8.Be2 after which Black has several viable continuations at his disposal, with the most common being 8...b6 and 8...e5. Another increasingly common gambit line used in

3591-446: The queenside, while White has the bishop pair and dominates the center of the board. The "triangle setup" is not ideal for Black if White plays 3.Nf3 instead of 3.Nc3. Should Black play 3...e6 nevertheless, White has the option of continuing with 4.e3 or 4.Qc2, for example, thus avoiding the Noteboom Variation. Black has the option of delaying the move ...d7–d5, for instance to avoid the exchange cxd5. If White continues 3.Nc3, Black has

3654-550: The roads connecting Italy and Germany. The important mint was also moved to Hall in Tirol in 1477. The Tyrolean Rebellion of 1809 against the French occupation drew attention again to Merano. In that year, on the Küchelberg above the city, a peasants' army eked out a victory against the united French and Bavarian forces before their revolt was finally crushed. After World War I , under

3717-470: The same variation two rounds later against Spielmann , winning as well. White will play in the center, leading to a rich, complicated game. These opposing strategies, with the ensuing keen play, have long made the Meran a favorite for enterprising players of either color. An example is Gligoric–Ljubojevic, Belgrade 1979. Though appearing in contemporary master play with less frequency than the Meran, there are other possibilities: 6...Be7, 6...Bb4, introduced by

3780-451: The spring of 2003 and shows the historical development of tourism in the province. Tirol Castle is also close by. Merano is on the borderline between several climates. Officially, it has an oceanic climate ( Cfb ). However, it is close to being humid subtropical ( Cfa ) due to the mean temperature in July being just under 22 °C; even on those terms, the overnight lows in the winter bring

3843-532: The tactics seem to work in Black's favor. White can immediately push 11.e4, and Black must respond with the thematic 11...e5. Play often continues 12.dxe5 Nxe5 13.Nxe5 Bxe5 14.h3 with some slight advantage for White. White can begin the thematic knight transfer immediately with 11.Ng5. In such positions, Black often has the tactical idea of Bxh2+ Kxh2 Ng4+ at his disposal, but in this precise variation it does not seem to provide anything for Black. After 11...h6 12.Nge4 Be7

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3906-475: The time being the dark-squared bishop will remain somewhat out of play. The main line continues with 5...Nbd7. 5...Be7 is rare, as the bishop is passively placed on e7 and does not support the freeing move ...e5. The unusual move 5...a6 is considered solid for Black. Some sources call 5...a6 the "accelerated Meran". One of the main variations of the Semi-Slav is the Meran Variation. White plays 6.Bd3, provoking

3969-566: The white pawn with dxc4 (leading to Queen's Gambit Accepted). The first thing for Black players to consider is, what if White captures on d5 anyhow with cxd5. If Black has played the Slav move order (2...c6), then after the recapture cxd5 ("exchange Slav") the pawn structure is symmetrical. Should Black have played 2...e6 instead, the recapture exd5 leads to an imbalanced pawn structure called the Carlsbad structure, which might offer White some opportunities for

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