To Dominic and Jane
An Opening Repertoire for White
RAYMOND KEENE International Grandmaster
B .T.Batsford Ltd, London
Symbols and Abbreviations + ++
!! '! ?'! !? ?! 1-0 0-1
�-� =
;!; + ±
+
±±
H
0-0 0-0-0
IM GM IQP
check double check good move outstanding move weak mov� blunder interesting move risky/dubious move White win Black win drawn game the position is equal or balanced White/Black has a slight advantage White/Black has a clear advantage White/Black has a winning advantage castles (kingside) castles (queenside) International M aster Grandmaster isolated queen's pawn
Prologue This book is an arsenal providi ng essential ammunition in hand for all White players who wish to open with I d4. The outst feature is its intention of reducing the areas of conflict to tho which t he·reader is familiar and, t herefore, competent and confi handle. It would be wrong to claim that the variations exam ined confer advantage on White, but the systems presented here all confor basic solid but aggressive style. It is my belief that a reader who is in tune with the patterns displayed in this book will feel happy v lines I have recommended and will, therefore, score more poin An Opening Repertoire for White (OR W)
is the companion vol Keene ar which performs a similar function for openings commencing wi1
An Upt•ning Repertoirefor the Allackmg Playu(URAP) by
Raymond Keene
Note on Algebraic Notation The notation used in this book is algebraic, the only type approved by FIDE, the World Chess Federation and the governing body of international chess. If you can understand a London A-Z guide or a Manhattan street map you will have absolutely no problems in comprehending algebraic notation, which is more economical and less prone to ambiguity than the alternative and outmoded descriptive variety. A brief examination of the following diagram will im mediately clear up any possible confusion concerning the application of algebraic notation.
8 7 6 5 4 3 2 I a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
Introduction The aim of this book is to provide a complete repertoire for the White player, based on the move I d4. I n analysing the material I have chosen to develop from I d4, I have maintained several crucial principles: one main line is demonstrated for White against all of the major Black defences which the White player is likely to meet in competition; the mai n lines selected are sound but a ggressive and do not rely on memorisation of long tactical variations a nd su b-variations. In several cases, they embody newly elaborated, relatively unexplored ideas which allow plenty of scope for individ ual creative contribution on the part of the reader. Furthermore, I have based each suggested line on annotated illustrative games, so that the strategies outlined and attacking methods proposed can be fully a bsorbed, right up until the endgame phase.
Advantages of a Repertoire There is no need to feel concern at limiting oneself to an opening repertoire. All chess players have restricted time and resources at their disposal, and this is particularly true of social, club, league or weekend competitors. In view of such constraints it makes excellent sense to work out a tangible, fixed group of opening variations in which to carry out a specialised study. O nce the reader feels thoroughly at home with this, it will provide a firm platform for branching out and acquiring new knowledge and expertise in other, broader areas of chess science. It should not be forgotten that even such great players as Fischer and Karpov have had their own selective repertoire, centred largely on I e4, while Vi ktor Korchnoi and Gary Kasparov strongly favour openings arising from I d4. A cu rious fact, in this context, is that of the twenty games played in the World Cha mpionship semi-final at London 1 983, in the matches between S myslov and Ribli and between Korchnoi and Kasparov, no less than nineteen commenced I d4! I d4 is a sound, solid move, aiming for central control and a restrained but ultimately convincing attacking build-up. It does not lend iiself to premature adventures and in general, by opening with it, you can avoid colliding with too many devastating surp rises from your opponents.
xii
inlroduction
Link with 'BCO'
OR W (An Opening Repertoire for White) is designed to give the reader confidence and ideas for t he practical st ruggle. As I have already stated, this is essentially a book of strategies, not an exhaustive reference work . I have, therefore, taken the step of linking each variation analysed with the related section in Botsford Chess Openings (BCO). This o ne-volu me openings encyclopaedia, written by Gary Kasparov and myself, provides a vast amount of detailed background information. It is a useful companion to OR W, and one that will form a handy compact compendium, both for expanding the repertoire beyond the confi nes of the lines l have exami ned here and for last-minute rev ision before and du ring tournaments or impo rtant games. Good luck with improving your chess and your scores!
Raymond Keene London, June 1 984
Part I Queen's G ambit: 1 d4 d5 2 c4
8
Chapter 1: Chigorin 's Defence 2 ... lbc6 Chapter 2: Albin Counter-Gam bit 2 ... e5 Chapter 3: Queen's Gambit Accepted 2 ... de Chapter 4: Tarrasch Defence 2 ... e6 3 lbc3 c5 Chapter 5: Orthodox 2 ... e6 3 lbc3 lbf6 Chapter 6: Slav 2 ... c6
\�� ��h j Je-t.��J -·
,
1
Chigorin 's D e fence 1 d4 d5 2 c4 tbc6!?
��wr���u
2 w
concessions in the line 3 lt:lf3 .ig4 4 cd .ixf3 5 gf, such as surrender of the centre, exposure of the black queen and Joss of the bishop pair. In return for all t his, Black's counterchances against White's slightly fragile king position seem somewhat nebulous: Furthermore, in the line 3 lt:lc3 Black has o survive an immediate onsl:�g which has claimed a number of victims, including the author! M y standard method in this book will be to give just one line against each Black alternative, but against the Chigorin I mention two White possibilities (here and by transposition in Chapter 1 8), since both are good but will appeal to different styles of player. In contemporary tournament practice S myslov and Miles have occasionally upheld the honour of the Chigorin, but no modern grandmaster is prepared to make a living out of it - it remains, essentially, a surprise weapon. It is analysed in BCO on pages 54 and 55.
�
�
This remarkable concept was introduced in t he late 1 9th century by the great Russian player Mikhail Chigorin, who used it to defeat such supermen as Lasker and Pillsbury. This was at a time when Dr Tarrasch was claiming that his defence, 2 . e6 3 lt:lc3 c5, was the only correct antidote to the Queen's Gambit, and even the Slav, 2 c6, was considered highly unusual. In spite of Chigorin's personal success, his defence did not capture the public's i magination, poss ibly because Black is committed to rather too many positional . .
. . .
., Keene-Cox Lloyds Bank Masters' 1 983 1 d4 dS 2 c4 ltJc6
The Chigorin. Very rare alter natives at international level are: a) 2 cS 3 cd ltJ f6 4 e4 ! ltJxe4 5 de ltJxc5 6 ltJc3 e6 7 b4 'tlff6 8 'tlfc2 ltJca6 9 a3 ed 10 ltJxd5 'tlfe5+ I I ltJe3 .ie6 1 2 ..ib2 'tlfc7 1 3 .i b5 + ltJc6 1 4 ltJ f3 ±. Analysis b y Bondarevsky, quoted i n BCO. b) 2 g6?!.An incredible move, tried in Stahlberg-Alekhine, Kemeri 1 937. After 3 cd 'tlfxd5 4 ltJc3 Black has a very suspect G rtinfeld, while after 3 cd ltJf6 4 1ra4+ leaves Black with problems in retrieving his pawn. c) 2 ltJf6. The Marshall or American Defence: 3 cd ltJ xd5 4 ltJO, White's best method, is given in the notes to Alekhine-Marshall in Part V of this book. d) 2 ..ifS 3 cd ..ixb I (3 '@xd5 4 li:lc3 is natu rally excellent for White) 4 'ifa4t c6 5 l h b l 1Wxd5 6 ltJf3 lLJf6 7 e3 t; in a semi-open position Black has no tangible compensation for W hite's bishop pai r.
Chigorin's Defence
15
J 8
...
3
de
Black can also try: a) 3 ltJf6 4 lt:lO ..ig4 (4 de transposes to the main game; 4 e6 5 ..ig5 .ib4 6 e 3 o r 5 ..ig5 ..ie7 6 e3 are both passive for Black; 4 ..if5 5 cd lL!xd5 6 'tll b 3 e6 7 e4 lL!xc3 !l ef favours White. This is also mentio ned in the notes to Alekhine-Marshall, Part V) 5 cd lL!xd5 6 e4 ltJxc3 (6 ltJb6 7 d5 ltJe5 8 lL!xe5 ..ixd l 9 .ib5+ is a sta ndard winning sacrifice) 7 be e5 8 d5 lObS (8 . . . .ixtJ 9 1rxf3 lLJb!l 10 ll b l ± Keene-Rahman, Com monwealth Championship, Hong Kong 1984) 9 •a4+ lLJd7 10 ltJxe5 •r6 I I f4 ..id6 12 .ib5 ..txe5 13 fe .\ Wxc5 1 4 0-0 ± (M inev). White's bishops loo k good. b) 3 eS 4 cd lL!xd4 (4 ed 5 de de 3 lL!c3! 6 'W'xd 8+ $>xd 8 7 cb ±) 5 eJ lLJf5 For 3 ltJf3, see the section on 6 ltlf3 .id6 7 .ib5+ ..id7 8 'tlfb3 ± I d4 lt!c6 in Cha pter 1 8 and the (G heorghiu). game Kasparov-Smyslov given on lLJf6f 4 lL!f3! page 1 7. ...
...
000
0 0 0
o o •
...
...
000
000
oo•
0 0 0
16
Chigortn's Defence
4 .A.e4 looks natural but 5 dS! .A.xn 6 ef �e5 7 .A.f4 �g6 8 .A.xc4 !1 �xf4 9 .A.b5 + c6 10 de is devastating; or 7 . . . �d7 8 .A.xc4 a6 9 0-0 �gf6 10 lie I ± Donner Keene, London 1971, the game which taught me all about 3li:lc3!. 4 ... e6 5 e4 .A.b4 6 .A.xc4 li:lf6 7 Wd3 is very passive for Black, although Chigorin played it. 4 ... a6!? 5 d5 10b8 6 e4 e6 7 .A.xc4 ed 8 i.xd5 U ± (Watson). S e3 This is not the only move. Excellent alternatives are: S .A.gS h6 6 .A.xf6 ef 7 e3 .A.e7 8 .txc4 0-0 9 a3 li:la5 10 .ta2 b6 I I •c2 li:lb7 12 lld l c6 13 0-0 10d6 ;! Tisdall-Cox, Gausdal 1983. S e4 .tg4 6 ..te3 .txn (6 . .. e6 7 .txc4 .tb4 S 1Wc2 1We7 9 lld I or 9 .ib5 , both� Watson) 7 gf 68ch liJe7 9 h4 li:lh5 10 1Wa4+ Wd7 11 •xc4 li:lg6 12 .i.h3 ± ( Watson). i. e4 s 5 ... 10a5 ?! 6 Wa4+ c6 7 .A.d2!? with either b4 or �e5 to come is an interesting gambit which looks good for White. .•.
·
6
.txc4
e6
h3 i.bS 8 .i.bS Otherwise Black plays ... a6 to obtain a normal Queen's Gambit Accepted. 1
See Diagram 4
4
B
8
..td6
I f 8 . . . .tb4 9 g4 i.g6 10 �e5 1M5 11 ..txc6 + be 12 0-0 ±. 9 e4 .A.b4 1 0 1Wa4 10 g4 .i.g6 11 �e5 is no longer desirable now that White has occupied the '!:entre with 9 e4, since the e4 pawn would hang .
10
i.xO?
1 had expected 10 ... 0-0 and had calculated this variation: 11 .txc6 ..txc3+ 12 be be 13 i.g5 h6 14 .th4 g5 15 li:lxg5 hg 16 .txg5 e5 17 Wxc6 with advantage to White. If 16 . . c5 17 Wa5 ! (17 e5 ?1Wd7 �) 17 ... cd 18 .txf6 1Wxf6 19 Wxh5 and now 19 . . . de or 19 ... d3 200-0 should favour White because of Black's shattered king position, though the passed black d- or c-pawn makes it difficult. Anyway, the text is a tactical error. 11 J.xc6+ be 1l Wxc6+ �e7 13 Wxd4 gf .
Chigorin's Defence 17 14 15 16
1fxc7+ .tg5+ ll d1 1 (5)
/t)d7 f6
24 25 26
llb5
'iVe2 llbg5! 1-0
ltle3+ llcd7
26 . . . lld2+ 27 �e l ltlc2+ 28 �fl and Black is helpless.
j B
Kasparov-Smyslov Candidates ( 1 1 ), Vilnius 1 984 1 d4 d5 2 ltJO ltlc6 3 c4 .i.g4 4 cd .txO 5 gf 11fxd5 6 e3 e5 7 �c3 .i.b4 8 .i.d2 .txc3 9 be "Wd6 Unusual.
16 llbc8 Agreeing to the loss of two pawns, but if 16 . . . .txc3+ 17 be llhc8 18 1llg3 1fxc3+ 19 .td2 and 20 11fxg7+. If 18 . . . 11fc5 19 .i.e3! or 18 . .. Wa4 19 11fd6+ wins. 17 18 19 20
lilxd4 ..ixf6+
lhc7 q;,xr6
q;.e2
q;,g5
ll "M
l<'\t>�
The only way to get counterplay, but the king position becomes very risky.
21 22 23
llg1 + llg3
�4 lld8
�n With the idea of ltle2+. If now 23 . . . lld3 even 24 lld4! is good. �c4 23
Normally Black plays 9 . . . ed I0 cd and then ... ltlge7 or ... ltJf6. The text is probably designed to avoid White's exchanging queens with 11fb3 as recommended. 10 llb1 b6 1 1 f4 A radical way of clarifying the central tension. 1 1 ef 12 e4 ltlge7 1 3 'lt"O 0-G 14 .txf4 1ta3 With the threat of . . . 10xd4. 1 5 .i.e2 f5 16 0-G I would play 16 e5. The text is very sharp. 16 ... fe 1 7 ..•
Wxe4 Wxc3 1 8 .i.e3 Wa3 1 9 .i.d3 Wd6 20 1txh7+ �n 2 1 llb5 ltJxd4 22 We4 White could also try 22 1th5+ g6 23 1th7+. 22 . llad8! ..
If 22 ... ltlxb5 23 .i.c4+ �6 24 Wh4+. 23 .txd4 1fxd4 24 llf5+ Settling for half a point. 24 ... ltJxf5 25 1fxf5+ �g8 If 25 ... 1ff6 26 .i.c4+ �e7 27 lle I+ wins. 26 Wb7+ Wf7 Draw aereed. I t is perpetual check after 27 1ff5+.
2
Albin Counter-Gambit 1 d4 d5 2 c4 e5 !? 3 de d4
6
w
The Albin is a sh�£� . wea�':>P . which has never bee � reYu�ml't unlike the Benko Gambit, which has fi rmly established itself as a respectable black defence in inter national tournament play, the Albin has never really caught on at the highest levels. Part of the explanation for this m ust be that it does not offer Black permanent structural compensation for his invested pawn. I nstead, Black acquires a lead in development (which may eventually be neut ralised) and various tactical chances, often directed against White's king. If White survives Black's early burst of activity. and there is no compelling reason to believe that he should not, he can look
·forward to a middlega me with extra material and/ or distinct counterchances of his own against the black king. The line I recom mend from the d1agra m 1s: 4 zt:\fj llSc6 5 g3 (rather than 5 a 3 or 5 ll:lbd2), ulso avoiding the obscurities of Spassky's 4 e4 ll:lc6 5 f4. Since Black usually has to castle queenside in the Albin, the development of the white king's bishop to g2 can be a useful asset for t he future. Even if Black succeeds in recouping the sacrificed pawn at eS. the opening up of the h l -a8 diagonal for White's king's bishop combined w1th a while queen sortie (either to -a4 or 63) and an advunce of White's queenside pawns, can prove a senous threat to the black kmg on c8 or 68. The most exalted victim of the Albin in recent years was U S grandmaster a nd many times US Champion, Walter Browne. He lost, as W hite, to Mestel in the 1982 Interzonal at Las Palmas, but the final result says lit tle about the outcome of the opening phase, which was in White's favour.
·
Albin Counter- Gambit /9
The Albin is covered i n BCO, pages 54 and 55.
Korchnol-Velnger Beersheva 1978 1 d4 d5 2 c4 e5 3 de d4
3 ... de 4 'ttx d8+ �xd8 5 lt::lc 3 (Pillsbury) leads to an uncom fortable queenless middlegame for B lack; White will continue with .tg5+ and 0-0-0+, harrassing Black's king. 4 ltJ f3 lt::lc6
5
g3
Volfson , USSR 1 969. The simple 9 h4 merits attention. b) 5 ... .if5!? 6 a3 1t'd7 7 8 0-0 j0h3 9 b4 h5 1 0 b_ ltdcs? w h en Black has compensatjon fgr the pawn in a complicated position, typical of the Albin. This line occurred m Chigorin-Aibin, Nurem berg 1 896.
.if0-0-0
Curiously, of these, 5 ... .tf5 offer the best chatH.:cs
may
partly because It ts
coos•derabl�
less explored than t he other m oves and the most effect i ve white line has not yet be en clanfied.
6
(7)
7 8
lg2 0-0
tt'IJ]! (8)
'ttd7 0-0-0
8 B
5
.tg4
From the diagram Black's sensible alternatives to 5 ... .tg4: (a) 5 ... .te6 6 lt::l b d2! 'ttd7 7 .tg2 0-0-0 (7 . . . liJge7 8 0-0 lt::l g6 9 �g5 liJgxe5 10 10 xe6 11fxe6 I I lbf3 and White has the two bishops and attacki ng chances, Hort Gasic, Sarajevo 1 972) 8 0-0 h5!? 9 b4 .txb4 10 :b l h4 1 1 11fa4 with complicated play, Vladimirov-
An excellent move, striking directly at Black's most sensitive poi n t, the b7 square. From the diagram: a) 8 . .th3. This natural-looking move stumbles i nto an ambush 9 e6! .t xe6 1 0 10e5 1t'd6 I I 10xc6 be 1 2 11fa4 1fc5 1 3 �a3 'ttb6 1 4 .txc6 .t xa3 1 5 b a ± Spassky Forin tos, Sochi 1 964. ..
20 Albin Counter- Gambit
b) 8 ... h5 9 l:ldl b6 10 �f4 h4 I I lt::lc 3! �xfJ 12 �xfJ g5 1 3 1rb5! ±. c) 8 ... �c5 9 lt::l bd2 �h3? 1 0 e6! �xe6 and II lt::le 5 again c� nfers great advantage on White. d) 8 ... lt::la5 9 1Wd3 �f5 10 e4 de I I thc3 ±.
e) 8 ... •rs 9 l:ld 1 lt::l ge7 - this may be Black's best chance but it looks artificial. 8
lt::lge 7
l:ld1 �xf3 If, in nocently, 9 . . . li:lgo'? 1 0 lt::l x d4 �xe2 ( 1 0 . . . lt:lxd4?'! I I 1rxb7 mate) I I l:ld2 ±± . It is quite obvious, though, that this exchange of bishop for kn ight is an unwelcome one for Black, whose sensitivity along the h 1-aH diagonal is now accen tu;1tcd .
9
10
12
lt:Jxf4
Renouncing any thought of regaining the 'Albin pawn', Veinger strives for counterplay by frac turing the pawns around White's king. 13 gf g6 14 1rf3 f6 More violence, but if Black proceeds quietly with 14 . . . �c5, then 1 5 �c3! is crushing, exploiting the d-file pin against Black's queen, to prepare lt:le4 . t!t'fS 15 ef 16 17
18
lt:ld2
ltJe4
b4! ( 10)
1Wxf6
1rf5
thO!
Commencing a manoeuvre which holds his extra pawn. 10
1rh5 Threa tening �h3.
lt::lg 6
II
II
12 \1 H
i.f4 (9)
�b8
A move thoroughly conforming to the whole pattern of White's attack - namely, a bn:a kthrough at b7. If now 1 8 . . . lt:lxb4 1 9 lt:ld6 ±± or I H . . . �xb4 19 l:lab I and Black is clearly finished. The blac k bishop on b4 can be n u dged away with a3, when there would follow moves like l:lb5 and i.Llg3, intensifying the
Albin Counter-Gambit
)
pressure against b 7, on the b-file and from the white queen a nd bishop to in tolerable levels. 18
19
Uxd3
19 20 21 22
l:i:bl 'flrxd3
��
11
B
d3
This way, at least, Black removes one pa ir of rooks from the board .
l":;
�xb4 lihd3 �e7 Wxf4
He m1ght as wel l. There is. in any l:ase. no good defence to Wh ite's 11-lile at tack . l f 22 . . . i.xc5 23 'ikl �J-1 �-I W xc6 ±±-. 23 �.l.\b7+! ( 11) The logil:;tl culmination of White's stra tegv - a sacrifil·ial bomb-blast on his theme s4uare. b7.
23 24 2S
Wb5+
.th3+
1 -0
ct>xb7 c8
If
25 ... �dM 26 'thc6
±t.
An imposing and highly instruc tive miniature which I had the privilege of watching since I participated with Korchnoi in the 197M Beersheva tourna men t . For the record, Browne-Mestel, mentioncJ in my introduction, went, from diagram 7: 5 . . . i.g4 6 ltJ bd2 tt'd7 7 i.g 2 0-0-0 8 0-0 h5 9 h4 ltJge7 10 tt'a4 ltJg6 I I ltJb3 �b8 1 2 ltJa5 ltJ xa5 13 tt' xa5, which should have favoured White.
3
Queen's Gambit Accepted 1 d4 d5 2 c4 de 3 ltJc3 ha rassed by their advance. The variation I have decided to recommend to combat the QGA is an antiquated one that is only just beginning to find favour amongst modern grandmasters, but it has already been enthusiastically adopted by no less than Korchnoi, Vaganian and the US Champion, Walter Browne. The point is, that after 3 �c3 Bla c k's most trusted
I! B
In principl e , acceptance of the reply, 3 . . . e5, leads to an Isolated Queen's Gambit should cede queen pawn (IQP) sit uation, White precisely what he desires where Black has no obvio��!l after I d4, namely a majority of brea ks, while White's very free pawns in the centre , plus speedy development confers a long-last i n� mobilisation. The Iauer deri ves initiative on him. After 3 lDc3 fro m White's ability to recapture Black cannot implement the pin the pawn on �:4 in one move line which can arise after 3 lDc3 ( i.xc4) placing the white king's bishop on an aggressive diagonal, · lLlf6 4 e3 }g4, while attemi!:5 IO without wasting an initial tempo e nter the standard""lilia n flne (3 lDf3 lDf6 4 e3 e6 5 i.xc4 c5) are on .id3. In practice, the clearance otreaily-oJ)erati ve:- i·l1bla grain n of pawns in the m iddle of 12, 3 . . . e6 can be met by 4 e4 in one the board often leads to early go, while 3 lDc3 lDf6 can lead to simplific ation and total equality. u ncharted and dyna mic positions On occasions, Blac k's fluid queen f Ol . Alternatively, White 4 g5 a ter side pawns (especially if he can accept a modest e ndgame plus achieves the configuration: pawns with 3 ... ltJf6 4 e4 e5 5 lbf3! on a6, b5 and c5) may also be very The QGA as a whole is treated annoying to Wh ite, whose queen's in BCO, pages 56-59. knight and king's bishop can be ·
Queen's Gambit Accepted 23
La Bourdonnals-McDonnell Match, London 1834 1 d4 d5 de 2 c4 e5 (13) 3 �c3! 13 B
�c6 1 0 lt::J xc6 .i.xc6 1 1 J.f4 0-0 1 2 0-0-0 also± ( 1 2 ..txc7 ? :U.ac8! is too dangerous for White, of course). This is Keres-Khalilbeili, U S S R 1 960. c) 31 .. c6 4 e4! a nd now: c l ) 4 .... e5 5 liJb ed 6 Wxd4! tlfxd4 7 lL!Xd4 �f6 8 f3 J.c5 (8 . . . b5 is too weakening: 9 a4! b4 10 liJdl ..ta6 I I J.f4 J.c5 1 2 lll f5 0-0 1 3 :U.c l l:let! 1 4 J.e3 lll bd7 1 5 J.xc4 ±) 9 J.e3 lL!bd7 10 J.xc4 0-0 I I q;.r2 lll b6 1 2 J.b3 ;t m uch as in (b) above, Portisch-Saidy, San Antonio 1 972. ( I n the above, Alek hine's sacrifice 6 J.xc4?! is dubious). c2) 4 . . bS 5 a4 b4 (5 ... tlfa5 6 J.d2 b4 r �a2 e6 8 ..txc4 regains White's pawn and leaves him with the superior pawn structure) 6 liJa2 liJ f6 (6 . . . e5 7 .ixc4 tlf xd4 8 'lrb3 tlfxe4+ 9 �e2 is a highly promising ga mbit for White) 7 e5 llld 5 8 .ixc4 e6 9 1ll g4 ..ta6 1 0 .txa6 lll xa6 I I lt:\13 with fine chances for a kingside a ttack, Kotov-Enevoldsen, Jonkoping 1 958. d) ... c 4 d5 e6 4 . . . lll f6 5 e4 b5?! 6 e b4 7 ef be 8 be lDd7 9 tlf a4 ef 1 0 .tf4 Wb6 I I ..txc4 ;!;) 5 e4 ed (5 ... �f6 6 liJO ed 7 e5 liJfd7 8 ..tg5 J.e7 9 ..txe7 Wxe7 1 0 liJxd5 ;t; o r 7 . . . d4? 8 ..txc4! liJc6 9 ef de 10 tlfe2+ *d7 1 1 J.f4 11ra5 1 2 lld l + lDd4 1 3 ..tb5+. l -0 U hl mann-Wade, Hastings 19589) 6 liJ xd5 lt::J f6 7 ..txc4 lt::J xd 5 (7 . . . J.e6 8 Wb 3 ! - Petrosian) 8 ..txd5 .
.
The main alternatives are: a) 3 . a6 4 e3 (4 e4 b5 5 �f3 is an untested gambit, worth a try if you are in frivolous mood) 4 . . . b5 5 a4! and Black can not cling to his pawn, viz 5 ... b4 6 111 0 ! c6 7 .bc4 be t! ..txf7+ 'it'd? 9 be with a strong attack , plus two pawns, for the piece. White will proceed with moves such as J:lb l , e4 and ..tf4. I should also point out the witty forced dra w at White's disposal: 9 tiffS+ �c7 1 0 -.aS+ �d7 I I tiffS+ or even I I J.e6+ 'it>eB 1 2 ..tf7+ *d7 1 3 J.e6+ etc. b) 3 . li'Jf6 4 e4 (4 ..i.g5 is untried) 4 . . . c5 5 lined 6 \W xd4 tlf xd4 7 �xd4 J.b4 I! t1 a6 9 J.xc4 0-0 1 0 i.:f4 b5 I I ..i.e2 .i.c5 1 2 0-0-0 and_ White enjoys greater freedom of movement: or 8 . . . .i.d7 9 l xc4 ..
..
24 Queen's Gambit Accepted
.td6 (8 . . . ll:ld7) 9 ..h 5 ! g6 10 'it'h6 .tf8, Petrosian-Radulov, Plovdiv (Euro-Teams) 1 983. Now best is I I 1ff4! forcing the horrid I I . . . f6 ( ±). After I I ..f4 1fc7 White wins out right with 12 .txt7+ 1fxt7 1 3 1fe5+ 1fe7 14 1fxh&- 'tt x c4+ 15 ll:le2. Black has better in 9 . . . ..f6 ! when 1 0 ll:lf3 1fg6 I I 1fxg6 hg 1 2 ll:lg5 0-0 1 3 f4 .te7 slows White's initiative. 4 e3 ed
5 6
ed
.txc4 ( 14)
ll:lf6
14 8
defending b4 and n with tempo) 7 . . . 0-0 8 0-0 .tg4 9 a3 .txc3 10 be c5 I I h3 .txf3 1 2 ..xf3 cd (stronger is 1 2 . . . ll:lc6 1 3 de ll:le5 with compensat ion for the pawn) 13 1fxb7lt.Jbd7 1 4 cd lt:lb6 1 5 .ta2 't!fxd4 16 .te3 ± Korchnoi Matulovic, Europa Club Cup, Belgrade 1984. White won by exchanging all of t he major pieces and advancing his king towards Black's a-pawn in the two bishop v two knight ending.
6
·
...
.tc7
lt)IJ
0-0
6 . . . .td6 !? 7 ll:lf3 tle7 8 .ie3 lbg4 9 it:Jd5 ll:lxe3 10 fe gives Wh ite f-file prospects. 7
{15)
/.1 II'
An ancient variation, wh ich has recently become the height of fashion! It was believed for decades that White halrm" play 3 ll:l f3 in the Queen's Gam bit Accepted to forestall . . . e5, but this is no longer held to be true. Given the disappearance of Black's e-pawn, the white king's b1shop on c4 can become a powerful, unobstructed force. I f now 6 . . . .tb4 7 lt:J O (7 .txf7+? �xf7 8 1rb3+ it:Jd5 H; or 7 1rb3 1fe7+
7 . . . ll:Jbd7 8 .txf7+ ! 'it>xf7 9 ll:l g5+ c.t>g6 10 'lt'u3+ ..t>h5 I I lt.Je6 ti is a pitfall to note.
8
.tc3
White's treatment is-interesting, hut 8 0-0 is more acceptable to m odern eyes, e.g. 8 . . . . �bd7 (8 ... .tg4 9 h3 .txfJ - 9 . . . .th5 10 g4 .tg6 I I lt.Je5 followed by f4 - 1 0
Queen's Gambit Accep ted 25
'ifxf3 lL!c6 1 1 �e3 lL! xd4 1 2 'ifxb7 c5 13 �xd4 cd 14 li[ad l !) 9 �b3 lL!b6 10 li[e I c6 1 1 .i.g5 lL!bd5 1 2 lL!xd5 cd 1 3 ltle5 ! Browne Petrosian, Las Palmas 1982. Also I I . .tg4 12 'ifd3 .i.xO 1 3 1hf3 lL!fd5 1 4 .i.xe7 lL!xe7 1 5 lite5 lL!g6 1 6 li[e4 lL!d7 1 7 li[d I 'ifa5 1 8 li[e3 li[ad8 19 lL!e4 'ifc7 20 h4 ± Vaganian-Hiibner, Tilburg 1983. Tartakower used to recommend 8 h3 to stop . . . �g4, and this has resyrfaced jn co,wemoora rygames: . .
the reader might expect to have one white move proposed at each point, instead of three, as here (8 .i.e3, 8 ()...0 , 8 h3). I have adopted the policy of pointing out reasonable alternatives within the main recommended line here, as elsewhere in this book, since the three choices seem equally worth investigation.
c6
8 9 I0 II 12 13
h3 .i.b3 0-0 a4 lL!e5
14
.i.c2
lL!bd7 ltJ b6
ltJfd5 aS
.i.e6 If 1 3 . . . lL!xe3 14 fe .i.f6 1 5 'ifh5 .We7 16 llf3, summoning up h is rese rves for a kingside offensive. Bl ack would have gained the bishop pair, but White's centre is reinforced by the exchange of the m inor pieces.
10 ... c6 I I li[e I ltlfd5 1 2 lt:le4 lile8
1 3 .i.d2 .i.f5 14 lL!g3 �e6 1 5 �c2 lL!d7 1 6 a 3 ltJf8 1 7 .i.d3 g6 1 H .i.h6 ltJf6 19 'ttd 2 .i.d5 20 lt:le5 lL!e6 2 1 .i.c2 lL!d7 22 ltJg4 ± Timman Panno, M ar del Plata 1 9H2. Or in the above 10 ltJbd5 I I li[e I c6 1 2 .i.g5 .i.c6 1 3 ltJe5 ltJc7 1 4 .i.c2 lle8 15 'ifd3 g6 16 'iff3 ltJfd 5 1 7 .i.xc7 Wxe7 1 8 'irg3 B:ad8 19 llad I ltJf6 20 f4 lL!h5 21 Wf2 f5 22 g4 ! ± Razuvayev-Bagirov, USSR 19!!2. In a 'repertoire' book ...
"Evading multiple exchanges and stressing the high value of the b l -h7 diagonal." (Tartakower).
�4
f5?!
{1 7)
26 Quun's Gambit Accepted
Up to here this game could have been identified as a modern one between grandmasters. But the rash weakening manoeuvre intro duced with the text places it judged by contemporary Grand Magisterial standards - firmly in its 1 9th century contex t . Still, there is no reason that your opponents in club, league or weekend events should play like grandmasters, and the reader may well encounter such moves from his own prospective vict i ms. 14 . f5 must have been initially conceived as a means of blocking the b 1 -h 7 diagonal , but Black soon change� his mind and tries to use hi� f-pawn as a battering ram. Unfortunately, his pieces are inadequately co-ordinated to justify such ambition. .
15 16 17
1te2 �d2 li!.ae I
17 18 19
1te4 �xf4
Threatening llJxg6.
f4? 1te8 �f7 g6
.Wxf4
llJ xf4 J.c4
21 22 23
...h6 �xfl �xg6! hg llJxg6 ( 18)
IH B
.
The refutation of Black's strategy.
19 20
The planned defence to 1 9 .txf4, b u t White now concludes with a beautiful and typical kiQgside demolition.
A rook and piece ahead , Black has no salvation from White's mating attack. I f 23 . . . li!.f7 24 1thH mate.
23 24 25 26
'*h8+ 1th7+ llJf4!
27
li!.l-6+
28 29
11t'h6+ g4 mate
llJc8 �f7 �f6 �d3 'o!.>g5
A splendid game by La Bourdonnais, the uncrowned world champion of his day.
4
Queen's Gambit Declined Tarrasch Defence 1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 3 lbc3 c5
/9 w
Under the infl uence of the outstanding German player and teacher, Dr Siegbert Tarra sch, this defence was, more or less, regarded as the norm at the turn of the century. As I observe elsewhere in this volume, Chigorin was the main dissenter. Even Capablanca and Nimzowitsch (Tarrasch's ideo logical rival) i ncluded this defence in their repertoire. But with the i ntroduction of the Schlechter Rubi nstein variation : 4 cd ed 5 l0f3 l0c6 6 g3, the Tarrasch went out of fashion for many years and, for a round half a cen tury, it came to be seen as something of a positional risk whenever it was adopted. N.:vertheless, the Tarrasch was
twice revived in modern ti mes, once by Spassky in his world t i tle match against Petrosian in 1969, and then agai n by Gary Kasparov in his World Championship Candidates' contests with Belyavsky and Korchnoi during 1 983. The effect of the contribution by Spassky and Kasparov has been to rob the Schlechter-Rubinstein g3 varia tion of some of its punch. Intensive analysis has revealed various ways for Black to generate counterchances - for example, Korchnoi-Kasparov, World Blitz Tournament, Herceg Novi 1983: 4 cd ed 5 l0f3 l0c6 6 g3 l0f6 7 �g2 �e 7 8 0-0 0-0 9 �g5 cd 10 l0xd4 h6 I I �e3 ltc8 1 2 Wa4 .i.d7 13 ltad 1 l0b4 14 't!t'b3 a5 15 a4 (20)
28 Queen's Gambit Declined Tarrasch Defence
Chandler, London (Phillips & This was a well known position, Drew) 1 9S4. Karpov won this, but which various authorities had the average mortal might have assessed as favourable to White. more trouble coping with Black's Kasparov clearly held a different counterplay. opinion: 15 ... JileS 16 lt:\c2 b5! In view· of such variations, Ignoring the vulnerability of his I have decided to i nvestigate IQP, Kasparov extracts the maxi a somewhat forgotten treatment mum tactical advantage from the of the many times US Cham active placing of his pieces: pion, Frank Marshall. Marshall's 17 lt:\ xb4 ba IS lt:\xa4 .i.xb4 1 9 concept was to reduce the po lt:\b6 J:lxe3! 20 'ilt'xe3 .i.c5 2 l lt:\xd7 tential of t he black position .txe3 22 lt:\xf6+ 'ilt'xf6 23 fe 'ilt'xb2 and it is Black who has emerged . by i naugurating an immediate exchange of dark-squared bishops on top from t he theoretical duel. (via lg5) and then im mediately Another popular line is 9 de (instead of 9 .i.g5 above) 9 . . . -inflict an IQP on Black by playing dxc5. This gives White an ideal .i.xc5 I 0 .i.g5 d4 I I .i.xf6 'ilt'xf6 1 2 blockading square for a knight on lt:ld5 'ilt'dS 1 3 li::l d 2 (21) d4, fixes the black d-pawn an d5 as an endgame ta rget for Whit e's 11 8 -li- g ht-square btshop, and saddles -Black with a queen's bishop_ restricted by its own d5 pawn. I t - all soundS great, but the danger is t hat premature simplification increases the likelihood of a draw. Proper study of the variations given here should help to minimise this problem, a nd it is noteworthy t ha t Korchnoi - and Tal - have .i.g4, and now after 1 3 recently adopted it. pressurising e2, it is hard to see Fg.r tbe Tarrasch, see BCO, that White can make tangible pages 70-74. progress. Another interesting possi bility from t he above diagram is 1 3 Mltrshall-Schlechter . . . JileS 1 4 J:lc l .i.b6 1 5 J:le l .i.e6 Ostend 1907 16 lt:\f4 .txa2! ? 1 7 b3 .ta5 1 8 J:lc2 I d4 dS .i.xb3 19 lt:lxb3 d3 20 J:lxc6 .txe I 2 c4 e6 2 1 llc l d2 22 J:lbl a5 K arpov-
Queen's Gombil Declined Torrosch Defenu 29
3
4
�c3
]J w
cd (22)
22 B
with moves like �cb5, Wa41 llab I, llfc 1 etc. Also reliable is 12 .td2 g5 1 3 0-0 �b8 14 llc l g4 ( 1 4 . . . .tf 5 !'!) 1 5 �d4 1We5 1 6 �cbS l0e4 ( 1 6 . .. a 6 1 7 .tc3 ! ) 1 7 Wc2 � xd2 1 8 1Wxd2 a6 J 9 Wc3! ±.
An important branch from the main line of the Tarrasch (4 . . . exd5) i s the von Hennig-Schara Gambit. This is dangerous, but White can hardly avoid facing do unless he opts for th�Ap'mt.'lt1' 4 e3.}Vhite must therefore be aware of a good line against the Hennig-Schara. I recommend 4 ... cd 5 1ra4+ (5 1rxd4 �c6 6 1rd 1 ed � , . �,d 5 i.d7 will probably trJll�se, but White also has to learn what to do about the tricky 7 . . . .te6!?) 5 . . . .td7 (5 . . . b5? 6 Wd4 ! b4 7 �b5 a6 8 de ±; 5 . .. 1Wd7? 6 li:Jb5 �a6 7 d6 ±) 6 1Wxd4 c:d 7 1Wxd5 �c6 (7 . . . lilf6 8 Wd I ! tranposes) 8 2f!f3 �f6 9 Wd 1 .tc5 1 0 d 'ie7 1 1 le2
i�
5
...
4 ed 5 lOQ . �c6 cd is pf\'��e and makes
the white kingside fianchetto very stro ng indeed: 6 l0xd4 �c6 7 g3 Wb6 8ltJb3 d4 9/0d5 1rd8 1 0 i.g2 .te6 1 1 e4 �ge7 1 2 .1g5 h6 13 .tf6!! ±±. Also inferior is 5 ... �f6 6 .tg5 .te6 7 e4! de 8 .tb5+7 or 6 . . . le7 7 de l e6 8 llc l 0-0 9. .txf6 i.xf6 1 0 e3 1ia 5 1 1 a3 �c6 1 2 .1d3 ± Marshall-Rubmsiein, Lodz 1908. 6 i.gS .te7 !_er i.xf6!_i��--���_ 7 �f6? .L:.:.. . c o l �6 �xd5 � �-..: �:.L _!c_. � ! .!._l _f ·� . � See Diagram 23 :fQ8 � -�--.£Q_JO 1.1?_5 _.aS+ 1.!.-'cg !�f_ ter Z.:::.��lac:;�·�_pa..y n 1 2 0-0 g5 1 3 lild4 g4 1 4 b4 .ixb4 position is smashed. The only ( 1 4 . . . .1b6 15 b5 �e5 1 6 1tb3 ±) 15 .ib2 and White's attac k on the . other move 6 . . . f6le�ve;- 8i��k qucens id e -p roceeds more swiftly very loose after Yi.e3. -------�gxe7 t.iiiiilB1ack.•s on the other wmg, ·- � -, .txe7 •.
30 Queen's Gambit Declined Tarrasch Defence
8
8
eJ (24)
0-0
Or 8 ... c4 (Svc:shnikov-Nunn, Hastings 1 977): 9 .i.e2 0-0 10 ()..{) b5 1 1 ltle5 ll:lxe5 1 2 de litb8 1 3 a4 b4 14 ll:lb5 ll:l c6 1 5 f4 and the outpost on d6 for the white knight gave him the advantage. White actually won on move 2H. More aggressive is 1 1 . . . b4, though the disadvantage is that after 12 lt:lxcb /(Jxc6 1 3 l0a4, a white k night will settle on c5, and White may be able to start a queenside attack with moves such as 1Wa4 and a3, also supported by .i.f3. Widely recommended in most theory books is 8 ... cd 9 lt:lxd4 Wb6, but my feeling is that W hite keeps a s mall edge with 10 1td2! , e.g. 10 . . . .i.g4 (Tartakower's suggestion) 1 1 h3 .1h5 12 .i.b5 0-0 1 3 ()..{) lt:lxd4 (if 1 3 . . . a6 14 .1a4 and then .tb3, attacking Black's IQP) 14 ed li)c6 15 .txc6! -.xc6 ( 1 5 . . . be saddles Black with a weak c-pawn on an open file)
' 16 tfg5 ! Stronger is 1 0 . . . ll:l xd4 I I ed 0-0 White now plays .i.e2 and later .tf3. The position with the two fixed IQP's may look level, but White has a distinct pull: the black IQP is fixed as a target on the same colour square as his bishop, White's rooks have slightly easier access to the; e-file and ll:la4c5 may prove a � �":\ With all these subtle nuances in his favou r, White can make Black's life unpleasant for some time to come. After 10 . . . li)xd4 I I ed 0-0 White can also consider the more ambitious 12 .i.b5!? preventing . . . liteH, a n d preparing .ta4-b 3. WaS 9 de 1 0 .i.d3 Slightly less active, though still 'J;'. is I 0 .te2 tfxc5 I I 0-0 :dH 12 1Wd2 lt:lf5 1 3 litfd l .tc:6 1 4ll:lb5 followed by occupation of d4, Speelman-Chandler, H ong Kong 1 984. Or 1 1 . . . i.e6 1 2 ..a4 tfb6 1 3 ..a 3 lt:lf5 1 4 lt:la4 Wa5 1 5 Hfd l lilacS 16 l0g5 ;t Korchnoi-Chandler, London (Phillips & Drew) 1984. I I .. . .te6 1 2 lilc l litad8 1 3 l0a4 Wd6 14 lt:lc5 .tc8 1 5 1Wd2 b6 1 6 l0 b 3 .i.g4 1 7 litfd I followed by lt:lbd4 a nd b4-b5 , also at least ;t, was Tal-lvanovic, Bugojno 1 984. 10 1txc5
11
8-0
"Black is on the way to achieving a very fair development, but his position suffers from an
Queen's Gambit Declilted Ta"asclr Defence Jl
ineradicable weakness: the I Q P. Not only will White be able to exert p ressure on this weakness, he will have strong pressure on the central dark squares, d4, c5 and e5." ( Marshall). j,e6 11 Another example is 1 1 lidS 1 2 a3 j,e6 1 3 llc l tt'd6 14 lLl b5 ttd7 1 5 llJ bd4 lilacS 1 6 j, bJ lL!xd4 1 7 ttxd4 llxc I 18 llxc l ± Marshaii-Spielmann, Ostend 1906. Also 1 1 j,g4 1 2 ll e l lladl! 13 .te2 f5?! 1 4 h3 ..ih5 15 l0d4 j,xe2 16 l0cxe2 ll f6 17 'trb3 ! Marshaii-Em.Lasker, Match 1 907.
25 B
...
...
12 13 14
li[cl l0a4 hJ
1!rb6 ttb4 h6
IS 16
aJ l0c5
ttd6 li[ ab8
M ore solid is 14 . . . 1Hd8. If he parries . . . b6, as in Tal lvanovic, he may have difficulty contesting the c-file, especially si nce W hite would have .t a6 at his disposal.
17
'tlre2
j,fS
19 20
li[fdl e4! (25)
lL!fc7
into a whi rlwind attack. Here, abandoning the siege of Black's IQP, he goes straight for the throat. Black's only defence is 20 . . . ll fd8 2 1 e5 ttg6.
b6? ttd8
20 21
eS
22 23
l0e4 1Wc8 lL!f6+! (26)
Or 2 1 ... l0xe5 22 ttxe5 ttxe5 23 l0xe5 be 24 l0d7 :±±.
}(J B
Schlechter reasons that a general diminution of material, in particular the s wap of his sub-standard bishop, will increase his prospects of a draw. lL!dS 1 8 j,x£5 Marshall's forte was the trans mutation of a positional advantage
23 l0d6 is good , but this crushing.
23
gf
IS
32 Queen's Gambit Declined Tarrasch Defence
24
ef
li'lg6
If 24 . . .
25 26 27
'ttd 2 1hh6
lilxc6! ( 27)
11Vf5 Wxf6
Hammer-blow follows hammer blow.
27
Wxb2
If 27 . . . 1!t'xc6 28 li'lg5 ±±.
28 29 30
lild4 �h2 llg4
)
Endgame M aterial The line of the Tarrasch I have examined in this chapter tends towards an endgame where Black's queen's bishop will be hampered by the fixed nature of the black IQP on d5. White, on the other hand, will enjoy a measure of dark-square control , including, probably, the option of occupying d4 with a piece. It is, therefore, worth studying typical endgames which conform to this pattern , and which may well arise in your own games. Here is one fairly standard but difficult exa mple. I t d i d not , i n fact, proceed from the Tarrasch but judging from the general configuration of both sides, it could well have done.
't!t'bl +
wrs
1 -0 M arshall gives: 30 . . . Ii[ac8 3 1 lilcxg6+ fg 32 lil h4 l:Hd8 3 3 Wh8+ �f7 3 4 lil h 7 +
Petrosian-Benko Cu• ac.:ao (Candida tes) 1 962 This ending is very important since even such an endgame artist as Petrosian was unable to derive the maximum from it. The game
,
Queen' .r Gambi t Declined Tarra.rch Defence
concluded: 32 j, g2 j,t7 33 j, f) j,e6 34 j,d3 g5 3 5 j,c2 �g4 36 j,a4 j,f3 37 j,b5 j,g2 38 fg fg 39 �d3 j,h3 40 j, g6 �e6 4 1 j,h7 ct>d6 42 a 3 \12-\12. Back to the diagram, Petrosian should have played 32 g4!! to cause Black the most serious problems. There is a natural repugnance in bishop endings against playing one's pawns on to the same colour square as one's bishop, but the important factor here is the ongoing restriction of Black's bishop. White t hreatens (after 32 g4! !) to cont inue in some cases with h4 and g5, locating a furt her static weakness on g6, and if Black reacts with the natural 32 . . . g5 the following variations can occur: 3 3 f5 �f7 34 � h I �g8 35 i.g2 j,t7 36 j,f3 ! (29)
If now 36 . . . .ig!! 3 7 j,d I i.f7 38
J.1
j,b3 j,g8 39 e4 ±±; or 36 . . . �c6 37 j,d I <&d6 38 b5! j,e8 39 a4 j,t7 40 j,b3 j, g8 4 1 e4 i.f7 42 j,xd5! j,xd5 (42 . . . j,e8 43 j,e6 ±±) 43 ed ct>d7 44 ct>d3 ct>e7 45 d6+! ct>d7 46 't>c4 ct> xd6 47 't>d4 ct>e7 48 't>d5 c;t>d7 49 h3 winning the king and pawn e nding. JO B
This is Szabo-Penrose, Bath (European Team Championship) 1 973. The play from the diagra m provides a second highly similar example, this time with rooks present. 30 ... ct>b7? Black fears playing 30 . .. 'it>d6 since his king will be cut off from his queenside pawns, but this is worse. 31 g4! ( as recommended in Petrosian-Benko) 31 ... l:Id6 32 a3 aS 33 h4 i.f7 34 f5
l:ld8 35 llc2 l:ld7 36 gS fg 37 hg hg 38 U.g2 l:ld6 (38 . . . 'it>c6 39 l:l xg 5 i.e!! 4 0 h 4 ±±) 39 l:lxgS g6 40 hg l:lxg6 and 1-0.
5
Queen's Gambit Declined Orthodox 1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 3 lbc3 lbf6
31 W
4 .i.g5 .i.e 7 5 liJf3 h6 6 .i.h4 0-0 7 e3 b6 8 Ik l .i.b7 9 .i.e2 liJbd7 1 0 cd ed I I 0-0 c5 (32) J.? w
This is the obvious reaction to White's pseudo-offer of a pawn on the second move, once it has been appreciated that Black cannot retain his booty after 2 . . . de . With the sturdy 2 . . . e6 Black maintains a dependable presence in the centre, "the Balkans of the chessboard", as Nimzowitsch des cribed this critical area, and resolutely refuses to allow White to play e4. The standard freeing move for Black is . . . c5, and i n the most solid variation of all, the Tanakower, Black calmly develops his forces, fianchettoes his queen's bishop, and ultimately sets out to equalise with the desired thrust of his c-pawn. Thus from the diagram:
This is Hon-Karpov, Amsterdam 1 9 8 1 and Korchnoi-Karpov, 1 st game World Championship match, Merano 1 98 1 . A lthough Karpov lost the first of these, Black really has little to fear, as was demon strated by the world champion's willingness to rep:.-at against Korchnoi. I n fact, Karpov won the later ga me. As a n historical aside I should point out why 5 . . . h6, "putting the q uestion" , as the cliche runs, is so necessary as a prelude to . . . b6 and . . . .ib7. From diagram 3 1 : 4 .ig5 .ie7 5 eJ 0-0 6 �f3 b6 7 .id3 .ib7
Queen's Gambit Declined Orthodox 35
8 .i.xf6 .i.xf6
9 cd ed
1 0 h4 (33)
JJ B
0-0 �xc3 1 2 lil xc3 eS! I therefore recommend here t h e
Wxe7 1 1
Exchange Vanat10n, ideally with W hite fixes the pawn struct u re in t h e m iddle of the board and releases t h e Jock on Black's queen's bishop rep re se n t ed by the pawn on e6. Wh1 te1s a 1 m IS to expl01 t the slat.c s c e n a n o , either to ning forwardhis kmgs lde pawns i n the style of M a r s h a or advance m the centre w i th 13 a nd e4, t he very thing the Orthodo x QG D is designed to I m pe e . As men t i o n ed , W h i t e should. i n t heory. castle queens1dc , bu t spcc 1 al circ um�ta nces ma y dll' tatc tha t o re prudent. Th1s spe�.:.fic 0-0 1s t re a t m e n t ha s be e n ado pt e hy Nimwwusch, Alekhine, Spielmann, Botvi n n i k , Hronstei n , Kasparov and Timman. The QGD Ort hodox as a wh o l e i:. examined in BCD, pages 60-69. 0-0-0.
ll.
Without the precaution of . . . h6 this bold advance grants W h i te a vehement attack, e.g. 1 0 g6 I I h 5 lil e8 1 2 hg hg 1 3 -.c2 i,g7 1 4 iLxg6 fg 1 5 1hg6 ltl d 7 1 6 �g5 1Wf6 1 7 � h! H ! 1 -0 M arshall- Burn, Paris 1 900; or 10 . . . g6 I I h5 c5 1 2 h g hg I J ltle5 ..ixe5 1 4 d e trg 5 1 5 1Wf3 1Wxc5 1 6 �0-0 with excd lent attac k i ng cha nces, as i n M a rsha li M.trco, a Iso Paris 1 900. A fter I 0 . cS White should not sacrifice w i t h I I ..ixh7+?! l!.> x h 7 1 2 ltlg5+ \t>h6! but play I I 1Wc2! h6 I 2 0-0-0 ltlc6 13 g4 ! cd 1 4 ed 1Wd6 1 5 \t>b I lb b4 1 6 1Wd2 ltlxd3 1 7 1Wxd3 " ± " according to Soviet GM Taimanov, since White threatens g5. This notwithsta nding, the Tartakower variation with . . . h6 is a serious obsta e to a wh e advantage. Indeed, the Lasker Defence, 4 .ig5 .ie7 :'\ c3 0-0 6 ltlf3 h6 7 .ih4 .!t:le4, is a ls o tough to c1 ack , a s is Capablanca's 6 . . . �bd7 7 lil c l c 6 8 .id3 d e 9 .1xc4 ltl d S 1 0 .ixe7 .•.
..
cl
it
d
m
d
Spielmann-Sir George Thomas Carlsbad 1 929 d4 d5 2 c4 eb ltlr6 3 �c3
For 3 . . . .i e7 see t h e next ga m e , K orchnoi-Karpov.
4 s
cd .tgs
ed
See Diagram 34
Now t he main l i ne is 5 . . . �bd7 , but Black can also select: a) S . . . .te7 This o nl y has
36 Queen's Gambit Declined Orthodox
independent significance if B lack intends to switch into a Tartakower with . . . h6, . . . b6 and . . . c5, for which see Kasparov-Belyavsky in Pan V. b) S ... c:S? 6 -'.xf6! gf 7 e3 -'.e6 8 �ge2 l0c6 9 g3 cd 1 0 ed -'.b4 I I -'.g2 1fb6 1 2 � 0-{)...0 1 3 l0a4 1ra6 14 a3 -'.d6 1 5 b4, Pillsbury Steinitz, Hasti ngs 1 895. Evidently a strategic disaster for B lack, whose doubled pawns are miserably weak. White also enjoys the unbelievable luxury of having Black's king as an extra target for his q ueenside attack. c) S c6 6 e3 -'.f5 7 'it'D ! -'.g6 8 .txf6 'tWxf6 ( 8 . . . gf 9 'tWd I ! 'tWb6 1 0 'tWd2 ltJa 6 I I ltJf3 0-0-0 1 2 a 3 ltJc7 13 b4 ± Petrosian-Barcza, B uda pest 1955, very similar to Pillsbury Steinitz) 9 'tWxf6 gf 1 0 \t>d2! l0d7 I I .id3 .td6 12 h4 h5 1 3 �ge2 V ±. White has neutralised Black's bishop pai r with the manoeuvre 'it>d2 and .td3, but the weak doubled pawns remain .
d) S . . . c6 6 e3 h 6 7 .t h 4 -'.f5. Now White could just play 8 .td3, exchanging bishops, and later playing to occupy f5 with a knight. The fact that Black has played . . . h 6 makes . . . g 6 a s well somewhat less attractive for him. There is also an ambitious and complicated line available which tries to refute: Black's play, namely: 8 WtJ 'W'b6!? 9 Wxf5 Wxb2 1 0 Wc8+ 'it>e7 I I li:l xdH ( I I ltJd I 'tth4 + 1 2 \t>e2 g5! is good for Black which shows why 6 . . . h6 must be interpolated before Black can meet tff3 with . . . Wb6) I I . . . cd 1 2 We i 'tWb4+ 1 3 '.&.>c:2 Wb5 +?! 1 4 \t>D Wd7 1 5 -'. xl6+ 'Ot.-xl6 (35), Smyslov Pachman, Moscow 01 1 956.
.•.
Once White u nravels, H lack's I Q P is very weak im.h:ed, B lack should have sought further com plications with 1 3 . . . g5 14 .ig3 ltJc4 1 5 f) tfb5+ 16 \t>e l Wb4+ 17 c;t>d l ltJcJ+ 1 8 \t>c2. If this is not to your taste, by all means plays 8 i.d3. e) S ... c0 6 eJ .ie7 7 .td3 -'.g4 8 f3
Queen's Gambit Declined Orthodox 37
.i.h5 9 lt:lge2 helps White to mobilise his cent re pawns. 5 lt:lbd7 This move sets a jejune trap, which has, however, claimed a number of unwary VICtims: 6 lt:lxd5?? lt:lxd5 ! 7 .i.xd8 .i.b4+ and Black wins .l pi ece.
6
e3
c6
But 6 . . . .i.b4 is out of pl a ce
since White can p rotect h is k night
on c3 with lt:lge2: 7 .i.d3 c5 8 lt:lge2 c4 9 .i.c2 0-0 10 0-0 1t'a5 I I a3 .i. xc3 12 ll:Jxd Jle8 1 3 1t'd2 h(l 14 f3 .ib7 1 5 ll:ac l w i t h e4 to come, Portisch-Tringov, Plovdiv 1983. 7 .id3 .ie7
Uy playing 7 . . . .td6 H lack pays insufficient ath:ntion to the pin on his ki ng's knight, viz 8 ll:J ge2 lt:lf8 9 1t'c2 h6 1 0 .th4 1t'e7 I I a3 .id7
1 2 c4 g5 1 3 .i.g3 de 14 10 xe4 ll:Jxe4 1 5 .ixe4 .i. xg3 1 6 hg t l ± S pi e l m a nn - Capa bl anca , Carlsbad 1 929. 8 1t'c2 Alekhine-Capablanca, 32nd game 1927 World Championship, Buc::nos Aires, went 8 10ge2 0-0 (on 8 . . . h6 Ale k h i ne wanted to play 9 .i. f4 rather than .i h4) 9 lt:lg3 lLle8 (9 . . . h 6 1 0 h4; 9 . . . Jle8 1 0 ll:Jf5 ) 1 0 h4 ll:Jd f6 ( after 1 0 . . . f6 White has I I 1t'h 5, one rc::a son for keeping the queen on d I for a move or so) I I 'W'c2 i.e6 1 2 �.Jf5 .txf5 1 3 .i xf5 10d6 14 .id3 h 6 1 5 .tf4 llc8?
( 1 5 . . . lle8 1 6 04-0 lLJfe4 ! ) 1 6 g4 ±.
This was the game where Alekhine invented the lt:lge2 system and the reader may wish to pursue Alekhine's idea of tll g 3 before 11Pc2. There has, however, been no subsequent experience with i t .
8
�0
A common manoeuvre to ease Black's position by e xchanges is . . . tll fH-e6, . . . g6, . . . li'Jg7 and then . . . .if5 . H ere, W hite's elastic cc:: n t re easily copes with t h i s : 8 ... 10f8 9 tll g e2 lLle6 to .th4 g 6 I I 0-0-0 lt:lg7 1 2 f3 lilf5 ( i f 1 2 . . .
.if5 1 3 c4 ± ) 1 3 .tf2 1t'a5 1 4 ¢'b l .ic6 1 5 h 3 0-0-0 1 6 e4 ± Bronstein-Medina, Gi:iteborg 1 955. H �)hS 9 .t xe7 1t'xc:: 7 1 0 �ge2 g6 I I h J Ci.Jg7 1 2 lbf4 and g 4 t was Ti m m a n - L o bro n , Sarajevo 1 984. •.•
9
lt:lge2
lieS
J6 w
10
0-0-0
The point of White's play, b u t if you don't relish a sharp battle i t is not too late to castle k i ngside. White then has t h e choice -of the
m i no ri t y a tt ack ( Jlab I, b4, b5 to u ndermine Black's quee nside) or a
38 Queen's Gambit Declined Orthodox
central advance with f3, �ae I etc and then e4. Botvinnik-Larsen, cited above, is an example of this, and I could also mention Botvinnik Keres, USSR Championship, Mos cow 1952: 1 0 0-0 lt:JfH I I �ab l .id6 1 2 'it>h I (to meet 1 2 . . . ..ixh2 with 13 ..ixf6! ±t) 1 2 . . . lt:Jg6 1 3 f3 .ie7 1 4 � be I lt:Jd7 ( 1 4 . . . h6 1 5 ..ixh6 gh 1 6 ..i xg6) 1 5 ..ixe7 �xe7 1 6 lt:Jg3 lt:Jf6 1 7 't!rf2 ..ie6 I ll lt:Jf5 ..ixf5 19 ..txf5 't!tb6 20 e4 ±. li:Jc4
I0
10 . . . h6 I I h4 'ita5 1 2 �g3 is promising for White. A lso 10 .. . ' ltJfH I I h3 ( I I f3 h6 1 2 h4 and I I lt:Jf4 a5 1 2 f3 a4 1 3 a3 b5 14 lt:Ja2 1Wb6 1 5 1td2 lt:Je6 1 6 h4 are good alternatives - Hort) I I . . . .id7 1 2 g4 �c8 1 3 <;!.lb l b5 1 4 lt:Jf4 a 5 1 5 .if5 a4 1 6 lt:Jd3 .ixf5 1 7 gf ltJ8d7 18 llhg l ..tf8 1 9 llg2 ± Christiansen-Spassk y, Linares 198 1 . I I . . . b5!? 1 2 lt:Jg3 a5 1 3 lt:Jce2 .id7 14 l0 f5 is Hort-lnkiov, L ugano 1 984. -
II 12
..ixe4 h4!
de
Jl
B
out Black's centre. The conclusion was: I ll . . . cd 19 lt:Jxd5 'it'c6 20 1Vxc6 be 2 1 lt:Jdf6+ gf 22 lt:Jxf6+ <;!.lhll 23 lt:Jxe8 .i.g4 24 lt:Jc7 llc8 25 llg5 .i.e6 26 lt:Jxe6 lt:Jxe6 27 �a5 1-0. An impressively powerful display by N imzbwitsch. 13 1tb3+ The queen check sets a very beautiful trap. Also worth con sidering is 1 3 g4 !?
13 14
lt:Jf4 (38)
�h8
JH H
rs
1 2 . . . .i xg5 1 3 hg 1fxg5 1 4 lt:Jxe4 1tg6 1 5 f3 lt:Jf8 1 6 lt:Jf4 1tf5 1 7 llh5 1fd7 1 8 d 5 ! See Diagram 3 7
This is Nimzowitsch-Spielmann, Bad Kissingen 1 928, the game which persuaded Spielmann to t ry the variation against Thomas and Capablanca. White has clearly used his h-pawn as a decoy to wipe
The threat now is 1 5 lt:Jg6+ ! ! hg 1 6 h5 .i xg5 1 7 hg+ .ih6 1 8 ..17 'ite7 19 �xh6+ gh 20 g7+ 'it>h7 2 1 g81lr mate. A bsol utely the only
Queen 's Gambit Declined Orthodox 39
defence (which makes Spielmann's continuation an excellent practical bet) is 14 . . . 'i:lf8! 1 5 d5 Wb6 (Ta rtakower).
14
This does not hel p.
�r6?
IS
hS
�dS
16 17 18
.txe7 �g6+ hg (39)
li:Jxe7 �xg6
Or 1 5 . . . h6 1 6 Wf7! hg 1 7 h6
:±± .
above game actually commenced 1 d4 e6 2 c4 i()f6 3 �c3 d5 4 .tg5 �bd7 5 e3 c6 6 cd ed etc. I have standardised the move-order for ease of assi milation.] In the next game we see what can occur if Black, by adopting a cunning move-order, tries to avoid my recommended line against the Orthodox.
Korchnoi-Karpov 1 3th game, Merano 1981 e6 c4 dS 2 lbc3 .i.e7!? (40) 3 d4
39 B
40 w
If now 1 8 . . . h6 1 9 Jbh6+ gh 20 Wf7 :±±.
18 19 20 21 22
.i.e6 �8 1Ixh7+ cd dS �xdS llc8+ �bl WgS 22 . . �f8 23 llhiH .tg8 24 .
llxg8+ �xg8 25 lt:lf6+ :±± . 23 lldhl Wxg6
24
llh8+
1 -0 After 24 . . . 'it-17 2 5 Wxb7+ mates. [ For reasons of strict historical veracity, I should point out t he
This move-order. physica lly stopping White's intended .i.g5 , is intended to outlaw the Exchange Variation with �ge2, as seen in Spielmann-Thomas. White's most usual response is 4 �0. bu t, as we shall see , it is still possible to employ an aggressive fo rm of the Exchange.
4 s
cd .tr4
eel
c6
40 Queen 's Gambit Declined Orthodox
6
e3
.tfS!
Otherwise White plants his bishop on d3, seizing control of the b 1-h 7 diagonal and obviously stands wel l . I n Timman-Karpov, Bugojno 1978, White then succeeded in i mplementing an attack similar in many respects to Spielmann Thomas, viz: 6 . . . lt:lf6 7 .td3 0-0 8 1fc2 lil:e8 9 l0f3 l0 bd7 1 0 ��0 l0f8 I I h3 .te6 1 2 'iPb l lil:c8 1 3 l0g5 b 5 ( 1 3 . . . .i.d7! 14 .te5 h 6 1 5 l0f3 c 5 i ) 1 4 .i.e5 h6 1 5 lt:lxe6 l0xe6 16 g4 lt:ld7 1 7 h4! ±.
7
g4!
The best way of keeping up the initiative. E xchange of light squared bi. s hv 7 .td3 .i.g6 is, ·�¥� of course,• ee �-le m comparison.
�
7
.te6
Black would like to play 7 . . . .tg6, but it fails for tactical reasons: 8 h4! threatening g5 to imprison Black's ki ng's knight, as well as h5, trapping Black's queen's bishop, 8 . . . .i.xh4 9 1fb3 b6 10 lil:xh4 1fxh4 I I lt:lxd 5 ! :i±.
8
h3 (41)
A lso i n teresting is Tony M i les' idea 8 .i.d3, e .g. 8 . . . lt:ld7 9 1ff3 h5 10 h3 hg I I hg .bg4 1 2 lil:xhll! or I I . . . lil:xh I 12 1fxh I .txg4 13 1fh8 'iPfll 14 .i.h7 lt:lf6 1 5 �e5 l0xh7 16 'tlhg7+ etc. M iles Georgadze, Po rz 1 98 1-2, went instead: 10 . . . 'tlt'b6 I I 0-0-0 hg 12 hg lil:xh I 13 'tlhh I g5 14 .i.g3 .i.xg4 1 5 litd2 .i.e6 16 1fh2 0-�0
1 7 l0b5 cb 1 8 lil:c2+ with a dangerous attack. 41 H
l0f6 8 A lternatives: a) 8 .td6 9 l0ge2 l0e7 10 'tlt'b3 .i.c8 I I .tg2 l0g6 12 .txd6 1hd6 1 3 h4 l0a6 14 g5 lt:le7, Korchnoi Spassky, match (2) 1 968. Here Tal suggests 15 0-0-0 lt:lc7 1 6 e4! with advantage to White. b) 8 hS!? a vigorous attempt to disrupt White's kingside structure: 9 gh ltJd 7 10 lil: h2 lt:ldf6 I I .i.e2, Korchnoi-lvkov, Budva 1 967. Black must now reson to I I . . . lLlh6 1 2 litg2 tl::l f5 1 3 i.g4 c;Pf8 t o hold his g-pawn. •••
...
9
lf:lf3
11
'.t'fl
0-0
The time-consuming 9 ... tl::l b d7 10 �d3 ll::l b6 I I 1fc2 ll::l c 4, Botvi nnik-Petrosian , match ( I H) 1963, can be pa rried by 12 .txc4 de 13 e4 or even 1 2 ltJg5 �d7 13 e4! I 0 .i.d3 cS Anificial castling is more efficient
Queen's Gambit Declined Orthodox 41
than I I 0-0, since White may need his king's rook on h I for attacking purposes. It also helps to keep the h 3 pawn continuously protected.
II 12
�g2
�c6 llc8
Alternatively, 1 2 . . . cd 1 3 �xd4 �xd4 14 ed �d7 1 5 •c2 :! Botvi nnik-Petrosian, match ( 14), 1 963.
13
llcl
Also 1 3 de J.xc 5 1 4 �e2 �e4 1 5 Il c l J.e7 1 6 �fd4 �xd4 1 7 �xd4 1rb6 18 Wb3 i ( Bronstein).
13
lle8
A possible im provement is 1 3 ... a6 to prevent �b5.
14 IS 16 17 18
de l()bS �rd4! llxc8 ed!
18 19
lUc7
19 20
li:lxe6
21 22
llel gS
J.xcS J.f'8 �xd� 1hc8
The quiet 22 1t'e2 is also strong and gives enduring pressure.
/()e4
22 23
.g4
23 24 2s
lle2 f3
26
J.eS
26 27
a3
28
g6?
Of course not 23 .i.xe4 de 24 lhe4 •d5, when Black has freed hi mself at the cost of a mere pawn.
.i.b4 llf'8
•n Karpov launches a counterattack. After all, he does control the f-file and Whi te's kingside is porous, the penalty paid for the aggressive, but loosening, 7 g4. Not 26 fe •xf4.
�d2
�d3 (42)
I ndeed , 1 8 l0xc.J4 maintai ns a piece blockade over Black's J Q P, but now White's knight on b5 threatens both to capture o n a 7 and to invade on c7.
.d7
Here I 9 �xa 7 lla8 is pointless.
llc8 re
Black would prefer to play 20 . . . 11t'xe6 but i t fails t o 2 1 iLf5. The text, however, leaves Black with a wea k pawn at e6 on an open file.
a6
In a tense situation Korchnoi overlooks a trick . Tal later gave as best 28 .ig3 ! ll:Jh4+ 29 �h2 �fH 30 �h I �h4 3 1 .ixh7+ �xh7 32 1fxh4+ and llf2.
28
hg
. Hoping for 29 ab? �e l + 30
42 Queen's Gambit Declined Orthodox
lhe l •fl+.
29
.tg3!
.te7?
A disastrous move, immediately losing material, though the position is so complicated that the saving line is almost impossible to detect. The only correct pat h is the resource 29 . . . ltlh4+ ! ! e.g. 30 •xh4 1hf3+; or 30 .txh4 •n + 3 1 �h2 .td6+ 32 ..tg3 lilfl+; or 30 �h2 ltlf3+ 3 1 �h i lt'lh4 ! ! (43)
and now: a) 32 lilf2 � f5 3 3 i..x f5 g f; or 33 ab ltlxg3+ 34 •xg3 Wxfl.
b) 32 llc2 •n+ 33 •xn llxf1 34 .txh4 .id6 threatening . . . llxd3 and ... ll xh3+. c) 32 ••h4 •n+ 33 lilg2 •xd3 34 ab llfl + 35 �h2 •d I with a draw; or 35 llg l Wf3+ 36 �h2 We2+ 37 lilg2 1M I and White must take perpetual check on d8 and h4. The ga me wound up: 30 lilf2!
ltlel + 31 �h i •xfl 3l ..txfl ltlxd3 33 •xe6+ lilf7 34 .ig3 ltlxb2 35 •xd5 .tf6 36 ..td6 g5 37 Wb3 .ixd4 38 \!re6 g6 39 •e8+ 'it>g7 40 .teS+ .txeS 41 •xeS+ �h7
Adjourned and 1-0. 42 1hb2 a5 43 a4 ll f5 44 1hb7+ 'itr'g8 45 'i!lg2 'i!lh8 46 'i!lg3 'i!lg8 47 'it>g4 'i!lh8 48 •d7 'i!lg8 49 \!rxf5 gf+ 50 'i!lxg5 �17 5 1 'ltxf5 'i!lg7 52 �e5, with a simply won king and pawn ending. A splendidly contested game which does enormous c redit to both players.
6
_
_Queen's Gambit: Slav 1 d4. d5. 2 c4 c6 .
up-to-the-minute openings magazine which can continually register and u pdate the changing fashions and emergent resources. Here I suggest that Wh ite can maintain a modest pl us with the unassuming Exchange Variation. It is not the sa me as the Exchange against the Orthodox Queen's Gambit Declined, since the pawn structure in the Slav remains A resilient defence to the symmet rical after the exchange on Queen's Gambit, which mainta ins d5, so the margin of the draw is Black's central bastions without increased. Still, with White's temporarily locking in the black development edge, symmetry can queen's bishop. One of Black's often be an advantage and t he Exchange Slav is a trusted weapon ideas is to� a su��!�?r brand of Queen's Gambit_ Ac'=.��d afte r · i n t he hands of Grandmasters Portisch, Andersson and Seirawan. 3 lLlf3 ll:lf6 4 lLlcJ de. White is now Chief exponents of the Slav from obliged to play 5 a4 (weakenmg Ji4}_!o rega!_!!_li_i!_ E_��n . s l��} �e:-= Black's point of view are exgambit 5 e4 fal ls short of being World Champion S myslov and Soviet G M Yusupov. totall y convincing. An aiten1alrve For the entire Slav complex see h �i r-raising _!�ne can arTse-a �t���. BCO, pages 77-!!8 . 4 li:)cJ e6 5 .ig5 de 6 e4 b5 7 e5 �6 8 .ih4 g5 9 lt:l xg5 and now either Alekhine-Euwe 9 . . hg or 9 . . lLld5!? generating AVRO 1 938 "unfathomable complications. n I d4 dS yo-u wa nt to keep abrea."s tOJSu i:h volatile regions of chess theory, it 2 74 c6 3 00" is probably wise t o subscribe to an lOft 44 w
__
.
.
-
44 Queen's Gambit: Slav
4 � s liJcJ 6 Af.4 7 .,el (45)
cd
'ik6
-JJi
.,
<15 B
J.. e7 I I ..te2 0-0 1 2 0-0 e5 1 3 l0b5 a6 14 l0d6 ..tg6 1 5 de l0 xc5 1 6 llxc5 J.. x d6 1 7 J.. xd6 .,xd6 1 8 .,d4 ll fd8 1 9 ll d l a 5 20 .,c3 lldb8 2 1 b3 ...b6 22 J.. b5 f6 23 llc l , G aprindashvili-Mokry, Reggio Emilia 1 982-3. Black's moves have been exceedingly natural, but White still has a dominating position.
8 �e5! 9 -..&41 (46)
"Like a good many sy mmetrical va riations, this is less innocuous than it appears at first sigh t . I n all symmet rical openings the danger for Black lies in the fact that he cannot indefinitely continue to imitate W hite, and is liable to find himself confronted with a position in which White makes a strong aggressive move and B lack is forced to make a very humble reply . . " C. H .O'D. Alexander, Alekhine's Best Games, 1938-45 . .
7
a6
He wants to forestall il:lb5. I ncidentally, contemporary sources indicate t hat Euwe avoided 7 . . . e6, upholding t he symmetry, because he was afraid of 8 .,b3. The current view, though, is that after 7 .. . e6 White once more keeps the initiat ive with 8 l0e5 ! , e.g. 8 . . l0d7 9 il:lxc6 b e 1 0 llc l .
Jlc8
46 8
A highly typical th rust . I t is noteworthy that Botvinnik, Korchnoi and Kasparov have also developed a liking for this son of move, see, for example, the games Korchnoi-Karpov and Kasparov Y.urtaev in this volume. When weighing up an unusual, aggressive move of this nature, it is also worth bearing in mind Alek hine's own advice: ' if your opponent makes some strange move or moves which will give him a good game if you continue to play i n
Queen's Gambit: Slav 45
standard fash ion, it is usually necessary to react yourself with some exceptional solution.' Here, for example, 7 . . . a6 may be considered a little strange, but if White had contin ued urbanely with 8 .td3 or even 8 �e5 lilc8 9 .td3, Black would soon have
escaped the worst.
9
.td7
As so often in such situations, the natural retreat 9 . . . .tg6 is no good, e.g. 10 h4! h6 I I lt:lxg6 fg 1 2 ..td3 ±±; or 1 0 . . . lt:lxe5 I I de �e4 12 Wa4+ Wd7 13 Wxd7+ �xd 7 1 4 lt:lxd5 llc5 1 5 ll d l ±±. If 9 �xe5 1 0 fg �c4 I I Wb3. e6 10 .tg2 •.•
11
0-0
h6
12
-'..:3
hS?
To stop White playing g5. But this is sheer panic induced by White's declared intention of establishing a 'super- Pillsbury Attack' with f4 . Better, though miserable, is 1 2 . . . �e7, e.g. 13 l0xd 7 Wxd7 14 f4 ±; or 13 f4 lt:lxe5 1 4 de followed by f5 .
13
lt:lxd7
li:lxd7?!
A fter this, Alekhine's vigorous play proves that Black is objectively los t. Stiffer resistance is offered by the very humble 1 3 . . . Wxd7 ! 14 g5 lt:lg8 ±.
14
gh
Not just winning a pawn. Alekhine also opens the g-file for later occupation.
14 ts
.to
liJf6 .tb4
16
llcl
'iti>f8
a3
.txcJ li.Je7
Black's three aims now are: reduce material; complete develop ment; remove his king to safety. It is a measure of Euwe's prowess (he was World Champion from 1 93 5-37, having defeated Alekhine in their 1935 world title contest) that in spite of the opening disaster he more or less succeeds in these aims. Only very brilliant play by the World Champion (Aiekhine had regained the title from Euwe in a 1 937 rematch) retains his advantage. Not 1 6 . . . 0-0 1 7 �h l ! and llg l , followed by h6. As Alexander points out, White's extra h5 pawn is not just a token doubled rook's pawn, but a dangerous advance guard which constantly t hreatens to disrupt Black's king posit ion. For this reason, Euwe keeps his rook on h8.
17 18 19 20
lhc3
'itb3 be
Or 20 . . . b5 2 1 a4!
21
Wb6
liJc8
22 23 24
\WcS+ Ubi b6! (47)
'it;>g8" bS
Driving off White's q ueen before he can increase the pressure with llb l .
46 Queen's Gambit: Slav
29 1re5+.
28
Or 28
cd
o••
lt:lxd5
ed 29 ll b6 ti.
29
�hi
29 30 31
lilgl + �h7 Wa3! (48)
Not 29 .txd5? ed 30 ll b6 1fg4+ with perpetual check. Moving the white king eliminates t his while preparing to launch the rook into action via g l . I njecting fresh and decisive energy into the white attack. Euwe has acco mplished everything pos sible within the confines of hi� meagre resources, but Alekhine now blows him out of t he water with four beautifully timed pawn thrusts: h6, a4, c4 and fi nally e4. The point of 24 h6! is either to weaken the e5-h8 diagonal after 24 . . . gh (as occurs in the game) or to lure Black's rook from its defensive station on t he back rank, when the knight on c8 will lack adequate protection. Thus if 24 . . . lhh6 25 a4! lt:la7 (25 . . . ba 26 ll b8 ti) 26 Wb6 ba 27 1ha6 a nd there is no answer to llb7.
"24 25 26 27
.te5 a4! c4
gh �g7 ba
Here 27 llb8 does not work , but the text is deadly, prising away Black's final central bast ions.
27
li:Je7
Or 27 . . de 28 .txf6+ �xf6 o
liteS
am deeply impressed by the way that Alekhine finally smashes Black's resistance by withdrawing his king to h I , a nd his queen to a3. There is now absolutely no antidote to t he threats of e4 and 1fd3+. If 3 1 llc3 32 1ff8 tlo The game concluded: 3l ooo llg8 32 00.
e4 lilxg l + 33 xg l 1lb5 34 ed 1tbl + 35 �g2 1t'g6+ 36 'it>fl Wbl + 37 �g2 1fg6+ 38 .tg3 lt:lxd5 39 .txdS ed 48 Wxa4 h5 41 h4 1-0. "An original and forceful game" (Alexander).
Queen' J Gambit: Slav 47
Portisch-Ljubojevit Indonesia 1983 dS d4 I 2 c4 _£§. cd 3 cd � 4 lt::l c 3 ltJr6 s .tr4 Or 5 . .76 6 e3 .td6 7 .i xd6 -
.
1Vxd6 8 f4 ! followed by lt::l f3 with a menacing grip over the central dark sq uares . e6 6 lt:lf3 6 . . . tfoola:n .tf51! tria4 Wd8 9 e3 lt::l d 7 10 .ib5 e6 I I 0-0 .ie7 1 2 li[ c l lilc8 1 3 .ixc6 be 1 4 �e5 �xe5 15 .ixe5 0-0 16 ltJc5 U ± Ande rsson-Torre, Wijk aan Zee 19 84.
1 �49)
49
8
9 .id3 .td7 10 0-0 1rb6 I I a3 lt::l a 5 12 b4 lt::l c4 13 lt::le 5 lilacl!! 1 4 .i.xc4 de 1 5 .ig5 with some pressure, Portisch-Pet rosian, Candidates' Quarter Final 1 974. Also good is 15 ltJc4! followed by lt::l c 5. Another line is Capablanca's 7 .ie7 8 .td3!? ( not bothering to preserve the queen's bishop from . . . lt.':lh5) !l ... 0-0 9 0-0 lLlh5 (9 . . . .id7 10 lt::le 5 lilc!l I I '@f3 a6 1 2 tfh3 b5? 1 3 lt::l x d5 ! ! ed 14 lLl xd7 'ihd7 1 5 .ixh7+ �h& 1 6 .if5+ .±± i s a trap well worth adding to your repertoire. Of course, if you prefer Portisch's 8 h3 to Capablanca's 8 .id3 , you cannot t ry for it, si nce h3 is not available for White's queen) 1 0 .te5 f5 I I lilc I lt::l f6 1 2 .txf6 gf with a sharp struggle ahead, Capablanca-Lasker, New York 1 924. ...
0-0 :. 8 J.g3 9 J.d3 a6 9 ... lile8 is Portisch-Petrosian,
M oscow 1967 (see final chapter)
9 . b6 10 lil c l .ib7 I I 0-0 .ixg3 . .
1 2 hg 'ire7 is Black's most solid defence.
10
7
J.d6
Black can strike out with 7 . ltlhS hoping to acquire the bishop pair, but after 8 .ig5 tfb6 9 i.b5 h6 10 .ih4 g5 I I lt::l c 5! is ±. The major alternat ive is 7 . .tc7: 8 h 3 ( to meet . . . lt::l h 5 w i t h � h 2) !l . . . 0-0 ..
..
llcl
Note that White plays as many useful moves as possible before committing h imself to 0-0
10
,lxg3
A really dangerous exchange while White can still utilise the open h-file. Perhaps Black should revert to the . . . Il e8 idea.
48 Queen's Gambit: Slav
11 12
hg e4 !
g6
Rupturing the centre activates all of White's pieces for i mmediate transfer to t he kingside.
12 13
J.xe4
Or 1 3 . . . lbxe4 planning lbeg5.
14
1Wd2
de i.d7 14
1Wh6 g4 (50)
19 20 21 22 23
lbxe4
1We7
He could fight against 1Wh6 with 14 . . . h5 15 1Wh6 ltJg4, but it looks like an extreme measure.
15 16
The winning move. Black cannot capture on d5 ( 1 9 . . . ed 20 �xd5) since t h is would again invite the terminal check on f6, so W hite wins a pawn and retains some i nitiative.
llfd8
de .i.xb7 i.xa6 0-0 (51)
fiJe7 .ixe6 llab8 llxb2
51 B
50 B
A singularly aggressive position to have arisen from an Exchange Slav. True, W hite often aims for dark-square control in this variation, but here Portisch would appear to have over-achieved in this respect.
16 17 18
1Wh4
19
d5!
g5
"tlrfS "tlrg7 �e8
Of course 1 8 . . . �xe4 19 �xe4 presages a deadly check on f6.
A flexi ble attitude to castling is the hall mark of many great masters. White's h-file attack has yielded its harvest, so Portisch now sensibly consolidates.
lla8
23
Or 23 . . . .txa2? 24 1fa4 .ie6 25 1Wa3 ::1:±.
24
.i.b5
lbd6
24 . . . .ixa2 25 i.xe8 llxe8 26 1Wa4 ::1:±. The game concluded: 25 a4 liJef5 26 'tff4 llc8 27 lbe4 �xe4 (27 . . . llxc l 28 lbf6+ 'it>fl! 29 'tfxc I ) 28 llxc8 .ixc8 29 1fxe4
lbd6 30 1We7 lbxb5 31 lld1 h5 32 gh 1txh6 33 lld8+ 'i&>b7 34 ltJg H 1 -0.
Part II Indian
Defences
5! 8
Chapter
7: Old I ndian 2
. . .
Chapter 8 : K i ng's I nd ian 2 Ch apter 9 : Grtinfeld 2 C h a p ter 1 0 :
...
d6 3 lt:Jc3 . . .
g6
3 lt:Jc3 j.g7 4 e4 d6
g6 3 �c 3 d5
:Nimzo-lndian 2
. ,.
e6 3 liJcJ .tb4
4
�J. ..
7
Old Indian 1 d4 li:Jf6 2 c4 d6 3 li:Jc3 white cen tre. From t he diagra m , Black has Jhree moves: 3 ... eS allows W hite to retain the initiative by exchanging q ueens. d isplacing B lack's ki ng; 3 ... .i.f5 4 g3 followed by .i.g2 exploits the exposed position of Black's queen's bishop t o conquer the centre and gain time; while 3, . l!Jbd7 4 e4 e5 5 d 5 (Spassky's method ) leaves Black cra�ped. W hite's plan will then be to castle q ueenside and attack Blac k ' s k ing on the opposite side of the board. Note the similarities with Spassky's way of handling the Czech Benoni. Currently t he Old Indian is favoured sporadically by Danish G ra ndmaster Bent Larsen a nd US G ra ndmaster Lubosh Kavalek; in BCO it is covered on page 50.
H istorica lly, the Old I ndian was the prec u rsor of the Ki ng's I ndian, fa voured i n the late 1 9th cent ury and early 20th century by innovators such as Ch igorin ( when not adopting the Defence w hich bears his own name) and N i mzowitsch ( before he invented the defence which bears his ) . This was at a period before master players had realised that it was possible to Spassky-Ka�alek pe rmit White the central latit ude Montreal 1979 conferred by the development of d4 Blac k 's king's bishop to g7 (the l!Jf6 K i ng's I ndia n ) . The Old I ndian 2 c4 d6 is usua lly distinguishe·d-·byihe 3 10c3 l!Jbd7 iln l gORJTack's. k.lni'sbistioo Other ways of implementing the on e7, a more passive square than Old I ndian a re : a) 3 . . . eS 4 de d e 5 'W'xd8+ <,$·xdl.S g7, smce I rom there the bishop can exert little pressure aga_m_st� 6 l!Jf) l!J fd7 (6 . . . l!Jbd7 7 Il: g l !
j?OsllW
Old Indian 5 1
followed by g4) 7 .td2 c6 8 g4 (54) 55
8
54 B
This is Averbakh's idea, intending h4, g5 and .th3, gaining space on the kingside a nd exchanging light s4uared bishops to ac4uire domin ance over squares such as e4 and f5 - 8 . . . a5 9 g5 �a6 10 h4 �ac5 1 1 .te3 f5 1 2 gf gf 1 3 0-0-0 'it>e8 1 4 .th3 at least !. Spassky Gheorghiu, Siegen 01 1 970. White fol lows up by seizing the g-file with his king's rook . b) 3 ..trs 4 g3 ! (ra ther than 4 f3 which is usually given ) 4 eS 5 .tg2 c6 6 d5! with the makings of a tremendous space advantage for White. O r 4 c6 5 .i.g2 � bd 7 6 e 4 .tg6 7 lt!ge2 e 5 8 h3 1lrb6 9 0-0 0-0-0 1 0 d5 ± A lekhine-Janowski, New York 1 924 . c) After the amorphous 3 c6 I suggest 4 e4 e5 5 d5 or 4 . . . �bd7 5 � [3 e5 6 d5, broadly emulat ing Spassky's recipe. ...
...
...
...
4 5
e4 . d5! (55)
e5
A n unambiguous declaration of intent . White will ossify the centre , castle quecnside and then try to blast B lack's king on the opposite wing. Black can scarcely consider . . . 0-0-0 himself, since his internal comm unications are in adequate to bring over sufficient ddensive pieces to shield his king, either on c8 or b8. 5
Jle 7
Move-order now makes little difference, since the contours of the position have been fixed, but here is one slightly divergent example; 5 . . . �c5 6 1rc2 a5 7 .te3 .te7 8 h 3 0-0 9 g4 c6 10 0-0-0 cd I I ..txc5 de 1 2 ed ! Peev-Zeitlin, Pernik 1 977. If 5 ... g6, heading bac k towards a King's I ndian , White can play 6 ..te2 ..ig7 7 ..ig5 with a grip, since Black cannot easily throw off the pin without weakening his kingside (7 . . . h6 8 .i.h4 g5 9 .tg3 leaves f5 exposed, and Black does not even have . . . lll h 5 a t h i s disposal).
52 Old Indian
0-0
ILleS aS
56 w
To secure his knight against eviction with b4.
9
.teJ
b6
10
h3
h6
If 9 . . . lL!g4? 1 0 .ixc5 de I I h3 winning material. Or 10 . . . g6 I I g4! The point of Black's l i th move is to fight for kingside dark square control (g5, f�. h4) impeding White's aggressive designs in that sector. lLlh7 I I 0-0-0 lL!gS 12 g4 1 2 . . . g5 is much too passive, a nd would give White a free hand with a later h4, e.g. after lldg l . 1 3 lL!d2 A false trail .
13 14
�h7
�f3 lL!el !
lOgS
liJxe3
g6 (56)
IS Finding a more profitable route for the k night. �h7 IS Black is willing to draw after 16 liJf3 liJg5 , but there is no need for White to conclude peace yet. .lgS 16 ll:lg2 An exchange which is 5trategicaUy desirable for Black, in that he gives himself extra room in which to manoeuvre and eliminates the more agile of White's bishops. .ixe3+ 17 h4
18
·
Black adopts a classic defensive posture, with his pa wns abreast of each other on the third rank. He can thus meet h5 with ... g5 or g5 with . . . h5, blocking position in either case. 19 :dn .ld7 20 wbl 1We7
11
f3
wg7
Bronstein calls Black's set-up "the fire-resistant Kavalek wall". Actually, that is t he maxi m u m it can achieve. Black's position is going absolutely nowhere. The standard break-out attempts . . . b5 and . . . f5 are out of the question, so he m ust just sit a nd wait for White's winning try. The next few moves resemble siege warfare Spassky lines up his mangonels and assa ult troops more or les:. as he pleases, while Kavalek maintains vigilance along his defensive 'wall', shifting his troops to any area where an im mediate thrt:at arises. lL!f6 22 l:l: fl llae8 2J 9d2
Old Indian 53
24 25 26 27 28 29 30
lUh7 .tdl .tel l:lb8 l:lbc8 lUb5 l:lfb2 l:lh8 l:lgl l:lhfl g5 hS lt:lf5+! (5 7)
J7 B
calamities, Kavalek resolves to return the material for a measure of freedom .
32 33 34 35 36
fe g6 fg gh
e4 We5 fg l:lf4 .tg4 (58)
5il w
At last White storms the fort ifi�:ations. This is the only way to make progress, si nce playing for f4 would, given the absence of dark-squared bishops, tend to u ndermine White's own posi tion and give Black a splendid pie�:e outpost on e5. It is worth comparing the ope ra tions here with Gl igoric-Petrosian in Part V where White's f4 breakthrough was feasible. 30
31 32
ef l:lhg2
gf 'ti;>h8
White is now ready to smash through Black's position with his g-pawn. Another plan that comes to mind is f6 fo llowed by We2 and f4. In view of these i mminent
An interesting psychological situation has arisen, and a common one in chess . The White assault has ended, but he is now one good pawn (plus one doomed pawn) ahead in material. So, White has to overcome Blac k's cou nterplay and adjust himself to a mental framework of consolidation, rather then aggression. Not everyone can handle such i mportant transitions! I t is also i nteresting, from a positional viewpoint, that the position in the diagra m could have arisen from a crude assault by White, involving a bru te-f<_? rce onsla ught with f4. The diffe rence is that, although Bla�:k's forces have occupied t he weakened dark
54 Old Indian
squares (e5/f4), White's more subtle conduct of the assault has netted him material gain. I give the technical part of the game in brief; t he important th ing, of course, is for White to e xcha nge queens:
37 a3 Il:cf8 38 'W'd4 lil 8 f7 .19 'W'xe5+ de 40 �c3 '.t>xh7 41 'i!;>a2 lLld7 42 Il:d2 lilf2 43 llgg2 llxg2 44 lhg2 ll:lf8 45 b4 ab 46 ab \t'g7 47 c5 be 48 be li:Jg6 49 lih2 �1'8 50 .ia4 Il:f6 51 'i!;>b3 Il:f3 52 �e4 'i!i'e7 53 Il:b2 lH7 54 d6+ ed 55 ed 'i!;>f8 56 Il:d2 .id7 57 i.xd7 lixd7 58 'i!;>d5 'i!;>e8
1 -0.
I give another example to show the typical style of attack. Diagram 5!!a is timer Khan Solomo n, 2nd Commonwealth Championship, Hong Kong 1 984.
5Hu w
t6 17 18 19
li:Jf5!! er fg 'W'gJ
�r hg li:Jxg4 ll:lxr5
'8xg4+ 'W'g3 h5
ttlg7 r5
1 9 . lLl f6 20 h5
20 21 22
1 -0 22 . . .
8
King's Indian Defence -t·�4- lL'lf6.2 .c4.g6 3 tbc3 $.g/;.� e4.g6
The King's I ndian is a tangled pri meval forest , in which it is frighteningly easy to lose one's pa th. There are so many different ways of meeting it, leading to vas tly varied structures a nd scenarios. I f you choose one that does not correspond to your own preferences and strengths the results can be fa tal - for exa mple, the Fou r Pawns Attack (5 f4 0-0 6 lilf3 c5 7 d5 e6 8 i.e2) is not for the faint-hearted, while the Orthodox (5 .te2 0-0 6 lt:lf3 e5 7 0-0 lilc6 8 d5 lt:le7) requi res t itanium nerves a nd a lot of precise analysis to weather Black's inevitable kingside attack. My feeling is that the main points to bear in mind when
figh ting the K I D a re to blockade the black position, clamp down on the freeing breaks . . . b5 (after Black has established a pawn on c5) and . . . f5 (after Black has played . . . e5) and, above :� ll , to prevent the liberation of Black's Draconian bishop on g7. The chief blo(;kade system against the K I D is the Samisch, from the diagram: 5 f3 0-0 6 .td o r lg5. The problem with the Samisch is that it is very llea vily documen ted indeed (see BCO, ··pages 1 28- 1 3 1 , if you wish to delve further into t his) and, therefore, hard to lc:arn. The system I have chosen with 5 2hge2 strongly resemble s the Slim•sch, and may, on occasion, tranpose into branches of it. It has the same blockading 8lins, but is relatively unusual. The reader 'can, therefore, rely on his own judgment and i nstinct to a much greater degree, secure in the knowledge that his opponent will not be able to hit him with reams of devastating memorised analysis. 5 �ge2 is given, in brief, in BCO, page 1 24.
56 King's Indian
Boh'innik-Smyslow U SSR Ch a mpions hip 1941 Notes marked " " by Botvinnik
I d4 2 c4 3 IL!cJ 4 e4 5 :�pl
6
IL!f6 16
.A,g7
' d6
... d (60)
acs
"It would seem that this move has not been met with before in this particular position. It is not easy for Black to free himself from the pin. The solution S myslov found is too pri mitive."
Theoretical obsenation
After � . . . e5 White also has the option of transposing to an i nteresting version of the Samisch with 6 fJ. The advantages of such a treatment are that Black has already committed himself to defence based on . . . e 5 (which eliminates many of his more exciting choices, such as . .. lL!c6 or ... a6) while White .Ul �taini the
possibility of developing the queen's bishop to g5 rather than e3. Here are
some
samples:
Benko-Fischer, Portoroi Inter zonal 195H: 6 . . . 0-0 7 .i.g5 ed 8 �xd4 �c6 9 �c2 .te6 10 .i.e2 h6 1 1 .i.h4 g 5 1 2 .tf2 lt:Je5 ( 1 2 . . . lt:Jh5) 1 3 � e 3 c 6 1 4 0-0 1Wa5 1 5 1td2 llfd8 1 6 llfd I a 6 1 7 a 4 1Wc7 1 8 a5 tl ±. Fischer now played the misguided 1 8 . . . c5? when 19 h4! left no doubt of White's superiority. Sanguinetti- Fischer, S antiago 1 959: 6 ... 0-0 7 .i.g5 c6 8 1td2 11ra5 . 9 d5 cd 10 cd ( 10 �xd5 9xd2+ I I Wxd2 �xd5 1 2 cd ;!) 1 0 . . . .td7 1 1 g4 �a6 1 2 lOgJ �c5 1 3 llb 1 1Wb4 14 lL!b5 ! and once again the exchange of queens favours White. Fischer actually went on to lose both of the above games . Petrosian-Najdorf, Bled 196 1 : 6 . . . c6 7 .i.g5 �bd7 8 d 5 l0b6 9 �c l cd 1 0 cd 0-0 I I a4 a6 1 2 lL!b3 .i.d7 1 3 a5 �c8 14 .td3 b5 1 5 lt:Ja2 l0e7 16 ttlb4 White has a great superiority on the q ueenside , and eventually conducted a successful campaign in the c-file. However, Petrosian d id have to overcome serious black counterplay based on . . . lt:Jh5 and . . . f5. In view pf this, White might have considered the prophylactic 1 6 g4!? as a preliminary measure before turning his full attention to the q ueen's flan k . Tal-Tolush, U S S R C h , M oscow
King's Indian 5 7
lL!bd7 7 .i g 5 c 6 8 Wd2 1957: 6 0-0 9 d5 c5 1 0 g4! a6 I I l0g3 �e!! 1 2 h 4 Wa5 1 3 .ih6 lL!f8 1 4 h5 Wc7 1 5 .id3 b5 1 6 0-0-0 be 1 7 .ib l ! a standard device to halt Black's counterplay. If anything, the extra pawn on c4 obstructs Black's counterattack: 17 ... .ih8 1 8 �dg l �b8 1 9 l0f5 and White has a m urderous attack. ...
6 7
Ah4
h6 .:S
8
.i&3
�bS
.. Black weakens his f5 square without any compensation." 9 .
de
.. Precisely as the result of this exchange and the subsequent forced manoeuvre, White occupies Black's f5 square." 9
1 0 . •xd8+ I I 0-0-0+ 1 2 �dS 1 3 10e3
de �dl . 10d7 c6 �c7
.. Black develops according to a well known system, preferred by U kranian masters in the King's I ndian Defence, but in the given case Black's weakness on f5 gives White the advantage. " [Hotvinnik is referring to the variation : I d4 l0f6 2 c4 d6 3 lLJc3 e5 4 de.] 1 4 li:lfS .tfl (6 1) "In all probability Black did not guess White's inten tion or he would have played 1 4 .i.f6 or 1 4 ... lL! xg3." ...
61 w
IS
l hd7+!
"Of course, W hite wins only a pawn as yet for the sacrifice of the exchange, but his positional su periority gives him good chances."
IS
'it'xd7
" 1 5 . . .txd7 is followed by 16 .i. xe5+, which would cost Black a piece." .
16 17
.txeS .i.c3
f6
" Another good move was 1 7 ..td4. Now Black must defend his f pawn in view of t he threat 1 8 g4. "
17
Ill
�e6
g4?
"The advantage can be thrown away with one stereotyped move. After 18 h4! g4 19 lL!ed4+ �f7 20 .i.e2 (20 . . . �g8 2 1 c5) there would be no doubt of White's superiority. This variation was pointed out to me after the game by V . Rago zin, while G. Levenfish also noted it in 64" (a well k nown So9iet theoretical journal). Ill
10f4
58 King's Indian
19 20
gf
li'lxf4 Ad3
"When W hite played 1 8 g4 he planned to open up the game subsequently with e5 and to take advantage of t he adverse king's open position. But, unfortunately, the king position turns out to be quite secure."
20
" Preparing . . . Ab4."
21 22
a3 eS
23
er.
aS
.icS
�f7 " If im mediately 22 . . . Axf2 t hen 23 l H l ." "Whereas White's 1 8th move led to t he loss of advantage, this move brings with it loss of equality. Any other move (23 lii:f l or 23 f3) would have been bet ter. Black now brings about an advantageous endgame."
23 24
.ixfS
.ixfS
"24 gf llad8 25 �c2 Ad4 is no better for White." Axf2 (63) 24 6)
w
·
"Smyslov took good advantage of White's errors. He retained the material advantage and, by simplifying the position, obtained serious chances of wi nning. Wh ite has no way of saving his f-pawn or avoiding t he exchange of bishops. For instance, 25 h4 llad8 26 A xa5 b6 27 Ac3 Ad4 is obviously in Black's favour." Ah4 25 ll fi "There is no point in 25 . . . .ic3+ since in order to win the f6 pawn Black would have to attack with the bishop." 26 AdJ ?! " White should have chosen 26 �c2 .ixf6 27 llxf4 .ixc3 2M �xc3 �g7 29 c5 and t he white king occupies a bet ter position than in the actual con tinuation . "
llf8
26 27
cS?!
27 28 2930 31
llxf4 Axf6+ AfS q;,c2
"Here too, 27 q;,c2 was the better move ."
Axf6 �g7 llxf6 llff8 llfe8
"Black again takes subtle advan tage of White's further virtually imperceptible mistakes (26 Ad3 and 27 c5). Now he provokes b4, after which the white king, cut off on the fi rst two ran ks, is in a dangerous position. White is com pelled to lose a tempo in order to
King's Indian 59
secure the safety of the h-pawn."
32 33
h4 b4
JileS ab
"This is more consistent than
33 . . a4 since the black rooks are .
becoming very active. However, if Black does not succeed in exploiting the bad position of the adverse king, his winning chances will be al most nil since White has no weak pawns. "
34
ab
cb 46 .i.d7 lin 47 Axb5 lilbl + 48 'ittc4 licl + 49 ¢'b4 lle7 50 .i.d3 lie3 51 hS �h6 52 lidS llh3 53 c.t>bS lldl 54 Ae4 Yl - Yl in view of
the continuation 54 . . . Jihd5 55 Axd5 lhh5 56 .i.xb7. (Most of the notes to the above game are based on those of Botvinnik in his book of selected games. )
Ma tulovic-Dednarski Palma de Mallorca 1967 I e4 g6 2 d4 .i.g7 3 c4 d6 4 ll:Jc3 �f6 5 ll:Jge2 (65)
lild (64)
04 w
65 B
The ending which follows is of no compelling relevance to the opening variation. Black clea rly has some winning chances but these are nebulous. I n the con cluding p hase of the game, which I give in brief, Black missed 37 . . . lilacS! 38 lild4 lilh3, maintaining some hopes of a win. The remaining moves were:
35 �b2 lild8 36 c.t>c2 lia8 37 <&b2 lic2+ 38 c.t>b3 liae8 39 lid4 ll8e7 40 lid6 lif2 41 J.d3 lif6 42 lid4 lien 43 J.fS h5 44 b5 hg 45 .i.xg4
In the preceding game, Botvinnik Smyslov, I e xamined the con sequences of 5 . . . e5. I n this game I survey the alternatives: a) 5 ll:Jc6 6 d5 ll:Je5 7 lll g3 0-0 8 J.e2 c6 9 f4 �ed7 1 0 J.e3 cd I I ed a5 1 2 0-0 ll:Jc5 1 3 f5 J.d7 14 Wd2 ;t; ± (space advantage) Keene-J assc m, Dubai 1 984. b) 5 ... ll:Jbd7, evidently playable as ...
60 King's Indian a transpositional route to main l i nes, but in Barcza y-Ortega , Berlin 1 967, Black went rapidly astray 6 li:lg3 c5 7 d5 a6 H a4 h5 9 .ie2 h4 10 �fl �h5 I I .ig5! ± . c) 5 c6 6 li:lg3 a 6 ( 6 . . . h 5 ? ! 7 h4 e5 H d5 'it'b6 9 1Vc2 .ih6 10 .ixh6 lhh6 I I .ie2 llhH 1 2 li:lfl t ( Fori ntos); W hite will play 0-0 a nd t hen proceed with llab l and b4 ) 7 a4 a 5 8 .ie2 li:la 6 9 0-0 0-0 I 0 .ie3 Wc7 I I f4 e5 1 2 c5! ± Szabo Lambert, K re ms 1 967. d) S cS 6 d5 e 5 7 li:lg3 (7 de frees Black's position) 7 . . . h5 (7 . . . lLlbd7 H .ie2 a 6 9 0-0 h5 I 0 .ig5 li:lfll I I 'ttd 2 li:lllh7 1 2 14 lD xg5 1 3 fg li:l h 7 1 4 h 4 with an aggressive post u re fo r White, who has f-file pressure com bined with sacrificial ideas agai nst h5 at his disposal Barczay-Bogdanovic, Sarajevo I IJ6H) 8 h4 �h7 ( t h reat . . . .if6 ) 9 li:lge2 li:la6 10 .ie3 �c7 I I aJ 0-0 1 2 li)c I li:lf6 1 3 .ig5 Well 1 4 .ie2. As I can personally testi fy ( the ga me is Forintos-Keene, Caorle 1 97 2 ) it is very difficult for Black to generate coun terplay here. -
...
,
...
s
0-0
The most popular !)Joice.
6
li:lg3
but not the line I advocate in this book) 9 . . . a6 1 0 a4 lleH I I .if4 1!tc7 1 2 'ttd 2 li:lbd7 1 3 0-0 b6 1 4 .ih6 .i h8 1 5 h 3 . At this moment, Szabo- Pe t rosia n , Sarajevo 1 972 ended as a draw, but I believe this had more to do with the relative stat us of the players than with the position (good G M happy to draw with ex-world champion). Black is still c ra m ped and has no obvious coun terplay while White has dangerous plans such as .id l -c2 plus f4-f5 at his disposal . There is obviously no need to agree to a draw if you reach this position yourself as Wh1te.
·
7
dS (66)
61i H
The ga me move here is 7 . . . c6, st riving for c li le counterplay , but the re are plenty o f others: a) 7 �e8 8 h4 ! f5 9 ef gf 1 0 i.g5 1fd7 ( 1 0 . . . li:lf6 I I ..id3 e4 1 2 ..ic2 Wi t h fJ to come ; or 10 ... ..i f6 I I 11t'h 5 ph1s ..id3 and 0-0-0) I I .id3 li:la6 12 �h5 li:lc5 1 3 ..ic2 a5 1 4 'tte 2 ;t a t least - Wh ite will castle -
eS
6 . . c5 7 d5 e6 (7 . . . li:la6 ll .ie2 .
li:lc7 9 0-0 llb8 I 0 .ie3 a6 I I a4 b6 1 2 ll b l .id7 1 3 b4 ± Fo rinto s Polgar, H ungaria n Ch 1 961S-9) 8 .ie2 ed 9 ed (9 cd is playable, transposing to the Modem Benoni
,
...
King's Indian 6 1 queenside and attack with a combination of f3 and g4. b) 7 ... ltlbd7 8 .ie2 a 5 (8 . . . ltlc5? .� b4! ±) 9 h4 h5 1 0 .ig5 ltlc5? and npw Black is wiped out by a stock sacrifice which may net you many points i n your own ga mes: I I .i x h 5 ! gh 1 2 ltlxh5 (6 7)
White is i ntending Wf3 and ll:h3-g3 , w hile if 1 2 . . . ..tg4 1 3 �hf6+ and Wxg4 ::1:± . Th e main defence is 1 2 . . . �hi! 13 f3 ! ltlcd7 14 11td2 't>g8 ( 1 4 . . . 11te8 1 5 .ixf6 ltlxf6 1 6 llJ x f6 .i.xf6 1 7 Wh6+ ±±.) 15 llJe2 1fel! 16 ltl xg7 'it;>xg7 1 7 .txf6+ � x f6 I I! Wg5+ ±± . A valuable shot to have: in your arsenal. c) 7 ... �lg4 8 ..ie2 Wh4 9 lt:J b 5 ! ltl a 6 1 0 .i d 2 f 5 I I .ixg4! (only now, when Black m ust allow a pawn to settle on g4, reducing his mobility and blocking his own bishops) I I . . . fg 1 2 \te l 1fd8 1 3 b4 and then c5 ± , Forin tos-Dely, Kecskemet 1 968. d) 7 . aS 8 .ie2 ltla6 9 h4 ltlc5 10 h5 c6 I I .ig5 h6 12 ..teJ cd 1 3 cd .
.
g 5 1 4 0-0 .id7 1 5 .ixc 5 dc 1 6 a4, Szabo-Klundt, Ba mberg 1 961!; ± i n view of Black's diseased light squares. G ufeld give s · as a n illustration: 1 6 . . . ltl e 8 1 7 .ib5 ltld6 18 .ixd7 11txd7 19 Wb3 and ltlb5. 7 8 .ie2 ltla6 Or 8 . . . cd 9 cd a6 1 0 a4 ltlbd7 I I h 4 h5 ( Black avoids . . . h5 a t his peril, e.g. I I . . . a5 1 2 h5 ltlc5 1 3 .ie3 .id 7 1 4 ll:a3 ll:c8 1 5 1td2 and .ih6 ± ; o r I I . . . ltlel! 12 h 5 f5 1 3 hg hg 1 4 e f g f 1 5 .ig6 ±; fi nally, I I . . . ltle8 1 2 h5 a5 IJ ll:a3 ltlc5 1 4 .ie3 f5 1 5 .ixc5 ! de 1 6 h g h g 1 7 ef gf II! lL!b5 lt:Jd6 19 lt:Jh5 f4 20 ..Q.g4 and then ll:ah3 ±) 1 2 .ig5 11tb6 1 3 a 5 ! (68)
White has a clear advantage , e . g . 1 3 . . . Wxb2 1 4 ..Q.d2 ltlc5 1 5 ll:a2 WbJ 1 6 Wa I threatening 0-0 and ll: b l . A lso 1 3 . . . 1td4 14 1tc2 \!fc5 1 5 0-0 and ll: fc l . If Black t akes posi tional risks on 1he q ucenside to counter W hite's a ttack on the other wing, it is quite
62 King's Indian clear that White can still switch fronts to exploit such weak nesses. This observation is further justified by 1 3 . . . Vllc 7 14 Vlld 2 ll::lc 5 1 5 lla3 b6 16 b4 lt:lcd7 17 0-0 and llfc l ± Forintos-Bogdanovic, Sarajevo 1 965. 8 . . . cd 9 cd lt:lbd7 1 0 h4 a5 I I h5 lt:lc5 1 2 �g5 t ransposes to Mat ulovic- Bednarsk i , but 1 0 . . . h 5 I I � g5 VIlaS 1 2 iVd2 lt:lc5 1 3 0-0 a6 1 4 I!ab l Vllc 7 15 b4 -=t:lcd7 16 ll fc l again fa vours White on the q ucenside.
9
h4
lt:lcS
hS cd �gS
cd aS
9 . . . h5 once more permits the white queen's bishop to sett le on g5.
10 JJ
12
A good alternative is 12 �d (stopping ... a4 ) 12 ... �d7 1 3 a4 ! llc8 1 4 ll a 3 ;t, e.g. 1 4 . . . W'b6 1 5 h6 �h!! 16 lt:lb5 planning llc3, 0-0, Vllcl and llfc l ; or 1 4 . . . ltJe8 1 5 1fd2 f5 1 6 h g h g 1 7 e f gf 1 8 .i.g5 ± .
12 13
Vlld2
Now that Black is all ready for a queenside blitz, I would suggest that White reveal 0-0-0 as a feint, and c u n ni ngly play 14 0-0! H e then h a s powertul threats based on f4, possibly with 'ith I as prepara tion. Matulovic's choice is bold, even foolhardy, castling into Black's counterattack.
14 IS 16
0-0-0!? 'itbl �d3
\WaS bS I!fc8?
Surely 1 6 . . . � x dJ 1 7 tVxdJ b4 is a dequa te for Blac k . A fter the dilatory text, Black always appears to be struggling, and has to rely on a rtificial measures for his chances.
1 7 hg hg 18 �h6 lt:lb3 19 'ilrgS! lt:lh7 20 iVe3 �f6 21 tt:'lf5! �xrs 22 ef llxc3 23 t'g fg 24 ·Wg3 (70)
.i.d7 a4 (69)
69 w
Probably in desperate t i me trou ble, Bednars k i wuld find no defence to White's threats: 24 ...
lt:lf8 2S .ixf8 �xf8 26 1i'xg6 llcl + 21 llxc l lt:ld2 + 28 'itc2 JileS+ 29 �1 ll xcl + 30 'itxcl 1 -0 .
9
Griinfeld Defence 1 d4 lbf6 2 c4 g6 3 liJc3 d5
71 W
The G r unfeld, introduced i n the 1 920's, is one of Black 's most reliable defences. It does not make any structural concessions, main tains fl uid piece play and provides Blac k with plenty of tactical opport u nities, especially along the a l-h8 diagonal. The only drawback to the G r u nfeld is that in many lines White establishes a powerful pawn cent re, but such pawn centres can also form a clear ta rget for bombard ment from Black's paeces. The most popular anti-Grtinfcld line in contemporary international competition is the Exchange Variation, i n its various mani festations. There are, however, two good reasons for not selecting
this for the repertoire: the theory o f t he Exchange V a riation is in such a s ta te of flux and innovation, that a n ything I write now may well be out of date b y t he time this book appears. I n addition, the Exchange is of such a fo rcing nat u re that i f Black survives the initial thrust, Whi te's initiative may well burn itself out prematurely. H ere are t wo examples in popula r lines: a) I d4 lt:lf6 2 c4 g6 3 lt:lc3 d5 4 tOO i.g7 5 cd l0 xd 5 6- e4 lt:lxc3 7 be c5 8 Jil b I 0-0 9 i.e2 i.g4! 1 0 l h b 7 ..txf3 I I ..txf3 cd 1 2 cd .txd4 I ) 0-0 lt:lc6 14 9a4 llc8 1 5 .th6 lle8 (72) 72 w
A lthough W hite has the bishop pair, 1 do not see t hat there is any
64 Grunfeld Defence
way that the powerfully centralised black position can be breached. More i nteresting is 10 0-0 cd I I cd ..txf3 1 2 .ixf3 ..txd4 1 3 e5 �c6 14 e6!? fe 1 5 11fb3 1lrd6 but how convincing is it? White may regain both pawns, but the black bishop on d4 is still imposing. ,P.)J d4 �f6 2 c4 g6 3 �c3 d5 4 cd lt:Jxd5 5 e4 lt:Jxc3 6 be .i.g7 7 ..ic4 c5 8 lt:Je2 0-0 9 0-0 lt:Jc6 I 0 ..te3 cd I I cd ..tg4 1 2 f 3 ll\a5 1 3 .i.d 3 ..te6 14 d5 .txa 1 1 5 'tha i f6 16 lil: b l _$.dU_7 ..th�_ lil:l7 I H e5 fe 1 9 'itxe5 11'b8 20 't!*xbll+ lhb8 21 .td2 ..tf5! 22 .i xf5 ll xf5 23 ixa5 1xd5 C (73)
but he was in itially responsible for the line's modern reintroduction, while recent t heory has been considerably enhanced by US I nternational Master Jon Tisdall. Black's · counter measures are · much Jess definable here than m the normal Exchange and there is scope for penonal input. The Romanishin Exchange is mentioned briefly in BCO on page 27. The main line Exchange Va riations are covered on pages 98- 1 02.
Tisdali-J ansa Aarhus 1 983
I d4 li:Jf6 ----.2 C4 __gL, 3 Tc'3 dS 4 Ccr _ lLJxdS s l0f3 __!&?___ 6 Wb3 (74)
w
74
8
and White is nominally better, with two mi nor pieces for rook and pa wn, but I doubt if he has real wi nning chances . Accordingly, I have opted for a httle known brainchild of the Soviet grand master Oleg ' R.omanishin, from Diagram 7 1 : 4 'tf3 .i.g7 5 cd � xd5 6 9b3 . Romanishin dtd not mvent thts,
Now B lack has to choose oetweenthetra'dl 'llonaTC:i'r unfeid Excha-nge-on c3 or wi thdrawal of ffiel(-nlgfit to b6, with a consequent direcCassault against White's d4 .
Grunfeld Defence 65 paw n . S o m e examples of t h e former t reat ment : a) 6 . . . 7 be 0-0 8 e3 c5 9 i. e2 cd 1 0 cd li:Jc6 I I 0-0 e5 1 2 i.a3 � e8 1 3 de �xe5 14 �ad l 2tlxf3+ 1 5 .txf3 1tb6 1 6 Wa4 ± Tisdall Ki ng, M olde 1 98 1 . b ) 6 . . . li:Jxc3 7 be 0-0 8 e3 li:Jd7 9 i.a3 c5 1 0 .te2 Wc7 I I 0-0 b6 1 2 · e4! :ib7 1 3 d5 ! ± or Tfe4lt:lf6 1 3 e 5 ! 2tlh 5 ( 1 3 . . . i.c6? 1 4 ef! ) . J4 :fc4 With a veryact i ve -position · · fpr Whtte.
/()xc3
6
�b6
i.gS (75) 7 The main line. A lso interesting .. i_s 7 e 4!?-�_8�_(r::..:�·x d4 H i.h6 ! ; _o_r 7_ � . . Q-0 8 i.c2 i.g4 9 d5 c6 1 0 i.e3 c d I I e d i. x c 3 + 1 2 b e Wxd5 · · 13.tx b6 tl ) 8 d5 ..txf3 9 � Romanishin-K orchnoi, -l..lss·R Team Ch, Tinis 1 976. Now 1 0 a4! a5 I I i.e3 li:J 8d7 1 2 lid I 0-0 1 3 i. h 3
passively, otherwise White will secure a grip over the centre which can hardly be shaken. Other examples are: 7 . . . �0 8 �d l h6 9 .th4 .tg4 1 0 e3 a5 I I i.e2 a4 1 2 'ttc 2 c6 1 3 0-0 � 8d7 1 4 h3 ..te6 1 5 e4 llc8 1 6 � fe I ( White has defi n i tely a n nexed the centre, while Black has been offered no obvious ta rget for counterplay) 16 . . . i.c4 1 7 i.xc4 li:J xc4 1 8 e5! ( b isect i ng Blac k ' s position) 1 8 . . . li:Jf8 1 9 d 5 Wbfo 20 �e2 a 3 2 1 b] li:Jb2 22 � c l 'ira6 2 3 lld2 g5 24 i.g3 cd 25 �xd5 li:Jc6 26 li:Jd4 li'l xd4 2 7 �xd4 'ira5 28 b4 't!ta7 29 t!rd2 lii: a b8 30 lii: c 7 (preparing t he fi nal spectacular invasion) 30 . . . c6 3 1 li'le7+ ct>h8 32 �dd7 't!ta6 33 Wd �ed8 (76)
"WCIT4lifcT-.t. 75
B
7
h6
Implementing a vigo7o'UScounter at tack . Black should not play wo
34 li.Jg6+ fg 35 ll xg7 1 -0 ( J5 li:JJ3 36 :lih 7 + '>t>g8 3 7 lii: c g 7+ lt.tl8 38 'itc7 ±±). An a m azing ga me. Tisda l l-Orset h , Molde 1 9 8 1_. A nother Tisd all ga me, as W h i t e v Thipsay, Bene d i c t i n e 1 98 3 : 7 . . . i.cb 8 'i!t'c2 li'lc6 9 lid I li'l b4 I 0
66 Grunfeld Defence 1t'b I ll:l4d5 I I e4 lLl xc3 1 2 be 0-0 1 3 .te2 h6 1 4 .te l c5 1 5 de .t xc 3 + 1 6 'it>fl ll:ld7 1 7 .i h 6 i.g7 H ! i. xg7 'it>xg7 1 9 Wb2+ ..tig8 20 h4 Wc7 2 1 h 5 ±. 8 .-..&!!:!. i. eli
711 w
�1tc2 10 %fill !Eb4 Not 10 �ll:lxd4?"IJ ll:l xd4 9
i.xd4 1 2 e3 i. xc3+ 1 3 1!hc3 tl; or 10 ... 0-0 I I d5 ll:lb4 1 2 1tc l t.
II
"iltbl_ ( 77)
77
8
IS 16 17 18 19
20
Now I I . . . c6 is insufficie n tly challenging: 12 e4 0-0 13 a 3 ll:la6 14 .te2 ll:lc7 15 i.g3 i.bJ 16 Ild2 ll:le6 17 0-0 lLl xd 4 I H ll:lxd4 i. xd4 19 We t c5 20 ll:lb5 'it>h7 2 1 .tc5 'tireS 22 ll:l xd4 cd 23 i. x d4 t Keene-Small, Commonwealth Ch. M elbourne 1 983.
II 12
e3
13 -;.r1 4 dS
,tg3 a3 ab hg
gf
Ilh2
rs
f4 fg
I h f1 .t d 3
i.xdl
I n furman-Savon, U S S R 1 970, Black preferred to stay the exchange d ow n : 20 . . . ll:ld7!? 2 1 i.e2 lueS 22 1tc2 1td6 23 �f I . K otov assessed this as "equal", but iho it m ust be a dynamic balance where both sides ha ve chances to win.
21
"iltxd l (79)
0-0 "'1:15
"ii4
gS (78)
Violent counter mea.s-ure;i, design ed to detonate White's imposing cent re.
This is a curious case, where both players seem, in a sense,
Griinfeld Defence 6 7
to be playing past each other - White dominates the light squares while Black controls the dark square part of the board . White's chances reside in a direct assault against Black's king, based on the key moves i.h3-e6 and 1t'h5, threatening to infiltrate on g6 or 17 . In what follows Black has to play very accurately to maintain the bala nce . H ere is one attractive trap concealed in the position: 2 1 . . . 'itd6? 22 .i.h3 'ff xb4 23 i.e6+ �h8 24 l hh6+ (80)
i.e6+ 'it'h8 'ith5 1ff8 Not 25 . . . lLlxb2? 26 'itg6 1!t'f8 27 i.f5 *&8 (27 ... 1rg8 28 llxh6+ ±±) 28 llxh6 with the crushing threat of llh8+.
24 25
26
1hg5
26 27
'it'e2! (til)
After the game Tisdall felt 26 ltJ d I migh t have offered him better chances.
li'Jxb2
il l IJ
HO 8
All B lack's moves have been very natural, but now he is mated: 24 . . . i.xh6 2 5 ..h5 'it'g7 26 'itf7+ �h8 27 .tf5 i.g7 28 'ith 5+ �g8 29 i.e6+ ±±:.
21 22 23
ba ..thJ
aS! lixa5 lLlc4
Set ti ng a final t rap: 27 . . . litc5 28 'itg6 litxc3 29 i.f5 ±± .
27
1rf6
Eventually Black has equalised , but it has been an uphill struggle. The game concluded: 28 1rxf6
i.xf6 29 lLlb1 lLlc4 30 lhh6+ �g7 31 lithl lita2+ 32 'it'd3 lLle5+ 33 �e3 ll:lc4+ 34 'it'd3 lUeS+ 35 �e3 1!2 - \12 .
10
�Nimzo-lndian
l d4,. �r�amJ.��-c3 £b4
champions Botvinnik, Tal, Petrosian and Spassky, as well as prominent w gra ndmasters such as Browne, H ubner, Timman and Miles. Strangely, K asparov plays it rarely as Black a nd fares badly when he does, but is oftt:n to be seen on the white side. I suggest that White should esc ew advent ures such as 4 �. 4 f3, 4 1tb3 or 4 g) (though 4 1tc2 is quite playable) and adhere to lnvente<.l . introduced and chamthe main lines emanating fro!!' pioned by the great chess thinker 4 e3. In the coming middlega me he and w r it e r A r o n Ni mzowitsch should strive to activate h i s ( 1 !!86- 1 93 5 ) . the Nimzo-l ndian ce nt ral pawns en masseandnot� has beco me, perhaps, the most widel y rt:spected defence to I d4. ·arratd of contracti ng doubled pawns on c4 and c3, if. i n retu rn , It is the one I would recommend Trten gi ve� .':P� . concerted black li re powt:r fro�� bishop on a6, knight on a5 a nd bishop pan 111 r e t u r n fo r co rre siwnJing adv a n t a ge s •n paw n rnok on c8. But Black may have t.� . 1nvest so m uch time: in t his siege structure. A dy n am 1 c unbala nced e4uahty 1s the normal ou tcome,- that the white kingside offensive whe re both s i<.l es can play for a � �1. m the meantime, gathe decisive momentum. I n this slate win. I t has, not surprisingly, been of dehcate balance and counterenth usiastically a<.lopted by World Champion Karpov and former balance, a well developed chess-
4f'"
,
-
-
,
�
Nimzo-Indian 69
board seismic sense ca n be most Massive central pawn advance a useful. I have given several Ia Botvinnik-Capablanca, A VRO illustrative games to help in 1 938. acquiring this asset. The Nimzo is. I I Mating attack w&th thrust of the f-pawn. in fact, such an important black I I I Attack aga i nst Black's king defence that I have devoted more space to it here than to any other on the q ueen s ide after ... (}.0-0. In the fun hcr part of t his black line ment ioned in this boo k . The N i m zo i s examined in fu ll chapter. I will s ho w recent games with the deferred Samisch and in BCD, pages 1 40- 1 59. I f you point to t he direction of current wish to em ploy the N i mzo as Black and White sidesteps with investigat ions. 3 g3 (Cata lan) or 3 lll iJ b 6 (Queen's Indian) the n:aucr � h o u l d MaHive Centre Pawn Roller consult BCO, pages 42-46 a n d Bot"innik-Capablanca 1 60- 1 7 1 . A V N O 1 9.18 What I had been hoping fo r 1 1 1 t h e Kasparov-Korchnoi World 1 d4 � r6 2 _� Ch. semi-final match, wh i�:h 1 � J �c3 organised in london du ring t he .ib4 'd5-4 e3 winter of 1 9HJ, was a critical test For 4 .�6 see Res h cvsky of the hyper-sharp 'deferreu Fi sch c r Part V. A l s o 4 . . . ll:lc6 Sami sch (4 e3 and then aJ as 5 .id3 d5 (5 . . . c5 6 li:lc2 d 5 !?) 6 a3 appropriate and if necessary). The de 7 lxc4 lu6 H f4 ! ;!: Keene omens were goOd: 11 surts Kasparov's Fedorowicz, New York 1 9M I . razor-edge style (mating attack in .ixc3+ 5 -a3 exchange for weak pawns) and 6 ..J!£.. Kasparov has recently used it -iL" ed cd 7 no less than four times: v 8 -:iifJ o:oBelyavsky tn t he S parta k ia d , 9 ll:le2 b6 Ivanovic at N i k � i c and v Timman An in_tcn:� ah ernatJVCOu;tbo d and Korchnoi himse l f at the of W h i te's c en t re ·� Herceg Novi Wo rld Blitl Tourna men l . A l l wins. aparl from a very � �k 6 _!_!!9.£�_L?f!_ I_ ! Q:!l__�l a 5 1 2 rJ li c K I ] Y a 2 lLl b7! i nt t: t:t_d i n g fa vourable draw v Bclyav� k y . ti ld6. There arc three main White-win - �5��1 1 0 ..J!:.Q_ scenarios which attract players to I I �.ixa6 the deferred Samisch: ·
'
,
____.
�� �rlg
-
70 Nimzo-Jndian 12 .ib2 A fascinating all US e ncounter, Reshevsky-Fine, NY State Ch, Hamilton I 94 I , reached the identical position after Black's I I th. It was very nearly Reshevsky's 'Immortal', on a par with Botvinnik-Capablanca. Since it is of outstanding interest, I cite it up to the critical moment: I2 Wd3 'tlt'c!! 1 3 .tb2 cd 14 cd !iJc7 I 5 lHc i �d7 16 f3 lHe!! 1 7 !iJg3 !iJe6 18 li:e l lilac!! 19 li:ad l ira4 20 li:d2 irc4 2 1 Wb I irb3 22 lt:lf5 lilc7 23 e4 li:ec!! 24 Ii:d3 'tlt'a4 25 e5 !iJe!! 26 !iJe3 tfb5 27 Ii:d2 irb3 28 li:d3 'trh5 29 lild2 'tra5 (29 . . . 11rb 3 ! ? 3 0 g 3 and f4 :t Reshevsky) 30 'trd l 'trb5 3 1 g3 g6 32 f4 f5 33 'trfJ li:d8 34 g4 lt:l 8g7 3 5 gf lt:lxf5 36 ltJg4 lil l7 37 !iJf6+ 'it7h8 38 lite I lilxf6 39 ef li:f!! 40 lie I li xf6 4 1 a4! Wd7 4 2 li f2 li:Jc7 43 lic2 lin 44 li l c l li:Je!! 45 .ta3 li:Jf6? 46 lic8+ �g7 47 .tf8+ 'ittg 8 (83) /JJ
w
48 'trxd 5 ! ! 'trxd5 Jor . . . !iJ xd5) 49 .i.h6+; or 48 . . . 'trxc8 49 lixc8 !iJxd5 50 .ih6+; finally 48 . . . li:Jg7 49 'trxd7 ±t. White actually played 48 .td6+? and after various fu rther i nexactitudes, Reshevsky conceded the draw on move 6 I . 12 13
Wd7 a4
life8 (84)
84 w
·
Black should play 1 3 . . . cd 1 4 cd llfc8 with play on the c-lile. He cannot prevent e4 i n the long run and after White achieves this advance he will be threatening e5 which is awkward for Black since the knight has no retreat squares. By leaving e8 open Black would also prepare the long-term man oeuvre ... lt'le8-d6-c4. 14
Wd3
IS
•c2
c4
Here Capablanca com mences a very risky sequence to win White's a-pawn. And at this ju nct ure Reshevsky could have won bri lliantly with
16
��� .
According to Botvinnik 1 6 lLlg3 ! is more accurate.
Nimzo-Jndian 71
16
lt:lc6?
17 -�€)&3
lt:la5
Botvinnik recommends 1 6 �h5 ! the point being to stop �g3. After 1 7 . . . et'le4 White has 1 8 et'lh I followed by 1 9 f3 .
18 19 20
(3
e4
li:lbJ
1fxa4
�7 If 2 0 . . . et'l l: 5 2 1 :U. e 2 a n d White •.
eS
wins a piece. Now Blal:k is threatening to play 2 1 . . . et'lbc5 with adva n tage.
21 22 23 24 25
1Ul
,r4 er f5
g6 rs lilxf6 Ilxe t Ile8
lit XC I 25 . . . :U. f'!! 26 1t'f4 1t'd7 27 lle6 also lea ves Black in great difliculty.
26
If 26 . . . fg + 'o!i>xg6 'it>h6 3 1 33 �a 3 is
27 28 29
11.1 w
lle6
rc Wf4 1fc5
31 32
et'lh5+ 1lt'g5+ 1t'd6+
gh
f8
�g8
The effect of White's sacrifice is to stri p Black's k i ng of all its defen �.:es. The ga me l:oncluded: 34 c7 We i t 35 'itifl 11t'c2+ 36 'i!.>g3
'ff'd3+ 37 �h4 1t'e4+ 38 �xhS 1i'e2+ 39 'it>h4 1fe4+ 40 g4 Wet + 4 1 'ot>h5 1 -0. Kasparov-hanovic Nik� ic 1 983 1 d4 et'lf6 2 c4 3 lDc3 4 e3 s --aJ
llxcb
'.!/g 7 1t'e8 11t'e7 (85)
�a3!!
.B
<,!;>17 27 ll x f6+ 'o!i>xf6 2!i
29 'it'f5+ �g 7 30 et'l h5+ h4 �gH 32 g4 11t'c6 decisive .
30
A double piel:e sacrifice which has deservedly gone down in chess history. 11t'x a3 30 30 . . . 11t'e8 3 1 11t'c7+ 'it>g8 32 i.e7 et'lg4 33 11t'd7 wins.
--
Very intereSti ng that Kasparov
should s uddenly opt for the deferred Samisch which was generally abandoned by Russian grandmasters in the 1 950's. .ixc3+ 5 6
...
6 _-.Jl£_
-
0-0
lDc6 7 ..td3 e5 8 et'le2 d 6 9 c4
ed 10 cd cd I I �0 1t'a5 ( I I ... � 1 2 i.g5! h6 1 3 i.h4 g 5 1 4 ..ig3 et'lh5 1 5 ltl xd4 lt:J xg3 1 6 li:l xc6 b� 17 hg W'f6) 12 .tf4 .-cs 13 lDc l ll:la5 14 i.xd6! Wxd6 1 5 e5 with the
72 Nimzo-Jndian
i nitiative, Kaspa rov-Belyavsky, USSR Teams Ch 1 983. In this line, 8 ... e4 9 .i b l b6 10 �g3 .ia6 I I f3 .ixc4 1 2 lL!f5 0-0 1 3 lL!d6 ..id3 1 4 .ixd3 ed 1 5 1txd3 marginally favours White, Spassky-Tal, USSR Ch 1 958.
7
-'.d3
dS
This is n ot a real test of White's play and has been considered weak since the Botvinnik-Capablanca game. Better is 7 . . . lL!c6.
8 ...£!__ � ll'le2 b6 10 � � II 0-0 "h6 12 lLIG3 ..ixd.1 1 3 't!hd3 JC[: 14 lb2 c4 15 't!fd2 "Td7 16 llael 115 1 7 e4 (86) 9
Petrosian-Ljubojevic NiUil: 1 983 lLlf6 I d4 e6 2 c4 3
lt:lc3
.l b4
4
e3
0-0
5
..id3
5 6 7 8 9
tt:lge2 0-0 cd a3
ed ..ixc3?!
be
lle8
Against the move-order 4 . . . c5 5 ..id3 lt:lc6 6 lt:lge2 d5 ( before . . . 0-0) White can also try 7 c d e d 8 a3, e.g. 8 . . . c4 9 ab cd 1 0 't!fxd3 lL!xb4 I I 't1Vb5+ llJc6 1 2 tt:l f4 with pressure against d5. Or 8 . . . cd 9 ab de 1 0 b5 cb I I ..i x b 2 , with excel lent compensat ion. White could already play 5 a3 here.
··
d5 c5
lL! c6
Stumbling directly into a position where White can implement the central pawn steamroller. Correct is 9 . . . cd 1 0 ab de, or even 9 . . . c4!? 10 .l c 2 ..i d 6 I I f3 't1Ve7 when 1 2 e4 de 1 3 fe l"ii: d !l is n o t t o t a l l y clear.
JO II
Now
White's
B lack
overrun
is
by
ce n t re p a w n s : 1 7 ... g6 1 8 lDh7 19 't!t'h6 lle6 20 f4 li:.e 7 21 fS gf 22 'tlt'xh5 de 23 li:.xf5 li:.xfS 24 llxf5 ll ae8 25 lie3 llg6 36. a,l l-0. lf 26 .. Jla7 27 :,Pl.
.let
�
f3 (� 7)
Black is a l re a d y i n a despe rate s t ra t egic q u a n d a r y , since W h ite's i m p e n d i n g e4 c a n hardly be prevented. The most so ph i s t ica te d
defence is I I . . . b6 1 2 lL!g3 cd 1 3 cd tt:la5 1 4 lla2 �b7, inte nd i ng . . . li::l d 6 and . . . h5.
Nimzo-Jndian 73
need to repeat moves.
11 12
lt:lg3
13
'tld2
.td7?! 'tWaS
Or 12 . . . 1t'e7 1 3 lila2 h6 14 lle2 followed by ..ib2 and e4. This rook manoeuvre is worth noting. If now 1 3 . . . cd 1 4 cd 1!hd2 1 5 ..ixd2 and the simplifications favour White; e4 is still in the offing, while W hite's bishops control vital squares and may even support a minority attack based on lillb I plus e4 .
1t'a4
13
Or
17
de
. . . cd 1 8 lilb4 de 1 9 'tlf4! 'tic6 20 e5 ±±. H aving achieved his major strategic objective, White's play now revolves around a series of subt le tactics . 17
18 19
fe
cd
lilb4 1t'c6 Once again, 1 9 de 20 1t'f4 1t'c6 2 1 e5 lt:ld5 22 11hf7+ �h8 23 lilh4 . 20 cd (89)
A brutal attempt to raid the
slight
weakness
of
the
light
squares in White's camp, namely
c4 u nd b3. The drawback is the eccentric and offside station oft he black q ueen. Petrosian is quic k to exploit this. 14
IS
16
17
lib1 .ic2 .id3 e4! (88)
ltJaS 't!tc4 'i¥34
Of course, there is absolutely no
White has a massive mobi le
74 Nimzo-Jndian
pawn cent re , backed up by the bishop pair and the open f-file. The fol lowing variation shows j ust how these accumulated ad vantages can be transmuted i nto a concrete win. In what follows, note how Black is plagued by the absence of his king's bishop: 20 . . . ]i[ad8 2 1 9f2 li[ f8 22 ]i[b5 b 6 23 ]i[g5 (threa t - 9xf6) 23 . . . ¢>h8 (or 23 . . . h6 24 d5 1Wc5 25 ..ie3 1te7 26 ]i[ xg7+ �xg7 27 ..id4 with demolition) 24 d5 9c5 25 9xc5 be 26 li[xf6! gf 27 ..ib2 h5 28 ..ixf6+ �h7 29 e5+ �h6 30 ]i[xh5 mate. This long variation is highly typical and instructive, and well worth s tudy.
�xe4
20
Giving up material to smash the white pawn duo is Black's best chance.
21 22
lt:lxe4
]i[xe4
24 25 26
..ixe4 ]i[d4 ]i[xe4!
fe 9e6 9g6
27 28
l%e7
.tb5
91'2! 1'5 If 22 . . . li[f8 23 d 5 ! or 22 . . . ]i[e7 23 1th4 forking e7 a nd h7. 23 d5! 9xd5
·
II
f-Pawn Scenario
Bronstein-Najdorf Candidates' 1 950 I d4 lt:lf6 2 c4 e6 3 lt:lcJ ..ib4 4 a3 ..ixc3+ 5 be c5 6 e3 lt:lc6 7 .td 3 0-0 8 lt:le2 d6 9 e4 �e8 1 0 0-0 b6 (90) 1 1 f4 ..ia6 1 2 r5 e5 1 3 f6 (91)
If 26 . . . . 9xe4? 27 9n+ wh8 28 9f8+ ]i[xf8 29 ]i[ xf8 mate. 1tn+ 1 -0 I f 2 8 . . . 1Wxt7 2 9 li[fxf7 ±± . A logical and convincing model from the former World Champion.
B.S.Vainstein, Bronstein's bio-
Nimzo-Jndian 75
grapher, writes of this move: "Blockade of the f7 pawn, cutting ofT communications between Black's kingside and queenside forces, and the isolation of the h7 pa wn, these are the three ideas embodied in this sharp advance." Black cannot take the f-pa wn: 13 . . . lt:lxf6 14 i.g5 with a crushing pin, or 1 3 . . . gf 14 i.h6 lt:lg7 1 5 lt:lg3. Also good is ( 1 3 . . . gf) 1 4 d5 lt:le7 1 5 i.h6 lt:lg7 16 lt:lg3 .icH 1 7 lt:lh5 lt:l xh5 1 8 1!hh5 lii: e 8 1 9 llxf6 lt:lg6 20 lii: xJ7 ct>xf7 2 1 i.g5 tfd7 22 Wxh7+.
13
ct>h8
Now Black is swiftly despatched.
14 IS 16 11 18 19
1nas
20 21
dS lt:lg3 lt:lfS
lt:laS gf i.c8
ef lii: l3
lii:g8 lii:g 7
.ih6 lih3
lii:g 8
..txrs
19 ... fiJg7 fails to 20 1Wxh7+ ct>xh 7 2 1 lii: h 3+ lt:lh5 22 lii: xh5+ c;t>g7 23 i.h6+ 'it>h7 24 .if8 mate.
7
be
fiJc6
8
lt:le2!
8 9
e4
10 11
0-0 f4
i.a6 lt:laS
12
rs
f6! (92J
Here 7 . . . d5? was played in Kasparov-lvanovic . To this square rather than f3, since White does not wish to block the advance of his f-pawn. This is the reason that White's chances in the deferred Samisch are superior to those he obtains in the variation: 4 e3 c5 5 i.d3 lt:lc6 6 lt:lf3 ? ! i.xc3+ 7 be d6 8 e4 e5, which scores consistently well for Black.
b6
lt:l e8 Sidestepping the pin i.g5 . Boldly ignoring White's kingsidc demonstration. In contrast I I . . . d6 fails t o hinder White's plan, e.g. I I . . . d6 1 2 f5 e5 1 3 f6 ! (jj xf6 1 4 i.g5, followed by li:lg3, with carnage - as in Bronstein-Najdorr above.
1 -0
Timman-Polugayevsky Tilburg 1983 I d4 li:lf6 2 c4 e6 i. b4 3 lt:lc3 4 e3 cS 0-0 5 .id3 6 a3 .ixc3+
Correctly halting the fu rther
76 Nimzo-lndian
push of White's f-pawn. I f 1 2 . . . ef 13 ef .txc4 14 f6! or 1 3 . . . 10 xc4? 14 11ra4! ±:±:.
13
10f4
13 14
'tthS?!
GM Larry C hristiansen claims that 1 3 fe is good here.
cd
Both 1 4 c d and 1 4 fe d e 1 5 e5! come into consideration here as possible i mprovements.
14 IS
er?
ef
Ch ristiansen says 15 cd! .txc4 1 6 .txc4+ 10 xc4 1 7 'ttxf5 "wirh good play for the pawn", while Polugayevsky recommends 1 5 11rxf5! 10d6 1 6 1lrd5+ lt:ln 1 7 cd.
�d6
15
Or 1 5 . . . de 16 li'lg6! lln 1 7 llf3 threatening 1 8 'ttx h7+ �xh7 1 9 llh3+ �g8 2 0 llh8 mate. The text prepares . . . 'tieS and seems to beat off White's attack. 'tte 8 1 6 llf3 .txc4 17 10g6
18 19
93 B
.tf4
llh3 (93)
.txd3
The attack reaches its crescendo, but it is bluff. 19 .txrs 20 'ttxh 7+ c;&n 21 ll g3 �e4 22 10e5+ Or 22 lle 1 lbxg3 23 llxe8 llaxe8 24 .ih6 lbe2+ 25 'i&f2 llg8 26 lt:lh8+ �e6 winning.
22
0- 1
'i&e6
Keene-Helmers Exhibition game Arhus 1 983 1 d4 lbf6 2 c4 e6 3 lbc3 .tb4 4 e3 cS 5 ,a3 .txc3+ 6 be lbc6 7 .td3 b6 8 �e2 0-0
On the k.ingside, Black's monarch represents a clear target. Black can also try to arrange . . . 0-0-0 with 8 . . . d6 but then 9 e4 1lrd7 (9 . . .ta6? 1 0 'tta 4! i s a trap into which Capablanca once fell against the variation's inventor, Fritz Samisch) 1 0 0-0 .i.a6 I I .i.g5 0-0-0 1 2 lO c i ! lt.la5 1 3 l0b3 'tta4 14 lt.lxa5 'tt xa 5 1 5 'ttc 2, with advantage to White, since the black queen is temporarily out of action: For more on this see Section I l l . .
9
e4
To forestall .i.g5.
l0e8
Nimzo-lndian 77 10
0-0
.ta6
Inaugurating the standard attack against White's indefensible c4 pawn.
II
f4
cd
I t is exceedingly risky to open up the position like this. M ore sensible is I I . . . f5 t hough after 1 2 ljj g 3 g6 1 3 .te3 ljj a 5 1 4 de llc8 ( 1 4 . . . ljj xc4 1 5 .txc4 .txc4 1 6 llf2 ljj f6 17 1td4 b5 1 8 lld2 1tc8 1 8 . . . h5! - 1 9 h 3 1tb7 20 1te5 ltac8 2 1 i.d4 fe 22 ljj h 5 ! ! ±± Christiansen-R . Rodriguez, Mos cow IZ 1 982) fS ef ef 1 6 cb ab 1 7 c5! .txd3 1 8 1txdJ 6c 1 9 c4 �f6 20 llad I followed by .td2-c3 White still has a plus in my opinion. Also worth considering is the con tinuation of Tisdall-Kudrin, Gaus dal l 98 3 : 1 3 ef ef ( l 3 . . . gf 1 4 .te3 ltla5 1 5 de ltlxc4 16 .txc4 .txc4 1 7 llf2 is p romising for White, whose queen's bishop will ra ke Black's kingside from d4) 1 4 de be 15 .i.e3 d6 16 .txf5 gf 17 1td5+ lii: l7 1 8 1txc6 .txc4 1 9 lii: fe I 1Wc8 20 1111 lilbll 2 1 lld I 1ta6 and now best is 22 1th 5 !
12 13
cd f5!
14
l!J(4 (94)
94 B
14 15 16
e5 lilc8
At the cost of a pawn White enjoys a free hand to throw all his pieces into the assault against Black's king.
16 17 18 19
.txc4 llf3
.txc4 ltlxc4 ed
lii: h3 ljj eS I f 1 9 . . . h6 20 .txh6 wins. 20 21 22
ltJaS f6
White threatened f6 fol lowed by .tg5. Tranposing into t he position whid1 could have been reached in Timman-Polugayevsky after the recommended 14 cd!
�d5 1th5
22
1txh7+ .tr4
lii: fl (95)
q;,n
lii: c6
78 Nimzo-Indian
This allows a quick finish but it is hard to see a constructive move for Black, e.g. 22 . . . d6 23 .!xeS de 24 Wg6+ �g8 25 Ilh7 with the devastating threat of •hs and Ilh8.
23 24
1L'hS+ �g8 li:Je7 maite
Kasparol-Yurtaev Spartakiad May 1 98 1 1 li:Jf6 d4 e6 2 c4 3 li:Jc3 .!b 4 4 e3 0-0 5 .!d3 dS 6 cd ed 7 li:Jge2 (96) 96 B
Kasparov's move-order in the opening is quite strange and seems to bemuse his less experienced opponent. It evinces a superficial si milarity with the old Reshevsky variation: 1 d4 li:Jf6 2 c4 e6 3 li:Jc3 .!b4 4 e3 0-0 5 li:Jge2 d5 6 a3 .!e7 7 cd ed, but the crucial difference is that White has already developed
his king's bishop to dJ.
�bd7
7
A perfectly acceptable move in t he Reshevsky line, but here is seems out of place. I nstead, Black should put more pressure on the centre wit h 7 . . . cS.
8 9
0-0 f3
c6 cS
A mending his previous move displays definite signs of confusion. However, after the normal 9 . Ile8 Y urtaev doubtless feared 10 e4, with a central initiative for White. .
10
a3
cd
11 12
ed li:Jf4
J.e7 li:Jb8
13
g4! (97)
.
N ow 10 . . . .!xc3 I f be cedes White a great advantage, since Black would have squandered a tempo ( . . . c6-c5) only to surrender the two bishops, strengthen White's central pawn roller and misplace his own queen's knight. At last Black recognises the futility of having developed the knight on d7, and decides to re route it to c6, from which square he can also threaten White's d4 pawn. Sadly, t hough, B lack has lost so much precious time in the opening that Kasparov can now floor him with a few well-aimed blows . Threatening to knock away the props of Black's d-pawn with g5.
Nimzo-lndian 79
18 19 20
f4 •n rs
g6 b6
20 21 22 23 24
f6 lbel l:leS •e3
.ic6
24 2S 26 27 28
J.e2 ab J.xhS g6! (99)
Naturally, White does not capture on d5, which would only invite trouble along the a 8-h l diagonal. The standard f-pawn thrust ensures White's advantage. Interestingly, this aggressive thrust (g4) often features in Kasparov's games. J. d6 13
14 IS 16
17
'ii?h l gS J.xf4
l:le8 J.xf4 lt:lhS ('18)
l:lb7
•d6 l:ld8
White's winning plan is straight forward: play his bishop to e2 and then destroy Black's kingside with J.xh5. That was the point of 2 1 f6 (the culmination of White's f-pawn offensive) - to strand Black's k night.
bS b4 l:lxb4 gh
J.xb8!
A very fine move indeed . I t
breaks a n umber o f excellent rules about not giving up the bishop pair, not swapping an active piece for a passive one etc . . . but Kasparov has clearl y perceived that the increased momentum of his attack fully justifies the exchange. l h b8 17
.
A neat combination finishes off
the game. I f 28 . . . fe 29 l he6 wins at once, so . . .
80 Nimzo-lndian
28 29
lhe6
hg fe
30
1Wb6
l::t b 7
O r 29 . . . 1rxe6 30 'tlrh6 with mate to follow on g7. 1-0 White wins with 3 1 l::t g l rt>n 32 'tlrg6+ rt>f8 33 'tlrg8 mate and there is no other sensible defence at move 3 1 .
Preparing . . . .la6, . . . �a5 and
. . . 0-0-0. The immediate 9 . . . .ta6
is met by the embarrassing 1 0 1ta4.
10 11 12
e4
.ta6
.l gS 0-0-0 �cl ! (101)
III Black tries to play ... 0-0-0 ( Attack against Black's king on the queenside)
Geller-Lisitsin Ch 1 9�S � f6 d4 e6 c4 ..tb4 �c3 .ixcJ+ a3 cS be e3 � c6 d6 .idJ � ge2 b6
USSR
1 2 3 4 s 6 7 8
An important position which can a rise from a variety of move orders (4 e3 c5 or 4 e3 b6). 9 0-0 'tlrd7! (100)
I mproving on an earlier game in the same event, Geller-Spassky, which went 1 2 �g3 ? h6 1 J .lxf6 gf 14 �h5 cd 1 5 cd �xd4 1 6 �xf6 1re7 1 7 1ra4 ( better was 1 7 �g4 followed by ll:le3) 1 7 . . . .lb7! 1 8 ll:lh5 l::t g 8 1 9 Wd l f5 ! 20 l::t e l (101)
/ 00 w
20 . . . 1rh4 2 1 f4 e5! (stronger than winning the exchange with 21 . . . 1txe l + 2 2 1he l li.JfJ+. Now 22 l::t f l is met by n . . . fe 23 i.e2
Nimzo-lndian 81
�f.H H) 22 lite I ef 23 .i.fl 1txe I ! 24 Wxe l ltJf3+ 2 5 � � xe l 26 llxe I f3 ! and Black soon won.
12 li:la5 12 ... .i.b7 1 3 a4 a5 was possible,
but the b6 pawn would be a permanent target. 12 ... cd 1 3 cd ltJxd4 1 4 a4 ltJc6 15 liJb3! gives White value for the pawn, with a5 to come.
13 14
ltJb3 ltJxa5
't!fa4 'li/xa5? (103)
24
't!fc2 .i.d2
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
cd .ic2 e5 i.e I a4 h4
f4
c4 cd l!J e 4 ltlg5 .ib7 lL!e6 .ic6
.i.g3 1td2 h5 1tc2 e6 ( 104)
29 30 31 32 33
.id6 .ie7 ll:fbl
34
35
36
h6 dS
U n thema tic, but While was threatening ll: fb l followed by lil:b5 and trapping the queen.
25 26 27 28 29
.i.d7 ¢>b7 lil:c8
f6?
/04 B
Better was 1 4 . . . 'li/xd I 1 5 lil: fxd I ba, but after 1 6 e5 de 1 7 de h6 1 8 i.xf6 gf 1 9 e f White has good winning chances in the ending.
15 16
rs
Black has no counterplay and the central pawn advance is decisive. 24 ltJc7
37
105 B
i.f3
.cl t!ia3 .id6 aS! ( 105)
.ic6 ltJe8 ¢>a8 lil: b8 1!ta6 ..., 7 ltJc7 ll:hd8
82 Nimzo-Jndian
Preparing the final breakthrough. Black ca nnot afford to a llow the opening of the a-file.
37 38 39
a6 i.f4
bS 11t'c8
ll b6
39 . . . ll d � loses to 4 0 11t'd6 lt:lxa6 41 .ixd5 � b6 42 �xb5! �d8 43 �xb6 �xd6 44 �bxa6 ±±:: . 40 •e7! lt:lxa6 ( 106) /06 w
.i b7 41 11t'xg7 42 11t'xf6 b4 43 1re5 1rc6 44 cb lt:lxb4 45 e7 �g8 46 f6 1re8 47 �xb4 ! �xb4 48 1!re6 11t'c8 49 1!rxc8+ �xeS 50 f7 1 -0.
Reshev!>ky-Santasierc US Ch New York 1 951 li:lf6 d4 I e6 2 c4 3 li.)cJ i.b4 b6 4 e3
After this move, White may not need to play a 1 s i nce Black often exchanges voluntarily on c3. .i a6 5 lt:lge2 ! The main line. Alternatives are:
a) 5 .tb7 6 a3 i.e7 7 d5 t space advantage. White can continue with g3 and .tg2 or si mply lt:lg3 and .te2. b) 5 ... lt:le4 6 1rc2 .ib7 7 a3 .ixc3 + 8 lt:lxc3 lt:Jxc3 9 1rxc3 0-0 1 0 b3 d6 I I .ib2 li:ld7 1 2 .id3 (sacrificing the g-pawn) or 1 2 0-0-0, both ;!; since B lack has little t o show for White's aggressive bishops, and hardly dare capture on g2, when given the chance. c) 5 ... cS 6 a3 i.a5 7 llb l . Korchnoi-G urevich, US Open, Pasadena 1 983, continued: 7 . . . 1!t'e7 8 .id2 0-0 9 lt:lg3 liJa6 10 d5 lt:Jc7 I I 1rf3 .ixc3 1 2 .ixc3 ed 1 3 cd �e8 1 4 lt:Jf5 ±. 6 lt:J g3 (107) •..
107 B
6
.txc3+
Or: a) 6 ... hS 7 h4 .ib7 8 ..id2 a6 9 1rc2 d 5 1 0 cd lt:Jxd5 I I lt:Jxd5 .ixd2+ 1 2 1!rxd2 1rxd5 1 3 �ac I lt:Jc6 1 4 .ie2 0-0-0 1 5 .if3 and Black's position is uncomfortable, Geller-Keres, USSR Ch Tiflis 1 959.
Nimzo-lndian 83
b) 6 ... 0-0 7 e4 ltle6 (7 . . . d5 8 cd .lxfl 9 'ii>x fl .lxe3 10 be ed 1 1 e5 ltle4 12 f3 !) 8 .ld3 e5 (8 ... d5?! 9 cd .lxd3 1 0 Wxd3 ed 1 1 e5 l0e4 1 2 a3 J.xc3+ 1 3 be f5 14 ltle2! ± planning f3) 9 d5! .lxc3+ 10 be lt!a5 1 1 .,e2 c6 1 2 lt:lf5, with the makings of a kingside attack.
7 8
be J.a3!
d5
I used to like 8 •o . but have now come to the conclusion that it offers White very little.
8
1Wc8
Fischer once played 8 . . . de? ! (Black v Portisch, S iegen 01 1 970). It is playable, but exceedingly risky after 9 .e4 .,d7 10 .te2 ltlc6 I I .,c2 0-0-0 1 2 0-0 followed by lilfd 1 and d5 if possible. N ormal is 8 . . . .t xc4, though Kasparov has recently shown a n improved way for White to handle this, in Kasparov-P. Wells, London/Acorn Clock S im ul, 1 984: 9. ·J.xc4 de 1 0 e4 1Wd7 1 1 0-0 1Wb5 1 2 Wc2! (the new move superseding the old 1 2 d5?! which does not work) 1 2 . . . ltl bd7 13 f3 h5 14 lilfb 1 1Wa5 15 J.c l h4 16 ltlfl 1Wh5 1 7 a4 a6 1 8 .,e2 h3 1 9 g4 1ltg6 20 ltlg3 0-0-0 2 1 •xc 4 a 5 2 2 .tf4 c 5 2 3 �f5 �h8 24 .tg3 ±±. IJ ltlh5!? ( 108) An interesting decision. One might expect 9 cd .txf l 10 lil xf1 ( 10 c;i;>xfl ? .,a6+) but Reshevsky's move is deeper . . He eliminates
Black's most active piece and prepares to deploy his own queen on the kingsidc dark squares, in concert with the bishop on a3 .
9 10
•xh5
ltlxh5 1Wd7
11
cd
•xd5
12
.g4
g6
13 14
J.xa6 0-0
Or 10 . . . de I I .,g5! forking e7 and g7. 1 1 . . . J.xfl ? 12 de ! or 1 1 . . . ed? 1 2 .,e5 + . I f 1 2 . . . lilg8 1 3 .,h4! White's clever manoeuvres have per manently prevented Black from castling kingside and induced a general debility of Black's dark squares.
ltlxa6 0-0-0
The only refuge for Black's king, but Reshevsky proves it is not a safe residence. 15 1te2 c;i;>b7 1 6 .te7! ( 109) Economy of execution - the bishop strives for a square "where
84 Nimzcrlndian
fiJc7 26 ll b7 cd 27 1Wb2 ±±.
24
109 B
it will exert maxi mum pressure" ( Reshevsky). At the same time, White unblocks the path of his a-pawn which can now press forward against Black's king. ll d7 16
17
.i.f6
l:lc8
18 a4 1!fa5 "The q ueen IS not a good blockader" (Nimzowitsch), but there was no other blockader i n sight. c6 19 llaJ Digging in; 19 c5 is too loosening and atten uates Black's defences along the h l -aS diagonals, e.g. 1 9 . . . c5 20 llb l lt:Jc7 2 1 1Wt1+ q;>b8 22 .i.e5 ! ± .
20 21
.i.e5 c4
liJc7
Keeping the kn ight from d S.
21 22 23
c5 i.g3
ll:\e8 f6
e5 Desperately hoping to exclude White's bishop from the attack. I f 2 3 . . . be 2 4 lib I + 'it>a8 25 llab3
25
26
cb de llbl
27
1llg4?
ab fe
lla8 ( 1 10)
This looks like a time-trouble error, failing to notice Black's coming resource. After 27 l:l ab3! l:la6 28 1lrb2 White increases the pressure to intolerable proportions.
27
l0f6!
28 "W'f3 Suddenly White sees that the seemingly crushing and probably intended 28 1re6? fails to 28 1lrd5! 29 1rxf6 1rd l + . 1td5 28
29 30 31
1re2 l:lab3 h3
1Wa5 l:la6
White could st i ll play 3 1 1rh2, but he has already let Black's k night onto a more active post. The text avoids t he back rank tricks which foiled White's previous attempt. "Always a good idea when there is no particular
Nimz�lndian 85
hurry." (Reshevsky)
31
�e4
It seems reasonable to transfer the knight to c5, but W hite has a tactical refutation. Still, with Black's weak pawn on e5, his unstable king position and White's powerful bishop against the rootless knight, Black should lose anyway. lt:lc5 32 1Wg4
33
-'.xeS!
hS
A s haft of hope, since White's queen must be deflected from d7, and the rook on b3 is en prise. 34 1Wx g6! (I l l) A ll is clear. I f 34 . . . lt:Jxb3 3:t 1We8 ! threatening 1Wxd7 and 1Wb8
Ill B
mate. The game concluded: 34 ... 1Wxa4 3S 1We8 :c7 36 J.xc7
Part III Gambits and . . . cS Defences ll2 B
Chapter 1 1: B udapest Gambit 2 C hapter 12: Benko Gambit 2 Chapter 1 3 : Czech Benoni 2
. . .
Chapter 1 4: Modern Benoni 2 6 e4 g6
. . .
. . .
e5 3 de
c5 3 d5 b5
c5 3 d5 e5 4 lbc3 d6 5 e4
. . .
c5 3 d5 e6 4 lbc3 ed 5 cd d6
11
Budapest Gambit 1 d4 lLlf6 2 c4 e5 3 de
Hardly a true gambit, since attempts by White to cling to his extra pawn can expose him to certain dangers. True, White players have gained some impressive victories by defending the e5 pawn at all costs, such as this steamroller by Yugoslav GM Svetozar Gligoric, one of the world's leading exponents of I d4 - Gligoric-Westerinen, Venice 1 9 7 1 : 3 . . . lt:Jg4 4 .tf4 lt:Jc6 5 lll f3 .tb4+ 6 lt:Jc3 1re7 7 1rd5 .txc3+ 8 be See Diagram 1 14
8 ... 1ra3 9 :tile I 1rxa2 I 0 h3 lt:Jho I I e4 lt:Jg8 1 2 c5 1ra3 13 .ic4 li..l d 8 14 .id lt:Je7 15 1rd l b6 16 0-0 be 1 7 1fd3 1ra5 18 lilb l c6 19 lil a l
1!t'c7 20 .txc5 lt:Je6 2 1 .td6 1!t'd8 22 li..l d4 li:Jg6 23 lt:Jxe6 de 24 f4 f6 25 We3 aS 26 Wc5 .td7 27 f5 and Black , who has been spectacularly helpless for some time, now resigned. O f course, his troubles stemmed from the foolhardly manoeuvre . . . 1ra3 and . . . 1fxa2, destabilising his queen, just to regain the irrelevant white a-pawn. If we return to the critical position after 8 be, it is pretty obvious that Black should now decide to stay a pawn in arrears, but lift his cramp with 8 . . f6 ! 9 ef lt:lxf6 10 ._d3 d6 I I e3 lt:Je4 12 i.. e2 0-0. Here the eminent Polish grandmaster, Akiba Rubinstei n , advocated 1 3 Wc2 (BCO, page 50), assessing White's prospects as .
88 Budapest Gambit
superior, but with White's unwieldy pawn constellation and Black's active pieces, there are s t ill plenty of pitfalls. The approach I recommend in this section is less a mbitious, but succeeds in main taining a slight but clear plus, without imposing too much of a strain on the white position. The st rategy is to give back t he e5 pawn in return for control of the d5 square, an excellent post for the white queen 's bishop on b2 and the chance of annexing the bishop pair, by tracking down Black's king's bishop wi t h t he white queen's knight. One advantage of my recommendation is that all of White's moves are si mple and natural, so there is no need to rack one's brains for half-remembered, risky 'refutations' when faced wit h the Budapest.
Keene-Haugli Gausdal 1983 d4 lt:lf6 I e5 2 c4 �g 4 3 de
A lso possible is 3 . . . lt:le4, the
Fajarowicz Variation. A fter 4 � f3 .i.b4+ 5 i.d2 .i. c 5 6 e3 �c6 7 lt:ld
lt:lxd2 8 'itxd2 0-0 9 lt:ld5 aS 1 0 .i.e2 l:t e 8 I I \!tc3! Black will have to struggle to rega in his pawn . A n important principle operates here: the Fajarowicz is very u nusual,
tactical a nd t ricky. But White stays ahead with natural and sensible moves. The principle is, when faced with a rare, tactical l i ne, especially for the fi rst time don't panic!
4
�f3 (J J 5)
4 .i.c5 After 4 . . . d6?! 5 ed .i.xd 6 6 lLlc3 leaves Black without compensation (but don't fall into the trap 6 g3? lt:lxf2! 7 'ii>xf2 .i.g3+ H). Alter natively, 4 . . . lt:lc6 5 e3 .i.b4+ (5 . . . .i.c5 transposes t o the column) 6 .i.d2 .i.xd2+ 7 'itxd2 lt:lgxe5 8 lt:lxe5 �xe5 9 .i.e2 0-0 1 0 llJc3 d6 I I O-O b6 ( 1 1 . . . ..te6 1 2 b3 ;!: ) 1 2 f4 lt:lg4 1 3 .i.f3 l:tb8 1 4 lLlbS a6 1 5 lt:ld4 ± due to the holes in Black's q ueenside (K nezevic M estrovic, Y ugoslavia 1 980) . e3 5 lLJc6 6 ..te2 lDgxcS 7 0-0 White can also delay committing his king to this side of the board, although there is no need to be
Budilpest Gambit 89
nervous about it, as we shall see. The alternative is 7 /Oc3 d6 8 a3 a5 9 b3 'O xf3+ 10 gf
7
7 . . 0-0 8 a3 a5 9 �c3 lieS 10 �xeS lb xe5 I I b3 d6 12 .i.b2 t gives White his standard positional advantage - pressure on d5. 8 .i.xf3 'trh4 A bold attacking try, quite in the style of those who are attracted by the Budapest. However, such adventures should make little i mpression if White continues solidly. 8 . . . ltJe5 9 .ie2 d6 or 9 . . . 0-0 would transpose into the note above. 9 .i.e2 This retreat will be necessary anyway, as soon as Black plays the inevi table . . . lbe5 . .
hS
9
Continuing in the risky style exemplified by his previous move, but if he does not, . . . Wh4 will be pointless. 10 II
lbc3 lbdS
lbeS
11 12
h3
.id6 (1 1 6)
As so often in the Buda pest , the occupation of t his square by a white piece spells positional disaster for Black. lbg4
To my total amazement , my opponent informed me after the game that this was a known theoretical position. It had actually been recommended as winning for Black in a 1 982 monograph on the Budapest, w ritten by a three-man team comprising Staker, Glasscoe and Stayart. White, however, has committed no detectable error so far, but has developed his pieces calmly and efficiently. Over the boa rd , it did not take me long to spot the refutation of Black's scheme. 13
r4!
c6
Now White threa tens to capt u re t he knight, but if 1 3 . . q-,h6 14 c5 ! ±±. Or 1 3 . . . lb f6 14 c5! �xd5 1 5 cd c6 16 e4 with overwhel ming advantage. Black cannot develop his queenside pieces, his kingside is riddled with wea k nesses and White dominates the centre . .
14
lDc3 ( I l l)
90
Ill 8
Budapest Gambit
This j ust nets a clear piece. Black ca nnot parry the double attack against g4 and d6. Black's position is now resignable. The game concluded: 14 ... .ie7 IS hg
hg 16 .ixg4 11rh2+ 17 ct>fl .ih4+ 18 o;i>e2 11rxg2+ 19 o;i>d3 bS 20 cb ..Q.f6 21 .il3 1lrg6 22 .ie4 1lrg3 1-0.
12
Benko Gambit 1 d4 tt:Jf6 2 c4 c5
1 /8 w
I do not advise White to accept the Benko Gambit. After 4 cb a6 5 ba .txa6 6 lt::l c 3 d6 Black enjoys unhindered, harmonious develop ment, plus two open files to blast away at White's q ueenside pawns. The standard procedure to adopt when material ahead is to simplify towards the endgame, when the extra pa wn, or whatever, should grad ually tell. I n t he Benko this procedure is not foolproof, fo r exchanges often intensify Black'!> pressure against Whi te's a- and b-pawns, in the line of fire of a black rook operating from bl:l a nd the bishop from g7. I n addition, accepting the gambit encourages Black to play a whole stream of very natural moves, e.g. contmuing
3 d5 b5
from the sequence above: 7 lt::l f3 g6 8 g3 .tg7 9 .tg2 0-0 10 0-0 lt::l bd7 (1 1 9)
Black will now follow up with more easy moves, such as . . . 1ta5 and . . llfb8. I f you are playing in a tournament with chess clocks, it is helpful to be able to play so many black moves without thinking and know that you are proceeding actively and correctly. Bent Larsen once wrote with acu ity about this: "Some players find it boring to play the same first I 2 mo ves over and over again: others don't m 1 nd Some are even happy if they play t hese moves quickly, there is less danger of serious ti me pressure. (The nasty part bf me thinks this is why Benko likes the .
92 Benko Gambit
gambit - ten moves for a pawn !)." U S Grandmaster Pal Benko, chief propagandist for the gambit which bears h is name, is, of course, a notorious time-trouble addict. My solu tion, therefore, is to play 4 lt:lO!?, politely declining the Trojan pony on b5, and thus throwing Black more or less on his own resources. I have used this successfully in my own games, and, incidentally, felt very uncom fortable whenever I have grabbed the pawn. It is also the recent choice of Viktor Korchnoi, twice" challenger for the World Cham pionship. For more details on the Benko in general, see BCO, pages 104 a nd 105.
Korchnoi-Sax Phillips and Drew 1 980 lt:lf6 I d4 c5 2 c4 b5 3 d5 4 lt:lf3 (/ 20)
London
110 B
"Although we generally expect Korchnoi to take pawns that are offered to him, in the present game he prefers to avoid any sharp H ungarian theory. Better to leave the opponent to his own resources in a position where he is less comfortable." ( H artston in the Tournament Book).
4
be
A lternatives are: a) 4 ... J.. b 7 5 a4 a6 (5 . . . b4 6 lt:l bd2 followed by e4 shuts Black's queen's bishop out of play) 6 ab ab 7 lha8 J.. xa8 8 lt:lc3 1i'a5 (8 ... be 9 e4! while 8 . . . b4 9 lt:lb5 d6? leaves Black struggling after 10 11ra4! lt:lbd7 I I 11ha8 11rxa8 1 2 lt:lc7+ 'i;>d8 1 3 lt:lxa8 h6 - to prevent lt:lg5 - 14 e3 'it>c8 1 5 b3 lt'b8 16 J.. b2 �xa8 1 7 J.. d 3) 9 Af41 d6 10 lt:ld2 b4 I I lt::l b 5 g6 1 2 e4 lt:lbd7 1 3 lt:lb3 1i'b6 14 11ra l J.. b 7 15 J.. e 3 J.. g7 1 6 11ra5 lt:l h 5 1 7 g4! lLlhf6 1 8 g 5 lt::l h 5 1 9 J.. h 3! ± Dorfman-Mochalov, M oscow 191! 1 . b) 4 . e6 5 de fe 6 cb d5 7 e3 i.d6 8 lLlc3 J.. b7 9 e4! de (9 . . . d4 10 e5 ±) 10 lt::l g 5 J.. d5 I I 11rc2 ± This is a recent attempt to refute the Blumenfeld Gambit, into which 4 . . . e6 transposes. c) 4 . g6 5 lt::l bd2 be ( 5 . . 1lra5?! 6 e4! Keene- Bellon, Bali 1 98 2 . I f 6 . . . l"i:Jxe4? 7 b4! ti'Kb4 8 llb l 'tlt'a5 9 llxb5 11rc3 10 .ib2 ±t) 6 e4 d6 7 J.. xc4 J.. g7 8 0-0 0-0 I) l:tb I l"i:Jbd7 10 ll e l lt:lb6 I I b3 llb8 1 2 ..
..
.
Benko Gambit 93
.tb2 U ± Keene-Pytel, Benedictine
1 98 1 . d) 4 ... a61? 5 a 4 b4 ! is less effective
for White than variation (a), since the black queen's bishop is not yet com mitted to b7 (Keene-I vanov, Commonwealth Ch, H ong K ong 1984). My feeling after that game is that 5 11rc2! plus a quick e4 keeps White's opening advantage. 5 �c3 g6
6 7 8
e4
.txc4 eS (121)
d6 .tg7
lt:lb6 1 3 .te2 1Wc7 1 4 .tO .ta6 1 5 lle l llad8 was u nclear, s o White should i nvestigate the sacrifice 10 . . . lt:lfd7!7 I I � xf7!? followed by 1 2 d6.
II 12 13 14
1lrb3 llel
..igS .txb3
lt:Ja6 1Wxb3
llac8 � b4 may be the last chance to resist. I S ltJc4 ( 122) 14
/}} B
121 B
The bold advance breaks up Black's tidy pawn chain (c5-d6-e7) and brings White's king's knight onto a powerful post, w he n: it menaces both c6 and e7. In addit ion, Black is left with a weak backward pawn on e7.
8
9
lD xeS
de
0-0
0-0 .ib7 The ga m e Balashov-Stein, l\.los 10
cow 1 97 1 , saw 10 . . . li:J fd 7 ! ? Balashov's 1 1 lt:lc6 lt:l xc6 12 d e
White's pos1110n is crushing. Black suffers from two very weak pawns on e7 and c5 while White is constantly threatening some tactical breakthrough based on d6, opening up the diagonal of his k ing's bishop from b3 to f7. I f now 1 5 . . .
llfeM 1 6 i.a4 ±t or 1 5 . . . ;g: t:7 1 6
.i.f4 liL u 7 1 7 .i.a4 t± . Finally, 15 . . . .t xd 5 '! 1 6 .i xf6 tl . Sax's
choice l ose s the exchange.
IS 16
17
18
(iJ xdS
lt.:lxdS. .i xdS
.i xc7 Ilfe8 lt:ld6 ±± ( 1 23)
94 Benko Gambil
each player, and then 1 6 per player per hour thereafter. Korchnoi could have killed more cleanly during this mad scramble, while Sax missed 42 . . . ¢'e3! complicating White's winning process.
The theoretical debate is over. I cite the remaining moves without further comment, other than that both sides were in time-trouble· and their rush continued until move 44. For those not used to competition chess, the time control is 40 ( ! ) moves in 21,1 hours for
18 .. c4 19 �xe8 lhe8 l0 .ta4 llb8 ll .td6 lld8 ll .teS �c5 l3 .txg7 �xg7 14 .tel .te6 15 lladl llb8 16 llbl n a4 19 c;i;lel lld8 30 f4 .!Oa6 31 ..txa4 �b4 31 lldl lh8 33 a3 llxa4 34 ab llxb4 35 lldl c;i;lfS 36 liO llb5 37 llel 'M6 38 llfe3 ..trs 39 lla3 ..id3 40 llfl c;i;>f5 41 c;t>dl c;t>e4 41 �cl llh5 � h3 llf5 44 lla7 g5 45 g4 llxf4 46 lle7+ �d4 47 llxf4 gf 48 �dl f6 49 lle6 ..tn so llxf6 c;t>e4 51 llh6 1 -0.
13
Czech Benoni 1 d4 lLJf6 2 c4 c5 3 d5 e5 4 lLJc3 d6 5 e4
114 B
A closer relative to the Old Indian than to the Modern Benoni, the Czech Benoni erects a solid, resilient, but ulti mately passive position. Black's main hope of active counterplay resides in exchanging the dark-squared bishops (B lack's king's bishop is severely restricted by t he fixed c5, d6, e5 pawn triangle) and then achieving a bn:: a kt hrough with . . . f5. If White is vigilant , however, both of these objcdives can be suppressed. The most c1 iti<.:al test of B lack's resources is the aggressive deploy ment of White's forces introduced by former World Champion , Boris Spassky. White castles queen side, and then tries to smash Black
on the other wing with a general advance of the white kingside pawns, backed up by massed major pieces in the rear. It is fortunate for White after 0-0-0 that if Black sacrifices with . . . b5 (a standard Benoni procedure) the congested centre i mpedes the efficient transfer of black u nits to a q ueenside counter-offensive. Lines of the Czech Benoni appear i n BCO on page 1 07.
Spassky-Ghitescu Beverwijk 1967 I d4 liJf6 l c4 c5 3 d5 e5 4 liJc3 d6 5 e4 i.e7
5 . . . lbbd1 makes little difference, if Wh ite is intending to adopt t he 'Spassky Attack'. The exception is the eccentric line: 5 . . . lbbd7 6 lbf3 i.e 7 ( 6 . . . a6 see G ligoric Petrosian in Part V) 7 ..id3 lbf!! when White should play 8 a3 lbg6 9 g3 ! h5 1 0 h4 followed , if necessary, by liJg5 and 0 , " when Black's knights looks silly. A real alternative, though, is 5 . . . g6,
96
Czech Benoni
e.g. 6 ..1e2 �bd7 7 �f3 lt:lh5 (7 . . . ..lg7 8 ..lg5 h6 9 ..1h4 g 5 1 0 ..lgJ �h5 I I h4 leads to a difficult line of the K ing's I ndian, where the move . . . c5 is premature) 8 0-0 lt:lf4 (8 . . . ..1g7 9 gJ !) 9 ..1xf4 ef 10 1td2 g5 I I e5! ± K eene-Mestel, Esbjerg 1 98 1 .
0-0 ..1d3 The most aggressive square for the white king's bishop, leaving e2 for his queen .
6 7
7 8
lt:\11
1i'e2 (1 25)
lt:lbd7
/ }5 B
attack .
9
g6
M ore cunning is the attempt to transfer a knight to f4, as suggested in Hartston's Benoni. H owever, I believe it can be refuted. A sample variation is: 9 . . . lt:lc7 1 0 g5 ! lle8 I I h4 lt:lf8 1 2 llg l lt:'lg6 1 3 h 5 lt:lf4 1 4 ..1xf4 ef 1 5 0-0-0 ±. Black has simply squandered too much time with his knight gyrations. lt:'lg7 1 0 .th6 lt:\(6 1 1 0-0-0 12 h3 a6 1 3 lldg l (126) /}6 B
8
lt:le8
A fter 8 . . . lt:lh5 White s hould play 9 g3 to prevent ... lt:l f4. The idea from Keene-Mestel is less effective here, since White has already moved his q ueen and would have to waste a tempo on 1td2. W hen and where to allow . . . lt:l f4 is a tricky business and the proc ed u re crops up in notes to moves 5, 8 and 9.
Black has so few moves that it does not matter much in which order he makes them. H ere are some samples of other move orders: 1 3 . . . 'it>h8 1 4 'it>b l ( l 4 .i.d2 .id7 15 tt:lh2 b5 1 6 h4 h5 17 g5 lt:lfe8 is a l s o no t bad, Keene Torre, Baguio City 1 980 ) 14 . . . .i.d7 ( 1 4 . . . b 5 1 5 lt.ld2 b 4 1 6 li::l d I ll:lg8 1 7 .i.xg7+ 't>xg7
Heralding a full-scale kingside
01 1 970) 1 5 .i.e3! lt:lg8 1 6 h4 h5
9
g4
1 8 h4! , G h1 t escu-Popov, Siegen
Czech Benoni 97
1 7 gh ll'lxhS 1 8 ll'lgS 1te8 1 9 1td2 �gf6 20 .te2 �g7 2 1 f4 ! ± Popov Hartston, S k.ara 1 980. We can see fro m this note that t he 'Spassky Attack' spread like a contagion. First, Spassky beat Ghitescu, then Ghitescu hit Popov with it, and then Popov used it to defeat Hartston !
13 14
l0d2
.td7
IS 16
h4 i.e3
ll'lg8 hS
17 18
i.e8 gS f4! (127)
To expel the bishop with
�g8.
16 . . . i.xh4 1 7 g5 ±± or 16 . . . f5 1 7 gf gf 1 8 ef ±. Black can not safely fight back on t he kingside where White enjoys immense superiority, but he should be thinking hard in terms of a diversionary . . . b5, even if it costs a pawn. Of course, W hi te could always ignore . . . b5 and drop his king's bishop back to c2 or b l after . . . be.
Ill B
A very important break, given that Black has held up t he march of White's g- and h-pawns.
18 19 20 21
gf fe ltJfJ
22 23 24 2S 26
lhg4! ltJ xeS ll'lxg4!! •g2 eS (128)
rs lilxf6 de ltJg4
It may appear that Black has also stemmed the second wave of White's attack based on f4 , but Spassky proceeds to disprove this notion with an astounding sacrificial idea.
hg ll'lh5 ll'lg3 lilxhl
Spassky displays a curious disregard for Blac k's moves, not even pausing to recap ture the knight which has devoured his rook. Black's best defence now is 26 . . . i.d7 27 e6 i. xe6 28 �e5 .if5 29 lt:lxg6 + '1Ph7 30 ll'l xfH+ 1txf8 when White throws in his reserves with 3 1 lile4 (analysis by Gligoric).
98 Czech Benoni
Gh itescu's choice goes down in
26 ... llf7 27 1fxhl llh7 28 e6 .ig5 29 1le4 .ixe3+ 30 1fxe3 names:
1fe7 31 �e4 lhh4 32 �ef6 1fc7 33 .ie4 1fa5 34 1lg3 g5 35 lOxeB lhe8 36 9e5+ 1 -0.
14
.M odern Benoni J d4 llJf6 2 c4 c5 3 d5 e6 4 .ltl cl� ?:� ··cd. d6 6 e4 g6 _
..
/]9 w
The M odern Benoni was tried sporadically in the 1920's, notably by H romadka and Marshall, but it failed to attract public approbation until the 1950's and 1 960's when it was resurrected by those ambitious warriors, Tal and Fischer. In one sense, it is the most strikingly anti-posi tional black defence analysed in this book, since Black immediately concedes White a mobile central pawn majority, combined with very free development. Furthermore, Black voluntarily submits to a weak pawn on d6, which can be particularly sensitive if White
plants a knight on c4 . Meanwhile, Black's own piece development is not except ionally rapid. The point of the black counter play actually resides in the half open e-file, which can be used to bombard the white e-pawn, plus the volatile chances conferred by the possibility of a sudden strike ( . . . b5, . . . c4) by Black's queenside pawn majority. Once the black i n fantry advances, it can prove a potent force, backed up by the black king's bishop in fianchetto on g7. Still, amongst grandmasters, there is a feeling that if one major black defence is unsound, it is the Modern Benoni. Danish Grand master Bent Larsen has written: " When I throw the M odern Benoni into the basket marked 'incorrect', Gligoric" (a noted 1 d4 expert) "will probably agree . . . " Some years ago it was believed that a refutation had been found, namely (from the Diagram) 7 lL!t1 .tg7 8 .ig5 h6 9 .th4 g5 1 0 .tg3 �5 1 1 .tb:i+ Wf8 12 e5 !·(JJO)
100 Modern Benoni
/JO B
5 /Of) .i.g7 6 .i.b5+ .i.d7 7 a4 0-0 8 �0 lLJa6 9 lle I li:lc7 1 0 .i.fl e6 I I i.f4 i (Kasparov).
e6 cS ed d6
2 3 4 S
c4 �c31..J dS cd
6
e4 g6 .i.g7 r4 .i.bS+ (131)
I ncautious is 5 . . . g6? 6 d6! 'tlrb6 7 .i.f4 .. xb2 8 i.e5 .i.g7 9 llb I Wa3 1 0 �b5 :±± . but later games demonst rated that the improvement 9 ... a6 (threatening . . . b5 and forestalling the annoyina j,b5+) keeps Black alive. The line I recommend in this chapter is the one currently held to cause Black the greatest problems. Favoured by world title aspirant, Gary Kasparov, and · ex-world champion , Mi khail Tal, it sets up a large and menacing white centre wi thout hesitation and throws in the harrowing .i.b5+ (from the above line) for good measure. This is to jam up Black's develop ment, since the unwieldy retreat �fd7 appears to be obligatory. ·· This l ine is covered in BCO, pages 1 1 0- 1 1 1 . ..•
Kasparov-Nunn Lucerne Olympiad 1 9112 1 d4 �r6 I . . . c5 2 d5 �f6 3 c4 g6 4 li:lc3
.i.g7 5 e4 d6 6 li:lge2 t ransposes to the King's Indian (Chapter 8). Also good here is 3 �c3 g6 4 e4 d6
1
8 JJJ B
Black has two natural-looking, but suspect, alterna tives to the main line of 8 li:lfd7, namely: a) 8 .i.d7? 9 e5 li:lh5 10 li:lf3 de I I fe i.xb5 1 2 li:l xb5 �0 1 3 0-0 ± O'Kelly-Diez del Corral, M adrid 1 957; or I I . . . 0-0 1 2 0-0 .i.g4 1 3 .i.e2 .i.xf3 1 4 .txf3 .i. xe S 1 5 .i.xh5 'Wh4 16 g 3 1hh 5 1 7 ..xh5 gh 1 8 lH5 .td4+ 1 9 �g2 liJd7 20 i.h6 llfe8 2 1 Itafl and Black has many problems. b) 8 li:lbd7? 9 c5 de 10 te lLlh5 ( 10 . . . We7 I I ..e2) I I e6 (132) ...
...
...
Alodern Benoni 101
JJJ B
JJ1 B
fe 1 2 de 0-0 1 3 ltlf3 :xtJ (in Mestel-Hodgson, British C h 1 983, Black played the amazing 13 ... .td4!?. Mestel then won - eventuaUy - with 1 4 'W'b3 , while IM Martin has d rawn attention to 1 4 ..ieJ .txe3 1 5 ed. M y feeling, however, is that 14 .tc4 is the move most li kely to refute . . . .td4!?) 14 1ihf3 .txc3+ 1 5 be ltlc5 1 6 1t'e4 1t'f6 1 7 e7! 'tfxe7 1 8 0-0 ± . I f, in the above line, Black plays I I . . . 1t'h4+ then Kasparov suggested 12 g3 lLlxg3 ( 1 2 . . . ..ixc3+ l J be "tre4+ 14 'ite2 ±±) 1 3 hg 'tfx h l ( 1 3 . . . 1t'xg3+ 1 4 \&d2 is harm less) 14 ..te J! ( 1 4 t:d+ i.xd7 is les.s clear). The best line I can find for Black here is.(l4) . . 0-0 1 5 ed ..ixd7 16 .txJ7 lHeM 17 .ixe8 ll xelol l lj '.t'd2 .ixc3+ 1 9 be 'W'xdH 20 ;!tc I ! 1hd I + 2 1 �xd I l hd 22 �1e2 and Black is probably lost m the ending. .
8 9
�fd7
a4! (133)
Clamping down on ... a6 and . . . b5. True, Blac k's queen's knight can now reach b4, but such occupation rarely has much influena: on events.
9
�116
Tht:re are various other moves: a) 9 a6 10 .td3 (here 10 .te2 'tfh4+ ! could be annoying. I fee l that White should only put his ki ng's bishop on e2 when . . . 1t'h4+ is no longer possible) 10 . . . 0-0 I I lL\fJ ltlf6 1 2 0-0 ..ig4 1 3 h3 ..txn 1 4 'Wxf3 ltlbd7 1 5 .id2 Ite8 and now White establishes an advantage by cementing his king's bishop on c4: 1 6 i.c4 ! li.lb6 1 7 b3 l.Uxc4 1 8 be li:ld7 1 9 ll ae I 'W'a 5 20 1t'd3 'ttc 7. Wil liams-Mecking, Nice 01 1 974. Nunn now recommends 21 e5! The manoe uvre .tc4 plus b.1 I S worth atte ntion. b) 9 0-0 10 l0f3 a6 I I .te2 (playable now Black no lorigcr has . . . 'tfh4 + J I I . . . ltlf6 1 2 0-0 1tc7 1 3 c5 ltle8 1 4 e6 fe 1 5 ..ic4 'ii'c7 1 6 de ...
...
/02 Modem Benoni
li:Jc7 1 7 f5 , Kasparov-Kuijpers, Junior World Championship, 1980. White is already winning, since 1 7 . . . ltxf5 fai ls to 1 8 ..ig5 .if6 19 g4 l hg5 20 liJ xg5 .ixg5 21 lU7 ±±. I n this line 12 . . . lte8 13 e5 ! de 1 4 fe li:Jg4 15 .ig5 f6 1 6 ef ..ixf6 17 ..ixf6 'tlrxf6 18 d6! also favours White, Mestel-P.Littlewood, H astings 1 982-3. c) 9 .. . 0-0 I 0 ltJ f3 li:Ja6 I I 0-0 li:Jb4 1 2 li[e I a6 1 3 ..ifl li[e!i 14 h3 followed by .ie 3-f2 and the inevitable e5, Ree- H ulak, Wij k a a n Zee 1 983. d) 9 . 'tlrh4+ 10 g3 lte7 I I li:Jf3 0-0 ( I I . . . .i xc3+ 1 2 be 'tlrxe4+ 1 3 'iPf2 gives White a massive lead in development, while Black will also miss his vital king's bishop) 12 o-o li:Ja6 1 3 lte I .!Lib4 1 4 'tlrb3 a6 15 .ifl b6 16 h3 .ib7 17 ..id2! li[ae8 18 li[ad l and Black is deprived of active play. 1 4 e5!? a6 1 5 .ifl de 1 6 d6 'tlre8 1 7 fe bO 18 e6 fe 19 .ic4 ..ib7 20 li[ xc6 'tlrf7 ! 2 1 li[e4 'tlrxc4 2 2 li[ xc4 ..i xf3 23 'tlrb3 �h8 is, in contrast, very unclear. ..
10
li:Jf3
II
0-0
12
..ixd7+
li:Jb4 a6
Or I I . . . 0-0 12 li[e I a6 13 ..ifl . An excellent move , gaining time and momentum for his attack.
..ixd7 12 13 f5 (134) If 13 ... gf 1 4 .tgs ..ito I S ..if4
0-0 1 6 e5! ( 1 6 ..i xd6 ..ixa4 ! ) 1 6 . . .
IJ4
B
de 1 7 liJxe5 ± or 1 3 ... c4 14 ..ig5 'tlrh6+ 1 5 �h 1 li:Jd3 16 f6 .tn1 1 7 aS lt::l f2+ 18 li[xf2 'tlrxf2 1 9 li:Ja4! ± and Black is paralysed; both critical variations stem from Kasparov.
13 14
.ig5
0-0 f6
IS
..if4
gf
16
..ixd6
1 4 . . . ..if6 I S 'tlrd2 does nothing to hinder White's attack. I f 1 5 ... gS 16 ..ixd6 ..ixa4 1 7 li[xa4 'tlrxd6 1 8 c5 ! fc 1 9 li:lxg5 b5, Gheorghiu-Kertesz, Romania 1982, and now 20 li[xb4 ! cb 2 1 li:Jce4 ±±. Or 15 ... 'tlre7 16 fg hg 17 �h4 �h7 18 ..ig3 b5 19 'tlrb I c4 20 li:Jxg6 �xg6 2 1 .i xd6! ±± (Kasparov). S uch variations pinpoint that the very worst has befallen Black here that can possibly go wrong in a M odern Benoni - his king's bishop is locked out of play, his kingside pawn structure is hope lessly loose and he has no queenside cou nterplay.
..ixa4
Alodern Benoni /OJ
Black cenainly neem this resource,
but it doesn't help much.
17 18 19
llxa4 l0h4! lOfS
1hd6
20
l0xe4
�h8
fe
1rd 7 (135)
/Jj w
I f 20 . . llae8 2 1 1lrg4 �h8 22 �xc5 ±±. .
21
lUxeS
1 -{) 2 1 . . . 1rxd5 2 2 1rxd5 �xd5 23 �e6 ±±. John Nunn's authoritative verdict on 7 f4 and 8 .ib5+ should be q uoted: " I n my view, this is one of White's best lines against the M odern Benoni. White secu res good attack i ng chances at little risk to himself. " This assessment appeared in J o hn 's excellent book on the Benoni which was publish ed before the Kasparov game. If
Part IV Asymmetrical and Unusual Defences /36 B
C hapter 1 5 : Modern Defence I . Chapter 1 6 : Dutch Defence I .
. .
. .
g6 2 c4 i.g7 3 lbc3 d6 4 e4 f5
Chapter 1 7 : English Defence 1 . . . e6 2 c4 b6 3 e4 i. b 7 Chapter 1 8 : M iscellaneous I
.
. d6 1 . . . b5 I .
. .
. ll:l c 6 I
. .
. h6
15
Modern Defence 1 d4 g6 2 c4 i.g7 3 e4 d6 4 ltJc3
IJ7 B
The Modern constitutes one of most fertile fields for investigation of any opening complex. Remark ably, it is a defence that has only emerged into prominence in the past twenty years or so. There are virtually no games with it in the Romantic, Classical or Hyper modern periods in the development of chess thought. Even progressives such as N imzowitsch, Ret i and the free-think ing Alek.hine, were reluc tant to go as far as I ... g6 as an answer to I d4. From the Diagram Black. has three main possibilities: 4 ... lt:lc6 is the most consistent, since it furthers the theme of attack against d4. However, 5 d5! fo rces Black's queen's knight into prethe
mature occupation of its target square. The resulting positions are fascinating, but, objectively, White should stand better. If 4 . . . lLlc6 is too active, then 4 ... e5 is too passive. After 5 de de 6 1Wxd8+ lt>xd8 7 f4! Black is inconvenienced by the situation of his king, which cannot castle into safety. This is even worse for Black than the comparable line of the Old I ndian. That leaves 4 ... o!LJd7, which will probably tranpose into the King's I ndian. Adherents of the Modern are Canadian Grandmaster Duncan Suttles, ex-world champion Tigran Petrosian and the author. The M odern, and its close relation the Pirc, are to be found in BCO, pages 1 73- 1 84.
Agdestein-Keene Gausdal 1983 1 d4 g6 2 c4 .ig7 ] o!LJcJ d6 4 e4 ( 137)
From Diagram 1 3 7: a) 4 . .. c6 5 o!LJf3 .ig4 6 .ieJ li:ld7 7 .ic2 .ixf3 8 .ixf3 o!LJgf6 9 0-0 t . White could, of course, play
106 Modern Defence
5 �ge2 as well, with l ikely transposition to the King's Indian. b) 4 ... rs?! 5 ef .ixf5 6 l!JO �f6 7 ..ie2 0-0 8 0-0 �a6 9 d5 c5 1 0 �g5 and White has the advantage because of Black's s haky central situation. c) 4 ... e5 5 de! de 6 -.xd8+ ot>xd8 7 f4! .ie6 (7 . . . �c6 8 fe .ie6 9 ..ig5 + \!i>c8 10 �f) is uncomfort able for Black, whose displaced king jams his rook communication; 7 . . . �d7 8 �f) c 6 9 ..ie2 f6 I 0 0-0 'tt'e8 I I gJ is a lso :!: and a tedious position for Black to defend) 8 lLl fJ lLld7 9 ..ie2 h6 10 0-0 lLle7 I I lLld5. Such positions may be defensible for Black but they are no fu n. I have tried them for both sides, and believe me, it is more enjoyable to be White. d) 4 ... lild7, t he most rel iable of Black's fourth move alternatives, which will normally go into a King's I ndian. If White wishes to follow t he recom mendations in this book he should play 5 lLlge2, but 5 �f3 e5 6 ..ie2 or 5 f) are obviously playable too.
4 s
dS
l!Jc6 �d4
S . . . �b8 is obviously very
passive.
6 J.eJ d Or 6 . . . eS 7 �ge2 �xe2 8 J.xe2 fS 9 ef gf 10 ..ih5+ 'it>f8 I I f4 ! ±; if 8 . . � h6? ! 9 g4! Wh4 10 ltg l ! ± .
Conquest-Keene, London (Lloyds
Bank) 1 983. 7 � gel
8
l0xd4!?
1rb6
For many years this capture was not taken particularly seriously. I ndeed, the old line was 8 . . . cd 9 lt:la4 'tta 5+ 10 b4 'ttx b4+ I I J.d2 1ra3 1 2 .icl 'ttb 4+ 13 J.d2 Then in 1 982, Yasser Seirawan played 8 lt:l xd4 cd 9 lt:la4 'tta 5+ 1 0 .i d 2 'ttc 7 I I cS d e 1 2 ..ib5+ J.d7 13 J.xd7+ 'tt x d7 14 lU xeS ± against me a nd won. =.
8 9
lLla4
My opponen t, t he Norwegian answer to looked shocked, but mentioned in BCO analysed it in some GM
Jon
Speelman
Yasser deb4cle. 1 0 � xb6
II
�xfl
cd de! !? (138)
1 5 year old N igel S hort, this 'sac' is and I had detail with after
the
ef+ ab (139)
We have reached an extra ordinarily rich pos1t1on. My conclusion from t he analysis with
Modern Defence 107
position must now be rated ±. IJ'J w
12
...cl?!
.i.d4+
14 15 16
.iel lldl a4!?
0-0 .ie5 h5
17 18
b3 ...d3
..td 7
18 19 20 21
de ..tf3
e6! .ixe6 lL!d7 b5! (140)
To bother White's king. Another plan is 1 2 . . . l!Jh6 followed by a quick . f5 . lL!f6 13 �el . .
Speelman was that the situation was not at all clear, though i t must be said that Speelman is a man who would prefe r to start the game with a couple of minor pieces instead of his q ueen, and might, therefore, be biased. After a l engthy investigation, it has been established that White should play 1 2 1td2 ! here, to preve nt the black king's bis hop from checking on d4. The game D.Cramling Davies, played at Copenhagen 1 983, several months after my game with Agdestein, sadly demon strated what is the likely death knell of the black q ueen sacrifice: 1 2 . . . l!Jf6 ( 1 2 . . . ..te5 13 ..id3 l!Jf6 14 h3 0-0 1 5 b3 ! i.d7 1 6 a4 e6 1 7 llhel b 5 1 8 cb ed 1 9 ed lL! xd5 20 .ic4 l!Jf6 21 -.Pg I ±± Davies) 13 .id3 l!Jg4+ 14 �e2 0-0 1 5 h3 lL!e5 1 6 b3 .id7 (after 16 . . . f5 White m ust play 1 7 el1 but this is sufficient to keep his advantage) 17 a4 lla6 18 llac l llfa8 19 'it'f2. Wh i te is consolidating and the
Played partly to restrict White's king's bishop from use of g4. I n tending to auack the b-pawns, diagonally from e3.
�f2
The last difficult move of the game. If now 22 cb l!Jc5 wipes out White's q ueenside pawns, so White must submit to a variation which permits the exchange of his a�.:tive rook, and still leaves the k i ng's rook bottled up. ·
22
ab
ll:a2+
108 Modern D efence
23 24 25 26 27
lld2 1re3 1rxd2 1rc2 'it>g3 ( 141)
IOcS llxd2+ ll::l x b3 .td4+
141 B
If White's king goes to the back rank he will not be able to develop his king's rook .
27 28 29
..ieS+ ..id4+
Drawn by repetition of position. I was tempted by various sacrificial attempts to deliver mate, but could not quite make this work . Black may still be better positionally, but if he actually captures material t he white queen may escape and become a nuisance. The queen sacrifice in this game was nominated as · one of t he most important theoretical games of the year by the prestigious Yugoslav journal, Sahovski /nformator. It should be mentioned that in a later game Ginzburg-Arapovic, Lugano 1 984, White also got nowhere by allowing the check on d4 : 1 2 'trb3?! .td4+ 1 3 'it>d ll::l f6 1 4 lld 1 ..ic5 1 5 .td3 0-0 1 6 ..i b 1 b 5 ! 1 7 c b ( 1 7 'tlhb5 ..id7!) 1 7 . . . .td7 1 8 h3 ll a 5 19 ..id3 llfa8 20 a3 e5 2 1 de .txe6 with more than adequate compensation.
16
Dutch Defence 1 d4 f5
/4} w
Capablanca once denounced the Sicilian Defence ( I e4 c5) as an opening which "leaves Black's position full of holes". There are many who believe that the Dutch, the mirror image of the Sicilian, is a considerably more dubious proposition. Indeed, t he move I . f5 stakes out some sort of claim over t he e4 square, and also prepares subsequent general activity by Black on the kingside. On the negative side, though, it is a gratuitous weakening move, which diminishes important support for squares such as e6 and g6, and it contributes little to Black's develop ment. A common way for Black to suffer an accident in the Dutch is to be deluded i nto the belief that .
.
1 ... f5 is an immediately attacking move. Frequent disasters have overcome Black players who have launched inadequately supplied kingside attacks, relying only on their queen, king's rook , king's knight and kingside pawns, for getting about their lines of com munication with underdeveloped q ueenside units. Usually, White can detonate the entire undertaking with a timely central thrust, based on f3 and e4, exposing all of the weak nesses in the black structure, especially in the e-file. Black has three systems in the Dutch - the Stonewall ( with pawns on d5, e6 and f5); the Fluid (pawns on d6, e6 and f5) and the Leningrad, where Black fian chettoes his king's bishop. All three are playable, if Black is cautious and avoids premature adventures, and it should be mentio ned that the Dutch has been favoured by Botvinnik , Bronstein and former B ritish Champion, Robert Bellin, who has written an excellent book about it. There are various odp tries
/ / 0 Dutch Defence
against the Dutch: the Staunton Gambit ( I d4 f5 2 e4!?); the Korchnoi Gambit ( 1 d4 f5 2 h3 ll:lf6 3 g4 !?); al ternatively, I d4 f5 2 .i.g5 or 1 d4 f5 2 ll:lc3 ll:lf6 3 .i.g5 . . . Here, though, I reco mmend t he solid, classical variation based on g3 and the fianchetto of White's king's bishop. One good reason for this (apart from the method's inherent sound ness) is that Black may in troduce his Du tch via 1 d4 e6, inviting the French Defence with 2 e4, but avoiding the exciting ideas· men tioned above. The Dutch is treated in BCO, pages 36-4 1 .
Stonewall and Fluid Systems Keene-Fuller
I Commonwealth Championship
Melbourne 1 983 e6 I d4 f5 2 c4
Or 2 . . . .i.b4+ 3 .i.d2! 1t'e7 4 e4 d5 5 ..txb4 1txb4+ 6 1td2 1rxd2+ (6 . . . �c6 7 li:lc3 ! ) 7 ll:lxd2 1 because of White's spatial plus. 3 lLlf3 li:lf6
4
g3
See Diagram /43
4
..te7
Also worth considering is 4 . . . ..tb4+ 5 ..td2 to prevent White's
queenside fianchetto. This was in vented by Alek hine and cham pioned by B ronstein. Possible conti nuations are: a) 5 .i.xd2+ 6 1txd2 0-0 7 ll:lc3 d6 8 .i.g2 lLlc6 9 lld l 1We7 1 0 d5 ll:ldll ( 10 . . . ltle5 I I ll:lxe5 de 1 2 d6!) I I d e ll:lxe6 1 2 ll:ld5 1. b) 5 1We7 6 .i.g2 0-0 7 0-0 ..txd2 8 1!fxd2 ll:le4 9 1t'c2 d6 I 0 lLlfd2 ll:lxd2 I I 1t'xd2 e5 1 2 ll:lc3 c6 1 3 llad l 1 . c) 5 ..te7 6 .i.g2 d5 (6 . . . d6 7 0-0 0-0 ll ll:lc3 1t'e8 9 1t'c2 1t'h 5 1 0 e4 c 5 1 1 de de 12 ll:ld5 ! Szaho Bronstein, Candidates' Tourna ment, Budapest 1 950) 7 0-0 0-0 8 l0c3 c6 9 1t'c2 Well 1 0 a3! Introducing a highly sophisticated manoeuvre making expert use of White's bishop on d2, to trade dark-squared bishops: 10 . . . 1t'h5 I I lLla2! lLlbd7 1 2 .i b4 l1e8 1 3 .i.xe7 lhe7 1 4 ll:lb4 lLlg4 1 5 ll:ld3 ± Flohr-Szabo, M oscow Budapest match, 1 949. As we have seen, the following year Szabo ...
...
...
Dutch Defence 1 1 1
switched t o t he white side. Black can also try to pla nt h is king's bishop on the more aggressive square d6, e.g. 4 . . . d5 5 ..tg2 c6 6 0-0 ..id6. This gives Black extra influence in engineering the advance . . . f4, but White retains a positional edge by proceeding broadly as in the main game - fianchetto both bishops, play ltle5 and watch out for Black's k ingside ambitions: 7 b3 1te7 (to prevent ..ta3, exchanging Black's useful king's bishop) 8 ..ib2 0-0 9 1tc2 ..id7 (9 . . . b6 1 0 lt::l c3 lt::l e4 I I ll.he4 de 1 2 ltJe5 c5 1 3 llad I ..tb7 14 de :t Gligorii:) 10 lt:le5 lt::l a 6 I I li:Jd2 ..ie8 1 2 lt::l df3 ..th5 1 3 a 3 llac8 1 4 b4 lt::l b 8 1 5 .tel lt::l e4 1 6 lt::l d 3 g5 1 7 lt::l fe5 to be followed by f3 , and White retains a l l the advantages of his position, Kotov-Goldberg, USSR Ch 1 949. S ..ig2 0-0
6
0-0
dS
The main alternative is 6 . . . d6, when I recommend 7 li'ld 11ret! (144)
.
8 b3 ! rat her t han 8 lle I 1tg6 9 e4!? which is possible as a result of the tactical t rick 9 . . . fe I 0 lt::l x c4 lt::l xe4 I I llxe4 1txe4? ( I I . . . lt:lc6! is best) 1 2 lt::l h 4 netting Black's queen. However, the idea of open ing up the f-lile so q u ickly seems, to me, to be ra ther too co-operative. If White develops his pieces sensibly first, agai nst the nuid system, Black's 'aggressive' queen on g6 or h 5 will become a target (e.g. e3, lt::l e 2-f4) wh ile the thrust e4 will evolve later, after due preparation (first e3 then rook centralisation). Here is one example: 8 . . . a5 9 ..ta3 lt::l a6 1 0 llc l ..td7 I I eJ lt::l b4 1 2 ..tb2 1th5 1 3 a3 lt::l a 6 1 4 lt::l d 2 1th6 1 5 lle l (also playable, though more risky, is 1 5 ..ixb7 lt::l g4 1 6 lLlfJ lila 7 1 7 ..t xa6) 1 5 . . . c6 1 6 lLlfl ..ie!! 17 1td2 e5?! ( Black should instead seek to close thi ngs up with . . . d5!) 1 8 de de 1 9 lt\a4 lid!! 20 1txa5 lt::l d 7 2 1 b4 ± PortischCorden , H asti ngs 1 969-70. 7 lt::l c 3 Substant ially similar is the move-order variance: 7 b3, e.g. 7 ... lOeb!? H ..tb2 ..id7 9 lt::lc 3 .ie8 (such galvanization of the inferior queen's bishop to h5 or f7 often occurs in the Dutch) 10 lt::lg 5 ..tf7 I I e3 1td7 12 �x f7 ll x17 13 �a4 b6 14 llc I lt::l d 8 1 5 lt:lc3 IU1l I h fJ lt::l 17 1 7 c4 ! Polugayevsky Spassk y, Tilburg 1 983; or 7 . cfl 8 'tWc2 ..td7 9 ..tb2 ..te8 10 lt::l c 5 . .
1 12 Dutch Defence
l0bd7 I I /Od3 .th5, Kasparov Petrosian, Bugojno 1983, and now 1 2 /Of4! .tn 13 l0d2 followed b y 10 0 1 according t o Kasparov. c6 7
8
b3
I used to believe in Alekhine's pawn sacrifice: 8 llJe5 l0 bd7 9 llJd3 de 1 0 l0f4 /Ob6 1 1 e4 until I read Robert Bellin's book on the Dutch which pointed out the refutation I I . . e5! 1 2 de Wxd l 1 3 l hd 1 llJg4 H. .
8
llJe4
Or 8 . . . b6 9 .tb2 .tb7 10 e3 llJa6 1 1 llJe2 .td6 1 2 llJf4 We7 1 3 lic l ;t Keene-Bellin, Benedictine 1 98 1 . We8 (145) 9 .tb2 145 w
dark centre squares and tardy development of his queenside forces. More solid is 9 . . . 10d7 10 Wc2 .tf6, though W hite should prefer 1 0 e3, as in the game, intending /Oe2, 10e5 and then f3 . 1 0 e3 WbS 1 1 /Oe2 g5 To stop llJf4. llJd7 1 2 liJe5
13
f3
ltld6
1 3 . . . 10 xe5 14 de 10c5 also looks good for White. llJ(7 14 Wcl
1 5 cd or course, the simple 1 5 llJxd7 .txd7 16 e4 is at least !, but I
wanted to try for more.
15
ed
Or 1 5 . . . cd 1 6 liac l , good for White.
16
g4 (146)
146 B
The standard Dutch attempt to gain a kingside attac k . This can prove very dangerous if White isn't careful about how m uch leeway he allows his opponent on the kingside. Of course, to start his kingside play Black h as to make certain concessions, such as weak
The point of my idea, which leads to very interesting comp lications. 16 Wh4! After 1 6 . . . fg 1 7 liJg3 Black's
Dutch Defence 1 13
queen is embarrassed for decent squares. 11
er
J.d6!
Or 1 7 . . . �h6 18 e4 � xeS 1 9 de de when 20 •c4+ is annoying. � f6 1 8 f4 1 9 �£3! The only move. 19
�xeS
Tempting, but the best defence is 19 . . . g4 to close things up. Even then 20 llad I or 20 llae I leads to better chances for White.
20
de
Possible also is the exchange sacrifice 20 fe ltlg4 2 1 J.f3 � xe3 22 ..e2 � xfl 23 ll xf l .
though 25 10 xf5 ll xf5 26 J.xd4 m ust win.
24 25 26
�xe4 d71
26 27
llh3! (14 7)
J.e4 de
If now 27 . . . ef 28 1fd5 + :n 29 de'tt + or 2 7 . . . lle6 28 llg3 gf29 ef e3 30 •s2 llxf4 3 1 lld I •d8 32 •d5 wins; or 3 1 lld I e2 32 dl!•+ •xdl! 33 ll xd8+ <3117 34 •xb7+. Note, however, that 27 . . . lle6 28 d81W ef 29 1hg5+ •xg5 30 fg f2 + ! is good for Black.
lld8
�g4 20 2 1 J.xdS+! 21 J.f3 � xe3 22 •c) � xfl 23
ed wins for W hite, e.g. 2 3 . . Wxh2+ 2 4 q,> x f l but 2 1 J.f3 J.c5 ! is slightly annoying. .
21 22
ed
23
'ttd 2
cd J.xfS!
Not 22 . . . � xe3 23 •c3.
Of cou rse not 23 �xf5 l hf5 24 Wxf5?? •xh2 mate.
23
llae8
Setting a neat trap 24 llac I ? .td3 ! 25 ll f3 gf and White is in trouble. 24 llf3! Setting a coun ter-trap into which Black falls, alt hough he didn't really have a good alternative. The best defence is 24 .. . d4,
Black lost on time 1 -0. I f 27 . . . -.xh3 2 8 •d5+ : n 29 -.xg5+ 'it;>f8 30 •xd8 mate; or 27 . . llxd7 28 1Wxd7 •f2+ 29
Dutch Leningrad l.hano�-Henley New \' ork 1983 1 d4 rs 2 �f3 �f6
J 14
Dutch Defence
Or 2 . . . g6 3 c4 Jl.g7 4 ll:lc3 d6 5 e4 ll:lh6 6 ..ie2 0-0 7 0-0 fe H �xe4 ll:l f5 9 d5 c5 I 0 lle I ;!: Gufeld Bilek, Kecskemet 196M; alternatively, 5 g3 ll:lh6 6 h4! li:',f7 7 h5 with a vigorous attack, Steinitz-L.Paulsen, Vienna 1 873.
3 4 S 6 7
g3 g6 ..ig2 Jl.g7 c4 0-0 d6 ll:lc3 dS! ( 148)
b) 7 c5 8 0-0 ll:la6 9 ll b l lil:b8 (9 . . . ll:lc7 1 0 a4 a6 I I b4 ± Petrosian) 10 b3 ll:lc7 I I ..ib2 a6 ( I I ... b5 1 2 •c2 be 1 3 be Jl.a6 1 4 ll:ld2 !) 1 2 e3 b 5 1 3 ll:le2 a 5 ( 1 3 . . . •e8 1 4 ..ic3 b4 1 5 Jl. b 2 h6 1 6 a3 ba 1 7 Jl.xa3 g5 1 8 b4! ± Keene H indle, English Counties Teams 1 970; 1 3 .. . Jl.d7 14 Jl.c3 ll:la8 1 5 ll:lg5! Jl.h6 1 6 h4 ± since White will soon play ll:l f4 and e4, Keene Ree, Paignton 1 970) 14 ll:lf4 a4 1 5 h4 a b 1 6 ab be 1 7 be ll b4 1 8 ll:ld2 .i.a6 19 •c2 ;!: Keene-Jansa, Nice 01 1 974. ...
7 8
I t is best not to allow 7 0-0 ll:lc6 8 d5 ll:le5 with black counterplay. From the diagram Black has t wo other choices to the main line: a) 7 'ffe8 !! 0-{) ll:la6 9 ll:ld4 ..id7 . 10 e4 fe ( 10 . . . c6 I I b3 ll:lc7 1 2 Jl.b2 c 5 1 3 ll:lf3! t M alanyu k) I I ll:l xe4 lthe4 12 Jl. xe4 li:',c5 1 3 ..ig2 a 5 1 4 ..ig5 'ff l7 1 5 •d2 Jl.xd4 1 6 'ff x d4 e5 1 7 1!rc3, Van der Sterren-Helyavsky, W ijk aan Zee 1 984; a lthough White lost this ga me his position at this stage looks very pro mising. ...
0-0
c6 ll:la6
Or 8 . . . e5 9 de i.xe6 I 0 •d3 ll:la6 I I i. f4 ll:le8 1 2 ll:lg5 ! Keene Wi rthenso hn, Ha nover 1 976. 9 Jl. e3! An interesting way of exchanging the dark-squared bishops - an undertaking normally in White's favour. In this case, it looks superior to an involved transfer of Wh ite's queen's bishop to the a l -h!! diagonal.
9 10 II 12 13 14
1!rd2 ll acl i.h6
Jl.xg7 e4
(149)
.i.d7 twaS c5 liJc7 lt>xg 7
St andard procedure against the Dutch - deplete Black's k u1gs1dc defences and then smash open the central files with e4.
Dutch Defence 1 1 5
this comment is ironic.
18 19
lila I ! lilxa7
11hc4 lt:lcxd5
20
lilxd7!
lt:lxd7
22
.h6
lilf7
23
li\4g5 (/ 5 0)
Or 1 9 . . . ll:ifxd5 20 ll:ixd6.
c;!,>h8 ll:ie6+ If 2 1 . . . c;!,>gH 22 lt:lxd6 ±± . 21
14 15
lt:lxc4
..Wxa2?
16 17
lilfel lt:lfg5
lilae8
fe
Wildly over-opti mistic. 1 5 1txd2 i s still n o worse than t. Aiming at e6, Black's perennial wound in the Leningrad.
17
bS
Igor I vanov's note in lnformator gives the symbol here for 'with counterplay', but since Black is now swiftly demolished, I assume
White's cavalry tramples Black underfoot. A fter 23 :ers 24 lt:l:d'8 lt:Jxf'8 28 ll:ixn+ �8 Black resigned. ...
17
English Defence 1 d4 e6 2 c4 b6 3 e4 i.b'··.· position started to slide downhill. Nevertheless, Polugayevsky did bypass one extremely interesting and aggressive sacrificial possibility in the early stages of this game and that will form the topic of my recommendation in this section. For the English Defence see BCO, pages 32 and 33.
151 w
So named after exploits by English Masters such as Skipworth and the Rev. Owen in the latter half of the nineteenth century, and its resurrection by P.N . Wallis, Basman, M iles and myself in the 1 970's and 1 9 80's. This defence positively invites W hite to set up a mega lomaniac pawn centre, which Black will then snipe at with guerilla shots, such as . �b4 1fh4 and . . . f5. While I was acting as Viktor Korchnoi's second in the World Championship semi-final versus Polugayevsky at Evian 1 977, I succeeded in persuading him to t ry out the English Defence in game 6 of their match. Polugayevsky at first looked unbelieving and shocked, later extremely worried, as his . .
•
Polugayevsky-Korchnoi Candidates' Match Evian 1 977 e6 1 d4
Or I . . . b6 (Owen's Defence) 2 e4 ! .ib7 3 .id3! (1 52) 152 B
. . .
And now: a) 3 cS (Chandler-Spee lman, UK 1 976) 4 d5! blotting Black's queen's bishop out of play. b) 3 e6 4 t0f3 c5 5 c3 l.Df6 6 tfe2 cd 7 cd i.b4+ 8 it) bd 2 d5 9 e5 ! ...
...
English Defence I I 7
r o;en, Bugojno 1 978. /53 • -1 ef! J.xg2 5 w e:h+ �ffi 8 ... /:> ' " ... , , ] 1 0 ll g l � Ait I I I W�J tl . l n this line, 4 efl wins. The comparable variation (which I do not recom mend) I d4 e6 2 c4 b6 3 e4 J.b7 4 J.d3 f5 5 ef J.xg2 6 W"h5 + g6, is less clear, the extra moves ... e6 ar ' c4 being helpful to Black . White then has an i ncontestable Th-. related queenside fianchetto space advantage. defence: I d4 liJ f6 2 c4 b6 is s l0d2 i.b4 6 J. d 3 inferior: 3 l0c3 J.b7 4 1rc2 d5 5 cd f5 6 . . . 1rg4 !? could be tried here. �xd5 6 liJf3 e6 7 e4 l0xc3 8 be White m ust reply 7 c;Pfl and will J.e7 9 J.b5+ c6 10 J.d3 ;!;/ ±. then gain much time by chasing b6 2 c4 Black's queen. e4 3 7 �f3 ..txd2+ The strongest move, played s �n ? with an air of disbelief by A fter t he text White gains a Polugayevsky who obviously re pawn but loses the right to castle garded Black's set-up as a bad and also lets his pawn structu re be joke. ruined. To be consistent White 3 b7 i. must sacrifice two pawns with 4 1rc2! Polugayevsky's idea is to defend 8 i.xd2! 1rg4 9 llJe5 ! 1txg2 e4 without allowing a pin of the I 0 0-0-0 fe I I .ie2 ( 1 54) when vast knight o n c3 which would risk compl ica tions ensue. doubled pawns. /54 4 11rb4!? (I53) R Viktor had been analysing such weird moves days before this game, but to Polugayevsky it was unpleasantly new. It is surprisingly difficult to drive off the insolent black queen. After the only other plausible move 4 . . . i.b4+ White plays 5 J.d2 i.xd2+ 6 lihd2. 1
1 18 English Defence
Investigation by Korchnoi, Murei, Stean and myself immediately after the Polugayevsky game convinced us that White has truly dangerous attacking chances in this position. So dangerous, in fact, that Korchnoi was reluctant to repeat the entire defence. Let us examine some variations: a) 11 eJ? 1 2 .i.xe3 1hh l 1 3 lbh l .i.xh l 1 4 .i.h5+ g6 1 5 .i.xg6+ hg 1 6 'tlrxg6+ ±± . The trade of Black's q ueen for White's two rooks is, of course, clearly a disaster. b) I I 'tlrxf2 1 2 .i.g5 (threaten ing .i.h5+) 12 . . . 'tlrf8 1 3 llhfl 10f6 1 4 d5 with a terrific attack. c) I I . li:lf6 12 .i.e3 threatening both 1 3 li[dg l 'tlrh3 1 4 li[g3 and 1 3 h4, followed by lldg l . After I I . . . li:lf6 1 2 .i.e3 'tlrh3 1 3 lldg l ! threatens both ll xg7 and ll g3 plus .tg5 . d ) I I . li:l c6 is probably the best defence: 1 2 10xc6 .i.xc6 1 3 d5! and if now 13 . . . ecd 1 4 cd .i.xd5 1 5 llhgl 'tlrxf2 1 6 .i.h6 threatening .i.xg7, a nd .i.h5+. If 16 . . 0-0-0 then 1 7 .i.a6+. Or 1 6 . . . 'tlrxg l 1 7 li[xg I li:lxh6 1 8 'tlrxc7 0-0 1 9 'tlre5. e) 1 1 ... d6 1 2 llhg l 'tlrxf2 1 3 .tg5 ! again with the threat of .i.h5+, while lldfl may also prove annoying.
10 11 12 13
ef gf
.i.cJ
.i.xfJ li:lc6
0-0
'tlrhJ+ S passky advocated 1 3 ... 'tlrxf3 but pursuit of the attack is also excellent.
llel
14 15
'itlel 'itldl
llae8 e5! (155)
16 17
de .tel
li:lxe5
18 19
'tlrdJ li[xel
llxel
19 20 21
li[he I �xel
...
/55 w
...
..
.
.
.
8 9
.txdl
'tlrh5 10f6
I f 1 7 .i. xe5 ll xe5 1 8 ll xe5 'tlrxO+ and ... 'tlrxh I =F . 17 ll:l xfJ! P repari ng a neat combination which brings a decisive advantage. Or 19 �xe2 1rh5! and Black wins.
1tg2 ll:l xe 1
See Diagram 156
English Defence J J 9
2 6 llxn Wxg3 2 7 ll xg7+?? fails to the retrogressive 27 . . . Wxg7!
26
llf1 (157)
fg
/57 w
21
Jeopardising victory. B y inter posing 2 1 . . . Wg I + 22 �d2 and only then ... Wxh2 Korchnoi could have prevented the invasion of his position which now occurs.
22
lle7!
22 23 24 25
'it>e2 �el "trg3!
From now until adjournment (move 42) Polugayevsky plays excellently and brings about a dra wish ending.
=
1hg3
M aybe 25 . . :n is stronger for .
44: 27 ..ixf6 gf 28 lle8+ �g7 29 �f2 �h6 30 b4 �g5 31 lla8 �xf5 32 Iha7 d6 33 a4 c;t;>e6 34 aS ba 35 l ha5 f5 36 c5 llh7 37 cd cd 38 b5 h4 39 gh llxh4 40 lla8 llb4 41 llb8 c;t;>d5 42 'it;>fJ ( 42 ll b6! �c5 43 llc6 ) 42 ... llb3 43 �f4 'it>c5 <&>xb5 44 llc8+? (44 �xf5 ) 44 45 'it>xf5 lle3 46 'it>f4 llel 47 Ild8 c;t;>cS 48 Ilc8+ 'it>d4 49 �fJ d5 50 �f2 Ile5 51 :t:la8 �c3 52 :t:la3+ 'it;>b4 53 Ilal d4 54 Ilcl d3 55 llc8 d2 56 Ilb8+ 'it>c3 57 llc8+ 'it;>d3 58 lld8+ 'it>c2 59 llc8+ 'it>dl 0- 1 . =
A difficult decision to make but it is the right one. Exchange of queens eases the task of defence.
25
Black stands better in the ending, but White has chances to draw, notably on moves 42 and
...
18
Miscellaneous Black Replies
1 d4 bS (158) 158 w
The Polish Defence looks weird, but is not so easy to crack. It should be mentioned that in the form I e4 a6 2 d4 b5 Tony Miles used it (as Black) to defeat World Champion, Anatoly Karpov in the European Team Championship in Sweden 1 980. Nevertheless, it is difficult to believe that Black can fully equalise by this eccentric feint away from the centre. I
159 w
around Black's kingside makes it exceptionally dubious. I d4 �c6 (/60)
d4 h6 (159)
The most wildly outrageous reply to I d4 , intending 2 . . . g5 to reach the Basmaniac Defence. Although this has been championed by Basman himself, the superfluous ventilation voluntarily created
An exceedingly rare defence which is by no means easy to refute. 2 d5 is obvious, but not totally convincing, while 2 e4 d5 leads to the labyrinths of Nimzo-
Miscellaneous Black Replies 121
witsch's Defence to I e4. Here I propose the simple 2 � t1 . when Black has nothing better than 2 . . . dS, retu rning t o the paths of Chigorin's Defence.
1 d4 d6 (161) 161 w
This ( Englund's or Charlick's Gambit) is just an inferior Budapest. The irregular answers to I d4 are dealt with on pages 47, 1 85, 1 86 and 187 of BCO.
Petrosian-Spassky World Championship Matcb (22) Moscow 1 966 I d4 b5
Here I examine the really rare alternatives on move I for Black: a) I h6 2 e4 gS 3 ,j,d3 d6 4 �e2 cS 5 c3 ll:\c6 6 0-0 � f6 7 ll:\d2 1tc7 8 b4 b6 :!! ±. b) 1 �c6 is difficult to refute. I recommend reversion to a line of the Chigorin which I briefly mentioned in Part 1: 2 �t1 ( threatening dS in earnest) 2 . . . dS 3 c4 ,1g4 4 cd ,j,xt1 5 gf •xd5 6 e3 eS 7 liJc3 .1b4 8 ,j,d2 ,j,xc3 9 be ed 1 0 cd liJf6 (or 10 ... ll:\ge7) I I ,j,g2 followed by •b3 ! c) 1 d 6 can hardly avoid transposing to one of the main lines I have already analysed. If Black insists on a sturdy indepen dence of spirit he can land in trouble: 2 c4 e5 3 �c3 ll:\c6 (3 . . . ed 4 1fxd4 �c6 S ..d2 transposes to a line of the English, where White controls d5 and has a small advantage: 5 . . . ll:\f6 6 b3 ,j,e6 7 e4 ;!; H ubner- Balashov, Rio de . Janeiro 1 979) 4 d5 ll:\ce7 5 g3 fS ( more sensible is . . . g6) 6 �f3 ll:lf6 7 ,j,g2 c5 8 liJg5 ± Csom-Suttles, ...
...
. . . d6 has virtually no independent significance and will usually transpose to the Modern, King's Indian or Old I ndian. White can also choose 2 e4, to transpose directly into the Pirc Defence. I
d4 e5 (162)
/6} w
...
122 Miscellaneous Black Replies
Bali 1982. Hi.ibner-Seirawan, Tilburg 19H3, we nt: I . . . d6 2 e4 g6 3 c4 e5 4 ti:Jc3 ti::l c6 5 d 5 liJce7 6 .td3 h5?! 7 f4 il.g7 8 ti:Jf3 u ±. d) I e5 2 de ti::l c6 3 ti:JO 1re7 4 1rd5 f6 5 ef ti::l xf6 6 1rb3 d5 7 ti:Jc3 d4 8 ti:Jb5 il.g4 9 ti::l bxd4 tt:Jxd4 1 0 ti::l xd4 0-0-0 I I c 3 ± . ...
2 3
e4 f3
/63 w
.te3 ti:Jd2 c3
6 7 8
il.d3 a4 ( 164)
e6
ti:Jf6
Petrosian does nothing to attempt an im mediate refu tation . He develops efficiently and establishes rock-like central fortifications.
.tb 7
Erecting a solid barrier in the path of Black's queen's bishop. Few world champions have been faced with this exotic defence, so it is worth quoting Ka rpov-M iles, Skara 1 980: I e4 a6 2 d4 b5 3 ti:Jf3 il.b7 4 il.d3 ti:Jf6 5 1re2 e6 6 a4 c5 a nd now 7 ab ab 8 l ha8 il.xaH 9 e5 c4 1 0 ef cd I I fg il.xg7 1 2 1Wxd3 1ra5+ (Miles) ( 1 63) offers Black compensation for his pawn. I n the game, Ka rpov chose 7 d e and after many fu rther vici�situdes the world champion actually wen t on to lose.
4 5 6
il.e 7 d6
164 8
The attack on b5 forces B lack to jam the diagonal of his queen's bishop.
8 9 10 II 12
�e2 0-0 ti::l g3 ab
13 14
lha8 Wc2
c6 ti)bd7 0-0 ne8 ab
1 2 . . . cb is more active, but reduces Black's quantity of pawns in the centre. There would also be no obvious way for Black to launch a 'minority attack' advance of his a- and b-pawns.
3
a6
1Wxa8 .tf8
Miscellaneous Black Replies I 23
IS
b4! (165)
An excellent strategic conception. He puts a greater clamp on Black's long term . . . c5 break, and also prepares seizure of the sole open file via ltl b3 and :a I .
IS 16 17 18
li:lbJ :at
trb8 g6 eS
'irf2
Further pressure against . . . c5, without which Black can never liberate his bishop on b7.
18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
de .ic2 .ia7 .ib6 .ia7 .i.b6 .ia7 ( 166)
dS ltlxe5 .ig7 1Wc7 1!t'b8 't!rc7 'irb8
An i nglorious episode in the game - Petrosian was not unwilling to pocket half a point, since this would virtually assure him of match victory and retention of his
title. He was, however, rcluctalll to claim the draw by repeti tion since he obviously stands bet ter. Spassky, of course, was desperate to avoid a draw but now commits hara-kiri in his misgu ided effort to extract more from the posi tion than is objectively present. Of course, Petrosian should have played 21 .i d4 ! ±, 23 .id 4 ! ± or 25 .id4! ±.
25 26
At last.
.id4!
1fc8?
h5 h3 I ntending f4 and e5. h4 27 28 ttJn de ltJed7 29 fe cS 30 ltJfd2 ltJxc5 31 ltJxcS 32 be ..Q.xe4 If 32 . . . ltJ xe4 .:n .ixe 4 ..Q. �4 34 ..Q.xg7 '.!txg7 35 Wd4+ ±±: . 33 ..Q.b3 ( ifll) 26 27
124 Miscellaneous Black Replies
/67
B
only had the adverse effect of wrenching open avenues for White's attack: the f-file and a7 for White's rook.
33
Black's central clearance has
j.f5
I f 33 . . . 1rc6 34 lla7 i.d5 35 i.xd5 'Wxd5 36 .txf6 ±±. �d7 34 lla7 35 �13 Threatening �g5 and 11hh4. 'Wb8 35 and 1-0 ( 36 c6 ±±).
Part V The Top Ten with 1 d4 ! 10
Svetozar Gligoric (Y ugoslavia)
9
A kiba Rubinstein ( Po land)
8
Samuel Reshevsky ( U S A )
7
Lajos Portisch ( H u ngary)
6
Vi ktor Korchnoi (Swi tzerland)
5
Tigran Petrosian ( US S R)
4
H arry Nelson Pillsbury (USA)
3
M ik hail Botvin nik
2
Alexander Alekhine ( Russia/France) G ary Kaspa rov (USSR)
126 The Top Ten with 1 d4!
Each of the top ten is represented by one game: Kasparov- Belyavsky, Moscow 1 983 Queen 's Gambit. Exchange
Alekhine-Marshall, Baden Baden 1 92 5 Marshall's Defence
Bohinnik- Larsen , N oordwij k 1965 Queen 's Gambit, Orthodox Exchange
Pillsbury-Marco, Paris 1900 Queen 's Gambit, Pii/Jbury A ttack
Petrosian- Fischer, Buenos Aires 1 97 1 Griinfeld
Korchnoi-Karpov, Hastings 197 1 /72 Torre A ttack
Portisch-Petrosian, Moscow 1 967 Queen's Gambit, Exchange Slav
Reshevsky- Fischer, Los A ngeles 1 96 1 Nimzo-Indian, Ragozin
Rubinstein-Teichmann, Vienna 1 908 Queen 's Gambit, Orthodox
Gligoric-Petrosian, Belgrade 1 954 Czech Benoni
The 1 d4 Oscars US G randmaster Andrew Soltis, chess correspondent of the New York Post, once asked me to nominate the ten greatest players of I d4. I never found time to respond to his question directly, but here, in my book devoted to I d4, seems the appropriate time and place to publish my list of the I d4 Oscars. I have given them in order, with one annotated game each to demonstrate their prowess. Of course, my list is controver sial. O bjections could be raised, for example, that Alekhi.'l e was also a major exponen t of I e4, or that the list should embrace Capablanca, Spassky, Tal, Polu gayevsky, Euwe, N ajdorf, Browne, Bogoljubow . . . . However, in his
world title matches Alekhine was a staunch adherent of I d4, while Capablanca, Tal and Spassky, for example, relied heavily on 1 e4 for their i mportant competitions. My choice of Kasparov for the number one spot, in preference to Alekhine or Botvinnik, also needs some explanation. My own feeling is that Kasparov's interpretation of I d4 blends icy efficiency and almost balletic artistry in a way that excels the achievements of his mighty antecedents. A t the mo ment, Kasparov's rating is 27 1 0, the world's highest, and I believe that, still only twenty-one, he has the capacity to equal, or surpass, Fischer's all-time rating Everest of 2780.
Svetozar Gligoric G Jigoril:-Petrosian
Belgrade 1 954 Czech Benoni
1 2 3 4
d4
ll:lf6
d5
e5 d6 � bd7 a6
c4
cS
� c3 5 e4 6 �n 7 .ie2 With this move White declares his intention of castling kingside. The scheme is not as overly aggressive as the 0-0-0 based line I analyse in the Czech Benoni chapter, but it is an excellent alternative option. .i e7 7
8
9
0-0
ll:le1
0-0
Heading for d3, from where the knight can support either b4 or f4, assaulting Black's twin defensive horns at c5 and e5. lLle8 9 � c7 1 0 � d3 Heading the wrong way. Black should prepare for . . . f5 to increase his kingside influence, e.g. 10 . . . g6 I I .ih6 ll:lg7 1 2 .d2
�h8 planning hounding Whi te's queen's bishop. 11
a4
11 12
.ieJ
�e8-f6-g8, threatening
He must not allow the liberating advance . . . b5 .
l:l:b8 .i.g5 ( 168)
/6/J w
This is positionally desirable since Black's king's bishop is restricted by his dark-squared pawn chain, while W hite will be left, a fter the bishop swap, with a light-squared bishop slightly ham pered by his pawns at e4, d5 and c4. Significantly, Black waits to play . . . .ig5 until W hite has expended a tempo with .ie3. Black cannot, of course, expand with 1 2 . . . b5? because of 13 ab ab 1 4 cb �xb5 15 � xb5 l:l:xb5 1 6
Svetozar G/igoric 129
10xe5! unearthing an attack against Black's rook.
13
Wd2!
e3 will provide a fine square for Whi te's queen.
13 14 15
'ttxe3 aS!
j.xe3 h6
If Black does not react, White will now roll him up with li[fb l and b4. Thus we see t hat, in spite of the strategically valuable bishop exchange, W hite is still at the controls because of his terrain advantage. This permits him the luxury of being able to choose either b4 or f4 as a means of progress.
15 16 17
ab b3
b5 10xb6 li[a8
18
f4!
ef
19
Wxf4
f6
20 21
10d1 10e3
We7 g5?
22
10f5!
j.xfS
23 24
Wxf5 'tlt'g4
'tth 7
24 25 26 27
li[ae8 10d7 li[ f5 li[afl li[e7 b4! (169)
Unfortunately forced.
Obviously White does not exchange queens. With Black's kingside so full of holes it makes sense to keep the most powerful aggressive unit on t he board.
/69 B
Black's snail-like plan is . . . a5, ... j.d7 and finally ... a4. Relying on use of the vacated e5 square to aid his defence. Securely squashing White's dream of breaking down Black's barricades with e5. Gligoric rightly condemns this as an "impulsive move". Not only does it undermine Black's influt:nce over f5 , it also exposes the g5 pawn to later tactical operations. Safer is 21 . . . c;i;>h8.
Black's fortress cannot be breached by kingside action alone. This thrust creates the requisite diversion to knock away its foundations.
27 28
c5
29
1Wg3!
cb h5
Neither here, nor on the next move, can Black capture on c5, since the advance d6 wins a piece. Not 29 'tt x h5? Wxh5 30 .._xh5 li[xe4.
29
li[xe4
130 Svetozar Gligoric
30 c6 lil xe2 Or 30 . . . lLlb6 3 1 1fxd6! lil xe2 32 lilxg5+ ! a nd wins. 31
1 70
1fxd6
Much stronger than regaining his piece. The sacrificial com bination which Gligoric has en visaged, and which now follows, is spectacularly beautiful. lLlbS 31 lLlb8 32 1hb4 33 lilxg5+! 'it'll 34 lilxf6+! (1 70) A corruscating crescendo of sacrifices. White gives up almost every piece to inflict mate.
34
35
36
1fxf8+
h4+
'it'xf6 'it'xgS
1-0 36 . . . �xh4 37 1ff4, or 36 . . . Wg6 37 lLlf4.
Akiba Rubinstein Rubinstein-Teich mann Vienna 1908
10 11
0-0-0
b4
cS c4? (1 72)
Q GD Orthodox
1
2 3 4 S 6 7
d4 c4
lt:lc3
.igS e3
lt:lf3
'Wc2 (1 71)
dS e6 lt:l f6 lt:lbd7 .ie7 0-0
17/
B
Rubinstein's patent, against which the correct reply is the active 7 . . . c5 ! . The choice of the Austrian grandmaster allows White to initiate a superior form of the Exchange Variation with 0-�0.
7
8 9
cd .id3
b6 ed .ib7
The same category of error that Marco committed against Pillsbury in their game later in this section. Black voluntarily crystallises the central situation into a static one, where he has little or no hope of striking back in time with . . . a6, . . . b5 , . . . b4 etc. It is rewarding to compare this position with the Botvinnik-Larsen game, where . . . c4 i s a reasonable decision. In this game Black should prefer 1 I llc8, though 12 'lib 1 lle8 13 de llxc5 14 lt:ld4 also favoured White in the earlier game Rubinstein Teichmann, Carlsbad 1907. Another example is 1 I a6 1 2 g4 c4 1 3 .if5 g6 1 4 .i.xf6 .ixf6 1 5 .••
...
132 Akiba Rubinstein
g5 Jl.g7 1 6 Jl.xd7 1rxd7 1 7 lt'le5 1re7 HI f4 ± Spassky-Bobotsov, Havana 01 1 966. lle8 1 2 Jl.fS
13
Jl.xf61
An excellent move, dragging Black's knight towards f6, where it is a target for White's soon-to be-advancing army of kingside pawns. White m ust first capture on f6, before Black can consolidate with . . . lt'lf8.
13 14 15 16
g4 g5
hS
lt'lxf6 .id6 lt'le4 'ti'e7
Alternatively, 1 9 . . . c;!;>h6 20 gf Wxn 2 1 llg6+ �h7 22 /t) xe4 followed by a murderous check on g5; or 19 ... fg 20 /t) xe4 de 21 lt'lg5+ �h6 (2 1 . . . �g8 22 'ti'xc4+) 22 hg+ �xg6 23 /t) xe4+ �f7 24 1rxc4+ and wins.
20
lt'lxe4
de
If 20 . . . 1rxe4 2 1 gf+ �xf7 22 lt'lg5+. 21 h6! (1 74) 1 74 B
Or 1 6 . . . lt'l xg5 1 7 lt'l xg5 1rxg5 18 .ixh7+ 'it>f8 19 h6 gh 20 lldg 1 , a variation given b y Tarrasch. 1 7 lldgl a6 (1 73) / 73 w
White's pos1t10n is obviously very promising indeed, but what is the most accu rate way of clinching matters? Rubinstein's solution is staggering.
18 19
.ixh7+ ! ! g6+
'it>xh7 �g8
The climax of White's majestic campaign. The most tenacious defence is now offered by 21 . . . fg when 22 llxg6 ef 23 ll xg7+ 'ti'xg7 24 hg .ie4! 25 9xc4+ c;t;>xg7 26 ll g l + 'it>f6 is not convincing fo r White. Stronger is 2 1 . . . fg 22 h7+ n ( 22 ... h8 23 o.?lh4 spells instant doom) 23 lll h4 g5 24 lll f5 'tlt"e6 25 llxg5 g6 26 llh6, while most devastating of all, perhaps, is j ust 22 lt'Jh4! when Black's king's shield inelu�:tably disintegrates, e.g. 22 . . . gh 23 lt'l xg6 or ll xg6+, while 22 . . . g5
A kiba Rubinstein 133
loses to 23 lt:lg6 1t'f6 24 h7+ 'it>l7 25 h81t' litxh8 26 lt:lxh8+. I n his Art of A l lack Vukovic claims that Black ca n resist with 26 . . . rt/e7 27 1t'e2 c3 28 be ..ta3+ 29 c;i/b l 1t'f5, but after 30 lit h 5 ! I do not set: it. What Black plays encourages his opponent to bo w out with a rapid flourish.
21
hg li[h8+
li[h7+ 1t'f5!
25 26
litxe7
�g8
Threatening 1t'h5 , g7 and litxe7. It ma kes no difference what Black does now.
c3
f6�!
1 -0 26 . . . lit xe7 27 1t'xf6 li[d8 28 lith I wins. A truly amazing game.
ef rt/xg7
"A dashing victory in the grand mannt:r", said the noted critic and connoisseur Hans Kmoch.
If 2 1 . . . ef 22 gf+ 'it'xl7 23 hg! wins.
22 23
24 25
Samuel Reshevsky Reshevsky-Fischer Match (7) Los Angeles 1961 QGJJ I Nimzo-Indian (Ragozin)
I 2 3 4 5 6
d4
�f3
c4 lt:lc3 e3
,j,d3
dS lt:lf6 e6 .ib4 0-0 fi:Jc6!? (1 �5)
175 w
There is nothing wrong with 6 . . . c5, transposing directly into the N imzo-I ndian, where W hite no longer has recourse to 10ge2. Fischer used to enjoy playing this obscure line which blocks his own c-pawn, but several reverses ultimately persuaded him to abandon it.
7
a3
A good alternative is 7 0-0 de (7 . . . a6 8 h3!) 8 ,j,xc4 .td6 9 lt:lb5 .ie7 10 h3 a6 I I lt:lc3 b5 1 2 .td3 .ib7 and now 13 a4 and 1 3 11re2 (Gligoric-Fischer, Leipzig 01 1960) both favour White.
7
.txc3+?!
A dubious exchange . Greater tension arises from 7 . . . de 8 .t xc4 ,j,d6 9 b4 e5 10 d5 fi:Je7 1 1 ,j,b2 .tg4! and now either 1 2 Wc2!? or 12 h3 .td7 1 3 �g5 with the curious threat of 10e6 ! , e.g. 13 . . . 10g6? 1 4 �e6! fe 1 5 de �h8 16 ed ± . This was a line I analysed with US GM Larry Christiansen, while I was functioning as his assistant at the 1 982 Moscow I n terzonal.
8 9 10 11
be
lt:ld2 0-0 cd
fi:Ja.S c5
b6 eel (1 76)
Black captures with the pawn to maintain a foothold in the centre, thus discouraging white advances such as c4 or e4. H owever, the structure before us can be recognised from my chapter on the N imzo I n dian and it is one which is excellent for White. The point is
Samuel Reshevsky 135
16
that Black cannot ultimately prevent White from marching through the centre with e4; meanwhile, Black is unable to play quick . . . ..ta6, swapping White's k ing's bishop, which now stays on the board for some time representing a powerful distant menace to Black's king. f"3
12 13
lle1
14
lla2!
lle8 ..te6
Blac k's queen's bishop would exert more influence on the centre from b7. Another idea worth considering is 1 2 . . . �b7!? followed by . . . lt:ld6 and then . . . ..tb7 or . . . ..tf5. The standard 'Arabic' develop ment of White's queen's bishop, the most efficient method of bringing it into action on the kingside, or in t he centre.
14 15
llc8
�n cd S triving for counterplay down the c-filc.
cd
hS?! ( 1 77)
An in teresting moment. I t should not be forgotten that White has two aggressive plans at his disposal, either e4 followed by e5 and a general advance of his kingside pawns, or g4 and then �g3, followed, perhaps, by g5 and f4, pushing Black back. Fischer must have been very concerned by the second of these possibilities and decided to stop it for good, but . . . h5 proves very weakening when White actually opts for plan A. New York GM Edmar Mednis recommends instead the con structive waiting move 16 ... •d7, and he is surely right.
17
h3
Still threatening g4, so Fischer continues with remorseless logic to stop it. 17 h4 But now the h-pawn is hopelessly cut off from Black's lines of com munication. 18 llf2 •d7
136 Samuel Re.shev.sky
19 20
e4! fe (1 78)
de
I f now 2 1 . . . Wxd4? 2 1 e5 threaten ing to win Black's qu een with �h 7+ and after 22 . .. lii: e d8 22 ef 1hd3 2 3 lii: d 2 ±t.
20 21
'ifd2
22 23 24 25 26 27
i.c2 .txb3 e5 'ifg5 'ilg4 �g5 (1 79)
i.b3 i.c4
Or 2 1 . . . ... xd4 22 e5 lii: fd8 23 ef ... xd3 24 liteS+! ±t.
lL!b3 i.xb3 lL!d5 ...e7 lii: c6
Here Black is obviously lost, since 27 . . . tfe6 28 ...xh4 followed
by lLJg3 is horrible. What Fischer plays is a blunder which shortens the process.
27 28
1Wxa3
...d7
1 -0 Black cannot protect c6, e8 and f7 at once. Few people have dispatched Fischer so decisively. Reshevsky has a phenomenal record, having beaten Lasker, Capablanca, Alekhine, Euwe, Botvinnik, Smyslov and Fischer. Of living players, only Botvinnik can surpass this achievement, but at the age of 73 Reshevsky is still playing, while Botvinnik quit competitive chess for good when he reached 60.
Lajos Portisch Portisch-Petrosian Moscow 1 967 QGD, Slav Exchange
1 2 3
d4 c4 cd
dS c6
With the i m mediate exchange White: avoids any possible comp lications arising from . . . de.
3 4 5 6 7 8
�c3 �f3 jJ4 e3 ..i g3 (180)
cd �f6 �c6 e6 .i.d6
180
B
Black prefaces . . . 0-0 with 8 . . ..txg3 9 h g 'ttd 6, trying t o equalise with . . . e5, White has 10 .id3 e5 I I de �xe5 1 2 � xe5 1!txe5 1 3 1!fa4+ ..id7 14 'tif4! 'tt xf4 1 5 gf, with a very pleasant position based on his mobile centre and ki ngside pawns, general dark-squared con trol and play against Black's fixed I QP. .
8 9 10
0-0 liteS
..td3 �eS
A version of the: ' Pillsbury A ttack' , which is seen in its purest form in the game Pillsbury Marco . The knight on e5 is very threatening and Black hastens to remove it.
10
..ixeS
Of course not 10 . . . �xe5? I I de winning a piece.
11 12
lLld7 1llb 6?
de f4
A superior alternative to the pawn-snatching text is 1 2 . . lLlc5! After Black has com mitted his king to the kingside, it is dangerous to swap bishops on g3, op e n i ng up the h-file for attac k . I f, however,
13 lLlb5 lLl xd3+ I H !hd3 'W'a 5+ 1 5
�1'2 lLlb4 1 6 ire2 b6 1 7 lLld6 �a6 J g 11fd l llJd3+ 1 9 �g l a v a r i a t i o n given by Varnusz, but doubt lt:ss ,
stemming from consultat ion with
138 Lajos Portisclr
Portisch. This position is hard to evaluate, but probably favours White who will unravel with 1i'c2, h3, ¢>h2 etc. H is k night on d6 is more firmly entrenched than Black's on d3. 13 0-0! (181)
16
lU"3
li:lg6
Or 1 6 . . . 1i'xb2 1 7 ll b 1 tfxc3 1 8 .i.xh7+ winning Black's queen. 17 .i.fl (182) /81 B
181 B
Calmly ignoring Black's demon stration. If Petrosian does not take one of the two pawns on offer, then his . . . 1i'b6 would be revealed as a total waste of time. 1i'xe3 + 13 Or 1 3 . . . 1i'xb2 1 4 hi If Black tries to seal t hings up with 1 4 . . . f5 t hen 1 5 .i. xf5! d4 ( 1 5 . . . er 16 lL!xd5 and li:lc7) 1 6 .i.xe6+ l he6 1 7 li:ld5 1i'e4 1 8 li:lc7. Such important tactical variations must be noted carefully, since they often form the sole justification for an initial sacrifice. If t he sacrificer misses such vital oppor tunities, his offensive may run out of steam. I S 1i'hS it:lf8
White's a ttack seems to be playing itsel f, but some intricate tactical footwork is still requi red, e.g. in the case of 1 7 . . . 1i'xb2 1 8 llb l ! 'tltxc3 1 9 llh3 ¢>f8 ( 1 9 . . . h6 20 i.xg6 fg 2 1 1i'xg6 - 19 ... 1i'a5 20 1i'xh7+ 'it>f8 2 1 ll b5 and i.c5+) 20 1i'xh7 li:lxf4 21 .i. h4! and B lack is mated, since his k in g cannot escape via e7.
17 18
18 19
li:ld6
1i'd8
All white units swing sharp right.
lL!ce7 .i.d7
Praying t hat White will be bought off with the paltry li:lxe!!, but White's k night on d6 is worth a whole regi ment of ca valry. 20 i. h4 1i'b6 Or 20 . . . lt:lxh4 21 .ixh7+ ±±. 21 llh3 Threatening .i.xe 7.
Lajos Portisch 139
21 22 /83 w
h6 .if6!
11rxb2 (183)
23
lln!
23 24
.txrs
Even at this late stage White can spoil thi ngs with 23 llb l ? llec8! exploiting the back rank mate to free hi mself. Black, naturally, does not worry about giving up the exchange on c8.
I f 24 26 11rxh6+.
lt::l fS
1 -0 ef 2 5 .ixg7 'it>xg7
Viktor Korchnoi Korchnoi-Karpo\' Hastings 1971/72 Torre A llack
I 2 3
d4 ll:lf3 .i gS
ll:lf6 e6 b6
Korchnoi's choice of opening was su rprising, at the time; his i dea may have been to avoid. his opponent's excellent k nowledge of main line opening theory . Though Karpov's 3 . . . b 6 cannot be called a mistake, it may be a psychological error, si nce it allows White to create a position where Black has the bishop pai r but is otherwise passive. 3 ... c5 is more combative, leading to u nfathom able complications after 4 e3 'lrb6 5 lll b d2 'tlrxb2 6 .id3 d� 7 c4 1fc3 8 �e2! � bd 7 9 'ira4. Karpov needed only a draw from this game, played in the penultimate round, to clinch first place. This explains his cautious approach.
4 5
e4 .ixf6
/84 w
h6 'tlrxf6 (184)
6 .idJ Also interest ing is 6 a3!? e.g. 6 . . . .ib7 7 ll:lc3 d6 8 'tlrd2 ll:ld7 9 0-0-0 g5? ! 10 ll:lb5 �d8 I I h4 g4 12 e5 ± Korchnoi-Kcres, USSR Championship 1 965. 6 7
.ib7
�bdl a6 Black fears that 7 . . . ll:lc6 H c3 0-0-0 would be met by 9 1re2 followed by .ia6. The text safe guards t he bishop from exch ange but costs va luable time. Both now and on the next move Black should have considered regrouping with . . . 'tlrd8. In the line played Karpov's queen becomes exposed.
Viktor Korchnoi 141
8 9 10
1t'e2 0-0-0 ¢>bl
d6 �d7
A useful move, wa1tmg for Black to commit h imself in the centre, which he now does.
10
16
g4!
16 17
g5
18 19 20 21
g6! lilhgl lOgS lt:le6
23
lildn?
23 24 25 26
lt:lxa8 c4 �d3
bS! �xa8 lilb8 We8?!
27 28
l:i:cl l:i:g2
i.. f6 llbb?
Beginning an advance of pawns to open lines for the attack on the black king. After 1 7 . . . hg 1 8 lildg l ! ±.
e5
Karpov should still play 1 0 . . 1t'd8 followed by J.e7 and . . . 0-0.
.
II 12 13
If
13 .
14
c3 �c4 J.c2
. .
�e7 0-0 l:Ue8
ed 1 4 cd lilfe8 1 5 e5!
d5!
By sealing the centre Korchnoi gives his pieces more freedom to manoeuvre as well as shutting Black's bishops out of the game.
14
c5?
The decisive strategic mistake, permitting White full scope to build up a powerful k i ngside attack. It was necessary lo retain possibilities of counterplay with . . . c6, either immediately or after 14 . . . �f8.
IS
1115 w
ll:le3
1td8 h5 fg
trf6
J.e7 lt:lf'8
An auempt to repel boarders at the cost of t h e exchange. A fter the a l ternat ive 2 1 ... lilacS 22 lil g2 lt:lf8 23 lil dg I 'it'h 7 24 lt:l x f8 lhfll 25 lilxg6 trxg6 26 lilxg6 <;ilxg6 27 lt:lf5 White's attack breaks through. 22 lt:lc7 1t'r7 After this Black obtains counter play; better 23 a4 to hold up . . . b5.
26 . . . b4! renders Whi te's win p roblematic. K o n:hnoi felt he would have to reorgan ise: w i t h a k n 1gh t transfer to dJ a nd then pl ay f4 .
W i t h 2!! . b4 1 Black can s t i l l p u t up m u c h resistance:. .
29
.
ll cg i ! ( /XoJ
T h r ea t e n i n g 30 ll xg6 ti 1 >.: g6 J I
�hh 5 Black prevents t h is by defe n d i ng his queen, but he is too .
142 Viktor Korchnoi
34 35 36 37
/86
B
..tg4 1td1 ab
otlg2
otlf4 b3 � b7 ..tc8
37 . . . otl xg2 would be met by 38 �e6+ �f8 39 1th5.
38 ..txc8 lil xc8 39 1Wg4 lile8 40 otlxf4 ef 41 1W·xf4 ..te5 42 1txh4 lilfB 43 b4 ..td4 44 be 1 -0
late to avoid the collapse of his king's position.
lib8 b4
29 30
1Wfl
31
�el!
31
lilxg6!
1Wxg6
33
lilxg6
�xg(i
If 30 . . . �b7 3 1 cb �c8 32 ba �h3 33 1We2 �xg2 34 lilxg2 :±± . There is no antidote now to lilxg6! h4 31 otlxg6 33 ..th5 is even 32 worse for Black.
Em boldened by this success, Korchnoi was later to try I d4 otlf6 2 ..tg5 !? in game 1 9 of his 1 974 Candidates' Final v Karpov, the match that was to determine the destination of the world title when Fischer defaulted in 1 975. After 2 . . . e6 3 e4 h6 4 ..txf6 'tlfxf6 5 otlf3 d6 6 otlc3 g6 7 1td2 'tlfe7 8 0-0-0 a6 9 h4 �g7 10 g3 White stood slightly better. Korchnoi has won I I competitive games against Karpov, more than any player ever - six of these as White with I d4 openings.
Tigran Petrosian Pet rosian-Fischer Match (2) Buenos Aires 1971
187 w
Griinfeld Defence
I 2 3 4
d4 c4 lt:lc3 .if4
lt:lf6 g6 d5 .ig7
Petrosian has employed various methods against the G rtinfeld, but has tended to favour early develop ment of his queen's bishop, e.g. 4 lt:lf3 .ig7 5 .ig5 �e4 6 cd lt:lxg5 7 ltJxg5 e6 8 ltJf3 ed 9 e3 0-0 1 0 .id3 b 6 I I 0-0 c 5 1 2 .ie2 ltJc6 1 3 llc l c d 1 4 ltJb5 .i b7 1 5 lt:lbxd4 t Petrosian-Benko, Candidates' Tour nament, Cura�ao 1 962. The ending of this IQP game is given in my chapter on the Queen's Gambit Declined, Tarraseh Variation.
5
e3
When i n aggressive mood, Petrosian has also had fascinating experiences with the alternative 5 lt:lf3, e.g. 5 . . . 0-0 6 llc i e5 7 de de (7 . . . .ie6! is better) 8 e4 'it'a 5 9 e5 lld8 10 .id2 lt:lg4 I I .ixc4 1txe5 1 2 �e4 1tb6 13 .ixf7+! 'it>xf7 14 llxc8 llxc8 I S lt:lfg5+ 'it>g8 1 6 1txg4 1tc6 1 7 ltJd6! 1td7 (187)
Here the game Petrosian-Benko, . Candidates' I 962 ( round l 2 ) con cluded: 18 1txd7 ltJ xd7 19 ltJxc8 ll xc8 20 f4 llc2 2I �e2 .ih6 22 lt:lf3 llxb2 23 g3 g5 !--S - !--S . At the time, it was believed that White might have won with I8 1th4 ! ? but then Botvinnik indicated the defence 18 . . . h6 I9 ltJ xc8 hg 20 1tc4+ e6 ! 21 ltJd6 ltJc6 22 ltJe4 �xeS!
5
c5
Black may also enter fearful
complications with the pawn sacrifice 5 . . . 0-0, though currently this wild line appears to be good for White: 6 cd ltJ xd5 7 lt:lxd5 1txd5 8 .ixc7 lt:lc6 9 lt:le2 .ig4 I O f3 llac8 I I �c3 1te6 I 2 .if4 ltJxd4 I 3 fg llfd8 14 .id3 lt:le6 I 5 1tb i !De 5 1 6 .ie2 lt:lc4 I 7 0-0 lt:ld2 I S
144 Tigran P�trosian
1fc2 � xfl 19 �xf l ! .txc3 20 be 1ff6 2 1 g5 1fxc3 22 1fxc3 l hc3 23 l:td I ! ± Timman-Schmidt, I ndonesia 1983. I t seems that Fischer also distrusted this ambitious black strategy.
6 7
de l:tcl
1taS �e4!
The most pointed choice. After
7 . . . de 8 .txe4 0-0 Black can only
aspire to laborious equality.
8
ed
8 9 10
1fd2 be
10 11 12
WaS �d7 .te4 liJel (188)
For a while White falls behind i n development, but realises on " gain of material or s trong centre to offset this.
�xe3
1fxa2
I would be tempted by exchange sacrifices based on 10 llxc3, offering the queen's rook for Black's strong king's bishop, but somehow I doubt that such concepts can be proved sound.
/88 B
With ten years of hindsight, Black's best course at this stage was fou nd to be 1 2 . . . � xc5 1 3 0-0 �e4 14 1fc2 �d6 with a complicated position if White retreats h is king's bishop. I n the game Farago Ceshkovsky, Banja Luka 198 1 , White sought to attack Black's king with a manoeuvre of truly Eolithic subtlety: 15 .txd6 ed 1 6 1fe4+ 'it> f8 1 7 liJd4, but Black unravelled easily enough ( . . . .tf6, . . . �g7) when his passed a-pawn proved exceptionally powerful. 12 liJeS .tfS? 1 3 .ta:Z The transparent th reat of a black knight check on d3 is easily met, though Fischer may have underestimated White's possibility of giving up his dark-squared bishop for B lack's knight - the same course which brought disaster to Farago ten years latt:r. Correct (again with much hindsight) is 1 3 . . . 1hc5 1 4 0-0 0-0 1 5 c4 a5 1 6 e4 1f b4 with a tough fight i n view, Farago (the same)- Filipowicz, Banja Luka 1 98 1 .
14
.txeS!
.txeS
'i!heS IS liJd4! Fischer must allow h is kingside pawns to be shattered, if he wishes to regain his pawn. The alterna tive of 1 5 . J.d7 1 6 l:t b l is also unpleasant, while 16 c6 also does not look ridic ulous. gf 16 liJxfS . .
Tigran Petrosian 145
17
shackles totally. The humble 19 tlc5 might b e in order, however miserable it looks.
0-0 (189)
•oo
/89 B
20
Black's position has become quite wretched as a result of his error on move 1 3. His king has no safe refuge, and the pawn on f5 is doomed if White sets about besieging it. The best way of solving the problems is Mednis' suggestion: 1 7 f4 ! ( if Black waits White may fix the pawn on f5 with f4, and t hen pick off f5 at his leisure) 18 ef j,d6 followed by 0-0-0. A strict blockade by Black's queen and bishop on c5 and d6 will shut White's k.ing's bishop out of play for some time, and with opposite bishops on the board, White will experience difficulty in converting his extra pawn into a win. o o •
0 0 .
17
1ra5?
A further error, relieving the blockade, which encourages White to revive the fortunes of his temporarily muftled king's bishop.
18 19
1rc2 c4
f4 fe
After this White breaks his
c5! ( / 90)
A pawn is no price at all to pay for the mobility White has achieved. If, for example, 20 ef+ 2 1 Wxf2 0-{) 22 j,b I and either f7 or h 7 will collapse. oo•
20 21 22
Wd2
Wa4+
22
tfe2
Or 22 e2 23 ll xd 2 j,xh2+ 24 �xh2 eftt 25 d6 ±±. 000
23
d6
Si nce this thrust can hardly be stopped, the preliminary 23 g3 might have been safer.
23
1rh5
The last ditch defence is 23 . . . .ixh2+ 24 �xh2 'tlrh5+ 25 �gl e2 26 de+ �g7 27 Jild5! ± .
24 25 26 21
f4 fe Jilxdl
:n
e2 ed1r 1rxe5 r6 .
'
!
146 Tigran Petrosian
28 29 30 /91 8
'ftb3 1t'n+ de (191)
�g7 �h6
Black's pieces are scattered and his king hopelessly exposed. I f 30 . . . llhg8 3 1 .i b I llg6 3 2 .ixg6 hg 33 1tf8+ ±±. The game ended: 30 rs 31 :axrs 1td4+ 32 �hi 1 -0. A beautifully flowing game, but Petrosian's sole win in the match. For any reader who wishes to cultivate an alternative anti Grtinfeld method to Romanishin's given in the G rtinfeld chapter, the .if4 based lines mentioned in this game are fruitful field for investigation. ...
Harry Nelson Pillsbury i mplement c-file pressure.
Pillsbury-Marco Paris 1 900
9
Queens Gambit Declined, Orthodox
I 2 3 4
d4 c4 �c3
dS e6 �r6
4 5 6
e3 �f3
.te7 0-0 b6
8
cd
.tes In the main text I recommend the immediate exchange with 4 cd. As it is, this game rapidly transposes into a version of t he Exchange Variation.
We know now that this move should be prefaced by . . . h6. 7 .td3 i.b 7 The alternative is 8 .txf6 i.xf6 9 cd ed 1 0 h4, as I mention in my introductory comments to the Orthodox QG D. The text is the ina ugural move of the famous ' Pillsbury Attack' based on 'Lle5 and f4.
8
ed
Black could also consider 8 . �xd5 9 .txe7 Wxe7, when W hite wil l proceed with 10 llc l to .
.
�e5 (192)
192 B
Pillsbury's trademark and t he key move of his Attack. White will cont inue to build up his pressure with f4, establishing a 'Stonewall' but with the importa nt difference that Whi te's queen's bishop is already outside the otherwise restrictive pawn triangle on d4, e3 and f4. For the negative aspects of the 'Stonewall', see by chapter on the Dutch Defence.
9 10
!idb47 f4 0 Here 1 0 � 4 would block the
white bishop on d3, one of the main actors in the looming denoument.
11
o-o
�""' c4?
'if.t·
148 Harry Nelson Pillsbury
Absolutely mistimed. I n an endgame Black's pawn majonty would prove a decisive factor, when we1ghed agamst Wh1te1s centre pawns, wh1 ch are mcapable of producing a majority. However• by relinquishing all of t he central tension, M arco gives his oppo nent , a free hand, way before any endgame sets m , to operate on the kingside against Black's near helpless king. Correct 1s I I . . . cd 1 2 ed 25e4 ! jamming White1s avenues of attack. It is worth comparing this strategic situation with t he one arising i n Botvinnik Larsen which follows. There Botvinnik's pieces are less actively placed (he has no knight on e5) but his central pawn configuration (d4, e3, f3) is still dangerously mobile.
193 B
•
12 13 14
..ic2 'W'f3 'W'hJ
14 Js 16
rs fg! ( 1 9])
16 17
'W'h4!
18 19
�xd7 J:hf6
'W'xd7 aS
llan ..ixg6 llxf8+
ll a6
hg be
A contemporary note states quite correctly: " Black is beyond salvation, whatever he does." O r 1 9 . . .txf6 20 .txf6 and mate on h8. .
20 21 22
fg ..ixf8 (194)
a6 b5
All of White's attacking moves are si mple, nat ural and logical. Fi rst , by lining up against h7, White provokc:: s . . . g6, which , in turn, presen ts a target for 15.
g6 b4
White displays no inclination to salvage his knight. If now 1 6 . . . be 1 7 g7 �xg7 1 8 ..i xf6+ lt:Jxf6 1 9 llxf6 �xf6 20 ll f l + �g7 2 1
'W'xh 7
mate. 1 7 ..ixf6 is also very strong.
A nd here, after the custom of his age, Pillsbury annou nced mate in six: 23 lld8+ �x f8 24 .._8+ �n
2s 11fh7+
�ra
26 'thd7
followed by .th6+ and 'W'g7 mate.
Bronze Medal - Mikhail Botvinnik Botvinnlk-Larsen Noordwijk 1965 Q GD Exchange Variation
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
c4 '2. ltlc3 � d4 l cd a.. -'.g5 � e3 ' 1fc2 r -'.d3 l lt.Jge2 �
e6 t d5 1 �f6 ) ed 1.r c6 ' -'.e7 " 0-0 i ltlbd7 5 h6 ( / 95J " .
/ 95 w
to stop White attacking with h4, while the white queen's bishop on g5. I ndeed, had Botvinnik not been so convinced of the virtues of the manoeuvre i.h4-f2, he could have struck out with 1 0 h4 !? and if 10 . . . hg"! 1 1 hg lbe4 1 2 .ixe4 de 1 3 W'xe4 f5 1 4 •e6+ IU7 1 5 g6, or 13 . . . g6 1 4 'ith4. 10 -'. h4 lile8 1 1 f3 Preparing to advance with e4.
11 12
c5
Dictated by prudence; 1 2 0..0-0 is certainly possible, but Botvinnik prefers to avoid such a committed step when Black has already achieved . . . c5.
12 13 14
this move, since, in his opinion, the white queen's bishop can now drop round via h4 to fl, supporting White's centre. Yet, when Alekhine invented the lt.Jge2 line of the QGD Exchange in 1927, he regarded an early ... h6 ( best before . . . 0-0, in fact) as desirable
0-0
/ 96 B
lilad 1
-'.f2 (1 96)
a6 b5
150 Mikhail Botvinnik
c4!?
14
A quite logical decision and much better than in the comparable games Pillsbury-Marco and Rubin stein-Teichmann. The difference here is that White's powers have not yet adopted a threatening posture against the black king. Nevertheless, Botvinnik was ob viously relieved by Larsen's decision to resolve t he tension. H e wrote: " Risky. Larsen was evidently concerned that with the white queen's bishop on fl, W hite was threatening de, saddling Biack with an I Q P. This was, however, not so dangerous for Black. A fter . . . c4, though, White will inevitably advance with e4, and gain good kingside a ttacking chances." ltlb6 15 -'.f5
16 17
ltlg3 a3
-'.fl
He may as well hold up . . . b4 for a while.
17
-'.b7
Larsen would rather have a white bishop on f5 t han a white knight, after 1 7 . . . .i.xf5 1 8 �xf5. g6 (197) 1 8 e4 U is worth noting the sacrificial idea 19 .txg6 fg 20 e5, even though it m us t be rejected on account of 20 ... �h7 21 ef trxf6 =t=, since White will then have no good way of continuing his attack.
19 20
.th3 e5
20 21
ltlce2
21 22
f4
aS
20 ltlxb5 de! or 20 ed b4 !
b4
White must stay flexible, taining his pawn on e5, rushing up reserves with 2 1 ef! be, on the other would soon leave White s tandstill.
main while f4-f5. hand, at a
ll:'!h7
If now 22 . . . bd23 ba .i.xa3 24 f5 grants White a tangible attack. 22 .i.c6 ( / 98) 1 9/J w
Very interesting at this juncture
Mikhail Botvinnik 151
is 23 f5!? .ta4 24 'trb l lt:lg5 ( 24 . . . .txd I 25 fg) 2 5 fg lt:lxh3+ 26 g h 1fd7. This i s given b y Botvinnik who says: .. Black's chances are better than in the actual game. " I find this impossible to swallow. After the simple 27 .te3! it seems to me that Black faces immediate and total annihilation. The con clusion must be that 23 f5 is exceedingly strong, and that Black should have tried 22 . . . f5; though if we go back to that position it can be seen that White may then try 23 ef 1fxf6 24 f5 g5 25 ltJh5 as an alternative means of attack .
23 24
lhl ?! 'ifbl
25
ab
.ta4 f5!
He has to hold up W hite's f5. He needs the open a-file.
ab (199)
25
no other visible counterplay against Black's predatory queenside pawns.
26 27 28
.txrs ltJg3
28 29 30
.txd7 1fg6+
32
Ilxal
32 33
Ila7 (100)
gf 1fe7
Having demolished the frustrating barricade of black pawns, White's hitherto oppressed pieces now u nfurl a searing energy.
.td7 lt:lxd7 1fg7
Natural enough, although Botvinnik holds that 30 . . . �h8 is superior. The pawn on d5 would not then hang with check after an eventual 1fc6. l hal 31 1fc6 After 32 1fxd5+ 1ff7 White m ust acquiesce in an exchange of q ueens which does not yet suit his plans.
/ S/9 w
11n
200 B
26
ltJ xf5!
If W hite does not sacrifice he is positionally crushed, for his pieces have curiously receded to the margins of the boa rd and he has
33
lt:lxe5?
A time-trouble blunder, over-
152 Mikhail Botvinnik
looking that White's reply defends the rook on a7. Forced is 3 3 �b8, when Botvinnik gives 34 •b6 �d7 35 •as lle7 36 f5 and White still wins. del ±± 34 The rest is not so interesting: ...
34 ... •e6 35 •xe6+ llxe6 36 �f5 llc6 37 �fl c3 38 be be 39 ..te3 ..tcs 40 ..txc5 :xeS 41 llal �1'8 42 �2 �e6 43 g3 h5 44 'it'd3 d4 45 lt:ld6 lld7 46 lt:le4 �h7 47 f5 �d8 48 �f6+ �h6 49 �d5 llb7 50 e6 �c6 51 lla6 �e5+ 52 �xd4 1 -0.
Silver Medal - Alexander Alekhine Alekhine·Marshall Baden Baden 1 925 American or Marshall's Defence
1 2
d4 c4
d5 �f6!? (201)
distinctly favours White.
4 S
ll:lf6 e5!
de
ll:lg4
" I n my opinion this gambit is completely correct." (Alek hine). Obviously not 5 ... 'lt'xd4?? 6 ..tb5+.
6 7
201 w
i.d3
ll:lf3 Not 7 f4? ..tc5 !! ll:lh3 'tth 4+ wit h tremendous compensation for the pawn.
7 8
li:lc6
..tgS 8 ..tf4 .!Lib4 is too dangerous for White.
3
cd
4
e4
8 9 10 11
lLlxdS
3 . . . 'lt'xd5 4 ll:lc3 'lt'd8 or 4 . . . 'lt'a5 5 ll:lf3 i s a poor version o f the Centre Counter. Quite in Alekhi ne's vigorous style, but it is too energetic. An i mprovement is 4 lLl f3 e6 5 e4 li:l f6 6 ll:lc3 c5 7 d5! ed ( 7 . . . i.e7 8 do ! ) 8 e5 d 4 9 ef d e 1 0 i. b 5 + �c6 I I i.xd 1 + be 1 2 1Wxd8+ c;!;>xd8 1 3 ..tg5 g6 1 4 0-0-0+ ±. Also, 4 ll:lf3 i.f5 5 't!Vb3 e6 6 li:lc3 li:lc6 7 e4 ll:lxc3 8 ef
i.e7 ..txe7 't!Vxe7 li:lc3 llJcxeS lLlxeS (202)
202 B
Which way should BlacR recap-
/54 Alexander Alekhine ture on e5? Alekhine believed that equality would have arisen from I I . . . lt::l x e5 1 2 0-0 0-0 1 3 .te2 .te6, an interesting vindication of Black's unusual opening variation. Alekhine criticises Black's next move as an over-ambitious attempt to aggress while his development remains imperfect. WxeS? II
12 l3
lt::l f6 h3 1rd2! (203)
!0.1 8
very kingside pawns are at Black's throat.
13 14
1re3
IS
0-0-0
16
f4
17 18
llhe l
.td7
A 'creeping' move, imperceptibly i ncreasing his dark square control and preventing Black from castling long. 14 .i c6
0-0
"This is perilous, but does Black have a viable alternative? I f 1 5 . . . 'tta 5 1 6 .tc4 and now Black really has to play . . . 0-0 since his k ing ca nnot castle qucenside and certainly cannot risk a sojourn in the centre." ( A iekhinc)
1te6
If 1 6 . . . 1ra5 1 7 e5 lt::l d 5 1 8 lt::l xd5 .ixd5 19 .ixh7+ �xh7 20 Wd3 + and 't!hd5. A minor, but significant, tactical point. Alekhine was a genius when it came to turning small positional advantages into murderous attacks. Her�. he has a marginal lead in developm ent , plus an as yet dormant ki ngside pawn majority, liquid assets which could easily evaporate if White were not to detect the correct move precisely at every turn . For example, if 1 3 0-0 (a very natural choice ) 1 3 .. . g5 ! followed by . . . .id7 and . . . 0-0-0 and White's ki ngside pawns are stymied. Yet in the game, within a further six moves, these
eS
lilfe8
ll adS ( 20./)
!04 w
I I! . . . lt::l d 7 1 9 g4! is unpleasant for Black but after the text Alekhine unleashes a brilliantly
Alexander Alekhine /55
calculated winning combination. It is all the more i mpressive in that his own king is somewhat open and Black has various ingenious counterchances with check.
19 20 21 22
f5 'ttg5 f6 ..tc4!
'it'e7 lLld5
'it'f8
The key move of the combination.
22 23 24
lhd8 fg!
Not 24 e6? li[d5!
24
lLlxc3 lhd8
lLlxa2+!
Marshall fights well. White can not play 25 ..t xa2 since Black then has a saving queen check on c5.
25 26
�bl ! 1te8 e6! (205)
by a strange rese mblance between the decisive phase of this contest and Spassky-Ghitescu, from the Czech Benoni section of this book. In both cases, White conducts a slaughterous attack, apparently ignoring Black's moves, which happen to include several captures of White's own pieces.
26 27
..te4+
�at !
Continu ing in the same vein. 27 lhe4 ltd I+ is more murky.
fS
27
If 27 . . . fe 28 ..txe6+ 1Wxe6 29 'it'xd!H �g7 30 1td4+ and litxe4 ±±.
28 29
e7+ 1tf6
lld5
11n (206)
20t'l w
205 B
It is worth rereading my note to 1 3 1td2! at this stage. I am struck
And White an nounced mate in three, beginning with 30 e81t+. 1-0. A crystal-dear demonst ration of Alekh ine's superla tive qualitit:s of vision, t:nergy and calculation.
Gold Medal - Gary Kasparov Kasparov-Belyavsky Game S, Candidates' match 1 983 Q GD Exchange Variation
I 2 3 4 S 6
d4 c4 ll:lc3 cd .igS e3
7
.ih4 .id3
dS e6
ll:lf6 ed .ie7 h6
Following Alekhine's advice, Belyavsky hastens to drive away the white queen's bishop, before playing . . . 0-0. 8
0-0
b6!? (207)
107 w
An interesting attempt to convert a pure E xchange Variation into a Tartakower, but one where Black no longer has the option of . . .
ll:lxd5, since the central pawn configuration has already been determined. 9 ll:lf3 9 ll:lge2 is also possible, of course. 9 10
.ib7
0-0
There is very lit tle point here in bold ideas such as 10 'tlt'c2, followed 0-0-0, since the straight forward . . . c5 followed by . . . ll:lc6 would cause White im mediate problems. In effect, Black has gained a defensive tempo by his early 6 . . . h6. This tempo is only of significance if White adopts methods of brute force, based on .ixf6, and then Wc2 plus h4. These now lack all punch, since Black's h-pawn would no longer be under a ttack on h7. 1n my introductory comments to t he Queen's Gambit Declined, Orthodox Exchange, and in the game Ru binstein-Teichmann, I show just how dangerous these brutal methods can be for B lack , if he has not availed himself of the requisite defensive tempo with . . . h6. 10
cS
Gary Kasparov 157
Or 1 0 . . . ll:le4 I I ..txe7 trxe7 1 2 ll:le5 l0d7 1 3 f4 l0 xe5 1 4 fe c 5 1 5 tre 1 ! %lad8 1 6 %ld 1 f6 1 7 ..txe4 de 1 8 ef %lxf6 1 9 %l xf6 11rxf6 20 de be 2 1 %lxd8+ 11fxd8 22 10a4! ;!: since Black's c-pawn is weak. Alter natively, 1 6 . . . 1!rg5 1 7 h4 1!rh5 18 ll:le2 ;t crowding Black's queen. 1 1 ll:leS ll:lbd7 In an earlier · game of t heir match, Belyavsky played t he incautious I I . . . ll:lc6 and had to suffer after the cle ver t actical blow 12 ..ta6! ( 1 2 ... ..txa6 13 ll:lxc6 ±). 1 2 ..trs r .,1, ,_ (L 11!1 ,
l�
.lOlJ
B
A n excellent square for t he bishop, one a lso visited by t h e k ing's bishops of R u binstein a nJ B otvi n n i k . I n this case it i m p roves on Kasparov-Belyavsky, 3rd match ga me, where 1 2 'ttf3 cd 1 3 ed lt:lxe5 1 4 de lt:ld7 lead nowhcn: for W h ite. White could also a i m for a pure Pillsbury Attack with 1 2 f4, when 1 2 . . . .!i:l xe5 1 3 fe ll:le4 1 4 .i x e 7 trxe7 1 5 'iWe I transposes into my comment to 1 0 . . c5.
.
lt:lxeS 12 If 1 2 . . . cd 1 3 ll:lxd7 10xd7 1 4 .ixe7 11rxe7 1 5 't!Pxd4 ± with a positional grip on the dark squares; 1 2 . . . Ji[e8, however, is t he most flexible course. 13 de li:le8 If 1 3 . ll:le4 1 4 ll:lxe5! ±±, a trick worth noti ng. lt:lc7 14 ..tg3 IS 1t'g4 'fte8
..
.id7 :ladl
16
17
(209)
1Wd8
)
White has constructed a position full of potential explosive energy. Bt:lyavsky now t ries to knock his opponent off-course with a king side demonstration, but the weaken i ng of the pawn cover around Black's king which it involves permits a spectacular attack to u n told.
17 18
hS
.
't!fh3 ..if4
h4
19 i. gs· Or 1 9 . . g 5 20 .if5 gf 2 1 'tig4+, a small taste of thi ngs to come.
158 Gary Kasparov
20 21
.us
�:6
o!Oe4! (210)
21 1 B
l/0 B
There is nothing wrong with lhe si mple retreat 21 .i.g4, which would have been the choice of 99o/o of the population. Kasparov's move is, however, vastly more pointed.
21 22
ef
.bf4 gf
Belyavsky decides to be sporting and accepts the sacrifice.
de
23
WxfS
24 25 26 27
Wg4+ �h 7 lithd8 litxd8 �8 t!hh4+ 't!fe7 (21 1)
Giving up his queen to stem the onslaught is the most sensible decision. If 23 ... li'le8 24 li'lg5 ±± or 23 . . . f6 24 Wg4+ 'it>h7 25 Wxh4+ 'it>g7 26 Wg4+ 'it>h7 27 litd3 ±±.
In spite of the terrrible exposure of his king, and White's golden horde of pawns, B lack, with rook and two pieces for the queen, can
certainly fight on. Here, for example, White must not rush in with 27 f5? because of 27 ... litd7! , when Whi te's best is 28 Wg5+ and perpetual.
e3
27
If 27 . . . litac8 28 f5 .ta6 29 e6 fe 30 f6 ±± and White immediately achieves his basic objective - to nail Black down with h is pawns.
28
litel
And not 28 Wxc7? e2 29 Wxb7 litd 1 30 Wxa8+ q;>g7 H. 28 ef+ The best chance is 28 . . . e2, though White still wins with 29 f3 litd 1 30 'l;>f2 .ta6 3 1 Wxc7 litad8 32 Wxa7 lit xe 1 3 3 ti'xa6 118d 1 34 f5 :±± . Black's choice deprives him of his e-pawn, the only real counterforce at his disposal. The game finished: 29 ¢'d2 litd2+ 30
lite2 libel+ 3 1 'it>xe2 .ia6+ 32 'it>f2 o!Oe6 33 rs lll d4 34 e6 :rs 35 WgS+ 'i!t>h7 36 e7 liteS 37 f6 llle 6 38 'W'hS+ �g8 1 -0. ( 39 Wg4+ �h7 40 Wa4 o!Oc7 4 1 Wd7 ±t).
Bibliography The following is a list of the major sou rces I have found helpful in writing OR W. The readc:r may find many of them useful in his own further studies. Kasparov & Keene Keene & Levy Larsen's section Ed. Matanovic Ed. Matanovic J . Wa tson Lam ford Cafferty & Hooper Barden, H artston, Keene Botvinnik & Estrin Grunfeld Defence Keene & Taulbut How to Play the Nimzo-lndian Benoni for the Tournament PlayerN u nn Modern Defence Keene & Botterill Classical Dutch Bellin Kasparov & Wade Fighting Chess Alekhine's Best Games 193/J-45 Alexander BotYinnik's Bes/ Games 1 947-70 Botvinnik Sergeant & Watts Pillsbury's Chess Career Petrosian 's Best Games Clarke Botsford Chess Openings (BCO) ORAP How to Open a Chess Game 5-Yolume ECO New in Chess 1970-81 Chigorin 's Defence Albin Countergambit A Complete Defence to J d4 King's Indian Defence
Batsford Batsford RHM Ba tsford Elsevier Ba tsford Batsford Pergamon Batsford RHM Batsford Batsford Batsford Batsford Ba tsford Bell/Tartan B atsford Printing Craft Bell/Hyman
