Technical Editor :
1 M Sergey Soloviov
Cover design by:
Kalojan Nachev
Translation by:
GM Evgeny Ermenkov
The publishers would like to thank Phil Adams for advice regarding the English translation.
Copyright © Vladimir Barsky 2010
Printed in Bulgaria by "Chess Stars" Ltd. - Sofia 1SBN13: 978-954-8782-79-1
Vladimir Barsky
A Universal Weapon
1.d4 d6
Chess Stars
Bibliography Opening for White Acc. to Kramnik l.ltJf3 vol. 3 by A.Khalifman, Chess Stars 200l. "An Explosive Chess Opening Repertoire for Black" by Jorni Yrjola's and Jussi Tella's, Gambit 2001. "l...d6 Universal" by Nigel Davies, DVD-box, 2004. Other CHES S STARS Books Repertoire books: Opening for White Acc. to Kramnik
l.ltJf3 by A. Khalifman
Volume la: Old Indian, rare lines in the Classical Variation, 2006 Volume lb: The Classical Variation, 2006 Volume 2: Anti-Nim-Ind, Anti-Queen's Indian, English, 2008 Volume 3: Maroczy, English (L.c5), Modern, Dutch Volume 4: Queen's Gambit Accepted, Slav, Semi-Slav Volume 5: Queen's Gambit Declined Opening for White According to Anand 1.e4 by A. Khalifman Volume 8: The Sicilian, Paulsen-Kan and rare lines, 2006 Volume 9: The Sicilian, Paulsen-Taimanov and other lines, 2007 Volume 10: The Sicilian, Sveshnikov, 2007 Volume 11; The Sicilian, Dragon, 2009 Volume 12: The Sicilian, Rauzer Attack, 2009 Volume 13: The Sicilian, English Attack, 2010 Opening for Black According to Karpov by Khalifman Current theory and practice series: An Expert's Guide to the 7.Bc4 Gruenfeld by Sakaev, 2006 The Sharpest Sicilian by Kiril Georgiev and At. Kolev, 2007 The Safest Sicilian by Delchev and Semkov, 2nd rev.ed. 2008 The Queen's Gambit Accepted by Sakaev and Semkov, 3rd. rey. ed., 2008 The Easiest Sicilian by Kolev and Nedev, 2008 The Petrosian System Against the QID by Beliavsky and Mikhalchishin, 2008 Kill KI.D. by Semko Semkov, 2009 The King's Indian. A Complete Black Repertoire by Victor Bologan, 2009 The Scotch Game for White by Vladimir Barsky, 2009 The Modern Philidor Defence by Vladimir Barsky, 2010 The Moscow & Anti-Moscow Variations by Alexey Dreev, 2010 Squeezing the Gambits by Kiril Georgiev, 2010 The French Defence. A Complete Black Repertoire by Nikita Vitiugov, 2010
More details at www. chess-stars.com 4
Contents
1.d4 d6 2.c4 e5 1
3.dxe5 Quick Repertoire Step by Step .
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Complete Games 2
3.g3j 3.b3j 3.e4j 3.e4 Quick Repertoire Step by Step .
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Complete Games 3
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Complete Games
Quick Repertoire Step by Step .
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Complete Games
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Complete Games 3.lt:lf3 e44.lt:lg5 Quick Repertoire Step by Step .
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Complete Games
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3.lt:lf3 e4 4.lt:lgl; 4.lt:lfd2 Quick Repertoire Step by Step .
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23
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10 12
30 32 46
3.d5 Quick Repertoire Step by Step
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52 54
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71
79 81 96
107 110 117
124 126 140
5
1.d4 d6 2.�f3 i.g4 7
Various wjo 3.tl�bd2, 3.e4 and 3.c4 Quick Repertoire Step by Step Complete Games .
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148 151 159
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163 166 174
3.e4 Quick Repertoire Step by Step .
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Complete Games 10
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3.lLlbd2 Quick Repertoire Step by Step Complete Games
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177 179 189
3.c4 Quick Repertoire Step by Step Complete Games .
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192 194 201
1.d4 d6 11
2.c3; 2.J.g5; 2.J.f4; 2.g3 Quick Repertoire Step by Step .
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Complete Games
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205 208 221
PREFACE
In this book, in the one volume, I have analyzed two original, and in fact quite distinct, opening schemes: 1.d4 d6 2.c4 e5 and 1.d4 d6 2.ttJf3 J.g4. They are encountered in practice quite frequentIy (there are more than a thousand games with each in the database), but strangely enough the first of these schemes does not have an established official name. The second variation has been referred to by various names sometimes the Tartakower-Wade system, or the Hodgson variation. Both systems can be characterized by White's first move, Black's re sponse, and the somewhat disdainful attitude shown towards them by the chess theoreticians. I believe that it is typical of both systems that Black is trying to bring about a highly concrete struggle, in which the opponent is forced to make important decisions on practically every move. It quickly becomes clear that White does not have a very wide range of plans that are re ally dangerous for Black. You should not infer from this last statement that I have found the "secret of eternal youth", or the panacea that will radically solve the problem of playing with the black pieces in chess. (Nevertheless, I hope that the book will make this problem easier to cope with ... ). The fact is that with l.d4 d6 Black "shortens his defensive perimeter" and reduces White's scope for surprising him with sorne original set-up. In order to try to obtain an advantage in the opening, White has to dig deeper rather than wider. Black should not remain idle however. In four to five of the most principled variations it should be enough for him to set up a solid defensive line and he will have a reliable defence, not only against l.d4, but also against l.ltJf3 and l.c4; for example: l.ltJf3 d6 2 .d4 �g4, or l.c4 d6 2.ltJf3 eS 3.d4 e4 etc. That is why this book has been entitled "A Universal Weapon". I should mention that in this monograph, after l.d4 d6, I have not dealt with the move 2 .e4 - then after 2 ... ltJf6 3.ltJc3 eS, we enter the realm of the contemporary Philidor Defence, to which my previous book was devoted. As an author I should be delighted if you read that book as well, but if the Pirc-Ufimtsev Defence is a part of your open ing repertoire then you can manage without the Modern Philidor De fence. So, the first six chapters of my book are devoted to the 1.d4 d6 2.c4 e5!? System. 7
The move 2 . eS is really very direct, since Black forces his opponent to clarify the situation in the centre immediately. White has numerous possibilities now. He can exchange on eS, advance his centre-pawn, protect it with another pawn or the knight, or ignore altogether the threat of capturing on d4. However, the point is that White has to make up his mind right at this moment and cannot postpone his decision even for one move. This is very different from the King's Indian De fence, for example, where White practically knows in advance Black's first five moves (ttJf6, g6, .ig7, d6, O-O) and the opposing forces might not come into direct conflict for sorne time. It is very interesting to consider how the game develops in the basic theoretical variation 3.iilf3 e4 4.iilg5 f5. ..
A critical situation has arisen right away. White will try to destroy his opponent's centre and exploit the weakening of his opponent's king, or else Black will manage to fortify his e4-pawn, complete the de velopment of his pieces and begin playing for a win thanks to his space advantage. There can be no compromise! 1 also want to mention that the endgame after 3.dxeS dxeS 4.\Wxd8+ 8
mxd8 should not be considered as an invitation to a draw. Except for the queens, aIl the pieces are still on the board, and Black has exceIlent chances of seizing the initiative if White plays imprecisely even for a momento In the l.d4 d6 2.tt:lf3 �g4 system (Chapters 7-10), the game gen eraIly develops quietly, as a positional struggle, with the emphasis on strategy.
Black intends to compromise his opponent's pawn-structure and obtain a non-standard po sitio n in which a less experienced opponent might easily go astray and make strategic errors. If White avoids the doubling of his pawns on f3, for example with 3.e4 or 3.ttJbd2 , then Black plays in the spirit of the "French Defence Deferred" (with a bish op on g4, instead of on c8): e7-e6, :li.e7, advancing later with d6-d5 and, in response to e4-eS, organizing the standard undermining pawn breaks c7-c5 and f7-f6. FinaIly, in the eleventh and last chapter of the book, we analyze various possibilities for White on his second move, among them sorne developing moves such as 2 .g3 and 2.:li.g5, as weIl as sorne other, some what bizarre, possibilities. I have tried to suggest the most resolute and concrete replies for Black against them. I hope that this "universal weapon" wiIl be a valuable addition to your opening repertoire, as it has become for many grandmasters, masters and even ordinary chess enthusiasts. In conclusion, I would like to express my sincere thanks to Intema tional Master Maria Fominykh and to the editor of this book Intema tional Master Sergey Soloviov, for their great help with this work.
Vladimir Barsky Moscow, December 2010 9
l.d4 d6 2.c4 e5
Chapter l
Quick Repertoire
It would be useful to com pare this endgame with the "Phi lidor type", arising after l.e4 d6 2.d4 ttJf6 3.ttJc3 e5 4.dxe5 dxe5 5.�xd8+ �xd8 (see my book "The Modern Philidor Defence").
We wiIl begin the analysis of this opening scheme with a the matic endgame (or rather a mid dlegame without queens), which Black cannot avoid. However, why should he avoid entering a quite comfortable and safe position?
3.dxe5 �xd8
10
dxe5
4.fbd8+
Black's king has lost castling rights in both cases. However, in the contemporary Philidor Defence White has many more chances of seizing the initiative in the opening. For example, he can play 6 .�c4 and he not only devel ops his bishop, but simultaneous ly attacks his opponent's f7-pawn. Yet even in that opening Black has his chances to hold the balance and graduaIly equalize. The end game to which we devote the first part of our book, is much more
l.d4 d6 2.c4 eS 3.dxeS dxeS 4. Wixd8+
5.tDc3 i.e6 Here Black can also play 5 .. . c6, since he can hardly manage without this prophylactic move, with which he restricts the enemy knight on c3 and frees the c7square for his king. Still, it is psy chologicaIly tempting to aUack a pawn as early as on move S !
6.b3 tDd7
campo White wiIl hardly be able to exploit this however, since the pawn-structure is symmetrical, without obvious defects, and both sides' pieces are practicaIly unde veloped. Black is perfectly capable of protecting his weak squares if necessary.
9 ...f6 He is not afraid of ghosts and places his pawn on f6 immedi ately. It is useful to cover the gS-square, restricting the enemy bishop and knight in the process.
1 0 .i.b2
11. 0 - 0 - 0 tDh6
7.g3 White is not playing this move to fiancheUo his bishop on g2. It would do nothing there, restricted by Black's pawn on c6. He wishes to develop it to h3 and exchange the light-squared bishops.
7 c6 8 . .ih3 .ixh3 9.tDxh3 •..
Black wiIl need to place a pawn on f6 sooner or later, supporting his central eS-pawn. There wiIl be only dark-squared bishops left on the board, so theoreticaIly we can diagnose a potential weak ness of the light squares in Black's
This position was tested dur ing the 'SOs and the '90s of last century and the evaluation was that Black's position was perfectly acceptable. 12JM2 i.e7 13.ghdl gad8 with an approximately equal game. 11
Chapter 1
l.d4 d6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 dxe5
Step by Step
advisable for White to weaken the important d4-outpost. He should play more prudently - 8.e3 O-O 9.lLld2 f5 10.�e2� with mutual chances, although I already prefer Black's position.) 8 ...ig4 9.�e2 O-O 1O.lLld5 hf3 1l.lLlxe7+ �xe7 12.hf3 a4 13.�c3 �d4 14.�c2 :¡Ud8::¡:, with an undoubted advan tage for him, Gogollok - Vatter, Oberwinden 2007.
4.Y«xd8+ In several games White avoid ed the exchange of queens and played for instance 4.�c2, but that move was dubious. After the exchange of the d-pawns, he has neither a lead in development nor a space advantage. Black's sim plest move seems to be 4 ... lLlc6. He develops his piece to an ex cellent position and is threatening knight-sorties on b4 and d4 with tempo at an opportune momento It would still be too early to say that Black may seize the initiative, but one or two careless moves by White may create serious difficul ties for him. See what happened in the following game: 5.lLlf3 �c5 6.a3 a5 7.lLlc3 lLlge7 8.e4 Ot is not 12
4
•••
�xd8
A) 5.g3 B) 5.ttJc3 It is rather dubious for White to play 5.f4?! He is trying to ex ploit his minimal lead in develop ment and disrupts radically his
1.d4 d6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 dxe5 4. 'fffxd8+ 'i!ixd8 5.g3 c6 pawn-structure in the process. AH this is hardly worth the effort. 5 ... tLlc6 6.tLlf3 id6 7.cS ixcS 8.fxeS ig4 9.�gS+ 'i!ic8 1O.tLlc3 h6 11.�f4 tLlge7+ Truskavetsky - Matjushin, Dnepropetrovsk 2005. The move S.e4?! does not seem convincing either, since it unnec essarily weakens the important d4-outpost. In the following game the English grandmaster Anthony Miles started the occupation of the dark squares immediately: 5 ... �b4+ (It is also good for Black to play more prudently S ... c6, for ex ample: 6.tLlc3 tLla6 7.�e3 tLlcS 8.f4 tLlf6 9.fxeS tLlfxe4 1O.tLlxe4 tLlxe4? Aguirretze - Strikovic, Monda riz 1994.) 6.�d2 ixd2+ 7.tLlxd2 �e6 8.tLlgf3 f6 9.�e2 tLld7 10.0-0 aS 11.b3 tLle7 12.!l:fd1 tLlc6 13.tLlf1 'i!ic8 (His king runs away from the open file and continues to protect the c7-pawn in the process, in case White plans the manoeuvre tLlf1-e3-dS.) 14.tLle3 tLlcS lS.tLld2 tLld4+ L.Grigorian - Miles, Adela ide 1991 (game 1). White has also tried in prac tice the move S.id2. He wishes to develop his dark-squared bishop to the long diagonal, avoiding the move b2-b3, which provides his opponent with a target for the pawn-break aS-a4. However, this plan is too slow and completely harrnless for Black, for example: S ...�e6 6.e3 tLld7 7.ic3 aS 8.tLlf3 f6 9.�e2 tLlh6 10.0-0 c6 1l.tLlbd2 'i!ic7 12.!l:fd1 tLlf7 13.a3 tLlcS 14.tLle1 ie7+ He has deployed his light
pieces harmoniously and his posi tion is already preferable, Fulop Gulko, Yucatan 1999. S.tLlf3 f6 6.e3 - This move is too cautious; (after the seemingly more aggressive attempt - 6.e4, the d4-outpost may become a cause of trouble for White in the future: 6 ...�cS 7.a3 aS 8.tLlc3 �e6 9.tLla4 �a7 1O.�d2 tLle7 11.�e2 tLlbc6 12.0-0 tLld4 13.tLlxd4 hd4 14.tLlc3 c6+ Petkova - Rausis, Athens 1993 - game 2; it is bet ter for him to play 6.tLlc3 ie6 - see S.tLlc3 �e6 6.tLlf3 f6) 6 ... tLla6 7.�e2. Now Black can be gin an immediate diversion on the queenside: 7 ... tLlb4 !? 8.tLla3 c6 9.0-0 'i!ic7 1O.e4 tLla6 11.ie3 (It was sensible for White to re move his knight from a3 in order to impede Black's attempts to unbalance the position.) 11 ...�g4 12.!l:ac1 ha3 !? 13.bxa3 b6 14.cS? ! tLlxcS lS.ixcs bxcS 16. !l:xcS tLle7 17.!l:fc1 ixf3 18.�xf3 !l:hd8+ Pena Cabrera - Azmaiparashvili, New York 1997.
A) 5.g3
13
Chapter 1 The development of White's light-squared bishop to the long diagonal would not bring him any dividends, since Black can coun ter this with the immediate move
5
..•
c6
building a barrier on this di agonal. In general, the move c7-c6 is an integral part of Black's plan. He must cover the d5-square and ensure the comfortable c7-square for his king.
ttJc5, attacking the b3-pawn. He wiIl then have nothing to com plain about. He wiIl place his king's rook on d8 and his knight on f7, after which he wiIl have at least equal chances.
Al) 6.i.g2 a5 After this pawn-advance, Black's rook on a8 and his bishop on f8 wiIl participate actively in the game without having made a single move yet.
7.ttJf3 f6 8.tiJc3
Al) 6.J.g2 A2) 6.J.h3 White cannot harm his op ponent in any way with the Hne: 6.ttJf3 f6 7.�g2 �e6 (7... a5 - see variation Al) 8.b3 cJ;:;c7 9.0-0 ttJd7 1O.�b2, Dukaczewski - Ilic, Belgrade 2010, and here, instead of the overly optimistic move 10 ... g5 , Black should complete his de velopment according to the stand ard scheme: 1O ... ttJh6 1l.ttJc3 a5 12J:Udl �b4, provoking White to play a2-a3. After this, Black wiIl retreat his bishop to e7 and play 14
8
•••
a4
Black is trying to seize the initiative (not without reason, though... ) by seizing space on the queenside, and he plans to attack his opponent's c4-pawn, which cannot easily be protected without the move b2-b3. No doubt White has not done anything wrong yet, so he should not be worse, but it is quite obvious that Black has solved all his opening problems.
9.i.e3 i.e6 1 0 .tiJd2 i.b4 Black is threatening a4-a3. It is also useful for him to provoke
l.d4 d6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 dxe5 4. Wffxd8+ �xd8 5.g3 c6 White into playing a2-a3 and at sorne moment Black can even con sider the possibility of doubling his opponent's pawns on c3.
lUkl ¿¿¡d7 12. 0 - 0
squares - adding to the pawn on e5 another one on the f6-square. Still, in the words of a popular cartoon film, "We will live through this ... . "
6 .. ¿¿¡d7 .
Black can hardly avoid the ex change of the light-squared bish ops, so he wishes to do this under the most favourable circumstanc es, first activating the rest of his pieces.
7.¿¿¡f3
1 2... ¿¿¡e7+± with a double edged position, Stierle - V.Geor giev, Bad Woerishofen 2 003 (game 3). A2) 6 .th3 !? .
White cannot achieve much with 7.ltlc3 f6 8.f4, since he does not have sufficient resources to break in the centre and attack the enemy king effectively. For exam pIe: 8 ...�e7 9.�d2 exf4 1O.gxf4 ltlc5 11. 0-0-0 �e8 12 ..txc8 �xc8 13.ltlf3 ltlh6 14.�hg1 �f7 15.�e3 �he8� Spacek - Hausner, Prague 1978.
7 .f6 8 . 0 - 0
This is the idea behind the move g2-g3. In principIe, the ex change of the light-squared bish ops is favourable for White, since sooner or later Black wiIl have to deploy his central pawns on dark
9 ... a5 Black ensures the c5-square for his knight. Meanwhile, he is still playing "obligatory" pro gramme moves (king on c7, one 15
Chapter 1 of the knights on c5, the other one on f5 eyeing the d4-square) and his moves do not require any strenuous brain work.
come to a position in which White wiIl end up with a weak isolated pawn on e4. 6.e4
1 0 .ttle3 ttle5 U.heS �xeS 12.b3 ttle7 13.�bl ttlf5� with mutual chances, Flores - Solak, Internet 2003.
B) 5.ttle3 i.e6
Bl) 6.ttlf3 B2) 6.b3 White can prepare quick queenside castling, but it is not so clear how he should folow this up: 6.e3 c6 7..id2 (7.ttlf3 f6 - see 6.ttlf3 f6 7.e3 c6) 7... ttld7 8.0-0-0 (8.ttlf3 f6 - see 6.ttlf3 f6 7.e3 c6 8 ..id2 ttld7) 8 ...�c7 9.f4, Shish kov - Neff, Estonia 1996 (White is obviously trying for too much out of this position; it would be better to play 9.tLlf3, but we have already mentioned that this plan, including the development of the knight to f3, wiIl be analyzed sep arately.) 9 ... tLlgf6 1O.e4 g6 n.tLlf3 tLlg4 12J"!e1 .id6+ - It wiIl finaIly 16
We have already comment ed on the consequences of this move and it aIl applies here as weIl. There are insufficient tacti cal possibilities to compensate for the gaping hole on d4 and White should refrain from this pawn-advance. Still, if he plays energeticaIly and precisely, he can maintain the balance: 6 ... tLld7 7.f4 (7.ie3 .ib4 8.�d2 tLlgf6 9.f3 a5 1O.�c2 .ic5 n.hc5 tLlxc5 12J"!d1+ tLlfd7 13.g3 c6 14.f4 f6 15 ..ie2 !'le8� Black cannot occupy the d4-square yet, so the position remains approximately equal, Trachtmann - Mokry, Germany 1993.) 7... exf4 8.M4 ib4
l.d4 d6 2.c4 eS 3.dxeS dxeS 4. V9xd8+ �xd8 5. CiJc3 .ii.e6 and now: 9.CiJf3?! CiJgf6 1O.CiJgS (It is difficult to give White any good advice here. It would hardly be satisfactory for him to opt for 1O.i.d3 .bc3+ n.bxc3 CiJcS 12. 0-0-0 �c8 13.Éihel CiJxd3+ 14. Éixd3 .bc4 15. Éid2 Éie8::¡: Gross Benjamin, Hawaii 1998.) 1O ... Éie8 11.0-0-0 hc3 12.bxc3 h6 13.eS CiJg4 14.CiJe4 �c8::¡: White volun tarily created an isolated pawn in his Own camp and now he can no longer protect it, LZakharov Efanov, Cheliabinsk 2006; 9.i.d2 CiJgf6 10.CiJf3 Éie8 n. 0-0-0 CiJg4 12 .CiJbS hd2+ 13. Éixd2 a6 14.CiJc3 �c8 IS.b3 c6 16.i.e2 �c'ñ' - Black's position is more attractive, but he may not have sufficient resources to break his opponent's defence, Smolich - Varnavski, Minsk 20 09.
should not create a permanent hole on d4 in his position. The advantages of this move are not at all evident.
7... .!Lld7
Bl) 6 .!Llf3 •
White wins a tempo by attack ing the enemy pawn, but he no longer has the possible manoeu vre g2-g3 and .ii.f1-h3. Meanwhile, the move f7-f6 is almost always useful for Black.
6 ...f6 (diagram)
Bla) 7.e4 Blh) 7.e3 7.b3 CiJd7 - see 6.b3 CiJd7 7.CiJf3 f6.
Bla) 7.e4 This move was played by sorne very strong players, but White
8 ..te3 If he plays 8.a3, not allowing his opponent to play i.b4, then Black can continue with his devel opment in a standard fashion: 8 ... aS 9.i.e3 CiJh6 1O.h3 CiJf7 11..te2 i.cS (eyeing the d4-outpost) 12. .beS CiJxcS 13.0-0-0+ �e7 14. CiJd2 c6 15. �c2 a4+ Guerra - Ko gan, Odivelas 2000. After the modest move 8 ..ii.d 2, White can avoid the exchange of his bishop, but it wiIl not be active 17
Chapter 1 there. Black wiIl have no open ing problems then, for example: 8 ...c6 9.a3 a5 1O.i.e2 a4 11.i.e3 (White has decided to transfer his bishop to a more active posi tion, but Black is well prepared to counter this.) ll ...�c5 12 .hc5 tLlxc5 13J'!d1+ cJ;]c7 14.0-0 tLlh6 15.tLld2 l"lhd8+ Alonso Gonzalez Torres, Cambados 2 005 After 8.i.e2 �b4 9.0-0, Black can double his opponent's pawns and begin exploiting the defects of his pawn-structure: 9 ...hc3 1O.bxc3 tLle7 ll.l"ld1 cJ;]e8 12.l"lb1 b6 13.ia3 cJ;]f7 14.tLle1 l"lhd8? Serralta - Chatalbashev, Plancoet 2004.
8 ....ib4 9 . 0 - 0 - 0 9.l"lc1 a 5 1O.a3 .tc5 ll.hc5 tLlxc5 12 ..te2 a4 13.0-0 tLle7 14. tLle1 tLlc6. Black has resisted the temptation to play c7-c6 (This move is ofien played almost au tomaticaIly... ) and has preserved the c6-square for his knight. From there, it can go later to d4, or to b3 vía a5. 15.tLlc2 cJ;]c8 16.l"lcd1 b6't Piankov - Dorfman, France 1995.
9
•••
1l .ie7 ••.
NaturaIly, it is not advísable for Black to exchange his bishop for the enemy knight and the move ll ...ic5? would not work because of 12 .l"lxd7+. His bishop is weIl placed on e7 and it does not impede his knight, since he has other plans for its fu ture.
12.ttJa4 g5 13.ttJd2 ttJh6 This is a standard route for Black's king's knight - to the f7square vía h6.
14.f3 If White plays carelessly, then Black's knight may go to g4 as weIl.
14 .tbf7 15.e5 b5 16.cxb6+ axb6 17.ttJe3 b5? H.Santos ••
Paunovíc, Figueira da Foz 2008
(game 4). Blb) 7.e3 e6
e6 1 0 .cJ;]e2 cJ;]e7 11.a3
8.�d2 White's rather timid plan, in cluding castling short, would still maintain control over the situa tion, but he has no chances then 18
l.d4 d6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 dxe5 4.'�xd8+ r;f]xd8 5JiJc3 ie6 of fighting for the advantage: 8. ie2 lLld7 9.0-0 r;f]e7 1O.Éld1 lLlh6 (this is the weH familiar route to the f7-square) 11.b3 aS 12.lLla4 liJf7 13.ib2 lLleS 14.liJxeS .beS 15. liJd2 ifS 16.a3 Élhd8 17.ie3 ie7 18.b4 axb4 19.axb4 b6f:±Vojinovie - Vaulin, Nis 1993.
8
•••
lLld7
9 .ie2 .
9.Élg1 hS (This is a quite natu ral reaetion against White's diver sion on the flank. It is also good for Blaek to opt for 9 ... liJh6 1O.h3 liJf7 1l.g4 r;f]e7 12. 0-0-0 aS 13. lLle4 lLld6 14.liJxd6 hd6 and the opponents agreed to a draw in the game Kalantarian - A.Minasian, Yerevan 1994.) 10.0-0-0 r;f]e7 11. lLle4 aS 12 .ie3 lLlh6 13.ie2 lLlf7 14.h4 (lt is obvious that White is afraid of hS-h4 foHowed by ie7 and g7-gS and Blaek's pawn-of fensive on the kingside may turn out to be very unpleasant.) 14 ... ie7 lS.b3 lLlh6 16.Éld2 lLlg4 17. Élgd1 liJeS 18.liJxeS heS'!' Anton sen - Hillarp Persson, Denmark 2 009.
9 .0-0-0 r;f]e7 1O.Élg1 (The een tralization of White's knight by 1O.lLle4 would only provoke sim plifieation: 1O ...lLleS 1l.lLlxeS heS 12 .ie3 lLlh6 13.h3 liJf7 14.id3 aS lS.b3 lLld6 16.lLld2 ib4 17.r;f]b2 Élad8, draw, Miton - Czerwonski, Koszalin 1998.) and here after 1O ... hS (Under the cireumstanees, Blaek can still play 1O ... lLlh6 with sueeess, for example: 1l.h3 lLlf7 12 .g4 Éld8 13.b3 ie7 14.r;f]e2 lLld6 lS.ie1 liJe8 16.ie2 Éldf8°o Dieu Sanduleae, Avoine 2 008.) 1l.liJe4 aS and there arises the position from the game Antonsen - Hillarp Persson, which we have already analyzed above. Here is one relatively reeent game, in which Blaek sueeeeded in realizing almost aH the basic ideas of this variation: 9.lLle4 aS 1O.Élg1 liJh6 11.h3 lLlf7 12 .ie3 r;f]e7 13.g4 ib4 14.liJfd2 lLld6 1S.Éle1 if7 16.lLlxd6 r;f]xd6 17..id3 ig6 18.ifS lLleS and he soon seized the initia tive, Perdomo - Felgaer, Sao Pau lo 2 009.
9
...
a5 1 0 . 0 - 0 lLle7
19
Chapter 1 After White has castled short, Black is not afraid of the pawn offensive g2-g4-gS and he decides not to go to the f7-square with his king's knight, but to transfer it to the queenside with the idea of breaking his opponent's pawn structure there.
ll.gfdl lLlc8 12.lLla4
gerous for Black however, for example: 7... c6 8.e3 (8.g3 f6 see 7.g3 c6 8 ..tb2 f6; 8.0-0-0!? r:J;;c7 9.e3 f6 1O ..td3 aS 11..tc2 lLle7 12.lLlge2 lLlc8 - this is an interest ing manoeuvre of his knight. It goes to b6 in order to support the pawn-break aS-a4 - 13. r:J;;b 1 lLlcb6 14.lLlg3 a4 lS..tfS hfS+ 16.lLlxfS g6 17.lLlg3 fS 18.lLlge2 .tb4+! D. Ponomarev - A.Moskalenko, Da gomys 2 006) 8 .. .f6
14.lLlxb6 lLlxb6 15.gacl .ie7 16 . .iel lLld7 Black has failed to provoke the move c4-c5 and he begins a re grouping of his forces.
17.lLld2 lLlc5 18.lLlbl lLlb3 19. gc3 a4 + Battaglini - Sakaev, Sto Petersburg 2009 (game 5).
B2) 6.b3 lLld7
7.g3 It seems logical for White to fianchetto his other bishop first - 7..tb2 and consider the future of his light-squared bishop only latero This plan is not at all dan20
9 ..td3 (At least, it looks a bit strange for White to continue with the line 9.g3 r:J;;c7 1O ..th3 - he has played e3 and g4 and now he trades the light-squared bishops - 1O ... hh3 11.lLlxh3 hS 12.f3 lLlh6 13.lLlf2 lLlfS 14.r:J;;e 2 aS lS.lLlfe4 .te7 16.:1l:ad1 !l:hd8+! T.Balogh - Bauer, Zagan 1997.) 9 ... lLlh6 1O.lLlge2 r:J;;c7 11. O-O aS 12.lLla4 lLlcS 13.lLlxcS hcS 14.lLlc3 !l:ad8 lS.!l:fd1 .tg4 16 ..te2 he2 17.lLlxe2 a4+! Bregadze - Gagu nashvili, Tbilisi 2 009. 7.lLlf3 f6 8..ib2 (The somewhat enigmatic move 8.!l:gl enables Black to equalize easily after 8 ... .tb4 9 ..td2 lLlh6 - he develops his pieces and in the process prevents
l.d4 d6 2.c4 eS 3.dxe5 dxeS 4. Wffxd8+
7...c6 8.ih3 Instead, 8 ..tb2 f6 9.ih3 hh3 1O.liJxh3
8 ...hh3 9.c!iJxh3
mately equal. The pawn-structure is symmetrical and there are no long-term weaknesses. The de velopment of both sides' pieces is comparable and rather slow.
9 ...f6 It is useful for Black to take the g5-square under control, restrict ing both his opponent's bishop and knight. Still, he can also play the move h7-h6 with the same purpose, preserving the f6-square for his knight: 9 ...h6 10.f3 (10. ib2 liJgf6 l1.f3 .tc5 12.liJf2 ge8 13.liJfe4 liJxe4 14.liJxe4 ib4+ 15. .tc3 .txc3+ 16.liJxc3
1 0 .ib2 1O.f3 h5 11.liJf2 .tb4 12.id2 a5 13.liJd3 ie7 14.e3
10 ...
11. 0 - 0 - 0 c!iJh6 (diagram)
12J:�d2
The prospects of both sides in the coming battle are approxi-
White should not try anything too risky. For example, it is not good for him to choose 1 2.f4? be cause of 12 ... liJg4! and his numer21
Chapter 1 ing more energetically: 12 . . .tt'lc5!? 13.f3 tt'lf5 14.tt'le4?! (White did not need to disrupt his pawn-struc ture in this fashion. It was betler for him to continue with 14.tt'lf2, with approximate equality.) 14 ... tt'lxe4 15.fxe4 tt'ld6 16.tt'lf2 tt'lf7 17. E:hd1 :gd8 18.E:xd8 tt'lxd8 19.e3 tt'le6+ Mikhalevski - Avrukh, Ra mat Aviv 1998. ous self-inflicted weaknesses will become a telling factor for the fu ture. For example: 13.fxe5 tt'ldxe5 14.tt'le4 :ge8 15.:gd4 c5! 16.:gd2 tt'lxc4 17.tt'lxf6 gxf6 18.bxc4 �h6 19.tt'lf4 tt'le3 20.E:d3 E:hf8-+ Bai kov - Lukin, Leningrad 1985. Here are two more practical examples: 12.e4 �e7 13.f4 E:he8 14.f5 tt'lg4 15.'itid2 a6 16.'itie2 b5 17.tt'lb1 bxc4, draw, Oral - Neuman, Olomouc 1995. 12 .f3 tt'lf5 13.tt'lf2 �b4 14.tt'ld3 a5 15.'itib1 tt'le3 16.E:d2 �e7 17.tt'le1 tt'lc5 18.tt'lc2 tt'lxc2 19.'itixc2 a4 20. E:hd1 axb3+ 21.axb3 E:hd8 22. :gxd8 hd8= Amura - Tal, Bue nos Aires 1991.
12
.i.e7
.••
Black could also consider play-
22
13.ghd1 The fight did not continue for long in the following game: 13.tt'le4 E:he8 14.e3, draw, Dovzik - APanchenko, Cseppko 2002.
13 gad8 14.tLle4 tLle5 15. gxd8 l!xd8 16.gxd8 'itixd8 .••
-
the endgame is approximately equal, Sanchis - Radulov, Ma romme 1994.
Chapter 1
l.d4 d6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 dxe5 4J�'xd8+ �xd8
Complete Games
Miles
2 0 .1t>f2 �ad7 21.lt>el h5 22. c!lJe2 h4
1.d4 d6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 dxe5 4.'@xdS+ It>xdS 5.e4 J.b4+ 6. .id2 hd2+ 7.c!lJxd2 .ie6 S. c!lJgf3 f6 9 .ie2 c!lJd7 1 0 . 0 - 0 a5 1l.b3 c!lJe7 12J;fdl c!lJc6 13.c!lJfl It>cS 14.c!lJe3 c!lJc5 15.c!lJd2 c!lJd4
He is ready to exchange his beautiful knight, but only on the d4-square, sinee after that he will have a powerful passed pawn.
1
L.Grigorian Adelaide 1991
•
Black has occupied the vulner able dark squares in the centre of the board with his knights, but White's position remains very sol id and will not crumble by itself. Miles brings his last reserves into the battle and seeks a weak point to break through.
23.1t>f2 It>c7 24.�acllt>b7 Black's king has made a trian gle - c8-c7-b7. Naturally, the el ement of zugzwang is completely absent. Miles obviously did not like the juxtaposition of his king with the enemy rook along the e-file (White might have the idea of liJe3-d5+ at an opportune mo ment. . . ) and he withdrew his king to a safer position. The loss of tempo evidently did not bother him, since White could not do much anyway.
25.c!lJc3 .if7 26.J.e2 .ih5 27. �bl c!lJce6
16 .ifl c6 17.t3 �dS lS.c!lJbl b6 19.c!lJc3 �a7 •
Under the cover of his knight on d4, Black is preparing to dou ble his rooks along the d-file. 23
Chapter 1 The only plan to win this posi tion was probably connected with advancing the kingside pawns, but then the position would become much sharper and White could obtain counter chances. Miles postpones this plan and makes a diversion on the kingside, which suddenly brings him success.
3S.llJd2
2S.g3?! White allows his opponent to fulfil his plan; he parries the im mediate threat of ttJf4 but he com pro mises his kingside consider ably. He should simply retreat his bishop - 28 ..tf1 �c7 (28 ... ltJf4 29.b4 !) 29.a3, trying to create sorne counterplay on the queen side.
2S ...hxg3+ 29.hxg3 llJg5! 3 0 .g4 This is the only move, but now, after the opening of the h-file, the transfer of Black's knight to the f4-square becomes a very power fuI threat. 3 O .ig6 3U�hl llJge6 32.
Another mistake, but White's position was already very bad an yway. For example: 38 ..ie2 ttJd3+ 39.�f1 ttJc1, or 38.�f2 Eld4 39J;,¡h8 ltJxf3 !
3 S gxd2! 39.�xd2 llJxf3+. .•.
White resigned.
2
Petkova
Rausis
Athens 1993
l.d4 d6 2.e4 e5 3.dxe5 dxe5 4. ªxdS+ �xdS 5.llJf3 f6 6.e4 .ie5 7.a3 a5 S.llJc3 .ie6 9.llJa4 .ia7 1 0 ..id2 llJe7 1l ..ie2 llJbe6 12. 0 - 0 llJd4 13.llJxd4 .ixd4 14.llJe3 e6
..•
gbdl llJf4 33 ..tf1 llJde6 34. gxd7+ gxd7 35.llJbl It was better for White to de fend with 35. �g3, to be able to counter 35 ... l:'ld2 with 36.!'lh2, with chances of holding the posi tion.
35 �el?
•••
gdS 36.gh2 �e7 37.
This is the decisive mistake. After 37.�g3 White may still save the day.
37... llJg5 24
Black managed to occupy the central d4-square in this game as well. This time he did it with his bishop rather than his knight, but
l.d4 d6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 dxe5 4. Wixd8+ ¿;;xd8 it was still quite effective. Once again, White's position is quite solid and not easy to break.
lS.gfd1 ¿;;e7 16.gae1 ghd8 17.b4 He should stop marking time and create quite real counterplay on the left side of the board.
17 axb4 18.axb4 gd7 19. .te1 ¿;;d8 2 O .ga1 gxa1 21.gxa1 lLle8 22.eS ¿;;e7 23.h3 •••
It was obviously stronger to play 23J''la 8, not allowing the op ponent to accomplish the pawn break b7-b6, and maintaining ap proximate equality.
:!'1:xe6 :!'1:c7 31.idl, maintaining a defensible position.
29 .ixb6 3 0 ..te3 J.t7 31. ga4 ge7 32.¿;;f1 J.d4 33 .td2 geS 34.gb4 ¿;;b6 3S.J.e1 gxbS 36.gxbS+ 'i!;>xbS •.•
•
Not only has Black won a pawn, he has also concentrated all his forces to support the advance of his passed pawn.
37.'i!;>e1 'i!;>b4 38.f3 e3 39.'i!;>d1 i.b3+ 4 O.'i!;>e1 i.e4 Now White must give up his bishop for the enemy passed pawn, so he resigned.
23 ¿;;b8 24.ga3 b6 2S.cxb6 lLlxb6
3
Black is again better, because his king takes an active part in the battle and his forces outnumber White's on the queenside.
l.d4 d6 2.e4 eS 3.dxeS dxeS 4Jbd8+ 'i!;>xd8 S.g3 e6 6 ..tg2 aS 7.lLlf3 f6 8.lLle3 a4 9.i.e3 i.e6 1 0 .lLld2 i.b4 ll.ge1 lLld7 12. O - O lLle7
••.
26.ga6 ¿;;b7 27.bS?!
Stierle
V.Georgiev
Bad Woerishofen 2 003
This is a dubious decision, be cause Black will attack this pawn much more easily on the fifth rank.
27 eS 28.lLla4 e4 .••
13.f3 White is restricting his own light-squared bishop. He should have played 13 . .te4 instead.
13 29.lLlxb6?! White should play here 29. .tb4 and if 29 ... lLlxa4 then 30.
.••
'i!;>e7 14.a3
This is another poor decision, since now White's queenside pawn-structure loses its flex25
Chapter 1 ibility. Little by little, thanks to such trifles, Black obtains a quite meaningful advantage.
14 .iaS 1S.lUd1 ghd8 16. tDce4 tDf5 17.i.f2 tDd4 18 . .if1 bd2!? •.•
After this surprising exchange, Black occupies the cS-square. Maybe it was even stronger for him to play 18 . .f5 19.'Llc3 'LlcS with the same purpose. .
19.tDxd2 tDcS
It was more resilient for White to defend with 22.'Llb1 gad8 23. E1xd7+ gxd7 24.gc2. Now his bishop is isolated from the actions forever.
22 ... gxd1 23.gxd1 tDxe4 24. fxe4 @b6 Black is preparing to gobble the enemy c4-pawn.
2S.@f2 White would not achieve any thing with 2S.E1d6 E1e8 and after 26 ... @cS, his rook wiH have to re treat.
2S ... @cS 26.gc1
2 0 .bd4 It is understandable that White complied with this ex change reluctantly, but what can we advise him to do instead? The foHowing variation shows that the enemy penetration to the b3square simply cannot be ignored: 20J'k3 'Lldb3 21..ie1 b6! (protect ing the knight on eS; after 21...E1d7 22. 'Llxb3! 'Llxb3 23.E1xd7 + @xd7 White solves aH his problems with the move 24.@f2) 2 2 .@f2 e4!? 23.f4 E1d6 - his position is very unpleasant and it is inconceivable how he can get rid of the pin along the d-file. 2 O ... gxd4 21.e3 !;d7 22.
tDe4? 26
26 ... gd8 AH the positional pluses are in Black's hands. His pieces are ac tive and he dominates the open file. Still, as the classics asserted, just one weakness (the c4-pawn) may not be sufficient to win the game, therefore Black must cre ate another weakness for his op ponent, if possible at a greater distance. Accordingly, this should mean the kingside.
27.'it>e1 .if7 28.gc3 hS! 29. i.d3 White wishes to attack the en emy a4-pawn with his bishop, but
1.d4 d6 2.c4 eS 3.dxe5 dxe5 4. �xd8+ c;t;xd8 it does not even come to this.
29
•••
Possibly, the least of the evils for him was 30.g4, trying to keep the position closed.
30
4
H.Santos
h4! 3 0 . c;t;f2
•.•
hxg3+ 31.hxg3 .lh5
Now Black's pieces use the hole on the kingside (the second weakness) in order to penetrate quietly into his opponent's campo
Paunovie
Figueira da Foz 2008
1.d4 d6 2.e4 e5 3.dxe5 dxe5 4.Ybd8+ c;!;>xd8 5.llJf3 f6 6.llJe3 .le6 7.e4 llJd7 8 .le3 .lb4 9. 0 - 0 - 0 e6 1 0 . c;!;>e2 c;!;>e7 11. a3 .ie7 12.llJa4 g5 13.llJd2 llJh6 14.f3 llJt7 15.e5 b5 16.cxb6+ axb6 17.llJc3 b5 •
32.c;!;>g 2 White cannot let the enemy rook attack from behind: 32.�c2 gd2+ 33.c;t;el gh2 and his position is a disaster.
32 .if3
••.
.idl 33.c;t;f2 g5 34.c;t;e1
18 . .le2 Black's pieces are more ac tive on the queenside, so later he can develop his initiative there. Therefore, White had to begin immediate action on the other side of the board: 18.h4 g4 19.ie2 with mutual chances.
35.b4+ He is evidently fed up with doing nothing, but this attempt at activity only speeds up his de mise. However, White's position was already very bad in any case, for example: 35.ic2 ga8 36.c;t;f2 g4 37.c;t;el l':\h8 etc.
18 ....le5 Black uses the opportune moment to exchange the dark squared bishops.
19.he5 llJxe5 2 0 . 13a1 13hd8 21.llJa2?
35 axb3 36J�xb3 b6 37. c;t;f2 .id1 38. 13e3 13h8 39. c;!;>g2 g4 4 0 ..ie2 .lf3+ 41. c;t;f2 13h2+ 42.c;t;f1 13h1+ 43.c;t;f2 13e1
White does not have the time for such abstract manoeu vres. Instead he had to play 21.l':\adl c;t;b6 22.h4, creating counterplay on the kingside.
In anticipation of 44. . .he4, White resigned.
21 13ad1
.••
•.•
13d4 22.llJb4 13ad8 23.
27
Chapter 1 tt:\cb6 14.tt:\xb6 tt:\xb6 15.�ac1 iLe7 16.iLe1 tt:\d7 17.tt:\d2 tt:\c5 18.tt:\b1 tt:\b3 19.�c3 a4
23
•.•
f5!
Black breaks his opponent's centre with a series of blows.
24J�he1 g4 25 .ifl tt:\g5 26. h4 gxh3 27.gxh3 •
2 0 .f3 .if5 21.tt:\d2 tt:\c5 22. .if2 iLg6 23.e4 .if7 24.tt:\b1 �hd8 25.�d8 �xd8 26 .b:c5? •
This is a positional mistake. White should on no account part with his dark-squared bishop.
26 ....b:c5+ 27.'it>fl 'it>b6 28. �c2 iLd4 29.tt:\d2 .ic5 Black is not in a hurry. He can afford to play preparatory consol idating moves without revealing his further intentions.
27 tt:\xf3! .•.
This is simple, but still very beautiful.
28.tt:\d5+ Or 28.lLJxf3 ib3 + .
28 .b:d5 29.exd5 tt:\xe1 + 3 0 .�xe1 �4xd5. White re •••
signed.
3 0 .tt:\b1 g6 31.tt:\c3 �a8 32. iLd3 iLd4 33.tt:\b1 h5 34.tt:\d2 i.c5 35.h3 i.e6 36.g4 White in fact helps his oppo nent by voluntarily advancing his pawns and placing them on the same squares as his bishop.
36 'it>c7 37.tt:\b1 'it>b6 38. tt:\c3 iLd4 39.tt:\b1 'it>c5 •••
5
Battaglini
Sakaev
Sto Petersburg 2009
1.d4 d6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 dxe5 4.tbd8+ 'it>xd8 5.tt:\c3 .ie6 6.tt:\f3 f6 7.e3 tt:\d7 8 ..ie2 c6 9 .id2 a5 1 0 . 0 - 0 tt:\e7 11. �fd1 tt:\c8 12.tt:\a4 'it>c7 13.a3 •
28
Black improves the position of his pieces to the maximum.
4 0 .tt:\d2 .ie3 41.tt:\b1 �d8 42.'it>e2 .if4 43.tt:\c3 Naturally, White's position is probably beyond salvation any way, but now he loses immediate-
1.d4 d6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 dxe5 4.f1xd8+ cj;;xd8 ly, and quite beautifully at that.
White defended betler but still failed to equalize: 2U'le2 §ah8 22.�c3 .bc3 23. cj;;xc3 §h1 24J:'lxh1 1:'lxh1 25.�g2 §c1+ 26.cj;;b 2 §g1+ Kosikov - Pavlov, Kiev 2005.
21
.•.
tLlg5!
Black wins at least a pawn af ter this aggressive knight-sortie.
22 ..tg2 hg4 23.f4 exf4 24. exf4 .tf5+ 43
.••
gxd3! White resigned.
6 Kveinys - Azmaiparashvili Tallinn 1988
1.d4 d6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 dxe5 4.tyxd8+ 'i!?xd8 5.tLlc3 i.e6 6.tLlf3 f6 7.e3 c6 8.b3 a5 9 .tb2 tLlh6 10 .h3 tLld7 11. 0 - 0 - 0 'i!?c7 12.g4 tLlf7 13.gg1 tLlc5 14.tLld2 a4 15.'i!?c2 h5 16.tLlde4 hxg4 17.hxg4 gh2 18.gd2 axb3+ 19.axb3 tLlxe4 2 O .tLlxe4 .tb4 •
He could have finished his op ponent off immediately with 24 ... lLle6! 25.�e4 lLld4+. However, this game was played in rapid chess (in the USSR Cup) and Black did not have enough time to calculate everything to the end.
25.'i!?cl tLle6 It was again stronger for Black to play here 25...�c5 26.§e1 lLle6 27.�e4 1:'lxd2 28.cj;;xd2 §d8+ 29. cj;;c 1 �g4. However, what he played in the game proved to be sufficient as well. 26.i.e4 gxd2 27 .txt'5 hc3 •
28.hc3 ge2 29.he6 gxe6 3 0 .gxg7+ 'i!?b6
21.tLlc3 The same variation was epeat ed almost twenty years later (probably through ignorance ...). In the diagrarnmed position,
31.f5 ge2 32.hf6 gaa2 33. ggl 'i!?c5 34. .tc3 gf2 35.'i!?bl ga3. White resigned.
29
Chapter 2
l.d4 d6 2.c4 e5
Quick Repertoire
3.e3 This is not the most ambitious move for White, but it is reliable and quite logical. Black has at tacked the central pawn and White protects it, postponing the important strategical decisions for the future. Meanwhile, he maintains the tension in the cen tre and continues to control slightly more space. If Black wishes to occupy additional space himself, with the move 3 ... f5, then after the exchange on e5, the transition into an end game is much more effective for White, because he will atlack the enemy e5-pawn and Black can no longer protect it with the move f7-f6. 30
In general, Black would like to advance f7-f5 and begin active operations in the centre and on the kingside; otherwise, he will have problems countering White's queenside offensive. Still, this pawn-advance needs sorne prepa ration. We will examine sorne other possible plans for White, which he usually plays when Black's open ing choice has surprised him. 3 .g3 (This is a solid move, but it is somewhat premature, since the bishop may be useful on d3 and even on e2.) 3 ... exd4 4.�xd4 ttJc6 5.iWd2 �e6 6.e4 (This is a sad necessity for White, be cause after 6.b3 d5! Black seizes the initiative.) 6 ...ttJf6 7.ttJc3 a5 8J'!b1 (Black can counter 8.b3? with an atlractive combination: 8 ... ttJxe4! 9.ttJxe4 d5 - for details, see the Step by Step chapter.) 8 ... g6 9.b3 a4 1O.�g2 axb3 1l.axb3 �g7 12 .ttJge2 o-o 13.0-0 ttJd7 14.ttJd5 ttJc5 with mutual chances. White has acquired additional space, while Black has deployed his minor pieces perfectly and has opened the a-file for his rook.
l.d4 d6 2.c4 eS White cannot hurt his oppo nent with 3.b3 exd4 4.'\Wxd4 ttJf6 (preparing the pawn-break dS) S.�b2 ttJc6 6.Wd2 dS Of Black succeeds in opening the position like this, then he has no problems whatsoever.) 7.cxdS i.b4 8.ttJc3 ttJxdS with a double-edged posi tion.
3
•..
tlJd7
He is preparing f7-fS, while avoiding the endgame that would arise after after 3 .. .fS 4.dxeS dxeS S.Wxd8+ .
White can develop his king side naturally and then focus his attention on the queenside: S.ttJf3 i.g7 6.i.e2 ttJe7 7.0-0 O-O 8.b3 ttJfS 9.i.b2 ge8 with a very solid position for Black.
5 ...i.g7 6.tlJge2 If White reduces the tension in the centre with 6.dS, then after 6 .. .fS 7.ttJge2 ttJgf6 8.b3 O-O, Black obtains a comfortable game. 6 tlJe7 7. 0 - 0 O - O 8.b3 • • •
tlJc6
4.tlJc3 g6
5.i.d3 S.g3 (In principIe, the moves g2-g3 and e2-e3 do not combine well together, but still, it cannot be described as a mistake yet.) 5 ... �g7 6.i.g2 ttJh6!? (Black is trying to seize the initiative ; it is more prudent for him to choose 6 ... ttJe7 7.ttJge2 O-O 8.0-0 exd4 9.exd4 ge8=) 7.ttJge2 o-o 8.0-0 fS 9.b3 ttJf7. He wishes to advance eS-e4 and to follow this with ttJf7-gS-f3, creating threats against the en emy king.
Strangely enough, this posi tion has not been analyzed prop erly yet and both sides have scope for creative endeavour. Black ex erts pressure against the d4-pawn and wishes to provoke the move d4-dS, which will free his hands for a kingside offensive. He must also take care about White's pos sible activity on the other side of the board, therefore after for ex ample: 9.dS ttJb4 1O.i.bl, Black must play 1O ... aS, preventing the advance of the enemy a and b pawns. 31
Chapter 2
1.d4 d6 2.c4 eS
Step by Step
In this chapter we shall analyze the less ambitious third moves for White. He usually chooses them when surprised by Black's open ing choice.
3
•..
exd4 4. exd4 tLlc6
Black's plan is quite simple. First he wins a tempo by attack ing the enemy queen. Then he develops his bishop to e6, again with tempo, attacking the c4pawn and creating the positional threat of d6-d5 in the process. If he succeeds in accomplishing this pawn-break in the centre, he will seize the initiative.
A) 3.g3 B) 3.b3 e) 3.e4 D) 3.e3 A) 3.g3 This move is slightly prema ture, because White determines the placement ofhis light-squared bishop a bit too early. It might be useful on d3 and even on the e2square. Black has the possibility to react against the king's bishop fianchetto in the optimal manner. 32
5.Wfd2 This is an attempt to justify the forced early queen-sortie. At present the queen's placement looks awkward, since it impedes the development of White's own bishop. Later however he plans to fianchetto his dark-squared bish-
l.d4 d6 2.c4 eS op and to restore harmony to his piece-deployrnent. It is weaker for him to choose 5.�dl, because after 5 . g6 White is unable to play b2-b3 and �b2. After 6.�g2 �g7 7.'2Jf3 �e6 8. '2Jbd2, his pieces almost do not participate in the fight for the centre, so Black can even bravely try to seize the initiative: 8 ...'2Jf6 9.0-0 O-O 1O.b3 dS! 11. �a3 l'!e8 12.l'!cl aS (This is a standard resource for him. After a5-a4, his rook on a8 wiIl come into action without having made a single move of its own.) 13.�b2 d4 14.a3 .ifS+ - Black has occu pied space and his pieces are more active, Z.Mamedjarova A.Muzychuk, Rijeka 2010 (game .
.
7). 5 ... i.e6
over the centre. After 6.b3 dS! Black already has the initiative and this should not be a surprise. He has already developed two minor pieces, while White has wasted tempi on moves with his g- and b-pawns and his queen. In accordance with aIl the rules of correct strategy, Black begins ac tive operations in the centre and creates the threat of �f8-b4. After 7.cxdS �b4 8.'2Jc3 hdS 9.f3 �f6! 1O ..ib2 0-0-0+ White has great problems with his development and the pin on his c3-knight is rather unpleasant.
6
•.•
lüf6 7.lüc3 a5
Of course, if Black presents his opponent with several tempi, White wiIl fianchetto both his bishops and then, thanks to his space advantage, he wiIl have the edge. Black must exploit his lead in development and try to provoke an early conflict, before White has declared a "general mobilization" .
6.e4 This looks rather dubious and inconsistent. Why should White first play g2-g3 but then close the long diagonal and leave his light squared bishop on fl? However, he is trying to maintain control
Al) 8 b3 A2) 8.13bl .
33
Chapter 2 Al) 8.b3 This move is too careless, since it unnecessarily weakens the aS el diagonal.
8 ... �xe4!
A2) 8.�b1 As we have already seen, this
prudent approach is not unneces sary.
8 ...g6 9.b3
Black's pieces become tremen dously active after this tactical trick.
9.�xe4 d5
9
1 0 . �c3 The game Saric - Majeric, Bo rovo 2003 ended very quickly: 1O.cxdS �b4 11.ttJc3 �dS 12.f3 Wff6 13.i.e2 0-0-0 and White re signed.
1 0 ... d4 11 ..ib2 dxc3 12.,ixc3 Wfxd2+ 13.�xd2 .ib4 The material is equal and the pawn-structure is symmetrical, but the endgame is very unpleas ant for White, because he lags considerably in development and his king is stranded in the centre.
14.�e2 0 - 0 - 0 + 15.�c2 .if5+ 16.�b2, Ilic - Majeric, Yugoslavia 1989 and here Black could have continued with 16 �d3 17.�c1 �e8, after which he would have maintained an over whelming advantage. .•.
34
•.•
a4
Now, the idea 9 . . .ttJxe4 10. ttJxe4 dS does not work, because of 11.Wfb2 !
1 0 ..ig2 axb3 1l.axb3 .ig7 Black can force the exchange of the light-squared bishops if he so wishes: 1l ... ttJeS!? 12 .i.g2 �h3 13.0-0 (13.�h3?? ttJf3+) 13 ... �xg2 14.i'xg2 �g7, with approxi mate equality. 12.�ge2 O - O 13. 0 - 0
l.d4 d6 2.c4 eS White has maintained his control over the occupied space and has almost completed his de velopment. However, Black has nothing to complain about, since his minor pieces are weIl placed and he has the open a-file for his active rook. Now the standard transfer of his f6-knight to the queenside enables him to hold the balance.
13 ... �d7 14.�d5 �c5 15.b4 �a4 16.\Wc2 �e5+t - He wishes to play c7-c6 and repel White's powerful knight from its outpost. The prospects are approximately equal, Huebner - Balashov, Río de Janeiro 1979 (game8).
B) 3.b3
d5 and wishes to prove that the move b3 is a loss of a tempo.
5.i.b2 �c6 6.\Wd2 d5 This is a standard resource in similar positions. If Black manag es to open the game without ma terial concessions, then usuaIly he at least equalizes.
7.cxd5 i.b4 8.�c3 After 8.ic3 lLlxd5 9.ixb4 lLlcxb4+, Black has a considerable lead in development and his ini tiative is very powerful.
8 ... �xd5 9.a3 It is worse for White to play 9.e3, Kreutzkamp - Perschke, Germany 1984, 9 ... 0 - 0 1O.a3 lLlxc3 ll.hc3 \Wxd2+ 12.hd2 id6+ and Black's pieces wiIl soon attack White's vulnerable queen side pawns.
9 hc3 10 .hc3 �xc3 11. \Wxc3 O - O 12.�f3 i.g4 •••
White is playing too carelessly. He does not react to his oppo nent's provocation in the cen tre and almost "passes". Black is however not so "easy-going" and seeks an immediate conflicto
3
..•
exd4 4.\Wxd4 �f6
He prepares the pawn-advance
It is quite obvious that Black has no problems at aIl.
13.e3 :ae8 Here Black have grasped the opportunity to disrupt his oppo nent's pawn-structure. Opening 35
Chapter 2 the g-file would not be dangerous, since Black will play g6, empha sizing the fact that White is left with the "wrong" bishop on the board: 13 ....bf3 14.gxf3 1.WdS 15. E:g1 g6+ Tinstead, there was a transi tion into an approximately equal major-piece endgame in the fol lowing game.
14 .ie2 Wld6 15. 0 - 0 tDe5 16.�fd1 Wlf6 17.Wlxc7 tDxf3+ 18 .ixf3 .ixf3 19.9xf3 Wlxf3� •
•
Mantovani - V.Milov, 2001 (game 9).
Bratto
e) 3.e4
White plays an active move in the centre, but the ensuing early queen-sortie does not solve the problem. In general, there should not be anything so wrong with this, but if White is willing to capture on d4 with his queen, he would do better to start with 3.lLlc3 (we will analyze this possi bility on our Chapter 4). The point is that there will be no better place 36
for his queen's knight than the c3square, while his light-squared bishop may be fianchettoed, in which case the move e2-e4 may not turn out to be obligatory, to say the least.
3 exd4 4.Wlxd4 tDc6 5.Wld1 •••
After the retreat S.1.Wd2, Black's most principled line would be 5 ... fS!? (S... lLlf6 6.lLlc3 - see 3.lLlc3) 6.exfS .bfS. He has exchanged one of his opponent's central pawns and he wishes to prepare quick queenside castling and the opening of the centre. 7.lLlf3 (7.�d3, Kelecevic - Lematschko, Davos 2010, 7 ...�xd3 8.1.Wxd3 dS! 9.cxdS lLlb4 1O.1.We2+ 1.We7+) 7... lLlf6 8.lLlc3 \!!Vd7 and thanks to his lead in development, Black will soon play d6-dS, force numerous exchanges and equalize.
5 ...f5!? This move is consistent and logical, even with the white queen on the d1-square. S ... lLlf6 6.lLlc3 - see Chapter 4.
6.exf5 Black's choice is much greater
1.d4 d6 2.c4 e5 3.e3 'Ll d7 after 6.'Llc3 fxe4 7.'Llxe4 'fffe 7, for example: 8.�d3, Recalde - De Los Rios, Asuncion 1960 (8.f3 'Llf6+') 8 . . . 'Llf6 9.f3 $.e6 1O.'Lle2 0-0-0 11.0-0 dS+
wiIl help Black to exert pressure on the kingside.
11.�xf6 gxf6 12.�d4 Ae4 13. 0 - 0 �g8 14.f3 i.g6�
6 . .ixt'5 7.�f3 �d7 8.�c3 0 - 0 - 0 9.Ae2 �f6 . .
1 0 .�d5 This is the most principled move for White. If he allows his opponent to advance dS, then the position is simplified immediately and be comes equal: 10.0-0 dS 11.cxdS 'LlxdS 12.'LlxdS 'fffxdS 13.'fffxdS !'í:xdS 14.$.c4 !'í:d8 =, or 12.'fffa4! ? 'Llb6 13.'fffh4 �e7 14.'fffg3 $.d6 1S. �f4 hf4 16.'fffxf4 'LldS=
10
•..
There has arisen a complicated position with opposite sides cas tling in which Black's prospects are very good.
D) 3.e3 �d7
�e7
Of course, this move was sug gested by the computer; it does not look in the least a "human" move. It is essential for Black to eliminate his opponent's power fuI knight on dS and the appear ance of an isolated pawn on f6 should not bother him too mucho White cannot exploit this weak ness, whereas the half-open g-file
1 have already mentioned that Black wishes to advance O-fS, but the transition into an endgame after (3 .. .fS 4.dxeS dxeS S.'fffxd8 +) is not favourable for him, since his eS-pawn may become a target for White. Therefore, he choos-
37
Chapter 2 es a preparatory move with his knight.
DI) 4.lLlf3 D2) 4.lLle3 DI) 4.lLlf3 White's knight on bl has no better square than c3, so he should develop it first. Still, the move 4. lLlf3 is also playable. AH this will not affect Black's set-up.
4 g6 5.b3 •••
After S.llJc3, the game trans poses to variation D2. Meanwhile, it would be almost impossible to avoid sorne transposition of moves, because White will have to devel op his knight to c3 in any case. It has no other sensible future.
attack is over before it has even started and in addition he cannot castle on the kingside.
10
..•
e5
This is an important resource, which enables Black to ensure the eS-square for his pieces, most of all for his knight. In this pawn-structure it be comes obvious that White's knight on f3 is a bit misplaced: after eS e4 it had to retreat to d2 and from there its route to the wonderful f4-square is too long...
5 i.g7 6.i.b2 e4 •..
Dla) 1l.dxe5 Dlb) 1l.d5 Dla) 1l.dxe5 dxe5 12.gdl b6
Black exploits the fact that his knight is still on g8 and he builds up a pawn-chain on the kingside.
7.lLlfd2 f5 8.lLle3 lLlgf6 9. i.e2 o - o 1 0 .Yfe2 The simplest way for Black to counter 1O.h4 is by playing 10 ... hS, after which White's kingside 38
Whenever White's pawn is not on dS, Black's light-squared bish op is perfectly deployed on the long diagonal.
13.lLld5 i.b7 14.lLlbl lLlxd5 15.exd5 White's pawn is on dS indeed, but it is too far away from the rest of his forces and needs additional protection.
1.d4 d6 2.c4 eS 3.e3 ttJd7 4. ttJj3 g6 lS ltleS 16. 0 - 0 �gS 17. Wh1 gad8 � - The results of the . • .
opening are exceIlent for Black: his knight is very active and his pawn-structure is superior, Cy borowski - Krasenkow, Warsaw 2003 (game 1 0 ).
D1b) 1l.dS This move leads to a sharp er position, but Black has good chances of creating counterplay, since his pieces are perfectly cen tralized. NaturaIly, his knight on c5 is particularly powerful.
tack - 17 ... b5 ! ? 18.f4 b4 19.ttJd1 ttJh6 with a very comfortable po sition.) 18.f4 ttJh5 19.9hg1 Wffd8 20.ge2 ge7� - he exerts pressure against his opponent's backward e3-pawn and keeps up his sleeve the flank diversion b7-b5, Haus ner - Mokry, Zlin 1995.
14 ... exf3 lS.gxf3 ltlt7 16. ltlf1 If White protects his pawn with the move 16.e4 his dark squares become vulnerable: 16 ... ttJh5 17.ghe1 ttJe5 with an excel lent game for Black.
1l ... ltle5 12. 0 - 0 - 0 O r 12.h3 Wffe7 13.0-0-0 i.d7 transposing to situations we wiIl analyze later.
12 .. J�·e7 13.h3 .id7
16 ...f4! White is now forced to clarify his intentions concerning his pawn-structure.
17.exf4 .ih6 14.f4 White could consider the pre paratory move 14J''lde1 (His rook is placed opposite the enemy queen in order to protect the pawn on e3 later.) 14 ...a6 15.f4 exf3 16.gxf3 ttJf7 17.i.d3 gae8 (Here Black could have tried a flank at-
It was preferable for Black to capture the pawn with his knight, consenting to the exchange of the dark-squared bishops, since that would only emphasize the vul nerability of the dark squares in White's campo Nevertheless Black maintained an edge in the game as weIl. 39
Chapter 2 18)üd2 hf4 19.cJ?bl lLle5+ Magalashvili - Izoría, Kocaeli 2002.
D2) 4.1L1c3 g6
D2a) 5.g3 D2b) 5.1L1f3 D2c) 5 .td3 •
About 5.ttlge2 i.g7 6.g3 - see 5 .g3.
D2a) 5.g3 There will always be fans of the fianchetto of the fl-bishop, ir respective of the pawn-structure, so Black must be well prepared for this variation.
5 ....tg7 6 .tg2 •
6 ... 1L1h6!? Black's position is flexible and he has different possibilities for the development ofhis g8-knight, for example to h6. This is a very ambitious plan, and it involves sorne risk (reasonable though ... ). In practice he ofien plays the more solid move 6 ... ttle7. After this Black should not have prob lems, but seizing the initiative be comes a bit more difficult. For ex ample: 7.ttlge2 o-o 8.0-0 (8.b3 exd4 9.ttlxd4 ttlc5 10.0-0 l:'1e8f±) 8 ...exd4 9.exd4 :1'i:e8 1O.i.f4 ttlf5 11.�d2 c6 12.:1'i:ad1 ttlf6f± Kock Gagarin, Gyor 1990. The pawn structure is symmetrical and White has slightly more space, but in general the game is equal. 7.1L1ge2 o - o 8. 0 - 0 Here 8 .b3 f5 9 .0-0 ttlf7 amounts to just a transposition of moves.
8 ...f5 9.b3 White could consider 9.dxe5 dxe5 1O.e4, in order to create hanging pawns for Black in the centre and then to attack them. Still, afier 1O ... c6 1l.exf5 gxf5 12.b3, Kurtenkov - Vulevic, Plo vdiv 1987, 12 ... ttlc5!? 13.�xd8 (White cannot achieve much with 13.i.a3 �a5.) 13 ... :1'i:xd8 14 . .tg5 :1'i:e8 15.l:'1ad1 .tf8= Black should not have serious problems in this endgame.
9. . 1L1f7 .
Black's idea gradually be comes clear. He places his knight on f7 and leaves the d8-h4 diago40
1.d4 d6 2.c4 eS 3.e3 tLld7 4.tLlc3 g6 nal open, allowing his queen to use it later to go to the kingside. Meanwhile, he plans to continue with eS-e4 and tLlfl-gS-f3; this manoeuvre will be particularly strong if his other knight occupies the e5-square (for example, after the exchange on e5, or after d4d5).
10 .dxe5 This is possibly White's best reaction. The following line is harm less for Black: 1O ..ib2 c6 11.�d2 tLlf6 12J'l:ad1 (White does not ob tain any advantage by occupy ing space on the queenside with 12.dxe5 dxe5 13.�c2 �c7 14.eS .ie6 15J'Ud1 l"lad8 16.b4 a6 17.a3 l"lfe8? Cocchi - Schuurman, Bratlo 2000.) 12 ...�e7 13.f4 e4 14.b4 (The immediate move 14.d5 is not dangerous to Black owing to the simple response 14 . . .eS 15.a3 b6 and his position is very solid.) 14 ... d5. He prevents the move d4d5, after which White's queenside initiative may become threaten ing. 15.c5 .id7 16.a4 h6 17.l"lb1 g5?
Azmaiparashvili - Mohr, Palma de Mallorca 1989. 1O . .ia3 E!:e8 (1 have already mentioned that in reply to dxe5, Black wishes to capture on e5 with his pawn and follow this with e5-e4.) 11.�d2 c6. One of the pluses of the placement of the knight on fl, instead of more usual squares such as e7 or f6, be comes clear. Black covers the d5square without having to worry about his d6-pawn. 12.l"lfd1 �g5 13.l"lac1 �h5. His queen has come to the kingside and remains in ambush, because it is not so sim ple to create any real threats yet. Still, its position there may act on White's nerves ... 14.d5 c5 15.tLlb5 l"le7 16.b4 b6 17.l"lb1 tLlf6? The fight is developing in the spirit of the King's Indian Defence. White creates threats on the queenside, while Black aUacks the enemy king, Ostenstad - Jansa, Oslo 1991. 1 O.�c2 c6! This is an im portant move, which is played with two purposes. The first one is obvious - to cover the d5square, just in case. The second will become clear a bit latero (In the following game, Black played imprecisely and he ended up in a worse position: 1O . . .h5?! 11.i.a3 c6 12.dxe5 tLldxe5. He is forced to capture now on e5 with his knight and his d6-pawn becomes a weak ness. 13.l"lad1 �f6 14.l"ld4 l"le8 15.h3 g5 16.E!:fdU Cvitan - Pan durevic, Tucepi 1996. After 11 ... E!:e8 12.dxe5 dxe5 13.e4! White 41
Chapter 2 is better.) 1l.ia3 Ele8 12.dxe5 dxe5 13.e4 �a5!�. Now, you can see the second purpose behind Black's 10th move: his queen will be very well placed on a5. It repels the enemy bishop from its active position, leaves the open file and also protects the e5-pawn. Later, Black will play lLlf6, with good counter chances.
10
.••
veloped his knight to e7 with a more solid position.
D2b) 5.tLlf3
dxe5 11.ia3 Ele8 12.e4,
Av.Bykhovsky - Sekulic, Yugosla via 1993,
12
••.
c6 13.exiS
For 13.�c2 '\Wa5 - see 1O.�c2.
13
•••
gxf5 14.�c2 e4
After 14 ... lLlf6, White has the powerful riposte 15.lLla4! '\Wa5 16. Elad1 .te6 17..tb2 and Black's pawn-centre is about to crumble.
15.tLlf4 tLlde5 16.Elad1 �a5 17.ib2 tLlg5�
Black's position is a bit too ex posed, but his active knights and the powerful e4-pawn enable his defence to hold. . I f this situation seems t o be too risky, then I will repeat that on move 6, Black could have de42
White's plan includes quick and simple development of the kingside and a pawn-offensive on the queenside.
5 ig7 6.i.e2 •.•
The exchange in the centre cannot create any real problems for Black: 6.dxe5 dxe5 7 ..te2 tLle7 8.Elb1 O-O 9.h4 h6 1O.e4 tLlc5 (After White has weakened the d4-square, Black's knight qui etly comes closer to this outpost.) 1l . .te3 lLle6= Koppenhoefer Lammers, Budapest 2 009. In answer to the flank devel opment of White's queen-bishop - 6.b3 lLle7 7..tb2 o-o 8:�c2, Black can reduce the tension in the centre with the line 8 ... exd4 9.lLlxd4 lLlc5 1O . .te2 a5 1l.Eld1 tLlc6 12.lLlxc6 bxc6 13.0-0 Elb8 14 . .tf3 �e8°o with a double-edged posi tion, Popovics - Postny, Budapest 2 004.
l.d4 d6 2.c4 e5 3.e3 lLld7 4.lLlc3 g6 8 ... .!lJf5
6
•••
.!lJe7
In this set-up Black does not have enough targets to develop his initiative on the kingside, so he must build up a solid defensive line aH over the entire board. Here it looks rather dubious to play 6 ... lLlh6, because of 7.e4! and the knight is not comfortable on h6. 7. 0 - 0 O - O 8.b3 8.b4 a5 9.bxa5 lLlf5 1O.�b2 ge8 11.ge1 gxa5 12.d5 lLlb6f! Marti novsky - Fedorowicz, Lone Pine 1977. 8. WIc2 lLlf5 9.d5 a5 1O.�d2 lLlc5f! Skvortsov - Ventskevich, Nizhnij Tagil 2005.
The sharper alternative for Black now is 8 ...h6!? with the idea of advancing fl-f5 (The g5-square must be prudently protected in this case in order to avoid the typical manoeuvre lLlg5, d5 and lLle6, forcing Black to exchange his light-squared bishop.) 9 ..ib2 (White's bishop wiH be useless on a3 in this situation: 9 . .ia3 mh7 1O.WIc2 exd4 1l.exd4 lLlf6 12.h3 .if5 13.id3 WId7 14.gfe1 l"!fe8 15.mh2 ,bd3 16.WIxd3 a6 and he has only a symbolic edge, Per gericht - Tonoli, Geraardsbergen 1992.) 9 ...f5
1O.dxe5 (It is reasonable for him to reduce the tension in the centre; otherwise, as the foHowing example shows, White may come under a dangerous attack: 1O.WId2 e4 1l.lLle1 g5 12.g3 lLlf6 13.lLlc2 lLlg6 14.mg2 f4� Sipahioglu - Ar akelian, Urgup 2 004) 1O ... dxe5 1l.WIc2 lLlc6 12.lLld5 e4 13.lLld4 lLlxd4 14 ..b:d4 hd4 15.exd4 c6 16.lLlf4 WIe8f! Alonso - Vescovi, Sao Paulo 1999 (game 11).
9 ..ib2 ge8 10 .dxe5
43
Chapter 2 1O.d5 e4 11.tt'ld2 a5 12.§'c2 tt'lc5 13J'lab1 Wie7f! Wojcicki Lagowski, Poraj 2 003.
10 tt'lxe5 1l.tt'lxe5 ixe5 12. ed2, Trifunovic - Minev, Zagreb 1955, 12 i.d7 13.gadl i.c6f! .•.
••.
D2c) 5.i.d3 i.g7
7. 0 - 0
6.tt'lge2 After 6.d5, Black's delay in the development of his g8-knight is perfectIy justified: 6. . .f5 7.tt'lge2 tt'lgf6 8.b3 o-o 9.ib2 a6 1O.a4 Wie7 11.0-0 e4 12 ..tc2 tt'lg4 (He be gins an immediate attack against the enemy king, while everything is quite calm on the queenside.) 13.h3 tt'lge5 14Jl:b1 g5f! Guenner - Richter, Hilden 2 004. After 6.tt'lf3 Black can react in a standard fashion: 6... tt'le7 (Here, the move 6 .. .f5 should be avoided in view of 7.e4! exd4 8 ..tg5;t) 7.b3 o-o 8 ..tb2 f5 9.dxe5 tt'lxe5 1O.e4, Schumacher - Weber, Bad Hom burg 2005 (1O.i.e2 aSf!) 10 ... tt'lxf3+ 11.Wixf3 tt'lc6+
6 ... tt'le7 44
Black should not b e afraid of 7.h4, because of 7 .. .f5 (The fearless computer considers that castling is quite safe for Black without being afraid of the open ing of the h-file: 7... 0-0 8.h5 exd4 9.exd4 c5f!) 8 .h5 tt'lf6 9.hxg6 hxg6 lOJ'lxh8+ hh8 11.e4 f4 12.Wib3 tt'lg4 13.dxe5 tt'lxe5f! Paasi kangas - Sheremetieva, Manila 1992.
7
•.•
0 - 0 8.b3
8Jl:b1 f5 9.f3 tt'lf6 1O.b4 �h8, draw, Foisor - Fakhiridou, Ath ens 2 004. Black obtained an excellent po sition in a game which was played nearly a hundred years ago. 8.f4 exd4 9.exd4 tt'lb6 1O ..te3 l:l:e8 11. .tf2 .tf5 12.tt'lg3 Wid7 13.a4 hd3 14.§'xd3 d5! He fixes the weak ness on d4 and gradually prepares to attack it. 15.c5 tt'lc4 16.b3 tt'la5 17.tt'lb5 a6 18.tt'la3 tt'lac6+ Kostic Perlis, Carlsbad 1911. 8.b4?! exd4 9.tt'lxd4 c5 1O.bxc5 dxc5 11.tt'lde2 tt'le5 12.i.e4 Wixd1 13Jhd1 tt'lxc4 14.l:l:b1 �b8+ Weiler - Kojoukhar, Binz 1994.
l.d4 d6 2.c4 eS 3.e3 ltl d7 4.1t1c3 g6 This prophylactic move is nec essary; otherwise White wiIl gain too much space after a3 and b4. 12.a3 tLla6 13 .ic2 e4+ Nei Klavins, Palanga 1961. •
There arises a very interesting position which has not been ana lyzed properly yet.
8 .. tLlc6 .
Black wishes to nullify the ten sion in the centre and to have his hands free for active operations on the kingside. He has another promising plan as well: 8. . . a6 9.�b2 exd4, draw, Rodgaard Fries Nielsen, Esbjerg 1996, 10. ltlxd4 (1O.exd4 cS - his knights need reliable squares on cS, or eS, so he clears the long diagonal 11.1t1e4 1t1c6+±) 1O...1tlc5 11..ic2 aS=
9 .ic2 f5 •
Now, Black is threatening to push fS-f4 at an opportune mo ment, so White must make up his mind.
1 0 .d5 tLlb4 11 .ibl a5 .
Under perfect conditions, Black would like to deploy a knight on the d3-square and to begin a pawn-offensive against the en emy king. In order to prevent this White must place his knight on f4 (it is also attacking the e6-square from there) and eventually un dermine his opponent's e4-pawn with the move f2-f3. Black has an almost identical plan - to play �c8-d7 and c7-c6. So, both sides have numerous possibilities and the position holds chances for both sides ..
4S
Chapter 2
l.d4 d6 2.c4 e5
Complete Games
7 Z.Mamedjarova-Muzychuk Rijeka 2010
l.d4 d6 2.c4 e5 3.g3 exd4 4.exd4 ttJc6 5.edl g6 6 . .i.g2 .i.g7 7.lOf3 .ie6 8.ttJbd2 lOf6 9 . 0 - 0 O - O 1 0 .b3 d5 11..ia3 ge8 12.gc1 a5 13 ..ib2 d4 14.a3
Black's pieces become tremen dously active.
16 ... axb4 17.axb4 ttJxb4 18. lOxd4
18
14 .if5 .•.
Black had an interesting alter native here - 14 ... ltJd7+, transfer ring his knight to c5 and prepar ing the pawn-breaks aS-a4, or d4-d3. The move in the game was also rather unpleasant for White, since he did not have too many useful moves left.
15.gel ed7 16.b4!? This is an atlractive move, be cause with its help White elimi nates his opponent's powerful d4-pawn. On the other hand, now 46
•..
.ih3
It was much stronger for Black to play 18 ... �a2 ! , without being afraid of the exchange 19.1tJxfS Wfxf5, because after 2 0 ..i.c3 ltJg4 21.ltJf3, he has the beautiful com bination 21...ltJxf2 ! 22.�xf2 ltJd3+ 23.�f1 ltJxcl 24 ..bg7 (or 24.Wfxc1 �c2) 24 ... �axe2 25.�xe2 ltJxe2 26.�h6 ltJc3::¡: White would not achieve much with 19.�c3, because of 19 ... ltJg4 2 0.ltJ2b3 ltJc2 ! 2 1.�fl (21.ltJxc2 Wfxdl 22 .�cxdl hc3) 21...ltJce3 22.fxe3 ltJxe3 23.Wfel (23.ltJxf5 ltJxdl 24.�cxdl Wfxdl ! 25.�xdl hc3) ltJxg2 24. �xg2 �h3+ 25. �gl
l.d4 d6 2.c4 eS eS and Blaek maintains the advan tage in all the variations.
19.tLl2f3 hg2 2 0 .'itlxg2 tLle4 2U�al tLla2 Now, the position beeomes al most equal. Blaek eould have kept a slight edge after 21...eS 22.1Mrb3 �xa1 23.�xa1 Wie7.
22.�e2 �a4 23.tLlb3 tLlb4 24.�dl �e6 25 .txg7 'itlxg7 26. gxa8 gxa8 27.�d4+ tLlf6 28. gel �e4 29.�xe4 •
White was in too mueh of a hurry to exehange queens. He should have eontinued with 29. eS! �a3 30J'k4 �xb3 31.�xf6+ 'itlxf6 32 .gxe4 with equality.
terial advantage.
38 ga2 39.tLl2b3 tLlxe2 4 0 .tLlxe2 gxe2 41.'itlf3 gb2 42. tLld4 'itle5 43.tLle2 gb3+ 44.'itle2 tLle3+ 45.'itld2 tLle4+ 46.'itle2 f5. White resigned. ••.
8
Huebner
Balashov
Rio de Janeiro 1979
l.e4 e5 2.tLlc3 d6 3.d4 exd4 4.�xd4 tLle6 5.�d2 tLlf6 6.b3 .ie6 7.e4 a5 8.tLlge2 a4 9.gbl axb3 10 .axb3 g6 1l.g3 .ig7
29 tLlxe4 3 0 .tLlbd4 ga2 31. e5 tLld5 32.ge4 tLlee3 33.'itlfl 'itlf6 34.h4 e6 35.tLlg5 h6 36. tLlgf3 gal+ •••
Blaek eould have tried here 36 ... tt:le4 37.�c1 tt:lde3.
37.'itlg2 ga4
12 .ig2 O - O 13. 0 - 0 tLld7 14.tLld5 tLlc5 15.b4 tLla4 16.�e2 tLle5 •
38.tLld2 Blaek's task would be mueh more diffieult after 38.�xa4 tt:lxa4 39.tt:lb3 tt:lde3 40.tt:le1! (it is essen tial to retain the eS-pawn) 40 ... ttJxe2 41.ttJd3 and he wiIl have great problems realizing his ma-
17.tLlef4 White ejeets his opponent's bishop from the e6-square. Blaek would have eountered 17.f4? with 17. . .ttJxe4! 18.�xe4 e6't 47
Chapter 2 l7 .id7 lS.gel c6 19.1l:Je3 lLlg4?!
ter 25.bxc5 ltlxc5 Black's position would be quite acceptable.
It is difficult to understand why Black voluntarily exchanges his beautiful knight, which is so powerful in the centre. After for example: 19 . . J:le8 20.i.d2 �b8 he would have a quite acceptable po sition.
25.gxe2 ,ªf6 26.gd2 lLlc3 27.h3 b5
•.•
Now it is too late to offer Black any good advice. After 27 .. .l'�a2 28.�d3 l"i:xd2 29.hd2 ttJa4 30.l"i:a3 ltlb6 31.i.c3± White's advantage is not in doubt.
28.cxb5 cxb5
2 0 .gb3 1We7 21.gdl lLlxe3 22.he3 .ig4 23.gd2 White makes a mistake too. It was preferable for him to play 23.f3 i.d7 24J:ld2, exerting pres sure against the enemy d6-pawn.
29.'it>h2! This is an excellent prophy lactic move in the style of Kar pov. White's king runs away from eventual checks.
23
g5!
24)l:Je2 he2? This move is again difficult to understand. Why was GM Bala shov so insistent on exchanging pieces in this game, completely against the requirements of his position? It was much stronger for him to play 24 . . .c5! It is not good for White to follow with 25.b5? ttJb6::¡: and his pawn on c4 will be come a target for Black, while af48
29 ... gac8
•••
This move is surprising and strong. Now White's knight can not go to the h6-square and must retreat.
If 29 ... l"i:a2, then 30.�xc3 �xc3 31.l"i:xc3 l"i:xd2 32.,bd2 ,bc3 33.i.xc3 and the endgame is win ning for White.
3 0 .i.d4 ,ªxd4 3l.gxd4 hd4 32.1Wd2 .if6 33.1Wxd6 i.g7 34.e5 gfdS 35.gxc3. Black resigned.
9
Mantovani
V.Milov
BraUo 2001
l.b3 In this game the variation which we analyze in Chapter 2
l.d4 d6 2.c4 eS was reached vía a very peculiar move-order.
21 ge6 22.gf4 gg6+ 23. 'it>fl §,h3+?
L ..e5 2.i.b2 d6 3.d4 exd4 4.§'xd4 �c6 5.§,d2 �f6 6.c4 d5 7.cxd5 i.b4 8. �c3 �xd5 9.a3 hc3 1 0 .hc3 �xc3 11. §'xc3 O - O 12.�f3 i.g4 13.e3 ge8 14.i.e2 §,d6 15. 0 - 0 �e5 16.gfdl §,f6 17.ti'xc7 �xf3+ 18.ht'3 i.xf3 19.9xf3 ti'xf3
Black makes a mistake in turno After 23 ... �d5 (with the deadly threat of 24 ...�d3+) 24.�c4 '?tfd7 his position would be preferable. Here, he loses his b7-pawn un necessarily.
.•.
24.'it>el §'e6 25.'lbb7 gd8 26.'it>e2 a5 27.gcc4 After 27.h4! gf6 28.gcc4 White would have the edge. N ow the game is again equal. 27... gg1 28.gfd4 �U'8 29.
§,d5 §,h3 3 0 .gdl �dI 31.§'xdl §,h5+ 32.'it>el §,xh2 33.§,d5 §'gl + 34. 'it>e2 §,bl
In an endgame with only ma jor pieces the vulnerability of the king is of particular importance. White must worry a bit about his king, but his actively placed queen and rooks should compensate for this.
2 0 .gacl h6 21.gd4? Here it was correct for him to play 21.gd7!, creating threats along the seventh rank. After 21... ge6 22.�xb7 (White gains con trol of the long diagonal just in time.) 22 .. J3g6+ 23.';t>f1 �h3+ 24. 'ít>e2 gf8, there arises a position with mutual chances. For exam pIe: 25.gc8 gxc8 26.�xc8+ 'ít>h7 27. zgd8 �h5+ 28.'ít>d2 gb6 and Black's position is quite accept able.
35J:�a4? White would have kept the balance with the move 35.b4, for example: 35 ... axb4 36.axb4 gb8 37.gf4 'ít>h8 38.'?tff5 '?tfxf5 39.gxf5 gxb4 40.rud7=
35 ... gb8! 36.gxa5 �b3 37. 'it>f3 gb2 38.'it>g2 §'g6+ 39.'it>f3 §'c2 4 0 .ga8+ 'it>h7. White resigned, since the rook endgame after 41.�e4+ �xe4 42. 'ít>xe4 gxf2 would be beyond salvation.
Chapter 2 1 0 Cyborowski - Krasenkow Warsaw 2003
1.c�Jf3 d6 2.d4 g6 3.e4 i.g7 4.�e3 �d7 5.e3 e5 6.i.e2 f5 7.b3 e4 8.�d2 �gf6 9.i.b2 O - O 1 0 .�e2 e5 1l.dxe5 dxe5 12.1Ml b6 13.�d5 i.b7 14.�bl �xd5 15.exd5 �e5 16. O - O �g5 17.�hl gad8
Black's forces seem to be more actively deployed, but he can scarcely create any real threats against the enemy king.
18.�c3 �h8 19J�d2?! White's position would be rather unpleasant after 19.f4 exf3 20.gxf3 �h4; instead he should continue with 19.i.c4 a6 20.a4 �e7 21.ttJe2, although even then after 21...gS, Black retains a slight initiative.
19 ... �h6 He should have taken care of the isolated dS-pawn: 19 ... a6 2 0.a4 Eld7 2 1.ic4 :l''1fd 8+
2 0 .�b5 f4?! After 20 ... :1l:xdS 21.:1l:fd1 :1l:xd2 22 .�xd2 White controls the open file as compensation for the sac rificed pawn and his prospects in the ensuing fight are about equal. 50
Still, Krasenkow was probably not content with this and he de cided to sacrifice a pawn himself in order to seize the initiative. This proved to be unsatisfactory though ...
21.�xe4 fxe3 22.fxe3 gxf1+ 23.i.xfl gf8 24.ie2 �f7? Here Black should have played 24 ... �d7 2S.i.f3 ixb2 26.Elxb2 �gS 27.:1l:bLt
25.�f4? This was definitely not White's best. After 2S.�e7 ixb2 26.:1l:xb2 �g7 27.e4 he would maintain an overwhelming advantage.
25 ... hb2 26.�xh6 �xh6 27.gxb2 h:d5 28.gd2 ie4 It is more precise for Black to opt for 28 ...ia8 ! ? 29.�g1 �fS 30.:1l:d3 i.e4 and his prospects are not worse.
29.�gl �f5 3 0 .gd7 ie6 31. ge7 ia8 32.�xa7 �xe3 33.ge8 �g7 34.gxf8 �xf8 35.�e8 �xg2?! It was more resilient for him to defend with 35 ... ttJd5 ! ? 36.i.f3 bS 37.ttJd6 b4.
36.�xb6 h:d7
ie6
37.�d7+
l.d4 d6 2.c4 eS It is difficult to understand why the opponents agreed to a draw here. The endgame remains rather unpleasant for Black, since White's passed a-pawn could still spell trouble.
11
R.Alonso
Vescovi
Sao Paulo 1999
l.d4 d6 2.c4 e5 3.e3 �d7 4.�c3 g6 5.�fJ Ag7 6.Ae2 �e7 7. 0 - 0 O - O 8.b3 h6 9.Ab2 f5 10 .dxe5 dxe5 11.�c2 �c6 12.�d5 e4 13.�d4 �xd4 14.hd4 hd4 15.exd4 c6 16. �f4 �e8
with 19 ... gS! 20.hxgS hxgS 2 1.�h3 f4 2 2.liJxgS 11?1eS! i His actively de ployed forces more than compen sate for the sacrificed pawn.
19 ...g5 2 0 .�g2 f4 21.gxf4 gxf4 22.�xf4? It was necessary for White to choose 22 .f3 'WeS 23J:'1adl with a defensible position.
22 ... �g4 23.hg4 hg4 24. �g2 AfJ 25.�h4
25... Ah5? Black was winning outright with 2S ...11?1e6 !, for example: 2 6.tiJxf3 'Wg4+ 27.'it>hl 11?1xf3+ 28. 'it>gl 'it>h7 29.:1:Uel !lf4.
17.d5?!
26.g"hl?
This is a loss of an important tempo. It was correct for White to play 17.h4 �f6 18.'Wd2 'it>h7 with mu tual chances.
White would have maintained excellent chances of a successful defence with the line: 26.f3 !lf4 27.tiJg2 !lxf3 28.tiJh4 !lxfl + 29.!lxfl 11?1eS 30.11?1f2 'WgS+ 31.11?1g3.
17... �f6 18.dxc6 bxc6 19.
26 ... gf4! 27.gg1+ g"h7 28. �g2 AfJ 29.h3 gh4. White re
Here Black can counter 19.h4
signed.
g3
SI
Chapter 3
1.d4 d6 2.c4 e5 3.d5
Quick Repertoire
new with the idea o f outplaying sorne less skillful opponent. This is a common problem, however, since these days there are not so many uninformed players left an yway...
White certainly seizes space with this, but 1 believe he reduces the tension in the centre a bit too early. The pawn-structure has been defined and his general plan is easy to understand - to atlack on the queenside. Having this in mind, Black must start immediate action of his own.
3 . .f5 .
This is his most popular and principled decision. There is no longer any danger of a transition into an endgame (dxe5 dxe5) and Black begins his fight for the centre. One of the drawbacks of his last move is the fact that after 4.e4, the subsequent play is semi-forced and it would be diffi cult for Black to try something 52
4.e4 White temporarily sacrifices a pawn with the idea of seizing the central e4-outpost. The solid set-up based on the king's bishop fianchetlo 4.g3 can not create any real problems for Black. For example: 4 ... ct:lf6 5.ct:lc3 g6 (White's rather timid and slow play enables Black to fianchetlo his own king's bishop as well if he so wishes.) 6 ..1g2 .1g7 7.e4 o-o 8. ct:lge2 ct:lbd7 9.0-0 ct:lcS 1O.f3 aS.
1.d4 d6 2.c4 eS 3.d5f5 Black has deployed his forces in an excellent fashion and can face the future with optimismo This main line was tested al most thirty years ago: 4.lZJc3 tLJf6 5.i.g5 and Black found reliable paths to equality: 5 . . .i.e7 6.i.xf6. White is fighting for the e4-out post and avoids blundering a pawn (6.e3? tLJxd5 ! , or 6:�c2? tLJxd5). There may foIlow: 6 ... i.xf6 7.e4 o-o 8.i.d3 g6 9:�c2 tLJa6 10. a3 tLJc5 11.tLJge2 a5. Black has an exceIlent position.
4 .,fxe4 •
He does not wish to reduce the tension with the move 4 .. .f4, while after 4 ...g6 5.exf5 gxf5? White has the powerful resource 6.1Mrh5+.
otherwise, Black does not have enough space for so many pieces in his campo
7.liJg3 liJe5 8.i.g5 i.e7 9. i.xf6 .ixf6 10 .liJexe4 liJxe4 11. liJxe4 O - O White has a n excellent outpost on e4, but he cannot brag about much else in this position. Black has the bishop-pair and a solid position.
12.i.d3 �e7 13. 0 - 0 i,g5 Black's bishop is betler placed on the cl-h6 diagonal than on f6. Meanwhile, it would be useful for him to weaken his opponent's kingside slightly.
14.tte2 i.f4 15.g3 i,h6�
5.liJe3 liJf6 6.liJge2
6
.•.
liJa6
In the chapter Step by Step we shaIl analyze the popular altema tive for Black here 6. . .i.f5. The idea of the text move is to force the exchange of a pair of knights;
If White launches an offensive on the queenside (he has no other reasonable plan to win the game ...) he wiIl inevitably weaken his con trol over the kingside. However, this deserves serious considera tion after the move g2 -g3 has been played. . .
53
Chapter 3
1.d4 d6 2.c4 e5 3.d5
Step by Step
3
...
f5
This is the most popular move for Blaek and 1 think it is the best. NaturaIly, he has sorne other at traetive possibilities too. 1 wiIl not go into details, but wiIl show you sorne examples in whieh it aIl ended more or less favourably for him. If you like these plans, you can study and analyze them, pref erably with the help of a eompu ter. 3 ...�e7 (This is a typical plan for the Benoni system. Blaek wishes to exehange the dark squared bishops. The idea of ad vancing f7-f5 also remains on his agenda.) 4.liJe3 (If 4.liJf3, prevent ing the deployrnent of the blaek bishop to g5, Blaek can later ex54
ehange this knight with his bishop on e8 and play �g5 anyway. For example: 4 ... liJd7 5.liJe3 a5 - this is a useful prophylaetic move: Blaek's knight wiIl now be safe on the e5-square - 6.e4 liJe5 7.�e3 �g4 8.h3 hf3 9:�xf3 �g5 10. he5 - this is the eorreet decision, sinee the exehange of the dark squared bishops would solve all Blaek's opening problems - 10 ... dxe5 11.g3 liJe7 12 .h4 �h6 13.�h3 o-o 14.'Wh5 :Ele8 15.0-0 liJe8 Blaek's position is solid, but a bit passive, Sinitsin - Pridorozhni, Tomsk 2 007.) 4 ... a5 5.e4 �g5 6.hg5 'Wxg5 7. liJf3 'We7 8.e5!? (White is trying to exploit his slight lead in development.) 8 ... dxe5 !? (This is an enterprising move. It looks safer for Blaek to opt for 8 ... liJf6, which has been tried in praetiee several times.) 9.liJb5 i>f8 1O.�e4 liJh6 1l.h3 g6 12 .d6 (This is an attraetive pawn break, but its advantages are far from obvious. The position is sim plified and Blaek's b8-knight ob tains aeeess to the exeeIlent e6square.) 12 ...exd6 13.'Wxd6 'Wxd6 14.liJxd6 liJe6 with a very good po-
l.d4 d6 2.c4 eS 3.dSf5 4.g3 liJf6 S. liJc3 g6 6.i.g2 i.g7 sition for Black, Postny - Nijboer, Budva 20 09. Possibly, White has sufficient compensation for the pawn, but not more. 3 ...g6 (Black fianchettoes his bishop, trying to play in the spirit of the King's Indian Defence.) 4. e4 a5 (In another game Black ma noeuvred quite skilfully with his knights and obtained exceHent counterplay on the kingside: 4 ... ttJd7 5.liJc3 i.g7 6.liJf3 liJe7 7.i.e2 O-O 8.h4 liJf6 9.liJg5 h6 10.liJh3 liJh7 11.i.e3 f5f± Khmelniker Nevednichy, Warsaw 2005.) 5. liJc3 liJd7 6.liJf3 liJeS 7.i.e3 b6 8. ie2 h5 9.a3 liJf6 1O.ig5 a4 11.0-0 ie7 12.1�·c2 't!if8 13.:1'lad1 't!ig7 Black has built up a solid defen sive line aH over the entire board, Berry - McNab, Oban 2 005.
A) 4.g3 B) 4.ttJc3 e) 4.e4 About 4.liJf3 liJf6 5.liJc3 - see 4.liJc3 liJf6 5 .liJf3. The move 4.e3 looks a bit arti ficial and Black should not have
any problems in obtaining a good position. I think he would do bet ter to to fianchetto his king's bish op, for example: 4 ...g6 5.ie2 ig7 6.liJc3 liJd7 7.liJf3 liJh6 8.h4 o-o 9. �c2 e4 1O.liJd4 liJe5 11.id2 c5 12. dxc6 bxc6 13.f4 exf3 14.gxf3 c5f± Plass - Popchev, Val Thorens 1990.
A) 4.g3 White's kingside fianchetto is a very solid set-up, but it is not very ambitious. In reply, Black can fianchetto his own king's bishop and develop his forces comfortably.
4
.•.
ttJf6 5.ttJc3
There is a transposition of moves after 5.ig2 g6 6.liJc3.
5 g6 6.ig2 ig7 .•.
Al) 7.e3 A2) 7.h4 A3) 7.e4 A4) 7.ttJf3 I believe the move 7.ig5 is just a waste of time for White. He does not intend to exchange his bishop for the knight, since the idea of 55
Chapter 3 creating an outpost on e4 for his pieces is not very realistic; but otherwise after h7-h6 he wiIl have to retreat his bishop. After that White is unable to exert pressure against the h6-pawn: 7... 0-0 8.e4 h6 9.i.e3 lLlg4 10.�d2 lLlxe3 11. �xe3, M.Kovacs - Szarvas, De brecen 1998, 11 ... lLla6+
harrnoniously and now provokes his opponent to begin prernature active operations. If White con tinues to rnanoeuvre calrnly, then Black wiIl start an offensive hirn self - e5-e4, g6-g5 etc.
A2) 7.h4
Al) 7.e3 The rnoves g3 and e3 do not cornbine weIl together, but White's idea is understandable. He wishes to place his king on gl, but is afraid of the pawn-breaks e5-e4 and f5-f4, so he builds sorne pro tection against this possibility.
7... 0 - 0 8.lüge2 lübd7 9. o-o 9J�b1 e4 10.0-0 lLle5 11.b3 g5 12.lLld4, McMahon - Fernando, Mondariz 2000, 12 ... �e7 13.�a3 �d7+!
9 a5 10 .a3 b6 lU�bl i.a6 l2.b3, Srnit - SoIleveld, Nijrne •..
gen 1992.
l2 ... lüc5 l3.�c2 �e7+!
This aggression can hardly be justified. White's pieces are not weIl prepared for an assault along the rook's file.
7... ttJbd7 8.lüh3 a5 9.lüg5 lüf8 The e6-square has been relia bly protected.
1 0 .e4 h6
Black has deployed his forces 56
l.d4 d6 2.c4 eS 3.dSf5 4.g3 liJf6 S. liJc3 g6 6.i.g2 i.g7 1l.liJe6 Penetrating with the knight to e6 is a standard idea which was played by Mark Taimanov in his match against Robert Fischer. There however Black was forced to give up his bishop on c8 for the knight on e6 and his light squares were considerably weakened. Here, though, Black simply wins a pawn and graduaIly neutralizes his opponent's piece-activity.
1l
.••
liJxe6 12.dx:e6 e6
It is essential for him to cover the dS-square and to close the long light-squared diagonal.
13.h5 This is an unpleasant move for Black, but he can cope with it.
13 �e2
•••
he6 14.hxg6 fxe4 15.
1S.V�'ifb3 bS+,; 1S.liJxe4 liJxe4 16. he4 hc4 17.�g4 1!f!f6 18.hc6+ bxc6 19.1!f!xc4 dS't 15 d5+ Doyle - McNab, Hamilton 2010 (game 12). •••
A3) 7.e4 O - O
8.liJge2 IfWhite presents his opponent with a pawn-pair in the centre 8.exfS gxfS 9.liJge2, then Black wiIl have an excellent position: 9 ... aS 1O.f3 liJa6 11.0-0 i.d7 (This is prophylaxis against the possible sortie liJc3-bS. Now, Black's queen does not need to protect the c7pawn and he can bring it closer to the kingside.) 12 .i.e3 1!f!e8 13.b3 liJhS 14J'k1 f4 (He is already well prepared for the start of his offen sive.) 1S.gxf4 exf4 16 ..if2 liJeS+! Danov - Minie, Wijk aan Zee 1971. 8.f3 (This is admittedly a very solid move, but the bishop on g2 may now feel a bit unhappy...) 8 ... aS 9.liJge2 liJa6 10. 0-0 .id7 11.h3 1!f!e7 12.i.e3 E1ad8 13.'ttih 2 i.c8+! Radzvilaviciene - Srebrnic, Nova Gorica 1999.
8 ... liJbd7 9. 0 - 0 liJe5 1 0 .f3 a5 (diagram) Black has built up a solid de fensive line and he waits to see his opponent's intentions.
1l .ie3 •
57
Chapter 3
White's attempt to provoke complications with the move 11. lLla4?! looks rather dubious: 11 ... fxe4 12.lLlxcS exf3 13.ixf3 dxcS 14.lLlc3 i.h3 lSJ�e1 1Mfd7 16.�e3 b6"t Cruz Lledo - Strikovic, Beni dorm 2007 (game 13). Why did White sacrifice a pawn in the first place?
1l .id7 12.\Wd2 fxe4 •..
Black simplifies the position. He could have still maintained the tension with: V!1e7, Eí:ad8, c6 etc.
13Ajxe4 ltJg4
ltJcxe4
14.fxe4
This move provokes a new se ries of exchanges.
15.gxf8+ \Wxf8 16.gf1 \We7 17 .ig5 .if6 18 . .bf6 1tJxf6 19.h3 �g7= Laisaari - Kivi, corro 1976. •
A4) 7.1tJf3 O - O (diagram)
8.0-0 I n the following game White seemed to be carrying out a plan to penetrate the e6-square with his knight, but then he refrained from sacrificing a pawn: 8.e4 lLla6 9.lLlgS f4 (This is an important S8
move, since Black closes the long diagonal.) 1O.lLlh3 (White possi bly believed that Black was forced to capture on g3, but that was an illusion ... ) 1O ... lLlcS! 11.f3 (11.gxf4? lLlfxe4 12 .lLlxe4 lLlxe4 13 ..be4 ixh3:¡:) 11...aS 12.lLlf2 (Once again it is not good for White to capture the pawn, if only because of the following variation: 12.gxf4 lLlxdS! 13.V!1xdS+ i.e6 14.V!1d1 ixh3 lS. ixh3 \wh4+) 12 ... fxg3 (Now Black is happy to make this exchange. After his opponent has lost so many tempi to transfer his knight from f3 to f2, he should have no problems whatsoever.) 13.hxg3 lLlhS 14.lLle2 c6� Cacco - Berend, Turin 2006.
8 ... a5 This is useful prophylactic move, although the following re cent game shows that b2-b4 is not such a great threat after all: 8 ... h6!? 9.b4 aS 1O.bxaS E:xaS 11.i.d2 lLlbd7 12 .lLlh4 �h7 13.V!1c2 lLlb6� Jacobsen - Krasenkow, Copenha gen 2010.
9.e4 White
can
hardly
manage
l.d4 d6 2.c4 eS 3.d515 4. ttJc3 ttJf6 without this move, because quiet half-measures would not create any problems for Black at all. For example: 9.ig5 h6 1O.id2 g5 11.1Mfc2 ttJa6 12.a3 1Mfe8 13Jl:ab1 1Mfh5 14.b4 axb4 15.axb4 f4� Granero Roca Garza Marco, Zaragoza 1998, or 9.ttJe1 ttJbd7 1O.1Mfc2 ttJc5 11.ttJd3 ttJxd3 12.1Mfxd3 b6 13.e4 1Mfe7 14. :gel fxe4 15.ttJxe4 if5 16.ig5 h6 17.hf6 hf6 18.1Mfd2 ig7� Belous - Matjushin, Zaporozhje 2010.
9 ie3
•••
@h8� Mishra - Hodgson, Dhaka 1993 (game 14). White's pieces are active, but still the kingside usually belongs to Black, since the pawn-strocture favours his opera tions there. B) 4.tLlc3
tLla6 10 .exíS gxf5 11.
The complications are favour able for Black after 1l.ttJh4 ttJcS 12.ig5 f4! ? 13.gxf4 h6 14.hf6 1Mfxf6 15.1Mfh5 exf4't Gonzalez Strikovic, La Corona 1996.
11
••.
tLlg4 12 . .ig5
This move used to be consid ered as the best for White sorne thirty years ago, but later the eval uation changed.
4
•..
tLlf6
12 ...1Mfe8 This is a standard manoeuvre in the King's Indian Defence Black's queen goes to h5, although sometimes it may occupy the g6square as well.
13.h3 tLlf6 14.1Mfd2 ,ªh5 15. tLlh4 .id7 16 ..if3 ,ªf7 17.@h2
B1) 5.f3 B2) 5.tLlf3 B3) 5.,ªc2 B4) 5 ..ig5 59
Chapter 3 5.g3 g6 - see 4.g3. 5.e4 fxe4 - see 4.e4 fxe4 5.ltlc3 ltlf6. It looks very original for White to play 5.f4 e4 6.e3 g6 7.ltlh3 ig7 8.ltlf2 a5 9.ie2 ltlbd7 1O.Wc2 ltlc5 U ..id2 O-O 12 .ltlb5 c6 13.ltld4 .id7 14.0-0 c;t>h8�, but Black has nothing to complain about, Fa yard - McNab, Hastings 1989.
B1) 5.f3 White wishes to build a power fuI pawn-chain on the light squares, similar to the Saemisch system in the King's Indian De fence. Black has not fianchettoed his bishop yet however, so there will be no transposition to the Saemisch.
5 J.e7! .•.
This is the right response. He is preparing to castle quickly, place his knight on h5 and follow up with the exchange of the dark squared bishops with ie7-g5.
6.e4 fxe4 In principIe, Black can post pone this exchange, but this is the 60
simplest continuation; otherwise, White may seize control of the e4outpost. 7.fxe4 o - o 8.lüf3 White played rather inconsist ently and slowly in the following game: 8.g3 ltla6 9.ih3 ltlc5 10 . 1We2 a5 11.J.g2 c6=t Medancic Sulava, Toscolano 1996.
8 J.g4 9.J.e2 �h5 10 .g3 �d7 11.J.e3 ••.
It is possibly better to opt for U.O-O!?, but even then after U ... ih3 12J''!f2 a5 Black obtains a comfortable position: 1l ...J.h3 12.gg1 ig400 Welke - Grabarczyk, Muehlhausen 2004.
B2) 5.�f3 J.e7
IfWhite does not wish to waste time on sorne enjoyable but not essential operations, such as fian chettoing bishops, and instead develops his pieces energetically (planning to fight for the centre later with the move e4), then Black should hurry with his own development and immediately place his bishop on e7. After the
l.d4 d6 2.c4 eS 3.d5j5 4.liJc3 liJf6 move-order which White has cho sen, the plan of g6 and !J.g7 seems to me to be a bit slow for Black.
B2a) 6.g3 B2b) 6.e4 For 6.�c2 o-o - see variation
B3. B2a) 6.g3 This move is rather indiffer ent.
6
.•.
0 - 0 7..ig2 a5 8. 0 - 0
After 8.a3 Black should con tinue in the same "gentleman-like fashion" with: 8 ... �e8 9.b3 !J.d7 1O.!J.b2 liJa6 1l.liJd2, Zsinka Hausner, Hamburg 1990, 11.. .e4 12 .e3 liJcS't
8
•.•
liJa6
Smolensk 2005. It would not be good for Black to exchange on d3, since White may recapture with his pawn and later play f2-f4, be ginning the destruction of Black's pawn-centre. Black can protect his knight: 1O ... liJfd7 l1.liJxcS (if 1l.!J.e3, then 1l ... liJxd3 12.exd3 and, owing to the fact that White's knight has abandoned the f-file, Blaek can eontinue with 12 .. .f4 ! 13.!J.d2 liJeS+!) 1l ... liJxcS 12.!J.e3 b6 13.�d2 !J.d7+! - he has fortified his position and can now simply wait for a while to see what his op ponent plans to do next.
9
..•
liJc5
Blaek's knights eye the e4-out post. The following examples show that White's queenside pawn-offensive is not so danger ous after all:
1 0 .ie3 •
Or 1O.E1b1 !J.d7 1l.b4 liJce4 (This is an exeellent square for the knight!) 12.liJxe4 liJxe4 13.�b3 axb4 14.axb4 !J.a4 1S.�b2 !J.f6i Gu nawan - Seirawan, Jakarta 1983.
10 b6 1l.b4 liJce4 12.liJxe4 liJxe4 13.'M>3 'We8 .•.
9.a3 After 9.b3 �e8 1O.!J.a3 Black ean already start an attaek: 1O .. .f4!? 11.gxf4 exf4 12.liJd4, Poobesh - Ak shayraj, Negombo 2003, 12 ...�S't White eould eonsider transfer ring his knight to d3 in order to harass Blaek's knight on eS: 9.liJe1 liJeS l O.liJd3, Platonov - Silivanov, 61
Chapter 3 14.cS?! White is overextend ing and thanks to this Black acti vates his kingside pieces and seiz es the initiative. 14 . . .bxcS 1S.
9
...
lüa6 10 .lüxe4 O - O
bxcS i.a6 16.ga2 gb8 17.Wc2 §,bS+ Meier - Mohrlock, Germa ny 1999.
B2b) 6.e4
1l.i.d3 White is forced to comply with the exchange of his light-squared bishop; otherwise, after 11.i.e2 tLlb4 12.1�fb1 c6 he is in a big trou ble.
White immediately begins the fight for the e4-square. 1 believe this is the only plan that can cre ate any problems for Black.
1l...lüb4 12.Wb3 lüxd3+ 13. Wxd3 We8 14. 0 - 0 Wg6 1S.fa hSf! Auchenberg - Vorotnikov, Copenhagen 1990.
B3) S.§'c2 i.e7
6 ...lüxe4 It is advantageous for him to exchange a pair of knights, so he captures on e4 with a knight.
7.lüxe4 fxe4 8.lüd2 i.f5 9. Wc2 Following 9.�e2 c6 1O.tLlxe4 cxd5 11.cxd5 O-O, Black is consid erably ahead in development. White's queen on e2 is misplaced and he must lose two more tempi to develop his bishop on f1. Mean while, Black succeeds in creating real threats: 12.g3 �a5+ 13.tLlc3 tLla6 14..tg2 tLlc5+ Simantsev Kovalevskaya, Tula 2001. 62
If 1 have to sum up what 1 have said until now, 1 would like to for mulate the following rule: if in similar positions White does not
l.d4 d6 2.c4 eS 3.dSj5 4.ltJc3 ltJf6 lose time for moves ofthe type g2g3 and he fights for the e4-square, then it is reasonable for Black to refrain from a king's fianchetlo and develop his bishop to e7 with the idea to castle short as quickly as possible.
6.e4 White has tested other possi bilities in the diagrammed posi tion, but without particular suc cess. For example: 6.e3 o-o 7.b3 a5 8.�b2 ltJa6 9.a3 We8 1O.ltJf3 .id7 11.�e2 �h8 12 .h4 c6� M.Guseva - M.Fomi nykh, Vladimir 2002 (game 15). 6.ltJf3 O-O 7.e3 (7.e4 ltJxe4 8. ltJxe4 fxe4 9.Wxe4 �f5 1O.We3 ltJa6+ Felicio - Todorov, Figueira da Foz 2009) 7... a5 8.b3 ltJa6 9.a3 .id7 1O.ie2 c6 11.dxc6 bxc6 12. O-O ltJc5� Monin - Kurilov, Sto Petersburg 2002. In response to 6.g3, Black must try immediately to under mine his opponent's centre: 6 ...c6 7..ig2 cxd5 8.cxd5 ltJa6 9.ltJh3 (White does not wish to cover the diagonal of his bishop on g2, not to lose at sorne moment his d5pawn, because Black has the pos sibility of a double atlack with his knight - ltJa6-b4.) 9 ... 0-0 10.0-0 h6 11.a3 .id7 12 .b4 ltJc7 13.a4 Wc8! (This is an exceIlent multi-pur pose move: Black is threatening now both ltJc7xd5, as weIl as f5f4.) 14.Wd3 (White parries both threats, but here Black can open "a second front" on the queen side.) 14 ...b5! 15.a5 Wb7+ Djukic
- Gaponenko, Pozarevac 2009.
6 ...fxe4 If he begins with 6 ... ltJxe4, then after 7.ltJxe4 fxe4, besides 8.Wxe4, White has another idea 8.ltJe2 followed by ltJc3(g3), in or der to capture on e4 with his knight.
7.ltJxe4 It would be too slow for White to play 7.ltJge2 o-o 8.ltJg3, Cardili - Papa, Bratlo 2005, 8 ... ltJa6 9. ltJgxe4 ltJxe4 1O.ltJxe4 c6+ 7... ltJxe4 8.Wxe4 O - O
It is well known that the queen is not a good blocker and it wiIl not remain for long on the e4square. White must play very carefuIly to avoid having great problems.
9.�c2 About 9.ltJf3 if5 - see 6.ltJf3 o-o 7.e4. 9 ..id3 �f5 1O.We2 i.xd3 11. Wxd3 ltJd7 12 ..ie3 (12.ltJf3? ltJc5 13.Wc2 e4) 12 ....ig5 13.ltJf3?, Des nos - Hileyan, France 2002 (it is betler for White to play here 13. ltJe2 ixe3 14.Wxe3 Wh4�) 13 ... 63
Chapter 3 tLlcS 14.hc5 (14.�c2 .b:e3 1S.fxe3 e4-+) 14 ... e4 lS.�xe4 l'!e8 16. tLlxgS �xgS 17.�xe8+ l'!xe8+ 18. i.e3 l'!xe3+ 19.fxe3 �xe3-+
9
•••
W1e8
Black concentrates aH his forc es on the kingside. The fight for the key e4-square continues!
10 .J.e3 J.f5 1l.J.d3 �g6 12. .ixf5 lhf5 13. 0 - 0 - 0 White has evacuated his king to the queenside, but this does not mean that his hands are quite free for actions on the other side of the board. Black's forces are focused on the kingside and he impedes White's eventual pawn-offensive there. 13 ... �d7 14.h4 �af8iZ She naev - Chernikov, Odintsovo 2008.
B4) 5.J.g5
with a powerful knight (comfort ably deployed on the central e4outpost) against a "bad" dark squared bishop. NaturaHy, it would be hardly possible to accomplish aH that without the help of the opponent.
5 ...J.e7 6.J.xf6 White blunders sometimes a pawn at this moment, for exam pIe: 6.e3? tLlxdS! 7.tLlxdS hgS 8. h4 i.e7 9.tLlf3 c6 1O.tLlc3 tLld7 11. �c2 tLlf6+ Profaizer - Tseshko vsky, Gmunden 2 007, or 6.�c2? tLlxdS 7.i.xe7 tLlxe7 8.e4 O-O 9. i.d3 tLlbc6+ Oyaga - Strikovic, Pamplona 2007. He has tried in practice the move 6.h4 - White protects his bishop and parries tLlf6xdS, but the move h4 does not create any threats and is hardly useful for him in this position. There may follow: 6 ... 0-0 7.tLlf3 tLla6 8.�c2 e4 9.tLld4 h6 1O.i.d2 tLlg4 11.g3 if6+ Handke - Ubilava, Benasque 1998.
6 ...J.xf6 7.e4
He has a complicated agenda. He wishes to exchange his bishop for Black's knight, advance e2-e4, exchange on fS, exchange the light-squared bishops and with an insight in the future, to remain 64
It is at least inconsistent for him to opt for 7.e3 o-o 8.tLlf3 aS 9.i.e2 tLla6 1O.a3 id7 11.l'!c1 tLlcS. Black has deployed perfectly his forces and his position is prefera ble. White's queenside diversion cannot change this evaluation: 12.b4 axb4 13.axb4 tLla4 14.tLlxa4 l'!xa4+ Krasenkova - M.Fomi nykh, Moscow 2010.
7... 0 - 0 8.J.d3 8.tLlf3 tLla6 9.ie2 �e8 1O.tLld2 W1g6 11.i.f3 tLlcS 12.�e2 i.gS+
l.d4 d6 2.c4 e5 3.d5.f5 4. lLlc3 lLlf6 Black wins the fight for the e4square and this means his pros pects in the oncoming battle are superior, Ferk - MicheU, Austria 200l. White's direct attempt to win the fight for the e4-outpost would not work, because after the straightforward Une: 8.exf5 hf5 9.i.d3, Black has a very powerful argument 9 ...e4 ! , for example: 1O.lLlxe4 �e8 11.f3 i.xb2 12.�b1 i.d4 with an advantage for him.
8 g6 • . .
He maintains the tension in the centre and after an eventual exchange on f5, wishes to recap ture with a pawn, not conceding the e4-square to his opponent. In general, it is also good for Black to play f5-f4, but he plans to do this only after White has placed his knight on e2, since f5-f4 would be much stronger then.
9.e'c2 9.lLlge2 f4 1O.f3, Tousif - Mc Nab, Manila 1992, 1O ...i.h4+ 11. g3 i.g5+ 9.lLlf3 lLla6 1O.�c1 'it>h8 11.h4
f4? Petrovic - Medak, Djakovo 1994.
9 ... tba6 1 0 . a3 tbc5 1l.tbge2 a5 12. 0 - 0 12.b3 f4 13.f3 i.h4+ 14.'it>d2, Szwier - Ponceleusz, Milanowek 2001, 14 .. JMfg5+
12
•••
f4 13.f3 a4 14.tbc1 g5
Black has realised everything he has been dreaming of. His op ponent has no threats on the queenside and Black has already begun his kingside offensive. 15 .te2 ¡;U7 It deserves attention for him to choose 15...i.d7 with a sudden and very unpleasant threat for White \Wd8-b8-a7, increasing the control over the dark squares. If 6.b4, then after 16... axb3 17.lLlxb3 lLla4, Black maintains the initia tive. •
16.b4 axb3 17.tbxb3 tbxb3 18. 'lWxb3 b6? Broemel - Espig, Stralsund 1988.
C) 4.e4 This is the most energetic move for White. He wishes to ob65
Chapter 3 tain an outpost for his pieces on the e4-square.
4 ...fxe4 Black cannot keep his pawn on f5, because after 4 ... g6 5.exf5 gxf5?, White has 6.Wlh5+. He is reluctant to play 4 ... f4, as well, since this reduces the ten sion in the centre and White will increase effortlessly his space ad vantage.
The experimental idea 6.h3 would not bring White any divi dends. In fact, if he will advance his rook pawn, he should better push it further in order to weaken somehow Black's kingside. 6 ...h5 7.tLlge2 :fJ.f5 8.tLlg3 :fJ.g6 9.Wle2 (otherwise, Black will repel the enemy knight with the move h5h4 and White will have problems recapturing his pawn) 9 ... tLlbd7 1O.tLlgxe4 tLlxe4 1l.tLlxe4 Wlh4! ? (Black leads i n development, so in principIe he should not be afraid of complications.) 12 .tLlg5 tLlc5 13.g3 Wld4 14.:fJ.e3 tLld3+ 15.Wlxd3 Wlxd3 16.:fJ.xd3 :fJ.xd3 17.�c1 c5 18. �d2 �f5= He has a bishop-pair and a very solid position, Zaja Biti, Velika Gorica 2003.
5.�c3 �f6 6.�ge2 This knight is headed fir the g3-square, after which White will restore the material balance. His alternative is - 6.�g5 tLlbd7 7.tLlge2 (7.tLlxe4 :fJ.e7 8.tLlg3? - this is a well known mistake. In stead, White had better capture the knight on f6 with his bishop 8 ... tLlxd5 9.:fJ.h6 tLlf4 1O.hg7 �g8 11.tLlh5, Jacob - Stevenson, Troon 2006, 11...tLlc5 12.tLlxf4 �xg7 13. tLld5 c6 14.tLlxe7 WlxeTt) 7... :fJ.e7 8. tLlg3? (He was rather careless in this game as well.) 8 ... tLlxd5 9.tLlxd5 hg5 1O.tLlxe4 :fJ.e7 11.Wlh5+ g6 12.Wlh6 :fJ.f8 13.Wld2 c6 14.tLldc3 tLlf6+ Soln - Tratar, Bled 1999. 66
el) 6 i.f5 e2) 6 �a6 ...
•••
el) 6
••.
:fJ.f5
This is the most popular move for Black, after which, in the main line, he reaches a practically equal position, a bit passive, though ...
7.�g3 :fJ.g6
l.d4 d6 2.c4 eS 3.d515 4.e4 fxe4 S. ltJc3 ltJf6 6.ltJge2
C1a) 8 ..ie2 C1b) 8.h4 C1c) 8 ..ig5 C1a) 8 . .ie2 This rather modest move enables Black to complete effort lessly his development and to en ter complications advantageous ly. 8 ....ie7 9 .ie3 o - o 1 0 .ti'b3 At first, White provokes the move b7-b6 and he places his queen on c2 only later, increasing the pressure against the e4-pawn. Ifhe plays immediately lO:�c2, then Black can undermine the centre with 1O ... c6 1U�d1 cxdS 12 .ltJxdS ltJxdS 13.l"lxdS ltJd7 14. O-O ltJf6 lS.l"ld2 Wic7 16.l"lfd1 l"lfc8� Bozinovic - Tischbierek, Bie1 2004.
is much easier to defend than to atlack. 16. O - O .ie5 17 .id4 ti'f6, draw, Mchedlishvili - R.Mame doy, Calvia 2007. •
C1b) 8.h4 This move is premature.
8 ... h6
•
10 ... b6 1l.ti'c2 ltJbd7 12. ltJgxe4 ltJxe4 13.ltJxe4 ltJf6 14. ltJxf6 + .ixf6 15.Wid2 (diagram)
15
.•.
e4!?
This is a thematic move. Black opens the long diagonal for his bishop on f6 and the pawn on e4
Black not only ensures the safety of his light-squared bishop, but he defends against his oppo nent's thematic manoeuvre - .tc1gSxf6.
9.§'c2 9.hS .th7 1O ..te2 ltJa6 1l ..te3 .te7 12 .a3, Avrukh - K1enburg, 67
Chapter 3 Internet 2004, 12 ... liJc5 13.0-0
O-O� 9 ... tDbd7 1 0 .�e3 JJ.e7 11.h5 If White postpones this ad vance and regains at first his pawn - 11.liJcxe4 liJxe4 12.ltJxe4 O-O, then in reply to 13.hS
14 he4!? •••
We have already seen this re source in the game Bernasek Espig: the vulnerability of the light squares is not dangerous for Black. It is essential for him to ex change the dark-squared bishops and later he wiIl place his knight on f6, cover the h7-square and prepare counterplay in the centre with eS-e4, c7-c6 etc.
15.he4 .ig5�
ele) 8 ..ig5
Black can already play 13 ... JJ.xe4! ? 14"�xe4 i.gS (He is notice ably ahead in development, so he is not afraid of an attack against his king.) lS.i.d3 liJf6 16.�g6 he3 17.fxe3 e4 18.�e2 c6+ Black's king is completely safe, which cannot be said for its counterpart, Bernasek - Espig, Pardubice 2008.
11 ...�h7 12.tDexe4 tDxe4 13. liJxe4, Voinov - Gurov, Kolomna 2008, 13 ... 0 - 0 14.JJ.d3
68
8 . tDbd7 .
.
The idea of this move is to force the opponent to recapture the e4-pawn (otherwise, it wiIl be protected with the move liJcS) and thanks to this to exchange a pair of knights. The same idea is be hind the move 6 ... liJa6, which we shaIl analyze a bit latero In answer to 8 ...�e7, 1 think it would be very unpleasant for Black ifWhite plays 9.h4! In prac tice Black has tried numerous al ternatives here, but White main-
l.d4 d6 2.c4 eS 3.d5 15 4.e4 fxe4 S.tiJc3 tiJf6 6. tiJge2 tains superior prospects in all lines. The rnove 9 .. .h5 weakens Black's kingside too rnuch: 10. hf6 hf6 11.tiJgxe4 (but not 11. te2? because of 1l ... e3! 12.hh5 exf2+ 13.�f1 hh5 14.tiJxh5 tiJd7 15.tiJe4 �e7+ Danner - Yrjola, Ba turni 1999 - game 16) 11 ....bh4 (1l ... tiJd7 12.td3 i.f7 13.g3 �e7 14. tiJb5t) 12.te2 tiJd7 (12 ... tiJa6 13.g3 tf6 14.hh5±) 13.g3 .1f6 14 ..1xh5 �e7 15.�g4t Ungureanu - Pav lov, Bucharest 1967. In the garne Black held the position, but it was quite clear that this was the rnost he could hope for.. After 9 ...h6, events are alrnost the sarne: 1O.txf6 hf6 (After 10 ... gxf6 11..1e2 o-o 12 ..1h5, White can weave a blockade net on Black's kingside - 12 ....ih7 13. �g4+ �h8 14 ..1g6 gg8 15.h5 tiJd7 16.�xe4±) 11.�g4 .if7 12.tiJcxe4 tiJd7 13.0-0-0t - White has a slight but stable advantage and Black's defence in such positions is very difficult. 9 ... 0-0 1O.h5. White estab lishes a wedge on the flank (After 1O.i.xf6 gxf6 1l.h5, Jakab - Var ga, Budapest 2001, 11...ie8 12. tiJgxe4 gh6 13.td3 tiJd7� Black has good counterplay.). 1O ....1e8, Danner - Peredy, Oberwart 2004, 1l.h6 g6 12.M6 .1xf6 13.tiJgxe4t White's advantage is rnaybe not very great, but still his position looks very attractive.
9.tDexe4
White has also tried in practice 9.tiJgxe4 te7 1O.hf6 tiJxf6 1l ..id3 tiJh5 12.0-0 tiJf4 13 ..1c2 O-O 14. g3 th5 15.f3 tiJh3+ 16.�g2 �d7 17.c5 dxc5 18.d6 hd6 19.tiJxc5, Piceu - Broekmeulen, Nether lands 2007, 19 ...�c8�
9 .ie7 10 .bf6 .bf6 11. i.d3 O - O 12. 0 - 0 i.h4 ..•
•
13.tDe2 If Black succeeds in exchang ing his dark-squared bishop for the enerny knight he wiIl have a wonderful position.
13 ...fle7 14.fle2 Avrukh - Bologan, Biel 1999 (game 17). Bologan tried to exert sorne pressure against the enerny f2-square, but that did not prove to be effective. I think he should have opted for a position with bishops of opposite colours:
14 i.xe4!? 15.i.xe4 g6 16. tDe3 a5� .••
White is probably slightly bet ter, but this advantage is purely acadernic and is not likely to have any practical significan ce.
69
Chapter 3 C2) 6 .c!LJa6
12 . . .Vffe 8, followed by lLlh5, with counterplay on the kingside.
••
8 i.e7 9.hf6 hf6 1 0 . ¿¿¡cxe4 ¿¿¡xe4 1l.¿¿¡xe4 O - O 12 . .id3 �e7 •..
Black is not hoping to keep his extra pawn, since this would be too naive. Instead, he wishes to exchange a pair of knights. His pieces do not have enough space, while after the exchange every thing wiIl be in order.
Black's desire to open tbe posi tion quickly with the move 12 ... c6 is easily understandable, but in this particular case it can be re futed tacticaIly: 13.dxc6 bxc6 14. lLlxd6! e4, A.Mikhalevski - Finkel, Beer-Sheva 1996, 15.lLlxe4 i.xb2 16.�b1 i.d4 17.0-0;t 13. 0 - 0 , Kuempers - Emami, Bad Woerishofen 2003.
13
• . .
.tg5
Black activates his bishop and tries to provoke a weakening of White's kingside in the process.
14.�c2 i.f4 15.g3 i.h6+t
7.¿¿¡g3 ¿¿¡eS 8 .tg5 .
Tbis is the most consistent move for White. He has tried sorne alternatives too: 8.i.e3 b6 9.i.e2 (9.h3 i.e7 10. b4 lLld3+ 1l.i.xd3 exd3 12J''lc 1 a5 13.a3 axb4 14.axb4 o-o 15.�xd3 �e8 16.0-0 lLlh5 17.lLlb5 i.d8� Bacon - Bogdan, Avoine 2005) 9 ... a5 10.0-0 g6 1l.i.xc5 bxc5 12.lLlgxe4 i.h6 13.lLlxf6+ �xf6 14. lLlb5 Vffe7 15.i.g4 O-O 16.a4 i.f5� Gerber - Okhotnik, Prague 1988
(game 18). 8.b4 lLld3+ 9.i.xd3 exd3 10. �b1 �e7 11.�xd3 O-O 12.0-0, Soln - Srebrnic, Ljubljana 2006,
70
Black's powerful bishops are still somewhat restricted in their action, but after an opening of the game (White cannot achieve any thing without this ...) they wiIl be come a force to be reckoned with.
Chapter 3
1.d4 d6 2.c4 e5 3.d5 f5
Complete Games
12
Doyle
McNab
Hamilton 2010
l.d4 d6 2.c4 e5 3.d5 f5 4. c!LJc3 c!LJf6 5.g3 g6 6 .ig2 .ig7 7.h4 c!LJbd7 8.c!LJh3 a5 9.c!LJg5 c!LJf8 1 0 .e4 h6 ll.c!LJe6 c!LJxe6 12. dxe6 c6 13.h5 he6 14.hxg6 fxe4 15.ti'e2 d5 •
It was obviously stronger for White to opt for 20.Wf5 We7 21. 0-0-0 Eld8 22.Elde1 ltJd5 23.i>b1 and although Black would have two extra pawns, the position would have remained rather tense.
2 0 ...ti'c7 21.ti'xc4 0 - 0 - 0 22. 0 - 0 - 0 c!LJd5 Black plays imprecisely. ln stead, after 22 ... l'l:d4 23.We6+ Wd7 he would maintain an edge.
23.c!LJe4 b6 24J!hf1 �hf8 25.@b1 @b7
16 .id2 .ig4 17.f3 exf3 18 .ixf3 .ixf3 19.ti'xf3 dxc4 •
•
Here Black could consider 19 ... d4 (Naturally, with a bishop on g7, he would be reluctant to place his central pawns on dark squares, but in this particular case the con crete variations show this move to be the correct decision.) 20 .ltJe4 o-o and now 21.ixh6? fails to 21.. .ltJxe4 22.Wxe4 ixh6 23,!'l:xh6 Wf6.
2 0 .ti'e2
26.ha5! This beautiful tactical strike is the best way to force a draw.
26 ...ti'e7? Black avoids that Hne, but in vain. It was correct for him to continue with 26 ... bxa5 27.ltJcS+ 71
Chapter 3 �b6 28J'lxf8 gxf8 29. tLla4+ @b7 30.tLlc5+, with perpetual check.
27.tDc5+? It looks as if White very much wanted a draw; otherwise, after 27.�b3! gxfl 28.:gxf1 :gf8 29.gc1, Black would have serious prob lems.
tDc5 1 0 .f3 a5 1l.tDa4 fxe4 12. tDxc5 exf3 13. .ixi3 dxc5 14. tDc3 .ih3 15.�e1 �d7 16 .ie3 b6 17.�d2 •
27... @b8? Black had to capture the knight - 27 ...bxc5 28.�b3+ @a7 29.hd8 �xd8 with mutual chances.
17... tDe8! Black's knight is transferred to the blockading square d6, follow ing Nimzowitsch's advice. At the same time he opens the Hile for his rook and the long diagonal for his bishop (his future plans in elude advancing with e5-e4).
28.tDa6+? White could have won this game in a beautiful fashion with the line: 28 ..txb6 ! ! tLlxb6 29.�b4 and it is elear that Black is incapa ble of protecting his knight, for example: 29 ...�a7 30.:gxf8 gxf8 31.tLld7+ , winning for White. 28 @b7. Draw. This was a rather tense game in which the last part was marred by mutual mistakes - possibly because of time-trouble.
18 .ig2 tDd6 19.b3 e4 2 0 . �ac1 �ae8 2 1 .ih6?! hh6 22. 'I1Mxh6 hg2 23.@xg2 •
•
..•
23 ...�g4 13 Cruz Lledo - Strikovic Benidorm 2007
1.d4 d6 2.c4 e5 3.d5 f5 4. tDc3 tDf6 5.g3 g6 6.ig2 .ig7 7. e4 O - O 8.tDge2 tDbd7 9. 0 - 0 72
Here it was even stronger to play 23 ...e3! 24.:ge2 (24.:gxe3 tLlf5) 24...�f7 25.�f4 �xf4 26.gxf4 gxf4.
24.�e3 gf3 25.'ti'e2 gem Black could win immediately
l.d4 d6 2.c4 e5 3.d5f5 with 25 ... tt:Jf5. The same manoeu vre would be decisive on the next move as well.
26.l':!:f1 h5 27.a3 tt:Jf5 28. l':!:xf3 exf3+ 29.%Vxf3 tt:Jh4+. White resigned.
14
Mishra
J.Hodgson
from clear how he should develop his initiative, since his opponent's position has no obvious weak nesses. White can maintain the balance with a simple waiting move such as 24.E1g1, but unfortu nately he decided to try something active.
Dhaka 1993
24.f4?! l':!:g8 25.lLf2 tt:Jg6
l.d4 d6 2.c4 e5 3.d5 f5 4. tt:Jc3 tt:Jf6 5.tt:Jf3 g6 6.g3 lLg7 7.lLg2 O - O 8 . 0 - 0 a5 9.e4 tt:Ja6 1 0 .exf5 gxf5 1l.lLe3 tt:Jg4 12. lLg5 �e8 13.h3 tt:Jf6 14.�d2 �h5 15.tt:Jh4 lLd7 16.lLf3 �f7 17.
It was betler for Black to play 25 ...e4 26.lLe2 a4't
26.l':!:gl a4 27.fxe5 28.lLe2 tt:Je4
tt:Jxe5
Here 28 ... tt:Jg6! ? deserved con sideration, when Black's position would be preferable. Now White has a powerful manoeuvre - the transfer of the knight to h5, after which the position is balanced again.
29.tt:Jxe4 fxe4 3 0 .tt:Jf4 �h6 31.i.d4 l':!:af8 32.tt:Jh5
18.l':!:ae1 tt:Jc5 19.�c2 tt:Jg8 2 0 .�Yd1 i.f6 21.i.e3 b6 22.tt:Jg2 �g7 23.lLh5 tt:Je7
32
••.
tt:Jf3+?!
This is another imprecision for Black and White now obtains an edge. It was correct for Black to continue with 32 ... tt:Jd3 33.bf6+ E1xf6 34.bd3 exd3 35J!g2 (35. tt:Jxf6? �xh3#) 35 ... :9:f5= 1 believe Black has manoeu vred quite well so far, but it is far
33.ht'3 exf3 34.tt:Jf4? White
overlooks his
oppo73
Chapter 3 nent's tactical idea, which he could have prevented with the line: 34.g4 f2 35.hf2 �e5+ 36. �g3 .b:b2 37.!lg2;!;
After this mistake, White sur prisingly saves the game. Black was winning with 50 ... <.t>h7 5I. <.t>e8 !lg7 52.!lhl <.t>h6 etc.
34 ...f2! 35 .ixf2 lLe5 36.�f3 hh3
51.ghl gh7 52.gh3 <.t>g8 53. <.t>c8 <.t>f8 54. <.t>d8 <.t>g8
This is the point. Now White must enter a very unpleasant end game in order to avoid the worst.
His king cannot cross the sev enth rank now, because he loses all his queenside pawns. There fore - a draw.
•
37.�h5 �xh5 38.tbxh5 lhf'2+ 39.<.t>xh3 gg5 4 0 .tbf4 hf4 Black had a good alternative here - 40 ...!lxb2 4I.!le2 a3.
41.gxf4 1b:gl It was clearly even better for Black to continue with 41...!lf3+, for example: 42.<.t>h4 (White can not save the day with 42.<.t>h2 !lh5+ 43.<.t>g2 !lxf4) 42 ... !lxgl 43. !lxgl !lxf4+ 44.<.t>g5 !lxc4 and his advantage would be decisive.
15 M.Guseva - M.Fominykh VIadimir 2002
l.d4 d6 2.c4 e5 3.d5 f5 4. tbc3 tbf6 5.�c2 ILe7 6.e3 O - O 7. b3 a5 8.lLb2 tba6 9.a3 �e8 1 0 . tbf3 lLd7 1l.lLe2 <.t>h8 12.h4 c6
42.gxgl gxf4 43.b3 axb3 44.axb3 gf3+ 45.<.t>g4 gxb3 46.<.t>f5 gf3+ It seems more precise for Black to continue with 46 ... !le3 47.<.t>f6 !le4 48.!lc1 <.t>g8.
47.<.t>e6 gf4 48.gcl h5 49. <.t>d7 gf7+ 5 0 .<.t>d8
50 ...h4? 74
13.dxc6 bxc6 14.tba4 tbe4 15.h5 gb8 16.h6 1Lf6 White's threat to capture on g7 is not very dangerous, so Black does not need to retreat his bish op, which had an important mis sion - to protect the d6-pawn. Instead, he should have taken care of his only passive piece 16 ... lLlac5! 17.lLlxc5 lLlxc5 18.hxg7+ <.t>xg7 19.1Lld2 Wíg6, with superior prospects.
17.hxg7+ hg7 18.gdl �e7 19.tbh4 �g5?
1.d4 d6 2.c4 eS 3.d5 f5 This mistake allows White to continue with his kingside offen sive. Black should have continued with 19 ...Elf6 20.,if3 Elh6=
2 0 .g4! After this move the pride and joy of Black's position - his cen tralized knight on e4 - is suddenly hanging.
16
Danner
Yrjola
Batumi 1999
1.d4 d6 2.c4 e5 3.d5 f5 4.e4 fxe4 5.ltJc3 ltJf6 6.ltJge2 .if5 7. ltJg3 .ig6 8.ig5 .ie7 9.h4 h5 10 ..ixf6 .ixf6 1l.i.e2? e3! 12. i.xh5 exf2+ 13.<;!;lfl i.xh5 14. ltJxh5 ltJd7 15.ltJe4 'ee7
2 0 ... !lf7 21.gxf5?! This is a hasty move. White should have struck a blow from the other side - 21.c5 ! , after which Black's position is about to crum ble.
21 ....ixf5 22 ..id3?? This is the fatal mistake. White would have maintained a slight edge after 22.ltJxf5 '&xf5 23.f3 ltJg3 24.'&xf5 ltJxf5 25J'1:d3;t
22 ... ltJxf2! 24.ltJf3
16.ti'g4 0 - 0 - 0 17.!lc1 �f7 18.ltJhg3 <;!;lb8 19.!lc2 ltJb6 2 0 . b3 c6!?
23.'exf2 hd3
Black's rook is untouchable: 24.�xf7 '&xe3#
24...'ef5 25.'eh4.if6 26.ti'h5 'exh5 27.!lxh5 fucb3 White's position is crushed under the pressure of his oppo nent's pieces.
28.ltJg5 hg5 29.!lxg5 !lfl+ 3 0 .<;!;ld2 !lf2+ . White resigned.
Black has ensured the safety of his king and begins to open the centre.
21.ltJf5? White enters complications without any necessity. On the contrary, he needed to simplify the position with the line: 21.dxc6 bxc6 22.ltJxf6 gxf6 23.ltJf5, with approximately equal chances. 75
Chapter 3 21 cxd5 23.c5 tlJc8 •••
22.tlJexd6
�e6
Naturally, the knight on d6 must be exchanged.
24.�b4 tlJxd6 25.tlJxd6 �M7 26.gxf2 JJ.e7 Black is quite consistent in the implementation ofhis plan. White still has not solved his main prob lem - bringing his rook on hl into action. .
27.tlJf5 gc8 28.tlJxe7 �xe7 29.gc2 d4
18
.•.
tlJb6?!
Black is looking for trouble. He should retreat his bishop 18. .. JJ.e7, preventing Cat least tem porarily) the pawn-break c4-cS. -
19.c5 tlJc8 2 0 .g3 JJ.e7 21.a4 a5?! This is another very risky move, after which White's advan tage is increased. Playing patient ly with 21..:�d7 was worth con sidering.
Black's passed pawns are tre mendously fasto
22.bxa5 dxc5 23.a6 bxa6 24.ha6 gf3 25.gd3 JJ.h5 26. 'i!!a 2 g3t7 27.gd2 �d7
3 0 .gh3 e4 31.�c4 d3 32. gd2 �c5 33.�g8+ gc8 34.�h7 e3 35.gxd3 e2+. White re signed.
17
Avrukh
Bologan
Biel 1999
l.d4 d6 2.c4 e5 3.d5 f5 4.e4 fxe4 5.tlJc3 tlJf6 6.tlJge2 JJ.f5 7. tlJg3 JJ.g6 8.JJ.g5 tlJbd7 9.tlJcxe4 JJ.e7 1 0 .i.xf6 i.xf6 1l.JJ.d3 O - O 12. O - O JJ.h4 13.tlJe2 'i!!e 7 14. 'i!!c 2 gt7 15.tlJ2c3 gaf'S 16.b4 a6 17.gadl �d8 18.�e2 76
28.JJ.e2! White reduces his opponent's pressure on the kingside and at the same time clears the way for his passed pawn.
28 he2 29.gxe2 tlJa7 3 0 . �c4 �h3 31.�a6 tlJc8 .••
l.d4 d6 2.c4 eS 3.dSf5 more tenaciously with 41...!1.c3 ! , pinning the c5-knight. After 42. !1.g4 g6 43.!1.h4 !1.a8, White cannot capture the pawn - 44.!1.hxh7? be cause of 44 .. J''1xc5. Later, he realized his advan tage, not without sorne exciting moments, though ...
32.tie6! This move practically forces the exchange of queens, since Black can hardly put up with such powerful piece on the e6-square. White ends up with an over whelming advantage in the end game.
32 tixe6 33.dxe6 gf3 34. liJd5 .id6 35.ge1 ga3 36.liJxc5 ge8 37.liJe4 gxe6 38.liJxe7 he7 39.gxe7 liJb6 4 0 .liJe5 ge8 .••
42.ga7 h5 43.a5 liJf6 44. !1.b4 e4 45.gbb7 h8 46.a6 e3 47.fxe3 ga1+ 48.g2 ga2+ 49.f3 liJg4 5 0 .ge7 gd8 51. gxg7 gf2+ 52.e4 liJf6+ 53. e5 gd5+ 54. e6 gxe5 55. gge7 ga5 Black could have put up a more resilient defence with the line: 55 .. J'1g5 56.!1.e7 !1.g6. 56.iU7 ge2 57.xf6. Black resigned.
18
Gerber
Okhotnik
Prague 1988
1.d4 d6 2.e4 e5 3.d5 f5 4.e4 liJf6 5.liJe3 fxe4 6.liJge2 liJbd7 7.liJg3 liJe5 8 .ie3 b6 9 .ie2 a5 1 0 . 0 - 0 g6 •
•
41.ge4 It was stronger for White to play 41.!1.d2, preparing doubling of the rooks along the seventh rank. A possible continuation is: 41. .. e4 42.!1.a7 e3 43.fxe3 !1.axe3 44.a5 ttJc4 45.!1.dd7 winning.
41. ttJd5 ••
Black could have defended
U.he5 bxe5 12.liJgxe4 .ih6 13.liJxf6+ tixf6 14.liJb5 tie7 15. .ig4 O - O 16.a4 .if5 77
Chapter 3 17.�a3 e4 18.�e2 gf7 19.�el �e8
:gel#) 23 ....iel 24.b3 e3 25.f3 .if2 + 26.i>hl '\Mfc3 and Black's threats are decisive.
22 ...e3 Black breaks on the squares.
dark
23.fxe3 he3+ 24.i>hl id4 25.h3
2 0 .lOa7? This game is an instructive ex ample of how a single mistake may sometimes be decisive. In general, this move looks quite logical - the knight must come closer to the field of action, but this manoeuvre involves a tactical oversight. White had to exchange the bishops first - 20 ..bf5, al though after 20 ...gxf5 21.tLla7 f4, Black would have good counter play.
25...'\Mfel+ ! This i s a n attractive final com bination.
26.gxel �xel+ ie5+ 28.:gg3
27.i>h2
.id2!
This was the only move, since after 28.g3 Black would check mate with 28 ... :gf2#
Black can counter 22 .Ele2 with 22 '\Mff6 23.Ela2 (The game ends beautifully after 23.Elxd2 e3 24. Ele2 '\Mfxf2 + ! 25.:gxf2 exf2 + 26.i>fl
The black king finds shelter from the checks on h6, after which checkmate on hl is unavoidable. Therefore White resigned.
2 0 ...hg4 22.�dl •..
78
21.Yl\fxg4
28 ... gffl 29. Yl\fe6+ i>f8
Chapter 4
1.d4 d6 2.c4 eS 3. �c3
Quick Repertoire
White continues his develop ment without clarifying the situa tion in the centre. This position ofien arises afier another move order as well - l.c4 e5 2.lDc3 d6 3.d4.
3
.••
exd4
This is the most popular move for Black. He provokes the cen tralization of White's queen and wins a tempo for his development by attacking it with his knight.
4. §'xd4 lbc6 White has a minimal space ad vantage, while Black has a slight initiative. The question now is whether White will stabilize the position and exploit his pluses, or will Black succeed in creating ad vantageous complications?
5.'e'd2 White sometimes retreats his queen to its initial position - 5. �d1. After this Black does not have the tactical ideas based on the pin along the a5-el diagonal, but the placement of White's queen on dI is not so active as on the d2-square. In response, Black quickly completes the develop ment of his kingside, fianchetto ing his bishop and deploying his knight most ofien to e7 (although in sorne variations it is better placed on f6 - see the details in the Step by Step chapter) and pre pares the pawn-breaks in the cen tre, d6-d5 or 0-f5. Black should not have any problems and if White plays carelessly he may 79
Chapter 4 even lose a miniature: 5 ...g6 6.g3 1J.g7 7.1J.g2 liJge7 8.e3 o-o 9.liJge2 1J.e6 1O.liJd5 liJe5 11.liJxe7+ '!!fxe7 12. hb7? (White has first weakened the light squares on the kingside and then, trying to achieve the impossible, he removes their only defender. The punishment is swift and instructive.) 12 ...c6! 13.ha8 liJf3+ 14.@f1 1J.h3# Dimitriadi Zahariev, Hania 1995; but White resigned a move before the check mate.
6.b3 a5!
This move was played for the first time in this position by Lev Polugaevsky in his semi-final can didates match in 1977 against Vic tor Korchnoi, although the idea itself was already familiar. Black wishes to use his rook pawn as bait, deflecting White's knight from the c3-square, and then to advance d6-d5.
7 .ib2 a4 8J'i:d1 •
The slight disharmony in White's camp is only temporary, since he plans to play b2-b3 and then develop his bishop on the long diagonal. His queen on d2 protects the knight on c3 and later it also looks after of the bishop on b2. The drawback of this move is that the queen is placed on the same diagonal as the king. Black succeeds in exploiting this cir cumstance in sorne variations.
5
••.
liJf6
Black's general plan is to con tinue with i.e6, d5, iob4. Naturally, White should try to prevent this. 80
Black's idea can be best illus trated by the following variation: 8.liJxa4? d5 9.cxd5 liJe4 10.'!!fe3 �xa4 11.bxa4 i.b4+ 12.@d1 '!!fxd5+ and his threats are decisive.
8
•••
axb3 9.axb3 g6 1 0 .e4
After the rather slow line for White: 1O.g3 i.g7 1l.liJh3? ! o-o 12.liJf4 liJa5, Black obtains a com fortable game. 1 0 ....ig7 1l .id3 o - o 12. liJge2 liJg4 13. O - O liJce5. White has slightly more space, but Black has deployed his pieces comfort ably and exerts pressure against his opponent's centre, with excel lent counter-chances. •
Chapter 4
1.d4 d6 2.c4 eS 3.�c3 exd4 4. Wfxd4 �c6
Step by Step
an opportune moment.) 11.i.g5 �e8 12.�e3, Stanke - Albers, Hamburg 2006, 12 ... ttJc5? In response to the check 5.�e3+ it looks best for Black to play 5 ...i.e6 (He wishes to develop his knight to f6, advance d6-d5 and deploy his bishop to b4.)
A) 5.�dl B) 5.�d2 White has tried 5.�d3 several times. The d3-square is not the best position for his queen, since he must constantly consider tacti cal sorties of the type ttJ b4 or ttJe5. Black should not have any prob lems in obtaining an exceIlent po sition, for example: 5 ... ttJf6 6.e4 (otherwise Black wiIl play in vari ous move-orders ttJb4 and d5 and wiIl gain a lasting initiative) 6 ...g6 7.ttJf3 i.g7 8.i.e2 O-O 9.0-0 i.g4 10J"ld1 ttJd7 (Black's knight is transferred to c5, in order to har ass his opponent's queen and at the same time he opens the diago nal for his bishop on g7 and pre pares the pawn-advance O-f5 at
6.ttJd5 (The complications af ter 6.ttJf3 ttJf6 7.ttJg5 ttJb4 ! ? are definitely in Black's favour, for example: 8.ttJxe6 ttJc2+ 9.\t>d2 ttJxe3 1O.ttJxd8 ttJxc4+ 11. \t>c2 l"lxd8 12. e4 ttJe5. White has sorne compensation for the missing pawn thanks to his bishop-pair, but it is obvious that he must fight for the draw.) 6 ... ttJe5 7.b3 ttJf6 (White's position is already very unpleasant and he wiIl be unable to maintain his knight on the d5outpost. This means that the posi81
Chapter 4 tion will be opened and Black's better mobilized pieces will be come tremendously active.) 8.lLlf3 (It is not good for White to play 8.lLlxf6+? �xf6 9.ib2 lLlxc4! 10. ixf6 lLlxe3 1I.fxe3 gxf6::¡:: ) 8 ...ixd5 9.cxd5 lLlxd5 10.1Mfe4 c6 (After this move Black not only protects his knight but opens the way for his queen to the a5-square.) 1I.lLlxe5 dxe5 12 .1Mfxe5+ ie7 13.id2 O-O::¡:: Buhmann - Nill, Litohoto 1999.
A) 5:@dl This is a modest but reliable move. Still, White's queen has better prospects on d2 than on dI.
5 ...g6 First Black fianchettoes his bishop and then he will consider where to deploy his king's knight. In numerous positions it is better placed on e7, keeping the resource fl-f5 up his sleeve; but sometimes he develops it closer to the centre - to f6.
6.b3 ig7 7.ib2 lLlf6 8.�d2 (White is forced to move his queen again, to protect his knight and bishop, because after 8.g3, Heis senbuettel - Reicher, Bad Wild bad 1993, Black has the powerful riposte 8 ...lLle4! 9.1Mfc1 lLlxc3 10. ixc3 O-O 1l.ixg7 c;:t>xg7 12 .�b2+ , or 12 .ig2 �f6+ - 1 2. . .1Mff6 13. �xf6+ c;:t>xf6 14.ig2 a5+) 8 ... 0-0 9.e3, Sijbesma - Remmel, Dieren 2005, 9 ... a5 1O.lLlf3 Ele8 1I.ie2 if5� and Black has a very good position.
Al) 6.e4 White radically prevents the undermining move d7-d5. The drawback of his last move howev er is that it weakens the d4square.
6 ....ig7 7.id3 lLlge7 8.f4 It might be better for him to play prudently 8.lLlf3!?
8
.••
0 - 0 9.lLlf3 lLld4!
1 0 .lLld2?! Al) 6.e4 A2) 6.g3 A3) 6.lLlf3 82
White does better to accept sorne weakening of his kingside: 10.0-0 ig4 1l.ie3 lLlec6 12.�d2
l.d4 d6 2.c4 eS 3. ltJc3 exd4 4. 'Wixd4 ltJc6 5. 'Widl g6 ltJxf3+ 13.gxf3 .ih3 14J'l:f2 aS?
10 ... c6 11. 0 - 0 d5 1 believe, Black should have
prepared this pawn-break and he could then have obtained the ad vantage: 11 ...�e6 ! ? 12.ltJb3 ltJxb3 13.axb3 dS+
12.cxd5 cxd5 13.e5 �f5 14 . .bf5 ttldxf5 15.ttlf3, Lombardy Quinteros, Haifa 1976, 15 \19b6+ 16J'j!f2 d4 17.ttle4 �Ud8? All Black's pieces are very active, with the exception of the bishop on g7. •••
A2) 6.g3 �g7 7.�g2 ttlge7
how this might happen: 9 ...i.g4! ? 10.0-0 hc3 1l.bxc3 'Wic8+) 10. ltJdS ltJeS 11.ttJxe7+ 'Wixe7 12.hb7? White's bishop enters the trap, not suspecting anything... 12 ...c6! 13.ha8 ltJf3+, Dimitriadi - Zaha riev, Hania 1995 and White re signed in view of 14. 'it>f1 �h3#
8
..•
0 - 0 9.ttlf4
9.0-0 ltJeS 1O.'Wib3 ltJ7c6+ 9 ttle5, Nestorovic - Chilin girova, Belgrade 2002. ..•
10 .Yfl>3 With a queen on dI, White cannot protect his c4-pawn with the move b2-b3, because his knight on c3 is hanging.
10
•••
ttl7c6 11. 0 - 0 ttld4+
8.ttlh3 1 have already mentioned nu merous times that the moves g3 and e3 do not combine well to gether. The next game is an in structive example on the subject "vulnerable light squares around the king". 8.e3 o-o 9.ltJge2 �e6 (Black also has another attractive idea - to double his opponent's pawns on the e-file, exchange the light-squared bishops and then end up with a knight against his opponent's "bad" bishop. Here's
Black's knights have occupied the dark squares in the centre of the board and White must go on the defensive.
A3) 6.ttlf3 �g7 7.1l.g5 This is the most consistent move. White wishes to create a pin along the d8-h4 diagonal. Black need not fear either 7.e3 ltJf6 8.�e2 o-o 9.0-0 �e8 1O.ltJd4 83
Chapter 4 ds l1.cxds ttJxds 12 .il.bs ttJxc3 13.bxc3 .td7 14.Ei:b1 ttJ as ls ..te2 Vfie7+ GormaIly - Rowson, Lon don 1998, or 7.ttJds ttJf6 8 ..tgs h6 9 ..txf6 .txf6 1O.Vfid2 aS'!'
White wiIl hardly be able to ex ploit the slight weakening of Black's kingside, while now he ob tains the advantage of the two bishops. Furthermore, these bish ops are tremendously active on adjacent diagonals. 13.tLld4 tLlxg3
14.hxg3 tLlxd4 15.exd4 c6 16. g4 .ig6 17.�d2 f5 f± J. Horvath - Dobrovolsky, Harkany 1995.
B) 5.�d2
7 .c!üf6 .•
Black is in no danger here ei ther. The trade of the dark squared bishops and a couple of knights is in Black's favour; oth erwise he wiIl repel the enemy bishop from the gs-square.
8.e3 8.g3 h6 9 ..tf4 o-o 1O ..tg2 .tfs 11.0-0 gs 12 . .td2 ttJe4f± Ioseliani - Espig, Germany 1998 (game 19). 8 h6 9 .th4 O - O 1 0 .il.e2 •••
.
.if5 11. 0 - 0 g5 12 .ig3 tLlh5 •
1 have already mentioned that White plan s to play b2-b3 and .tb2. Black wiIl have the tactical idea of creating a pin along the aS-el diagonal after advancing d6-ds. 5
•..
tLlf6
Here White usuaIly chooses between a king's and queen's fian chetto. Sometimes he also plays the natural developing moves 6.e4 and 6.ttJf3.
Bl) 6.tLlf3 B2) 6.e4 B3) 6.g3 B4) 6.b3 84
1.d4 d6 2.c4 e5 3. ttJc3 exd4 4. Vf1xd4 ttJc6 5. Vf1d2 ttJf6 B1) 6.ltJf3
fear the advance of his opponent's central pawns, for example: 17. ttJxf5 �xf5 18.e4 (18.f4 l"1e3) 18 ... Vf1c5 19.f4 a5� with a double edged position.
9 ...i.f5 10 ..ie2 ltJe4 Black is foIlowing an already familiar scheme.
1l.ltJxe4 he4 12.hg7
White is trying to disguise his intentions, but in any case he wiIl have to show hand on the next move, either by fianchettoing one of his bishops or by advancing his e2-pawn. 6 g6 7.b3 ig7 8.i.b2 o - o •..
9.e3 In reply to the double fian chetto - 9.g3, Black can create ad vantageous simplifications: 9 ... �f5 10.�g2 ttJe4 11.ttJxe4 .b:e4 12.0-0 .b:b2 13.Vf1xb2 E1e8 14. ttJh4, Kalka - Arencibia, Reck linghausen 1998, 14. . .�g5 15.f3 Vf1c5+ 16.'it>h1 �f5. Black need not
12.0-0 .b:b2 1 ? 13.Vf1xb2 Vf1e7 14.ttJd2 d5 !?� 12 ... �xg7 13. 0 - 0 E1e8= Si deif Sade - G.Timoshenko, Na bereznye Chelny 1993.
B2) 6.e4 White occupies space, prevent ing the move d6-d5, but this weakens the central d4-square.
6 ... g6
7.b3 7.g3 ig7 8.�g2 o-o 9.ttJge2 ttJe5 1O.b3 �h3 (We have already seen this trick. It is advantageous for Black to trade the light squared bishops.) 11.0-0 l"1e8 12. f3 .b:g2 13.'it>xg2 ttJfd7 14.ia3 a5� Kalantar - Petrosian, Yerevan 1946 (game 2 O ). 85
Chapter 4 7.f3 .tg7 8.b3 o-o 9.ib2 lLld7 1O.h4 h5 11.0-0-0, Zhukova Kovalevskaya, Batumi 2000, 11 ... a5 1V2Jh3 lLlc5� and in this sharp position, with opposite-sides cas tling, Black's prospects are not worse. 7. .td3 .tg7 8.tLlge2 O-O 9.0-0 tLld7 (This is a standard manoeu vre. The knight is transferred to c5, after which Black can continue with f7-f5 or �f6.) 1O.b3 tLlc5 1I. .ib2 f5 12 ..ib1 �f6 13.exf5 .bf5 14.tLlg3 �d4 15.�xd4 tLlxd4 16. .bf5 tLlxf5 with an approximately equal (maybe even slightly prefer able) game for him, Harikrishna - Akobian, Wijk aan Zee 2010. 7 i.g7 8.i.b2 o - o 9.i.d3 9.f3 a5 1O.tLlge2 .id7 1I.g3 tLle5 12 ..ig2 .ih3 13.0-0 .bg2 14.�xg2 ge8� with chances for both sides, Heinola - Hantak, Zdar nad Saza vou 2009. ••.
queen to a5 or b6 and at the same time prepares the pawn-break d6d5. The move a2-a3 should not bother him, because he will sim ply transfer his knight to eS vía a6.
1l.tLlge2 .ie6! After 11...d5 12.cxd5 cxd5, Roussel Roozmon - Bologan, Ed monton 2005, White has the pow erful riposte 13.a3!
12.tLld4 12.a3 tLla6 13.0-0 tLlc5 14.tLld4 a5�
12 ...�e7 13. 0 - 0 gad8 14. gel gfe8 draw, Forintos - Bron stein, Kirovakan 1978. N aturally, the position is still very dynamic, but Black is not worse at all. White's light-squared bishop is terribly misplaced.
B3) 6.g3
9 . .. tLlb4 1O .i.b1 c6
A version of the King's Indian Defence has arisen, which is very favourable for Black. With his last move he opens the way for his 86
He wishes to prepare quick kingside castling and then devote attention to the queenside. The drawback of his last move howev er is that Black can attack his c4pawn.
1.d4 d6 2.c4 e5 3.éiJc3 exd4 4. Wixd4 éiJc6 5. Wid2 éiJf6 6 ...J.e6 White can protect this pawn in numerous ways, but every one of them has definite minuses.
B3a) 7.b3 B3b) 7.e4 B3c) 7.éiJd5
B3a) 7.b3 This routine move enables Black to accomplish the thematic pawn-break in the centre and seize the initiative.
7
..•
i.b4 1O.i.b2 Wif6 (Black's pressure against the pinned knight forces White to part with his light squared bishop.) 11.hd5 hd5 12.Wie3+ mf8 (Black could have exchanged the queens - 12 ...Wie5 or 12 ...Wie7, because he would have better prospects in the end game.). It is even more enjoyable for him to attack in the middle game, for example: 13.f3 !le8 14.Wid2 , Stuart - R. Smith, Lin coln 1981, 14 ... !ld8 15.Wie3 i.e6 16.mf1 h6:¡:. Later, Black wishes to continue with g5, mg7, !lhe8 and White wiIl have great problems in completing the development of his kingside.
9 . .tb4 1 0 .e4 . .
For 1O.i.g2 Wif6 - see 9 ..tg2 . After 1O.éiJf3, it is again very strong for Black to play 1O ... Wif6.
1 0 ... éiJxc3 1l ..b:c3 flxd2+ 12.hd2 0 - 0 - 0 13. 0 - 0 - 0 , BaIlon - Hickman, St. Helier 1999, 13 .. S�d6:¡:
d5! 8.cxd5 éiJxd5
9 .tb2 .
White's alternative is 9.i.g2
White's king is vulnerable and he has difficulties with his devel opment as well. 87
Chapter 4 B3b) 7.e4 This move is a bit inconsistent (why did White play g2-g3 in the first place . ?), but the threat of d6-d5 has become quite serious. ..
7 i.e7 ..•
B3bl) 8.b3 B3b2) 8.f3 B3bl) 8.b3 N ow Black can counter this careless move with a beautiful tactical blow:
8 . . . �xe4! 9.�xe4 d5
This combination is based on the vulnerability of the a5-e1 and aS-h1 diagonals. We have already ss
seen an analogous combination in Chapter 2 , variation Al.
l O .�g2 Other moves are even worse for White, for example: 1O.cxd5 hd5 1l.f3 i.b4 12. llJc3 �f6 13.�b2 0-0-0 14.�e2 (14.0-0-0 hf3-+) 14 ... E1heS (With his every move Black brings another piece into the heart of the action. White's position is crum bling.) 15.0-0-0 hf3 16.ttJxf3 :gxd2 17. <;t>xd2 hc3+ lS.hc3, Bentzen - Pedersen, Vejgaard 1992, lS ... �h6+ 19.<;t>e1 �e3-+ ; 10.ttJc3 d4 (White's knight cannot move away from c3, be cause after �b4 he loses his queen. Black regains his piece and pre serves all the advantages of his position.) 11.11Jge2 dxc3 12.ttJxc3 1lJb4! This is a very dangerous knight-sortie fram the fIank! The c2-square is very difficult to pro tect. 13.�g2 �xd2+ 14.hd2 11Jc2+ 15.<;t>e2 llJxa1 16.i.xb7, Zupe Z.Szabo, Budapest 1994, 16 ... llJxb3! (in the game Black played the weaker 16 ... :gbS. After �c6+ and :gxa1, White won a pawn for the exchange and managed to save the game int the end.) 17. haS hc4+ lS.<;t>e1 llJxd2 19. i.c6+ <;t>dS 20.<;t>xd2 <;t>cS+ - Black has not only an extra pawn, but also the bishop-pair in an open position.
lO ....tb4 11.�c3 d4 l2.i.b2 \!tff6 l3.�ge2 0 - 0 - 0 l4.'@Icl, Franco Ocampos - Romero Hol mes, Leon 1990. White hopes to
l.d4 d6 2.c4 e5 3'cijc3 exd4 4. Wixd4 éiJc6 5. Wid2 éiJf6 reach an equal endgame after the numerous exchanges on c3, but Black has a very powerful ma noeuvre at his disposal. I4 c!iJe5! .•.
15. 0 - 0 c!iJd3 16.,ª,c2 c!iJxb2 17. c!iJe4 d3+ B3b2) 8.f3 White radically fortifies his e4pawn.
8 ... 0 - 0
e7 dreams about going to b4.) 14.éiJxdS :Be8 (Now Black's rook Hes in ambush) IS.éiJf3 ic5+ and White's king must remain in the centre, while Black's forces are ready for a crushing attack, Psa khis - Gofshtein, Israel 1996
(game 21). 9 ... a5 10 .c!iJge2 a4 We wiIl discuss this manoeu vre in details when we analyze the variation with 6.b3. I wiIl mention now that it would not work for White to play 1l.éiJxa4, because of 11...:Bxa4! 12.bxa4 dS, followed by ib4.
llS�bl axb3 12.axb3 c!iJe5 13.i.g2
9.b3 After 9.éiJdS, Black should by no means exchange on ds but should instead prepare the under mining move f7-fS: 9 ... éiJd7 1O.ig2 fS 1l.exfS ixfS (Black threatens éiJeS or éiJcS, followed by the pen etration of his knight to d3. White must defend against this threat, but this wiIl enable his opponent to open the game even more.) 12. éiJe3 ie6 13.f4 (After the develop ing move 13.éiJe2, Black wiIl play 13 ... éiJdeS with a double attack, so White takes the eS-square under control. However, his lag in devel opment becomes critical after this.) 13 ... dS! (Black's bishop on
13 i.h3. By grasping the tac tical opportunity (14.i.xh3?? éiJxf3+) Black exchanges the light squared bishops and thus weak ens his opponent's king position. •••
14. 0 - 0 hg2 15.';t.xg2 ge8f! Bareev - Mokry, Trnava 1989 (game 22). Without the bishop on g2, White's pawn-advance f3f4 seems very risky, but otherwise it is not clear how he can fight for 89
Chapter 4 the advantage. Black's plan in eludes transferring the king's knight to cS, covering the dS square with the move c7-c6 and deploying the bishop to the long diagonal. It is elear that he has an excellent position.
B3c) 7.tLld5 tLle5
B3cl) 9.YNd4 tLlc5 10 .f4 Taimanov - Smyslov, Tbilisi 1966 (game 23). If 10.�g2 then Black expels the enemy knight from the centre 10 ... c6 1UiJc3, Baker - McNab, Coulsdon 2009, and then he com pletes the development of his kingside, planning to deploy his bishop on the long diagonal. 11 ... �e7 12 .YNd2 0-0+
10 ... c6!? 1l.tLle3 It is not good for White to play l1.fxeS?! dxeS 12.YNxeS cxdS 13. cxdS, because of 13 ... �e7! and then 14.dxe6 YNaS + ! (threatening liJd3+) leads to a catastrophe for him.
1l YNb6!? ..•
White's knight has blocked the attack on the c4-pawn, but now Black can attack it from the side.
Black is trying to exploit his lead in development and create complications.
12.f:xe5 axb6
tLlxb3
13.YNxb6
8.b3 tLle4 Black's knights are just raging in the centre of the board.
The rook on a8 has entered the action, so the knight on b3 is un touchable.
B3cl) 9.YNd4 B3c2) 9.YNe3 90
14.�bl tLlxcl 15.�xcl dxe5 16.tLlf3 f6
1.d4 d6 2.c4 e5 3.liJc3 exd4 4. 'fixd4 liJc6 5. 'fid2 liJf6 Black already has two pawns for the piece and he is about to capture a third. His bishops will be very powerful in this open po sition, while White has great problems completing his develop mento Black's prospects are much better.
B3c2) 9.ee3 Here, the game develops in similar fashion.
9
•..
ttJc5 1 0 ..ib2
1O.i.g2 c6 l1.liJc3 'fia5 12.ib2, Bakic - Milanovic, Vrnjacka Ba nja 1998 (12.i.d2? liJxb3), 12 ... 'fib6 13.'fid2 0-0-0+ 1O.liJf3 c6 l1.liJxeS dxeS 12.liJc3 'fiaS 13.i.b2 i.e7 14.i.g2, Hohler Jansa, Davos 2006, 14 ... 0-0 15. O-O f6?
10
•..
c6 ll.ttJf4
Black will counter l1.liJc3 with 11 ...'fib6 (threatening liJxc4) 12. 'fid2 a5+
1l
•••
ttJg4 12.ed4
After 12.liJxe6 liJxe3 13.liJxd8 liJc2 + 14.�d2 liJxal 15.liJxb7 liJaxb3+ 16.axb3 liJxb7 Black ends up with an extra exchange.
12 ... ttJe4! This is a beautiful move, found about a quarter of a century ago by Garry Kasparov.
13.i.h3 The idea behind the knight sortie can be best illustrated by the following simple but rather picturesque variation 13.'fixe4?? 'fiaS+ 14.lt>dl liJxf2 + ; after 13. liJd3, Black plays 13 .. .f5 14.f3 cS 15.liJxc5 'fia5+ 16.i.c3 dxc5 17. i.xa5 cxd4 18.fxg4 b6 with an ad vantage. 13.liJfh3 'fia5+ 14.lt>dl d5 15. liJf3 i.c5 16.'fixg7 liJexf2 + 17.liJxf2 liJxf2 + 18.1t>c1 i.e3+ and White re signed, Schubert - Techmer, BRD 1985.
13 ...ea5+ 14.1t>f1 ttJgxf2 15. he6 fxe6 16.ttJxe6 It>d7 17. ttJh3 (It would be a disaster for White to opt for 17.liJxf8+ :gaxf8 18.'fixg7+ It>c8-+) 17... ttJxh3 1S. exe4 geS::¡:: and Black has a crushing atlack in a position with material equality, Huebner - Kas parov, Hamburg 1985 (game 24).
B4) 6.b3 a5! If White wishes to avoid the variation with 6 ... a5, he must choose between 6.liJf3 g6 7.b3 and 6.e4 g6 7.b3. (diagram)
B4a) 7.e4 B4b) 7 .ib2 •
It is not advisable for White to win a pawn with 7.liJf3 a4 8.bxa4. Black completes his development 91
Chapter 4 12.fxe4 tLlb4 13.�b2 �xb2 14. hb2 dxe4-+ ; on the other hand, he will hardly achieve anything by sacrificing a pawn: 8.tLldS?! axb3 9 .�b2 gxa2 1O.�e3+ tLleS 11.�xb3 gxa1 + 12.ha1 c6 13.tLlxf6+ �xf6+ Gladyszev - Hasangatin, Tula 2003) 8...a3 9.�c1
very quick1y and obtains excellent counterplay: 8 ...�e7 9 .e3 o-o 10. �e2 �fS 11.tLld4 tLle4 12,ftJxc6 bxc6 13.tLlxe4 he4 14 ..tb2, Vakhidov - Rahman, Chennai 2004, 14... �f6+ The original move 7.f3 cannot prevent Black from following his main plan: 7 ... a4 8J'íb1 axb3 9. axb3 bS!? (He is up to the task and finds a clever counter strike. A more traditional set-up is also worth considering: 9 ...i.e7 1O.e4 tLld7 1l.tLlh3 tLlcS with a good position.) 1O.e4 (After 1O.tLlxbS, Black should probably play 10 ... dS 1l.b4 dxc4, while against 1O.cxbS - 1O ... tLlb4 1l.e4 dS.) 10 ... bxc4 1l.hc4 tLleS 12.tLlge2 �e7co Naumkin - Chatalbashev, Reggio Emilia 2004. In practice White has tried the double fianchetto 7.g3 several times, but he has had serious problems even maintaining equal ity: 7... a4 8.i.b2 (lt would be too risky for him to capture the pawn - 8.tLlxa4 dS 9.cS tLle4 1 O.�c2, Panikarovsky - Komliakov, Che repovets 1997, 1O ...�f6 11.f3 �xa1 92
9 ... dS! (Black plays logically and consistently. Having pushed the enemy bishop back to el, he has weakened the aS-el diagonal and wishes to exploit this by de ploying his bishop to b4.) 1O.cxdS �b4 11.�e3+ tLle7 12 .�d2 O-O 13. �g2, A.Kuzmin - Arizmendi, Biel 2002 (game 26) and here he could have continued with a very powerful manoeuvre, bringing his queen's rook into action: 13 ... ga6 14.�d3 �fS lS.e4 tLlexdS+
B4a) In the first game that reached this position, Korchnoi consented to Black's opening of the a-file, but he securely prevent ed Black's thematic pawn-break d6-dS: 7.e4 a4 8J;bl 8.tLlxa4? dS. After 8.�b2, White must con-
1.d4 d6 2.c4 e5 3.lLJc3 exd4 4. �xd4 lLJc6 5. �d2 lLJf6 sider not only the exchange on b3, but the possibility a4-a3 as weIl, since it creates disharmony in his campo
8 . . axb3 9.axb3 g6 .
Eí:e8? Ratner - Boleslavsky, Mos cow 1945. 1 0 ig7 1l ..ig2 O - O 12. •••
lLJge2 lLJe5
10 .g3 Korchnoi's historical rival Anatoly Karpov used to develop his bishop to another diagonal: 1O.�d3 �g7 1l.lLJge2 lLJb4 (Black not only obtains the bishop pair, he also prepares a smaIl tactical combination which enables him to simplify, reduce the tension and equalize) 12.0-0 O-O 13.lLJf4 Eí:e8 (increasing the pressure against the e4-pawn) 14.Eí:dl (Black wiIl have nothing to com plain about after 14.Eí:el lLJd7 15. lLJa4 lLJxd3 16.�xd3 lLJe5't) 14.. . lLJxd3 15.�xd3 (diagram) 15 ... lLJxe4 ! 16.lLJxe4 Eí:xe4 17. �xe4 �f5 (Black has managed to exploit the loose rook on b1.) 18.�xb7 ixbl== Karpov - Epishin, Dos Hermanas 1993. 1O .lLJge2 ig7 11.g3 lLJe5 12 .ig2 �g4 13.�e3 O-O 14.h3 ic8 15.0-0
13.f4 After 13.0-0, Black can trade the light-squared bishops: 13 . . . ih3 14.f3 (14.hh3? lLJf3+) 14 .. . hg2 15.i>xg2 lLJfd7. His knight can foIlow a standard route to the queenside. In principIe, he would not object to further simplifica tion. 16.�b2 lLJc5 17.lLJc1 c6 18.f4 lLJg4 19.b4 lLJa4 20.lLJxa4 Eí:xa4 21. hg7 i>xg7 22 .lLJe2 �b6? Taba tadze - Vorotnikov, Belgorod 1989.
13 lLJed7 14. 0 - 0 ge8 15. b4. White looks after his e4-pawn •••
by preventing the move lLJcS. 93
Chapter 4 However, he weakens his c4-pawn and Black transfers his knight to b6 in order to attack it. 15 �e7 16.�d3 �b6+t Korchnoi - Polu gaevsky, Evian 1977 (garne 25). •..
B4b) 7 .ib2 a4 •
.ig7 11..ig2 o-o 12.e4, Khropov Savon, Sto Petersburg 1997, 12 . . . 4:Jd7 13.4:Jge2 4:Jc5+
B4b1) 8.�d5 White wishes to block the en erny d-pawn's advance and exert pressure against the knight on f6 .
8 ....ie7 In practice Black has tried sev eral alternatives here, but without any particular success.
9.�f3
B4b1) 8.�d5 B4b2) 8.gd1 The a4-pawn is poisoned in this position too: 8 .�xa4? dS 9. cxdS (It would not help White to play here 9.cS �e4 1O.�cl i'i:xa4 l1.bxa4 .bcS 12.e3 .ib4+ 13.@e2 d4 14.1!9c4 1!9h4-+) 9 ... 4:Je4 10. 1!ge3 i'i:xa4 11.bxa4 .tb4+ and White resigned, Weissel - Zaynard, Vi enna 200S (12.'it>dl 1!9xdS+, with decisive threats). After 8.e4, Black has the pow erful riposte 8 ... a3, after which he begins active operations on the dark squares: 9 ..icl g6 1O ..id3 .ig7 11.�ge2 o-o 12 .0-0 � d7 13. 1!9dl 4:JcS 14 ..ic2 �b4 IS..ie3 fS+! Manor - Oratovsky, Nethanya 1993. 8.i'i:bl axb3 9.axb3 g6 1O.g3 94
9 .4:Jxe7 1!9xe7 1O.f3 o-o - see 9.f3 o-o 1O.4:Jxe7+ 1!9xe7. 9 .g3 a3 1O.hf6 hf6 1l.4:Jxf6 + 1!9xf6 12.i'i:dl o-o 13.4:Jf3 , Berechet - Okhotnik, Satu-Mare 1988, 13 . . . 1!9b2 1 4..ig2 .ifS lS.0-0 8:fe8 16.e3 8:ad8+ 9.e3 a3 1O ..ic3 4:Je4 11.1!9c2 4:Jxc3 12.1!9xc3 O-O 13 ..id3 .ie6 14. 4:Jxe7+ 1!9xe7 IS.4:Je2 dS 16.c5 1!9gS+! Av.Bykhovsky - Davies, Ri shon le Zion 1995 (garne 27). 9.f3 O-O 1O.4:Jxe7+ 1!9xe7 11.e3 (11.e4 axb3 12.axb3 :e:xal+ 13 ..txal 4:Jd7 14.4:Je2 fS IS.4:Jc3 4:Jc5+ Prud nikova - Sherernetieva, Volzhskij 1989) 1l ... :e:e8 12 .'it>f2, Aleksan drov - Djuraev, Dresden 2008, 12 ... 4:JeS 13..td3 4:Jfg4+ ! ? 14.fxg4 �xg4+ IS. 'it>el 4:Jxe3 with a pow erful attack for Black.
9 ... a3 10 .ic3 •
1O.hf6 hf6 11.�xf6+ 1!9xf6 12J�dl .ig4, draw, Navrotescu Moldovan, Targoviste 2001.
10 . .. �e4 11.�e3 �xc3 12. �xc3 o - o 13.e3 .ie6 14.�xe7+ �xe7 15 ..ie2 d5 16.c5
l.d4 d6 2.e4 e5 3. liJe3 exd4 4. W1xd4 liJe6 5. W1d2 liJf6 White must fight for control of the centre. The rather slow line 1O.g3 .tg7 1l.liJh3?! enables Black to seize the initiative: 11...0-0 12.liJf4 liJa5 13.W1c2 .tf5 14.liJd3 c6't Brunner Sehlosser, Belgium 2009.
10
16 ...f5? Batsiashvili - Klino va, Batumi 2002. Blaek's last move is a bit risky, but perfeetly playable nevertheless. Instead, Blaek eould consider the simple 16. . ..tg4, also with a very good po sition.
B4b2) 8.!M1 axb3 9.axb3 g6
i.g7 11.i.d3 O - O
•.•
There is an interesting alter native here: 1l ... liJd4 12 ..tc2 liJxe2+ (The immediate 12 ... liJh5 !? eould also be eonsidered) 13.W1xe2 o-o 14.liJge2 liJh5 15.0-0 , Lautier - Kramnik, Cannes 1993 (game 28), 15 ... Ele8 16.f3 .te5, with ehances for both sides.
12.liJge2 liJg4 My eomputer strongly prefers the standard route - 12 ... liJd7, fol lowed by liJe5, but strangely enough, nobody has played this so faro Meanwhile, the move in the text (played with the same purpose - to inerease control over the dark-squares) is quite good enough.
13. 0 - 0 13.h3 liJge5 14 ..tb1 liJa5 15 ..te2 Ele8 16.Ela1 b6 17.liJd1 .td7? Van Hoolandt - Yrjola, Budapest 2008 (game 29).
13 liJce5 14.h3 liJxd3 15. �xd3 liJe5 16.�e3 ge8? - White ••.
This is played aeeording to an already familiar scheme - the bishop is developed on the long diagonal.
1 0 .e4
has a slight spaee advantage, but Black has two bishops and exerts pressure against the enemy e4pawn and this provides him with a very good game indeed, Brunner - Solodovnichenko, Naney 2010.
95
Chapter 4
1.d4 d6 2.c4 eS 3)tJc3 exd4 4.'�xd4 � c6
Complete Games
19
Ioseliani
Espig
Germany 1998
1.d4 d6 2.e4 eS 3.ltle3 exd4 4.t1lxd4 ltle6 S.t1ld1 g6 6.ltlf3 ig7 7.igS ltlf6 8.g3 h6 9.if4 o - o 10 .ig2 if5 11. 0 - 0 gS 12.id2 ltle4 13.ge1 ge8
18.b4 ltleS 19 . .ixeS?! This decision is difficult to un derstand. After the simple line: 19.1LlxeS hg2 20.mxg2 dxeS 21. Wfc2, White's position is obviously preferable.
19 ...dxeS 2 0 .�e3 .ig6 21. ltld2
14.h4!? White is trying to complicate the position, while Black, in re sponse, simplifies.
14 ... ltlxc3?!
21. ..e4! White possibly un derestimated this temporary pawn-sacrifice. Now Black's piec es are activated and the position is balanced. 22.ltlxe4 �e7 23.
It was preferable to play 14 ... g4! ? 1S.l¿je1 lLlcS 16.�e3 aS and his prospects would not be at all worse.
ltleS �xe3 24.fxe3 gxe3 2S. .b:b7 gae8 26 ..idS+ .if7 27. ltld7 gxg3+. Draw
lS ..ixe3 .ie4 16.hxgS hxgS 17.�d2 f6
2 O Kalantar
Black must block his own bish op; otherwise his king on g8 may come under attack. 96
-
T.Petrosian
Yerevan 1946
1.d4 ltlf6 2.e4 d6 3.ltlc3 eS 4.e4 exd4 S.�xd4 ltle6 6.�d2
1.d4 d6 2.c4 eS 3.ttJc3 exd4 4. Wixd4 ttJ c6 g6 7.g3 i.g7 8.i.g2 o - o 9.c!lJge2 c!lJe5 1 0 .b3 i.h3 11. 0 - 0 !;e8 12.f3 h:g2 13.'it>xg2 c!lJfd7 14. i.a3 a5 15.!;ad1 a4
the long diagonal. The enerny king is situated there, so he begins to open it.
21.exf5 It was slightly better for White to play 21.E:fel, but even then af ter 21...fxe4 22.fxe4 ttJg4 Black's advantage would be in no doubt.
16.�c1 The pawn is untouchable: 16. ttJxa4? ttJxc4 17.bxc4 E:xa4.
16
•.•
axb3 17.axb3 §'c8
Petrosian tries here to irnple rnent a very original plan, which his opponent evidently underesti rnated.
18.c!lJa4?!
21
••.
c!lJxf3! 22J;d5
After 22.E:xf3 Black can finish his opponent off irnrnediately with 22 ... E:e2+.
22 !;dd1
•..
c!lJfe5 23.'it>h3 c!lJf6 24.
White sends his knight to the edge of the board, but in vain. Af ter 18.ttJd4! ttJc6 19.ttJdb5 his prospects would have been at least equal.
The only way for White to offer sorne rneaningful resistance was to sacrifice the exchange with 24.ttJac3.
18 b6 19.c!lJec3 �b7 2 0 . c!lJb5?! f5!
24 c!lJeg4 25.c!lJd4 c!lJe3 26. !;f3 c!lJfg4 27.!;d3
•..
Black transfers his queen to
•..
27 �xf3!! .••
97
Chapter 4 This is a beautiful final blow. After 28.lDxf3 White is checkmat ed: 28 ... lDf2 + 29.@h4 �f6+ 30. lDgS lDxfS#. Therefore he re signed.
21
Psakhis
Gofsbtein
Israel 1996
1.c4 d6 2.d4 e5 3.tDc3 exd4 4.,ª,xd4 tDc6 5.�d2 tDf6 6.g3 J.e6 7.e4 J.e7 8.f3 O - O 9.tDd5 tDd7 1 0 .J.g2 f5 11.exíS hf5 12.tDe3 J.e6 13.f4 d5 14.tDxd5 ge8 15.tDf3 J.c5
22
Bareev
Mokry
Trnava 1989
l.d4 d6 2.c4 e5 3.lLlc3 exd4 4.�xd4 lLlf6 5.g3 lLlc6 6.�d2 J.e6 7.e4 J.e7 8.f3 O - O 9.b3 a5 1 0 .lLlge2 a4 11.gb1 axb3 12.axb3 lLle5 13.J.g2 J.b3 14. O - O .ixg2 15. 'it>xg2 ge8 16. i.b2
16 ...J.f8
16.'it>f1 It is impossible for White to castle kingside and queenside castling is highly unlikely. Black was threatening a deadly discov ered check, so White must leave his king in the centre.
16... tDb6 The future ofhis position hing es on the placement of the knight on dS. Accordingly Black must ex change it. 17.tDg5 J.f5 18.b3 lLlb4! 19. J.f3 lLl6xd5 2 O .J.xd5+ tDxd5
21.,ª,xd5+ �xd5 22.cxd5 J.d4 White loses his rook now, so he resigned. 98
Black played a bit too slowly in the last few moves and his posi tion is worse. He should have con sidered 16 ... lDfd7, transferring his knight immediately to eS, while his bishop might be useful on the e7-square.
17J�bd1 c6 18.,ª,c2 �c7 19. gd2 lLlfd7 2 0 .lLld1 lLlc5 21.lLlf2 �b6 22.lLlc1 gad8 23.gfd1 f6 24 ..ic3 lLle6 25.f4 lLlf7 26.b4 �a6 27.�d3
1.d4 d6 2.c4 eS 3. tDc3 exd4 4. \!!!fxd4 tDc6 27 b5!? .•.
He is trying to free himself fram the positional bind.
28.ga2 �b7 29.cxb5 cxb5 3 0 .�d5 �d7 31 .id4 tDc7 32. �b3 �c6 33.�c2? •
The endgame now is quite ac ceptable for Black, while after 33.tDe2 �a8 34.�c1, White would have a c1ear advantage.
33 tDa2
•.•
�xc2 34.gxc2 tDa6 35.
knight would be untouchable, be cause of the check with the second knight on the d3-square. If White leaves his king in the centre with 14.'it>d1, then Black can continue with 14 ... 0-0-0.
14.tDfJ ghe8 15.tDd4 tDxd4 16.i.xd4 �d7 17.�c3 �c6 18. ggl .ig4 19.'ffc2 The pawn is still poisoned. Af ter 19.i.xg7, Black has the re sponse 19 ...\!!!fb6 with rather un pleasant threats.
35 d5! After this thematic pawn-break the position becomes completely equal. 36 .ib6 gb8 .••
•
37.gc6 dxe4 38 . .ia7 ga8 39. gxa6 ge7 4 0 . tDc3 gexa7 41. �a7 gxa7 42. tDfxe4. Draw 23
Taimanov
-
Smyslov
Tbilisi 1966
1.c4 e5 2.tDc3 d6 3.d4 exd4 4.\!!!fxd4 tDc6 5.�d2 tDf6 6.g3 .ie6 7.tDd5 tDe5 8.b3 tDe4 9. �d4 tDc5 1 0 .f4 tDc6 11.�e3 .ie7 12.tDxe7 �xe7 13.i.b2 (diagram)
13
..•
0-0-0
Here 13 ... tDb4!? should be con sidered, with the idea of counter ing 14.\!!!fc3 with 14 ...i.f5! and the
19 ...�e4? Smyslov forces a transition into an endgame, but in vain. White's king is relatively safe now and his bishop-pair becomes a powerful force. It was correct for Black to continue with 19 ...d5 2 0. h3 i.f3 and White will remain in dire straits. 99
Chapter 4 2 O .ttxe4 lhe4 gde8 22.@d2
21.hg7
White's bishop-pair is very powerful now in this open posi tion. In addition, Black's kingside pawn-structure is in ruins.
28 h5 29.@f2 .idl 3 0 .h3 e6 31.g4 .••
It is possibly more precise for White to continue with 31.b4 liJe6 32 ..if6±. Even now, however, he gradually squeezes his opponent's pieces.
22 ...he2 After the natural move White is already better. Instead, Black had at his dis posal a clever tactical resource 22 .. .f6!, shutting the enemy dark squared bishop out of play. It is obvious that White must capture the pawn - 23 ..bf6, but then Black forces a draw: 23 ... flxe2+ 24 ..ixe2 flxe2+ 25.@c3 (White loses after 25.@cl? liJd3+ 2 6.@bl .if5.) 25 ... liJe4+ 2 6.@d3 liJc5+ (Black must give perpetual check now, since it is very bad for him to continue with 2 6 ... liJxf6? 27.h3 .if3 28.flgfl.) 27.@c3=
23 .ih3+ @b8 24 ..if5 g4e7 25.gael .if3 26.gxe7 gxe7 27. gel �e1 28.@xel •
3l ... liJe6 32.gxh5 .ixh5 33 . .ih6 liJd4 34 .id3 @e7 35.@e3 e5 36 .ig7 liJe6 37 .if6 liJf8 38.h4 @d7 39 . .if5+ @e8 4 0 . .ie4 liJd7 41..ie3 b 6 42.f5 liJe5 43.f6 liJg6 44 .iel liJf8 45 ..ig3 @d7 •
•
•
•
46 ..if5+ liJe6 47 .ih3 .idl 48 .if4 .ih5 49 .ih6 .idl 50 .if8 .ih5 5l .ie7 a5 52.@f2 .idl 53.@g3 a4 54.bxa4 ha4 55. h5 .ie2 56.h6 .ig6 57 .ig4 .ih7 58.@f2 .ibl 59.@e3 .ih7 6 0 . @d2 .ibl 6l.@c3 .ie4 62.@b3 d5 63.exd5 .ixd5+ 64.@c3 .ie4 65.@e4 @e8 66 . .if3 b5+ 67. @c3 liJg5 68.h7! •
•
•
•
•
•
Black loses a piece, or is check mated (68 ....b:h7 69 ..ic6#), so he resigned.
100
l.d4 d6 2.c4 eS 3.liJc3 exd4 4. Wlxd4 liJc6 24
Huebner
-
Kasparov
Hamburg 1985
l.e4 e5 2.liJe3 d6 3.d4 exd4 4.'�bd4 liJf6 5.g3 liJe6 6.Wld2 .te6 7.liJd5 liJe5 8.b3 liJe4 9. Wle3 liJe5 10 ..tb2 e6 1l.liJf4 liJg4 12:�d4 liJe4 13 .th3 Wla5+ 14.q"fl liJgxf2 15 .be6 fxe6 16. liJxe6 q"d7 17.liJh3 liJxh3 18. Wlxe4 �e8 •
•
22.hg7 �hf8+ ! 23.hf8 �xf8+ 24.q"e1 Wlf2+ 25.q"d1 Wld4+ 26.q"e2 Wle4+ 27.q"d2 White is already beyond sal vation, for example: 27. q"b2 Wlxe2 + 28.q"c3 :§f3+ 29.q"b4 d5+ 30.c5 hc5+ 31.q"xc5 1/ffe7+ 32. q"d4 1/ffe 3#
27....ig5+
28.q"e3
Wle5+.
White resigned.
25 Korehnoi - Polugaevsky Evian 1977
19.1iJe5+
l.e4 e5 2.liJe3 d6 3.d4 exd4 4.Wlxd4 liJe6 5.Wld2 liJf6 6.b3 a5 7.e4 a4 8.�b1 axb3 9.axb3 g6 1 0 .g3 ,ig7 1l.,ig2 O - O 12. liJge2 liJe5 13.f4 liJed7 14. O - O �e8 15.b4 Wle7 16.Wld3 liJb6 17.,ie3
White saves his piece thanks to this tactical trick but his posi tion remains critical.
19 ...Ybe5 2 0 .Wlg4+ q"e7 21. Wlxh3
17... �a3?!
21 . . .,ie7! Black sacrifices a pawn and then the exchange and his aUack becomes crushing. Kasparov fin ishes his opponent off in a flash.
Here Black should have tried a tactical solution: 17... liJxe4! 18. he4 �f5! 19.hb6 he4 20.liJxe4 1/ffxe4 21.1/ffxe4 :§xe4 2 2.hc7 :§xe2 with a slight edge (although the most probable outcome of the game would have been a draw). In the game, White firmly seizes the initiative. 101
Chapter 4 18.ixb6! cxb6 19.�al �xal 2 O .�xal .ie6 21.�cl �a8 22. �d4 �e8 23.�db5 It seems even stronger for White to continue with 23.lt:lxe6! fxe6 24.lt:lbS. 23 ... tVf6 24.�f1 ,ªd8 25.�dl
,ªf6 26.i.f1 h5 27.,ªe3 �a6 28 . .ie2 ,ªe7 29.,ªf2 .id7 3 0 .�d5 ,ªd8 31.i.f1 .ig4 32.�el i.e6 14.�xd5 �xd5 15.,ªd4 ixd2+ 16.,ªxd2 ,ªf6 17.�cl .ie6 18.e4 �e7 19.�e2? White overlooks a powerful tactical blow; instesd 19.1t:lf3 is correct..
19 ....ixb3! 2 0 . 0 - 0
33.�dl After 33 ..id3, White has a sta ble advantage. Korchnoi (possi bly, because of time-trouble) de cided to repeat moves. 33 ... .ig4 34.�e1. Draw
With a knight on f3, White could have covered the long diag onal with the move e4-eS. Here, after 20.axb3 a2 2 1.0-0 alW, Black's pawn promotes.
2 O ...�2 21. ,ªxb2 22.�bl �xa2 23.�c3
axb2
26 A.Kuzmin - Arizmendi Biel 2002
l.d4 d6 2.c4 e5 3.�c3 exd4 4.,ªxd4 �c6 5.,ªd2 �f6 6.b3 a5 7.g3 a4 8 ..ib2 a3 9.i.cl d5 1 0 .cxd5 .ib4 1l.,ªe3+ �e7 12 .id2 O - O 13.i.g2 •
(diagram)
13 ... �exd5 We have already pointed out in our theoretical section that Black could consider 13 ... É!a6 here. 102
23 ... �a5? It was much stronger for him to continue with 23 ... É!fa8 24. lt:lxa2 É!xa2 2S.eS cs.
24.�xb2 .ic4 26.�d7 �al +?
25.�dl b5
Black could have maintained
l.d4 d6 2.c4 eS 3. tLlc3 exd4 4. Viffxd4 tLlc6 his advantage after 26 ... tLlg6 with the following sample variation: 27J''l xc7 ga1+ 28.gb1 gxb1+ 29. tLlxb1 gd8 30.tLlc3 gd3.
outcome of the fight would have remained completely unclear.
27J�b1 gxb1+ 2S.lilxb1 lilg6 29.gxc7 gaS 3 0 .lild2 ga1+ 31. .ifl .ixf1 32.gcS+ lilf8 33.lilxf1 gel 34.gbS gxe4 35.S:xb5 g6. Draw
27 Av.Bykhovsky - Davies Rishon le Zion 1995
1.d4 d6 2.c4 e5 3.lilc3 exd4 4.e'xd4 lilf6 5.b3 lilc6 6.e'd2 a5 7. .ib2 a4 8.lild5 ie7 9.e3 a3 10 .ic3 lile4 1l.e'c2 lilxc3 12. e'xc3 O - O 13.id3 .ie6 14. lilxe7+ e'xe7 15.lile2 d5 16.c5 e'g5
27 .. :�xf4! 28.gxf4 lilxt'3+ 29.'i!?f2 d4 White resigned, since after 30.Viffc4 .ic6 his position would crumble.
28
Kramnik
Lautier Cannes 1993
1.c4 e5 2.lilc3 d6 3.d4 exd4 4.e'xd4 lilc6 5.e'd2 lilf6 6.b3 a5 7.ib2 a4 8.gd1 axb3 9.axb3 g6 10 .e4 ig7 1l .id3 lild4 12 .ic2 lilxc2+ 13.tixc2 O - O 14. lilge2 •
•
For the next ten moves both sides manoeuvre skilfully, main taining approximate equality on the board. Then White overlooks a crushing tactical blow.
17. 0 - 0 E:fd8 lS.f4 e'e7 19. lild4 tif6 2 0 .E:ac1 id7 21.E:f3 ge8 22.f5 lile5 23.lU4 ge7 24. gel gae8 25.g3 e'g5 26 ..ic2 h5 27.lilf3? After, for example: 27.b4, the
14 ...lilh5 White maintains a slight edge after 14. . ..ig4 15.f3 .ie6 16.0-0, for example 16 ... tLld7 17.tLld4 Viffh4 103
Chapter 4 18.lLlcb5 l"í:ac8, Sarkar - Vovsha, New York 2004, 19.1Llxe6 fxe6 20. .bg7 \iJxg7 21.l"í:alI
15. 0 - 0 f5 16.c5 fxe4 It is rather dubious for Black to play 16 ...f4?! in view of 17.f3 �e6 18.lLla4 �xb2 19.'�xb2;j;
17.tüxe4 It is obviously stronger for White to continue with 17.cxd6. Lautier was afraid of 17. . .e3 !?, but after 18.fxe3 l"í:xf1+ 19.1"í:xf1 �xd6 20.lLle4 �b6 21.lLld4 his knights would occupy the centre and Black's defence would be diffi culto
2 O .tü2g3 he4 21.tüxe4 l"í:b8 22.l"í:d3 bxc6 23. �xc6 �b6 24.�c3 �e6 25.tüc5 �ee8 Here Black should have played much more actively: 2S ... l"í:e2 26. l"í:d2 (or 26.b4 lLlf5 27.l"í:dd1 c6=) 26 ... l"í:xd2 27.�xd2 �d6 28.b4 lLle6=
26.b4 c6 Here 26 ... lLle6 was better, with approximate equality. White seiz es the initiative now.
27.tüb3! �d6 28.tüd4 �f6 29.�e3 �ef8 Here Black could have consid ered 29 ... l"í:b8 30.lLlc2 l"í:f4.
3 0 .�e2 tüf5 31.tüb3 tüh6?! His knight retreats to the wrong square. After 31...l"í:e6 32. l"í:xe6 �xe6 33.l"í:e1 �f6, Black should not have any serious prob lems.
32.h3 tüf7 33.tüc5
17 d5 •.•
It seems that he could have equalized more easily after 17... .bb2 18.�xb2 �e7! 19.cxd6 �xe4 20.d7 �e7 21.dxc8� l"í:axc8=
18.h:g7 tüxg7 After 18 ... \iJxg7, White has the powerful riposte 19.c6! and after 19 ...�fS he has a check with his queen.
19.c6 � In the variation 19 ... lLle6 20. cxb7 hb7 21.lLlc5 lLlxcS 2 2.�xc5 l"í:f7 23.lLld4;i; White can set up a blockade on the dark squares. 104
White creates the unpleasant threat of lLld7.
33 ... tüg5 34.�fel �6f7 Black loses after 34 ... lLle4?, be cause of 35.l"í:xe4! dxe4 36.lLlxe4. The rook and pawn ending af ter 34 ... l"í:f4 35.�g3 lLle4 36.lLlxe4 dxe4 37.l"í:xe4 l"í:xe4 38.l"í:xe4 �xg3
l.d4 d6 2.c4 e5 3.lIJc3 exd4 4. Wxd4 lIJc6 39.fxg3 is evaluated by Lautier as equal, but 1 eonsider this opinion as overly optimistie for Blaek. He is a pawn down after all and he must still fight hard for the draw.
35.h4 llJe4 36.llJxe4 dxe4 37.Wfe4 �d5 Here 37...e3 !? is interesting, for example: 38.fxe3 (or 38.!lxe3 �f4 39.!le4 �xf2+ 40.mh2 �b6 41.!le7 �b8+ 42.g3 Wb5) 38 . . . mg7 39.We3+ mh6 and he has good drawing ehanees.
<ít>h6 hxg4 51.gf4+! <ít>e7 52. �g4 gd6 53.<ít>g7 It is never too late to make a mistake. In the variation 53.!lxg6? !ld4 54.h5 !lxb4 55.mg7 !lf4 ! Blaek would save the day.
53 <ít>f7
•..
gb6 54.ge4+ wd8 55.
Blaek resigned, beeause after 55 ... me7 56.!lg4 md7 57.l"lxg6 l"lxb4 58.h5 l"le4 (or 58 ... !lf4+ 59. !lf6) 59.l"lf6 ! !le7+ 60.mg6, White's pawn queens ..
38.gel gf6?! Again, it was worth trying 38 ...
29 Van Hoolandt - Yrjola
39.�xe4 �xe4 4 0 .gxe4 gxf2 41.gxe6 gf1+ 42.'ít>h2 g8f4
l.d4 d6 2.e4 e5 3.llJc3 exd4 4.�xd4 llJe6 5.�d2 llJf6 6.b3 a5 7..ib2 a4 8.gdl axb3 9.axb3 g6 1 0 .e4 .ig7 1l .id3 o - o 12. llJge2 llJg4 l3.h3 llJge5 l4 .ibl llJa5 l5 .ie2 ge8 l6.gal b6 l7.llJdl .id7 18 ..ie3 .ie6 19.�e3 f5
e3.
Budapest 2008
Blaek eould have regained his pawn - 42 ...!lb8 43Jk7 !lbl, but after 44.!lee7, White should win the game.
43.gee4 gxe4 44.gxe4 <ít>f7 45.<ít>g3 gb1 46.<ít>f4 h5 47.<ít>g5
47
.••
gb2
After 47... !lgl 48.!le2 (threat ening l"lb2) 48 ... !lbl 49.!lf2+ mg7 50.!lf6 !lxb4 51.l"lxg6+ mf7 52. mxh5 White wins.
48.g3 gb3 49.g4 gd3 5 0 .
•
•
•
This is Blaek's standard king side eounterplay.
2 0 . 0 - 0 f4 21.llJd5 f3 22. llJd4 fxg2 Here Blaek eould eonsider 22 ... .id7!?, in order to ensure a safe haven for his king on the e5105
Chapter 4 square. Interesting complications could follow: 23.ttJxf3 8xf3+ 24. gxf3 hc3 25.�xc3 hh3 26.f4! (protecting against the threat �g5+) 2 6...hfl 27.ttJf6+ �f7 28. ttJxe8 i.e2 and the position would remain very sharp.
23.�xg2 .id7 24.f4 tLlf7 25. tLlf3 e6 26.tLle3 �e7 27.i.xg7 �xg7 28.tLlg4 It was stronger for White to choose 28.b4 ttJb7 29.�d4+ �g8 30J'i:xa8 l"lxa8 31.�xb6 with a clear advantage.
28
•••
i.xg4 29.hxg4 e5 (diagram)
3 0 J';hl The computer program " Ryb ka" recommends here 30.f5!?, (having "in mind" the tactical re source 31.f6 + �xf6 32.ttJg5), but from the "human" point of view
106
this move is absolutely anti-posi tional. There are not many play ers who would be willing to place all their pawns on light squares, having a light-squared bishop left on the board and also presenting the e5-outpost to the opponent.
3 O tLle6 31.g5 �d7 32. 'l!We3+ �g8 33.�g3 tLlb4 •••
White's position remains slightly preferable, but the oppo nents agreed to a draw.
Chapter 5
l.d4 d6 2 .c4 e5 3.�f3
Quick Repertoire
main on his agenda), but 1 recom mend this move as the most am bitious. Black attacks the enemy knight, gains space and wins tem pi for the development of his piec es. These are the advantages of the move. Its main drawback can be summed up in the cliché (which is true, by the way... ) "Pawns can not go back ! " His pawn on e4 is powerful, but is also a target. Black will be reluctant to exchange it, since it impedes the coordina tion of White's forces on both sides of the board, but its protec tion might become a problem as well. In this variation a pawn-struc ture similar to the French Defence (with colours reversed) very often arises: c6-d5-e4-f5 for Black against c4-d4-e3 for White. In this situation, White usually at tacks the d5-pawn, developing his queen to b3 and the knights to c3 and f4. Sometimes he first deploys his bishop to g5 in order to elimi nate one of the defenders of the d5-pawn - Black's knight on f6. White's other possible plan, anal ogously to the French Defence, is ...
This is the most popular and most principled move for White. He is playing "scientifically", de veloping the knight, attacking the enemy e5-pawn and after an even tual exchange on d4 he will cap ture with his knight, obtaining an edge thanks to his space advan tage. In contrast to the variation with 3.ct:lc3, his queen will not need to lose tempi going into the centre early and then retreating. His knight is quite comfortable on the d4-square. Of course, Black is not at all obliged to exchange on d4.
3
...
e4
Black has other possibilities (for example 3 . . . ttJd7, although the exchange on d4 may still re-
107
Chapter 5 connected with the undermining move f2-f3. White's most popular reply is 4. tLlg5 and our next chapter is devot ed to this. Now, however, we shall deal with his other two plans.
4.lbfd2 White sometimes retreats his knight to its initial position - 4. tLlgl, in order to develop it later to h3 (and then to f4) at an oppor tune moment, without being forced to do that when Black plays �f8-e7 or h7-h6. Positions similar to those arising after 4 tLlg5 are of ten reached, but there are sorne nuances too. Here is how the game may develop: 4 . . .f5 5.tLlc3 �e7 6.tLld5 After 6.tLlh3, there arise positions we analyze in Chapter 6.) 6 ...c6 7.tLlxe7 'if!fxe7 8.h4 �e6 9.�g5 tLlf6 1O.e3 O-O. Black has no problems with his development and in positions with pawn-chains all over the en tire board, the knights are not at all inferior to the bishops.
situation, we will see that this is in fact a position from the French Defence - naturally with colours reversed. The retreat of the knight to the d2-square (to d7 in The French... ) is completely in the spirit of this opening. White con centrates all his forces against the e4-pawn: he provokes the move f7-f5 and then plays the under mining move f2-f3, forcing the opponent to exchange on f3. No doubt, Black's pawn on f5, after the exchange of its neighbour on e4 seems rather awkward, but af ter this exchange White ends up with a backward pawn of his own - on e3. Later, the fight focuses on whether White will succeed in advancing with e3-e4: if he is able to push that pawn under favoura ble circumstances (that is without numerous exchanges or an addi tional weakening of his position), he will obtain a small edge. White's plan however, is rather transpar ent and Black has more than suf ficient resources to counter it ef fectively.
5.lbc3 lbf6 6.e3
4 .. f5 .
If we take a closer look at this 108
l.d4 d6 2.c4 e5 3.liJj3 e4 6 ...g6 His bishop will be more active ly placed on g7 or h6 than on e7. Meanwhile, Black prudently forti fies his f5-pawn, which may be come a target after f2-f3 and an exchange on f3.
7..ie2 .ig7
played the typically French De fence undermining move f2-f3. In response, Black should exchange on f3, creating a weakness for his opponent on e3. White must then try to advance e3-e4, in order to get rid of his weak pawn, forcing additional simplifications. For details, see the Step by Step chap ter.
9 ....ie6 10 .a4 .if7 1l..ia3 tLlc6 12.b5 tLle7 13Jl!fc2 g5
8.0-0 Naturally, White can evacuate his king to the queenside, but this requires plenty of time and Black's attack will most probably be fast ero
8 ... 0 - 0 9.b4 On this move, as well as on the previous one, White could have
Black has concentrated power fuI forces on the kingside and his offensive there may become very dangerous for White, since his pieces are a bit discoordinated.
109
Chapter 5
1.d4 d6 2.c4 e5 3.tLlf3 e4
Step by Step
knight on gl, so White can first develop his other pieces. Natural ly it would be senseless for him to keep his knight on gl for long, so he will need to consider its future urgently.
4 f5 . . .
A) 4.lLlgl B) 4.�fd2 We shaIl analyze the main líne for White - 4.ltJgS in the next chapter.
A) 4.lLlgl He retreats his knight to its initial square and wishes later to deploy it on f4, via h3 or e2. Po sitions similar to those arising after 4.ltJgS are often reached, but there are sorne nuances. For example, after 4.ltJgS ie7, White must make up his mind imme diately - that is, whether he wiIl retreat his knight to h3, or protect it with the move h2-h4. Obviously Black cannot attack the enemy 110
5.lLlc3 In the foIlowing game, White kept his knight on gl for six moves: S.h4 ltJf6 6.g3 c6 7.igS ie7 8.e3 O-O 9.hS ltJa6 1O.ltJc3 ltJc7 11.ltJh3 ltJe6 12 .ih4 ltJg4 13.he7 Wixe7 14.b4 ltJgS lS.ie2 ltJxh3 16.Elxh3 ltJf6, R.Hofman - Hartoch, Berlín 1988. Black's position is at least equal. White tried an offensive on too large a scale and did not achieve anything real. However,
1.d4 d6 2.c4 eS 3. 121j3 e4 4. 121fd2j5 his rear has been weakened con siderably. This example shows that it is better to carry out the plan with the undermining move f2-f3 with a knight on d2 and not on gl: 5.g3 l2lf6 6.i.g2 g6 7.f3 i1.g7 8.121c3 l2lc6 (White wishes to clarify the situ ation in the centre, while on the contrary, Black skilfully main tains the tension.) 9.fxe4 l2lxe4 1O.l2lxe4 fxe4 11.d5 l2le5 12 .i1.xe4 o-o 13.�c2 �e7+ Martinez - Ro driguez Lopez, Mondariz 1998. Black has an overwhelming lead in development as compensa tion for the sacrificed pawn and White's situation is a casue for concern.
5
•..
i.e7
Black wishes to complete the development of his kingside quickIy (i1.e7, l2lf6, O-O) and then prepare c6 and d5, in order to for tify his e4-pawn. He must begin by moving his bishop, because after 5 ...121f6 White can continue with 6.i.g5, later developing his knight to f4 and exchanging on f6 at an opportune momento Black will then have great problems in completing his planned set-up with c6 and d5.
Black should not be reluctant to part with his dark-squared bishop, because in positions with pawn-chains occupying the entire board the knights are not inferior to the bishops and he continues to have a space advantage.
7,l¡::,xe7 �xe7 8.h4 i.e6 9. i.g5 lLlf6 l O .e3 O - O 1l.lLlh3 lLlbd7 12.lLlf4 i.f7 l3.i.e2 gfe8+t Black waits to see where his op ponent will castle and his further plans will depend on this, Barzeele - Prentos, Sas Van Gent 1992. -
B) 4.lLlfd2 15
6,llj d5 For 6 .121h3 - see 4.121g5 f5 5. l2lc3 i1.e7 6. 121h3. 6.g3 l2lf6 7.h4 c5 8.dxc5 dxc5 9.i.f4 �a5 1O.l2lh3 i.e6 11.e3 l2lc6 12 .i.e2 �d8 13.�b3 Wfb4't Wil liams - Skytte, Millfield 2002.
6 ... c6
5.lLlc3 For 5.e3 l2lf6 6.i1.e2 (6.121c3 g6 111
Chapter 5 - see S.ttJc3) 6 ...g6 7.ttJc3 iJ.g7 see S.ttJc3. White's knight-sortie to the flank is harmless for his oppo nent: S.ttJb3 c6 6.ttJc3 iJ.e7 (After 6 ... g6, Black must consider 7.h4 ttJf6 8.iJ.gS, but this is not very dangerous for him either.) 7.iJ.f4 (7.dS eS 8.g3 ttJd7 9.f3, draw, Mi ladinovic - Nikolaidis, Greece 1998.) 7... ttJf6 8.e3 O-O 9.dS, Iss ing - Werner, Wuerzburg 1997, 9 ...b6 1O.dxc6 ttJxc6 11.iJ.e2 iJ.b7fi White's queenside pawn-of fensive S.b4 c6 6.ttJb3 is not very effective, since Black can counter it by fortifying his position in the centre: 6 ... dS 7.cS ttJd7 8.h4 iJ.e7
9.g3 (this is timely prophylax is against Black's possible king side activity) 9 ... ttJf8 1O.iJ.f4 ttJe6 11.iJ.eS (This manoeuvre is rather dubious. The bishop is admittedly beautifully placed on eS but its re treat hs been cut off and Black can exchange it for a knight.) 11 ...ttJh6 12 .iJ.h3 o-o 13.'\Wd2 (White is eye ing the knight on h6, since Black plans to continue with g6 and ttJf7. Now Black he can continue with his main plan, fearlessly sac112
rificing a pawn in the process.) 13 ... ttJf7! 14.iJ.xfS ttJxeS lS.iJ.xe6+ iJ.xe6 16.dxeS '\Wc7 17.'\Wc3 ElfS't Black regains his pawn and main tains the advantage thanks to his bishop-pair and powerful pawn centre, Wong Meng-Kong - Mas, Vietnam 2003. The king's fianchetto S.g3 g6 6.iJ.g2 is a not very successful com bination of two different plans. It makes sense only when White's knight can quickly reach the f4square in order to exert pressure against the dS-square. The route via d2 to f4 would take an eternity to accomplish. Black can place his pawns on c6 and dS and his posi tion remains completely safe: 6 ... iJ.g7 7.0-0
7 ... ttJe7 (The idea of this move is to leave open both the diagonal for the bishop on g7 and the file for the rook on f8. Still, I think the move 7... ttJf6 is equally good. In the following game White tried to undermine Black's centre in too straightforward a manner and his opponent quickly seized the initi ative: 8.ttJc3 c6 9.dS eS 1O.f3 exf3 11.iJ.xf3 ttJbd7 12.e4 ttJeS 13.exfS
l.d4 d6 2.c4 eS 3.tLlj3 e4 4. tLlfd2j5 ixfS 14.tLlde4 0-0+ Grigorjev Kuzmicz, Pardubice 200S) 8.tLlc3 O-O 9.tLlb3 c6 1O.f3 dS 11.cxdS exf3 (Black wishes to play against his opponent's isolated pawn. It is also good for him to play 11 ... cxdS 12 ..tf4 tLlbc6 13J�c1 b6�) 12.exf3 tLlxdS 13.f4 b6� Wor nath - C.Hansen, Germany 2000 (game 3 0).
5 .li)f6 ••
oped his knight to f6, the move 6.tLlb3 looks more sensible, es pecially since White can now de velop his bishop to gS. Still, after 6 ...ie7 7.igS (7.g3 o-o 8 ..tg2 c6 9.dS cS 10.0-0 tLlbd7 11.if4, Twomey - Murray, Dublin 2 007, l1...tLlhS 12 ..tc1 tLleS+) 7...c6 8.e3 O-O 9 ..te2 tLla6, Black has noth ing to worry about. He advances d6-dS, fortifying his centre, and then completes the development of his queenside. For example: 1O.�d2 tLlc7 11.0-0-0 dS 12.i>b1 b6 13J'k1 ie6� Iotov - Popchev, Sofia 2 006.
6 ...g6
6.e3 The grandmaster from Belarus Alexey Alexandrov tried an origi nal idea here - 6.tLldbl!? Perhaps he got carried away with the idea of his king's knight ending up on the b1-square? Understandably, this waste of tempi did not go un punished and Black soon seized the initiative: 6 ... c6 7.igS tLlbd7 8.e3 h6 9.ixf6 tLlxf6 1O.ie2 g6 11.tLld2 hS (Black prevents the un dermining move g2-g4 and clears a square for his king's bishop.) 12.1�'c2 ih6 13.0-0-0 dS 14.i>b1 0-0+ Aleksandrov - DamIjanovic, Plovdiv 2003. After Black has already devel-
7.i.e2 I have already mentioned that the king's fianchetto with a knight on d2 is not so eftective: 7.g3 ig7 8.ig2 O-O 9.0-0 (9.h4 cS 1O.tLle2 tLlc6 11.a3 tLlg4 12.tLlb3 b6+ Lun din - Chekhov, Moscow 1996) 9 ... c6 1 O .f3 dS 11.f4 tLla6 12 .cxdS cxdS 13.a3 tLlc7 14.b4 tLle6� Luechte meier - Spiess, Leipzig 1997. In general, if White plays less ambitiously and refrains from un113
Chapter 5 dermining bis opponent's pawn centre, Black can obtain a very comfortable position witb sim ple and natural moves: 7.b3 ig7 8.ib2 o-o 9.�c2 c6 lO.�e2 dS 11. g3 a6
This is an amusing situation - he has placed aH his pawns on light squares! In fact, this is not done for optical effect - he simply wishes to advance b7-bS at an op portune moment and to prevent his opponent's pawn-offensive on the queenside. 12.i.a3 .E1f7 13 . .E1c1 ie6 14.ltla4, Popovic - Kova cevic, Dubrovnik 20 08, 14 ...ltlbd7 lS.0-0 dxc4 16.bxc4 bS� The straightforward pawn-on slaught on the kingside, which is typical of sorne lines of the King's Indian Defence, is not at aH effec tive here. The reason is that Black has advanced early with eS-e4, seizing space in the centre and on the kingside. If White now plays d4-dS, he wiH present his oppo nent with a wonderful outpost on eS. If he does not play d4-dS, a clash of pawns is very unlikely. Here's how how the game may de velop: 7.b4 ih6 8.ltlb3 o-o 9.ie2 1 14
�e7 lO.a4 ltlc6 11.bS ltld8 (It looks as if White is about to castle on the kingside, so Black intends to send his knight there in anticipa tion of this.) 12 ..E1a2 ltlf7 13.lLldS, Garcia Martinez - Davies, Mos cow 1987. Castling did not occur in this game, because the op ponents agreed to a draw in this position. After 13 ... ltlxdS 14.cxdS a6 lS.bxa6 b6! Black would have exceHent counter chances. 7.f3 ih6 (Black emphasizes the drawbacks of the move lLld2, because White's bishop on el is temporarily out of action.) 8.ltlb3 (Here White can reduce the ten sion in the centre with 8.fxe4 he3 9.exf5 �e7 lO.i.e2 hf5 11.lLlf3, McCambridge - Kavalek, Estes Park 1985, but after 11 ... ltlc6 12.he3 �xe3 13.�d2 �xd2 + 14.@xd2 ig4� there arises an ap proximately equal endgame with a symmetrical pawn-structure.) 8 ... 0-0 9.f4 c6 1O.dS (otherwise Black wiIl play d6-dS himself, ie6 etc., but now White's unfor tunate knight on b3 turns out to be completely misplaced.) lO ... cS 11.ie2 .E1f7 12.i.d2 ltlbd7 13.�c2 ltlf8 14.0-0-0 a6 1S.h3 id7 16.g4 ig700 - in this tense position with opposite sides castling, both sides have great problems in organizing any atlack on the flanks, Gorelov - Korzubov, Ivano-Frankovsk 1982 (game 31).
7. . .ig7 8. 0 - 0 Queenside castling for White requires thorough preparation
l.d4 d6 2.c4 eS 3.lLlf3 e4 4. lLlfd2f5 and Black wiIl manage to com plete his development in the meantime and to fortify the cen tre, radicaIly improving his pros pects for an attack against the en emy king. For example: 8.�c2 o-o 9.b3 c6 1O.i.b2 lLla6 11.a3 lLlc7 12 .h4 (The move 12.0-0-0 is still very risky, because after 12 ... dS 13.i>b1 i.e6, Black wiIl create threats very quickly.) 12 ... dS 13.g3 i.e6 14.lLla4 b6 1S.cS bs 16.lLlc3, Hintze - Preuschoff, Germany 1999, 16 ... aS and Black has the initiative. Just as before, a straightfor ward assault on the queenside by White is harmless to Black: 8.b4 o-o 9.lLlb3 i.e6 1O.�c2 lLlbd7 11. i.b2 c6 12.0-0 i.f7 13.bS cS? Al burt - Zaichik, Philadelphia 1993
e4 fxe4 14.lLlxe4 lLlxe4 1S.he4 i>h8? Kaminik - Kantsler, Ris hon le Zion 1995) 11...i>h8 12.l'!b1 (12.lLlfl lLle7 13.b3 c6 14.i.a3 l'!e8 1SJ'k1 dS 16.lLld2 lLle4 17.lLldb1 i.e6? Ibragimov - Komliakov, Podolsk 1990) 12 .. .f4 (Black could consider playing a waiting move such as 12 ... l'!e8, but he wishes to forcetheissue.) 13.lLlfl fxe3 14.lLlg3 dS (This move is played with the same idea, not to let White breath calmly even for a secondO 1S.cxdS lLlb4 16.he3 lLlfxdS 17.lLlxdS lLlxdS 18.i.f2 c6 19.�b3 lLlf6 20.h3 �c7, draw, Ribli - Polugaevsky, Buda pest 1975.
(game 32). The undermining resource 8.f3 definitely requires consid eration on every move. After the development of the bishop on e2, White has the additional possibil ity of recapturing on f3 with his bishop. Still, 1 do not think that Black should have any problems after this, since sorne of White's pieces are misplaced - the knight on d2 and the bishop on cl. White wiIl have to prepare e3-e4 and this wiIl lead to further exchanges and a balanced position. For exam pIe: 8 ... exf3 9 .hf3 (9.lLlxf3 o-o 10.0-0 i>h8 1l.�c2 lLlc6 12.i.d2 lLle7, draw, Farina - Marzano, Rome 1995.) 9 ... 0-0 10.0-0 lLlc6 1U�e1 (11.lLlb3 l'!e8 12.l'!e1 i.d7 13.
8
...
0-0
White's choice is not as wide as before. He must either play the undermining move f2-f3, or prepare the pawn-offensive with b2-b4.
9.b4 After 9.f3 exf3 1O.hf3, or 1O.lLlxf3, the game, as a rule, trans poses to the variations which we discussed in our notes to White's 8th move (after 8.f3). l1S
Chapter 5
9 .ie6 .••
Here the recommendation of the computer program "Rybka" deserves aUention - 9 ... a5 1O.b5 i.e6 11.a4 lLlbd7�
1 0 .a4 10.Elbl c6 11.a4 lLlbd7 12.i.a3 h5 13.lLlb3 lLlg400 Grigoriadis Rozentalis, Athens 2006.
10 .if7 1l .ia3 !ilc6 12.b5 !ile7 13 .�c2 g5 •..
•
(diagram) Black has concentrated all his forces on the kingside, with the
116
exception of his rook on aS and his queen. It is high time he went on the offensive!
14.a5 �e8 15.�fcl f4!? Black does not flinch from sac rificing a pawn in order to open some files.
16.exf4 gxf4 17.!ilcxe4 !ilf5 18.!ilxf6+ 1Hxf6 19.!ilf3 .ig6 2 0 . �a2 !ilxd4 21.!ilxd4 �xd4� Ri bli - Balashov, Leningrad 1977 (game 33). Black's king is some what exposed, but all his pieces are very actively deployed.
1.d4 d6 2.c4 e5 3.�f3 e4
Chapter 5
Complete Games
30
Wornath
-
C.Hansen
Germany 2000
l.d4 d6 2.e4 e5 3.�f3 e4 4.�fd2 f5 5.g3 g6 6.�g2 �g7 7. 0 - 0 �e7 8.�e3 o - o 9.�b3 e6 1 0 .f3 d5 1l.cxd5 exf3 12. exf3 �xd5 13.f4 b6 14.�xd5 exd5 15 ..te3 �e6 16.ge1 %'Id6 17.%'If3 .te6
Here we have a position with a syrnmetrical pawn-structure and an almost mirror-like deployrnent of the pieces. Black's knight and bishop are a bit more active, so he has a slight initiative.
2 2.ttJc1, with the idea of transfer ring the knight to e5, vía d2, Black plays 22 ... �b4 with a double at tack on the b2- and d4- pawns.) 22 ...�c6 23.ttJc1 ttJd6 - he has a slight edge, just as befo re.
2 0 ...ge4 21.%'If2 gfe8 22. �f1 Of course, White must move his knight away from b3, since there it is restricted by Black's pawn on b6, but after 2 2.ttJd2 :B:xc3 23.bxc3 �a3 the knight wiIl have to change its route and in stead of going to the centre it wiIl have to go into oblivíon: 24.ttJbl �a5 25.�b2 :B:e8 with better pros pects for Black.
22 bxe3
•..
gxe3 23.gxc3 gxe3 24.
18.ge3 gae8 19.9fe1 �e7 2 0 :�e2 The exchange of all the rooks would not solve aIl of White's problems: 20J'l:xc8 :B:xc8 2 1.:B:xc8+ ttJxc8 2 2 .�e2 (Afterthe immediate
FinaIly White has a real weak117
Chapter 5 ness in his campo Soon, (not without sorne help from his op ponent . . .) , Black succeeds in cap turing this pawn.
evaluated the ensuing king and pawn ending, overestimating the power ofhis own protected passed pawn.
24 .. :�c6 2S . .id2 tLlc8 26. §'e2 .if7 27.tLlcl tLld6 28.tLld3 tLle4 29.tLleS .beS 3 0 .dxeS tLlxc3 31 .bc3 §'xc3 32.§,bS §'cS+ 33.g¡,g2
38 .. :{t¡'c5 39.vtlxc5+ bxc5 4 0 .hf7 g¡,xf7 41.g¡,g2 c4 42. g¡,f2 c3 43.g¡,e2 c2 44.g¡,d2 d3 4S. g¡,cl g¡,e6
•
White is willing to exchange queens, but not on the cS-square; since then Black would obtain two connected passed pawns.
Black's c-pawn has already reached the seventh rank and now he has the threat of penetrat ing with his king to the c3-square, followed by d3-d2 #. Therefore the moment Black's king comes to d4, c4 or b4, White will need to place his king on d2 or b2 and then Black wiIl counter by penetrat ing to the seventh rank to support the promotion of his c2-pawn. As you see, the winning plan is not so complex after aH...
46.g¡,d2 a4! 33 ...§'c8 Black did not wish to enter a king and bishop endgame. White has a powerful passed pawn and Black's own kingside pawns are fixed on the same colour as his bishop. The position without queens resembles a mathematical problem: win or draw, whereas with queens on the board Black has many more purely practical chances to win the game.
34.§'a4 aS 3S.g¡,h3 g¡,f8 36. �bS §'c7 37 .ig2 d4 38 .idS? •
•
Despite being a pawn down, with 38.�d3 White could have offered a long and tenacious de fence. It looks as if he wrongly 118
This is an important move; it is necessary because in a position with the black king on b4 and the white king on b2, Black can now play a4-a3+ and then penetrate with his king to the c3-square. \Vhite resigned in view of the following sample variations: 47.<±>c1 (To make things simple,
l.d4 d6 2.c4 eS 3.tiJj3 e4 we wiIl not toueh the pawns on the kingside, beeause the moves with these pawns wiIl run out quickly, while Blaek has an endless choice of waiting moves of the type of �d5-e5-d5.) 47... �d5 48.�d2 �e5 (Blaek wins a tempo, staying inside the square ofhis enemy e5pawn, in order to go to the fourth rank when White's king is on el.) 49.�c1 (The move 49.a3 weakens the b3-square and Blaek wins ae eording to the foIlowing seheme: 49 ... �d5 50.�c1 �e4 5l.�d2 �b3 etc .. ) 49 ... �b4 50.�d2 (1 have al ready mentioned that if 50.�b2 50 ...a3+ 5l.�c1 �e3.) 50 ... �a3 5l.�c1 �xa2 5 2.e6 �b3 53.e7 (Af ter 53.�d2 �b2, White's pawn fails to promote.) 53 ... �e3 54.e8,ª d2#
White has managed to be the first to open a file against the en emy king, but Blaek is not lagging very far behind.
19.a4 b5 2 0 .cxb5 axb5 21. axb5 ttJe8 22.gdg1 �c7 23.gg3 ttJxb5 24.ghg1 ttJg6
The bishop on g7 is important both for attaek and defenee, so this knight is proteeting it "bod ily".
25.h4!? 31
Gorelov
Korzubov
Ivano-Frankovsk 1982
l.c4 d6 2.d4 e5 3.�f3 e4 4.ttJfd2 f5 5.e3 ttJf6 6.�c3 g6 7.f3 .ih6 8.ttJb3 O - O 9.f4 c6 1 0 .d5 eS 1l . .ie2 gf7 12 .id2 �bd7 13.�c2 ttJf8 14. 0 - 0 - 0 a6 15.h3 .id7 16.g4 .ig7 17.gxf5 gxf5 18.�b1 �b8 •
In principIe, it is logieal for White to saerifiee a pawn and an exehange in order to bring his queen closer to the enemy king. Still, this idea involves a taetieal oversight.
25 ... ttJxh4 26 ..ih5 ge7 27. gxg7+ !? gxg7 28.gxg7+ �xg7 29.ttJxb5
119
Chapter 5 29
•••
,hb5?
Here Black had a brilliant in termediate move - 29 ... <;t>h6! This is in complete accord with the principIes of Steinitz - the king is a powerful piece and is capable of defending itself. Here is how the game might proceed: 30 .�c3 (30. liJc3 @xhS 31.�el liJf3 and White's attack reaches a dead end.) 30 . . . @xhS 31.�g7 �g8 (defending against the mate on gS) 32.'Wxd7 �xdS 33.�xh7+ @g4 34.liJSd4 (In the variation 34.�g7+ @h3 3S.�el �d3+ 36.@cl �xe3+, Black's threats tum out to be much more dangerous.) 34 ...�g8! (or 34 ...cxd4 3S.�el! and he has great problems) 3S.'Wxg8+ �xg8 36.liJe6 �c8 - Black's attacking forces include an "extra" king, so White's defence is very difficult.
3 0 .�c3+ @g8 Or 30 ... @h6? 31.�f6+ liJg6 32. �gS+ @g7 33.�c3+ and White's attack is decisive.
White's queen and two bishops are a powerful attacking force!
34 liJg6 35.,hg6 hxg6 36.'ll!fxg6+ @t'B 37.ti'xd6+ 'll!fe7 38.'ll!fh 6+ @e8 39.d6 'll!ft7 4 0 . 'll!fh 8+ ••.
40.liJxcS would be even strong er, but obviously he did not have enough time to consider this on his 40th move.
40
•..
ti't'B
According to the database, the players agreed a draw here, although after 41.�eS+ @d7 42. �dS, White has a great, if not de cisive, advantage.
31.�f6 'll!fa7 32.'ll!fe 6+ Possibly he decided to gain sorne time by repeating moves.
32 �e3!
•..
@t'B 33.'ll!ff6+ @g8 34.
32
Alburt
Zaiehik
Philadelphia 1993
l.d4 d6 2.e4 e5 3.liJf3 e4 4.liJfd2 f5 5.e3 liJf6 6.liJe3 g6 7.1e2 �g7 8.b4 O - O 9.liJb3 �e6 1 0 .�e2 liJbd7 11.�b2 e6 12. 0 - 0 �t7 13.b5 e5 14.gfd1 exd4 (diagram)
15.gxd4 It is not good for White to play IS.exd4, because after IS ... �c8 it seems he has to continue with 120
1.d4 d6 2.c4 eS 3. lLlj3 e4 19.c5 It is a well-known cliché that the threat is stronger than its ex ecution; after 19.1Llb3! Black could scarcely parry the pawn-break c4c5.
19 �c3
16.d5, granting his opponent con trol of the e5-square for free. Now he at least attacks the d6-pawn.
15 liJg4 16.hg4!? •..
..•
dxc5 2 0 JWxc5 liJd3 21.
White could have begun with 2 1.lLlf5 ! ? The subsequent play would be almost the same, but still, it is a very beautiful move.
21 ... liJxb2 22.liJf5 gxf5 23. liJf6+
After 16.Eld2 lLlde5 17.h3 Black can try an interesting piece-sa crifice: 17...lLlxf2 !? 18.mxf2 ixc4 19. mg1 Elc8 and he obtains excel lent compensation for the slight material deficit. White, in turn, plans to sacrifice the exchange in order to preserve his opening ini tiative.
16 hd4 17.liJxd4 fxg4 18. liJxe4 ..•
23
..•
�xf6
Black is forced to part with his queen now, because after 23 ... mg7, he gets checkmated: 24.lLle8+ mh6 25.�g7+ mh5 26.�xh7+ mg5 27.h4+ gxh3 2 8.f4+ mg4 29.�xh3#
24.�xf6 liJd3 25J�d1
18 ... liJe5?! This inaccuracy went unpun ished. It was correct for Black to atlack the c4-pawn with the move 18 ... �c7!?, not relinquishing con trol of the f6-square.
After 25.�xf5 i.g6 26.�e6+ Elf7, Black has good counter chances by exerting pressure against the f2-pawn.
25 ....ic4 26.�d4 gac8 27. h4 gfd8 Black could probably manage to draw after 27...gxh3 2 8.Elxd3 hd3 29.�xd3 Elc1+ 30.mh2 hxg2, 121
Chapter 5 but he does not need to give up two minor pieces for a rook.
28.'ti'f6 gf8 29.'ti'd4 gfd8
33
Balashov
Ribli
Leningrad 1977
l.c4 eS 2.lLlc3 d6 3.e3 g6 4. lLlf3 i.g7 S .ie2 f5 6.d4 e4 7.lLld2 lLlf6 8. 0 - 0 O - O 9.b4 .ie6 1 0 .a4 .if7 1l ..ia3 lLlc6 12. bS lLle7 13.'ti'c2 gS 14.aS ge8 1S. gfc1 f4 16.exf4 gxf4 17.lLlcxe4 lLlf5 18.lLlxf6+ 'ti'xf6 19.lLlf3 .ig6 2 0 .'ti'a2 lLlxd4 21.lLlxd4 ,ª,xd4 22 ..if3 .ie4 23.gd1 •
3 0 .\!ba7 White thinks he can continue playing for a win without any great risk. His queen is very pow erful indeed in this open position, (particularly if we have in mind that his opponent's king is ex posed), but Black's rook, bishop and knight are also a powerful fighting unit and this should be sufficient to balance the chanc es.
30
..•
g3!?
Black sacrifices a pawn and creates an outpost for his knight on the g4-square, with the plan of incarcerating the enemy king. White must exchange a pair of rooks in order to avoid being checkmated and his king must seek refuge in the centre ..
31.fxg3 lLleS 32J�xd8+ gxd8 33.'it>f2 i.dS 34.,ª,d4 lLlg4+ 3S.'it>e1 'it>f7 36.a4 'tt> e6 37.aS gc8 38.'I!n>6+ 'it>d7 39:�M4 'it>e6 4 0 .'ti'b6+ 'tt> d7 41.'ti'd4 'tt> e 6 42.,ª,b6+. Draw.
122
23
..•
'ti'f6?!
This inaccuracy could cost Black dearly. The correct continu ation was 23 .. :�reS, for instance 24.ixe4 (24.cS+ dS 2S.ixe4 �xe4f!) 24 ... �xe4 2S.cS+ �e6 26. �xe6+ :gxe6 27.:gac1 dxcS 28. ixcS b6 29.ib4 :ge4 30.ie1 ieS, with approximate equality.
24.cS+ 'tt>h8 2S.,ixe4 gxe4 26.cxd6 cxd6 27.gac1 gae8 28. ,ª,b3 'ti'gS 29.h3 g4e6 3 0 . a6 It was much stronger for White to play 30.:gc7! :gg6 31.�f3 �xbS 32.ixd6 �xaS 33.:gxb7 with excellent winning chances.
3 0 gg6 31.'ti'f3 bxa6 32. bxa6 .ieS 33.gc7 geg8 .•.
Black has skilfully regrouped
l.d4 d6 2.c4 eS 3.lDj3 e4 his forces and created counter play along the g-file.
ter 40 ... E:h2 41.E:dd7 mg8 Black should be able to hold.
40 ... �a3 41.�a7
34.<.t>f1
41.E:dd7 E:xa6 42.E:xh7+ mg8 43.:ghg7+ mh8=
41 J�g8+ 42.<.t>h2 ••
34 \Wxg2+ .••
He could equalize more easily with 34 ...\'9f6, for example: 35. :gxa7 E:xg2 36.E:a8 (After 36. \'9xg2? :gxg2 37.<.t>xg2 f3+ 38.mf1 \'9g6, Black's attack is decisive.) 36 ... :gg1+ 37.me2 d5 ! 38.E:xg8+ (38.\'9xd5? f3+ ) 38 ... :gxg8 39. \'9xd5 \'9xa6=
35.\Wxg2 lhg2 36.<.t>e2 �e8 37.<.t>f3 �h2 38 .b:d6 .b:d6 39. �xd6 lhh3+ 4 0 .<.t>g2 •
It is preferable for White to play 40.mg4, but even then af-
42 J�a5 ••
This move is also good, yet it was even more precise for Black to opt for 42 ... E:a2 ! 43.E:dd7 E:xf2+ 44.mh1 (44.mh3? E:g3+ 45.mh4 E:h2#) 44 ... E:f1+ 45.mh2 E:f2 + with perpetual check.
43.�h6 �g7 44.ga8+ �g8 45. �xg8+ <.t>xg8 46.<.t>h3 <.t>g7 47. �b6 h5. The players agreed to a draw.
123
Chapter 6
1.d4 d6 2.c4 e5 3.llJf3 e4 4.llJg5
Quick Repertoire
have problems with this, see the Step by Step chapter) that it would not be good for White to capture the e4-pawn. After 1O.g3 1J.d8 11. 1J.g2 exf3 12.M3 tLlbd7!? 13.dxc6 tLle5 14 ..tg2 bxc6 15.1Wxd6 .tb7 a sharp position arises, in which Black has good compensation for the sacrificed pawn.
5 .te7 .••
This is White's most principled move: his knight occupies an ac tive position and attacks the e4pawn. Later, he will make up his mind whether to keep it on g5, playing h2-h4 for this purpose, or to transfer it to f4 via h3.
4 f5 5.lLlc3 •••
Of course, Black's e4-pawn impedes the normal development of White's pieces, but forcing its exchange is not such an easy task. For example: 5.f3 1J.e7 (This is a typical resource - Black attacks the enemy knight winning a tem po for the development of his pieces.) 6.tLlh3 tLlf6 7.tLlc3 c6 (This is played in order to support the e4-pawn with d6-d5.) 8.d5 O-O 9.tLlf2 We8. It is obvious (if you 124
6.lLlh3 1 have already mentioned that
White can protect his knight with the move 6.h4 but, bearing in mind that the rest of his pieces do not support it at the moment, the knight on g5 is no danger to Black. A possible continuation is: 6 ...tLlf6 7.e3 O-O 8.1J.e2 c6 9.d5 tLla6 1O.b3
l.d4 d6 2.c4 e5 3. éiJfJ e4 4. éiJg5f5 éiJc7 11.�b2 c5, with chances for both sides. 6 c!tlf6 7.e3 c6 8.i.e2 o - o 9. 0-0 White can gain space with 9. d5, but this would present the e5outpost to his opponent. After 9 éiJbd7 1O.b3 éiJe5 11.�b2 h6!?, fol lowed by the transfer of the queen to f7 and subsequent pressure against the d5-pawn, Black has excellent counter chances. 9 . . mh8 . . .
...
.
d5-pawn if he first exchanges its potential defender - the knight on a6: 12.cxd5 cxd5 13.fxe4 fxe4 14.ha6 bxa6 15.éiJf4 g5! 16.éiJfe2 (or 16.éiJfxd5? �e6 and he loses his knight because of the pin; it is now clear why the prophylactic move cj;>h8 was necessary White's knight cannot capture on e7 or f6 with check) 16 ...�d6+. It is evídent that the d5-pawn is un touchable because of the discov ered check; now Black begins to create threats on the kingside. 12 c!tlc7 13.cxd5 If White postpones this ex change, Black may change his mind and capture on c4 himself, creating an outpost on d5. 13 ... cxd5 •.•
This is a useful waiting move. He removes his king from the a2g8 diagonal, frees the g8-square for his bishop and waits for his opponent to play d4-d5. In that case, he would deploy his knight to e5, vía d7, rather than to c7, vía a6. 1 0 .f3 d5 This is an important move; Black has sufficient resources to protect the pawn on d5. 11. Wlb3 c!tla6 12 .td2 White cannot win the enemy •
A typical French Defence pawn-structure has arisen (with colours reversed). The fight usu ally develops quite slowly and the prospects are approximately equal.
125
Chapter 6
1.d4 d6 2.c4 e5 3.�f3 e4 4.�g5 f5
Step by Step
A) 5.h4 B) 5.f3 e) 5.ttJc3 After S.ttJh3 �e7 6.ttJc3 there arise positions which we have an alyzed after the move-order 5. ttJc3 ii.e7 6.tiJh3. NaturaIly, White can postpone the development of his knight on b1 for a while, but he wiIl not find a better square for it than c3. For example: 6.tiJf4 tiJf6 7.h4 c6 8.tiJc4, transposing to var iation e. After S.g3 �e7 6.h4 ttJf6 7.tiJc3 c6, the game transposes to varia tion el, while 6.tiJh3 ttJf6 7.ii.g2 (7.ttJc3 - see variation e2) 7... 0-0 8.ttJc3 (8.0-0 c6 9.tiJc3 - see vari126
ation e2b) 8 ...c6 - transposes to variation e2b. It is interesting for White to try here a relatively untested idea to breach his opponent's defences on the light squares: S.dS �e7 6.tiJe6!? (We see a similar idea in the King's Indian Defence, where the c8-bishop is essential for the organization of the attack against the enemy king, so White is wiIl ing to sacrifice a pawn merely to exchange the bishop. But this is not the case here, since the bishop is not so important. Nevertheless, if it is missing, White wiIl find it much easier to undermine Black's pawn-centre.) 6 ...i.xe6 7.dxe6 �c8
8.g4!? (this is the essence of White's idea) 8 ... fxg4 (8 ... g6? 9.
l.d4 d6 2.c4 eS 3.'t:Jj3 e4 4. 't:JgSf5 gxf5 gxf5 1O.�d5±) 9.'t:Jc3 't:Jf6 10. h3 (White intends to play in the spirit of the Benko Gambit with colours reversed and on the oppo site flank.) 1O ...g3! (Black does best to avoid opening files on the kingside, because this is where he wiIl evacuate his king later.) 11. fxg3 c6 (Black could consider the more energetic 11 ...�xe6 12.�b3 O-O 13.�xb7 't:Jbd7+) 12.h4 �xe6 13.�b3 b6 14.ih3 't:Jg4 15.�c2 e3c:o White has good compensa tion for the pawn, but Black has nothing to complain about, Ver nay - Krasenkow, France 2010. A) 5.h4
since it has nowhere else to go too Later the game develops accord ing to the standard schemes. 9 �c7 10 .�f4 �e6! •. •
It would be useful for Black to exchange the f4-knight immedi ately. 1l.�xe6 Or 11.d5 't:Jxf4 12.ixf4 c5 13. ie2 O-O 14.�c2 a6 15.a4 Wa5 16. O-O id7 17.f3 exf3 18.ixf3, draw, Budnikov - Kornliakov, Berlín 1994. 1l he6 12.1J.e2 12.b4 O-O 13J':!b1, Danner Plachetka, Prague 1988, 13... �e8 14.b5 c5� 12 0 - 0 13.g3 a6 14.'t!?f1 We8 15.'t!?g2 Wf7 16.b3 g6 17. Wc2 Wg7c:o Black has deployed his forces very flexibly and he can be quite optimistic about the future, Bigler - Oratovsky, Gstaad 1993 (game 34). •••
• ••
Black has not yet attacked the knight on g5, but White protects it in advance. In fact, he wishes to retreat it now that he has a pawn on h4. 5 't:Jf6 6.�h3 6.'t:Jc3 1J.e7 - see variation el. 6 c6 7.1J.g5 1J.e7 8.e3 �a6 9.�c3 Sooner or later this knight wiIl be developed to the c3-square, .••
••.
B) 5.13 This is an attempt by White to eliminate the annoying e4-pawn immediately. It is not so simple to get rid of it though ... 127
Chapter 6 5 .ie7 6.li:Jh3 li:Jf6 7.li:Jc3 •••
c6 Black wishes to play d6-dS as soon as possible.
8.d5 White physicalIy prevents the move d6-dS, but in the process he presents the important cS- and eS- outposts to his opponent. White has a wide choice of plans here. Black should not be afraid of 8.e3, because with this White vol untarily confines his own bishop on el and thus cannot develop it to gS. 8 ... 0-0 9.fxe4 fxe4 1O.lLJf4 lLJa6 11.�e2 lLJc7 12.dS gS 13.lLJhS, Ree - Quinteros, Amsterdam 1977, 13 ... lLJxhS 14.,hhS �d7! 1S. �e2 cxdS 16.cxdS b6? 8.lLJf2 (Black can easily sup port his e4-pawn, so White's knight is in fact doing nothing on f2.) 8 ... dS 9.cxdS cxdS 1O.fxe4 fxe4 11.�gS lLJc6 12.e3 �e6 13.�e2 �d7 14.0-0 O-O? Varga - Vau !in, Paks 1999. 8.fxe4 lLJxe4 9.lLJxe4 fxe4 10. lLJf2 (It is not good for White to 128
play 1O.lLJf4 o-o 11.e3 gS 12.lLJhS dS't) 10 ... 0-0 11.e3 �aS+ (Thanks to this check, Black's queen, as if on a trampoline, moves straight to the kingside.) 12.�d2 �fS 13. �e2 cS 14.g3 cxd4 lS.exd4 lUc6 16.�e3 dS+ Bischoff - Sakaev, Brno 1992 (game 35). 8.�gS lLJa6 (This knight will go to the c7-square to support the pawn-advance d6-dS.) 9.e3 (9.g3 exf3 1O.exf3 o-o 11.i.e2, Rukavi na - Jovanovic, Pula 2002, 11 ... lLJc7 12.0-0 dS?) 9 ... exf3 1O.�xf3 O-O 11.�d3
11...lLJg4! This is a surprising tactical resource; Black exploits not only the vulnerability of the enemy e3-pawn, but also the mis placement of the white knight on h3. 12.�f4 (12.,he7 �xe7 13.'it>d2 �d7 14J'¡ae1 l"!ae8 1S.lLJf2 lLJxf2 16. �xf2 lLJc7+ - White wilI still have problems with his king, since Black will not let it remain undis turbed on the queenside, Tikkanen - Schuh, Pardubice 2008.) 12 ... �h4+ 13.'it>d2 (Black is better af ter 13.g3 lLJb4 14.�e2 �e7+) 13 ... l"!e8 14.l"!ae1 lLJeS! This is another tactical trick helping Black to in-
l.d4 d6 2.c4 e5 3JiJj3 e4 4JiJg5 j5 5JiJc3 .te7 crease his advantage. This little combination is based on the posi tion of Black's queen, on the same file as White's king. lS.dxeS dxeS 16.8:dl CLJb4 17.c;t>e2 CLJxd3+ Dan ielsen - Davies, Denmark 1988 (game 36). 8 ... 0 - 0 9.tlJf2 �e8 Black's queen goes to the king side, indirectly protecting the pawn on e4.
out sacrificing a pawn: l1...cxdS 12.cxdS exf3 13.il.xf3 CLJbd7, with approximately the same ideas as in the game. 12 .ixf.3 tlJbd7 Black sacrifices a pawn and brings fresh forces into the battle. 13.dxc6 tlJe5 14.i.g2 bxc6 15. �xd6 .ib� Engqvist - Agrest, Stockholm 1994. e) 5.tlJc3 .ie7 This a natural and strong move. Black continues with his development and forces his oppo nent to clarify his intentions.
10 .g3 The following variations illus trate that White cannot capture the e4-pawn without coming un der a very powerful attack: 10. fxe4 fxe4 1l.g3 (11.CLJfxe4? CLJxe4 12.CLJxe4 il.h4+ 13.CLJg3 1WhS 14.8:g1 1Wg4=t=) 11...CLJbd7 12.il.g2 (The pawn is again untouchable: 12. CLJfxe4 CLJxe4 13.CLJxe4 CLJeS 14.b3? �g6 lS.il.g2 il.h3!-+) 12 CLJeS+! 1 0 ...i.d8 Black not only protects his e4pawn but is ready to deploy his bishop to b6 or aS at an opportune momento 1l.i.g2 exf3 He could have continued with•••
el) 6.h4 e2) 6.tlJh3 el) 6.h4 tlJf6 7.g3 White should not be afraid of 7.e3 o-o 8.il.e2 (8.b4 c6 9.1Wb3 CLJg4 - this is a bit of provocation. After White's queen has gone to b3, Black wishes to start a fight in the centre and on the kingside and is even prepared to sacrifice a pawn - 1O.f3, McNab - Gayson, England 2002, 1O ... CLJf6!? 1l.fxe4 129
Chapter 6 lLlxe4 12.lLlgxe4 fxe4 13.lLlxe4 �g4�) 8 ... c6 9.dS lLla6 10.b3 lLlc7 11.�b2 cS 12.�d2, Rohde - Ibragi mov, Philadelphia 1992, 12 ...lLlfe8 13.0-0-0 hgS 14.hxgS WxgSco 7.�f4 (In general, White should be willing for his f4-bishop and gS-knight to change places, be cause his bishop is slightly mis placed on f4.) 7... h6 8.lLlh3 �e6 9. e3 (The f4-bishop prevents White's knight from effectively coming into play. White possibly relied on being able to deploy his bishop on eS, after d6-dS, vacat ing the f4-square for the knight, but Black has other viable plans in which his d6-pawn stays put.) 9... �f7 10.�e2 Wd7 11.b4 lLlc6 12J�lbl, Firt - Blatny, Opava 2000, 12 ... a6 13.0-0 O-O 14.�g3 dS (Now this move is quite useful, because Black is covering the eS-square with both his knights.) IS.cS lLlg4?
plan to break his opponent's pawn-chain? 8.i.g2 8.dS lLla6 9.�g2 (9.b3 lLlc7 1O:&d2 O-O 11.�b2 cxdS 12.lLlxdS lLlfxdS 13.cxdS �f6? Williams Koshy, India 1999) 9 ... 0-0 10. O-O lLlg4 - see 8.�g2 lLla6 9.0-0 O-O 1O.dS lLlg4. It would be harmless for Black for White to play 8.e3 lLla6 9.�e2 lLlc7 1O.dS cxdS 1l.cxdS O-O 12 .b3 lLld7 13.lLlh3 �f6 14.�b2 i.eS IS. �d2 lLlf6 16.lLlf4 �d7? McNab Rowson, Dundee 1996. After 8.lLlh3 the question aris es as to whether the moves g3 and h4 have really been useful to White, or whether he could have saved several tempi? 8 ... lLla6 9. �gS lLlc7 1O.dS (1O.lLlf4 lLlg4!? 11. �xe7 �xe7 12.e3 O-O 13.�e2 lLlf6 14.b4 lLle6 lS.bS lLlxf4 16.gxf4 �e6? Jeremic - Mchedlishvili, Leras 2009) 1O ... cS 1l.hf6 i.xf6 12.�d2 O-O 13.lLlf4 �e8 14.e3 �eS (Black's position in the centre is very solid now and he is about to prepare a queenside offensive.) lS.hs �d7 16.�e2 a6 17.a4 bS 18. axbS axbS 19J�lxa8 �xa8 20.cxbS �a1+ 21.lLld1 hbS+ Nemeth Sanduleac, Szombathely 2003. 8 .tlJa6 It is understandable that Black cannot play lLlbd7 with a white knight on gS, because of the pos sibility of lLle6, but his knight is also quite useful on a6 9. 0 - 0 O - O 10 .d5 If White refrains from playing ..
7 c6 So, White has fortified his knight on gS, but what is he sup posed to do now? How does he ...
130
1.d4 d6 2.c4 e5 3.0,j3 e4 4JiJg5j5 5. 0,c3 i.e7 6. 0,h3 0,f6 this move, Black will be happy to place his own pawn on dS. 1 0 . . . 0,g4
1l.0,h3 The spectacular pawn-break 11.cS!? is hardly sufficient for any thing more than maintaining the balance: l1...0,xcS 12.b4 0,a6 13. dxc6 bxc6 14.bS h6! lS.0,h3 0,cS 16.bxc6 i.f6 17:�c2 �e8 18.c7 i.e6 19J''!b1 �c6� Radziewicz - Zielin ska, Sroda Wlkp 2003. 1l i.d7 12.�bl ltJe5 13.b3 c5 14.ltJf4 ltJc7 15.a4 M6? Mas trovasilis - Nikolaidis, Athens 1998. •••
C2a) 7.e3 C2b) 7.g3 The move 7.i.f4 is again hann less for Black, for example: 7... 0,hS 8.i.d2 c6 9.e3 0,f6 1O.�e2 0,a6 11.0,f4 0,c7 12.f3 O-O 13.fxe4 0,xe4 14.0,xe4 fxe4 15.0-0 0,e6 16.0,xe6 ¡'!xf1+ 17.'?9xf1 .be6= Pinter - Adams, France 1991. 1 think 7.�gS is a more logical move than 7.i.f4. White's main idea is to exchange the knight on f6 and increase his control over the dS-square. However, until there is a black pawn on dS, White's pressure against the dS square is more or less "virtual". A possible continuation is 7... 0-0 8.e3 h6 9.hf6 hf6 1O.0,f4 (After 1O.f3 cS!?, Black has an obvious lead in development and he is ea ger to enter complications - 11. 0,dS exf3 12.�xf3 Wa5+ 13.b4 cxb4 14.�e2 b3+ 15.<;t>f2 bxa2 16.0,hf4 0,c6? Uhlmann - Spiess, Germany 2 001; 1O.i.e2 0,c6 11.a3 0,e7 12.f4 exf3 13.hf3 g5co Bellon Lopez - Galego, Habana 1997.)
C2) 6.ltJh3 ltJf6
10 ... i.g5 (This is a simple and logical decision; Black's dark131
Chapter 6 squared bishop is restricted by the pawn-chain so it makes sense for him to exchange it for his op ponent's active knight.) l1.g3 hf4 12.gxf4 tlJd7 13.Wb3 c6 14.�e2 tlJf6 15. 0-0-0 We7 (Black has seized more space in the centre and his opponent's attack along the g-file no longer seems dangerous.) 16. c5 d5 17.Wa4 .td7 18.Wd2 b6� Mar kus - Vallejo Pons, Novi Sad 2009.
an interesting manoeuvre: he de ploys his knight on f5, in order to exert pressure on the enemy e3pawn. Later he might have tacti cal ideas based on the pawn breaks b7-b6 and then c6-c5.) 15.tlJg4 tlJd6 16.c5 tlJf5� Degtiarev - Stefanova, Caleta 2010. C2al) 8.i.e2 O - O
C2a) 7.e3 c6
C2al) 8.il.e2 C2a2) 8.ttJf4 The following example shows that the plans in this position re main the same despite the pass ing of the years. Black transfers his knight to c7, advances d6-d5 and later continues according to circumstances: 8 . .td2 tlJa6 9.Wc2 tlJc7 10.0-0-0 d5 1l.f3 o-o 12. �e2 Wh8 (This is a useful prophy lactic mave. Black wishes to play .te6 and in response to tlJg5 he will retreat his bishop to g8.) 13. fxe4 fxe4 14.tlJf2 lLlfe8!? (This is 132
9. 0 - 0 This is not the most ambitious plan for White. He gives up the idea of starting an offensive on the kingside and just wishes to calmly complete his development, with the idea of later exerting sorne pressure in the centre and on the queenside. The move 9.d5 looks very ag gressive, but it is double-edged, since Black gains access to the e5outpost for his knight and can quickly organize counterplay: 9 ... tlJbd7 1O.b3 tlJe5 1l..ib2 a5 (This somewhat straightforward move seems very attractive, although Black has another interesting plan, cannected with creating
l.d4 d6 2.c4 eS 3,ciJj3 e4 4,ciJgSj5 S,ciJc3 �e7 6,ciJh3 CiJf6 counterplay on the other side of the board: 11...CiJfg4 12.Wid2 �h4 13.g3 �e7 14.CiJg1 g5!? 15.CiJd1 CiJg6 16.h3 CiJ4e5f± Cummings - Wat son, Norwich 1994. The recom mendation of the computer pro gram "Rybka" is worth consider ing: 1l... h6, foIlowed by the trans fer of the queen to f7 and subse quent pressure against the d5pawn .. ) 12.dxc6 bxc6 13.c5!? d5 (Here 13 ... Wic7! is stronger: 14. cxd6 hd6 15.Wic2 1'!d8 and 1 be lieve Black's position is prefera ble.) 14.CiJxd5 (This liUle combi nation is the point of White's idea.) 14 ...CiJxd5 15.�xe5 hc5 16.0-0 Wie7 17.�d4 �d6 18.1'!c1 �d7f± Black's c6-pawn is weak, but White cannot easily aUack it. Meanwhile, Black's knight on d5 is very strong, while its white counterpart is idle at the edge of the board, Bareev - Bologan, Ajaccio 2006 (game 37). About 9.CiJf4 CiJa6 - see 8.CiJf4. 9 . wh8 ..
As 1 already mentioned in the Quick Repertoire section, this is a
prophylactic move. Black's king is quite safe on h8 and he frees the g8-square for the bishop. IfWhite now plays d4-d5 Black wiIl imme diately continue with the transfer of his queen's knight to e5, vía d7. 1 0 .f3 After 1O.d5 CiJbd7 11.b3 CiJe5 12.�b2 c5 (If Black plays 12 ... a5 here then the position would have resembled even more the game Bareev - Bologan, which we have already analyzed.) 13.a3 �e8 14. CiJb5 �d7 15.b4 a6 16.CiJc3 �c7f± - Black's knight on e5 is very pow erful, while the vulnerability of White's c4-pawn considerably re stricts his active possibilities, Braun - Agrest, Passau 1994. 10.b4 d5 1l.b5!? It is unusual to find such a wild position in competitions between "seniors"! However, Black's position is quite solid and White wiIl not easily breach it. ll ... CiJ bd7?! (Black should immediately reduce the tension by 1l ... dxc4 12.hc4 a6! 13.bxc6 b5 14.�b3 CiJxc6, with a comfortable game.) 12.CiJf4 (It seems that White should play 12.bxc6 bxc6 13.c5 here, with a slight edge.) 12 ... CiJb6 13.c5 CiJc4. This knight-sortie is based on a pawn-sacrifice. Black obtains the bishop-pair and gains time to or ganize his counterplay: 14.bxc6 bxc6 15.hc4 dxc4 16.�a4 g5 17.CiJfe2 �c7� Uhlmann - Tsesh kovsky, Dresden 2008. 1 0 ... d5 11.�b3 .!Lla6 12 ..id2 The protection of Black's d5133
Chapter 6 pawn relies on tactics: 12.cxd5 cxd5 13.fxe4 fxe4 14.ha6 bxa6 15.lLlf4 g5! 16.lLlfe2 (or 16.lLlfxd5? �e6 and White loses his knight because of the pin) 16 ...�d6+ 12 ... tlJc7 13.cxd5 There is liule benefit to White in delaying this exchange. In the variation 13.fxe4 fxe4 14.lLlf4 dxc4 15.hc4 �d6 16.�e2 '?{fe8 17.'?{fd1 �f5 18. �h1 E:d8 Black has a completely acceptable posi tion, Petursson - Hawelko, Dubai 1986. 13 ... cxd5
14.l'!ac1 14.f4 �d6 15J�l:ac1 '?{fe7 16J'k2 �e6 17J''lfc1 h6 18.a3 :1:1ab8 19.1Lla4 b600 Matamoros - Nogueiras, Santa Clara 1996. 14.�e1 �d6 15.�h4 h6 16.f4 E:b8 17.:1:1ac1 �e6 18.lLlb5 lLlxb5 19. '?{fxb5 :1:1f7 20. �h1 :1:1c8. This is not a blunder, but a pawn-sacrifice for the initiative. It is clear that White must accept it; otherwise Black wiIl double his rooks along the e-file and seize the initiative for free. After 21.hf6 gxf6 22. 134
'?{fxb7 gb8 23.'?{fxa7 E:xb2 24.lLlg1 :1:1f7+ Black's pieces are tremen dously active and White wiIl hard ly be able to hold on to his extra a2-pawn, Barsov - Zaichik, Tash kent 1986. 14...i.d6 15.a4 Or 15.f4 h6 16.lLla4 b6 17.�b4 �a6 18.hd6, draw, Uhlmann Watson, Germany 1997. 15 .. :�e7 16.tlJa2 White's knight is decentralized for a moment and Black provokes an immediate crisis. Events would have been much calmer in the line: 16.fxe4 dxe4 17.�c4 lLlg4?
16 ... f4! ? Pinter - Mokry, Du bai 1986 (game 38). Black fared exceIlently in the complications, although he could also have played quietly, for instance he could exchange on f3 and develop his bishop to d7, completing the development of his queenside. C2a2) 8.tlJf4 tlJa6 (diagram) 9.h4 9.d5 o-o 1O.h4 lLlg4 1l.g3 lLle5
l.d4 d6 2.c4 e5 3.ll:Jj3 e4 4. ll:Jg5.f5 5. ll:Jc3 .ie7 6.ll:Jh3 ll:Jf6
12 ..ie2 g6 13.
h5. 13.ll:Jh3 (lt is more principled for him to play 13.ll:Jh5, but after 13 ... ll:Jxh5 14.hh5 g4 15.f3 gxf3 16.gxf3 .if6, Black's counterplay is obviously sufficient for equality.) 13 ...h6 14.wh1 ll:Jd7 15.b4 �f6 16 . .ib2 Wie7 17.Wid2 .ig7 18.!lae1 b6 19.1l:Jg1 ll:Jf6+! The position is still approximately balanced, but 1 think it is easier for Black, since his forces are focused on the ene my king, Gasanov - Yatsenko, So chi 2008. 9 . 0 - 0 1 0 .i.e2 1O.d5 ll:Jc7 11.ie2 - see 10. .ie2. 1O.a3 ll:J c7 11.d5 ll:Jg4 12.g3 eS 13 ..ie2 ll:Je5 14.b4 .if6 15 ..id2 b6 16.!lc1 g6 17.wf1 Wie7 18.Wg2 id7 19.!lb1 !lfc8 20.bxc5 dxc5 21.a4 ll:Je8+! Dlugy - Kharitonov, Mos cow 1989. 1 0 �c7 . .
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1l.d5 White is behind in develop ment so he should not play too ag gressively, because the conse quences may be unpleasant for him: 11.b4?! ll:Je6! 12.ll:Jxe6 he6 135
CJwpl('1' {¡
1:i.b5 dS 14.cS ltJg4! lS.g3, Shep herd - Hickman, Port Erin 2000 and here after lS ...cxbS 16.ltJxbS b6, Black seizes the initiative. The young Levon Aronian failed to create serious problems for his opponent - the experi enced Masha Klinova, who has played this system aIl her life: 11.'\Wb3 E1:b8 12.a4 (Black should not be afraid of 12 ..td2 ltJe6 13.dS ltJxf4 14.exf4 cS lS.hS �d7 16.a4 h6 17.0-0-0 a6 18.B:de1 b6 19.f3 exf3 20.M3, draw, Skembris Lazic, Verona 200S.) 12 ....td7 13 . .td2 �e8 14.'\Wc2 �f7 lS.b4 ltJe6 16.ltJh3 dS 17.g3 h6 18.cS .thS 19.hhS ltJxhS 20.ltJe2 '\Wd7 21. ltJhf4 ltJhxf4 22.ltJxf4, draw, Aro nian - Klinova, Antalya 2004. 1l... cxd5 According to the statistics, the move 1l ... ltJd7 is the most popular for Black here, but the immediate exchange on dS is preferred by two of the greatest contemporary chessplayers: Vishy Anand and "Rybka 4". We wiIl analyze this move briefly: 11...ltJd7 (This is another ver sion of an already familiar idea. The knight goes to eS, but not vía g4, since the e4-pawn would be hanging in this case, but vía d7, since Black's other knight is cov ering the e6-square. Meanwhile the h4-pawn is attacked.) 12.hS cS 13.b3 .tf6 14 ..tb2 ltJeS lS.'\Wc2 '\We7 16.a3 id7 17.b4 bS!? (This is a timely counterstrike. Black does not wish to grant his opponent 136
the initiative on the queenside.) 18.cxbS c4 19.a4 ltJd3+ 20.hd3 exd3 21.'\Wc1 ieSgg Illescas - Vladi mirov, Logrono 1991 (game 39).
12.cxd5 It is not good for White to re capture on dS with the knight, be cause after the exchange of aIl the knights he wiIl have to forget about his kingside offensive and the unfortunate pawn on h4 wiIl be under attack by Black's bishop on e7. For example: 12.ltJcxdS ltJfxdS 13.ltJxdS ltJxdS 14.'\WxdS+ 'it>h8 lS.id2 �c6 16.0-0-0 ia4!? 17.b3 �c6 with an excellent game for Black. 12 ltJd7 13.g3 Black had a very comfortable position after 13.hS if6 14 ..td2 aS lS.'\Wc2 ltJcS 16.0-0 �d7 17.f3 bS 18.ltJd1 b4+ Sorokin - Tseshko vsky, Zvenigorod 200S. 13 .tf6 14 .id2 .ie5 15Jkl lS. 'it>f1 ltJf6 16. '\Wb3, Salov Romero Holmes, Madrid 1992, 16 ... hf4 17.exf4 b6 18.'it>g2 ia6? 15 ltJf6 Black has deployed his pieces ••.
.•.
..•
•
l.d4 d6 2.c4 eS 3. liJ.f.3 e4 4.tiJgSj5 S.tiJ c3 i.e7 6. liJh3 liJf6 perfectly and attacks the dS-pawn. 16.,ªb3 \!¡lh8 17.a4 lLla6 18.,ªa3 i.d7 19.b4 ¡';e8 2 0 .a5 lLlc7 21. ,ªb3 a6? Ruban - Anand, Palma de Majorca 1989 (game 40). C2b) 7.g3 c6
8 ..ig2 After 8.dS, Black can facilitate his defence a bit byplaying 8... 0-0 and if 9.i.g2 there is a transposi tion to the variation with 8.i.g2. 1 should like to show you one very original idea for Black. Even if it is not so appropriate in this posi tion, you can try it sometimes in a similar situation ... 8...lLl bd7 9.i.g2 liJb6 !? (It is also good for him to continue in the standard fashion with 9 ... liJeS, but in this case the knight-sortie to the edge of the board creates concrete problems for White. It is also possible for Black to play 9 ... 0-0 - see 8.i.g2.) 1O.�b3 (The natural move 1O.b3? loses a pawn for White: lO ... cxdS 11.cxdS liJbxdS! 12.liJxdS �aS+ 13. i.d2 �xdS 14.lLlf4 �f7+ Lazarev Gofshtein, Oberwart 1993.) 10 ...
liJfd7 11.f3 (White's attempt to break in the centre with 11.0-0 lLleS 12.dxc6 bxc6 13.cS did not turn out well for him after 13 ... dxcS 14.i.f4 c4 1S.�c2 i.f6 16.a4 i.e6 17.i.e3 �e7 18.liJf4 i.t7 19.aS liJbd7'!' Gupta - Lie, Wijk aan Zee 2010.) 11 ...exf3 12.exf3 liJeS 13. iWc2. White covers the d3-square and creates the threat of f3-f4 (Black would counter the imme diate 13.f4 with 13 ... liJd3+ 14.@f1 liJeS'!').
13 ... 0-0. Black refrained from capturing the c4-pawn and that seems to be the right decision. Af ter 13 ... liJbxc4 14.iWe2 cxdS 1S.f4 liJg4 16.i.xdS, or 13...liJexc4 14.b3 liJaS 1S.liJf4, White would have excellent compensation for the slight material deticit. 14.f4 liJexc4 1S.b3 i.f6!? "Rybka" asserts that Black could have waited a bit and retreated with the knight to aS, but the "human" desire to sacri tice a piece to exploit the lead in development is easilyunderstand able. 16.bxc4 �e8+ 17.@f1. Now, White's kingside is as if semi-fro zen. 17...iWe7 18.i.d2 liJxc4::::; Black has a couple of pawns for the 137
Chapter 6 knight and a powerful initiative, Nikolic - Vallejo Pons, Bled 2002. 1 should also mention that it would not work for White to play 19J��e 1?, because of 19 ... �xe1+ 20.he1 ttJe3+. 8. 0 - 0
ttJxdS 17.cxdS exf3 18.exf3 :gfc8+t Lacrosse - Toledano, Cullera 2004) 12 .. J'lc8 13.f3 �aS 14.i.d2 �b6 1S.i.f4 tLlf7 16.�d2 exf3 17. exf3 :gce8+t Genutis - M.Socko, Warsaw 2006. 9 ttJa6
9.0-0 9.�b3 tLla6 10.0-0 �b6 11. �xb6 axb6 12.i.d2 tLlc7 13.f3 dS 14.cxdS, draw, Sakaev - Jansa, GausdaI 1992. 9.i.gS i.e6 1O.b3 dS 11.tLlf4 i.f7 12.cS e3 13.hf6 exf2+ 14.lt>xf2 i.xf6 1S.h4 tLld'7+ Ginting - Rome ro Holmes, Novi Sad 1990. 9.dS ttJbd7 (After the advance of the white pawn to dS, Black has obtained the wonderful eS-out post and his knight will go there with pleasure.) 10.0-0 tLleS (White has evacuated his king from the centre, so the tLl b6 idea is less effective now - Black no longer has a combination based on sacrificing on dS followed by a check on aS.) 11.b3 i.d7 12.lt>h1 (12.f3 �aS 13.�d2 �c5+ 14.�e3 �xe3+ 1S.i.xe3 cxdS 16.tLlxdS
1 0 .f3 1O.dS ttJc7 1l.f3 (It is too slow for White to opt for 11.lt>h1, be cause Black creates queenside counterplayvery quickly: 11...cxdS 12.cxdS bs 13.b4 aS 14.:gb1 axb4 1S.:gxb4 id7 16.fí:b1 tLlg4+t Piket Adams, Tilburg 1996 - game 41; 11.ltJf4 ltJg4 12.f3 exf3 13.i.xf3 tLleS 14.ig2 eS 1S.b3 i.f6+t Dolinskij Sanduleac, Eforie Nord 1999; 11. a4 aS! ? 12.f3 cxdS 13.cxdS tLla6. Black sacrifices a pawn, in return for exerting powerful pressure on White's compromised queenside. 14.fxe4 �b6+ 1S.e3 fxe4 16.tLlf2 tLlcS 17.tLlfxe4 tLlb3 18,l''l a3 tLlxc1 19.�xc1 id7 with excellent com pensation for the pawn for Black, Galianina - Markowski, Cualcutta 2001.) 11...cxdS 12.cxdS bS 13.a3 (l3.b4 aS 14.ia3 tLla6 1SJ��b 1 id7
. .
138
•••
l.d4 d6 2.c4 e5 3. llJj3 e4 4.llJg5j5 5.l1Jc3 1J.e7 6. llJh3 llJf6 16.�d4 llJhS 17J''1fc1 1J.f6 18.�e3 1J.eS+ Kleist - Benjamin, Edmon ton 2000) 13 ...exf3 14.exf3 aS lS.llJf4 1J.b7 (The pressure against the dS-pawn ties down White's forces.) 16.llJe6 llJxe6 17.dxe6 �b6+ 18.wh1 dS+! Van Wely Fridman, Liepaya 2004. 10 exf3 "Rybka" 's recommendation deserves consideration: 10 ... �b6!? 1l.llJf4 (or 1l.fxe4 fxe4 and White cannot capture the e4pawn since his knight on h3 is hanging) 1l ...gS 12.llJh3 h6+! 1l.exf3 The recaptures with the bishop or the rook are not at aH danger ous for Black: 11.1J.xf3 llJc7 12.llJf4 1'!b8 13.1J.d2 llJe6 14.llJxe6 JJ.xe6 lS.b3 dS 16 ..if4 1'!c8 17.cS �d7+! Navrotescu - Ne vednichy, Baile Herculane 1996; 11.1'!xf3 llJc7 12.1'!f1 .ie6 13.�b3 bS 14.JJ.xc6 hc4 1S.�c2 1'!b8+! Hort - Pirc, Marianske Lazne 1965. ..•
1l dS This is Black's simplest way to balance the position. The players •••
have equal space now and White cannot reaHy exploit the weakness of the eS-square. Players who are interested in more complex positions can study for themselves the main alterna tive for Black here - 1l ... llJc7. 12.cxdS After 12.b3 cS! Black has seri ous chances of seizing the initia tive right away, for example: 13. llJf4 dxc4 14.dS cxb3 1S.�xb3 wh8 16.1J.b2 c4 17.�c2 (17.�xc4? �b6+ 18.1'!f2 .ic5) 17 ... llJb4 18.�e2 llJd3!+ Wilson - Lund, Bolton 1997. 12 tLlxds 13.tLlf4 tLlac7 14. 'lWb3 i.f6 ISJ��dl lU'7. Black wish es to exchange on f4 and then de velop his bishop on e6. It seems that White is forced to create fur ther simplification. 16.tLlfxdS tLlxdS 17.tLlxdS 'lWxdS 18.'lWxdS cxdS 19 .if4 .ie6. Van Wely Adams, Groningen 1995. .• •
•
White may have a slight edge in this symmetrical position, but it is purely symbolic. Black should be able to make a draw without too much effort. 139
Chapter 6
l.d4 d6 2.c4 e5 3.l¿)f3 e4 4.l¿)g5 f5
Complete Games
Oratovsky Bigler Gstaad 1993 l.d4 d6 2.c4 e5 3.c!lJf3 e4 4. c!lJg5 f5 5.g3 Ae7 6.h4 c!lJf6 7. c!lJc3 c6 8.c!lJh3 O - O 9.Ag5 c!lJa6 10 .e3 c!lJc7 1l.c!lJf4 c!lJe6 12.c!lJxe6 he6 13.Ae2 a6 14.cJ;>f1 �e8 15.cJ;>g2 �t7 16.b3 g6 17.�c2 �g7 34
18.h5 h6 19.hf6 hf6 2 0 . hxg6 c5 21.d5 hc3 22.�acl hd5
140
23.�xc3 It was preferable for White to have captured the other bishop 23.cxdS i.f6 24.i.hS bS with chances for both sides. 23 ... Ac6 24.Wfxg7+ cJ;>xg7 25.�cdl �ad8 26.Ah5 White's bishops are not to be envied at all. They must remain at the edge of the board only to pro tect a pawn. 26 ... �f6 27.�d2 d5 28.cxd5 iUd6 29.�cl He could have sacrificed the exchange - 29.dxc6 l"lxd2 30. cxb7, but after 30 ...l"lb8 31.l"lc1 l"lxb7 32.l"lxc5 l"lxa2 33.l"lxfS l"lb2, Black would have excellent win ning chances. 29 ...�xd5 3 0 .�dc2 b6 31. .ie2 a5 32.Ac4 �dl 33.�xdl �xdI 34.At7
l.d4 d6 2.c4 e5 3 . tLl.f3 e4 4 . tLlg5f5 34 �b5 It is more precise for Black to choose 34 ....td5 3S.i.e8 i.e6 and later he retreats with his rook to d8 and captures the g6-pawn. 35 .ie4 White was afraid of his oppo nent's checkmating threats and decided to give up a pawn imme diately. Meanwhile, he had better wait a bit - 35J''lb 2 and only after 35 .. J'le1 reply with 36.i.c4. 35 ....te8 36 ..if7 hf7 37.gxf7 �xf7 38.f3 � e6 39.g4 fxg4 40. fxg4 � f6 41.:!'1:f2+ �g5 42. �g3 :!'1:g1+ 43. �h3 :!'1:e1 44.:!'1:fS+ �g6 4S.:!'1:d5 :!'1:xe3+ 46. �g2 :!'1:d3 47.:!'1:e5 �f6 48.:!'1:h5 �g7 49.:!'1:eS :!'1:d2+ 50. �f1 :!'1:xa2 51.:!'1:e6 :!'1:b2 S2.:!'1:xb6 a4. White resigned. ..•
•
Sakaev Bisehoff Brno 1992 l.e4 e5 2 .tLlc3 d6 3.tLlf3 f5 4.d4 e4 5.tLlg5 e6 6.tLlh3 .ie7 7.f3 tLlf6 8.fxe4 tLlxe4 9.tLlxe4 fxe4 1 0 .tLlf2 O - O 1l.e3 �a5+ 12 .id2 �f5 13.�e2 e5 14.g3 exd4 15.exd4 tLle6 16 .ie3 d5
Naturally, it is risky for White to evacuate his king to the weak ened queenside, but after 17.i.g2 .tb4+ he may not even castle at all. Maybe, the least of evils for him was to opt for 17.a3 dxc4 18. i.g2 Wa5+ 19.i.d2 Wb6 20 ..tc3. 17 tLla5 18.�d2 After 18.b3 dxc4 19.bxc4 bS, White's king ends up completely bare. 18 ... tLlxe4 19.J.xe4 dxe4 2 O . d5 .if6 2U�he1 c3!? 22.bxc3 �d7 23.�e2 .••
35
•
•
17. 0 - 0 - 0
23 gfe8 It was very good for Black to play 23 ...hc3! with the idea 24. Wxc3 :!'1:ac8 25..tc5 Wg5+ 26. � b1 :!'1:xf2 and he wins. 24.e4 b6 25.Wb1 gae8 26. �b3 h5 He overlooked the possibility to finish the game off with a single strike, but his position remained superior and he broke gradually his opponent's defence anyway. 27.gd2 .ie5 28.gel �g6 29. tLld1 gíB 3 0 .tLle3 gf3 31.tLle2 .ia4! 32.�a3 �d6 33.Yba4 gxe3 34.tLld4 ga3 35.�e2 b5! 36.e5 .••
141
Chapter 6 White cannot capture the pawn: 36.ltJxbS i'fifb4+. 36 ... �xd5 37.llJb3 �f7 38. �e2 a5 39.�xe4 .if6 4 0 .�d1 a4 White resigned.
.ig7 3 O .�d6 �e6 31.�xe6 he6 32.e5 �d8 33.�e3 "ifla3 34.�b1 "ifla5 35.�e1 h7 36.�e4+ g8 37.�e3 �d738.f1�e739."iflg5. Black resigned.
Davies Danielsen Denmark 1988 l.d4 d6 2.e4 e5 3.llJf3 e4 4. llJg5 f5 5.f3 .ie7 6.llJh3 llJf6 7.llJe3 e6 8 ..ig5 llJa6 9.e3 exf3 1 0 .�xf3 o - o 1l ..id3 llJg4 12. .if4 .ih4+ 13.d2 �e8 14.�ae1 llJe5 15.dxe5 dxe5 16.�d1 llJb4 17.e2 llJxd3
37
36
18.he5 The knight was untouchable because of 18 . . e4. 18 ... �xe5 19.�xd3 "ifle7 2 0 . �hd1 .ie6 21.b3 �e8 White's king is stranded in the centre. Black has a tremendously powerful initiative, in a position with material equality. 22.g3 .if6 23.f2 g5 24.llJg1 .ie8 25.�e1 f4! 26.e4 g4 27. tyd1 After 27."iflxf4 .igS, White loses his queen. 27 f3 28.h4 h5 29.�d2
Bologan Bareev Ajaccio 2006 l.d4 d6 2.e4 e5 3.llJf3 e4 4. llJg5 f5 5.llJc3 llJf6 6.llJh3 .ie7 7.e3 o - o 8 . .ie2 e6 9.d5 llJbd7 1 0 .b3 llJe5 11 ..ib2 a5
12.dxe6 bxe6 13.c5 d5 14. llJxd5 llJxd5 15 ..ixe5 he5 16. O - O �e7 17..id4 .id6 18.�e1 .id7
.
..•
142
19 . .ie4 .ie6 2 0 .hd5 hd5 21.llJf4 .ixf4 22.exf4 �fd8 23. tye2 "ifle6 Black should have got rid of
l.d4 d6 2.c4 e5 3.tiJj3 e4 4 JiJ g5f5 his weak pawn by playing 23 ... a4, with approximate equality . 24.,te5 h6 25.gfel �h7 26. h3 g5 27.ikdl gg8 28.g3 gaf8 29.�c3 �g6 .
38JMl gxg3 39.�xg3 �g6 4 0 . �e3 �f7 41.gg1 gh4 42.�g3 gh5 43.�c3 gh4 44.,te5 �h5 45.gg7+ �h6 46.gg3 �f7 47. i.g7+ �h7 48.i.f6 �h5 49. i.xh4. Black resigned.
Mokry Pinter Dubai 1986 l.d4 d6 2.c4 e5 3.�f3 e4 4. �g5 f5 5.�c3 ,te7 6.�h3 �f6 7.e3 c6 8.,te2 O - O 9 . 0 - 0 �h8 1 0 .f3 d5 11.�b3 �a6 12.i.d2 �c7 13.cxd5 cxd5 14. gacl i.d6 15.a4 �e7 16.�a2 f4 38
3 0 .�h2 Now, and on the next move, White could have captured the a5-pawn, but Bareev decided to play more cautiously 3 0 �h5 31.gd2 �e8 32. �xa5 The time for the pawn to be captured has arrived at lasto 32 h5 33.�c3 h4 34.fxg5 gxg5 35.i.f4 gh5 It was more resilient for Black to defend with 35 ...hxg3+ 36.fxg3 :gh5, although even then his posi tion would not be a bed of roses. . .•
••.
17.�f2 It is not good for White to play 17.exf4? in view of 17 ...hh3 18.gxh3 tLle6, but it was obviously stronger for him to choose 17. tLlxf4 with the following exempla ry variation: 17...g5 18.tLlh5 (18. tLlh3? exf3 19.hf3 g4) 18 ... tLlxh5 19.fxe4 :gxf1+ 20.:gxf1 dxe4 21. hh5 i.e6 22.'�c2 g4 23.g3 ha2 24.b3 :gf8 25.:gxf8+ (Black is bet ter after 25.�xa2? :gxf1+ 26.mxf1 �g5.) 25 ...�xf8 26.hg4 �g8 27. i.d1 hg3 28.hxg3 �xg3+ and he has a perpetual check. 143
Chapter 6 17... fxe3 It deserved attention for Black to play 17....td7!?, without forcing the issue. 18.he3 c!lJh5 19.fxe4
39
Illeseas - VIadimirov Logrono 1991 1.e4 e5 2.c!lJc3 d6 3.c!lJf3 f5 4.d4 e4 5.c!lJg5 .ie7 6.c!lJh3 e6 7.e3 c!lJf6 8.c!lJf4 O - O 9.h4 c!lJa6 10 .ie2 c!lJe7 1l.d5 c!lJd7 12.b3 c!lJe5 13 .ib2 •
•
19 hh2+?! This sacrifice is rather dubi ous. It was preferable for him to play simply 19 ... 'Llf4 20 ..txf4 ixf4 21.l'l:c2 dxe4 with initiative. 2 0 .@xh2 %Yh4+ 21.@gl c!lJg3 22 ..if3? After this move, Black finishes the game off spectacularly, while after 22.'Llc3 dxe4 23.Wc4 l'l:xf2!? 24.@xf2 .tg4 he would still need to prove the correctness of his concept. •••
22 .llxf3 ! 23.gxf3 24.@g2 .ih3+ . White resigned. .•
144
c!lJe2+
13 e5 14.h5 .if6 15.%Ye2 %Ye7 16.a3 .id7 17.b4 b5 18. exb5 e4 19.a4 c!lJd3+ 2 0 .hd3 exd3 21.%Ye1 .ie5 ••.
White tried to attack on both sides of the board, but finally his king has ended up in the centre. His extra pawn is practically im material, since Black will regain it soon. 22.g3 c!lJe8 23.@d2 c!lJf6 24. f3 1;fe8 25.'�gl %Yf7 26.%Yf2 1;ab8 27.1;ag1 a6 If White gives up his b4-pawn,
l.d4 d6 2.c4 e5 3. éiJj3 e4 4.éiJg5.f5 his king wiIl he endangered. He must therefore return the extra material. 28.\Wh2 axb5 29.a5 .ie8 3 0 .�h3 gb7 31.gel gbe7 32. .ial
ggl .if7 52.g3g2 ga8 53.gg3 gaa6 54.gh3 'í!lg8 55.hxg6 gxg6 56.gxh6 'í!lf8 57.ggxg6 gxg6 58.gxg6 hg6 59 ..if6 .ie8 6 O . .ih4 .ie6 61 ..iel 'í!le7 62.'í!ld4 'í!ld6 63 . .ie3. Draw Anand Ruban Palma de Majorca 1989 l.d4 d6 2.e4 e5 3.llJf3 e4 4. llJg5 f5 5.llJe3 llJf6 6.llJh3 e6 7.e3 llJa6 8.llJf4 .ie7 9.h4 O - O 1 0 ..ie2 llJe7 1l.d5
40
32 ...he3+ It is inconceivahle that White can improve his position. Black now wins a pawn, hut White huilds up a solid defensive line on the dark squares. 33.he3 llJxd5 34.llJxd5 \Wxd5 35. \Wg2 .ib7 36.ghfl \Wf7 37.�h2 d5 38.�h4 h6 39 ..id4 ge6 4 0 .'í!le3 \Wf8 41.\Wf4 �e7 42.gf2 \Wg5 43.gh2 �xf4 44. gxf4 'í!lh7 45.gg2 gg8 46.gegl g6
47.gg3 ge6 48.g1g2 .ie8 49 ..ie5 .id7 50 . .id4 .ie8 51.
1l ...exd5 12.exd5 llJd7 13. g3 .if6 14..id2 .ie5 15.gc1 llJf6 16.\!�'b3 'í!lh8 17.a4 llJa6 18.\Wa3 .id7 19.b4 ge8 2 0 .a5 llJe7 21. \Wb3 a6
22 . .ie4 \We8 23.llJee2 llJg4 24 . .ie3 llJb5 25 ..id2 .if6 26. 'í!lfl llJe5 27.'í!lg2 145
Chapter 6
27 �f3?! It is a well-known fact that during his younger years Vishy Anand often played very quickly and rather superficially. Now, for example, instead ofthe seemingly attractive move in the game, it was much stronger for him to have opted for 27 . :�f7, eyeing the enemy d5-pawn. After for in stance 28Jk2 Elxc4 29.Elxc4 ltJxc4 30.1Mfxc4 Elc8, Black has the initia tive. 28.ea2 ee5 29.h:b5 h:b5 3 0 ..tc3 ee7 31.hf6 exf6 32. �e6 gg8 ..•
ually organizes a dangerous king side offensive. 33 ....td3 34.Val �e5 35. gxc8 gxc8 36.gcl .tc4 37J�a4 en 38.<.t>gl h6 39.edl <.t>h7 4 0 .gc3 g6 41.ec2 ef6 42.<.t>g2 g5 43.h5 After 43.hxg5 hxg5 44.<.t>gl <.t>g6, Black's threats along the h file are almost decisive. 43 ...en
.
33.�2d4?! Centralization is the panacea for almost everything in chess! After 33.ltJ2f4!, threatening h5 and ltJg6+, Black would have seri ous problems. Here, Anand grad146
44.g4? White could have tried an at tractive trick here 44.ltJc6!, which seems to be sufficient to save the game. For example: 44 ...bxc6 45.Elxc4 ltJxc4 46.1Mfxc4, or 44 ... ltJd3 45.<.t>gl bxc6 46.Elxc4 cS. 44...fxg4 45.Vxe4+ <.t>h8 46.<.t>gl g3! 47.Vf5 exf5 48. �xf5 �f3+ ! 49.<.t>g2 �h4+
1.d4 d6 2.c4 e5 3. 0,./3 e4 4.0,g5j5 This is a very rare case of a double atlack with a knight against a king and another knight... 5 0 .�xg3 After SO.tL:lxh4 .bdS+, White loses his rook, so he must give up a piece. 5 0 ...�xf5+ 51.�h2 �e7 52. e4 i.e2 53.gxc8+ �xc8 54.�g3 hh5 55.�d8 b6 56.f4 bxa5 57.bxa5 �g7 58.e5 i.f7 59.fxg5 hxg5 6 O .exd6 �xd6. White re signed.
41
�b5 22.g4 �h4 23.�g5 �d4 It was obviously even stronger for Black to play 23 ... 0,a3 24..ba3 �xa3 2S.0,e4 \Wxg4 with an edge. 24.�e4 �a2 25.�e6 �e2 26.i.f4 �xf4 27.gxf4 i.e5 28. �xf8 �xf8 29.�f3 i.b5 3 0 .h3
12 ...b5 13.b4 a5 14.gb1 axb4 15.gxb4 i.d7 16.gb1 �g4 (diagram) 17.f3 exf3 18.exf3 i.f6! 19. fxg4 .ixc3 2 0 J�'c2 b4 21.gxf5
3 0 ...i.d3?! Black loses his advantage with this move, whereas after 30 ... �a3 31.\Wf2 \Wxf2 32.�xf2 �d3 33.�d1 �c3 White would have great prob lems restraining his opponent's passed pawn. 31.\Wxd3 i.xf4 32.tyc4 \Wf2 33.tyc8+ �e7 34.tyc7+ �e8 35.�c8+ �e7 36.tyc7+ �e8. Draw.
Adams Piket Tilburg 1996 1.d4 d6 2.c4 e5 3.�f3 e4 4. �g5 f5 5.�c3 i.e7 6.�h3 c6 7.g3 �f6 8.i.g2 �a6 9.d5 O - O 1 0 . 0- 0 �c7 11.�h1 cxd5 12. cxd5
147
Chapter 7
1.d4 d6 2.c!iJf3
Quick Repertoire
After he sees this move played on the board, an optimist might think "Hmm, this guy is afraid of my encyclopaedic knowledge of the lines after 2.c4 eS, so he is try ingto avoid an opening dispute ... ". This assumption is not justified however, since according to the statistics the moves 2.tt:lf3 is en countered about 50% of the time (the difference is less than 1%), so Black must be well-prepared to fight against the text move! I believe that Black's main achievement after 2 .tt:lf3 is that he can now transpose to the King's Indian Defence, having avoided several dangerous systems, in cluding sorne where Black must know the theory in detail (such as, 148
for example the Saemisch, or the Four Pawns Attack). Generally speaking, all you would need to do is read half of the book "The King's Indian. A Complete Black Repertoire" by Victor Bologan for you to have an excellent reper toire for Black! However, it would not be fair for me to treat my read ers in this fashion, since in this monograph I have promised to provide a universal defence for Black after l.d4 d6. Therefore, here we shall analyze an interest ing and original system, which will certainly surprise your oppo nent and will force him to find new ways of treating the position, without being able to apply his usual positional criteria. In addi tion, you will master it much fast er than even half of the rather complex King's Indian Defence. 2 ig4!? According to the Mega Data base, this move was played for the first time in the game Tartakower - Spielmann, Nordwijk-aan-Zee 1938. This is possibly why this system has been named in several sources as the Tartakower system. ...
l.d4 d6 2. t;J.f3 i,g4 It seems more logical, however, to name it in honour of Rudolf Spielmann, a true champion of the King's Gambit and various other interesting opening innova tions. It has another popular name as well - the Wade system, afier an English master who ofien (not always successfully though... ) played the move 2 . .i,g4 at the be ginning of the '70s of the last cen tury. In Jorni Yrjola's and Jussi Tella's book "An Explosive Chess Opening Repertoire for Black" the 2.tt:Jf3 �g4 section is entitled "The Hodgson Variation", because the English grandmaster Julian Hod gson elaborated on the ideas of Robert Wade and achieved excel lent practical results with it. Later, another Englishman, Anthony Miles, was absolutely brilliant with this variation; it is clear that this system was well suited to his fighting spirit (Miles used to be characterized as "a cat that hunts alone" ... ), so that with this varia tion he ofien won games in which his position was at best equal and sometimes almost lost. Maybe it would be most appropriate to name this system the Wade Hodgson - Miles, or simply the English variation of the Queen's Pawn Opening. 1 am not inclined to complicate your lives with my opinion about this. This introduc tion has become a bit too long, in any case, so it is high time we dealt with the theory. .
What is the idea behind the early bishop-sortie? First of all, Black wishes to exchange on f3 and compromise his opponent's pawn-structure. This does not seem to be such a dangerous threat, however, since White will obtain the bishop-pair and quite easy development, but still this idea will be permanently on Black's agenda in this variation. As a rule, afier this exchange, original, non-standard positions arise and a less experienced oppo nent may easily go astray afier sorne strategical mistakes. Black has another idea too - to deploy his central pawns on the light squares: e6, d5, and ofien c6 as well. Then we reach a peculiar type of a French Defence pawn structure in which the "bad" bish op on cS is already outside the pawn-chain. Naturally, Black has other plans in reserve too. For ex ample, he can place his bishop on g6 in order to exert pressure against White's centre and pro vide his king with additional pro tection. 149
Chapter 7 White has numerous possibili ties as well. Chapter 8 is devoted to the move 3.tLlbd2, Chapter 9 to 3.e4 and Chapter 10 to 3.c4. Here we will analyze sorne other plans, which are played only seldom in practice. 3.tYd3 Out of all the "second-rate" moves I like this one the best. White prevents the doubling of his pawns on f3, creates the sim ple threat of �bS+ and, in addi tion, his queen is quite well placed on d3, contributing to the prepa ration of queenside castling. Black has nothing to complain about after the modest move 3.e3, for example: 3 ... e6 4.c4 tLld7 (in order, after �b3, to protect his b7-pawn with the rook from b8) S.tLlc3 fi.e7 6.fi.e2 c6 7.dS (other wise Black will place a pawn on dS himself) 7... eS 8.dxc6 bxc6 with chances for both sides. In response to 3.g3, Black can carry out his main idea doubling his opponent's pawns: 3 ...�xf3 4.exf3 e6 S.i.g2 dS 6.0-0 cS. First he fixes the enemy d4pawn and then he atlacks it. After 7.c3 cxd4 8.cxd4, White's d4pawn is isolated from its neigh bours and may become a real weakness in his camp, while after 7.dxcS hcS 8.c4 tLlf6 9.f4 tLlc6 1O.tLlc3 dxc4, Black obtains a com pletely acceptable game in a posi tion with a symmetrical pawn structure.
150
3
•••
c6
Black defends against the check from bS and opens the way for his queen to go to the queenside. 4.lDc3 lDf6 5.e4 e6 Black wishes to push d6-dS and toenteragood version ofthe French Defence with his light-squared bishop already developed on g4. 6.h3 �h5
7.�g5 (In practice White often blunders a pawn here after the trick: 7.g4 fi.g6 8.tLlh4? he4!) 7 i.e7 8 . 0 - 0 - 0 d5. Black's coun terplay is sufficient to maintain equality. ..•
Chapter 7
1.d4 d6 2.�f3 J.g4
Step by Step
A) 3.g3 B) 3.e3 C) 3.�d3 White's main lines here are 3.tLlbd2 (Chapter 8), 3.e4 (Chap ter 9) and 3.c4 (Chapter 10). We, as usual, wiIl begin studying the variation with sorne second-rate moves. 3 .ig5. This bishop-sortie be longs to the series "Play and let others play too ... !" Black's hands are completely free for creative inventions. Se e, for example, the possible consequences of a natu ral developing move - 3 ...tLld7 4. c3 (4.tLlbd2 h6 5 ..ih4 g5 6 ..ig3 ig7 7.c3, Piankov - Vorotnikov, Moscow 1996, 7... tLlgf6 8.e4 •
tLlh5�. Black's kingside weak nesses are practicaIly immaterial, because it is not good for White to foIlow with the undermining move h2-h4: in that case, Black wiIl take the bishop on g3, forcing recapturing fxg3, after which White's king shelter wiIl be com promised considerably.) 4 ...h6 5. ih4 c5 6.e3 ,ªb6 (This is a typical maneuver: White's bishop on el has abandoned the queenside early and Black's queen attacks the b2-pawn.) 7.,ªb3 ,ªxb3 8.axb3 a6 9.tLlbd2 tLlgf6 1O.id3 g5 11.ig3 tLlh5 (After the queens are off the board, this maneuver is much stronger.) 12.tLlf1 ie6 13.tLl3d2 i.g7� Piankov - Lupu, France 200l. 3.c!LJg5 (This looks like "ran dom-chess"! Grandmaster Lev Gut man is famous for his quite origi nal ideas and this time it seems that he wished to circle the entire board with his knight.) 3 ...h6 4. tLle4 d5 5.tLlc5 ic8 6.tLld3 tLlf6 (There may arise an interesting enigma - how did this position arise? The first impression may be that the following moves were played l.d4 d5 2.tLld3!? tLlf6. WeIl, 151
Chapter 7 why is Black's pawn on h6 then?)
7.a4 c6 S.a5 �f5 9.c3 ttJbd7+t Gutman - Schlindwein, Alten kirchen 2001. It is not easy to un derstand why White's knight should be better placed on d3 than on f3? In addition, Black leads in development. Still, the game is within the frame of ap proximate equality. 3.lLlc3. I do not understand the logic of this move. If White wishes to play e2-e4, then he should better do it immediately, since he does not need any prepa ration for that. Now, Black has the opportunity to double his oppo nent's pawns. I wiIl repeat - this cannot be dangerous for White, but if he had started with e4 and played ttJc3 only later, then Black would not have that possibility. 3 ...�xf3 4.exf3 d5 (This is an ex ceIlent idea. Now, it is evident that White's knight on c3 is doing nothing.) 5.�d3 g6 6.0-0 �g7 7. l:'!e1 e6 (Sooner or later, he wiIl try to exchange his doubled pawns, so Black should better try to pre vent in advance the pawn-break f4-f5.) S.�f4 ttJe7 9.i.e5 he5 10. 152
dxe5 O-O (The dark squares on Black's kingside are vulnerable indeed, but still, this move is not so risky, because White can hard ly create any meaningful threats against Black's king.) 11.f4 c5+t Ko lesnikov - Bocharov, Sochi 2006. 3.h3. This provocation is ab solutely unnecessary. I have al ready mentioned that Black is ready to trade his bishop for the knight, anyway. 3 ...hf3
4.gxf3 e6 5.c4 c6 (At first, Black builds up a pawn-chain in the centre.) 6.ttJc3 ttJf6 7.i.g5 (7. d5 cxd5 S.cxd5 e5 9.Wb3 ttJbd7!? - White is busy, wasting tempi winning a pawn and in the mean time Black wiIl calmly complete his development and exert pres sure on the queenside - 1O.Wxb7 i.e7 11.Wb3 o-o 12.f4 - this is an other arguable momento Would it be wise for White to open files while Black leads in development? On the other hand, that is the only way for White to activate his bish ops - 12 ... l:'!bS 13.Wc2 exf4 14. i.xf4 Wb6 15J:'!b1 l:'!fcSgg Schoene - Hickl, Bad Ragaz 1993. Black wishes to transfer his knight to c4
l.d4 d6 2. ttJf3 .tg4 vía eS and fortify his bind on the flank.) 7...ie7 8.e3 ttJbd7 9:�c2 WaS lOJ'1g1 a600 Glavína - Rubi netti, Buenos Aires 1988. The fight is raging aH over the entire board. White has slightly more space and a bishop-pair, but Black leads in development and his pawn-struc ture is more flexible. In addition, his king may castle on both sides of the board. The position is with chances for both sides. 4.exf3 e6 S.id3 (S.Wd3 c6 mind the check on bS! - 6.f4 ttJd7 7.g3 g6 - we have already made comments about this move. Black should try to prevent the pawn break f4-fS - 8.ttJd2 ig7 9.ig2 ttJe7 1O.0-0 o-o 11.c3 Wc7 12.ttJf3 cSf2 Hakulinen - King, Jyvaskyla 1991.) S ...g6 6.ie3 ig7 7.ttJc3 ttJe7 (The knight can go to fS from this square, in order to increase the pressure against the d4-pawn.) 8. Wd2 ttJbc6 9.ttJe2 Wd7 1O.c3 eS (Black exploits the fact that the move d4-dS is impossible and he is trying to prolong the diagonal of his bishop.) 11.h4 exd4 12.cxd4 ttJf5f2 Fancsy - Har-Zví, Trier 1989. 3.c3. This move is possible in deed, but 1 think White should play more aggressively. 3 ... ttJd7 (diagram) 4.igS h6 - see 3.igS ttJd7 4.c3 h6. 4.e4 ttJgf6 S.ttJbd2 e6 6.h3 .thS 7.id3 ii.e7 8.0-0 (8.ttJf1 eS 9.ttJg3 ig6 10.0-0 o-o 11.ttJh4, Sakadin - Kuporosov, Pardubice 1997 and here, Black had to foHow with the
already familiar exchanging com bination: 11...ixe4 12.ttJxe4 ttJxe4 13.i.xe4 ixh4 14.ixb7 l"1b8 1S.if3 dSf2) 8 ... 0-0 9.l"1e1 c6 1O.ttJf1 dS (The French Defence is welcomed again ... !) 11.ttJg3 ig6 12.if4 dxe4 13.ttJxe4 ttJxe4 14.ixe4 ixe4 15. l"1xe4 cS: Karpov - Salov, Alma Ata 1995. 4.Wb3 l"1b8 (Black's rook pro tects the pawn and its pride is just ignored ... ) S.ttJbd2 (S.if4 ttJgf6 6. ttJbd2 e6 7.e4 .te7 8.Wc2 ihS 9. ii.d3 ig6 1O.h3 O-O 11.0-0 dS 12. exdS ttJxdS 13.,bg6 hxg6 14.ih2 l"1c8 1S.l"1ae1 cSf2 Aleksandrov Agrest, Czestochowa 1992) 5 ... ttJgf6 6.h3 (6.g3 e6 7.ii.g2 ie7 8. O-O o-o 9.a4 cS 1O.e4 dS 11.eS ttJe8 12.l"1e1 ttJc7 13.Wd1 a6f2 Char khalashvíli - Shanava, Tbilisi 2007) 6 ...ii.hS 7.g4 ig6 8.ttJh4 eS!? (Black could have followed the habitual scheme - e6, d6 etc., but the move in the game is more aggressive. He wishes to provoke complications in the centre, ex ploiting the fact that White's queen has been decentralized.) 9. ttJxg6 hxg6 1O.ig2 c6 11.ttJf3 ie7 12.dxeS dxeS 13.ie3 WaSf2 Ra dosevíc - Vaulin, Belgrade 1993. 153
Chapter 7 3 ..tf4. This is just an indiffer ent move. In response, Black exchanges on f3 and fianchettoes his other bishop. 3 ...i.xf3.
4.gxf3 tUf6 5.e4 tUbd7 6.tUc3 g6 (Ifhe wishes to deploy his cen tral pawns on light squares, then the placement of White's bishop on f4 wiIl be justified.) 7.'¡!,!fd2 c6 8.0-0-0 fi.g7 9.mb1 '¡!,!fc7 1O.i.h6 (White wiIl weaken the dark squared complex in Black's posi tion with this exchange, but the f4-square in his own camp be comes terribly weak as weIl.) 10 ... .hh6 11.'¡!,!fxh6 '¡!,!fa5 12.i.c4, Main ka - Hort, Germany 1993, 12 ... '¡!,!fh5 13.'¡!,!fe3 (Or 13.'¡!,!fg7?! E:f8 and White's queen may never ron away from its exile.) 13 ...b5 14. fi.d3 O-O? 4.exf3 tUf6 5.fi.d3 g6 6.0-0 fi.g7 7.c3 O-O 8.'¡!,!fc1?! e5! (Black makes use ofhis opponent's imprecision. Now, White's bishop on d3 is hanging and Black inflicts a pow erful strike against the centre.) 9.fi.e3 exd4 1O ..hd4 tUc6 11.fi.e3 '¡!,!fd7= Wojtaszek - Guseinov, Cala Galdana 1996. 154
A) 3.e3 This is a solid but harmless move. 3 ...e6 4.c4 4.c3 c6 5.tUbd2 fi.e7 6.fi.d3 tUf6 7.'¡!,!fc2 i.h5 8.b3 i.g6 9.a4 '¡!,!fc7 10. O-O O-O 11..hg6 hxg6 12.i.a3 tUbd7, draw, Seel - Schebler, Ger many 2006.
4 ... �d7 The early development of the bishop to g4 has naturaIly weak ened a bit Black's queenside. After c2-c4, White has the possibility to play '¡!,!fb3 and to attack the b7pawn. Black would be reluctant to reply with b7-b6; otherwise, he would compromise his light squares. The move '¡!,!fc8 has sorne drawbacks too, for example, he wiIl have problems later develop ing his queen's rook. After 4... tUd7, Black frees the b8-square for the rook and from there it wiIl cope perfectly with the protection of the pawn on b7. 5.�c3 .te7 White has chosen a calm scheme of development and Black
l.d4 d6 2.lLlj3 .ig4 does not need to fianchetto his dark-squared bishop. On the con trary, he should better leave the g6-square free for an eventual re treat ofhis light-squared bishop. 6. .ie2 6.h3 .ih5. Naturally, now Black is reluctant to exchange on f3. 7. g4 .ig6 8.h4 h6 9.h5 .ih7 1O . .id3 hd3 11.�xd3 lLlgf6 12.B:g1 c6 13 . .id2, draw, Portisch - Speelman, Reykjavik 1988. If that game had continued, Black would have placed a pawn on d5, developed his queen to b6, or c7 and castled long. The prospects of both sides would be about equal indeed. 6 ...c6 7.d5 7.0-0 a6 8.b3 lLlgf6 9 ..ib2 d5. Black deploys his pawns in an al ready familiar fashion. 1O.lLld2 he2 11:�xe2 o-o 12.e4 dxe4 13. lLlcxe4 lLlxe4 14.lLlxe4 lLlf6 15.B:fd1, draw, Zueger - Lau, Graz 1993. It looks like the further simplifica tions are unavoidable.
7 ... e5 8.dxc6 bxc6. The bishop on e7 is very useful, be cause it protects the d6-pawn. 9.
,ªa4 ,ªc8 1 0 .h3 .i:f5 1l.e4 .ig6 12 . .ie3 �gf6� Korchnoi - Miles, Horgen 1994 (game 42). B) 3.g3
White understands that his opponent intends to exchange on f3 and he plans the following set up: the bishop on g2, the pawn on f4 and to advance f4-f5 at the first opportune momento 3 hf3 4.exf3 e6 ...
5 ..ig2 In the next game, both oppo nents, famous for their wild im agination, organized a contest in ingenuity: 5.h4 d5 6.f4 eS 7.f5!? 155
Chapter 7 exf5 8 ..tb5+ lLlc6 9.0-0 lLlf6 10. .tg5 .te7 1l.dxc5 0-000 Gutman Miles, Germany 1986. There arose a relatively standard position with an isolated pawn, except that the absence of white pawns on g2 and h2 provokes a strange feeling... 5.f4 g6 - Black is building his pawn-wall.
And then: it would be harmless for him if White plays 6 ..tg2 c6 7.lLld2 (7. O-O d5 - see 5 ..tg2) 7....tg7 8.c3 lLld7 9.a4 lLle7 10.0-0 O-O 1l.l':1e1 Wic7 12.lLlf3 E:ac8 13 ..td2 E:fd8 14. Wic2 c5+! Black obviously got tired of this "cat and mouse" game and created real tension in the centre, Polugaevsky - Miles, Biel 1990 (game 43); 6.d5 - This is an attempt to weaken a bit his opponent's light squares. 6... exd5. Naturally, Black is reluctant to allow the exchange on e6, because his pawn there would be quite vulnerable. 7.Wixd5 lLlc6 8.�b5 Wid7 9.0-0 4:lge7 10. E:e1 .tg7 1l.hc6. White is trying to keep his opponent's king in the centre, but this attempt is parried easily by Black. 1l ...bxc6 12.Wie4 156
.tf6 13.lLlc3 O-O+! Bonin - Miles, New York 1989. 5 ...d5
6. 0 - 0 6.f4 c6 7.0-0 g 6 8.lLld2 �g7 9.lLlf3 lLle7 1O.E:e1 lLld7. As it often happens in this system, Black's knights hide behind his pawns. 1l.b3 O-O 12 ..ta3 E:e8 13.Wid2 lLlf6 14.lLle5 lLlf5. White has greater scope for movement, but Black's position is very solid, Bindrich Tischbierek, Dresden 2010. 6 ... e5 7.dxe5 he5 8.e4 �f6 9.f4 �e6 1 0 .�c3, E.Atalik Rozentalis, Chalkidiki 2010, 10 dxe4 l1J�/a4 O-O 12.�xe4 iWd4 13.iWe2 �b4 •••
l.d4 d6 2.ltJj3 ii..g 4 He has a quite acceptable game in this position. C) 3.'!Wd3 c6
ponent's queen on d3 is not so well placed and creates the threat of a double attack. 7.ltJbd2 (7.tLlc3 W1c7 8.0-0 �e7 9.b3 o-o 1O.�b2 a6 11.d5 ltJc5. At the end, he really won a tempo by attacking the en emy queen. 12.'!Wd2 a5� Blasko Sergeev, Zalakaros 2002.) 7... �e7 8.0-0 O-O 9.e4.
Black prevents the check on b5. 4.tLlc3 About 4.e4 ltJf6 - see 3.e4 (Chapter 9); 4.g3 ltJd7 5.�g2 ltJgf6 6.c4 e5 - see 4.c4. This position is also very inter esting, at least due to the fact that (after only three moves! ) there is absolutely no theory and the play ers must use their own brains. I will show you several exemplary games just for general enlighten ment... 4.h3 �h5 5:�b3 W1b6 (Black is quite happy to enter an endgame. He has problems neither with weaknesses, nor with his develop ment.) 6.ltJbd2 d5 7.c4 '!Wxb3 8. axb3 ltJd7 9.c5 a6 1O.b4, Varga Okhotnik, Hungary 2006, 10 ... ltJgf6 11.e3 1'l:c8 (defending against the threat b4-b5) 12..id3 e600 4.c4 ltJd7 5.g3 tLlgf6 6.�g2 e5. Black wishes to prove that his op-
There arise positions with analogous pawn-structure in the Indian Defence as well. Contrary to that opening however, Black's light-squared bishop is placed much more favourably (on g4, in stead of on c8), while White's queen on d3 looks awkward. 9 ... exd4 1O.ltJxd4 ltJc5 1l.'!We3 W1b6 12.h3 �d7 13.1'l:b1, Kruppa - Jos sien, Cappelle la Grande 2000, 13 ... a5 14.1'l:d1 1'l:fd8� 4.ltJg5 (He continues the policy of playing for small tricks, threat ening a double attack from the b3-square. This all looks like be ginners play, but it has sorne more serious positional justification. For example, in reply to the natu ral move 4... h6, White will play 5. tLlh7 exchanging his enemy dark squared bishop. In addition, he 157
Chapter 7 wishes to place his pawn on f3 and restrict in this way Black's light squared bishop. This plan is a bit too slow indeed, beca use he wiIl need to waste several tempi in order to activate his own knight.) 4 ... e6 5.f3 i.h5 6.ttJh3 d5 7.ttJf4 i.g6.
6.h3 6.i.g5 i.e7 7.�e3 hf3. It is amazing to mention that he not only exchanges his bishop for the enemy knight, but he wins three tempi in the process! 8.�xf3 ttJbd7 9.i.e2 o-o 1O.ie3 b5 1l.i.d3 eS+! Bronstein - Rashkovsky, Reykja vik 1994. 6 ....ih5 7 .ig5 7.g4 ig6 8.ttJh4? he4! 9.ttJxe4 ttJxe4 1O.�xe4 �xh4 and Black won a pawn in the game Magg Katzameyer, Germany 2002. 7.ttJe2 d5 8.ttJg3 dxe4 9.ttJxe4 i.xf3 1O.�xf3 �xd4 and he had again an extra pawn, Pantev Marholev, Plovdiv 2006. 7...ie7 8. 0 - 0 - 0 •
Ifyou are reluctant to exchange your light-squared bishop for the enemy knight, then you should betler not play the Wade variation ever... 8.�b3 �b6 9.ttJxg6 hxg6 1O.i.f4 ttJd7 1l.e3 ttJe7 12.c3 ttJc8 13.ttJd2 i.d6. It is always useful to neutralize your opponent's two bishop advantage. 14.hd6 ttJxd6 15.�xb6 axb6 16.i.d3 b5+! Black's position is very solid and his pawns restrict considerably White's bishops, Gil Capape - Da nailov, Zaragoza 1992. 4 c!iJf6 5.e4 e6 Black is preparing the "French" type move - d6-d5. .•.
158
8 ... d5 9.exd5 c!iJxd5 1 0 . he7 ti'xe7 11.c!iJxd5 cxd5 12.g4 .ig6 13.�b5+ c!iJc6+! Mikhailuk - Rouleau, Philadelphia 2002.
Chapter 7
1.d4 d6 2.lDf3 i.g4
Complete Games
Miles Korehnoi Horgen 1994 1.d4 d6 2Ajf3 i.g4 3.e3 e6 4.e4 c!iJd7 5.c!iJc3 i.e7 6.i.e2 e6 7.d5 e5 8.dxe6 bxe6 9.V!'la4 V!'le8 10 .h3 i.f5 1l.e4 i.g6 12. i.e3 c!iJgf6 42
13.c5!? Korchnoi sacrifices a pawn in order to compromise his oppo nent's pawn-structure. 13 dxe5 It is not good for Black to cap ture with the knight: 13 ... lLlxc5? 14 ..ixc5 dxc5 15.lLlxe5 - the pawns are equal, but his weaknesses along the c-file have remained on the board. 14.c!iJh4 o - o After the appearance of the powerful computer programs, all •..
the commentators have become much brighter tactically. So, 1 would like to show an amusing tactical discovery of my own: 14 .. . lLlb6! 15.,ªc2 (15.,ªb3 �xe4) 15 .. . lLlfd5! 16.lLlxd5 lLlxd5 17.lLlxg6 lLlxe3 18.fxe3 hxg6 with equality. 15.llJxg6 hxg6 16J�e2
16 e4 In anticipation of forceful maneuvers of the type of lLla4, Miles returns the pawn voluntar ily in order to trade the dark squared bishops. 17.he4 i.e5 18.he5 It is hardly advisable for White to avoid this exchange: 18.�d2 E1d8 19.0-0 �d4 and later, Black will even fortify his bishop with the move c6-c5. 18 llJxc5 19. 0 - 0 V!'le7 •..
.•.
159
Chapter 7 2 O .�ad1 �ad8 It deserved atlention for him to choose 20 ... aS, in order to en sure the c5-square for his knight. It was also interesting to opt for 20 .. J':í:fe8, with the idea to transfer the knight to d4 vía e6. For exam pIe: 21.b4 éLle6 22.,he6 l':í:xe6 with nearly equal position. Still, Miles was not afraid of the move b2-b4, because he conSidered that after that he would manage to get rid of his queenside weaknesses much easier. 21.b4 llJb7 Black's knight may not look so beautifully placed on this square, but it supports from there both hís pawn-breaks - cS and aS. 22.�b3 �e7 23.a3 a5 24. llJa2 e5 25.bxa5 llJxa5 26.�d5 llJxd5 27.exd5 llJb7 28.�fe1 �fe8 29.a4
The situation has been clari fied a bit. It is evídent that White has seízed the initiative and his passed d-pawn, supported by his heavy pieces, might become very dangerous. Miles however, is not losíng his fighting spirit and con tinues to defend ínventively. 160
29 ...�e8 3 0 .llJe3 �d7 31. llJb5 llJd6 32.llJxd6 �xd6 33. �e4 �a8 34.�b1 �ed8 35.�edl �a6 36.�xe5 �xa4 37.d6 �d7 38.�d5 Black will counter 38.Wixe5 with 38 ... l':í:a6, winníng the dan gerous enemy pawn. It deserved attention for Whíte to try here 38.l':í:b6. 38 ... �a7 After 38 ... l':í:a6 39.l':í:b7 WifS 40. d7, Black's position would be wor risome.
39.�b4 It seems White had better play 39.l':í:bc1, threatening l':í:c7. Black's best reply would be 39 ... �h7!, running away with hís king from the eventual checks along the last rank. Now, White achieves much neither with 40.�xeS l':í:a6 41.l':í:c7 Wixc7! 42.dxc7 l':í:xd1+ 43. � h2 l':í:c6 44.Wie7 f6 and Black captures the c7-pawn, nor after 40. � h2 l':í:a6 41.l':í:c7 �xd6 42.Wixf7 �xc7 43. Wixc7 l':í:xd1, or 40.l':í:c7 �xc7 41. dxc7 l':í:xdS 42.l':í:xdS (following 42. c8� l':í:xd1 + Black will be fighting for a win) 42 ... l':í:xc7 43.l':í:xeS=. Still, after 40.l':í:c6! �fS 41.�cS,
l.d4 d6 2.tlJj3 ig4 White maintains powerful pres sure. 39 ...�f5 4 0 J�b7 gxb7 41. �xb7 gd7 42.�eS+ 'it>h7 43. �eS
43... �e2! This counter attack is quite timely! Black saves the game, in this king and queen ending, thanks to the permanent threat of a perpetual check. 44.�xd7 �xd1+ 45.'it>h2 �d2 46.v�·e7 �f4+ 47.'it>gl e4 4S.�e6 e3 49.fxe3 �xe3+ 5 0 . 'it>f1 �d2 51.d7 f5 52.�e7 �d1+ 53.'it>f2 �d2+ 54.'it>gl f4 The perpetual is unavoidable now and the opponents agreed to a draw.
43
Polugaevsky Miles Biel 1990 1.d4 d6 2.tlJf3 J.g4 3.g3 J.xf3 4.exf3 e6 5.f4 e6 6.J.g2 g6 7.tlJd2 J.g7 S.e3 tlJd7 9.a4 tlJe7 1 0 . 0 - 0 O - O n.ge1 �e7 12.tlJf3 gaeS 13.J.d2 gfdS 14. �e2 e5 15.dxe5 tlJxe5 16,tlJd4 tlJe6 17.tlJb5 �bS lS.J.e3 a6
19.he5 Polugaevsky hopes to transfer his knight to the blocking c4square and to exert pressure against his opponent's queenside, but this plan wiIl not see the light of day. Possibly, White had better simplify the position with the line: 19.1tJd4 dS 20.ltJxc6 B:xc6 21.aS �d6= 19 dxc5 2 0 ,tlJa3 tlJa5! 21. gad1 e4 .•.
So, there is no blocking square any more. White's knight is stranded at the edge of the board, while its counterpart may even penetrate to the d3-square at an opportune moment. 22.�e2 �e7 23.gxdS+ l'!xdS 24.J.f1 B:eS 25.gd1 �e6 26.�e2 i.f8 27.tlJb1 tlJb3 2S.J.g2?
161
Chapter 7 White could have restored the balance here with the help of a small exchange combination: 28. ttJd2 �xa4 29.hc4 É\xc4 30. ttJxb3= 28 �xa4 29.hb7 S:b8 30 . .ifJ c!tJc5 31.�xa4 c!tJxa4 32.
43 'it;g7 This is a typical "human" deci sion. The computer proves that after 43 ...ie3 44.g5 rj:;g7 45.8:c8 ixf4, Black has nothing to be afraid of: 46.ttJf6 8:xh2+ 47.rj:;g4 hg5 48.mxg5 h6+ winning. 44 .ic4 .igl 45.f5 S:xh2+ 46.mg3 S:g2+ 47.mh3 exf5 48. gxf5 g5 49.S:c7 g4+ 5 0 .mh4 •••
•
35.c!tJe4? Now, his position becomes very difficult. Meanwhile, White could have forced a transition into an ending with bishops of oppo site colours, despite being a pawn down: 35.ttJxc4! ttJxc4 36J:k6 ie1 (36 .. J::¡b4 37.ie2 8:b2 38.8:xc4=) 37J'1:xc4 8:b2 38.ie4 hf2+ 39. mg2 ib6+ 40.8:c2. He should be able to hold this position. 35 .id4 36.¡�k6 h3 c3 4 0 .
•
162
5 0
.••
Chapter 8
l.d4 d6 2.i.g4 3.ll)bd2
Quick Repertoire
This is a solid multi-purpose move. First White defends against the doubling of his pawns on f3 and then he will consider his fu ture pawn-structure. Most proba bly he will fianchetto his light squared bishop, but there may be other developments as well. 3 ttJf6 It is still unclear what kind of pawn-structure White will choose, so Black makes a developing move which will be useful, whatever happens. . . .
A) 4.e4 B) 4.h3 A) 4.e4 Central strategy is usually an
easy and understandable plan and it is ofien the most unpleasant for the opponent. Naturally, White could have played e2-e4 on his third move (sorne people prefer to play it as early as move 1!) and then deploy the knight on c3, but this set-up is reasonable too. He will develop his bishop to d3, for tify his d4-pawn with the move c2-c3 and later he will begin an offensive on the kingside. 1 think the alternative plan based on a king's fianchetto, should not create any problems for Black. For example: 4.g3 c6 S.i.g2 Vf1c7 6.0-0 eS!? (instead, Black could have placed his pawns, as usual, on the light squares - c6-e6-dS, but it is justi fiable for him to fight for the ini tiative if White allows this with his rather passive play.) 7.c3 i.e7 8.Vf1c2 ttJbd7 9.a4 o-o 10.e4 l':'ife8. Black has an excellent position. 1 believe that if White plans a king's fianchetto, it would be bet ter to cosnider consider an ex tended fianchetto, because that way he wins tempi for the devel opment of his pieces in the proc163
Chapter 8 ess - see variation B. 4 . . . e6 5 ..id3 ie7 6.c3 White has completed the set up which we discussed aboye. Black must take immediate meas ures in order not to suffer a posi tional bind. 6 . . ..ih5
1 0 ...tfxd5 If Black re captures on dS with his pawn, or his knight, then after l1.1WbS+ White wins the b7-pawn. 1l.c4 �a5+ 12 . .td2, Miles Van Der Wiel, Wijk aan Zee 1996 and here, after the natural line: 12 ....ib4 13.a3 .ixd2+ 14. �xd2 �xd2+ 15.�xd2 tlJbd7 Black obtains a very solid and practicaIly equal position in the endgame. As you might have no ticed, Anthony Miles did not know how to breach his favourite sys tem even when playing with White ...
B) 4.h3 .ih5 5.g4 .ig6 6 . .ig2 He wishes to place his bishop on g6, after which he wiIl not be afraid of any attack on the king side connected with the pawn advance e4-eS. In addition he wiIl play d6-dS at the first opportune moment, to exchange the light squared bishops. 7.tlJfl .ig6 8.tlJg3 d5 9.exd5 hd3 1 0 .�xd3
6 ... c6 Black takes care immediately to restrict the action of his oppo nent's bishop on the long diago nal. 7.tlJh4 e5 With this move he seizes con trol of the f4-square and in the process prevents the pawn-ad164
l.d4 d6 2. ¿¿jf3 fig4 3. ¿¿jbd2 ¿¿jf6 vanee f4-f5. 8.¿¿jxg6 hxg6 9.dxe5
1O.e3 ¿¿jbd7 1l.a3 V!fe7 12.b3 0-0-0 13.fib2 fie7, and his posi tion is quite solido 1 0 V!fxdl + l1.'k!fxdl ¿¿j bd7 12 ..id2 ¿¿jd5 13.e3 The opponents are exehanging "polite" gestures. Blaek did not let the enemy bishop go to the e3square and White prevented the possibility of ¿¿jf4. 13 J.e7 14.@e2 f5! ••.
.••
White plans to exert pressure against his opponent's weak e5pawn. If Blaek regroups his forees and proteets it with the move 0f6, he wiIl weaken the light squares (his light-squared bishop is al ready off from the board... ) and the other bishop wiIl be restrieted by its own pawns. 9 dxe5 1 0 .¿¿jc4 Blaek should not have any problems even if the queens re main on the board, for example ••.
After this Blaek wiIl eontinue with e5-e4, moving the pawn to a less exposed square. His position is quite aeeeptable.
165
Chapter 8
l.d4 d6 2 ..ig4 3.�bd2 �f6
Step by Step
This natural developing move wiIl be useful for Black, no matter what plan White is going to choose.
A) 4.e4 B) 4.h3 4.g3 c6 S.ig2 1Jfjc7 6.0-0 eS!? The set-up with lLlbd2 and i.g2 is rather slow and not very aggres sive, so Black can afford to play more actively, without necessarily adhering to the "Bermuda trian gle" plan of c6-e6-dS. 7.c3 i.e7 8. Wc2 lLlbd7 9.a4 o-o 1O.e4 Élfe8 (He wishes to retreat his bishop to f8 and create pressure against White's e4-pawn. Later, he can 166
transfer his bishop to g6.) 1l.dxeS dxeS 12.h3 ihS 13.g4. White re stricts the enemy bishop on g6 and transfers his knight to fS. AH this seems very attractive, but White has irrevocably weakened the f4-square and Black's knight heads there right away. 13 ...i.g6 14.lLlh4 lLlcS 1S.lLlfS lLle6f2 Afifi Miles, Lucerne 1985. 4.c3 lLlbd7 S.Wb3 (S.h3 ihS 6. g4 ig6 7.lLlh4 c6 8.ig2 dS. White has developed his bishop to g2, but Black immediately neutralizes its activity. 9.gS lLlhS 1O.lLlxg6 hxg6 1l.e3 eSf2 A part of White's infantry (his pawn on gS) is away from the supporting panzers and Black should not have any prob lems creating counterplay, Vilela - Spangenberg, Matanzas 1993; S.g3 e6 6.ig2 ie7 7.0-0 O-O 8. lLle1 dS 9.h3 i.fS 1O.g4 i.g6 1l.f4. Pawns in front and pieces be hind ...There is sorne dissonance in aIl that and smaIl wonder that after 1l ... cS'!', Black seized the ini tiative in the game Gutman Miles, Wijk aan Zee 1987 - game 44) S ...1Jfjb8!?
l.d4 d6 2.tiJj3 .ig4 3.tiJbd2 ttJf6
This is an original idea. You are not obliged necessarily to in elude it your armoury, but still you should know about it. (Natu rally, Black could have played routinely - 5 .. J'l:b8, or 5 ...Wíc8.) 6. e3 e6 7..ie2 d5 8.0-0 .id6 9.h3 .ih5 1O.c4 c6 (Here is the first consequence of the elever queen move - Black has set up a battery along the b8-h2 diagonal. It is still inactive at the rnoment, but after 11.c5 .ic7 Black he will be easily able to continue with the under rnining move e6-e5.) 1l.Wíc2 o-o 12J'l:e1 c5 13.b3 �c8+! Dos Santos - Milos, Sao Bernardo 1999. It turns out once again that Black's queen is perfectIy placed on b8, because his rook can come imme diately to the c8-square, opposite the enemy queen on c2.
A) 4.e4 e6 This is a very popular opening tabia. White has numerous possi bilities. He plays most often h3 and g4, repelling the enerny bish op to g6 - see variation Bl. First, however, we shall analyze sorne of his other plans.
5.i.d3 About 5.h3 .ih5 - see variation Bl. 5.c3 .ie7 6.Wíb3 (6 ..id3 .ih5 see 5 . .id3). Many times, in differ ent lines of this system, White de velops his queen to b3. Frank1y speaking, 1 do not understand what it is doing there. Black can easily protect his b7-pawn and 1 do not see any other positive sides ofthis queen-move. 6 ... Wíc8 7..id3 o-o 8.0-0 ttJbd7 9.h3, Limp Guirnaraes, Angra Dos Reis 1999, 9 ....ih5 1O.�e1 eS!?+! 5. .ie2 .ie7 6.c4 c6 7.0-0 O-O 8.b3 d5 9.e5 ttJe4 (Black can af ford this aggressive knight-sortie, because after an exchange on e4, the opponent will lose his d4pawn.) 1O ..ib2, Taimanov - Kara sev, Sto Petersburg 1995 and here, instead of the senseless exchange on d2, Black should fortify his centralized piece: 1O ....if5 1l.ttJxe4 dxe4 12.ttJe1 ttJd7+! White can hardly attack the e4-pawn effec tively, while Black has nurnerous targets to create counterplay of his own. For example, he wants to 167
Chapter 8 play Wic7 and cs, after which White's es-pawn would be endan gered. 5 .ie7 6.c3 For 6.h3 ihs - see variation B1; 6.0-0 lLlbd7 7.l'!e1 O-O 8.h3 ihs - see variation B1. 6.lLlfl. This idea belongs to the Ruy Lopez opening and is weIl known from the time of Steinitz, if not even earlier. White transfers his knight to g3 prior to castling, saving a tempo for the move l'!f1el, and later he wiIl force the ex change of the light-squared bish ops with the move h2-h3. In this particular case however, the knight on g3 wiIl not be so weIl placed and he wiIl not even have the tactical idea of lLlfs available: 6 ... 0-0 7.lLlg3 cs 8.dxcs dxcs 9.h3 hf3 1O.Wixf3 lLlc6. Black develops his pieces and creates the threat of lLles in the process. White must lose another tempo. 11.Wid1 Wic7 12.c3 l'!fd8 13.Wie2 id6+ Dizda revic - Groszpeter, Zenica 1987. 6 .ih5 .•.
g6 in order to exchange the light squared bishops after d6-ds and parry in advance White's eventual kingside attack. 7.lLlfl i.g6 8.lLlg3 d5 9.exd5 hd3 10 .'l!!Yxd3 �xd5 Black is forced to capture with his queen, so as not to lose his b7pawn, but this move is not bad in any case .. 1l.c4 'l!!Ya 5+ 12 .id2, Miles Van Der Wiel, Wijk aan Zee 1996, 12 .ib4 13.a3 hd2+ 14.�xd2 'l!!Yxd2+ 15.c;f(xd2 lLlbd7 with an approximately equal endgame. •
•..
B) 4.h3 .ih5
..•
B1) 5.e4 B2) 5.g4
Black transfers his bishop to 168
5.b3 (This move is rather timid and White is showing his cards right away.) s ... lLlbd7 6.�b2 e6 7. e3 c6 8.ie2 ie7 9.0-0 O-O 1O.c4 ds (In the centre we can see the already familiar pawn-triangle for Black - pawns on c6, e6 and ds.) 1l.a4 aS 12.lLle1 ig6 13.lLld3 h6
l.d4 d6 2JiJj3 i.g4 3.ttJbd2 ttJf6 4.h3 i.h5 14.ttJf4 i.h7 15.i.d3 ttJe4f! Bellon Lopez - Epishin, Logrono 1991. 5.g3 (The inclusion of the moves 4.h3 i.h5 is very much in Black's favour - his bishop is clos er to the g6-square.) 5 ... e6 6.i.g2 ttJbd7 7.0-0 (7.g4 i.g6 8.ttJh4 d5 9.ttJxg6 hxg6 1O.e4 ttJxe4 11.ttJxe4 dxe4 12.he4 c6 13.c3 i.d6 14.i.e3 ttJf6 15.i.g2 ttJd5f! I.Botvinnik Kovalev, Tel Aviv 2001) 7...d5 8.ttJe5 i.d6 9.ttJxd7 (This is a strange idea - White loses two tem pi in order to exchange his op ponent's passive knight.) 9 ...'W'xd7 1O.'W'e1 o-o 1l.e4 i.e7. From the point of view of fighting for a draw, it would have been much simpler for Black to have ex changed twice on e4 and place his pawn on c6. Miles evidently was thinking about extracting more than a draw out of this position! 12.e5 ttJe8 13.ttJb3 'W'b5 14.f4 �g6 15J:�f2 a5f! Bator - Miles, Bel grade 1988. B1) 5.e4 e6
6.c3 i.e7 7.i.d3 O-O 8.'W'c2 ttJbd7 9.0-0 (lt would not work for White to play 9.e5 dxe5 10. dxe5, because of 1O ... ttJc5! and Black is threatening to capture the d3-bishop with check.) 9 ...e5. After castling kingside, Black must already consider the threat of e4-e5. Despite the weakening of the f5-square, White is incapa ble of creating any real threats on the kingside. 1O.ttJh4 :ge8 11.ttJf5 i.f8 12.ttJc4. This inaccurate move enables Black to reduce the ten sion in the centre. (White could have maintained the tension with the move 12.:gel.) 12 ...exd4 13. cxd4 d5 14.exd5 ttJxd5f! Yusupov - Adams, Las Palmas 1993. 6.'W'e2 c6 7.c3 i.e7 8.g3 d5 9. i.g2 dxe4. This is the simplest road to equality for Black. He has liberated his c8-bishop and has built a wall against the enemy's d4-pawn. His position is very sol id and White has great problems beginning an offensive anywhere on the board. 1O.ttJxe4 ttJxe4 11. 'W'xe4 ttJd7 12.0-0 O-O 13.:ge1 �b6f! Skembris - Topalov, Kava la 1990 (game 45). 6 i.e7 Black has an alternative here: 6 ... d5 7.'W'e2 c6 8.c3 i.e7 9.0-0 O-O 1O.:ge1 i.g6 11.ttJe5 he4 12. ttJxe4 ttJxe4 13.he4 dxe4 14.'W'xe4 ttJd7. He equalizes by following the scheme of Topalov from the previous game. 15.ttJxd7 �xd7 16.i.f4 'W'd5= Starosek - Chuprov, Internet 2004. •..
6.i.d3
169
Chapter B 7 0 0 7.'ffe 2 liJbd7 8.c4 a5 9.b3 (The immediate pawn-break in the centre is not dangerous for Black: 9.e5 dxe5 10.g4 - 10.dxe5? liJxe5! - 1O ...e4 11.ttJxe4 !g6�) 9 ...e5 (Black cannot be constantly wor rying about the pawn-break e4e5, so he radically prevents this possibility.) 1O.g4 �g6 11.!b2, Sloth - Tseshkovsky, Dresden 2008, 11 ... 0-0 12.0-0 h5!?� The pawn-structure resembles one of the versions of the Modern Phi lidor Defence, except that Black's light-squared bishop is not on c8 or b7, but on g6. 1 believe this should be in his favour, be cause his king is more securely protected. 7.. 0 - 0 8J;el llJbd7 9.llJf1 .
-
.
This patient transfer of the knight is in the spirit of the Ruy Lopez. There is a minute nuance, however: Black's pawn is not on e5 but on e6, which means that White's knight has no access to the f5-square. 9 c5 • . .
170
It is time to remind White that he has a worthy opponent! Miles played 9 ...�g6 here and the game ended quickly in a draw, but he could have encountered se rious problems after 1O.liJg3 liJh5 (Here Black could also consider 1O ... c5, with a rather complex game.) 11.ttJxh5 (White should have considered the powerful re source 11.liJf5! h6 12.liJxe7+ 'ffxe7 13.e5 and Black's knight on h5 would be completely cut off from the action.) 11 ...hh5 (This has happened in chess countless times: Black had a cramped posi tion, but after the exchange of only a couple of minor pieces, he has no problems whatsoever.) 12. c3 Ele8 13.�e3 c6 14.'ffe 2, draw, Andersson - Miles, Benasque 1995. 10 .c3 cxd4 1l.cxd4
1l d5 This is an atlractive move, but Black could also have increased his pressure against his oppo nent's centre by playing 11 ... 'ffb 6. 12.e5 llJe8 •.•
l.d4 d6 2JiJfJ ig4 3.lLJbd2 lLJf6 4.h3 ih5 Here Black had a promising pawn-sacrifice at his disposal: 12 ... lLJe4!? 13.be4 dxe4 14J�xe4 lLJb6 15.lLJg3 ig6 16J'1e1 �c8 17. lLJe4 lLJd5, with excellent compen sation.
13.�d2 ig6 14.i.xg6 fxg6 15.Yfb3 �b6
6.�g2
16.tbb6 White could create greater problems for his opponent with a transfer of his rook to the third rank - 16.�e3!? Now, after 16 ... �c8 17.�a4, or 16 ...�xb3 17.�xb3 b6 18.�c1, Black's position would be rather unpleasant, but he has an interesting manoeuvre 16 ... lLJb8!? with the idea of plugging the e-file and attacking the ene my's d4-pawn. After 17. �xb6 axb6 18.�b3 id8 19.1LJe3 lLJc6, Black is close to equality.
16 lLJxb6 17.gec1 lLJc4 18. ic3 lLJc7 19.a4 lLJa6 2 0 .b3 tLlb6+± Eingorn - Okhotnik, Uzh ..•
gorod 1988.
In reply to 6.lLJh4, it would be sensible for Black to exchange his bishop for White's knight on d2, so that the knight on h4 remains in isolation: 6 ... ie4 7.lLJxe4 lLJxe4 8.ig2 d5 9.lLJf3. It is time to look in the database. (If 9.,ªd3, Korell - Burton, Berlin 2005, Black does not need to retreat his knight and he can indirectly attack his oppo nent's d4-pawn with 9 ... lLJc6! 10. c3 e6 - Now, White's exiled knight comes under attack - 11.lLJf3 �d7+±) 9 ... e6 1O.lLJd2 lLJxd2 11. bd2 c6 12 .c3 lLJd7 13.if4 ie7 14. e3 o-o 15.�e2. White has the two bishops, but that is nothing to brag about here, since they can not be activated. Black calmly prepares the undermining move e6-e5, in order to exchange the dark-squared bishops, or restrict the enemy bishop on g2 even more with the move e5-e4. 15 ... �e8 16.ih2 if6 17.0-0-0 a5+± Ravikumar - Hodgson, East bourne 1990 (game 46).
6 B2) 5.g4 ig6
•..
c6 7.lLJh4 e5 8.tLlxg6
Or 8.c3 exd4 9.cxd4 d5 10. 171
Chapter 8 tiJxg6 hxg6 11.�b3 �c7 12.g5 tiJh5 13.tiJf3 i.d6 14.e3 tiJd7 with chanc es for both sides, Csom - Mi khaletz, Budapest 1998.
8 ... hxg6
with the queens still on the board: 1O.e3 tiJbd7 11.a3 �c7 12.b3 (Both sides avoid direct conflict and fight as if at a distance; hence White can afford to play such tim id preparatory pawn-moves.) 12 ... 0-0-0 13.i.b2 i.e7 14.�e2 tiJh7
9.dxe5 I have already mentioned that this exchange is necessary for White in order to create pressure against Black's e5-pawn and force Black to place his kingside pawns on dark squares, restricting his own bishop and weakening the light squares. There are no other construc tive plans for White in sight. He has tried, for example: 9.c3 tiJbd7 1O.�b3 �c7 1l.a4 exd4 12.cxd4 d5 13.a5 a6. Black has neutralized quite efficiently White's pawn-of fensive on the queenside and he has evacuated his king there. Af ter 14.tiJb1 �d6 15.tiJc3 0-0-0 16. i.d2 <;t>b8 17.g5 the opponents agreed to a draw in the game Mar kovic - Drazic, Pancevo 2002.
9... dxe5 1 0 AJc4 In the following game White decided to continue the struggle 172
Black's position is very solid and his only problem is to find an active plan. His opponent has the same task, though ... With his last move, Black frees the f6-square for his bishop in order to later play e5-e4 and exchange the b2bishop. 15.�c4 tiJb6 16.�c3 i.f6 17.�a5?! (lt is quite unclear how White can improve his position, but his last move is simply rather dubious . . Admittedly White wins a pawn, but he hands over the ini tiative in the centre to his oppo nent.) 17... e4 18.0-0-0 E!:d5 19. �xa7 hb2+ 20.<;t>xb2, Likavsky - Priehoda, Slovakia 1998, 20 ... E!:hd8 21.<;t>c1 �e5::¡:
1 0 ... \Wxdl+ l1.g¡xdl llJbd7 12 ..id2 This bishop is headed for the c3-square, but Black does not wish to let it go there.
l.d4 d6 2. t¡jJ3 id.g4 3.lJJ bd2 l¡jf6 4.h3 id.hS l2 .. .tijd5 l3.e3 White in turn restricts the en emy knight on dS, taking the f4square under control.
l3 ....!e7 14.g"e2
After this move, Black does not need to consider the consequenc es of an exchange on dS. He was not able to support his centralized knight, because if 17. . l¡j7b6, White has the powerful resource 18.l¡jeS! lS.lDa5 O - O - O � Larsen Hodgson, London 1991. .
l4 f5 ! •••
This is a n excellent idea. Black will advance eS-e4 and can stop worrying about his e-pawn.
15.gadl e4 l6.f3 White must somehow activate his light-squared bishop. Now, however, his e3-square becomes weak. l6 exf3+ l7 .!xf3 lD5b6 •.•
•
White's pieces are less well co ordinated and his pawn-structure is not without defects. However, the presence of his two bishops in this open position should provide full compensation.
173
Chapter 8
1.d4 d6 2 .ig4 3)bbd2 llJf6 .
Complete Games
44
Gutman
Miles
Wijk aan Zee 1987
l.tLlf3 d6 2.d4 .ig4 3.tLlbd2 tLlf6 4.c3 tLlbd7 5.g3 e6 6 ..ig2 .ie7 7. 0 - 0 O - O 8.tLle1 d5 9.h3 .if5 10 .g4 .ig6 1l.f4 c5 12.e3 .id6 13.i.f3 cxd4 14.cxd4 �c8 15 . .ie2 tLle4
untouchable, because of: 21.fxeS? '1ffxgS+ and he wins. 2 O exf4 21.exf4 \We7 22. •••
.ie3 �ce8 23.\Wd2 tLlb6 24.b3 h6 25.tLlf3 .ixf3 26.�xf3 hxg5 27.f5 \We4 He has won a pawn and main tains powerful pressure.
28.�g2 .if4 29.i.f2 tLld7 3 0 . �e1 '1ffc2
White has considerably weak ened his king-position and Black graduaIly begins to breach his op ponent's defences.
16.tLlxe4 he4 17.g5 f6 18. h4 fxg5 19.bxg5 e5!? It was also good for him to continue with the less spectacular line: 19 ...h6 20 ..ig4 '1ffe7.
2 0 ..ig4 Black wiIl counter 2 0.dxe5 with 20 ... 't:lxeS and his knight is 174
31.�fe3 White should have implement ed the same idea in a better way - 31.1"lc3 !? '1ffxc3 32.'1ffxdS+ �h7 33:�h1+ . Meanwhile, even then, Black has a worthy response: 33 ... �h2 + ! 34.,ªxh2+ �g8 winning.
31. .. he3 32.�xd5+ �t7 33. he3 tLlf6 34.\Wb5 �xe3. White resigned.
l.d4 d6 2. CiJj3 194 3. CiJ bd2 CiJf6 45
Skembris
Topalov
�b4 29.l;e5
Kavala 1990
l.d4 tüf6 2.tüf3 d6 3.tübd2 194 4.h3 i.h5 5.e4 e6 6.�e2 e6 7.e3 i.e7 8.g3 d5 9 ..ig2 dxe4 1 0 .tüxe4 tüxe4 1l.�xe4 tüd7 12. 0 - 0 o - o 13.gel �b6
29....idl! This is the start of the assault. Now Black does no longer needs to worry about the possibility g3-g4.
14.tüh4 White creates a rather trans parent threat - 15.CiJf5 - but Black easily parries it.
14 ... gfe8 15.b3 gad8 16 ..ib2 tüf6 17.�e2 e5 18.dxe5 he5 19.9f1 �e7
3 0 .gel a4 31.e5 a3 32.�bl bxe5 33.gexe5 fid2 34.'it>h2 h6 This is the right idea, but Black should execute it in a different fashion - 34...<;!;>f8 35J�k8 g5 etc. The reason will soon become cIear.
35.ge8 g5
Black vacates the b6-square for his bishop and attacks the g3pawn in the process. White has failed to find a good moment to play g3-g4; evidently he was afraid of the bishop-sacrifice on g4.
2 0 .'it>hl gd7 21.e4 ged8 22 . .ic3 i.d4 White's knight remains strand ed at the edge of the board and Black begins the occupation ofthe dark squares in the centre.
23.gael b6 Black is preparing an offensive on the queenside.
24. �b2 a5 25.gfel �e5 26. ge2 he3 27.�xe3 gd3 28.'\Wb2
36.'\Wal? White overlooks an excellent chance of changing the course of the struggle: 36.CiJg6! Elxc8 (After 36 ... fxg6?, Black simply loses 37.Elxd8+ Elxd8 38.'\Wxg6+ <;!;>f8 39. iWxf6+ etc.) 37J'l:xc8+ �g7 38. CiJe5. White's knight is released 175
Chapter 8 from its exile and the position is balanced. Now White's defence crumbles.
27J�al b3+ 28.g¡.e3 exd4+ 29. g¡.xd4 �xal 3 O .gxal gxal 31. �b5 ge8
36 g¡.g7 37.1hd8 gxd8 38. llJf3 .ixf3 39.ht'3 '!'9xf2 + 4 O . .ig2 gd2 41.gg1 gxa2 42.�e5 ge2 43.�al a2 44.b4 e5 45.�fl �xfl 46.gxfl llJd5. Wbite re .•.
signed.
46 Ravikumar - Hodgson Eastbourne 1990
l.d4 d6 2.llJf3 .ig4 3.llJbd2 llJf6 4.h3 .ih5 5.g4 .ig6 6.llJh4 .ie4 7.llJxe4 llJxe4 8 .ig2 d5 9. llJf3 e6 1 0 .llJd2 llJxd2 1l.hd2 e6 12.e3 llJd7 13 ..if4 .ie7 14.e3 O - O 15.�e2 ge8 16 .ih2 .if6 17. 0 - 0 - 0 a5 •
•
32.�xb3? After 32.'&d7 �c5+ 33.md3 the onus is on Black to prove that his compensation for the sacrificed material is adequate.
32 ge4+ 33.g¡.d3 gb4 34. '&e3 ga2 35.hd5 exd5 36. �e8+ •.•
It would be more tenacious for White to have defended with 36. e6 E:bxb2 37.'&c8+ �f8 38.exf7+ mxf7 39.�g1 and somehow he is surviving. .
36 ....if8 37.e6 gb3+ 38. g¡.d4 18.g¡.bl b5 19.f4 llJb6 2 0 . gel llJe4 21.e4 b4 The first impression is that Black is ahead of his opponent.
22.e5 .ie7 23.exb4 axb4 24.gxe4 �a5!? This is an interesting idea, but it is not completely correcto In stead, Black could have played the simpler 24 ... dxc4 25.Wxc4 '&b6 with chances for both sides.
25.geel '&xa2+ 26.g¡.e2 e5 176
In the variation 38.md2 E:bxb2 + 39.mc1 E:xh2, White's king wiIl be unavoidably check mated on the first rank.
38 ga4+ 39.g¡.e5 ge3+ 4 0 . g¡.f5 gxe6 •.•
It was slightly more precise for Black to play 40 ... fxe6+ 41.mg5 mf7! 42.mh4 �e7+ 43.g5 E:b4, win ning. 41.g5 h5 42.gxh6 gxh6
43 ..igl gf6+ 44. g¡.e5 gaxf4 45. g¡.xd5 g6f5+. Wbite resigned, since he was losing his queen.
Chapter 9
1.d4 d6 2 )i)f3 i.g4 3.e4
Quick Repertoire
White sets up a powerful pawn-eentre and avoids the dou bling of his pawns - what more can you aehieve with just a single move?
3 Ajf6 .•
There are more than a thou sand games in the database with this tabia and the play ofien trans poses to the variations with 3. tLlbd2, which we have already an alyzed. In this ehapter we wiIl deal with positions with a white knight on e3.
4.lüc3 e6 Blaek wishes to push d6-dS and to play something like the Freneh Defenee, but without its main defeet - the "bad" light squared bishop.
5.h3 White has fewer problems af ter S ..te2 . Blaek develops his bish op on e7, eastles short, then ad vanees d6-dS and in response to e4-eS retreats with his knight to d7, preparing the standard under mining pawn-breaks e7-eS and f7f6. For example: S.�e2 �e7 6.0-0 (The plan of, includíng queensíde eastling is not dangerous to Blaek, because he has enough resourees to organize eounterplay: 6.�e3 o-o 7.�d2 dS S.eS tLlfd7 9.h3 i.hS 1O.g4 .tg6 1l.h4 eS 12.dxeS tLlxeS 13.0-0-0 tLle4 14.tLlxe4 he4�) 6 . . . 0-0 7 ..te3 dS 8.eS tLlfd7 9.tLld2 he2 (9 ... �fS!? 1O.f4 eS) 1O.tLlxe2 eS 11.e3 tLle6 12.f4 fS! Blaek re stricts his opponent's kingside ae177
Chapter 9 tivity at the right moment and then continues with active actions on the opposite flank.
5 ....ih5
more solid move, increasing his control over the centre.) 9.hf6 (otherwise Black will play d6-dS and, in answer to e4-eS, ltJe4) 9 ... hf6 10.0-0-0 ltJd7. Black's posi tion is like a spring, ready to un coil at any momento
6
6:�e2 White proceeds with his devel opment, preparing queenside cas tling and threatening a check from the bS-square, winning a pawn. In this quite popular opening tabia, Black most often plays a standard and reliable move - 6 ... c6. I sug gest that here we study another move, which is also quite correct but much less analyzed. After 6.g4 .ig6 7. .igS .ie7 8. Wle2 c6 (White has developed his bishop to gS, but has thus imped ed his own pawn-storm on the kingside. Accordingly, Black is not forced to try to match his op ponent with a plan like a6, bS and subsequent play on the long diag onal, but can instead make a much
178
•..
a6!?
In this situation, White's most dangerous plan is based on a swift pawn-storm on the kingside - g4, h4 etc. It is obvious that Black will need to create counterplay and the best place for that is on the opposite flank. The idea of the move in the text is to prepare b7bS with the support of the a-pawn and to preserve the possibility of playing the undermining move c7-cS in one move.
7.g4 �g6 8.h4 This is a real threat to win the bishop, combining it with a pawn storm on the kingside. Of course, Black will save his bishop, but he will have serious problems to solve.
8 ... h5 9.g5 llJfd7 In the Step by Step section we also analyze here the interesting recommendation of "Rybka" - 9 . . . ltJg4! ? 1 O .�h3 fi.e7 1l.fi.e3 b5 12. llJd2 e5!? After this timely blow against White's centre Black ob tains a very good position.
Chapter 9
1.d4 d6 2)L�f3 i.g4 3.e4 �f6
Step by Step
4A:lc3 4.ltJbd2 - see 3.ltJbd2 ltJf6 4. e4. 4.i.d3 e6 5.0-0 i.e7 6.ltJbd2 see 3.ltJbd2. 4.W'd3 c6 5.ltJbd2 (5.c4 e6. The pawn-chains of both sides have been set up and are ready to come into conflicto 6.ltJc3 i.e7 7.i.e2 O-O 8.d5. 1 believe that White should refrain from this move, because now Black's game is quite simple and understandable. 8 ... exd5 9.exd5 cxd5 1O.cxd5 ltJa6tt Kretchetov - Altounian, Las Ve gas 2 003.) 5 ...e6 6.c3. White's set-up is very solid, but not at aH aggressive. It is not surprising that Black has no problems what soever. 6 . . .i.e7 7.g3 o-o 8.i.g2 d5
9.0-0 i.h5. This bishop is headed for the g6-square, on the same di agonal as the enemy queen. 1O.ltJe5 ltJbd7 1l.f4 ltJxe5 12 .fxe5 ltJd7 13.exd5 cxd5 14.ltJf3 gb8tt Lagrotteria - Miles, Toscolano 1996. Black's bishop is perfectly placed on h5, because White can not create any real threats on the kingside. Black is preparing the standard minority attack on the queenside. We cannot help mentioning the foHowing game, since the op ponents were both great players. Still, they did not come up with anything extraordinary: 4.h3 i.h5 5.i.d3 (5.ltJc3 e6 - see 4.ltJc3 e6 5. h3 i.h5) 5 ...e6 6.c4 i.e7 7.ltJc3 ltJc6 8.i.e3 O-O 9.'&e2 i.g6 (Black is re stricted to the last three ranks and prepares the undermining move d6-d5.) lOJ'l:d1 d5 11.cxd5 exd5 12.e5 ltJe4 13.0-0 '&d7 14.i.c1, Kasparov - Anand, Paris 1992. White wishes to eliminate the en emy knight on e4 and Black has to consent to simplification: 14... ltJxc3 15.bxc3 .txd3 16JBxd3 gab8 !?tt It seems somewhat naive for 179
Chapter 9 White to try the move 4.�c4, with the idea of exploiting the well known vulnerability of the f7square. AH Black has to do is place his pawn on e6 and the bishop on c4 wiIl feel uncomfortable. In ad dition, later on the bishop may be hit by the pawn-advance d6-d5. 4 ... ltJc6 (NaturaIly Black cannot capture on e4, because of �d5 and he loses the exchange.) 5.c3 (Now White is threatening another dou ble attack - �b3, but Black par ries it effortlessly.) 5 ...e6 6.h3 1h5 7.�e2 �e7 8.1g5 (lt is not easy to see where this bishop should be developed; maybe it was best for White to leave it on its initial square for a while.) 8 ...h6 9.�h4 o-o 1O.ltJbd2 a6 11.�d3 e5 (The position has become quite similar to the Ruy Lopez, in a form which is supposed to be quite harmless for Black, since he has already de veloped his bishop to g4.) 12.g4 �g6 13.dxe5 dxe5 14.ltJc4 ltJd7 (The exchange ofthe dark-squared bishops is advantageous for Black, because the f4-square in White's camp is hopelessly weak) 15.�g3 �d6 16.ltJh4 �h7, draw, E.Peder sen - Hoi, Denmark 1987. It was a pity that the game ended at the most interesting moment, but it seems to me that both sides' pros pects are approximately equal.
4 .. e6 .
This is a popular opening tabia. (diagram)
A) 5.i.e2 B) 5.h3 180
For 5.�d3 �e7 6.0-0 O-O 7.h3 �h5 - see variation B, 6.�d3. After 5.�e3, Black's simplest reply would be 5 ...�e7, after which the game usuaIly transposes to variations A or B, for example: 6. �e2 O-O - see variation A or 6.h3 �h5 - see variation B. Black can counter 5.1e3 with the patient re ply 5 ...c6, for example: 6.h3 �h5 7.1d3 d5 8.e5 ltJfd7 9.g4 ig6 1O.ltJe2 c5 11.hg6 hxg6 12 .c3 ltJc6 13.ltJg5 �e7 14.f4 cxd4 15.cxd4 �b6+t Isanbaev - Komliakov, Ni zhnij Novgorod 1998 (game 47). 5.d5 exd5 6.exd5 �e7 7.h3 (7. �e2 - see 5.�e2 �e7 6.d5 exd5 7. exd5) 7...�h5 8.g4 ig6 9.ltJd4, Dworakowska - Pham Le Thao Nguyen, Beijing 2 008, 9 ... c5 (Here Black could also consider 9 ...c6!? If White now captures on c6 the same variations arise, while after 1O.ig2 c5 11.ltJde2 h6 12.ltJf4 �h7, or 1O.ltJf5 O-O 11.�g2 !xf5 12.gxf5 �b6, it looks as if Black has nothing to fear.) 1O.dxc6 (10. ltJf5 .bi5 11.gxf5 ltJbd7 12.:Bg1 g6 13.�f4 �b6 14.�d2 0-0-0 16. 0-0-0 ltJh5+t) 1O ...ltJxc6 1l.ig2
1.d4 d6 2. ct:lj3 i.g4 3.e4 ct:lf6 4.ct:lc3 e6 (11.i.b5 :Bc8 13.f4 i.e4+!) 11...d5 12. O-O O-O 13.i.e3 h5 and Black has excellent counterplay.
A) 5 .te2 .
White plays a very accurate and reliable move, but one which cannot create any problems for Black.
queenside castling is only seldom played, because Black has enough resources to create meaningful counterplay: 7... d5 8.e5 ct:lfd7 9.h3 i.h5 1O.g4 i.g6 11.h4 c5 12.dxc5 ct:lxc5 13.0-0-0 ct:le4 14.ct:lxe4 ixe4+! Minaya - Cuartas, Colom bia 1989. 6 . 0-0 .
.
5 . .ie7 ..
7 .ie3 .
6. 0 - 0 For 6.h3 i.h5 - see variation
Bl. 6.d5 exd5 7.exd5 O-O 8.0-0 �e8 9.E:e1 ct:lbd7 1O.i.g5 i.xf3 11. i.xf3 ct:le5 12.i.e3 ct:lfd7 13 . .te2 i.g5+! Korchnoi - Miles, Wijk aan Zee 1987. The exchange of a pair of bishops is in Black's favour. We should mention that it would not be good for White to opt for 14.f4 in view of 14 ... ct:lg6 15.,ª,d2 �xe3! 16.�xe3 hf4 and Black has excellent compensation for the exchange, thanks to his control over the dark squares. 6.i.e3 O-O 7.�d2 (7.0-0 d5 see 6.0-0; 7.h3 .th5 8.0-0 c6 see variation Bl.). White's plan of
7.h3 i.h5 - see variation Bl. The next game can be considered an interesting historical doc ument. It shows that the "dubi ous" system with 2 ....tg4 was played even by Tigran Petrosian! 7.i.f4 c6 8.h3 .txf3 9.hf3 d5 1O.�d3 a6 11.e5 ct:lfd7 12.ct:le2 b5 (preventing the pawn-advance c2-c4) 13.a4 ct:lb6 14.axb5 cxb5 15.E:a2 �a7+! Langeweg - Petro sian, Amsterdam 1973. 7.i.g5 ct:lc6 8.�d2 d5 9.hf6 .ixf6 10.e5 i.e7 11.ct:le1 i.f5 (in this pawn-structure Black must try to preserve his light-squared bishop, if possible) 12 .ct:ld1 f6+! Jung Forthoffer, Germany 1994. 7.ct:lg5. White wishes to ex181
Chapter 9 change the light-squared bishops and he tries to provoke his oppo nent into playing h7-h6, weaken ing his kingside. Black must ex change the bishops, but should ignore the provocation. 7....txe2 8.�xe2 tLlc6 9.tLlf3 dS 10.eS tLld7 1l.tLld1 �e8. Both sides bring ad ditional pieces to the kingside. 12 . .tf4 f6! Black exerts pressure on his opponent's centre and opens a path for his queen to g6 or hS. 13.exf6 .txf6 14 ..txc7 (or 14.c3 eS and Black's position is quite ac ceptable) 14 ...tLlxd4 1S.tLlxd4 hd4 16.c3 .tcS= Dizdar - Miles, Bos nia & Herzegovina 1987.
7 d5 8.e5 •••
Mass simplification takes place after 8.exdS tLlxdS 9.tLlxdS exdS 1O.tLleS he2 11.�xe2 tLld7 12. tLlxd7 �xd7 13.�d2 �bS= Hulak - Miles, Wijk aan Zee 1987.
8
•..
ttJfd7 9.tild2 he2
Here Black could consider 9 ... .ifS 1O.f4 cS.
1 0 .ttJxe2 e5 1l.e3 tile6 12.f4
12 .. f5 ! With this move Black considerably restricts White's .
182
kingside activity. 13.cJihl exd4 14.exd4 �e8f! Ivkov - Melgar, La Coruna 1990.
B) 5.h3 .th5
Bl) 6 .te2 B2) 6.g4 B3) 6.'ee2 •
6 . .td3 .te7 7.0-0 (7..te3 dS see 6. .te3) 7... 0-0 8.g4 .tg6 9. tLlh4 eS (Remember that in an swer to tLlf3-h4, Black has the standard tactical strike 9 ...he4 . However, after 1O.tLlxe4 tLlxe4 1l.he4, he must insert the move 1l ... dS, so as not to end up an ex change dOWll . After 12 ..txh7+ @xh7 13.tLlf3 @g8, Black has an exceHent position, while White must be very careful, since his king-position has been weak ened.) 1O.dxeS dxeS 11.�f3 tLl c6 (After this, Black again has good counterplay and aH three results are possible in this position.) 12. a3 tLld4 13.�g2 tLld7 14.tLlfS tLlcS lS ..te3 tLlce6f! Johansson - Miles, London 1982.
l.d4 d6 2.tiJj3 :ig4 3.e4 CiJf6 4.CiJc3 e6 5.h3 :ih5 6.:ie3 :ie7 7.g4 (7.:ie2 o-o see variation Bl; 7.:id3 dS 8.eS CiJfd7 9.g4 - see 7.g4; 8.a3 dxe4 9.CiJxe4 CiJbd7 1O.CiJg3 :ig6 11.:ixg6 hxg6 12.We2 c6 13.0-0 Wc7 14.:igS :id6 1S.CiJe4 CiJxe4 16.Wxe4 CiJf6 17. We2 :if4 18.:ixf4 Wxf4= Hulak Hausner, Germany 1990) 7 ...:ig6 8.:id3 (8.CiJd2 dS 9.eS CiJfd7 1O .f4 cS 1l.CiJf3 CiJc6+t) 8 ... dS 9.eS CiJfd7 1O .CiJe2 (1O.h4 cS l1.dxcS CiJc6 12. hS :ixd3 13.cxd3 CiJdxeS 14.CiJxeS CiJxeS lS.:id4 CiJc6 16.:ixg7 �g8 17. h6 :ixcS+t Movsziszian - Petit, Benasque 1997) 1O ... cS 11.c3 CiJc6 12.CiJf4 l'!c8 (The fearless "Rybka" recommends the following Hne for Black: 12 ...:ixd3 13.CiJxd3 c4 14.CiJf4 b5 lS.CiJhS O-O, but it seems rather risky for human players to play like this, because after 16.Wd2 you might get check mated on a bad day... ) 13.CiJxg6 hxg6 14.a3 c4 15.:ic2 bS 16.h4 CiJb6 17.lt>d2 It>d7 18.CiJgS, draw, Osmanovic - Tibensky, Sisak 2008.
7.:ie3 o-o 8.0-0 c6 - see 7. 0-0. 7.:if4 :ig6!? 8.:id3 c6 9.0-0 O-O 1O.�e1 dS l1.exdS CiJxdS 12. CiJxdS cxdS 13.CiJeS :ixd3 14.Wxd3 CiJd7= Freisler - Haba, Brno 2010. 7.:igS a6!? (Black can continue with his usual plans such as 7... d6, or 7...c6 and then d6-d5; so 1 am quoting this game to broaden your opening erudition.) 8.a4 CiJc6 9.0-0 O-O 1O.Wd2 :ig6 11.dS exdS 12.exdS CiJb4 13.:ixf6 :ixf6 14.l'!ac1 �e8 and Black seized the initia tive, Hair - Conquest, Hamilton 1999.
7... 0 - 0
Bl) 6.i.e2 i.e7
8.i.e3
7. 0 - 0
This is the most flexible move for White. From the e3-square the bishop is active on both flanks and cannot be attacked by the en emy pieces and pawns. 8.:if4 (Probably the idea of this move is to prevent the pawn advance e6-eS. Black's next move, however, shows that he has other plans in mind.) 8 ... c6 9.eS dxeS 183
Chapter 9 10.dxeS lLldS (Black has obtained a comfortable position and White's eS-pawn may soon be come a liability.) l1.lLlxdS cxdS 12.lLld4 (White decides to play safe and simplify the position, while enabling his eS-pawn to be securely protected.) 12 ... he2 13.�xe2 lLlc6 14.lLlxc6 bxc6= Turov - Agrest, St. Petersburg 1994. 8J�e1 c6 9.eS dxeS 1O.lLlxeS he2 1l.lLlxe2 lLlbd7 12 .,tgS (This is a slightly inaccurate move. 1 have already mentioned that the pawn on eS may become weak. White should have accepted the fact that he had not achieved any opening advantage whatsoever: 12.,tf4 lLlxeS, draw, Andersson Hickl, Panormo 2 001.) 12 ... lLlxeS 13.dxeS lLldS 14.he7 �xe7 1S.lLlg3 lLlf4 16.�d4 lLlg6 17.E:ad1 E:fd8 18. �e3 �b4 and Black seized the ini tiative, Andrianov - Ibragimov, Las Vegas 2004. 8.,tgS lLlc6 9.dS exdS 1O.exdS .txf3! (This is an excellent inter mediate move! Black not only en sures the eS-outpost for his knight, but also creates the threat of lLlxdS - he has j ust eliminated one of the defenders of the bishop on gS and White is now also forced to ex change his own bishop for the en emy knight.) l1.hf6 hf6 12.hf3 lLleS 13.�e2 lLld7 14.�d2 lLlb6f± Przewoznik - Kuczynski, Warsaw 1990. Here Black perhaps overes timated his chances a Httle, think ing that the dS-pawn might be184
come a weakness. Nevertheless, 1 believe that the position remains approximately equal.
8
•••
c6
Maybe Black could have played d6-dS immediately, but he wishes to be able to answer exdS with cxdS, cleverly obtaining an asym metrical pawn-structure. It is time for White to make up his mind about his future plans.
9.tLld2 This is a clever move with which White forces the exchange of bishops, because after 9 ... �g6 he has the powerful resource 10. f4, threatening fS and g4, winning a piece. 9.a4 (This is prophylaxis against b7-bS, but Black is quite happy to play in the centre.) 9 ...dS 1O.eS lLlfd7 1l.lLlh2 (White wishes to exchange the bishops, after which his queen can go to hS and his knight to g4. However, it is ad vantageous for Black to preserve the only defender of his kingside.) 1l ...�g6 12 .,td3 cS 13.hg6 fxg6 (This is a typical resource for
l.d4 d6 2.0,.13 il.g4 3.e4 0,f6 4.0,c3 e6 5.h3 il.h5 Black in the French Defence. He captures away from the centre and this helps him to create pres sure along the f-file and to ensure the complete safety ofhis king.) 14. 0,e2 0,c6 ls.c3 cxd4 16.0,xd4 0,eS� Miles - Gawehns, Germany 1989. 9.es (Black is wel1 prepared to counter this pawn-advance.) 9 ... 0,dS 1O.0,xdS cxds 1l.il.f4 0,c6 12.exd6 hd6 13.il.xd6 %Vxd6 14.c3 :gac8= Wahlbom - Ziltener, Arco 2009. 9.g4 il.g6 1O.0,d2 (White pro tects his e4-pawn and threatens the manoeuvre f2-f4-fs, after which he squeezes the enemy bishop into the corner, to say the least. Black must take measures against this.) 1O ...ds ll.es 0,e4 12.0,cxe4 dxe4 (The bishop on g6 is not reaIly bad and should be preserved. Furthermore, White wiIl be unable to effectively aUack Black's e4-pawn.) 13.c3 cs 14.0, b3 cxd4 ls.cxd4 0,c6 16.a3 (otber wise Black wiIl transfer his bishop to ds and have the beUer position) 16 ...il.g5 17:�d2 he3, draw, Duer - Kuporosov, Wattens 1999. 9:�d2 d5 1O.es 0,fd7 1l.0,h2 il.g6 (As 1 have already mentioned, Black should keep his bishop as a good defender.) 12.f4 cs 13.0,f3 0,c6 14.g4 il.e4 !? (This is a natural human reaction. The threat of f4fs is not so dangerous, but it is acting on Black's nerves. ) ls.dxeS 0,xcS 16.0,d4 :gc8� Rozentalis Sakalauskas, Warsaw 2009
(game 48).
9 ... he2 1 0 .�xe2 White begins the immediate transfer of his knight to the king side. After 1O:�xe2 ds ll.es 0,fd7 12.Wg4 (12.f4 cs 13.dxcs 0,xcs� Nemet - Barthel, Base1 2 001) 12 ... It>h8 13.0,e2 cs 14.c3 0,c6 ls.0,f3 :gg8!?� Rogers - Johansen, Can berra 2002, Black's position is quite reliable.
1 0 ... d5 U.e5 �fd7
12.�f4 The inventor of this clever move is Ruslan Ponomariov. White achieves less with the straightforward line: 12.f4 eS 13. c3 cxd4 14.0,xd4 0,c6 15.0,2f3 :gc8 16.We1 0,cs� Njirjak - Stevic, Djakovo 2 00l.
12...c5 13.c3 �c6 14.�g4cxd4 15.cxd4, Ponomariov - Grischuk, Khanty-Mansyisk 2005. 15 .. .lk8 16.�h5 g6 17..1h6
Wb6!? Black i s trying to seize the ini tiative. It seems that after 17 ... :ge8 18.0,g7 :gf8 19.0,hs= White would have nothing better than to repeat 185
Chapter 9 moves. 18 . .ixf8 'i!?xf8 19.tbf4 �xd4 2 0 .�f3 �b4�
B2) 6.g4 .lg6 7..lg5 7.Vf1e2 a6 - see 6.Vf1e2.
1O.h4 h5 1l.g5 ie7 12.0-0-0 Gt:ld7 13.ih3 d5 14.liJe5 Gt:lxe5 15. dxe5 Vfla5 16.exd5 cxd5 17.f4 O-O 18.f5 exf5 19.Elxd5 Vflb4+! Epishin - Mokry, Vienna 1991.
10
•••
�d7
7....le7 8.�e2 c6
9.hf6 9.h4 h5 1O.hf6 gxf6 ClO ...hf6 - see 9.hf6) 1l.ih3 hxg4 12 .hg4 d5 13.exd5 cxd5 14.h5 ih7 15.1"1g1 IiJc6 16. 0-0-0 Vflc7+! Hebden Adams, Hastings 1997. 9.Vf1e3 d5 1O.hf6 hf6 1l.id3 liJa6 12.a3 IiJc5! With the help of this liUle tactical trick, Black re duces the tension in the centre at the right momento 13.dxc5 d4 14.Vf1f4 dxc3 15.b4, Tunik - Vorot nikov, Krasnodar 1991, 15 ... a5 16.0-0 O-O 17.Elfdl axb4 18.axb4 Elxal 19.Elxal h6+!
9 ..hf6 .
Without the inclusion of the moves h4 and h5, it would be too risky for Black to play 9 ... gxf6, be cause later his bishop might be come trapped on the g6-square.
10. 0-0-0 186
Black has built up a flexible defensive line along the 6th rank and is ready to start effective counterplay at an opportune mo ment with moves such as b5, cS, or d5.
11.�e3 lUt>bl Vflc7 12.h4, Rogers Milos, Manila 1992, 12 ...h5 13.g5 ie7 14.Vf1e3 0-0-000 11...�a5 12.@b1 0 - 0 - 0
13.h4
l.d4 d6 2.443 i.g4 3.e4 0,f6 4.0,c3 e6 5.h3 i.h5 13
• . •
h6
He could have played the nor mal 13 . . .h5, but Gulko wanted to keep his dark-squared bishop on the long diagonal.
14 ..id3 e5 15.lLlb5 exd4 16. lLlxd6+ 'i!?b8 17.YNel It is too dangerous for White to capture the pawn, since the en emy bishop on f6 wiIl beco me tre mendously active. It was obvious ly best for him to opt for 17.�e2 �c5 18.0,c4�
17 YNe5 18.lLle4 e5 19.9del i.e7 2 0 .h5 .ih7 21.g5 hxg5 22.lLlxg5 .ig8+ Tukmakov •..
Gulko, Moscow 1990.
B3) 6J��'e2 a6!? 1 have already mentioned in
the Quick Repertoire section that Black has a good altemative here - 6... c6.
8 .i.g2 i.e7 9.i.f4, Legky - Au rel, Montigny le Bretonneux 2 0 06, 9 ... 0-0 10.0-0-0 d5� 8.i.g5 i.e7 9.h4 h5 1O.i.xf6 gxf6!? (I believe Black must re capture with the pawn in order to increase his control over the cen tre.) 1l.i.h3 c6 12.d5 (otherwise, Black will play d5, activating both his bishops) 12 ...cxd5 13.exd5 e5 (White cannot really exploit the weakening of the f5-square. Meanwhile, in response to 14.0,e1 for example, Black can exchange on g4 and foIlow this with f6-f5.) 14.0-0-0 0,d7 15.gxh5 i.xh5 16. 0,e4 �a5 17.Wb1 0,b6, draw, Summerscale - Miles, Millfield 2000. Black has sufficient counterplay on the queenside.
8 ...h5 9.g5
7.g4 i.g6
9
8.h4 This is the most resolute move. "Half-measures" by White leave Black with more space for ma noeuvres, for example:
.••
lLlfd7
The move recommended by "Rybka" - 9,..0,g4!? is worth con sidering here. The active knight impedes White's offensive consid erably and his efforts to trap it do not seem to work. 1O.i.f4 (Straight forward attempts to capture the 187
Chapter 9 knight fail, e.g. 1O.ttJd1 dS 1LeS eS 12.c3 ttJe6, or 1O.ttJd2 eS and Blaek has no problems at aH.) 1O ...bs 1l.a3 ttJd7 12 ..tg3 eS and Blaek en sures the eS-square for the retreat of the knight. 1 0 .ih3 1O ..te3 bS 1l.ttJd2 eS 12.dxeS ttJxeS 13.a3 ttJe6f± Palliser - Sum merseale, Torquay 2 009. 1O.dS eS 1Li.h3 bS 1 2.a3 ttJb6 13.i.e3 ttJe4 14.ttJd2 ttJxe3 lS:�xe3 ii.e7 16J:'i:g1 O-O 17.ttJf1 eSf± Haus rath - Mohr, Germany 1995. •
10
••.
.te7
18.ttJxg6 fxg6 19.�xe4 wh7 20. he6 and Blaek was in trouble in the game Lastin - Rashkovsky, Tula 1999. After lS ... ttJ8d7 16.ttJd3 eS, in eomparison with the varia tion 13 ... 0-0 etc. White has a vital extra tempo: 17.ttJf4! exd4 18.ttJxg6 dxe3 !? 19.ttJxf8 hf8 20.b3 g6 2Lf4 with a positional and mate rial advantage.) lS ... dS ! (at the moment White's knight is not threatening to go either to eS or f4, so this move is just exeellent.) 16.exdS exdS 17.f4 ttJe6 18.ttJf3 .td6 19J:'i:ad1 ttJe7 2 0.ttJeS heS 2L fxeS Ele8+' Z.Polgar - Anand, Am sterdam 1990 (game 49). 1l...b5 12.tt:1d2, Pogorelov Miles, Andorra 1994.
1l ..te3 1l.i.f4 bS 12.a3 ttJb6 13.i.g3 e6?! 1 believe Blaek eannot afford this waiting move in sueh a tense situation. (Instead, he should eontinue with 13 ... 0-0 14.0-0 ttJ 8d7 and if lS.ttJe1 he can ad vanee with lS ... eS.). 14.0-0 O-O lS.ttJd2?! (White found an im provement nine years later: lS. ttJe1! dS 16.ttJd3 dxe4 17.ttJeS i.d6
188
12 ... c5!? It is time for Blaek to strike this blow against White's centre, beeause without it White's king side initiative might beeome very dangerous.
13.d5 e5 14. 0 - 0 - 0 tt:1b6f±
Chapter 9
1.d4 d6 2.llJf3 .ig4 3.e4 llJf6
Complete Games
47 Isanbaev - Komliakov Nizhnij Novgorod 1998
18.c!Lldl i.b4+ 19.f2 �xb3 2 0 .axb3
1.e4 d6 2.d4 c!Llf6 3.c!Lle3 e6 4.c!Llf3 i.g4 5.h3 i.h5 6.i.e3 e6 7.i.d3 d5 8.e5 c!Llfd7 9.g4 i.g6 1 0 .c!Lle2 e5 1l.hg6 hxg6 12.e3 c!Lle6 13.c!Llg5 i.e7 14.f4 exd4 15.exd4 flYb6 16:�b3
It would be difficult for Black to attack the weak b3-pawn, while it covers the important c4square.
16 ...�a6! This is an excellent move, after which Black establishes control over the squares weakened by the exchange of the light-squared bishops and forces the enemy king to remain in the centre.
17.c!Lle3 �d3 Here, however, it looks as if Black played a bit hastily. With 17... B:c8 18.ttJf3 ttJb6 he could have patiently improved his position and White's defence would have been difficult.
2 0 ... c!Llb6 21.c!Lle3 a6 22.c!Llf3 B:e8 23.l'�ael d7 24.e2 c!Lla5 25.c!Lld2 1'k7 26.d3 i.e7 27.h4 c!Lle8 28.i.f2 c!Lle6 29.e2 c!Llb4 3 0 .B:h3 c!Lla7 31.B:ehl c!Llb5 32. c!Lldbl B:ee8 The opponents agreed to a draw. Black is still slightly better, but he can hardly win this posi tion.
48 Rozentalis - Sakalauskas Warsaw 2009
1.e4 d6 2.d4 c!Llf6 3.c!Llc3 e6 4.c!Llf3 i.g4 5.i.e2 e6 6.h3 i.h5 189
Chapter 9 7. 0 - 0 ii.e7 8.ii.e3 O - O 9.�d2 d5 10 .e5 tLlfd7 1l.tLlh2 ii.g6 12.f4 e5 13.tLlf3 tLle6 14.g4 ii.e4 15.dxe5 tLlxe5 16.tLld4 ge8 17. tLlxe6 �e6 18.b4?
26.hb6 White would do better to focus on the enemy e4-pawn by 26J�d4 e3 27.�f1 etc.
26 axb6 27.c.!?g2 gc8 28.gd7 gd8 29.gxd8+ hd8 3 0 .ii.d7 •••
Of course, White also main tains his advantage in this posi tion. He will soon capture the en emy b7-pawn, but Black should manage to save the game thanks to the presence of bishops of op posite colours. 3 O g5 31.f5 exf5 32.gxf5 •••
18
.••
tLld7?
Black overlooks a wonderful tactical chance, which his oppo nent hasjust presented to him: 18 ... lLlb3! 19.axb3 hb4 20.ii.d4 �h4 21. �h2 ¡''líc8 and he regains his piece because of the pin, while White ends up with great problems.
19.tLlxe4 dxe4 2 0 .gfd1 tLlb6 21.'f[xd8 gxd8 22 .ie5 gxd1+ 23.gxd1 ii.h4 •
l It would not work for Black to play 23 ...hc5+ 24.bxc5 tLld5 25. c4, and he remains a piece down, because of the threat of mate on the back rank.
ii.e7 33.e6 fxe6 34.he6+ c.!?g7 35.ii.d5 e3 36.ii.xb7 c.!?f6 37.ii.e8 ii.d6 38.b5 c.!?e5 39.c.!?f3 c.!?d4 4 0 .c.!?e2 .ie5 41.ii.e6 c.!?e4 42.a4 h5 43.ii.d7 c.!?e5 44.ii.e6. Draw. 49
Z.Polgar
Anand
Amsterdam 1990
l.tLlf3 d6 2.d4 ii.g4 3 .e4 tLlf6 4.�e3 e6 5.h3 ii.h5 6.'@fe2 a6 7.g4 ii.g6 8.h4 h5 9.g5 tLlfd7 10 .ii.h3 b5 11.a3 ii.e7 12 .if4 �b6 13.ii.g3 e6 14. 0 - 0 O - O 15.tLld2 d5 16.exd5 exd5 17.f4 �e6 18.�f3 ii.d6 19.9ad1 �e7 2 O .tLle5 he5 21.fxe5 ge8 •
24.ii.b5 ge7 25.e4 h6
Black has successfully parried 190
l.d4 d6 2. lLlj3 �g4 3.e4 lLlf6 White's kingside offensive (but, as we have seen in our theoretical section, not without sorne help from his opponent) and now Black begins to breach White's defen sive line on the opposite side of the board.
35 ...b4!? 36.axb4 It was much more resilient for White to defend with 36.lLla4, giving up a pawn but transferring his knight to the c5-outpost.
36... axb4 37.c4 dxc4 38.d5 �b7 39.lLlxc4
22.1'kl lLlc4 23.lLldl �f5 24. �xf5 lLlxf5
39 ...�xd5 The pawn-structure that has arisen reminds us of the famous game Nimzowitsch - Capablanca (New York 1927), in which the great exponent of the blockading strategy became the victim of a perfect light-squared blockade.
25.�d3 �b6 26.�f2 �c6 27. �al �fc8 28.b3 lLla5 29J';a2 g6c7 3 O .gb2 lLlc6 3l.c3 lLlce7 32.�f3 g6 33.gc2 a5 34.lLlb2 �a7 35.gfc1
Here Black could have played immediately 39 ... exd5 40.lLle3 lLld4 etc.
4 0 .�g2 �xf3+ 4l.�xf3 �d7 42.lLld2 gcd8 43.lLle4 �d3+ 44.�e2 �xb3 45.gdl lLld5 46. �dc1 ga3 47.�c8 �a8 48.�xd8+ �xd8 49.lLlf6+ lLlxf6 5 0 .exf6 b3 5l.�bl �b8 52.�d3 b2 53. �c2 �f8 54.�xb2 �xb2+ 55. �xb2 �e8 This endgame is of course ab solutely hopeless for White. He is not only a pawn down, but his bishop is forced to protect the pawns on the kingside.
56.�c3 �d7 57.�d3 e5 58. �e4 �e6 59.�el lLld6+ 6 0 . z�f3 �d5 61.�g3 �d4 62. �f2+ �d3 63.�c5 lLlf5 64..if2 lLld4+ 65.�g2 �e2. White re signed.
191
Chapter 1 0
l.d4 d6 2 .liJf3 i.g4 3.c4
Quick Repertoire
This is White's most popular move. He continues his normal development in the spirit of the closed openings, ignoring the pos sible "mosquito bite" on f3. 3 . . .hrJ Black captures the enemy knight in order to justify the early bishop-sortie. I have already men tioned at the beginning of this section that ifBlack wishes to play solidly, then in reply to 2.lDf3, he should choose the King's Indian Defence. This variation is also based on the element of surprise. (diagram)
4.exf3 White plans calm piece devel opment in the centre in the hope of exerting pressure along the e192
file. It would be advantageous for Black to play dS, in order to fix the enemy pawn on d4 and then at tack it. In response to 4.gxf3, Black almost always fianchettoes his other bishop. He usually begins with 4 ... liJd7, so that if S.1Wb3 he does not need to weaken the light squares even more with the move b7-b6, or to place his queen on a light square (1Wc8). Instead, he wishes to protect the b7-pawn with his rook. A possible continu ation is S.liJc3 g6 6.f4 .tg7 7..tg2 �b8 8. 0-0 e6 9.dS (otherwise Black will place a pawn on this square) 9 ... liJgf6 1O.i.e3 a6 11.1Wb3 eS!? Thanks to this undermining move Black obtains excellent
l.d4 d6 2. tLlj3 i.g4 3.c4 hj3 counterplay on the kingside, which was weakened as early as move three.
4 . c6 5.ttlc3 g6 . .
After 7.'&d2 (with the idea of playing i.h6 at an opportune mo ment to exchange the dark squared bishops) 7 ... e6 8.h4, Black should reply with 8 ...h5 !?, with the idea of holding up his op ponent's kingside pawn-storm.
7... e6
6.i.e3 important position, one which is essential for an under standing of the whole variation, arises after 6.i.e2 i.g7 7.0-0 tLlf6 8.i.e3 tLlbd7 9.d5 O-O 1O.'&b3 '&b8. White is trying to tie down his opponent's pieces to the de fence of his queenside and then switch the focus of the fight to the other flank. Black must play very precisely not to end up without counterplay. In order to master this theme, 1 recommend thorough study of game 50 (Gelfand - Ivanchuk, Belgrade 1997). An
6 ...i.g7 7.i.e2
8.d5 1 have already mentioned that Black wishes to play d6-d5 him self, in order to fix the enemy's weak (Le. deprived of the support of its neighbours) pawn on d4.
8 ... exd5 9.cxd5 ttle7 1 0 . '&b3 ti'd7 1l. 0 - 0 O - O White maintains a slight space advantage, but his pawn on d5 re quires protection and restricts the movement of his own pieces. Black has solved his development problems and can be moderately optimistic about the future.
193
Chapter 1 0
1.d4 d6 2.11Jf3 .ig4 3.c4
Step by Step
A) 4.gxf3 lild7
White is not afraid of the ex change on f3. He considers that the pluses of his position (the bishop-pair, his free development and the slight space advantage) wiIl more than compensate for the minute defect of his pawn-struc ture. 3 . ..ixí3 A more frequent choice for Black here is 3 ... ltJd7, after which he usuaIly obtains a solid, but somewhat passive, position. 1 have already mentioned that if you are after solidity, after 2 .ltJf3, it would be better to choose the King's lndian Defence. With 3 ...i.xf3 we seek non-standard positions with counter chances. .
A) 4. gxf3 B) 4.exf3 194
1 wiIl remind you - the idea of this move is to be able to protect the b7-pawn with the rook in re sponse to 5.iMlb3, instead of weak ening the light squares with b7-b6 or placing the queen on a light square with iMlc8. 5.lilc3 5.�g2 g6 6.f4 c6 - see 5.f4. 5. iMlb3 Elb8. In general, it is aIl the same for Black whether his rook is on a8 or b8. White's queen however, is doing nothing useful on b3. 6.ltJc3 g6 7..id2 1J.g7 8.e3 a6 9.f4 ltJgf6 1O.�e2 b5 11.iMlc2 (He should move his queen off the line of the enemy rook.) 11...c6°o Nalbandian - Spangenberg, Mat inhos 1994.
1 .d4 d6 2.ltJj3 :lg4 3.c4 hj3 4.gxj3 ltJd7 5.:lg5. This move should be a good illustration of the fact that you cannot study the entire data base and sometimes you have to improvise as early as move 5. Thank heavens! 5 ... ltJgf6 (One game went like this; instead, Black could also try 5 ... c6, 5 ...g6, 5 ...h6, or anything.... ) 6.f4, Cacho Reiga das - Romero Holmes, Spain 1992, 6 ... ltJe4!? The following analysis is just an attempt to find sorne useful orientation in "terra incognita": 7.ltJc3 (7.:lh4 c5 8.:lg2 �a5+ 9.rnf1 ltJef6 1O.ltJc3 E1b8oo) 7... ltJxc3 (7... ltJxg5 8.fxg5 e6 9.h4 h6 1O.g6!? �f6 - 1O ... fxg6 11.�d3 �f6 12.E1g1 rnf7 13 .:lh3 - 11.gxf7+ �xf7 12.:lh3;!;) 8.bxc3 c6 9.E1b1 h6 1O.:lh4 �a5 11.�d2 E1b8� 5.f4 g6 6.:lg2 c6 (Black is try ing to build a defensive line by placing his pawns on the 6th rank. If he manages to play follow up with d6-d5, he wiIl have a very good position. White prevents this.) 7.d5 cxd5 8.cxd5 :lg7 9.h4 (The idea of this move is to force Black to deploy his knight on f6 and to dissuade him from the ma noeuvre ltJh6-f5. Is it worth it, however? Now, White cannot safely castle kingside.) 9 ... ltJgf6 1O.ltJc3 E1c8 11.rnfl (lt would be suicide for him to evacuate his king to the queenside with an open c-file and a black bishop on g7. So White's monarch must leave the centre "on foot" ...) 11 ... a6 12.:lf3 h5 13.e3 �c7 14.:ld2 o-o 15.:lg2, draw, A.Petrosian -
Matthias, Lippstadt 1993.
5 g6 ...
Not many games have reached this position and strong players tested it mostly during the '80s and '90s of the last century. Our analysis, with the help of "Rybka", showed that Black should not have any serious problems in this variation.
6.f4 6.:lg2 :lg7 7.f4 E1b8 - see 6.f4. 6.b3 :lg7 7.:lb2 e6 (We are familiar with this idea - Black builds a waIl against the pawn on f4. Lat er, he would like to place a pawn on d5 as well.) 8.e3 c6 9.f4 ltJgf6 1O.:lg2 O-O 11.0-0 E1e8 12.�e2 d5 13.E1ac1 (After 13.a4 a5 14.E1fc1 ltJ b8 a limited struggle for the b4square takes place - 15.ltJa2 :lf8 16.:lc3 :ld6 17.b4 - White has achieved what he wanted, while Black forces simplifications - 17... axb4 18.ltJxb4 dxc4 19.�xc4 ltJd5 2 0.ltJxd5 cxd5 21.�b5 E1e7= Palat nik - Karner, Tallinn 1985.) 13 ... a6 14.E1c2 :lf8 15.E1d1 1tJh5 16.ltJb1 :ld6� Timman - Danailov, Ovie195
Chapter 1 0 do 1993. Maybe Black was dream ing about a kingside attack. Of course it would hardly be possible for him to accomplish this, but in general, his position remains quite solid and reliable. 6.e4 i.g7 7.i.e3 e6 (Black could consider creating counterplay against the enemy d4-pawn with 7...c5!? 8.f4 1M!b6�; 8.d5 hc3+. Of course, this is a very risky move, but still it would interest ing to see the result of the struggle between two knights and two bishops, with two pairs of doubled pawns on the board. 9.bxc3 lLlgf6 1O .i.h6 1M!a5oo) 8.d5 a6 9.1M!d2 lLle5 1O.i.e2 exd5 1l.lLlxd5 lLlf6 12. 0-0-0 lLlxd5 13.cxd5 1M!e7� Kiss - Okhotnik, Hungary 1995.
to increase the scope of his fian chettoed bishop.) 8.d5 (8 ..ie3 1M!b6oo) 8 ... a6 9.i.e3 1M!a5 1O.1M!d2 lLlgf6 11.f3 O-O 12 .a4 lLlh5 13.!'1.a3 lLl b6� A Smirnov - Chernyshov, Voronezh 2005. 7.e3. White is in the mood to enter a long manoeuvring battle, but Black is weH-prepared for that as weH. He has no long-term weaknesses and has no problems with his development. 7... c6
6 . �g7 . .
White has two bishops and a massive (although not very mo bile) pawn-centre. Black has no weaknesses and should react ap propriately to aH possible changes of the pawn-structure.
7..ig2 7.e4 c5 !? (It is useful for Black 196
and now: 8 ..tg2 lLlgf6 9.b3 o-o 1O.i.b2 e6 - see 6.b3; 8.i.e2 e6 9.lLle4 lLldf6 1O.lLlg5 lLle7 11.1M!c2 d5 12.�d2 h6 13.lLlf3 lLle4� Black has built up his trade mark pawn triangle and has occu pied a central square with his knight, Franco Ocampos - Rivas Pastor, Leon 1989; 8.i.d3 e6 9.lLle4. White's knight is following a familiar route, but with a bishop on d3 instead of e2. It is more difficult for Black to oc cupy the e4-square with his knight now, but he has sorne other useful ideas as well. 9 ... lLldf6 1O.lLlg5 lLle7 1l.1M!b3 !'1.b8 12 ..td2 a6 13.!'1.c1 O-O� Pinter - Christiansen, Reg-
J.d4 d6 2.ttlj3 j,g4 3.c4 :!ixj3 4.exj3 c6 gio Ernilia 1988; 8.j,d2 ttlgf6 9.�g2 O-O 10.0-0 1'lb8 11.,ªe2 a6 12.1'lfdl 1'le8 13.b4 eS!? (Opening the position usually favours the side that has the bish op-pair. However, this underrnin ing rnove weakens the white king's defensive perirneter, so Black wiIl also reap dividends out of the opening of the position.) 14.fxeS dxeS IS.dxeS ttlxeS+± Sarno - Efi rnov, Saint Vincent 1999.
7... gb8
rifice. After 14.,ªxb7? ! ttlhS IS.e3 O-O, his pieces rernain stranded on the queenside and Black threatens to advance with fS-f4, or sirnply recapture the c4-pawn. 14... tLlh5 15.e3 o - o H e is willing to sacrifice a pawn even under less favourable circurnstances, with the enerny bishop back in the centre of the board.
16.�xb7 �e7 17.�b3 gtb8 18.�c2 tLlxc4 19.�e2 �e5 2 0 .i.c3 f5 21.gael Yflh4 22.h3, .
8. 0 - 0 8.e3 ttlgf6 9.0-0 O-O 1O.,ªe2 a6 1l.b3 cS 12.dxcS ttlxcS 13. j,b2 ,ªaS I4.1'labl, Danailov - Bri card, Andorra 1991, 14 ... bS IS. ttldS ttlxdS 16.hg7 1t>xg7 17.hdS b4+±
draw, Sakaev - Svidler, Sto Peters burg 1997.
B) 4.exf3 c6
8 ... e6 9.d5 �gf6 1 0 ..i.e3 a6 11.'�b3 e5!? Black is ready to sacrifice a pawn to create sorne threats on the kingside.
12.fxe5 �xe5 13 . .i.a7 ga8 (diagrarn)
14 ..i.d4 White declines the pawn-sac197
Chapter 10 5.c!Llc3 S.dS ttJf6 6.ttJc3 g6 - see S.ttJc3 g6 6.dS ttJf6. S.f4 ttJf6 6.�e3 g6 7.ttJc3 �g7 8.�e2 O-O 9.h4 (9.0-0 dS 1O.cS bS 11.a4 b4 12.ttJa2 aS? Bagirov Minasian, Lucerne 1993) 9 .. .'�aS 1O.1f1f1, Vaganian - Milos, Mos cow 1994, 1O ...hS 11.g3 ttJbd700
5
•••
g6
6 ..ie3 6.�e2 �g7 7.0-0 (7.�e3 e6 see variation 7... ttJf6 8.dS (8.1e3 ttJbd7 9.dS O-O 1O.'�b3 Wb8 11. Elfd1 Elc8 12.Elac1 a6 13.Eld2 cxdS 14.ttJxdS ttJxdS 1S.ElxdS Elc6 16.f4 Wc7 17.Eldd1 aS 18.�f3 ttJcS 19.Wc2 Elb6 20.Elb1 a4? Gelfand - Iv anchuk, Belgrade 1997 - game 5 0 ) 8 ... 0-0 9.f4 (9.�d3 ttJbd7 see 8.�e3 ttJbd7 9.dS O-O) 9 ... ttJbd7 1O.�f3 Elc8 11.�e3 ttJb6 (This is the correct set-up for Black, since he must force the op ponent to protect his dS-pawn.) 12.Wb3 cxdS 13.cxdS ttJfd7 14.a4 ttJc4? Ionescu - Sanduleac, Pre deal 2006 (game 51). White's d4-pawn may become 198
a target, so it is advantageous for him to push it forward with 6.dS. Now Black must play very accu rately to create counterplay and bring his king to safety from a di rect attack: 6 ...ttJf6 7.�d3 (7.�e3 �g7 8.�e2 ttJbd7 9.0-0 O-O - see 6.�e2 �g7 7.0-0 ttJf6 8.�e3 ttJbd7 9 .dS O-O) 7...�g7 8.0-0 cxdS (He immediately creates a weak pawn for his opponent on dS.) 9 .cxdS O-O 1O.Ele1 ttJbd7 11.f4 a6 12.fS Ele8 13.�gS ttJb6 (White's attention is distracted by his vulnerable pawn.) 14.Wf3 Elc8 1SJ'l:e2 ttJc4 16.�xc4 Elxc4? Postl - Petran, Graz 1992. 6.g3 (This plan, based on the king's fianchetto, is too slow and does not create any problems for Black.) 6 ...�g7 7.�e3 ttJd7 8.dS (White must place his pawn on dS in any case; otherwise he will soon have difficulties.) 8 ... ttJgf6 9.�g2 (White played 9.�e2 in one game, leaving his surprised opponent wondering why the move g2-g3 was played in the first place. Be that as it may, after 9 ... 0-0 10.0-0 a6 11.f4 WaS 12.a3 cxdS 13.cxdS Elfc8 14.b4 Wd8 1S.%k1 bS 16.Wb3 ttJb6, there arose a complicated position with chances for both sides, O'Cinneide - Vovsha, Biel 2 003.) 9 ... 0-0 10.0-0 WaS 11.f4 ttJb6 12.Wb3 Elac8 13.Elfe1 Elfe8 14. �h3 Elcd8 1SJ'l:ad1 ttJfd7 16.ttJe4, Ftacnik - Chandler, Brisbane 2 006, 16 ...cxdS 17.�b6 (After 17. cxdS ttJcS 18.ttJxcS dxcS and Black seizes the initiative.) 17... ttJxb6 18.cxdS ttJa4?
1.d4 d6 2.lLlj3 �g4 3.c4 hj3 4.exj3 c6 6 ....ig7 This is the last important opening erossroads.
7... e6 8.h4 8.d5 exd5 9.exd5 lLle7 1O.�h6 hh6 11.�xh6 lLlf5 12 .�f4 �e7+ 13.i>d2. This is an amusing move, although maybe not the best. (Af ter 13.�e2 O-O 14.g4, White would have maintained the initiative .. ) 13 ... 0-0 14.E:e1 �e7? Aronian Svidler, Internet 2 004.
Bl) 7.%M2 B2) 7.i.e2 7.h4 lLlf6 8.�e2 d5 9.e5 b6 1O.b4 bxe5 11.bxe5 lLlfd7! (with two threats - lLlxc5 and e5) 12. lLla4 e5 13J':i:b1 O-O 14.h5 E:e8? Drasko - G.Nikolie, Tivat 1995. 7.�d3 lLlf6 8.0-0 o-o 9.'Wd2 d5 1O.e5 ltJbd7 11.f4 (White has defended against e7-e5, but Blaek reduces the tension anyway, with the help of a little eombination.) l1...lLlxc5! 12.dxc5 d4 13.f5 dxc3 14. �xe3 lLlg4 15.�b3 �e7 16.g3 lLlxe3 17.fxe3, Kallio - Varga, Budapest 2001, 17...'We5 18.E:ae1 �xb2+
Bl) 7.%Yd2 The idea of this move is to play ih6 at sorne point and exehange the dark-squared bishops. Svidler faeed this twiee. In one game Pe ter defended sueeessfully and he eould have survived the other time as well.
8 ... d5 It is more reliable for Blaek to play h5!?, thwarting his oppo nent's pawn-storm on the king side.
9.h5 tLld7 1 0 .cxd5 1O.g4 dxe4 11.ixe4, Zatonskih - Akobian, Saint Louis 2009, 11... gxh5!? 12.E:xh5 lLlgf6 13.E:h3 lLlb6 (It is also interesting for Blaek to play 13 ... h5!?, trying to get rid of his weak pawn immediately.) 14. �e2 �e7 15.0-0-0 0-0-0 and in this position with mutual weak nesses, Blaek must eoneentrate his forees on attaeking the enemy d4-pawn and exploiting the exeel lent d5-outpost.
1 0 ... exd5 1l.g4 Blaek's position seems rather 199
Chapter 1 0 dangerous, but his defensive re sources are not exhausted yet.
11 tilf8 12. 0 - 0 - 0 tile6 13. f4 tile7 14.h6 .if8 15 ..id3 f5 •..
phasize that this sacrifice is not at all forced, since Black could have simply protected his b7-pawn on move 8 .. Black brings his last reserves into the defence... 16.gxf5 tilxf5 17 .ixf5 gxf5 18.Wd3 W1f6 19J'�h5, Bareev Svidler, Moscow (blitz) 2009 and here Black should have sacrificed a pawn, forcing a transition into an endgame: 19 .id6 2 0 .W1xf5 (Black's position would be accept able after 20.E1xf5 W1xh6.) 2 0 ... •
8 ...exd5 9.cxd5 tile7 1 0 . W1b3 10.0-0 O-O 1l.ic4 b5 !?? 1 0 ...W1d7 11. 0 - 0 O - O 12.
¡Ud1 tilf5
•.•
Wxf5 2U�xf5 c;!;>e� B2) 7..ie2 e6 (diagram)
8.d5 If 8.0-0 CiJe7 9.�b3 �b6!? Black has a very good position. After the immediate 8 .�b3, Vera - Villalba Izquierdo, Cullera 2002, Black could consider a pawn sacrifice for the initiative with: 8 ... CiJe7!? 9.W1xb7 CiJd7 10. O-O a5 11.�b3 CiJf5 12.E1adl O-O 13.W1c2 d5�. I should like to em-
200
13.tile4 White cannot prevent the ex change of one of his bishops in any case; if 13 ..if4, then 13 ... CiJd4.
13 ... c5 14 .ig5 W1c7 15 ..if6 tild7 16.hg7 tilxg7? Nielsen Svidler, Copenhagen 2010 (game 52). •
Chapter l O
1.d4 d6 2 .ttJf3 .ig4 3.c4 .ixf3
Complete Games
5o
Gelfand
Ivanchuk
Belgrade 1997
1.d4 d6 2.tlJf3 .ig4 3.c4 .ixf3 4.ext'3 c6 5.tLlc3 tLld7 6. .ie2 g6 7. 0 - 0 .ig7 8 ..ie3 tLlgf6 9.d5 o - o 10 .�b3 ,ª,b8 1U''!fd1 �'!c8 12.gac1 a6 13.gd2 cxd5 14.tLlxd5 tLlxd5 15.gxd5 gc6 16.f4 �c7 17.gdd1 a5 18 .if3 tLlc5 19.�c2 gb6 2 0 .gb1 a4 21. h4 e6 22.h5 �e7 23.gd2
Black decides not to repeat moves, but makes a serious mis take on the very next move .
31.gbd1 gxb2? Black had to play 31.. .V!ic7, al though 1 think White's position is not worse at all.
•
32.gxd6!
23
.•.
'it>f8!?
This is an excellent tactical blow, after which Black is forced to conduct a difficult and labori ous defence.
This is a rather purposeful ap proach! White is trying to organ ize an attack on the kingside, while in response Black simply evacuates his king from the dan ger zone!
Of course, White is in no hurry to regain the exchange and he in creases the pressure, creating ad ditional threats.
24.�d1 'it>e8 25.g3 gaa6 26. 'it>g2 gb4 27.hxg6 hxg6 28.�h1 �f8 29.�d1 V!ie7 3 0 .V!ih1 �f8
34 a3 35.,ixa3 ga6 36. .ib4 gab6 37..ic5 �c7 38 ..ia3 ga6 39 ..ib4 .if6
32 ...gxd6 34.V!ih7
33.,ixc5
gbb6
••.
201
Chapter 1 0 47.�h4 me8 48.hc5 �xc5 49.�xf4 .ie5 5 0 .�e4 me7 51 . .ia6 1J.c7 52 ..ib5 1J.b6 53.�el �d4 54.a5 .ic5 55.�e2 md6 56.�f3 f5 57.a6 me5 58.�e2+ mf6 59.1J.c6 e5 6 0 .1J.d5 e4 61. g4
4 0 .f5 This is an attractive pawn break, but it seems somewhat premature. After 40.a4 ! (to place the bishop on the a3-square with out being hassled by the enemy rook) White should graduaIly manage to breach his opponent's fortifications. For example: 40 ... me7 41..b3 �c3 42.�b1 �a7 43. �e4 mf8 44.�d1 �aa6 4S.mh2 and he wiIl soon capture the enemy g6-pawn.
40 ...gxf5 41 ..ih5 1J.g7 42.a4 �ab6 43 ..ia3 �bc6 44 .if3 �c5 45.�xd6 �xd6 46.hb7 •
61 ... e3! This is the last finesse. AH the kingside pawns are exchanged now and White cannot win on the queenside only. The distance be tween his two passed pawns is too small.
62.fxe3
�xe3
63.�xe3.
Draw
51
Ionescu
Sanduleac
Predeal 2006
l.d4 d6 2.1L1f3 .ig4 3.c4 c6 4.1L1c3 lLlf6 5.d5 hf3 6.exf3 g6 7.1J.e2 .ig7 8. 0 - 0 o - o 9.f4 lLlbd7 1 0 ..if3 l:k8 1l.1J.e3 lLlb6 12.�b3 cxd5 13.cxd5 lLlfd7 14. a4 1L1c4 46...f4! Ivanchuk is ready to give up a second pawn just to force Gelfand to exchange on cS. Black is relying on the presence of bishops of op posite colours. 202
(diagram)
15.�acl It is too risky for White to cap ture the pawn: lS.�xb7 lLlxe3 16. fxe3 �b8 17.'�a6 (After 17.�xa7? lLlcS, his queen gets trapped.) 17...
l.d4 d6 2. tiJj3 ig4 3.c4 ixj3 33.g4 White would not save the day with 33.�el �f8 34.�h4, because of 34 ... tiJ b3 and Black wins a pawn anyway.
33 ...'I!!lIxa5 34.�b2 f6 35.g5 �d8 36.i.g4 ef8 37.i.e6+ �h8 38.�d4 a5 39.e4 a4 4 0 .e5 tiJxe6 41.dxe6 dxe5 42:�e3 tiJcs 18.1!ffe 2 �aS and Black's com pensation for the pawn is more than sufficient.
15 ... tiJxe3 16.fxe3 tiJe5 17. �a3 'I!!lIb 6 18.a5 'I!!lIb3 19.1:�a1 he3 2 0 .bxe3 �e7 21.�tb1 'I!!lIe2 22.e4?! White did not need to give up a pawn. After 22 .�b2 �d3 his posi tion is of course worse, but he could have defended it.
22 'I!!lIxe4 23.�c1 'I!!lIb5 24. gab1 'I!!lId7 25.h4 'I!!lIf5 26.gb4 gfe8 27.gbe4 'I!!lId7 28.h5 tiJa6 29.�xe7 gxe7 3 0 .h6 �xe1+ 31. 'I!!lIxe1 tiJe5 32.�h2 •••
42 ...fxg5? I do not know what the time control was in this tournament (the team championship of Ro mania), but the end of this game was full of mistakes. Black was winning easily with 42 ... �g8.
43.'Wxe5+ �g8 44.f5? White blunders in turno After the simple move 44.fxgS, Black's king ends up in a cage from which there is no escape. He would have to acquiesce to a draw by a per petual check.
44... a3 45.�g1 a2 46.'I!!lIb 2 b5 47.ea1 b4 48.'Wb2. White ei 32
•..
'I!!lId8!
In effect, this is a double at tack. White's aS-pawn is hanging and his h6-pawn is also endan gered, because of the threat of �f8.
ther resigned or lost on time.
52
P .Nielsen
Svidler
Copenhagen (blitz) 2 010
I.d4 d6 2.tiJf3 i.g4 3.e4 203
Chapter 1 0 .ixf3 4.exf3 e6 5.c!lJc3 g6 6.,ie3 ,igJ 7.,ie2 e6 8.d5 exd5 9.exd5 c!lJe7 1 0 .tfb3 e"d7 11. 0 - 0 O - O 12.gfdl c!lJ f5 13.c!lJe4 e5 14.,ig5 tfe7 15.,if6 c!lJd7 16.hgJ c!lJxg7 17.,ib5
21.ge8 The right square, but the wrong piece! After 21.ie8! White would maintain the initiative.
21 gxe8 23.gel ..•
22.he8
ge8
But not 23.i.xf7? c!lJa4 and White loses a piece.
23 ge7 24.h4 ge7 25.gxe7 e"xe7 26.h5 c!lJf5! •••
17
.••
c!lJb6
It was preferable for Black to play here 17 .. .f5 18.c!lJg5 a6 19. i.xd7 Wxd7=
18.c!lJf6+ �h8 19.gel tfd8 It was again more precise for him to choose 19 ... c!lJf5 20J:'í:ad1 c!lJd4 with chances for both sides.
2 0 .e"e3 a6
27.hxg6? He overlooks a very powerful intermediate move. It was correct for White to opt for 27.c!lJd7+ c!lJd4 28.c!lJxb6 Wxe8 with an approxi mately equal position.
27
•••
c!lJd4!
Black wins a piece thanks to the double attack on e2 and f6.
28.tfe3 tfxf6 29.gxf7 �g7 3 0 .tfe4 h5 31.f4 c!lJe8 32.,id7 c!lJe7 33.,ie6 tfxf4! In the end the knight-fork worked! White resigned.
2 04
Chapter 11
1.d4 d6
Quick Repertoire
In the last chapter of this book, we shaIl analyze White's numer ous possibilities on move 2, with the exception of 2.c4, 2.lL'lf3 and 2 .e4. To avoid the theoretical dis pute in the main lines White usu aIly chooses the plan with a king's fianchetto. His alternatives are only seldom played, but they wiIl not be ignored in our analysis.
2.g3 Against 2 .�g5 I suggest a quite concrete scheme in which White cannotjust play according to com mon sense: 2 ... h6 3 ..ih4 c5 (White has removed his bishop from cl a bit too early and Black begins im mediate counterplay on the queenside.) 4.dxc5 (After 4.d5 ? ! g 5 5 ..ig3 .ig7, White's defence wiIl
not be at aIl easy.) 4 ... Wfa5+ 5.c3 Wixc5 6.ttJd2 ttJc6 7.e4 g6 8.f4 �g7. Suddenly, on the board we have a position that resembles the Drag on variation of the Sicilian under very favourable conditions for Black. His plan includes exchang ing queens and a pawn-storm on the queenside. It would be interesting for White to try 2 ..if4, preventing the counter-strike in the centre - e7e5. It would be attractive for Black now to continue in the spirit of the King's Indian Defence, be cause White's options have been considerably reduced. However, Black has an alternative plan: 2 ... ttJf6 3.e3 (After 3.ttJf3 �g4, we have one of the versions of the variation 2 .ttJf3 �g4. Black usuaIly places his pawn on e6, develops his bishop to e7 and then castles and continues with d5 and c5. If 3.ttJc3, then he replies with 3 ... ttJbd7 and advances with either e7-e5 or c7-c5.) 3 ... ttJbd7 4.ttJf3 ttJh5 (Black wants to exchange the enemy bishop on f4.) 5 ..ig5 h6 6 ..ih4 g5 7.ttJfd2 ttJdf6 8 ..ie2 ttJg7 9 ..ig3 ttJf5. White has faíled to 205
Chapter 11 prevent the exchange of his bish op. The position is a complicated one with chances for both sides.
2
•••
e5
1 would recommend that play ers with a wide opening repertoire respond to 2.g3 with the King's Indian Defence, since there Black has several good systems against the king's fianchetto. However, we started our book with studying endgames, so we will finish it in the same way. We must complete the circle.
3.dxe5 White would not achieve much with 3 ..ig2 exd4 4.Wixd4 tLlc6 S. Wid2 tLlf6 (Black plays quite sim ply. He develops his knights closer to the centre, then he wants to place his pawn on ds and to de velop his bishops to active posi tions.) 6.tLlh3 (following the route h3-f4-dS) 6 ...g6 7.tLlf4 .ig7 8.0-0 O-O 9.tLlc3 l"í:e8 1O.l"í:e1 tLleS 11.b3 c6 12 ..ib2 dS+! Black has succeed ed in advancing his pawn to dS and he is about to seize the initia tive. 206
3
• . .
dxe5 4.�xd8+ �xd8
1 think Black's defence here is much easier than in the analo gous endgame in the Philidor Defence, but a bit more complex than in the line: l.d4 d6 2.c4 eS 3.dxeS dxeS 4.Wixd8+ �xd8.
5. ll:l c3 This is the favourite move of Artur Yusupov, who has achieved excellent practical results in this endgame. This is of course also due to the fact that, like the ma jority of Dvoretsky's pupils, he plays all kinds of endgames ex tremely well. 1 believe that in this particular position, Black has sufficient de fensive resources. Black's task is much simpler after the rather slow line: S ..ig2 c6 6.tLlc3 .ie6 7.f4 (Black has no problems in a calm, maneuvering struggle such as: 7.tLlf3 f6 8.i.e3 l1c7 9.a3 tLle7 10.0-0-0 tLld7 11. h4 hS with chances for both sides.) 7 ... exf4 8 ..ixf4 tLld7 9.tLlf3 .ib4! ? 1O.tLlgS tLlgf6 11.tLlxe6+ fxe6 12. 0-0-0 l1e7. Black has given his
l.d4 d6 opponent the two-bishop advan tage, but his position is neverthe less quite solido
5
.ib4
.••
Black pins his opponent's knight and frees the e7-square for his king. (diagram)
6 . .id2 There are not very many games played using this line, so in the chapter Step by Step we have ana lyzed all these more or less seri ous tries for White, such as 6. ,igS+, 6.f4, 6 ..ig2. This position requires concrete knowledge, so
common-sense reasoning is not adequate..
6 .ie6 7.a3 .ie7 8 . 0 - 0 - 0 lLld7 9.f4 lLlh6 1 0 .e4 .ig4 11. .ie2 he2 12.lLlgxe2 lLlg4� •..
207
Chapter 11
1.d4 d6
Step by Step
A) 2.c3 B) 2.,ig5 e) 2.,if4 D) 2.g3 2 .e3 'l:ld7 3.e4 e5 4.'l:le3 g6 see Chapter 2 . Against the move 2.h3, I sug gest that Blaek eontinues in the same fashion as after 2.g3, that is with 2 ... e5. It is obvious that the move g2-g3 is mueh more useful in the endgame than h2-h3; if Blaek has an aeeeptable position there, then against 2.h3 he should not have any problems. 3.dxe5 dxe5 4.1ifíxd8+ Wxd8 5.e4 (5.'l:lf3 f6 6.e4 i.e6 7 . .ie3 'l:ld7 8.'l:lfd2 i.b4 9.a3 ta5 10.i.e2 tb6 11.txb6 'l:lxb6 12.'l:le3 e6 13.0-0-0 We7= 208
Crea - Saeeona, Asti 1997) 5 ...te6 6.i.e3 'l:ld7 7.'l:le3 e6 (It makes sense to restriet the c3-knight and free the e7-square for the king in the proeess.) 8.0-0-0 We7 9.f4 f6 1O.'l:lf3 td6 1l.f5 i.V 12.'l:ld2, Glienke - Dornieden, Germany 2002, 12 ...te5 13 ..b:e5 'l:lxe5� 2 .'l:le3 'l:lf6 (Now, the game usually transposes to variations we have already analyzed.) 3 ..ig5 (After 3.e4 e5 we enter the Mod ern Philidor Defenee, while after3. 'l:lf3 tg4 we are in the system with 2.'l:lf3 tg4. Original positions arise only after the plan with a king's fianehetto, but without e4; otherwise, it would once again be the Modern Philidor Defenee! I believe that Blaek should not have great problems equalizing, for ex ample: 3.g3 'l:lbd7 4.tg2 e5 5.dxe5 dxe5 6.'l:lf3 tb4 7.0-0 O-O 8 ..td2 :ge8 9.'l:lg5 h6 1O.'l:lge4 .tf8 1l.te3 'l:lg4 12.i.el 'l:lgf6= Kaidanov Komliakov, Internet 2 000.) 3 ... 'l:lbd7 4.'l:lf3 (Or 4.e4 e5 - Modern Philidor Defenee; 4.Wd2 h6 5.th4 g5 6.tg3 'l:lh5 7.e4 'l:lxg3 8.hxg3 tg7 9.f4 g4 1O.te4 a600 Zsehis ehang - Stuemer, Goeh 2008.)
1.d4 d6 \
4 ... h6 5 ..ih4 (5.hf6 CiJxf6 6.e4 .tg4 7..ie2 e6 8.h3 �5 9.'?!lfd2 .te7 1O.'?!lfe3, Zhuravlev - Derezuk, Tula 2002, 10 ... 0-0 11.0-0-0 d5�) 5 ... g5 6 ..ig3 CiJh5 7.e4 .tg7
The weakening of the kingside should not bother Black. He has a powerful bishop on g7 and can evacuate his king to either side of the board. 8.'?!lfd2 a6 9.0-0-0 e6 1O.�b1 '?!lfe7 11..ic4 b5 12 ..td3 ttJxg3 13.hxg3 c5� Nedimovic Tratar, Portoroz 2005 (game 53). Black has already started an attack against the enemy king, while it is still unclear for White where he should start the hunt for the enemy monarch, since it is quite comfortable in the centre and can go at any moment either to c8 or g8. 2 .b3 (1 think that with a pawn on d4, it does not make much sense for White to fianchetto his queen's bishop, but there is sorne logic in this move too.) 2 ... ttJd7 (Black can also play 2 ... e5 imme diately here, but I like this pre paratory move with the knight even more.) 3.�b2 e5 4.g3 (4.e4 CiJgf6 - Modern Philidor Defence;
4.e3 f5 - transposition to the scheme l.d4 d6 2 .c4 e5) 4 .. .f5 (Black operates in a standard fashion: he creates a pawn-pair in the centre and then completes his development under its cover.) 5.ttJf3 e4 6.CiJh4 CiJdf6 7.ttJg2 (White's knight is foIlowing an unusual route, but its final desti nation is quite familiar - the f4square.) 7... ttJh6 8.c4 c6 9.'?!lfd2 g6 1O.CiJc3 .ig7 (It seems a bit prema ture for Black to play 1O ...d5, be cause of 11.cxd5 cxd5 12.ttJf4 ttJt7 13.h4t and his pieces are overbur dened with the protection of the d5-pawn.) 11.d5 o-o 12.0-0-0 CiJhg4 13.e3 c5� WeIling - Okhot nik, Lyngby 1990. 2.f4 (White physicaIly prevents Black's pawn-advance e7-e5. If White can later advance with e2e4, he wiIl have a powerful pawn centre. The point is that Black can impede the move e2-e4.) 2 .. .f5!?
"A pawn against a pawn" - this is a standard way of playing in the opening. In addition, it is in Black's favour that he controls the e5-square with his pawn, while White's e4-square is weak. 3.ttJf3 209
Chapter 11 (3.c4 liJf6 4.liJc3 g6 S.liJf3 �g7 6.V!1c2 O-O 7.�e3, Reis - Perez Mauricio, Ourense 20 07, 7 .. . liJc6 ! ? 8.dS lijaS 9 .V!1d3 cS�) 3 . . . liJf6 4.e3 g6 S.�c4 e6 6.0-0 dS 7. �d3 ig7 (The position is symmet rical, with a closed centre. Both sides have approximately equal development and in general the prospects are about balanced.) 8.liJeS liJbd7 9.liJd2 o-o 1O.liJdf3 liJe4� Ganslmayer - Greifzu, Bad Woerishofen 2002.
A) 2.e3 1 would define this move as "semi-developing". White sup ports his d4-pawn and opens the way for his queen to the queen side, but still 1 think that he can create greater problems for his opponent with more energetic and enterprising play.
a pawn on c4, while after 3.e4 liJf6 4.�d3, Black has a wide choice of possibilities. He can enterschemes from the Modern Philidor De fence with 4 ... liJbd7, or play some thing more original, for example 4 ... liJc6, or 4 .... dS! ? There is pIen ty of theory to study there, how ever, so maybe he does not need the extra effort involved.
3 .ig5 •
Black has no problems at all after 3.liJf3 eS 4.dxeS (H is better for White to play 4.e4 here, but this transposes to the Modern Philidor Defence.) 4 ... dxeS S.e4 liJgf6 6.�c4, Meis - Frhat, Gron ingen 2003, 6 ...id6 7.0-0 O-O 8. liJbd2 aS�
3 h6 4. .ih4 liJgf6 5.liJd2 g5 6 ..ig3 liJh5 •••
Black does not have enough space, so an exchange of a pair of minor pieces is exactly what Black would be very happy with.
7.e4
2
•.•
liJd7
Frankly speaking, 1 do not see anything dangerous for Black af ter 2 ... eS either. The endgame is even less problematic for him with a white pawn on c3 than with 210
White increases his control over the centre. He would not achieve much by playing timidly: 7.e3 liJxg3 8.hxg3 �g7 9.id3 e6 1O.g4 liJf6 11.liJe4 liJxe4 12 .fi.xe4 dS 13.�f3 eS� Me duna - Hausner, Lazne Bohdanec 1995. Black activates his light squared bishop and attacks the enemy gS-pawn. He could also consider striking a blow against his opponent's centre from the other side, by 13 ...cS.
7 liJxg3 8.hxg3 .ig7 9.liJgf3 •..
e5
l.d4 d6 Now the move e7-e5 would make less sense, although he must try to destroy his opponent's cen tre somehow, because his bishops must be activated.
19 ... l!aíS 2 0 .�xb7 Black is better after 2 0.ltJf1 �c6+ 2 O ....ia4 21.�xc5 hdl 22.
l!xdl l!d8:¡:
1 0 ..ic4 1O.dxc5 ltJxc5 11.Wfc2 Wfc7 12. ltJc4, Yankin - Sosnovskiy, Ke merovo 2008, 12 ...�d7 13.ltJd4 b5 14.ltJe3 Wfb7?
1 0 ... �b6!? Now the position is simplified to an endgame in which every thing seems advantageous for Black. He also has a solid alterna tive: 10 ... 0-0 11.Wfe2 Wfc7?
1l.dxc5 �xc4 12.�xc4 dxc5 13.Wfxd8+ �xd8 14. 0 - 0 - 0 + �c7 15.�e3 e6 16.�c4 .id7 17. �d6, Schlindwein - Ceschia, Austria 2 000.
17...g4 18.�h2 h5 19.f4 White could have won a pawn in two different ways, but neither of them would be sufficient even for equality: 19.1tJxf7 B:hf8 20.ltJg5 B:xf2+; 19.1tJxb7 i.a4 2 0.b3 �xb7 21.bxa4 hc3 22 .B:d7+ cj{c6 23. B:xf7 B:ab8gg
B) 2 ..ig5
It is obvious that this rather "abstract" move cannot be so bad if it is regularly played by grand masters such as Ivan Sokolov, Mikhail Gurevich and Dmitry Ko marov, as well as great players such as Veselin Topalov and Vass ily Ivanchuk. Of course, Black has an enormous variety of plans, but White has not laid his cards on the table yet either. He can choose practically any kind of pawn structure.
2 ... h6 This is a quite concrete scheme and White cannot counter it by playi ng according to common sense alone.
3 ..ih4 The alternative is 3.�f4, but I think that ifWhite wished to place 211
Chapter 11 his bishop on f4, it is better to do it on his second move, because the move h7-h6 may turn out to be quite useful for Black: 3 ...ltJf6 4.c4 (After 4.ltJf3, Black can reply with 4 ... �g4, in essence transpos ing to the system 2 .ltJf3 �g4, and the move h6 is hardly harmful for him. He has another even more concrete argument, however: 4 ... gS S.�g3 ltJe4 6.ltJbd2 ltJxg3 7. hxg3 �g7 8.c3 cS 9.dxcS dxcS 10. e4 ltJc6 11.a4 ie6 12.1Mfc2 Wic7 13. ic4 ixc4 14.ltJxc4 �d8f! Kova cevic - Todorovic, Belgrade 1988.) 4 ... cS S.dxcS WiaS+ (I can recom mend to players who enjoy ana lyzing original ideas to investigate a gambit suggested here by "Ryb ka": S ... eS !? 6.ig3 ltJe4 7.cxd6 ixd6) 6.ltJc3 WixcS 7.e3 ie6 8.b3 gS 9.�g3 Wib4 1O.�c1 �g7 1l.id3 ltJe4 12 .ixe4 ixc3+ 13.';t;e2 ltJc6'!' Stankovic - Lojanica, Adelaide 2002. 3 .. eS This is a quite standard reac tion - White has removed his bishop from el, weakening his queenside slightly, so Black im mediately opens the way for his queen to the b6- and aS- squares.
6.c3 ltJf6 7.e4?! This move is too optimistic: White lags in de velopment and he cannot afford to play so ambitiously Ot would be better for him to play 7.ltJa3 a6'!'). 7...Wib6 (NaturaHy, it would be a disaster for Black to play 7... ltJxe4? 8.Wia4+, but after, for ex ample, 8.b3, he can capture the pawn.) 8.Wic2 ltJxe4! The absence of the bishop from el has been punished after aH. 9.Wixe4 Wixb2 1O.ixd6 o-o 1l.id3 fS 12 .Wixe7 id7 13.Wie3 �e8 14.ie7 Wixa1-+ Verdonk - Hartoch, Dieren 1991. 6.ltJc3 WiaS 7.Wid3, Kopeikin Shamsutdinov, Sterlitamak 2008, 7 ... �xc3+ ! ? 8.Wixc3 O believe White's defence is even more dif ficult with queens still on the board: 8 .bxc3 ltJf6 9.�d1 ltJbd7 1O.ltJf3 ltJb6 11.e4 id7'!') 8 ...Wixc3+ 9.bxc3 ltJf6 10.0-0-0 ltJbd7 11.f3 ltJeS and Black's position is at least equal.
4 Wia5+ 5.c3
.
4.dxc5 The modest move 4.c3 hands over the initiative to Black: 4 ... Wib6 S.Wid2, Donka - Meszaros, Hungary 1994, S...gS 6.dxcS dxcS 7.ig3 ltJc6 8.ltJa3 ie6'!' It is dubious for White to play 4.dS? ! in view of 4 ...gS S ..tg3 ig7 and his queenside is endangered. 2 12
••.
In the foHowing game, the op ponents suddenly decided to play a position from... the Sicilian De fence: S.Wid2 WixcS 6.f4 ltJc6 7.e4 id7 8.ltJf3 ltJf6 9.�d3 e6 (This looks like the Richter-Rauzer sys tem, does it not?) 1O.a3 �e7 11.�f2 WiaS 12.b4 Wic7f! Poussier - Le Quang Kim, Metz 2009.
5 Jbc5 6.ttJd2 ttJc6 7.e4 ••
g6 Black could consider playing even more ambitiously with 7... gS!? 8.�g3 ltJf6 9.h4 g4f!
8.f4 i,g7
l.d4 d6 It seems to me therefore that this is the right moment for Black to revert to typical King's Indian schemes, because White's options have been reduced to the mini mum. However, since we have de cided not to enter King's Indian territory, I will recommend some thing else to you.
2 ... tLlf6 Now the position looks like a version of the Dragon variation of the Sicilian Defence!
9.tLlc4 tLlf6 1 0 .i.f2 �h5 Black is quite willing to ex change queens, because in an endgame of a Sicilian type he would probably have the initia tive. 11. �xh5 (11.i.e2 i.g4=) 11 . tLlxh5 12.g3 tLlf6+t Rivas Pastor - Epishin, Dos Hermanas 1993. Black's plan ineludes completing the development, transferring of his king's rook to the c8-square and a pawn-storm on the queen side. .
e) 2.i.f4
.
If your opponent knows or suspects that you will try to carry out the plan with e7-eS, or with lLld7 and eS, and he decides to try to impede it, he may play this par ticular move. Indeed, Black can not play now e7-eS and if he tries to prepare it with 2 ... lLld7, then White can continue with 3.lLlf3 , after which Black can play neither e7-eS nor i.c8-g4...
3.e3 After 3.lLlf3 i.g4 we reach posi tions analogous to the variation 2 .lLlf3 i.g4. Tbere, however, in re ply to 3.i.f4, Black would capture on f3, while here he would con tinue with 3 ... lLlf6. The character of the struggle would not change much as a result of this, because we are already familiar with the plans of both sides. So: 4.lLlbd2 (4.e3 lLlbd7 S.i.e2 e6 6.h3 i.hS 7.0-0 i.e7 8.c4 O-O 9.lLlc3 c6 10.�b3 �b6 11.�xb6 axb6 12 .g4 i.g6 13.lLlh4, Heron - Henderson, Aberdeen 1999, 13 ...dS+t) 4 ... lLlbd7 S.h3 (S.c3 e6 6.�b3 E:b8 7. e4 i.e7 8.i.d3 i.hS 9 .�c2 i.g6 10.0-0 O-O 11.lLlh4 lLlxe4. Here 213
Chapter 11 this well-known tactical strike has become possible, because White's bishop on f4 is hanging. 1VtJxg6 fxg6 13.ttlxe4 :1!xf4 14.g3 :1!f8 15.f4 cS=¡: Fauland - Mokry, Graz 1991.) 5 ...�h5 6.c3 e6 (here Black con tinues with his standard plan pawn on e6, bishop on e7, then kingside castling and advancing d5 and c5.) 7...grb3 :1!b8. We have already discussed this moment several times. White's queen at tacks the b7-pawn and Black pro tects it with his rook. 8.e3 �e7 9.ie2 O-O 1O.g4 �g6 1l.ttlh4 �e4. This is again nothing new. It is advisable for Black to exchange this bishop for the knight on d2 and his other knight can wait a little. 12.ttlxe4 ttlxe4 13.ttlf3 d5 14 . ..grc2 :1!c8 (14 ...�d6!? 15.hd6 ttlxd6 16.�d3 Wf6 17.ttld2 g6 18.h4 c5 with a very sharp po sition.) 15.�d3 f5 16.gxf5 exf5f2 Filipovich - Mahadevan, Toronto 2002. 3.lDc3 lDbd7. Black is prepar ing a blow against his opponent's centre: e5 or c5, depending on cir cumstances. 4.ttlf3 c5 5.e3 (After 5.d5, he can try an extended fian chetto with 5... h6, while if this is not feasible he should continue with a normal fianchetto: 6.h4 g6 7.e4 �g7 8.Wd2 a6 9.a4 Wa5 10':¡�a3 lDh5 l1.ih2 f5 12.ttld1 Wc7 13.exf5 gxf5 14.c4 ttldf6f2 Bo guszlavszkij - Horvath, Zalakaros 2002.) 5 ...g6 6.�c4 �g7 7.Wi'd2, Barva - Peter, Hungary 1995, 7. . . 0-0 8.0-0 ttlb6 9 ..id3 .ig4f2. 2 14
We shall also analyze 4.e4 (in stead of 4.ttlf3) 4 ... e5 5 ..ig3 (This position is similar to the Modern Philidor Defence, but not quite the same, because there White's bishop goes to the g3-square via a longer route. Black plays accord ing to the following scheme: he protects his e5-pawn with the queen from c7, develops his bish op to e7, castles short and then, depending on circumstances, ei ther begins a queenside offensive or reduces the tension in the cen tre.) 5 ... c6 6.ttlf3 Wi'c7 7.a4 .ie7 8. �c4 O-O 9.0-0 a5 (1 should like to remind you that Black must play this move, otherwise, White will continue with a4-a5 himself, depriving Black's pieces ofthe im portant communication square b6.) 1O.ttlh4 g6 11.�e2 Wb6 12. dxe5 dxe5 13.:1!b1 gd8f2 Djoric Obradovic, Vrnjacka Banja 2004.
3
...
ttlbd7
Here is another idea for fans of experimenting: 3 ....ig4 !? 4.f3 (4. ttlf3 - see 3 .ttlf3 �g4 4.e3) 4...ih5 5.g4 �g6 6.h4 h5 7.g5 ttld5f2
4.ttlf3 ttlh5
l.d4 d6 White has left his own bishop on f4 without any possibility of retreat and now Black wants to exchange it.
5 . .ig5 S.�g3 'Llxg3 6.hxg3 g6 7.�c4 'Llf6 8.'Llbd2 dS (This is a good move, but 1 think it is even more flexible for Black to play 8 ...�g7 9.�e2 c6�) 9.�d3 �g4 1O.c3 c6 11.�b3 �b6 12.'LleS, McCarthy Roberts, England 2009, 12 ...�g7�
wiIl soon leave this square, which belongs to another piece.
9 ..ig3 llJf5 White's dark-squared bishop wiIl finaIly be exchanged.
1 0 ..id3 llJxg3 1l.hxg3 .ig7 12.llJc3 c5� Prié - Galego, San Sebastian 2 009. D) 2.g3 e5
5 . . . h6 6 ..ih4 g5 7.llJfd2 White is trying to complicate the position. After the straightfor ward response - 7.�g3 �g7 8.�d3 e6, Black's game would be easy and quite understandable, for ex ample: 9.c4 'Llxg3 1O.hxg3 cS 11.0-0 g4 12.'Llfd2 cxd4 13.�xg4 �gS+ Kodua - A.Petrosian, Yere van 1997 (game 54).
7... llJdf6 8 . .ie2 8.�g3 �g7 9.�d3 c6 1O.'Llf1, Muschik - Richter, Germany 2009, 1O ...�b6 11.�c1 �e6+
8 .. llJg7 .
You do not see a fianchettoed knight very often. Meanwhile, it
3.dxe5 If White does not exchange queens, the only line leading to original positions is 3.�g2 exd4 4.�xd4 (He can sacrifice a pawn to speed uphis development, but 1 do not think this attempt is suffi cient to play for a win: 4.'Llf3 cS S.c3 dxc3 6.'Llxc3 'Llf6 7.0-0 �e7 8.e4 'Llc6 9.�f4 O-O 1O.Ele1 �g4 11.h3 �xf3 12.�xf3 Ele8 13.�d1 �aS 14.�e3 Elad8, Epishin - Cha talbashev, Cutro 1999. White has sorne compensation for the sacri ficed pawn, but nothing more.) 4 ... 'Llc6 S.�d2 (S.�d1 g6 6.�d2 �g7 7.�c3 'Llf6 8.'Llh3 O-O 9.'Llf4 Ele8 10.0-0, Abramovic - Ker man, Las Vegas 2007, 1O ... aS 11. 215
Chapter 11 e3 ltJeS�; S.�e3+ fi.e7 6.ltJf3 ltJf6 7.0-0 O-O 8.c4 fi.e6, Romanishin - Tomczak, Germany 1992. Of course, he is playing very origi naUy, but he has not created any real problems for his opponent. After 9.ltJa3 �d7 1O.b3 h6 1l.fi.b2 ltJg4 12 .�d2 fi.f6, Black has an ex ceUent position.) S ...ltJf6 (He plays strictly in the centre. Black wishes to place a pawn on dS and to de velop his bishops, on cS and g4 for example.) 6.ltJh3. White's knight wiU go to f4 and maybe even to dS. (6.b3 dS 7.ltJc3 fi.e6 8.fi.b2 fi.b4 9.a3 fi.aS 1O.b4 fi.b6 1l.ltJa4 o-o 12.ltJxb6 axb6 13.ltJh3 - White lags in development and after the natural move 13.ltJf3 Black would have the powerful riposte 13 ... ltJe4. White is trying to find strange routes for his pieces - 13 ... fi.xh3 ! ? Black quite consistently follows his "central strategy". 14. .b:h3 ge8 lS.fi.g2 ltJeS� Galliamo va - Vaulin, Koszalin 1997. One of his knights eyes the c4-square and the other the e4-square. He has already seized the initiative.) 6 . .. g6 7.ltJf4 fi.g7 8.0-0 O-O 9.ltJc3 ge8 1O.ge1 ltJeS 1l.b3 c6 12.fi.b2 dS� Donchenko - Chekhov, Mos cow 1996. Black has placed a strong pawn on dS and controls much more space thanks to this. White must play very accurately in order not to end up in a worse position. 3.ltJf3 e4 4.ltJgS (4.ltJfd2 fS S. fi.g2 ltJf6 6.c4 - see Chapter S) 4 ... fS S.h4 (S.c4 !l.e7 - see Chapter 6) 216
S ... ltJf6 6.c4 fi.e7 7.ltJc3 c6 - see Chapter 6, variation Cl.
3
•••
dxe5 4.�xd8+ xd8
Dl) 5 .ig2 D2) 5.ltJc3 .
Sorne other, rather abstract, manoeuvres are not so dangerous for Black, for example: S.ltJd2 f6 6 .e4 ltJd7 7.ltJc4 ltJcS 8.f3 c6 9.fi.h3 fi.e6 (Black wishes to exchange on e6, in order to win a tempo for the transfer of his knight to the d4square.) 1O ..b:e6 ltJxe6 1l.fi.d2 bS 12.ltJe3 fi.cs� Bandza - Belikov, Kecskemet 1992. S.b3 c6 6.fi.a3 fi.e7 (The last few moves of both sides resemble a game between young children who is going to be trickier... ? White wants the exchange ofbish ops to take place on a3, in order to win a tempo for the transfer of his knight to the c4-square. Black wants the exchange to be on e7, so that his king can occupy this square right away.) 7.e4 ltJf6 8.f3 aS 9.!l.h3 ltJbd7 (However, Black is reluctant to exchange the light-
1.d4 d6 2.g3 e5 3.dxe5 dxe5 4. �xd8+ mxd8 squared bishops; after that the enemy knight might go to h3 and from there occupy the g5-square, or the d3-outpost, via f2 .) 10. !xe7+ (White is the first to tire of the waiting game ...) 1O ... mxe7 11. a3 h5 12.mf2 h4+! Samovojska Lalic, Pula 1992. 5.f4 (The drawback of this move is that White voluntarily creates an isolated pawn for him self on e2.) 5 ... exf4 (Here "Rybka" 's recommendation for Black de serves consideration: 5 ... ct:Jc6 6. ct:Jf3 ct:Jd4!?) 6.!xf4 .td6!? (Black is also ready to end up with an isolated pawn just to get rid of the pressure against his c7-pawn and to ensure the e7-square for his king.) 7.!xd6 cxd6 8.ct:Jc3 ct:Jf6 9J"ldl me7 10.ct:Jb5 ct:Je8 (This is just a temporary retreat, because Black wiIl soon expel the enemy knight from the b5-square.) 11. i,g2 ct:Jc6 12.ct:Jh3 (White's knight dreams about going to d5, but Black succeeds in covering aIl his weaknesses.) 12 ... a6 13.ct:Jd4 ct:Je5 14.ct:Jf4 ct:Jf6 15.b3 !"lb8+! Reschke - Lorenz, Germany 1997. Black has protected everything and now wants to begin a kingside offen sive (h5, g5 etc.).
Dla) 6.f4 Dlb) 6.lLlc3 Dla) 6.f4 White leads in development and according to aIl the principIes of strategy he should strive to open the position. The drawback of this move is that he ends up with an isolated pawn on e2 and under favourable circumstances Black may obtain an exceIlent outpost for his pieces on the e5square.
6
•••
exf4 7 .hf4 lLle7 •
This knight goes to g6, in order to repel the enemy bishop from f4 and occupy the e5-square.
8.lLlc3 lLlg6 9. 0 - 0 - 0 + lLld7
Dl) 5 .tg2 .
This is a logical move, but it is a bit slow.
5 . c6 ..
Black builds a wall on the long diagonal and frees the c7-square for his king. 217
Chapter 11 1 0 . tLlf3 If White's bishop retreats, then after 1O.i.e3 rj]c7 l1olLlf3 lLldeS= Black wiIl fortify his knight in the eS-outpost. After 1O.lLlh3 lLlxf4 11olLlxf4 it is far from clear what White's knight is doing on f4. Black unpins his d7-knight and transfers it to eS: 11...mc7 12.:1'lhf1 lLleS 13.lLld3 (White corrects his pawn-struc ture thanks to this move, but now the position is simplified even more.) 13 ... lLlxd3+ 14.exd3 f6 15. d4 i.g4 16.i.f3, draw, Jirovsky Lipka, Czech Republic 2 0010
10 tLlxf4 1l.gxf4 i.b4 12. tLle4 me7 13.a3 •.•
After 13.:1'ld4 �aS 14.lLld6 i.b6 IS.lLlxcS+ :1'lhxcS 16.:1'lc4 :1'ldS't Shneider - Bagirov, Moscow 1991 (game 55), Black obtained a slight advantage.
13
..•
i.a5 14.tLld6 i.c7
proximately equal position.
15
• • .
mxd6!
Black is not afraid of ghosts!
16.tLlxc6+ After 16.lLlbS+ rj]c5 17.lLlxc7 :1'lbS::¡: White's knight wiIl not es cape from the c7-square.
16 me6 17.tLld4+ mf6 18. ghf1 a6-+ - Black has parried ••.
aH the threats and remained with an extra piece in the game Davies - Finkel, Beer-Sheva 1994.
D1b) 6.tLlc3 i.e6 7.f4 White must play this under mining move because in a calm maneuvering struggle Black's prospects are at least equal, for example: 7.lLlf3 f6 S.�e3 rj]c7 9.a3 lLle7 10.0-0-0 lLld7 l1oh4 hS 12. i.h3 hh3 13.:1'lxh3 lLlfS 14.i.d2 i.e7+ Pali - Antok, Aviles 2003. Black has more space and his king is much more active.
7... exf4 8.i.xf4 tLld7 9.tLlf3
15.tLld4? This spectacular move is based on a tactical oversight. It was cor rect for White to continue with IS.lLlxcS+ :1'laxcS 16.e3 with an ap21S
9 i.b4 1 think Black does not have ..•
enough time to play the aH-pur pose fortifying move 9 .. .f6. He
l.d4 d6 2.g3 e5 3.dxe5 dxe5 4. WIxd8+ @xd8 lags considerably in development and in this case White wiIl suc ceed in occupying the vulnerable d6-outpost. So Black must con sent to the exchange of his light squared bishop.
1 0 .ltJg5 ltJgf6 11.ltJxe6+ fxe6 12. 0 - 0 - 0 @e7 Now his king is quite safe, right in the centre of the board.
13.a3 White is willing to compro mise his pawn-structure irrevoca bly for the sake of obtaining the famous advantage of the two bish ops.
13 hc3 14.Ad6+ @f7 15. bxc3 ltJb6 16.e4 ltJc4 17.e5, •••
Benjamin - Christiansen, Inter net 2 010, 17... �ad8! 18.Ah3 �he8� In this particular position Black's knights are not inferior at aIl to White's bishop-pair.
D2) 5.ltJc3
5 Ab4 .••
The English grandmaster Ni gel Davies, in his exceIlent and instructive CD "1.. .d6 Universal",
recommends here the seldom played move 5 ....tf5. He suggests studying the foIlowing games: 6.e4 (6 ..tg5+ f6 7.0-0-0+ ltJd7 8 . .te3 c6 9.f4 @c7 1O.tLlf3 .tb4� Bek ker-Jensen - Rasmussen, Den mark 1999) 6 ....te6 7.f4 .tb4 8. tLlf3 tLlf6 9.tLlg5 E:e8, Bezold - Dut schak, Wuerzburg 1997. However, Davies does not consider a very strong move for White - 1O ..td2! (in the game 1O ..te3 was played.). The idea is to prevent the dou bling of the pawns on c3, to elimi nate the pressure against the e4pawn and, of course, to prepare queenside castling. Black's de fence would be very difficult, for example: 1O ... h6 (1O ...exf4 11.gxf4 tLlc6 12 ..td3;t; and White's central pawns are ready for a decisive of fensive: 1O ... tLlc6 11.a3 .tc5 12.f5 .td7 13 . .tc4± tLlg4?! 14.h3) 11. tLlxe6+ E:xe6 12 ..th3 (12 ..tc4 ! ? E:e7 13.fxe5) 12 ... E:e7 13.0-0-0. The main theoretical line here is 5 ... c6, but I do not like this move for Black very mucho He is behind in development anyway and in stead of developing a piece he makes an abstract move with a pawn (he may not need this move at aH ... ), weakening the d6-square in the process. In fact, in this po sition, in contrast to the endgame in the Modern Philidor Defence, White does not have a pawn on e4, so his knight on c3 may use this square at sorne point and penetrate to the d6-outpost.
6.Ad2 219
Chapter 11 There have not been very many games played with this line, but 1 wiH try, at least briefly, to deal here with aH the reasonable pos sibilities for White. 6 ..tgS+ lfle8 7.0-0-0 éiJe7 8. i.d2 .taS!? (Black could consider 8 ... a6 9.f4 éiJbc6.) 9.f4 éiJbc6 10. éiJf3 exf4 11.,hf4 .te6+! 6.f4 (In response to this logical move, Black has an interesting tactical possibility.) 6 ... éiJf6 ! ? 7. fxeS éiJe4 8.a3 (After 8.,tg2 éiJxc3 9 ..td2 éiJxa2 1OJ:l:xa2 hd2+ 11. Iflxd2 8:e8+! he has an exceHent position.) 8 ... hc3+ 9.bxc3 8:e8 1O.éiJf3 (1O.,tb2 ie6! ? 11.i.g2 éiJcS and Black has good compensation for the sacrificed pawn.) 1O ... éiJc6 11.éiJgS ,tfS ! ? 12.ig2 (His pieces are very active and if White cap tures a second pawn, then the game may end in a repetition of moves: 12.éiJxV+ lfle7 13.éiJgS h6 14.éiJf3 éiJxc3 lS . .td2 éiJe4 16.,te3 éiJc3) 12 ...éiJxgS 13.,hgS+ Iflc8 14. 0-0-0 8:xeS+! 6.,tg2, Vidakovic - Bozic, Cro atia 2007, 6 ... éiJf6 ! ? (Black wants to develop his kingside pieces as quickly as possible.) 7.f4 (7.id2 lfle7 8.0-0-0 8:d8 9.éiJf3 éiJc6 1O.éiJbS id6+!; 7 ..tgS lfle7 8. 0-0-0 hc3 9.bxc3 h6 1O ..td2 8:d8 11.c4 aS+!) 7... éiJbd7 8.éiJf3 (8. éiJh3 8:e8+!) 8 ...exf4 9.hf4 éiJdS 1O.id2 éiJxc3 11.bxc3 i.d6+! Of course the variations which
220
1 have analyzed here cannot ex haust aH the possibilities of the position. 1 only wanted to show you that Black has numerous and varied resources. If White does not play precisely and does not re act properly to concrete situa tions, Black may easily seize the initiative.
6
•••
.te6
7.a3 A double-edged position might arise after 7.0-0-0 éiJd7 8.f4 éiJgf6 9.éiJf3 éiJg4! ? lOJ'l:e1 f6
7 .te7 8. 0 - 0 - 0 éiJd7 9.f4 •••
The exchange of the light squared bishops is not at aH dan gerous for Black: 9.,th3 hh3 10. éiJxh3 c6 11.f4 1fle8 12 .éiJgS éiJgf6+!
9
••.
éiJh6
Black could also consider 9 ... éiJgf6 1O.éiJf3 éiJg4.
10 .e4 .tg4 1l .te2 he2 12. éiJgxe2 éiJg4 13.gdf1 .tc5 14.gf3 ge8 15.h3 éiJgf6+! Milov - Piku la, Winterthur 2001 (game 56). •
Chapter 11
l.d4 d6
Complete Games
53
Nedimovic
Tratar
14 .!Bb6 15.dxe6 he6 16. .!Bd5 .!Bxd5
1.d4 d6 2 . .!BfJ .!Bf6 3.ig5 .!Bbd7 4 .!Bc3 h6 5.ih4 g5 6.ig3 .!Bh5 7.e4 i.g7 8.\1!!ld 2 a6 9. 0 - 0 - 0 e6 1 0 .'tt>b 1 \1!!le 7 11.ic4 b5 12.id3 .!Bxg3 13.hxg3 eS
Black could also have played 16 ...Wb7 17.ltJxb6 Wxb6 18.c3 gd8 with slightly the better prospects.
Portoroz 2005 •
•..
17.exd5 \1!!lf6 In response to 17. . ..ixd5, White would not play 18 . .ixb5+ axb5 19.�xd5 o-o when the open a-file would be the basis for a powerful attack for Black, but 18.ghe1 i.e6 19.i.e4 0-0-0 20.�a5 and White would have dangerous initiative for the sacrificed pawn.
18.c3 id7 19.ghe1+ <;t>d8
Looking at the diagrammed position, you might gain the im pression that Black already has the initiative. In fact, nothing very terrible for White has happened yet.
The safest place for Black's king is in the middle of the board. 2 O .ge2 a5 21.gde1 b4 22.
cxb4 axb4 23.\1!!lc1 ge8 24.\1!!lc2 gxe2 25.gxe2
14.d5 Here White could have tried an interesting pawn-sacrifice to impede Black's offensive: 14.dxc5 ltJxc5 15.e5!? dxe5 16.We3. In stead, Nedimovic decided to con tinue the fight in a position with material equality.
25
• . .
ia4 221
Chapter 11 Black does not achieve much with the spectacular move 25 ... E1a3. After 26.liJe1 h5 27.\!ffc4 g4, Black's rook is again untouchable - 28.bxa3? �a1+ 29.<,t>c2 i.a4+ 30.<,t>d2 i.h6+ 31.E1e3 �d1#, but White can play simply 28.i.h7 and it hard to see how Black can im prove his position.
26.�e4 ga7 27.t�·e4 .id7 28. liJh2 h5 29.ttJf1 �d4
Black breaks through along the a-file and finally organizes a mating aUack.
35.'it,>d2? This move loses right away. He could have offered more tenacious resistance with 35.i.e2.
35 e4 36 .ie2 .b:b2 37.a4 .ie3+ 38.�d1 fuca4 39 .b:d3 exd3. Black resigned. ..•
•
•
54
Kodua
-
A.Petrosian
Yerevan 1997
1.d4 ttJf6 2.ttJf3 d6 3 ..if4 ttJbd7 4.e3 ttJh5 5 . .ig5 h6 6 . .ih4 g5 7..ig3 .ig7 8 ..id3 e6 9. e4 ttJxg3 1 0 .hxg3 e5 11. 0 - 0 g4 12.ttJfd2 exd4 13.tbg4 �g5
This is the correct decision. If he cannot checkmate his oppo nent, he should not try for too much out of the position and he should enter a favourable end game instead. 3 O .ttJe3 �xe4 31.,he4 .ib5
32.ge1 ge7 33 ..if3? White did not need to give up control of the d3-square. He should have played 33.f3.
33
•..
.id3+ 34.�e1
It would be even worse for him to move his king into the comer: 34.<,t>a1 c4 35.i.e2 i.d4 and White's defence is tremendously difficult. For example: 36.bd3 cxd3 37. <,t>b1 f5 38.E1d1 he3 39.fxe3 E1xe3-+
34... ga7 222
14.�e2 In the endgame after 14.�xg5 hxg5 15.exd4 bd4 16.liJc3 bc3 17.bxc3 liJc5, White's defence would be very difficult, so he is trying to create complications by sacrificing a pawn.
14 ... dxe3 15.ttJe4 �e5 Black's queen has occupied an ideal position in the centre. It cov ers his king and exerts pressure against the enemy position. 16.fxe3 o - o 17.g4 d5 18.
l.d4 d6 c!L\ee3 d4 19.c!L\e4 dxe3 2 0 .g5 hxg5 21.c!L\be3 f5 It was even stronger for him to play 21...g4.
22.c!L\xg5 c!L\f6 23.�f3 White would not solve his problems with 23.tLlf3 '1f1c5 24. c!L\a4 '1f1e7 25.'1f1xe3 in view of 25 ... tLlg4 26.'1f1e2 '1f1d7! and his king is very uncomfortable.
23 .ih6 24.c!L\h3 c!L\g4 25.g3 .id7 26.c!L\f4 �f6 27.�e1 .te6 28.�m �d8 29.c!L\h5 �g6 3 0 . c!L\f4 .txf4 31.�xf4 �h8 ••.
Black could have finished the game off with an aUractive check mate: 31.. .'1f1xf4! 32 .gxf4 tLlf2 + 33.mf1 i.g2+ 34.mg1 i.h3+ 35. mh2 l:'!g2#, but he was obviously not interested in beautiful solu tions. 32 ..ie4 �d2. White resigned.
55
A.Shneider
-
Bagirov
Moscow 1991
1.d4 d6 2.g3 e5 3.dxe5 dxe5 4.Ybd8+ <;!;>xd8 5 .tg2 e6 6.f4 exf4 7 .txf4 c!L\e7 8.c!L\e3 c!L\g6 9. 0 - 0 - 0 + c!L\d7 1 0 .c!L\f3 c!L\xf4 11.gxf4 .ib4 12.c!L\e4 <;!;>e7 13. �d4 .ta5 14.c!L\d6 .tb6 15.c!L\xe8+ �hxe8 16.�e4 �d8 •
•
17.c!L\d4 This atlempt at activity is not justified at all and only serves to worsen White's position consid erably. He should think about de fending: 17.l:'!c3 c!L\f6 18.c!L\e5 etc.
17 c!L\f6 18.c!L\f5+ <;!;>f8 19. ¡k3 g6 2 O .c!L\g3 c!L\g4 21 ..if3 .ie3+ 22.<;!;>b1 c!L\f2 23.�f1 •••
After 23.l:'!xe3 tLlxh1, Black is threatening a checkmate on dI. Now he wins a pawn thanks to the weakness of his opponent's back rank.
23 .txf4 24.e3 hg3 25. hxg3 c!L\h3 26.b4 c!L\g5 27..th1 a6 28.a4 �d6 29.b5 exb5 3 O .hb7 �b8 31.�e7 <;!;>e8 32 . .ig2 bxa4+ 33. <;!;>a2 <;!;>d8 34. �a7 �d2 35 .th1 �xe2+ 36.<;!;>a3 �e3+ 37.<;!;>a2 •..
•
White could have defended more resiliently with the line 37. mxa4 tLle6 38.l:'!b7 l:'!xb7 39 ..ixb7 me7, but that would hardly have changed the final result.
37 a3 38.�xa6 �b2+ 39. <;!;>a1 �xe3. White resigned. .••
56
Milov
Pikula
Winterthur 2001
l.d4 d6 2.g3 e5 3.dxe5 dxe5 4. �xd8+ <;!;>xd8 5.c!L\e3 .tb4 6 . .id2 .ie6 7.a3 .ie7 8. 0 - 0 - 0 c!L\d7 9.f4 c!L\h6 1 0 .e4 .ig4 1 1. .ie2 he2 12.c!L\gxe2 c!L\g4 13. �df1 .te5 14.�f3 �e8 15.h3 c!L\gf6 16.�e1 e6 17.g4 exf4 18.tlJxf4 c!L\e5 19.�m c!L\fd7 2 O .tlJd3 .td6 223
Chapter 11 difference in the activity of the kings is considerable and most probably White's monarch will manage to break through on the queenside in time. 49.a4
Black has created an outpost on eS and protected it quite se curely.
21.ttle2
It looks as ifhe was only think ing about drawing, because after 2 6 ...ttlc4!? 27J�e2 g6 28.ttld4 ttl de5, he could have tried to seize the initiative.
27.ttlg3 ttlc5 28.i.e3 ttld7 Here, Blackshould have played more resolutely: 28 ... id6 29.ttlf5 ttlxe4 30.l'%g2 1f8 31.�a7
31.i.d2 ttlc5 32.ttlxc5 White avoids the repetition of moves and gradually outplays his rather timid opponent. 32 hc5 33.�e2 g6 34.�f1 •..
:Se6 35.:Seel i.d6 36.ttle2 i.e5 37.ttlf4 �4 38.�xf4 �de8 39. �ef1 ttld6 4 0 .:Sxf6 :Sxf6 41. �xf6 ttlxe4 42.�f7 ttlxd2 43.
224
It appears that White could have won with the following vari ation: 53.h5 gxh5 54.gxh5
53
After 58.
58
•.•
It was correct for Black to play 58 ...
59.
59
Maybe White simply forgot about this idea? Now, his king cannot leave the back rank. 64.
