Grandmaster Opening Preparation By
J Jaan aan Ehlvest Ehlvest
Quality Chess www.qualitychess.co.uk www .qualitychess.co.uk
First edition 2018 by Quality Chess UK Ltd Copyright © 2018 Jaan Ehlvest
GRANDMASTER OPENING PREPARATION All rights reserved. No No part of this publication may be reproduced, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, m eans, electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of the publisher publisher.. Hardcover ISBN 978-1-78483-053-3 All sales or enquiries should be directed to Quality Chess UK Ltd, Central Chambers, Suite 247, 247 , 11 Bothwell Street Glasgow G2 6LY 6LY, United Kingdom Phone +44 141 204 2073 e-mail:
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Preface Tis book is about my thoughts concerning opening preparation. It is not a strict manual; instead it follows my personal experience on the subject of openings. Tere are many opening theory manuals available in the market with deep computer analysis – but the human part of the process is missing. Tis book aims to fill this gap. I tried to present the material which influenced me the most in my chess career c areer.. Tis is why a large l arge chapter on the Isolated Queen’s Pawn is present. Tese types of opening positions boosted my chess understanding and helped me advance to the top. My method of explaining the evolution in thinking about the IQP is to trace the history of games with the arrasch Defence, from Siegbert arrasch arrasch himself to Garry Kasparov. Kasparov. Te recommended theory moves may have changed c hanged in the 21st century, but there are many positional ideas that can best be understood by studying “ancient” games. Some readers may find this book answers their questions about which openings to play, how to properly use computer evaluations, and so on. However, the aim of this book is not to give readymade answers – I will not ask ask you to memorize that on move 23 of a certain line you must play ¤d5. In chess, the ability to analyse and arrive at the right conclusions yourself is the most valuable skill. I hope that every chess player and coach who reads this book will develop his or her understanding of opening preparation. Te book includes a lot of games which are historically significant, but my main focus is on the opening phase of the game. Even so, usually I prefer to give the whole game, even if the final unannotated moves are not strictly relevant to my theme. I wish any readers who are curious about how the game ended to have the option to play through the remaining moves. Or if you prefer, you may ignore the final moves and skip ahead to my next point. I am sure that a reader who is especially keen may also find these games in other sources with comments on the phases after the opening. I would like to thank my opponents and other chess players who contributed to this book with their games; they are definitely co-authors of this book. Finally, I would like to thank Jacob Aagaard and Quality Chess for for accepting me as an author. author. Jaan Ehlvest Ehlvest allinn, Estonia April 2018
Contents Preface Key to Symbols used 1
2
3
4 5 6
Introduction Overview of the opening problem Brief history Evoluti Ev olution on of the Isolated Pawn Siegbertt arrasc Siegber arrasch h Paul Keres Anatoly Lein Boris Spassky Garry Kasparov Application of classical ideas Exercises Solutions Key Ideas and Positi ositions ons Opening concepts Te critical or key position in the opening Critical positions in the Scheveningen Sozin Attack Keres Attack Positional ideas Computer Pr Preparation eparation versus Human Common Sense Modern rends in the Opening Memorizing Opening Lines
3 6 7 10 11 19 23 36 48 56 72 95 109 113 125 135 153 156 158 168 173 187 207 211
7
8
Overview of Critical Positions Some final thoughts about the opening Critical positions for White after 1.e4 Sicilian Defence Closed systems for White How to Build Your Opening Repert Repertoire oire Te beginner Te tournament player Pre-professional Pre-pr ofessional level Professional level Psychological Psych ological warfare in chess Opening repertoire for women
221 221 221 224 226 229 229 235 236 247 252 258
Game Index Name Index Opening Index
262 266 271
Key to symbols used ² ³ ± µ +– –+ = © „ ÷
White is slightly better Black is slightly better White is better Black is better White has a decisive advantage advantage Black has a decisive advantage equality with compensation with counterplay unclear
? ?? ! !! !? ?! #
a weak move a blunder a good move an excellent move a move worth considering a move of doubtful value mate
Chapter 1 Introduction In recent years the opening phase has become the most important subject in competitive chess. Te use of strong computer programs has offered a helping hand, and in some cases has made chess understanding almost unnecessary for becoming a grandmaster. Many players think that there is no longer a need for a coach: you just need to check the computer evaluation. Tere are hundreds of opening books available for different levels. Most of them contain thousands of lines where the only explanation given is that one move is good and another is not, based on the computer’s evaluation. Te reasons why some moves are wrong and why you should play a particular line are not explained. How top players distinguish between good and bad lines and moves remains a secret. What is going on in the head of World World Champion Magnus Carlsen is not available to the general public. Opening preparation is the most secretive phase of a player’s chess preparation. One may remember the scandals during the Karpov – Kasparov confrontations, when some of their seconds were accused of selling information information to their opponent’s opponent’s team. In the past we had adjournments in chess tournaments, when the sealed move was the most valuable secret that one might want to know. Nowadays, any information about your potential opponent, even if it’s only their first move, is already valuable. Te main goal is to reduce the risk of being surprised, to prepare yourself so well that you are not afraid of what your opponent might do. Of course this is not totally achievable: it always depends on the strength of your opposition. In the Moscow Olympiad in 1994, I was playing on Board 2 for Estonia. Our team was doing very well, and I was winning game after game. One day I was discussing my performance with my good friend, and one of the best coaches I ever met, Alexander Yurkov Yurkov.. He pointed out ou t that everything depends on the level at which you are playing. Weaker opponents just do not test your opening lines adequately, adequately, for example. Tis can mean that t hat you do not need to start solving problems at the very beginning of the game, and because of that you are less likely to get into time trouble. Te next day I was Black against Vladimir Kramnik, and now I had a problem to solve: which opening to choose. My idea was just to get away from his opening preparation as soon as possible.
Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
8
Vladimir Kramnik – Jaan Ehlvest Moscow (ol) 1994
1.¤f3 b6
Here I did not have much of a choice. It was a long time since I had played in supertournaments, and my opening preparation was limited to open events, where, being usually one of the favourites, I often played risky lines anyway. Against Kramnik I did not want to play some major classical line without having studied the position at least for a week. 2.e4 Kramnik was at that time rated 2725, and I did not believe that he had ever looked at 1.¤f3 b6. ¥ b7 ¥ d3 2... ¥ b7 3.¤c3 e6 4.d4 ¥ b4 b4 5. ¥ d3 ¤f6 ¥ g5 ¥ 6. ¥ g5 h6 7. ¥ xf6 £ xf6 8.0–0 ¥ 8.0–0 ¥ xc3 8...0–0 9.¤e2 feels slightly unpleasant for Black. 9.bxc3 d5?! Tis move looks suspect, but this was my plan: to make my opponent solve concrete problems as soon as possible. Back then (and still today), Kramnik was one of the best positional players around. I did not want to
defend a slightly worse position. Instead I posed him some questions very early in the game.
10.exd5 ¥ 10.exd5 ¥ xd5 11.¤e5 0–0 12.£ 12.£h5
12...£d8!? 12...£ I did not like 12...£g5 because of the possible 13.£xg5 hxg5 14.f4, when White has an initiative in the endgame. White can also just play 13.£h3. 13.c4 13.f4 ¤d7 and Black is just in time. ¥ b7 13... ¥ b7 14.d5 £d6 Te only move.
Chapter 1 – Introduction
9
14...exd5?? would lose immediately to 15. £f5 g6 16.¤xg6+–.
(22...£xc4 23.£f4† ¢g7 24.¦e7†+–) 23.¦e6† ¢f7 24.¦fe1+–
¦ae1 exd5 16.£ 15.¦ 15. 16.£f5 g6 17.£ 17.£h3 ¢g7
20...¤d7 21.f5 ¦h8! 22.fxg6† 22.£xg6†?! ¢f8! is fine for Black.
18.¤ xf7! ¢ xf7 18...¦xf7 19.¦e6 £f4 (19...¥c8 20.¦xd6 ¥xh3 21.¦xg6† ¢f8 22.gxh3±) 20.¦xg6† ¢f8 21.g3+– £ xh6 ¦g8 19.£ 19.
20.f4?! Until this point, Kramnik had played an excellent game. In time trouble he probably missed that after 20.¦e3 d4 he has: 21.c5! £xc5 22.¥c4†! ¢f6
22...¢g8 23.£ 22...¢ 23.£f4 £ xf4 Now I offered a draw, which was accepted. My bluff in the opening was successful this time, but you cannot rely on this very often. ½–½ It was obvious after this game that I was not ready to play Kramnik-level players every day. I would need some opening preparation to survive their pressure. Te next year I was invited to play in a series of super-tournaments, and with the help of Yurkov my opening preparation improved drastically drastically.. At that time I did not pay much attention to opening preparation in general. I started to think about it only in later years, when I became a coach myself. I think I tried to follow the same route as my coaches in the Soviet Union: just concentrating on the moves or analysis without spending much time on opening philosophy. One thing, which was taught to t o me by Yurkov, Yurkov, was clear – you should shou ld not come to any final conclusions too quickly. If you studied a position for at least a week then you might have a valid opinion about it. Of course, this was the golden era, when computers had not yet interfered. Opening preparation is very ver y different today. In some cases, as we know know,, there are still some very prominent chess theoreticians around who are helping today’s top players. One of them is Vladimir ukmakov, who has helped Anish Giri for years and has probably contributed a lot to his opening preparation. Some of the players are themselves established authorities, like Boris Gelfand and Vassily Ivanchuk.
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Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
Tey share the common trait that they work very hard on their openings and most likely they have a very good professional memory. Years Y ears ago, there there was a joke about it. It was was said that the late Estonian GM Lembit Oll was one of the best and he knew nearly everything, but Vassily was a little bit better, the reason being that not only did he know everything that Lembit knew, but he even knew the blitz games played by Dutch GM Jeroen Piket.
and finally your coach introduces you to the systems that he or she knows the best. Te young player advances on the rating ladder and their openings develop accordingly. At every stage there are some openings that are good and some to which you need to say goodbye. Finally, you reach the World Championship match and you play only very limited openings. What happened? Why can you not play all the openings you would like to play?
Tis of course raises the question of what is more important: to just remember all the lines or to understand the subtle nuances of those variations as well. I think it depends on your level in chess. In this book I aim to present material mostly from my own experience; I am sure this is not the final truth. Everybody can draw their own conclusions from the material presented here – I am sure it has something for everybody. Coaches might see something in a new light, especially as many coaches lack practical opening preparation themselves. I am happy if my fellow grandmasters also find this material useful. Te aim of this book is to give you the knowledge of how to work on your opening preparation. Te book is not only for players. I am sure most professional seconds and coaches will gain some value from my observations and from the practical examples given. It is not a scientific paper or manual, but rather I have tried to present material which has an emotional connection with my chess career.
Chess, in this instance, is like life. You can love anyone you like when you are young and romantic, but you cannot marry just anyone when you mature. Tis transformation, after which you need to play more solid or classical chess (I will explain later what I mean by classical) cannot be ignored. Or if you do ignore it, then you will probably not advance high enough and would probably not be reading this sentence now.
Overview of the opening problem Opening theory stands out in chess because you face it immediately when starting to play. Your first introduction may be Fool’s Mate. Ten some other tricks are taught
Opening theory is like a living thing, it has its own evolution and development. Tere is a huge amount of data: all the games played up till today, and a certain number of possible games which are hidden in the black box, although we know they exist. oday oday we can c an be sure that every second somebody is running some opening line on their computer and is probably hoping to notice some discrepancy in known theory, or just preparing to make a bluff. Te criterion for commonly accepted correct lines today is the so-called computer proof. Tis was not the case in the past – we just did not have computers. Practice was the arbiter of truth. It took months, years, even decades to establish a final verdict. Te grandmaster was the solver of the secret. Well-known theoreticians were the authorities in the domain of opening theory.
Chapter 1 – Introduction oday there are a lot of very talented youngsters, but not all of them become strong grandmasters. One trait, however however,, is common: c ommon: they study opening theory a lot. Te problem is how to work with the data. Even before that you need to have some idea what you want from this data, which is available using the ChessBase program and hundreds of opening books. Finally, there are also paid consultants available: private coaches. At the very top level, there is a whole team of consultants.
Brief history Chess openings are not natural phenomena – they are man-made creations. Some opening ideas that were created hundreds of years ago are still used today in top games. For example the Italian Game has been played and analysed since the 16th century. Te Italian Game is also known as the Giuoco Piano, which means “quiet game” – an apt description. We shall see later how World Champion Magnus Carlsen plays this opening quietly yet effectively effecti vely.. How were the secrets of this opening developed in medieval times? Who told the players where to develop their pieces? Chess logic gives some hint. o attack the f7-square as quickly as possible, developing the bishop and knight for this purpose looks like a good plan. Chess history tells us that at the end of the 19th century the romantic style changed to a more positional approach, when Wilhelm Steinitz became the first official World Champion. Steinitz’s new positional style prevailed. We may say that in the 16th century, players could not create a correct opening system because of their lack of knowledge. Before Steinitz there was Paul Morphy, but he was a romantic player: quick development and attack at any cost.
11
We can only speculate how the openings We evolved from the past. Did they have enough data in the 16th century to use practice as the criterion of truth? Most likely not, but definitely other factors were present, among them fashion and the master who played the opening in a certain way. If we look into human evolution using the chess paradigm, then the human player from the 16th century looks like some savage who probably could not beat today’s schoolchildren. Tey were not so sophisticated back then, but they had already started to build opening theory, and once again it is amazing to see that some of their openings are still used today. Chess is, at least in theory, a system with a finite number of possible games. We We do not need to calculate the number of all possible chess games, but opening theory makes a point: today, some openings are listed as no good. Te history of opening theory as such does not offer much of value to t o the practical game today today,, but it gives you a lot of understanding behind the lines. We will look at this in more detail in the chapter on the isolated pawn. Nobody cares today what openings were played in the 19th century centur y. Professional opening preparation and study started much later later.. First there was Botvinnik, some may argue, but it is commonly accepted that Robert James Fischer was one of the first real professionals. Wee can assume that from 1970 opening W preparation became the major part of the top player’s everyday work on chess. Anatoly Karpov, Viktor Korchnoi and Garry Kasparov were the leading theoreticians theoreticians for decades. In the late 1980s another player stormed to the top: the controversial, but very talented and hard-working, Vassily Ivanchuk, a player who can say about himself that chess c hess is really his life. It is a pity that Vassily has not written about (or at least has not published) any of his hidden path on the road to excellence.
Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
12
I remember once at the Linares supertournament in 1991 when, after I lost a game against Jan imman, we ended up in Vassily’s hotel room and went through the game. Tis was a very disappointing tournament for me, but Vassily beat both his rivals, Karpov and Kasparov, and there seemed no doubt that he would be the next World Champion. Tis would never happen, but we did not know that yet. However However,, he was definitely interested in my game with imman, and he graciously recommended and showed me which plan I should have followed in the critical position.
Jan imman imman – Jaan Ehlvest Linares 1991
1.d4 ¤f6 2.c4 e6 3. ¤f3 b6 4.g3 ¥ 4.g3 ¥ b7 b7 My countryman Paul Keres was a huge expert on the Queen’s Indian Defence and he played both 4...¥a6 and the text move. 4... ¥b7 was just considered too solid, and this is why 4...¥a6 was introduced by Keres as a more aggressive move against weaker opponents. ¥ g2 ¥ 5. ¥ g2 ¥ e7 e7 6.0–0 0–0 7.¤c3 ¤e4
imman was not doing well in the tournament and I was not in the mood to
fight either. Suddenly I understood that he was not going to offer me an early draw draw.. Tis lowered my mood, because I never played for a draw, and if I had known that he wanted to play, I would have played a different opening. Te point is that here we are playing for only two possible results. Black can hardly push for a win in this line of the Queen’s Indian, and in my situation, where I could no longer fight for a good overall result, this boring scenario led me to play below my usual strength. £c2!? 8.£ 8. Somehow I was expecting 8. ¤xe4 ¥xe4 9.¤e1 ¥xg2 10.¤xg2 d5 11.£a4 dxc4 12.£xc4 c5 13.dxc5 ¥xc5 14.¥e3 ¤d7 with a quick draw. 8...¤ xc3 9.£ 9.£ xc3 f5 Tis position was not new to me. I had played it as White in training games against World W orld Championship Candidate and USSR Champion, Andrei Sokolov. We had training camps together during the Soviet Union days. 10.d5! A rare move. Tis was the position that caught Ivanchuk’s eye.
10...exd5 11.¤e1 d4?
Chapter 1 – Introduction I was still under the illusion that we were going to make a draw, and I could not force myself to work on other moves. After the game, Vassily Vassily showed me the correct plan: 11... ¤a6! 12.cxd5 ¤c5
During the game I did not like how the white pawn on d5 was killing my bishop on b7. However, decades later I can see that the Houdini program also agrees with Ivanchuk. Wee looked at this position for a while, and W after that I went to the lobby bar. While sipping a beer, I was still wondering at how good Ivanchuk’s opening preparation, or in this case his erudition, was. ¥ e3 12.£ xd4 ¥ 12.£ xg2 13.¤ xg2 ¦f7 14. ¥ e3 ¤c6 £d5 ¥ f6 15.£ 15. d5 ¥ f6 16.¦ 16.¦ab1
13
16...¤e7? 16...£e7 was much better, with the idea of playing ...£e4 on the next move, but it just was not my day. day. 17.£d3 d6 18.¦ 17.£ 18.¦fd1 £c8 19.b4 £a6 20.£ 20.£b3 ¥ d4 ¤g6 21.¦ 21.¦bc1 ¦e8 22.¦ 22.¦c2 ¤e5 23. ¥ d4 ¤g4?! 24.h3 ¤e5
¥ 25.c5!± bxc5 26.bxc5 dxc5 27. ¥ xc5 ¢h8 £f7 £c8 28.¤e3 ¦d7 29.¦ 29.¦ xd7 ¤ xd7 30. 30.£ ¥ ¥ ¥ d6 31. ¥ xa7 ¦d8 32.£ 32.£c4 c5 33. ¥ xc5 f4 34. ¥ d6 £ xc4 35.¤ xc4 fxg3 36. ¥ ¥ xg3 ¦c8 37.¤e3 ¦a8 38.¤d5 1–0 Mikhail Botvinnik is cited by many as one of the first methodical chess researchers. He did this tedious job when preparing for his world championship matches. Troughout his career, it seems that he always prepared certain openings against certain opponents. As he mentioned himself, his weakness was his less brilliant tactical vision compared with his challengers. Tis handicap was perfectly compensated by a clever choice of openings. Tis is why we can see in his repertoire openings such as the Caro-Kann and the French Defence. Tese are openings in which general strategy is more important than some tactical shot.
Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
14
Mikhail al was the complete opposite of Botvinnik. He was famous for handling dynamic positions and spicing them up with sacrifices. When this was not possible, he sometimes lost his objectivity. I think this is why he had less impressive results against players like Paul Keres, who could counter his ideas, as in the following example.
Mikhail al – Paul Keres Moscow 1959
1.e4 c6 Choosing the Caro-Kann against ambitious and talented players who excelled in dynamics was the perfect decision. Later in the same year, Keres managed to beat Fischer twice with the Caro-Kann in the Candidates tournament in Belgrade. Tis game against al was played in August, just before the Candidates. 2.d4 One of the games mentioned in the t he previous note continued: 2.¤c3 d5 3.¤f3 ¥g4 4.h3 ¥xf3 5.£xf3 ¤f6 6.d3 e6 7.g3 ¥b4 8.¥d2 d4 9.¤b1 £b6 10.b3 a5 11.a3 ¥e7 12.¥g2
12...a4 13.b4 ¤bd7 14.0–0 c5 15.¦a2 0–0 16.bxc5 ¥xc5 17.£e2 e5 18.f4 ¦fc8 19.h4 ¦c6 20.¥h3 £c7 21.fxe5 ¤xe5 22.¥f4 ¥d6 23.h5
23...¦a5 24.h6 ¤g6 25.£f3 ¦h5 26.¥g4 ¤xf4 27.¥xh5 ¤4xh5 28.hxg7 £d7 29.¢g2 ¤g4 30.¤d2 ¤e3† 0–1 Fischer – Keres, Bled/ Zagreb/Belgrade 1959. ¥ f5 ¥ g6 2...d5 3.¤c3 dxe4 4.¤ xe4 xe4 ¥ f5 5.¤g3 g3 ¥ g6 ¥ d3 6.¤f3 ¤d7 7.h4 h6 8. ¥ d3 Some readers might ask why al did not include the move 8.h5 before playing ¥d3. At that time the positional approach, in which White relies on the long-term advantage in the endgame using the fixed pawns on the kingside and the weakness on g7, had not yet been worked out. Piece play prevailed.
¥ ¥ f4 8... ¥ xd3 9.£ 9.£ xd3 ¤gf6 10. ¥ f4 £a5† A good move, after which White cannot castle long unless he retreats the active bishop from f4. Tis is a common idea used today by Caro-Kann aficionados.
Chapter 1 – Introduction 11.c3 e6 12.0–0 ¥ e7 e7 13.¦ 13.¦fe1 0–0 14.¤f5 ¦fe8 Keres makes the most solid move. m ove. 14...exf5 15.¦xe7 ¦ae8 was also possible.
15.¤ xg7?! al did not like grinding chess.
After 15.¤xe7† ¦xe7 16.c4 ¦ee8 17.¥d6 White has some pull. 15...¢ xg7 16.¤e5 ¦h8 17.£ 15...¢ 17.£h3 ¦h7 18.c4 ¥ d2 ¥ c3 ¤f8 19.¦ 19.¦ad1 ¦d8 20. ¥ d2 £b6 21. ¥ c3 ¢g8
White has some compensation and the initiative might look dangerous, but this did not work out against players like Keres.
15
For some reason, after 1959 Keres only played the Caro-Kann on a few occasions. He preferred his other pet opening, the Ruy Lopez. If we look at the statistics, this was not a great success. In his last match in the World Championship cycle against Spassky in Riga in 1965, his choice of the Ruy Lopez was one of the reasons he lost the match. 22.¦e3 ¤e8 23.¦ 22.¦ 23.¦g3† ¤g7 24.¦ 24.¦dd3 f6 ¦ xg6 ¢f7 27.h5 £a6 25.¤g6 ¤ xg6 26. 26.¦ 28.b3 £ xa2 29.d5 cxd5 30.cxd5 ¦ xd5 ¦ xd5 exd5 32. £d3 £a6 33.£ 31.¦ 31. 32.£ 33.£ xd5† £e6 £f3 34.£ 34.
¥ d2 ¥ 34...¦h8 35. ¥ 34...¦ d2 ¦d8 36. ¥ xh6 £e1† ¢h2 £e5† 38.¢ ¥ f4 37.¢ 37. 38.¢g1 ¤f5 39. ¥ f4 £e1† ¢h2 ¦d1 41.¢ 40.¢ 40. 41.¢h3 ¦d4 42.¦ 42.¦g4 £d1 43.h6 ¦d3 44.h7 ¦ xf3† 45.gxf3 £ xf3† ¥ g3 46. ¥ g3 ¤ xg3 0–1 al was not a researcher. He noticed and used the best chess theory created by others. He did well when everything went smoothly his way way.. He became World World Champion in 1960, beating Mikhail Botvinnik convincingly, 12½–8½. A year later, later, however, however, he lost the return match also convincingly, 8–13. In both matches the Caro-Kann was Botvinnik’s main choice when defending
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Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
against al’s 1.e4. In the first match it was something of a surprise for al, al, but not in the second match. However, al had not worked out a general strategy; in other words, he could not present any real problems for Botvinnik to solve. Instead he was just trying to surprise his opponent with some sidelines, which did not work out. It was not the Caro-Kann itself which brought the victory to Botvinnik. Here I just want to point out ou t the differences in opening preparation between the two players. In the third game of the first match, when Botvinnik switched from the Fren French ch Defence to the Caro-Kann, al came up with an astonishing move.
Mikhail al al – Mikhail Botvinnik Moscow (3) 1960
1.e4 c6 Botvinnik had lost the first game of the match with the French Defence and now switched to the more solid Caro-Kann. ¥ g4 2.¤c3 d5 3.¤f3 f3 ¥ g4 4.h3 ¥ 4.h3 ¥ xf3 Tis position was definitely not new to al. Botvinnik had already had this position in his match against Vasily Smyslov two years previously.
5.gxf3? At the time, what exactly happened here was much debated. One theory was that al wanted to show Botvinnik that he could play against him as he pleased. In chess terms this is a horrible move. But the winner is always right, and we can only speculate that this really shocked Botvinnik. Still, he came back in the return match a year later, though at a time when al had very serious health problems, which helped Botvinnik a lot to win the match. ¥ f4 5...e6 6.d4 ¤d7 7. ¥ f4 ¥ b4 b4 8.h4 ¤gf6 ¥ g5 ¥ d2 9.e5 ¤h5 10. ¥ g5 £a5 11. ¥ d2 £b6 12.a3 ¥ e7 ¥ e3 e7 13. ¥ e3 g6 14.¤a4 £d8 15.£ 15.£d2 ¤g7 ¥ g5 ¥ ¥ f4 16. ¥ g5 h6 17. ¥ xh6 ¤f5 18. ¥ f4 ¦ xh4 ¦ xh4 ¤ xh4 19.¦ 19. Black has a big advantage, but al al was lucky luc ky enough to somehow save the game.
20.0–0–0 b5 21.¤c5 ¤ xc5 22.dxc5 ¥ xc5 ¥ e2 23. ¥ e2 ¥ e7 e7 24.¢ 24.¢b1 £c7 25.¦ 25.¦h1 0–0–0 ¥ g3 ¥ f4 26. ¥ g3 ¤f5 27.¦ 27.¦h7 ¦f8 28. ¥ f4 £d8 ¥ d3 £a5 £h1† 29. ¥ d3 ¦h8 30.¦ 30.¦ xh8 £ xh8 31. 31.£ ¢a2 £ xf3 33.£ 32.¢ 32. 33. £a6† ¢b8 34.£ 34.£ xc6 £ xf4 ¥ 35. ¥ xb5 £ xe5 36.£ 36.£e8† ¢b7 37.£ 37.£c6† ¢b8 ½–½ In his youth, al al looked like he was unprepared or just happy to play any position resulting from the opening. In later years he started to
Chapter 1 – Introduction show a much more practical approach. His sudden reappearance at the top started with the Riga Interzonal tournament in 1979. In my opinion, this was due to Kasparov. Garry enjoyed working on openings and he was always very concrete. I do not know exactly when they started working together together,, but in 1980 they had training camps together and played some training games which are available to the public. Tey both missed the correct move order in the following game from 1979.
Mikhail al al – Garry Kasparov Ka sparov Minsk 1979
1.e4 In the USSR Championship in Minsk, al had a mediocre result. Kasparov, however, had just started to rise to stardom, sharing a respectable third place. 1...c5 2.¤f3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4. ¤ xd4 ¤f6 5.¤c3 d6 Te classical Scheveningen, an opening that served Kasparov for years to come.
¥ e2 ¥ e3 6. ¥ e2 ¥ e7 e7 7.0–0 0–0 8.f4 ¤c6 9. ¥ e3 a6 10.a4 ¦e8 11.¢ 11.¢h1 £c7 12.£ 12.£e1 ¤ xd4 ¥ £g3 ¥ d8 13. ¥ xd4 e5 14.fxe5 dxe5 15. 15.£ d8 ¥ e3 16. ¥ e3
17
In the same year, Vladimir Yurkov visited allinn in September, lecturing for a week on the arrasch Defence and the Scheveningen. My knowledge of this line is from that time.
¥ e6? 16... ¥ e6? Seeing this move and the quick draw by repetition that followed, it is clear that both players were satisfied with a quick draw draw.. 16...¢h8! is the correct move order. 17.¦ad1 17.¦ 17.¥h6! g6 18.¦ad1 offers White an advantage. ¥ g5 ¥ e3 ¥ g5 17...¢h8 18. ¥ 17...¢ g5 ¤g8 19. ¥ e3 ¤f6 20. ¥ g5 ¥ e3 ¤g8 21. ¥ e3 I am not against prearranged draws myself; my point here is that it is obvious that al al and Kasparov had already started working together at around that time. ½–½ Very soon after this cooperation began, al produced not just good results, but excellent ones. It might sound strange, but the young Kasparov influenced him tremendously in opening preparation. al himself probably did not change his attitude much. He never became a researcher himself: he just assimilated
18
Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
the available information and used it in the best way. In 1979 he won the Riga Interzonal and showed some tremendous ideas in the openings. In opening preparation there are two different approaches. One is where you work and create something of your own. Te second style – the easier one – is just to copy the best lines available on the market. As a top player, you always have some of your own ideas as well as using other players’ ideas. Tere is always some kind of mix, especially when coaches and seconds are also doing a lot of work for the player. Which approach prevails is connected to the player’s personality. Some players show excellent results when they have prepared very well themselves. Tey can copy the opening lines, but they also need to work it out to be sure. Players like Kasparov, Gelfand, Ivanchuk and Kramnik belong to this group of players. al, Anand, Khalifman and Karpov belong to the second group.
Chapter 2 Evolution of the Isolated Pawn Tere are lots of openings that involve an isolated pawn. In some cases it might occur as a sideline. Most of the time, however, the whole opening is based on the theme of the isolated pawn, and it is not an accidental occurrence. Te opening or variation depends on the value of the isolated pawn: it determines the whole strategy. When we look at it from White’ White’ss side, it is quite straightforward, and and because of the extra tempo White should always have at least an initiative to compensate for having the isolated pawn. Opening variations such as the Panov Attack in the Caro-Kann, and many positions from the Queen’’s Gambit Accepted are the first that Queen t hat come to mind. White rarely has has any difficulty keeping the balance. In the worst-case scenario there there is always the simplifying push in the centre, and after trading the isolated pawn a draw is usually the outcome. White’ss plan is to create a kingside attack using the space advantage White’ advantage in the centre centre afforded by by the isolated pawn, and the constant threat of pushing the pawn forward creates a lot of dynamics. Te term “dynamics” is used here to describe situations in which forced tactical lines are the biggest factor to look for when evaluating the position. Positional factors are just connected to the pawn structure, and these become important when Black can comfortably blockade the isolated pawn and simplify the position. In this case the dynamic factors do not prevail, and Black may take over the initiative and win the game. Anatoly Karpov has many brilliant victories on this theme. In his 1987 198 7 Candidates match against Andrei Sokolov,, his choice as Black was the Caro-Kann and the Pano Sokolov Panovv Attack occurred. With the white pieces, Karpov played into the Queen’s Indian, where again isolated pawn positions developed, this time from Black’s side. Te match was all about the isolated pawn and how to handle it. Sokolov could not get enough attacking chances as White, while with Black he got good positions but Karpov outplayed him.
20
Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
With the white pieces, as I have already mentioned, having an isolated pawn is not a particularly risky business. However, in this chapter I will discuss the opposite situation: when Black has the isolated pawn after the opening phase of the game. Tere are two main openings, the French Defence and the arrasch Defence, in which right out of the opening Black has an isolated pawn. In the French Defence, after 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3. ¤d2 Black has the choice of playing a closed position with 3...¤f6, or going for the isolated pawn with 3...c5. Te arrasch Defence is usually about the isolated pawn, although it can be avoided in the main line after 9. ¥g5.
Tere is a possible deviation with 9...c4, which is covered in detail in Grandmaster Repertoire 10 – Te arrasch Defence by Aagaard and Ntirlis. o o argue here over which move is better – 9...c4 closing the position and avoiding the isolated pawn, or playing with the isolated pawn after 9...cxd4 – is not relevant. My purpose and task here is to show how strategy and practice have evolved over time, especially in the arrasch arrasch Defence, rather than to determine which move is strongest or has the best computer evaluation.
I do not discuss here the subtle nuances of the isolated pawn in the French Defence. although comparing the isolated pawn in the French Defence with other similar positions would also be valuable. Karpov’ Karpov’ss games are a must for every player planning to advance to the top – in particular his match against Viktor Korchnoi in 1975, where the isolated pawn in the French Defence was put to the test. However, the isolated pawn positions in the arrasch have historically much more interesting material. Te arrasch Defence was introduced, as the name suggests, by the German master Siegbert arrasch, who was one of the top players of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His creation was not well regarded by his contemporaries, who did not fully appreciate the activity the arrasch Defence can offer. But arrasch himself was undeterred. Quoting here from Wikipedia: “ “arrasch arrasch continued to play his opening while rejecting other variations of the Queen’s Gambit, even to the point of putting question marks on routine moves in all variations except the arrasch (which he awarded an exclamation mark) in his book Die moderne Schachpartie .” What was was the understanding of of these positions at that time? Te main idea was obvious. Te compensation for the isolated pawn was free development of the pieces due to the open space around the isolated pawn. arrasch could not find many followers. Other players saw it as an unnecessarily weakening strategy. Later, after the t he Second Secon d World World War, War, Paul Keres noticed the hidden resources of the arrasch Defence and included it in his repertoire as a surprise weapon for certain moments – he managed to use it in 1959 against Mikhail al. Other professionals noticed his successful attempt, and the debate for and against the isolated pawn took off. Te testing of the
Chapter 2 – Evolution of the Isolated Pawn defence saw its culmination in the 1969 World W orld Championship match between igran Petrosian and Boris Spassky. During the 20th century many players have used it in very important tournaments and matches. Garry Kasparov and later Alexander Grischuk, among others, have played it. Certain players, on the other hand, such as Karpov, have always played only against the isolated pawn. Before beginning our study, I would like to explain my thoughts as a coach. I am not sure, but I probably have a slightly different view of chess coaching and how to train compared with some other well-known authorities. authorities. One such topic is the Soviet Chess School, which people view in different ways. Tere is a story about an Indian chess player visiting Moscow who insisted on being shown the school and would not accept that it never existed physically in some building in Moscow. Moscow. Another viewpoint is that of the famous emigre from the Soviet Union coaching in New York City, who markets his methods as from the Soviet school. A third opinion is that both these views are wrong and that there is no such thing as the Soviet school – it is just a myth made up to explain why the Soviets were so good at chess. I grew up in the Soviet Union (in allinn in Estonia) and I attended the so-called chess school twice a week after my regular school. My first coach, onu ruus had graduated from the Moscow Sports Institute and worked as a professional coach. He was not a strong player himself, and very soon I was stronger than him. Once he organized a training camp, c amp, inviting Vladimir Yurkov from Moscow. Yurkov was a stronger player then onu, onu, but he realized early on that he lacked the ability to become a top
21
player himself and started his coaching career very early. He was coach or second to a new wave of future grandmasters: Yuri Razuvaev Razuvaev,, Yuri Y uri Balashov and World Championship Candidate Andrei Sokolov were all influenced by Yurkov. He also coached some top women players, such as Nana Ioseliani. onu met Yurkov in Moscow during his studies and they became friends. In 1977 he invited Yurkov to allinn, where he conducted some serious private opening preparation for me. It took only a week. Half of the time he explained everything at the board and half of the time I just wrote everything down. One of the topics was the arrasch Defence. I was 15 years old at that time and my main weakness was my lack of opening preparation. preparation. After that session I used the arrasch arrasch Defence with success in subsequent years, and most importantly I learned how to handle the isolated pawn structure. I could say that I received this knowledge from the Soviet school. In this chapter I have added a lot l ot of games that Yurkov Y urkov did not mention in our session. I have tried to cover the subject as fully as possible, so that after reading it, the chess aficionado, coach or avid player has some knowledge of the material. But what kind of knowledge and at what level? First, chess is not like mathematics. Memorizing a good idea or good advice in a certain position is not enough to master chess. Te concrete approach is very tempting and there are numerous books that explain nearly everything in chess: how to win this or draw that, or how to win with or against some line. After many years of being around chess and being one of the top players, now in my mature years I think I may draw some conclusions. Tere are some areas of chess that it is essential to cover and learn by heart. One of these areas
22
Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
is theoretical endgame positions. Furthermore, it is not enough only to learn them, but also to practise and repeat them from time to time. Tere is no excuse for forgetting some theoretical position. Te understanding of these positions may be described at three levels. Te first level of knowledge is giving a simple answer, which might be draw, Black wins, White wins, or you do not know know.. In In the case of the last of these answers, you cannot proceed to the second level. Let’ss look at these Let’ t hese positions. Te difference is in the square that the a-pawn a- pawn is on. In the first position the pawn is on a2.
In the second position the pawn is on a4.
In the third position the pawn is on a5.
Can White win these positions? What difference does the square that the white pawn is on make? If you know the correct answer to these questions you have passed the first level. Te second level question is also very simple: how? If you pass this – showing on the board how it works – then you can try the third level. You must not only have the level of understanding about the position and how to accomplish the win or draw, but you need to be capable of explaining or teaching it to others. Tis is not easy. Once, in a training camp with youngsters from Curaçao, I explained it on the first day, but on the last day of the camp, when I asked them to explain it to me, they could not. Te learning or mastering of chess is a little more complicated process than just accumulating the facts. Moving on from certain endgame positions that you should study, there is a certain amount of opening theory that, depending on your rating, you must know. As Kramnik puts it, when they ask him why he plays the Petroff Defence, he answers that it is because other openings just do not work. Fortunately, there are still some other lines which do work, the last time I checked. Kramnik’s point is
Chapter 2 – Evolution of the Isolated Pawn more that some openings are good in an open tournament, but in a world championship match you need to have other lines. Learning openings is a must. So why not work on them in such a way that you gain the maximum result? A professional chess player player,, or someone who wants to become one, must find the time to study some lines in a very tedious way, like Botvinnik. Te first step is to understand how the line evolved historically. Tere is no need to go back as far as in our example with the arrasch arrasch Defence, but you need at least to find the turning points – the critical positions. It does not make sense to memorize a lot of lines and then to just discover (or even worse have your opponent discover) some critical positions or lines that make the whole opening not to your liking anymore. In the past there was Chess Informant , which delivered the novelties and the important games on a regular basis. Certain players are able to rely only on their memory, and they use other people’s work, following modern theory and lines and implementing them in their t heir own practice. Tis is the practical player: Mikhail al was one of the players who mastered this approach. Botvinnik was the complete opposite: he was the researcher. researcher. Te difference between b etween practical players and researchers is a very grey area in reality. Still, I would recommend that the player who has yet to become a grandmaster should first try the researcher approach. It is like being a detective to discover the critical moments and changes, and to enter the minds of the great masters of the past.
Siegbert arrasch Let’s start by looking at arrasch’s games and how practice made improvements to how to play the isolated pawn positions.
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Curt von Bardeleben – Siegbert arrasch arrasch Leipzig 1888
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3. ¤c3 c5
According to the database available to me, this is the very first game in which arrasch used the early counterattack against White’s centre. ¥ f4 4.cxd5 exd5 5. ¥ f4 ¤f6 6.¤f3 ¤c6 7.e3 c4!? 7...cxd4 8.¤xd4 ¥b4 9.¥e2 ¤e4 10.¤db5! 0–0 11.0–0 ¥xc3 12.¤xc3 ¤xc3 13.bxc3 ¥e6 and Black had a solid but passive position in Psakhis – Ehlvest, Lvov 1984.
¥ e2 8. ¥ e2 £b6?!
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Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
arrasch for some reason liked this early aggressive move a lot. Better is 8...¥b4! 9.¤d2 0–0, and Black has a very reasonable position. ¥ b4 9.£c1 9.£ c1 ¥ b4 And later arrasch lost the game. In this game the main idea of the opening is not apparent; it is a little bit chaotic. Still I like the move 7...c4!?, because in my game with Psakhis I was not satisfied with the outcome. I had not studied arrasch’s games at that time. Yes, Y es, I admit it – I did not myself study the openings in the way I am recommending here. One excuse might be the lack of the ChessBase program and good trainers. Another might be how much time was available. You need to allocate your time to the many opening positions you need to study. Te success of the player is measured in practical tournaments. If you end up finding the right solutions in certain openings, it might be reflected in your final result, but it might not. Te balance between opening preparation and other chess-related activities is very important. o accumulate new ideas in different opening positions is very useful and is up the player himself. Very Very rarely is i s someone else going to do this for the player. Te coach or second is often not as strong as the player himself. Constantly comparing and thinking about opening problems should make the difference between becoming just a good player or becoming something extraordinary extraordinary.. arrasch’s idea of the early ...c5-c4 has been implemented in other lines. It might be coincidence, and in chess nobody can copyright ideas; still, we can see the similarity. similarity. In the following game, the early ...c4 was used with success.
eimour Radjabov – Pavel Eljanov Astrakhan 2010
1.d4 ¤f6 2.c4 e6 3.¤f3 d5 4.¤c3 ¥ b4 b4 ¥ g5 ¥ h4 5.cxd5 exd5 6. ¥ g5 h6 7. ¥ h4 c5 8.e3 c4!?
Eljanov, when commenting on this game, wrote here: “A “A rather rare opening variation. I learned it when Alexander Morozevich tried it successfully against... me in the al Memorial (blitz).” Te idea or concept belongs to arrasch in my opinion. Te move order and the position is slightly different, because the white bishop is on h4, not on f4, which I believe is in Black’s favour. ¥ g3 ¥ 9.¤d2 g5 10. ¥ g3 ¥ f5 f5
Chapter 2 – Evolution of the Isolated Pawn Black’s strategy is to control the light squares, Black’s and sooner or later he needs to take on c3. Tis plan or strategy was lacking in arrasch’s opening preparation. I am not criticizing arrasch, just pointing out that he discovered the idea of an early ...c4 and this is used today in many similar positions. ¥ e5 11. ¥ e5 As mentioned above, Eljanov had an earlier experience as White in this line. In Eljanov – Morozevich, Moscow (blitz) 2008, he played the modest 11.¥e2, which does not promise any advantage for White, and he went on to lose the game. ¥ 11... ¥ xc3 White’ss last move might be difficult to White’ understand, but actually there is a simple trick. Black cannot play 11... ¤bd7? because of 12.¥xf6 and Black cannot recapture with 12...¤xf6 because of the check 13. £a4† and the bishop on b4 is lost. After 12... £xf6 Black would lose the pawn on d5. 12.bxc3 ¤bd7
¥ d6 13. ¥ d6 £b6 As in the arrasch game the black queen moves to b6. Very important here is that the bishop on f5 controls the b1-square.
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¥ g3 14. ¥ g3 Tis move was an improvement on the earlier game Gauglitz – Dizdar, Halle 1987, where White opted for 14. ¥a3, after which 14... £a6 gave Black a clear advantage. Radjabov’s move, however, does not refute Black’s set-up.
14...£b2! 14...£ Eljanov’s move forces the queen swap, which is the safe approach. Te computer gives the more complicated 14...£a5 15.£c1 0–0 with the slightly better game for Black. 15.£c1 £ xc1† 16.¦ 15.£ 16.¦ xc1 b5 And Black won this endgame. ...0–1 Te early advance of the pawn to c4 is not of course a position with an isolated pawn, but instead a different, very ambitious and complicated plan. In the normal lines, arrasch was severely punished by the top players of that time. In the next game his opponent used a system that is a popular weapon against the arrasch for players who like a very small advantage without any risk.
Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
26
Emanuel Lasker Laske r – Siegbert arrasch arrasch Duesseldorf/Munich Duesseldorf/Mun ich 1908
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3. ¤c3 c5 4.¤f3 ¤c6 4...cxd4 is much stronger, but our aim here is not to point out some early mistakes. Tis just shows shows us the lack of opening opening theory theory at that time. 5.e3 ¤f6
6.a3!? Lasker had some ideas! He was definitely a researcher.. Now the best for Black is to use the researcher same strategy and wait with 6...a6. ¥ d6 ¥ d6 ¥ b2 6... ¥ d6 7.dxc5 ¥ xc5 8.b4 8.b4 ¥ d6 9. ¥ b2 0–0 ¦c1 10.¦ 10. Lasker is again following the same strategy: he postpones the development of his king’s bishop to gain a tempo. ¥ e2 10...a5 11.b5 ¤e5 12.cxd5 exd5 13. ¥ e2 ¥ e6 e6 14.0–0 £e7 15.a4 ¦ac8 16.¤d4 White has the blockade, but the weaknesses of the b4- and c4-squares must give Black a reasonable game.
¥ a1 16...¤c4 17. ¥ a1 ¥ b8 b8 18.¦ 18.¦e1 £d6 19.g3 ¦fd8 20.¤b1 Lasker gives credit to Black’s position and starts regrouping. Tere is no specific idea behind this regrouping, but if you know Lasker’s philosophy in equal positions then you can understand it. His concept was that in equal positions one should just outmanoeuvre one’ss opponent, steadily weakening his position one’ by making use of the opponent’s opponent’s mistakes if he fails to adjust quickly to the new situation on the board. 20...¤b6? While White can play as he pleases, Black must be more alert. Tis move is not good positionally. Te knight on b6 is never good and in a few moves it goes back to c4. Better was 20... ¤e4, when White has nothing better than to return his knight to c3: 21. ¤c3 ¤f6 It is again up to White to show how he is going to improve his position. ¥ c3 21. ¥ c3 ¦e8 22.£ 22.£b3! Tis is stronger than 22. ¥xa5 ¦xc1 23.£xc1 ¤xa4. 22...¤c4
Chapter 2 – Evolution of the Isolated Pawn
23.¤ xe6! Suddenly it becomes clear that Black is not controlling the central squares, and with this simple trade White gains a big advantage. ¥ 23...£ xe6 24. ¥ 23...£ xf6 gxf6 24...£xf6 25.¥xc4 dxc4 26.¦xc4 is also hopeless. 25.¦ed1?! 25.¦ 25.¤c3 allows 25...¤xe3 26.fxe3 £xe3† 27.¢g2 ¥a7 with counterplay. However, after 25. ¥f3 White could expect to win soon. ¥ a7 ¥ f3?! 25... ¥ a7 26. ¥ f3?!
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26...¤ xe3! 27.¦ 27.¦ xc8 £ xc8 28.b6 ¥ 28.b6 ¥ xb6? After 28...¤xd1! 29.bxa7 ¤xf2 30.¢xf2 £c5† 31.¢g2 £xa7 32.£xd5 £b6 33.¤d2 ¦d8 34.¤c4 ¦xd5 35.¤xb6 ¦d2† White would have to be careful, though it is still a drawish endgame. £ xb6 ¦ xf3 31. £ xa5 £c4 29.fxe3 ¦ xe3 30. 30.£ 31.£ £d2 f5 33.¦ 32.£ 32. 33.¦c1 £g4 34.£ 34.£ xd5 f4 35.¤d2 ¦e3 36.¦ 36.¦f1 ¦e6 37.¦ 37.¦ xf4 £d1† 38.¢ 38.¢g2 b6 39.£ 39.£d7 £e2† 40.¦ 40.¦f2 £h5 41.¤f3 h6 42.¤d4 ¦e5 43.£ 43.£d8† ¢h7 44.£ 44.£f8 1–0
Aron Nimzowitsch – Siegbert arrasch arrasch St Petersburg 1914
Tis is a very well-known historical game and you can find it in many chess books. I include it here because it is one of the first games in which arrasch actually used his system, playing the aggressive 2...c5, which commonly leads into the arrasch arrasch Defence. Tis early attack usually leads to a position with an isolated pawn for Black, and yes, sometimes, you need to defend your weak pawn on d5, but this of course is not the idea behind the arrasch arrasch Defence. In my opinion, arrasch was an avid attacking player and he just liked to attack from the very first move. In the beginning you can attack the centre, and only after that, when you have have open diagonals diagonals and files due to your control over the centre, may you launch a successful attack on the king. How to achieve such a position using a sound opening is very well demonstrated in this game. 1.d4 d5 Tere is a so-called classical approach in chess. Players like Paul Keres and Anatoly Karpov were classical players. Te classical approach usually means following standard mainstream concepts that have been developed over time.
28
Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
It was discovered long ago that the centre is very important, and in practice everybody tries to play towards the centre; it looks very weird to start your game by pushing your a-pawn. White can use the first-move advantage to start building up the centre, so Black has two basic choices. One of them is just to ignore this and counterattack the centre later in the game, while the other is the classical approach: approach: to try to do the same as your opponent. Te problem is that, because of the first-move advantage, Black is forced at some point to defend the centre. Still, at move one he can freely place his pawn on a central square. 2.¤f3 c5 3.c4! Te correct counterattack. A passive approach where the centre is concerned is never good. Losing the initiative is one thing, and one can never become successful in chess by playing timidly in the opening.
3...e6 Tis is the situation mentioned earlier. earlier. Black needs to defend his centre because of White’s first-move advantage. Opening the game with 3...dxc4 4.d5 or 3...cxd4 4.cxd5 £xd5 5.¤c3 are not good options.
4.e3 White of course does not really need to defend the centre and could just go for the normal arrasch tabiya after 4.cxd5 exd5 5.¤c3. ¥ d3 4...¤f6 5. ¥ d3 Tis game was played more than a hundred years ago, and some subtle opening nuances were not yet known. I need to stress here that the whole approach to the game of chess itself was very different. Tere Tere was little ready-made material to study. Te only criterion of truth was practice, not computer power power.. Access to the available chess information was still limited and therefore the subtleties of move orders were not so important – the man sitting at the board was. Tis is why personality played a much bigger role at that time. White’s last move is not good because Black White’s could now transpose to a favourable version of the Queen’s Gambit Accepted with 5...dxc4 6.¥xc4 a6. ¥ b2 5...¤c6 6.0–0 ¥ 6.0–0 ¥ d6 d6 7.b3 0–0 8. ¥ b2 b6
9.¤bd2 Where to put your knight in this kind of pawn structure is very important. Te knight on d2 is slightly passive: it works well
Chapter 2 – Evolution of the Isolated Pawn as a defensive piece, but from c3 the knight can jump to a4 in many lines, attacking the c5-pawn. Again, these subtle differences had not yet been worked out. ¥ b7 9... ¥ b7 10.¦ 10.¦c1 £e7 11.cxd5 exd5 12.¤h4 g6 13.¤hf3 ¦ad8
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¥ ¥ £c2 ¤ xd2 18.¤ xd2 d4! 16. ¥ xc6 ¥ xc6 xc6 17. 17.£ ¢ xh2 £h4† 21.¢ 19.exd4 ¥ xh2† 20. 20.¢ 21.¢g1 ¥ xg2 22.f3 ¦fe8! 23.¤e4 £h1† 24.¢ 24.¢f2 ¥ xf1 25.d5 f5 26.£ 26. £c3 £g2† 27.¢ 27.¢e3 ¦ xe4† 28.fxe4
Te plan here should be 14. ¦e1! with the idea of playing ¥f1 and g2-g3, cementing the kingside against possible attack on the b8-h2 diagonal, and only after that should White start looking at how to attack Black’s central pawns. Tis plan or idea is known from Black’s side, along with how to defend against the possible attack on the centre.
In this position Black had a mate in three, but instead prolonged the game to give mate with the bishop. It was argued argued that he did this on purpose. As I mentioned before, you need to destroy the man at the board, so this might be a true assumption.
¥ b5 14...bxc5 15. ¥ b5 ¤e4
28...f4†
14.dxc5? While the 9th move was a little l ittle passive, this aggressive move is definitely a mistake. Tis type of position was frequently employed in tournament practice by Paul Keres, and later by other modern grandmasters like Vladimir Malaniuk. Te most famous historical game is that between Paul Keres and Vasily Smyslov in Zurich 1953. Te symmetrical pawn structure makes a mirror effect, but usually White has this position instead of Black in our game.
Black had achieved an excellent position from the opening and won in style.
Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
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28...£g3† 29.¢d2 £f2† 30.¢d1 £e2# was the mate in three. 29.¢ xf4 ¦f8† 30.¢ 29.¢ 30.¢e5 £h2† 31.¢ 31.¢e6 ¦e8† ¢d7 ¥ b5# 32.¢ 32. d7 ¥ b5#
Alexey Selezniev – Siegbert arrasch arrasch Gothenburg 1920
¥ f4 1.d4 d5 2. ¥ f4 Tis innocent move, avoiding forcing lines and leading to the London System, is popular nowadays. Usually White starts with 2. ¤f3, but the text move sometimes allows him to play f2-f4 after trading the bishops on d6. During arrasch’s time, this was just a move without any deep back-up. 2...c5 3.e3 £b6?!
A very interesting moment. As we saw in previous examples, arrasch was an aggressive player and he liked this early queen move in similar positions. When we are dealing with non-standard plans in openings you need to check things very carefully, especially when playing with the black pieces; the margin for error is not very wide. With the white pieces you have more freedom to try some so-called interesting ideas without being punished, but first you need to master and know the standard,
classical plans and ideas in the openings and play accordingly; only after that should you take the liberty of playing more interesting stuff. I have seen many very talented players who behave like spoiled kids, avoiding the normal lines. Yes, some top grandmasters do play interesting opening ideas, for example players such as Alexander Morozevich and Richard Rapport, but they also know how to play the normal moves. Te best way is to balance things. 4.¤c3! e6 5.¦ 5.¦b1? oo timid – a typical mistake mi stake in the opening phase for many players. Tey sometimes force themselves to find a good aggressive plan and they make the move that is dictated by the position, but then they pull back from it on the next move. As Kasparov put it when describing the situation when playing against a computer, there is always a moment at which you can no longer play a safe, positional game, and you have to switch to playing tactically. Tis was exactly the situation in this game. White punished his opponent for the too early 3...£b6 with a nice move, 4. ¤c3, but then he suddenly went back to defensive mode. Instead 5.¤b5! was promising. Tis is a typical situation when a weaker player is facing a much stronger player. Te strategy of playing safe against a stronger opponent works from time to time, and I have heard from my GM friends the typical complaint that the “patzer” dried out the game. Te patzer of course has the white pieces, and there are unfortunately a lot of drawish lines against nearly any opening. Tere are two strategies against it. One is to keep playing classical openings and to try to outplay your opponent from an equal position. Tis is usually the approach of the Soviet Chess School, and the best exponent of this style was Anatoly Karpov Karpov..
Chapter 2 – Evolution of the Isolated Pawn Te other approach is to play some very aggressive lines from the beginning of the opening phase. Players like Rapport and Shabalov are the most aggressive players around, and their opening choices are difficult to foresee. Tey also dare to play these lines against very strong opposition. I mixed both styles during my career. In my opinion, the choice of opening or the style itself is not paramount to succeeding in the long run. You Y ou just need to study the lines very deeply deeply,, especially if they are not positionally very sound. Everybody has at some point been in a must-win situation playing with the black pieces p ieces against a very solid opponent. It is then that research into not-so-correct opening lines may pay off.
5...c4 Here we come. arrasch certainly remembered his earlier games, where he had used the same idea. 6.e4 ¥ b4! 6.e4 ¥ b4! Just in time – the position now resembles something from the French Defence. ¥ e2 ¥ f3 7.exd5 exd5 8. ¥ e2 ¤f6 9. ¥ f3 ¥ xc3† 10.bxc3 £c6 11.¤e2 0–0 12.0–0 ¥ 12.0–0 ¥ f5 f5 Black has an excellent game, controlling the light squares and having a good blockade in the centre.
31
13.¤g3 ¥ g6 g6 14.¦ 14.¦e1 ¤bd7 15.£ 15.£c1 ¦fe8 £b2 ¤b6?! 16.£ 16. In the long run it is a good idea to transfer the knight to a4, but this is too early: the knight was controlling the e5-square, so it was better to play 16...b6. 17.¦e5 ¤fd7 18.¦ 17.¦ 18.¦ xe8† ¦ xe8 19.¤f1 ¤f6 ¥ 20.¤e3 ¤e4 21. ¥ xe4! Te typical drying-out move by someone who is playing for a draw draw.. ¥ 21... ¥ xe4 22.£ 22.£a3 ¤a4
23.f3 ¥ g6 23.f3 ¥ g6 24.¤ xd5! Wee see that the plan of transferring the W knight to a4 has not worked. White was just in time to attack the d5-pawn.
Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
32
£ xa4 f6 26. £b5 £ xb5 24...£ xd5 25. 24...£ 25.£ 26.£ ¦ xb5 b6 27.¦ 27. ½–½
Emanuel Lasker Laske r – Siegbert arrasch arrasch Berlin 1918
1.d4 d5 2.¤f3 c5 3.c4 e6 4.cxd5 exd5 5. ¤c3 ¥ g2 g2 ¤c6 6.g3 ¤f6 7. ¥
¥ e7 7... ¥ e7 In the following game, arrasch deviated from this normal move order: 7...¥e6 8.0–0 ¥e7 9.dxc5 ¥xc5 10.b3 0–0 11.¥b2 £e7 12.¤b5 a6 12...¤e4 should be the automatic answer, and after 13. ¤bd4 ¦fd8 Black is close to equality. 13.¤bd4 ¥a3
Tis I also do not like. Te plan of how to play in similar positions was worked out later by Mikenas and Keres. 14.¤xc6?! 14.£c1 ¥xb2 15.£xb2 offers a comfortable advantage. Te trade of bishops definitely favours White. 14...bxc6 15.£c1 ¥xb2 16.£xb2 c5 Black had equalized in Bogoljubow – arrasch, Berlin 1920. ¥ g5 8.0–0 0–0 9.dxc5 ¥ 9.dxc5 ¥ xc5 10. ¥ g5 d4 11.¤e4 ¥ e7 ¥ ¥ e7 12. ¥ xf6 ¥ xf6 xf6 13.¦ 13.¦c1 ¦e8 14.¤e1
Te plan of playing for the blockade on the light squares was clearly a surprise for arrasch, arrasch, and in the next few moves he just blundered. Lasker’s approach against arrasch was a stroke of genius. Against a super-aggressive player, you want to dry out the dynamics. Te most difficult thing in chess is to find the right plan. arrasch was more like a gambler, and he did not have enough patience to figure out the plan (meaning where to put his pieces). He started the arrasch Defence, but he never found the correct plan. However However,, others picked up his idea of counterattacking the centre very early in the opening and developed it to perfection. ¥ f5 14... ¥ f5
Chapter 2 – Evolution of the Isolated Pawn Tis impulsive move is not a mistake, but something goes wrong on the very next move. 14...¥e7 15.¤d3 ¥f5 16.£b3 £b6 and Black has a satisfactory position. His only concern might be that it is difficult to create any counterplay; Black can hardly win this position. Tis does not suit everybody, and Lasker’s choice was psychologically very unpleasant for arrasch. 15.¤c5
¥ c8? 15... ¥ c8? 15...£b6 16.¤xb7 ¤e5 17.£b3 ¥e7 and suddenly the knight on b7 is misplaced. Black has enough compensation. Te general advice is that even if you think you have blundered something, it is not a good idea to go into passive defensive mode. If the position is lost, an evaluation of minus 2 or minus 4 is not relevant: it is still sti ll lost. One should seek some counterplay, and not lose without a fight. It is very easy to recommend this, but in practice it is usually hard to make a choice between two options that both look terrible. My advice is just to calm down and try to figure out which one offers the best practical chances. Passive defence usually does not work.
33
In the opening, everybody has had a situation in which they have misplayed or forgotten something – it does not matter which. We have all had lost positions just out of the opening. In this case you need to push yourself to find some practical chances. Te other thing is that you cannot afford to think for too long. ime trouble and a lost position are not a good mix. Even Viktor Korchnoi, who was a famous time-trouble player, sometimes when finding himself in a lost position started to play very fast. Te last trick is to change the position dramatically. Tis means to change the character of the position – the material m aterial balance if possible, or the dynamic of the position. It does not make sense to try to defend a position a pawn down when your opponent has everything under control, and all possible future endgames promise no drawing chances. Tis means that you can sacrifice another pawn without too much worry worry.. In muddy waters you still might catch something. In this game, arrasch gave up too early. ¥ 16.¤ xb7 xb7 ¥ xb7
17.¦ xc6! 17.¦ Possibly arrasch just missed this move.
34
Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
17...£a5 18.a3 ¦ab8 19.¦ 17...£ 19.¦c2 ¥ a6 a6 20.¤d3 ¥ xd3? It is tempting to go for a position with opposite-coloured bishops when you are a pawn down, but here this only helps White. ¦ xc2 h6 21.£ xd3 ¦ec8 22.¦ 21.£ 22.¦fc1 ¦ xc2 23. 23.¦ ¥ e4 ¥ f3 ¥ 24. ¥ e4 ¦e8 25.b4 £e5 26. ¥ f3 ¥ d8 d8 27.¦ 27.¦c5 £e7 28.¦ 28.¦b5 £f6 29.¦ 29.¦f5 £b6 30.¦ 30.¦b5 £f6 ¥ f6 ¥ d5 31.a4 £d6 32.£ 32.£c4 c4 ¥ f6 33. ¥ d5 ¦e7 34.¦ 34.¦c5 White has an extra pawn and a kingside attack. A typical plan is to push the passed pawn in conjunction with the attack.
34...¦d7 35.a5 g6 36.h4 ¥ 34...¦ 36.h4 ¥ e5 e5 37.¢ 37.¢g2 ¢g7 ¥ e4 ¥ c6 ¥ d5 38. ¥ e4 £e7 39. ¥ c6 ¦d8 40. ¥ d5 £f6 ¦c6 £f5 42.¦ ¥ f3 41.¦ 41. 42.¦c5 £f6 43. ¥ f3 d3 Black seeks some counterplay c ounterplay,, but it will not be enough to save the game. 44.exd3 ¥ d4 44.exd3 ¥ d4 45.¦ 45.¦c6 £e5 46.¦ 46.¦c7 £f6 47.b5 ¥ d5 g5 48.hxg5 hxg5 49.£ 49.£a2 ¦h8 50. ¥ d5 ¦f8 51.b6 axb6 52.a6 g4 53.a7 £h6 54.¢ 54.¢f1 £d6 55.¦ ¥ 55.¦ xf7† ¦ xf7 56. ¥ xf7 1–0
Richard Reti – Siegbert arrasch arrasch Bad Pistyan 1922
Tis game was played in 1922, by which time arrasch could have had enough time to t o figure out how to play the system. However However,, the game shows only his weakness in understanding the isolated pawn position. He allows White to quickly obtain an ideal set-up where Black has no counterplay. counterplay. Which pieces to t o exchange and Black’ss ideal set-up remained a mystery to him. Black’ Wee cannot really praise arrasch W arrasch for his own system. He just discovered it and had some tactical ideas – mainly the aggressive early attack with ...c7-c5 – but that was it. He was not capable of developing it further. However, other players studied and followed what he was doing, and there was a long history ahead for the arrasch Defence. 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.¤c3 c5 4.cxd5 exd5 5. ¤f3 ¥ g2 ¥ ¤c6 6.g3 ¤f6 7. ¥ g2 ¥ e6 e6 Why arrasch chose this move move order instead of the more logical and normal 7... ¥e7 is difficult to understand. ¥ e7 ¥ e3 8.0–0 ¥ e7 8.0–0 ¥ e7 9.dxc5 ¥ 9.dxc5 ¥ xc5 10.¤a4 a4 ¥ e7 11. ¥ e3 Even in those days, Reti was most likely well prepared for the game.
Chapter 2 – Evolution of the Isolated Pawn 11...b6?? Tis is not how you want to play the arrasch arrasch Defence. Te correct plan is 11... ¤e4 12.¦c1 0–0 13.¤c5 ¥xc5! 14.¥xc5 ¦e8 15.¤d4 £f6 16.¤xe6 £xe6! and the position with two knights against two bishops is fine for Black. Tis idea of trading the bishops for the knights was discovered and brought into practice in the 1960s. A few few months months later, later, however however,, arrasch repeated this plan with ...b6 in an almost identical position: 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3. ¤c3 c5 4.cxd5 exd5 5. ¤f3 ¤c6 6.g3 ¤f6 7.¥g2 ¥e7 8.0–0 0–0 9.dxc5 ¥xc5 10.¤a4 ¥e7 11.¥e3 b6 arrasch was somewhat stubborn and repeated his mistakes. From the game against Reti he did not draw the right conclusions. 12.¤d4 ¤xd4 13.¥xd4 ¥b7 14.¦c1 £d7 15.¤c3 ¦fd8
16.£d3 Stronger was 16.£b3 ¤e4 17.¦fd1. 16...¤e4 17.¦cd1?! £e6 arrasch succeeded in defending this position in eichmann – arrasch, eplitz Schoenau 1922, but from the opening perspective this was a clear disaster again. Returning to Reti – arrasch: ¥ 12.¤d4 ¤ xd4 13. ¥ xd4 £d7 14.¤c3 ¦d8
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15.£b3 0–0 16.¦ 15.£ 16.¦fd1 Now White’s pieces are all well placed, and Black has a difficult, passive defensive task ahead.
¥ £a3 16...¤e8 17.a4! ¥ c5?! c5?! 18. ¥ xc5 d4 19. 19.£ bxc5 20.£ 20.£ xc5 White is winning. ¥ b3 20... ¥ b3 21.¦ 21.¦d2 £c7 22.£ 22.£ xc7 ¤ xc7
¥ d5 ¥ 23.¤b5 ¤ xb5 24.axb5 24.axb5 ¥ d5 25.¦ 25.¦ xd4 xd4 ¥ xg2 ¦ xd8 ¦ xd8 27. ¢ xg2 g6 28. ¦ xa7 ¦d2 26.¦ 26. 27.¢ 28.¦ 29.b3 ¢g7 30.¦ 30.¦a4 ¦ xe2 31.b6 ¦e7 32.¦ 32.¦b4 ¦b7 33.¢ 33.¢f3 ¢f6 34.¢ 34.¢e4 ¢e6 35.¢ 35.¢d4 ¢d6 ¢c4 ¢c6 37.¦ 36.¢ 36. 37.¦b5 f6 38.¢ 38.¢b4 1–0
Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
36
Paul Keres Paul Keres experimented with a lot of openings in his early years. Troughout his career he never had a long-term second. In the Soviet Union the socialist system provided some help to players, but this was not for Keres; he was not a party man. Most of his consultations took place between friends. Keres was one of the most introverted personalities around and, unfortunately, he did not write any books about himself. Most of his work was about pure chess, especially the endgame manuals. My interest is in how he ended up playing the arrasch Defence. I can only gather the data. When I saw his game against Mikenas, I could imagine some kind of scenario. Te game was played in a small Estonian resort town. Tese summer tournaments were always friendly affairs where some legendary happenings were recorded. On one occasion, Keres, a keen tennis player, had just finished his tennis match and was asked who he was going to play in that day’s round. He answered something like, “Who cares?” He really did not care – unlike Lev Psakhis in 1996, who, when asked by someone before the round whom he was going to play, answered that he could not remember the name, but while preparing he noticed that his opponent was very strong. Te opponent was yours truly, and we drew our game that day. Yes, Keres had some flaws in his opening Yes, preparation. Botvinnik put it this way: “...first was his slight uncertainty when he had to navigate himself in the opening schemes. He preferred, on the whole, obsolete opening systems. Tat was why he had a taste for open play.” Tis was a quote from 1947. It was true, but Keres was definitely learning from his mistakes. At the Absolute Championship in 1941 he lost his game against Botvinnik
because of the opening, when he trusted an earlier game played in the same line between Mikenas and Botvinnik. He could not read Russian and missed the improvement available to Botvinnik, which had been played in a game between Simagin and Belavenets.
Paul Keres – Mikhail Botvinnik Leningrad/Moscow 1941
1.d4 ¤f6 2.c4 e6 3. ¤c3 ¥ b4 b4 4.£ 4.£c2 d5 ¥ g5 ¥ h4 5.cxd5 exd5 6. ¥ g5 h6 7. ¥ h4 c5 8.0–0–0? Keres was repeating how Mikenas had played against Botvinnik.
¥ 8... ¥ xc3! Te refutation, unknown to Keres, which was first played by Belavenets against Simagin. 8...0–0? 9.dxc5 ¥xc3 10.£xc3 g5 11.¥g3 ¤e4 12.£a3 ¥e6 13.f3 ¤xg3 14.hxg3 £f6 15.e3 ¦c8 16.¢b1 ¤d7 17.¤e2 ¦xc5 18.¤d4 was played in Mikenas – Botvinnik, Moscow 1940. White has a clear positional advantage because the isolated pawn on d5 is blockaded and Black does not have enough counterplay to compensate for this. ¥ g3 9.£ xc3 g5 10. ¥ 9.£ g3 cxd4 11.£ 11.£ xd4 ¤c6 £a4 ¥ f5 12.£ 12. a4 ¥ f5
Chapter 2 – Evolution of the Isolated Pawn Black is already winning – a complete opening disaster disaster..
37
Paul Keres – Vladas Mikenas
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.¤c3 c5 4.cxd5 exd5 5. ¤f3 ¤c6 6.g3 Mikenas was a Lithuanian born in Estonia; he moved to Lithuania in 1931. He was fluent in both languages and had a good relationship with Keres. Tey were both representatives of a small country occupied by Soviets. Te arrasch Defence was used by Mikenas on a few occasions, but he usually tried to play like arrasch: playing some sidelines and for tricks.
In 1947 Keres lost again to Botvinnik at the Chigorin Memorial in Moscow. Tis time he could not handle Botvinnik’s Stonewall system in the Dutch Defence. Te next year, at Te Hague/Moscow World Championship tournament, he was also well behind in opening preparation compared to Botvinnik, who easily won the event. Tere are controversial claims that most likely the winner was decided in Moscow, and Keres was just forced to let Botvinnik win. Keres’ opening play in that tournament against Botvinnik was very dubious. Only the last game between the two, when Botvinnik had already secured first place, was won by Keres. Botvinnik was a researcher researcher,, and to compete with him one needed to do one’s own research.
6...c4 After 6...cxd4 7. ¤xd4 Mikenas experimented with both 7... £b6 and 7... ¥c5 without success.
¥ d3 13.e3 ¦c8 14. ¥ d3 £d7 15.¢ 15.¢b1 ¥ xd3† ¦ xd3 £f5 17.e4 ¤ xe4 18. ¢a1 0–0 16.¦ 16. 18.¢ ¦d1 b5 20.£ 19.¦ 19. 20.£ xb5 ¤d4 21.£ 21.£d3 ¤c2† ¢b1 ¤b4 22.¢ 22. 0–1
Keres landed on the arrasch Defence and most likely the following game helped to hook him.
Parnu 1955
¥ g2 ¥ 7. ¥ g2 ¥ b4 b4 8.0–0 ¤ge7 9.e4! 0–0 10.exd5 11.£c2!? ¤ xd5 11.£ Tis is a typically modest move by Keres; he liked small queen and rook moves. Teoretically this is not best. ¥ g4? 11... ¥ g4? 11...h6! is fine for Black.
Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
38
12.¤g5 ¤f6 13.¤d5 g6 14.£ 14.£ xc4 ¤ xd5 ¥ ¥ g5 15. ¥ xd5 £e7 16.¤e4 ¥ h3 h3 17. ¥ g5 £c7 ¦fc1 ¦ac8 19. ¥ ¥ h6 ¥ 18.¦ 18. h6 ¦fd8 20. ¥ xf7† ¢h8 ¥ f4 21. ¥ f4 £a5 22.d5 1–0 It is very common to obtain or borrow opening ideas from your opponents. Tis is why, why, when you are preparing against a certain opponent, it is useful to check all his games with both colours. Strong players notice new ideas used by their opponents, and quickly start using them themselves. In our case, Keres most likely discussed and analysed the arrasch Defence with Mikenas. Te above game was played in 1955, but already in 1951 Keres had had an encounter with the arrasch Defence in the the same location against Igor Bondarevsky.
Paul Keres – Igor Bondarevsky Parnu 1951
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.¤c3 c5 4.cxd5 exd5 5. ¤f3 ¥ g2 ¥ g2 ¥ e7 e7 8.0–0 ¤c6 6.g3 ¤f6 7. ¥ Tis training match game was played eight years before Keres beat Mikhail al with the arrasch at the Candidates tournament in 1959 – a long time by today’s standards, but
I am sure Keres became interested in the arrasch Defence in those days when he faced it against Bondarevsky. Te story starts here in the small Estonian seaside resort town of Parnu and continues until the match between Spassky and Petr Petrosian osian in 1969, when Spassky used the arrasch Defence against Iron igran. He won the match and became World Champion. One of his long-time coaches and seconds was Igor Bondarevsky. Paul Keres rarely published or commentated on his own games after 1940. He was a very quiet man and I can only speculate as to whether he helped Spassky to prepare the arrasch or not. Spassky beat Keres in their Candidates match in 1965, but later lost the first World Championship match to Petrosian. One thing is sure – Keres was influenced by the potentially venomous arrasch Defence and adopted it as his surprise weapon. ¥ g5 ¥ 8...0–0 9. ¥ g5 ¥ e6 e6 Tis move was the custom back then, and only in later years did two other main alternatives, 9...cxd4 10. ¤xd4 h6 and 9...c4, become more popular. Te text move is just too passive.
¦c1 10.¦ 10.
Chapter 2 – Evolution of the Isolated Pawn 10.dxc5 ¥xc5 11.¥xf6 £xf6 12.¤xd5 £xb2 13.¤c7 ¦ad8 14.£c1 £xc1 15.¦axc1 b6 16.¤xe6 fxe6 17.e3 has been played in many games. In this endgame White has a risk-free advantage, which might suit players who like the style of Petrosian or Karpov. Of course, neither Spassky nor Kasparov, when playing the arrasch Defence against Petrosian and Karpov respectively, respectively, allowed this endgame line. 10...cxd4 After this, the opening battle is lost for Black and White has safe control over the central squares, which guarantees a long-lasting advantage. ¥ f4 £ xd4 £a5 11.¤ xd4 h6 12. ¥ f4 ¤ xd4 13. 13.£ ¥ d2 ¥ f1 14. ¥ d2 ¦fd8 15.¦ 15.¦fd1 £a6 16. ¥ f1 £c4
17.£ xc4! 17.£ ransforming the advantage. It is now very difficult for Black to defend his queenside weaknesses. ¥ g2± ¥ e3 17...dxc4 18. ¥ g2± ¦ac8 19. ¥ e3 b6 20.¤b5 ¦ xd1† 21. ¦ xd1 a6 22.¤d4 ¤g4 23. ¥ ¥ f4 ¥ 21.¦ f4 ¥ c5 c5 ¥ h3! 24.¤ xe6 fxe6 25. ¥ h3! h5 26.e3 ¦f8 27.¦ 27.¦c1 b5 28.b3 ¥ 28.b3 ¥ a3 a3 29.¦ 29.¦c2 ¦c8 30.f3 ¢h7
39
31.bxc4 But not 31.fxg4?? cxb3 32. ¦xc8 b2 and suddenly Black is winning. ¥ ¥ f4 ¥ 31...g5 32. ¥ xg5 ¦g8 33. ¥ f4 e5 34. ¥ xg4 ¥ ¥ b4 hxg4 35. ¥ xe5 ¦c8 36.fxg4 bxc4 37.¢ 37.¢f2 f2 ¥ b4 ¥ c3 38. ¥ c3 a5 39.¢ 39.¢f3 ¢g6 40.h4 ¢f7 41.¢ 41.¢e4 ¢e6 42.¢ ¥ 42.¢d4 ¥ d6 d6 43. ¥ xa5 ¥ e5† e5† 44.¢ 44.¢e4 ¥ ¥ h4 ¥ c3 ¥ xg3 45.h5 45.h5 ¥ h4 46. ¥ c3 ¥ g5 g5 47.¦ 47.¦b2 ¦e8 ¦b5 ¥ f6 ¥ 48.¦ 48. b5 ¥ f6 49. ¥ xf6 1–0 I do not have any information about what kind of relationship the players had. As they played the training match, they must have had some kind of common interest – was it i t the arrasch arrasch Defence? How deeply they worked together on the arrasch Defence remains unknown, but the next game, played by Bondarevsky later that year, year, definitely did not go unnoticed by Keres.
Nikolay Novotelnov Novotelnov – Igor Bondarevsky B ondarevsky Moscow 1951
1.c4 e6 2.¤c3 d5 3.d4 c5 4.cxd5 exd5 5. ¤f3 ¥ g2 ¥ ¥ g5 g2 ¥ e7 e7 8.0–0 0–0 9. ¥ g5 ¤c6 6.g3 ¤f6 7. ¥ ¥ e6 ¥ b6 e6 10.dxc5 ¥ 10.dxc5 ¥ xc5 11.¦ 11.¦c1 c1 ¥ b6 12.¤a4 I think this game was the prelude to Keres’ spectacular win over Mikhail al in 1959.
40
Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
A very similar idea or plan is demonstrated in this game. 12...d4 Here I do not want to argue with any chess aficionado who blindly follows the computer evaluation. Te whole concept was developed here – it is not dangerous to give up your bishop in positions with an isolated pawn. It even favours the knight over the bishop in many situations. Tis is why it is better to have the isolated pawn when you have knight versus bishop, because with a symmetrical pawn structure the bishop is usually much better than the knight.
¥ f4 ¥ 13.¤ xb6 axb6 14.a3 h6 15. ¥ f4 ¥ d5 d5 16.¤e1 ¥ xg2 17.¢ 17.¢ xg2 ¦e8
Black has an aesthetically very beautiful position. Te bishop on f4 has no job and Black’s space advantage and control over the light squares are overwhelming. 18.¦c2 £d5† 19.f3 ¦e7 20.¤d3 ¦ae8 18.¦ ¥ c1 21. ¥ c1 £b3 22.¦ 22.¦e1 ¤d5 23.¤f2 ¤e3† Tis active move is not the best – we do not want to exchange the passive bishop on c1. 23...¦e6 24.£d3 £a4 was much stronger and White needs to stay put with moves like 25.£d1. ¥ ¦d2 £b5 26.¤d3 ¤a5 24. ¥ xe3 ¦ xe3 25. 25.¦ ¢f2 ¤c4 28.¦ 27.¢ 27. 28.¦c2
28...¦3e7 29.£ 28...¦ 29.£c1 ¤e3 30.¦ 30.¦c8 £h5 31.¢ 31.¢g1 £h3 32.¦ 32.¦ xe8† ¦ xe8 33.¤f4 £d7 34.£ 34.£d2 g5! 35.¤g2 ¤c4 36.£ 36.£c2 £e6 37.¢ 37.¢f2 b5 ¦d1 £h3 39.¢ 38.¦ 38. 39.¢g1? White blunders just before before the time control. control. 39...£ xg2† 39...£ 0–1 Keres’ opening repertoire was not very wide throughout his career. Te Queen’s Indian and Nimzo-Indian were his main choices as Black in the closed systems. However, he prepared the arrasch Defence and used it as a surprise weapon in very important tournament situations.
Chapter 2 – Evolution of the Isolated Pawn
igran Petrosian – Paul Keres Amsterdam/Leeuwarden 1956
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.¤f3 c5 4.cxd5 exd5 5.g3 ¥ g2 ¤c6 6. ¥ g2 ¤f6 7.0–0 ¥ 7.0–0 ¥ e7 e7 8.¤c3 0–0 Tis game was played in the last round of the tournament. Vasily Smyslov had already secured first place. Keres needed a draw to secure second place, which was useless in i n itself, but did place him in chess history as forever second. Chess historians have always argued that most of the time the Soviets made some pre-tournament and pre-game arrangements, and it was no secret that their trump card for this tournament was Smyslov. Was this last round game a prearranged draw or not? It is difficult to say. Keres picked his surprise opening line for some reason. ¥ e3 ¥ 9. ¥ e3 ¥ e6?! e6?! Te text move is too passive, and 9... ¤g4 is also a shot in the air. 9...c4 is the best move here.
¥ d4 ¥ 10.dxc5 ¤g4 11. ¥ d4 ¤ xd4 12. ¤ xd4 xd4 ¥ xc5 13.¤b3 Tis double attack wins a pawn. It looks strange that Keres has misplayed the opening so badly. badly. On the other hand, it did not matter much – the tournament was effectively over. over.
41
¥ b6 13... ¥ b6 14.¤ xd5 ¦c8 15.e3 Petrosian wrote here: “Tis game played an important role: in the event of a win I would have gained good chances of second place in the tournament.” 15.¤xb6?! £xb6 16.£d4 ¦c2 gives Black counterplay.
¥ ¥ 15... ¥ xd5 16. ¥ xd5 Petrosian wrote here: “Now further loss of material is inevitable for Black. On 16... ¤xf2 White simply takes with the king. Naturally Naturally,, I declined the draw offered here by Keres.” Te reason for Keres’s play may be that he just wanted to finish the tournament as quickly as possible. 16...¦c7 17.£ 16...¦ 17.£f3? It is rather strange that White missed the simple win with 17. ¥xf7† ¦cxf7 18.£xg4, and now Black cannot play 18... ¦xf2 because after 19.¦xf2 ¥xe3 there is a crucial check 20.£e6† and White wins. 17...¤e5 18.£ 18.£g2 £e7 19.¤d4 ¦d8 20.¦ 20.¦ad1 g6 21.b3 ¦cd7 22.e4 ¦c8 23.¢ 23.¢h1 A draw offer from Keres was now accepted. Petrosian had a very good sense of danger and I am sure he realized that Black’ Black’ss initiative after the simple 23...¥xd4 24.¦xd4 ¦c2 would put
42
Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
White in serious trouble. Keres, as I mentioned before, did not care anymore.
½–½
Nowadays, players vary their opening choices every month, but at that time, work done one day might only be used a few years later. Tis probably happened with Keres. He waited a long time to show his homework and the chance came in 1959.
Mikhail al – Paul Keres Bled/Zagreb/Belgrade 1959
1.¤f3 Tis game was played towards the end of the Candidates tournament when it seemed clear that al was going to be the sole winner. Keres still had some theoretical chances, but first he had to win this game. Keres was a classical player whose opening repertoire consisted mainly of the solid soli d Queen’s Queen’s Indian Defence and the Ruy Lopez. He never fancied the King’s Indian. However, the solid Queen’s Indian is no good if you need to win. Te arrasch was a good choice against al. In virtually any opening White can force some very dry, equal line. However, in the arrasch Defence, while the pawn structure is fixed
in the opening, it remains dynamic. White cannot claim a drawish position from the opening. At the beginning of the 20th century some players treated the arrasch Defence as a slightly inferior, but solid, defence to play for a draw. Teir argument was that it is very difficult for White to win the isolated pawn. Tey accepted passive defence and the hidden dynamic resources of the arrasch Defence were never revealed. revealed. Keres, of course, was an outstanding player, and in this game he uncorked one of the greatest positional ideas concerning the isolated pawn. Te game itself is very pleasing for its aesthetic qualities and was nominated as the best game of the tournament. My focus, however, is on the positional approach to the game. Unfortunately, I do not have any information about how much time Keres spent on his 11th move. Te move itself is not the computer’s first choice, but Keres could play it because of his tournament situation. Did he prepare it at home? Keres did comment on the move, but did not answer these questions. One thing is clear – he played an outstanding game and without the plan starting at move 11, this would never have happened. 1...d5 2.d4 c5 3.c4 e6 4.cxd5 exd5 5.g3 ¤c6 ¥ g2 ¥ g5 6. ¥ g2 ¤f6 7.0–0 ¥ 7.0–0 ¥ e7 e7 8.¤c3 0–0 9. ¥ g5
Chapter 2 – Evolution of the Isolated Pawn ¥ e6 9... ¥ e6 Tis move was frequently played at the time. tim e. Te more modern approach of 9...cxd4 10.¤xd4 h6 11.¥e3 was probably developed by Spassky’s second and coach Bondarevsky. However,, it is a little counterintuitive, However counterintuiti ve, because from Black’s perspective we would prefer not to take on d4.
Tis became the tabiya during the Spassky – Petrosian match in 1969. Here White has full control over the blockading d4-square. Even so, Black has a lot of play play,, and this position has been tested in several high-level games. 10.dxc5 ¥ 10.dxc5 ¥ xc5 11.¤a4!? al was a fighter, and if you are leading the tournament with a 2½ point margin with five rounds to go, you can behave like a gentleman. After 11.¥xf6 £xf6 12.¤xd5 £xb2 13.¤c7 ¦ad8 14.£c1 £xc1 15.¦axc1 b6 16.¤xe6 fxe6 17.e3 White can hardly lose. Tis has caused most players to abandon the passive 9... ¥e6 in favour of the more dynamic 9...cxd4. In 1950s the idea of squeezing in chess – when someone tries to win a slightly better endgame – was not a very popular approach. Chess professionalism started later – some may argue that it started with Bobby Fischer. He was probably the first one-hundred-percent chess
43
player around. Te academic style was, in my opinion, developed by Petrosian, who liked to play risk-free positions. Ten came Karpov, whose endgame technique and especially the ability to use every small chance, made him one of the best tournament players ever. Te difference was clear: the older generation were gentlemen who did not care to play these kinds of endgame positions. Of course, all this had a tremendous impact on opening choices. Suddenly the equal endgames which arise from some openings did not look so drawish anymore. I can cite one of Kasparov’s Kasparov’s seconds during his match against Karpov.. Supposedly Kasparov was demanding Karpov dem anding that the analyses of some opening lines should not end with a conclusion that it’s a drawish endgame, but should be analysed to the very end. ¥ b6 11... ¥ b6
Tis was the bombshell! As I have already mentioned, this is not the computer’s first choice, and if you show it as a good move to your students, they might doubt your competence. Te move is a move like any other chess move; the concept, however, was new. I am sure that the great masters from the past already knew circumstances when the knight is better than a bishop. All this was
44
Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
very clear when we were talking about closed positions. However, nobody had defined it clearly when we were talking about positions with an isolated pawn. Te arrasch arrasch Defence did not have a lot of followers. Positions with an isolated pawn from the French Defence were also very rare guests in tournament chess. Tere were not enough games to look at. Of course, masters were aware that the knight is a better blockader and the well-known pawn structure from the Queen’s Gambit Declined occurred from time to time in tournament games. All this t his was relevant from White’s White’s side. Keres managed to open a new way of thinking about how to handle the pieces in the arrasch arrasch Defence and this game had a huge impact on the development of these ideas in the 1960s. Soviet masters picked it up and players like Anatoly Lein and (of course) Spassky Spassky did a fine job. I am sure sure that if Keres Keres had not played played this game, the arrasch Defence would not have had such a boost. When talking about the great players and their input to chess history, in my opinion this was the moment for Keres. He was a romantic player at the beginning of his career in the 1930s, culminating in winning the AVRO A VRO tournament in 1938 – the tournament where all the best players were participating. However, he never became World Champion and is regarded as the eternal second-best. Tese are his accomplishments in chess from the competitive aspect. Tere is an opening line in the Sicilian that bears his name and his research in endgames is also very well known. But for some reason the full impact of his game against al al in the 1959 Candidates tournament is not fully recognized as discovering a new method of handling positions with an isolated pawn. ¥ f4 12.¤ xb6 axb6 13.¤d4 h6 14. ¥ f4
al did not go for 14. ¥xf6 £xf6 15.e3, with a drawish position. If you want to become World W orld Champion, you cannot play chess like that. £d7 14...£ 14...
15.a3?! White should play: 15.¤xe6! £xe6 (15...fxe6 16.e4! ¦fd8 17.exd5 exd5 18. £d3 and White has a big advantage, because the bishops are better in the open position) 16.a3 ¦fe8 17.¦e1 d4 (17...b5!?) 18.¦c1 g5! 19.¥d2 ¦ad8 Black has more space in i n the centre, where the two knights are better than the bishops. Te position is roughly equal. ¥ h3 15... ¥ h3 Now Black has full control over the light squares in the centre. Te white bishop on f4 is also without any role. ¢ xg2 ¦e4 16.£d3 ¦fe8 17.¦ 16.£ 17.¦fe1 ¥ xg2 18. 18.¢ ¥ d2 19.¤f3 ¦ae8 20. ¥ d2 d4 Now the best chance for White was passive defence. Te usual strategy when you control the centre is to start an attack on the king, but here it is not easy for Black to push the kingside pawns because the white knight is controlling the h4-square.
Chapter 2 – Evolution of the Isolated Pawn
21.e3? 21.¦ac1 £e6 22.b4! defends the e2-pawn with a counterattack. Now Black cannot take the pawn: 22... ¦xe2? (22...£d5! and Black still has unpleasant pressure) 23.b5 ¤a5 24.£xe2 £xe2 25.¦xe2 ¦xe2 26.¥xa5 bxa5 27.¤xd4 With an equal endgame. 21...£d5! 21...£ Now the situation becomes critical for White. 22.exd4 22.¢g1 ¤g4 23.exd4 ¦xe1† 24.¦xe1
24...¤ge5! and Black is winning.
22...¦ xd4 22...¦ Keres makes a simple move where he is sure to have some advantage.
45
22...g5! is a computer suggestion and it is strong. Te idea is to kick the white knight from f3 and to take on d4 with the knight. But this is too complicated for a human to find, because you must foresee a crucial tactic on the 24th move: 23.h3 h5 24. ¥xg5 (24.¢g1 g4 25.hxg4 hxg4 26. ¤h4 ¤xd4) 24...¤e5!!
25.dxe5 £xd3 26.¥xf6 ¦xe1 27.¦xe1 ¦c8 Black should win in the long run. 23.¦ xe8† ¤ xe8 24.£ 23.¦ 24.£e2 ¤d6
Tis position is much better for Black, and in a practical game it is very difficult to defend with the white pieces. White has no pawn weaknesses, but Black’s dominance in the centre is so important that White needs to defend very carefully not to lose immediately.
46
Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
Nowadays we can quickly check the evaluation of any position with a computer, but back then you needed to rely on your understanding. Keres was one of the best players in open positions, which is why he had good results against al. Keres did not believe al’s bluffs and refuted them with his perfect calculation. In this position, al al does not even have the chance to bluff. ¥ e3 25. ¥ e3 ¦d3 26.¢ 26.¢g1 ¤c4 27.¤e1 ¦b3 ¦c1 ¤ xe3 29.fxe3 £e5 28.¦ 28. 29...£e4! was more precise, but in time trouble Keres wins a pawn, which is a very understandable practical solution. 30.¤g2 30.¤f3 would have given White more chances to defend in the endgame, but al does not like to suffer suffer.. 30...¦ xb2 31.£ 30...¦ 31.£d3 £e6 32.¤f4 ¦b3 33.¦ 33.¦c3 ¦ xc3 34.£ 34.£ xc3 £e4 Te position remains the same: Black still dominates in the centre, but now he also has an extra pawn.
¢f1 £f3† 35.£b3 b5 36.£ 35.£ 36.£ xb5 £ xe3† 37. 37.¢ ¢g1 £e3† 39.¢ 38.¢ 38. 39.¢f1 g5 40.¤e2 ¤e5 £ xb7 ¤d3 42.£ 41.£ 41. 42.£c8† ¢g7 43.£ 43.£f5 £d2 44.¤d4 £e1† 45.¢ 45.¢g2 £e3!
Queen and knight is the most powerful combination of pieces, especially when attacking the king. Keres keeps playing at the highest level in this part of the game as well.
46.£d5 £f2† 47.¢ 46.£ 47.¢h3 £f1† 48.¢ 48.¢g4 ¤f2† ¢f5 £d3† 50.¢ 49.¢ 49. 50.¢e5 ¤g4† 51.¢ 51.¢d6 £ xa3† 52. ¢c7 £e7† 53.¢ 52.¢ 53.¢c8 ¤e3 54.£ 54.£b5 £e4 55.£ 55.£b2 ¢g6 56.£ 56.£b6† f6 57.¤e6 58.£a6 ¤e5 59.¤c7 £c2 60.£ 60.£d6 ¤c4 58.£ £ xh2 61.¤d5 £f2 62.¢ 62.¢b7 £ xg3 63.£ 63.£ xf6† ¢h5 64.£ 64.£e6 ¤g4 65.¤e7 £f3† 66.¢ 66.¢c8 ¢h4 67.¤f5† ¢h3 68.¢ 68.¢d8 h5 69.£ 69.£g6 70.£e6 ¤g4 71.£ 71.£g6 ¤e5 72.£ 72.£e6 ¤e5 70.£ £d3† 73.¤d4† ¤g4 74.£ 74.£d5 ¤f2 75.¢ 75.¢c8 h4 76.£ 76.£e5 £e4 77.£ 77.£f6 £f4 78.¤f5 ¤e4 £e6 £g4 79.£ 79. Finally al resigned. 0–1
Leonid Stein – Paul Keres Moscow 1966
Keres did not have any more real chances to become World Champion after the 1959 Candidates. Tis, however, did not mean that he quit working on his chess. He used the arrasch Defence until his sudden death in 1975. He did not lose a single game in the arrasch and used it mostly just to make a draw.. Tis next game is a typical example. draw
Chapter 2 – Evolution of the Isolated Pawn 1.c4 ¤f6 2.¤c3 e6 3.¤f3 c5 4.g3 d5 5.cxd5 ¥ g2 ¥ exd5 6.d4 ¤c6 7. ¥ g2 ¥ e7 e7 8.0–0 0–0 9.dxc5 ¥ ¥ b6 xc5 10.¤a4 a4 ¥ b6 Against a young and ambitious Ukrainian player, Keres repeats the famous line. His opponent was undoubtedly very well aware of his game against al. Stein played more carefully,, but could carefully coul d not create real problems. ¥ b2 ¥ 11.b3 ¥ f5 11.b3 ¥ f5 12. ¥ b2 ¥ e4 e4
Usually the bishop is not good in the centre. It needs a helping hand, which is usually a pawn to protect it – in our position the d5pawn. Anyway, it is not the normal way of handling the bishop problem. Our next hero of the arrasch Defence – Anatoly Lein – was undoubtedly following this game and making some notes. £d2 £e7 15.¦ 13.¤ xb6 axb6 14. 14.£ 15.¦fc1 ¦fe8 £f4 16.£ 16. If you try to guess the next move, you may be astonished. 16...h6! Tis move is also the computer’ computer’ss first choice, in contrast to when Keres played the surprising 11...¥b6 against a gainst al! al! After 16...¤d7 17.£c7 ¦ab8 18.¦d1 ¦ec8
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19.£f4 ¦e8 20.¥h3 White has a strong initiative, because the position remains relatively open for his bishops. ¥ f1 17. ¥ f1 A similar plan is often used in Queen Queen’’s Indian-type positions when White tries to fight for the e4-square, but without allowing the trade of bishops. However, However, now the bomb b omb explodes again. Tis was definitely a moment that the Soviet masters in Moscow did not miss.
¥ 17... ¥ xf3! 18.exf3! 18.£xf3?! is weaker, because of 18...d4 19.¦d1 ¦ad8 20.¦ac1 £e6, and despite the fact that White has two bishops against two knights, Black has firm control over the central squares. It is very difficult for a computer to evaluate these positions, because the doubled pawns and the two bishops should give a huge advantage for White, but in reality White is only slightly better better.. 18...¤h7 Tis was not the best move – it is too slow slow.. Better was: 18...d4 19. ¦d1 g5!? (19...¤d5 20.£d2 ¦ad8 21.f4 ¤c7 22.¦e1 £d6 23.a3 and White has the better position because Black can only wait and defend his weak
48
Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
pawn on d4) 20. £d2 ¦ad8 21.¦e1 (21.¥b5 £c5 22.a4? ¤e5 and suddenly Black is much better) 21...£d6 22.¦xe8† ¤xe8 23.¦e1 ¤g7 24.¢g2
White is better better.. Tis is easy to assess with computer help, but in a real game White would need to show great great patience. ¥ b5 19. ¥ b5 19.h4!, restricting Black’s knight, was more precise. 19...¤g5 20.£ 20.£g4 £e6 21.£ 21.£ xe6 ¦ xe6 22.f4 23.¦d1 ¦d6 24.a3 ¦ad8 25.b4 d4 ¤e4 23.¦
Te endgame is much better for White, but much better in the endgame can often just mean a draw. In this game Keres defended the position without too many problems.
¥ a4 ¥ b3 26.¦d3 ¤a7 27. ¥ 26.¦ a4 b5 28. ¥ b3 ¤c6 ¦c1 b6 30.¦ ¥ d1 ¥ f3 29.¦ 29. 30.¦e1 ¤f6 31. ¥ d1 ¤d5 32. ¥ f3 ¢f8 33.¦ 33.¦c1 ¤de7 34.¢ 34.¢f1 ¦8d7 35.h4 ¤d8 ¥ e2 36.h5 f5 37.¦ 37.¦e1 ¤dc6 38.¦ 38.¦ed1 ¢f7 39. ¥ e2 ¦d5
Te computer overestimates White’s position. Tis is because even winning the d-pawn would not promise a lot of winning chances due to the reduced material. Te computer “thinks” incorrectly that at minimum it might reach a good rook endgame a pawn up. However, we humans know that such a rook ending may be a dead draw, though it might take a while for a computer to understand this. ¥ f3 ¥ e2 40.¦3d2 ¦d8 41. ¥ 40.¦ f3 ¦5d6 42. ¥ e2 ¦d5 ¦a1 43.¦ 43. ½–½
Anatoly Lein Yuri Y uri Anikaev – Anatoly Lein Grozny 1968
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.¤c3 c5 4.cxd5 exd5 5. ¤f3 ¥ g2 ¥ g2 ¥ e7 e7 8.0–0 0–0 9.dxc5 ¤c6 6.g3 ¤f6 7. ¥ ¥ ¥ e7 ¥ e3 ¥ xc5 10.¤a4 a4 ¥ e7 11. ¥ e3 ¥ g4 g4
Chapter 2 – Evolution of the Isolated Pawn
¥ c5 12. ¥ c5 Tis plan is not dangerous for Black. White does not have enough time to complete his plan, which is to trade all of his bad pieces. 12...¦e8 13.¦ 12...¦ 13.¦c1 ¤e4 Tis is not the best move order to counter White’ss plan. White’ More accurate is 13... ¥xc5 14.¤xc5 £e7 15.¦e1 ¦ac8 16.¤d3 h6 17.h3 and now:
a) 17...¥xf3? It is not good to give up the bishop now. Why? Because there is no blockade on d4 and White’s other knight is heading to f4. After that, Black is forced to move the pawn to d4 and White has an advantage on the light squares. It’s not enough to blindly follow the standard plans in a complicated positional game – you need to make adjustments all
49
the time. 18.¥xf3 ¤e4 19.¤f4 d4 20.£a4 ¦cd8 21.a3 £f6 22.¤d3 With an unpleasant position for Black. b) 17...¥f5! 18.¤f4 ¥e4 19.£d2
Now the typical move when you control the centre, or you are trying to take control over it, is in order. One should not be afraid to weaken the king’s king’s position: 19...g5! 20. ¤d3 ¥f5 With a balanced position. ¥ 14. ¥ xe7 £ xe7 15.h3 15.¤d4!? is why the move order chosen by Lein was not the most m ost precise. Now Black still has the bad bishop. Even so, after 15... ¤xd4 16.£xd4 ¥xe2 17.¦fe1 £f6 18.£xf6 ¤xf6 19.¤c3 ¥c4 20.¦ed1 (20.b3 ¦xe1† 21.¦xe1 d4=) 20...¦ad8 21.b3 ¥a6 22.¤xd5 ¤xd5 23.¦xd5 ¦xd5 24.¥xd5 ¢f8 the endgame is drawish.
50
Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
¥ 15... ¥ xf3!? I am sure the Moscow masters at that time were keenly following Keres Keres’’ games in the arrasch Defence and had some very good ideas about how to play it. Now, however, Anikaev makes a grave mistake. As Stein had already demonstrated in these positions, one should seriously consider recapturing on f3 with the pawn. ¥ 16. ¥ xf3? Wee are lucky that Anikaev made this W positional mistake as we can enjoy the masterpiece demonstrated by Lein. 16.exf3! is much stronger, and suddenly White has an advantage. Psycho Psychologically logically it is a difficult decision, because nobody wants to double their pawns voluntarily. voluntarily. 16... ¤f6 17.f4
White has a dynamic advantage, meaning that he has more control over the position and Black lacks active counterplay, but even after winning the isolated pawn (or perhaps we should say passed pawn), it might be still difficult to win the game. Nowadays, when we rely on computer chess, every novice player will see the computer evaluation here and happily announce to everybody that White is better. Back then, however, it was difficult to prove this. I am sure the verdict was that White has enough compensation for the ruined pawn structure, but not more.
¦ad8 17. ¥ ¥ g2 16...¦ 16... g2
Black stands well in the centre. Te bishop on g2 is passive, because the knight on e4 dominates the bishop. Te d5-pawn is protecting the knight on e4, and if White takes on e4 with his bishop or knight the d-pawn advances to e4 and the space advantage grows. Now Black follows the classical route – you can successfully launch a kingside attack only when you control the centre. centre. 17...h5! 18.h4 g6 19. ¤c3 £e5! Centralization. 20.e3 ¢g7! Improving the position also includes the king. £a4 ¦e7 22.¦ 21.£ 21. 22.¦cd1
Chapter 2 – Evolution of the Isolated Pawn
51
22...f5! Avoiding Avo iding simplification. White’ White’ss position would be fine without rooks or queens. Right now the passive rooks and Black’s space advantage make White’s play difficult. Yes, computers still give the evaluation as roughly equal, but the initiative is fully in Black’s hands.
Tis was the idea of Black’s Black’s last move, but in time trouble both players missed some tactics.
23.¤ xe4?! 23.£a3! and the position is still balanced: 23...d4 24.exd4 ¦xd4 25.¤xe4 fxe4 26. £e3 ¦a4 27.¦d2 ¤d4 28.¦e1 ¤f5 White still needs to be very careful not to allow the ...e3 breakthrough. 29.£b3! ¦d4 Tis computer line gives zeros in its evaluation chart. Tis is the chess of the 21st century, but one should only travel so far after carefully following the classical route developed decades ago by the great masters.
23...fxe4 24.b4 Desperately seeking counterplay counterplay.. 24...a6 25.b5 axb5 26.£ 26. £ xb5
26...£f5! 26...£ I like this move a lot. Only really strong players can execute such a move. ¦d2 d4? 27.¦ 27.
27...¤e5 28.¦fd1 ¦f7 29.£b2 ¢h7 30.£d4 and White just needs to wait to see whether Black can find a way to break through. Te computers still give a lot of zeros, but in practice, in mutual time trouble, White’s task is very difficult.
28.£ xf5? 28.£ 28.£b2! £f6 29.exd4 ¤xd4 30.¦e1 ¤f3† 31.¥xf3 ¦xd2 32.£xd2 exf3 33.¦xe7† £xe7 34.£c3† £f6 35.£c7† £f7 with a draw. 28...gxf5 29.exd4 ¤ xd4 30.¦ 30.¦b2 b5
52
Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
Black is still controlling the central squares and White needs to find good moves to save the game. ¥ f1? 31.¦c1 ¢f6 32. ¥ 31.¦ f1? Wanting W anting to activate the bishop is understandable, but this was not the moment to do it.
32...e3! Te space advantage is visually attractive, but to win the game you need to create weaknesses in your opponent’ opponent’ss camp. After this breakthrough White’s position becomes critical. 33.fxe3 ¦ xe3 34.¢ 34.¢h2 ¦g8 Te black knight on d4 dominates White’s rooks and the weakness of the g3-pawn decides the game in a few moves. ¦g2 ¦g4 36.¦ 35.¦ 35. 36.¦b1
36...f4 Another breakthrough!
¥ ¢g1 ¦ xh4 39.¦ 37. ¥ xb5 fxg3† 38. 38.¢ 39.¦gb2 ¦he4 ¥ d7 40. ¥ d7 ¤e2† 41.¢ 41.¢g2 ¤f4† 42.¢ 42.¢f1 ¦f3† ¢g1 ¤e2† 43.¢ 43. 0–1
Lev Polugaevsky – Anatoly Lein Alma-Ata 1968
¥ g2 1.c4 e6 2.¤f3 d5 3.g3 ¤f6 4. ¥ g2 c5 5.0–0 e7 8.¤c3 0–0 ¤c6 6.cxd5 exd5 7.d4 ¥ e7 ¥ e3 9.dxc5 ¥ xc5 10.¤a4 ¥ e7 e7 11. ¥ e3 ¦e8 ¦c1 ¥ g4 12.¦ 12. c1 ¥ g4 13.h3
¥ ¥ ¥ g2 13... ¥ xf3! 14. ¥ xf3 £d7 15. ¥ g2 ¦ad8
Chapter 2 – Evolution of the Isolated Pawn 16.¤c5
¥ 16... ¥ xc5! By exchanging this bishop, Black establishes his knight in the centre. ¥ ¥ d4 17. ¥ xc5 ¤e4 18.e3 £f5 19. ¥ d4 ¤g5 ¢h2 ¤e6 21. ¥ ¥ c3 20.¢ 20. c3 d4 Usually we want to keep the position closed when our opponent has the bishops. Here the situation is different, because opening the position makes the dominating knight on e4 with the active rooks on the d- and e-files so dangerous for White – suddenly his queen is in danger of being trapped. ¥ 22.exd4 ¤exd4 23. ¥ xd4 ¤ xd4 And a draw was agreed. agreed. ½–½
Mikhail Podgaets – Anatoly Lein Ivano-Frankivsk 1971
1.c4 In the opening there are many different move orders that finally end up in the same position. Against a player whose opening repertoire is very limited, sophisticated opening specialists can dig up the most unpleasant move order. order. Te aim of the first move 1.c4 is usually to
53
avoid the Queen’s Gambit Accepted, among others. Te drawback is that the English Opening itself does not promise much. On the other hand, Black needs to do a lot of work if there is a possibility of White playing 1.c4 and has the English Opening in his repertoire. At the very top level, 1.c4 has been very popular throughout chess history and was used by players such as igran Petrosian, Viktor Korchnoi and others. Te move is also very popular among professionals who make a living playing in Open tournaments – players such as Mikhail Gurevich, Evgeny Bareev and Daniel Fridman. Teir purpose with this move order is to just play a slow game against less experienced weaker players and not get involved in some early theoretical discussion. 1...¤f6 2.¤c3 Of course, after 2.d4 Black can hardly get into the arrasch anymore, but White had already chosen not to play this move on move 1! ¥ g2 2...c5 3.g3 e6 4.¤f3 ¤c6 5. ¥ g2 d5 6.cxd5 exd5 7.d4 ¥ 7.d4 ¥ e7 e7 8.0–0 0–0 9.dxc5 ¥ 9.dxc5 ¥ xc5 10.b3 Tis is another possible move beside the more direct 10.¤a4. ¥ b2 ¥ 10...¦e8 11. ¥ 10...¦ b2 ¥ g4 g4 12.¦ 12.¦c1 Now something unexpected happened. Lein voluntarily gave up not one, but both bishops!
54
Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
¥ 12... ¥ xf3!? I am not here to make any critical remarks about the move itself; final chess truth is not the aim of this book. I just want to uncover the process of how some of the positional ideas evolved in the arrasch Defence. I met Anatoly Lein when he was living in the United States in the 1990s. At that time I had already studied his games and for me everything was clear. Unfortunately, I did not ask him how he worked on his arrasch Defence. o complete my detective work today, I would need to go through all the available chess material published in the Soviet Union starting from the 1959 al – Keres game, until 1971 when this game took place. It might still only be of academic interest, because I am sure that my readers can already draw conclusions as to how Lein got the idea of giving up his bishop for the knight. ¥ ¥ d4 ¥ a1 ¥ ¦ xc3 £d6 13. ¥ xf3 ¥ xf3 d4 14. ¥ a1 ¥ xc3!? 15. 15.¦ ¦d3 ¤e5 17.¦ 16.¦ 16. 17.¦d2 ¤ xf3† 18.exf3 ¦ad8 ¥ 19. ¥ xf6 £ xf6 20.¦ 20.¦ xd5 g6 White has won a pawn, but does not have any real winning chances here. Podgaets even managed to lose the game.
£ xd5 ¦e2 21.f4 ¢g7 22.£ 22.£f3 ¦ xd5 23. 23.£ 24.a4 b6 25.¦ 25.¦d1 £b2 26.£ 26.£d4† £ xd4 ¦ xd4 ¦b2 28.b4 a6 29.h4 ¢f8 30.¢ 27.¦ 27. 30.¢g2
¢e7 31.¦ 31.¦c4 ¢d6 32.¦ 32.¦d4† ¢c6 33.¦ 33.¦e4 ¢d6 34.¢ 34.¢f3 ¦b3† 35.¢ 35.¢e2 ¦a3 36.b5 axb5 37.axb5 ¦b3 38.¦ 38.¦e5 f6 39.¦ 39.¦e8 ¦ xb5 ¦h8 h5 41.¦ 40.¦ 40. 41.¦g8 ¢e6
42.¦ xg6?? ¢f7 42.¦ White is losing his rook. 0–1
Soviet masters picked pick ed up the arrasch arrasch Defence from Paul Keres. As we saw, Spassky’s coach Bondarevsky was hooked on the arrasch as well. It is more or less known who helped Spassky,, although how much Spassky mu ch help or advice he got from Paul Keres is actually not clear. Back then it was not considered good practice to help other World Championship Candidates if you were still a contender c ontender yourself. Paul Keres, however, had a very friendly relationship with Boris Spassky. Who would not? At least before the latter became World Champion. According to Alexander Roshal, the title of World World Champion spoils everybody, and even Spassky was affected by the venom. Still, he was an easy-going gentleman with whom I had the chance to play chess and tennis. Keres was a much better tennis player, but he lost his last Candidates match to Spassky in Riga 1965, which was his final attempt to fight for the crown. It was the closest match for Spassky and he went on to play the World
Chapter 2 – Evolution of the Isolated Pawn Championship match against Petrosian in 1966. Te Armenian prevailed, but Spassky was back in 1969. Te 1969 match m atch was decided in the arrasch arrasch Defence. It might seem a little counterintuitive c ounterintuitive to play the arrasch Defence against igran, who was famous for his very safe approach to chess. For example, he never took risks at the end of a tournament, making draws and just patiently awaiting the outcomes of his rivals, who on many occasions cracked under the pressure. In chess one must have a feeling for danger, meaning that suddenly during the game there is a moment at which, instead of having a winning position or just a better game, there is a danger that everything will turn around. It does not mean that you must be supercareful or timid in your choices, but nobody plays 100% perfect chess all the time, and you cannot win every position in which you have an advantage – but you also do not want to lose them. Te best example of how this kind of sudden death can happen was demonstrated in a Korchnoi – Karpov game in Baguio City.
Viktor Korchnoi – Anatoly Karpov Baguio City (17) 1978
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White had held a nearly winning advantage for most of the game. In the diagram position, in time trouble, Korchnoi decided that taking the pawn on h7 was the simplest solution. 37.¦ xh7? 37.¦ 37.¦e7! was the correct move. After 37...¤cd2 38.¦a3 ¦f6 39.¦a1 White is winning. 37...¤cd2 38.¦ 38.¦a3 ¦c6 Suddenly there is no win. Not feeling the danger,, Korchnoi made the next move without danger any hesitation. 39.¦a1?? 39.¦
39...¤f3† A cold shower. shower. Instead of winning, White is getting mated in two more m ore moves. 0–1 Feeling this moment of when to back off was Petrosian etrosian’’s trademark. Later Later,, Vladimir Kramnik became famous for having the same sense. Of course, being super-cautious all the time limits your chess achievements a lot; this happened to the very talented Hungarian GM Peter Leko. In concrete situations, finding a forcing way to back off, like simplifying into a drawish
Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
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endgame, is the way to go. Te arrasch Defence seems innocent and very safe if you look at it from White’s perspective. However, there is no forced draw available. We We are not of course talking about the situation where one’s aim is to draw with the white pieces. White always has some kind of theoretical opening advantage in the arrasch, arrasch, but there is no way to leave the battleground whenever you please. Black can force White to play on even when standing slightly worse.
Boris Spassky Spassky’s first experience with the arrasch Defence in an important sporting situation was during his match against Efim Geller in 1965.
Efim Geller – Boris Spassky Riga (7) 1965
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.¤c3 c5 4.cxd5 exd5 5. ¤f3 ¥ g2 ¥ ¥ g5 g2 ¥ e7 e7 8.0–0 0–0 9. ¥ g5 ¤c6 6.g3 ¤f6 7. ¥ ¥ e6 e6 In his Candidates match against Geller, Spassky was still following in the footsteps of Paul Keres. Later, against Petrosian, Petrosian, he did di d not play 9...¥e6. 10.dxc5 ¥ 10.dxc5 ¥ xc5 11.¤a4
Now Spassky did not play the Keres move, 11...¥b6. Te reason is simple: Keres created the concept, but not a forced line which you should blindly follow follow.. ¥ e7 ¥ e3 ¥ 11... ¥ e7 12. ¥ e3 ¥ g4! g4! Spassky follows the concept. Te bishop should be traded for the knight. 13.¦c1 ¦e8 13.¦ Another deep move, which Spassky also used later in his match against Petrosian in 1969. When preparing against a certain opponent opponent or opening, one should notice these subtle moves. m oves. Tere are common plans and ideas in similar positions and openings. Tis rook move, which looks like a waiting move, is actually very useful, and if you are familiar with it you can easily find it in similar positions. Tis is why the study of different openings is very useful, even if you do not play them. However, However, it can be difficult nowadays to find a good opening book that does not just follow the computer’s top lines, but explains the moves and ideas. 14.¤c5
¥ 14... ¥ xc5! Spassky follows the Keres concept. If you know it, you do not need to calculate other
Chapter 2 – Evolution of the Isolated Pawn moves like 14... £b6!? 15.¤e6 £a5 16.¥d2 £b6, although this is also satisfactory for Black. ¥ 15. ¥ xc5 ¤e4 15...£d7! was more precise. ¥ e3 16. ¥ e3 £d7 17.£ 17.£a4 17.¤d4! ¥h3 18.£a4 and White has a slight pull, but not 18.¥xh3 £xh3 19.¤xc6 bxc6 20.¦xc6? ¦e5! which gives Black a winning attack on the h-file.
17...h5!? 18.¦ 18.¦fd1 ¦ad8 19.¦ 19.¦d3 19.b4 a6 20.£b3 h4 leads to a complicated game. 19...h4 20.¦ 20.¦cd1 hxg3 21.hxg3 £c8 22.£ 22.£a3 22.¦xd5 ¦xd5 23.¦xd5 ¤xg3! is dangerous for White. 22...£e6 23.£ 22...£ 23.£b3 ¦d7 Te game is approximately balanced. Spassky has obtained a complicated dynamic position from the opening, meaning that he has won the opening battle. 24.£a4 24.£ In mutual time trouble some mistakes were made by both sides, and the game ended in a draw.
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¥ h3 ¥ h1?! ¥ 24... ¥ h3 25. ¥ h1?! ¥ f5 f5 25...£g4! 26.¦xd5 ¦xd5 27.¦xd5
27...¤xf2! 28.£xg4 ¤xg4 Black obtains a better endgame. ¥ 26.¤d4 ¤ xd4 27. ¥ xd4 b6 28.¦ 28.¦e3 £g6? 28...£h6! 29.¥g2 ¦c8 with a dynamic equilibrium.
29.¦c1 29.¦ 29.¥xb6! axb6 30. ¥xe4 ¦xe4 31.¦xe4 dxe4 32.¦xd7 ¥xd7 33.£xd7 e3 34.¢g2! gives White an extra pawn in the endgame. ¥ g2 ¥ 29...¦ed8 30.¦ 29...¦ 30.¦c6 £h7 31. ¥ g2 ¥ h3 h3 32.£ 32.£c2 ¥ ¢ xg2 £h5 34.¦ xg2 33. 33.¢ 34.¦f3 f6 35.¦ 35.¦c8 £e8 ¦ xd8 ¦ xd8 37. ¦e3 £d7 38.¦ 36.¦ 36. 37.¦ 38.¦d3 ¦c8 £d1 ¢f7 40.£ 39.£ 39. 40.£h1 £g4 41.£ 41.£h3 ½–½
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Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
Te theoretical preparation for the 1969 match took place at several training camps sponsored by the Soviet sports authorities. Who exactly came up with the idea of playing the arrasch Defence remains a secret. Spassky himself was not very hard-working; for example, before the match against Fischer his favourite place was the Jurmala resort in today’ today’ss Latvia (back then in the Soviet Union). Nikolai Krogius took part in this training camp as well. He was not a strong GM throughout his chess career, but in the 1980s he became one of the highest Soviet chess officials. He also had a degree in psychology. However, I do not really believe that the opening preparation against Petrosian or Fischer involved any high-end psychology. Bondarevsky was no longer in Jurmala, but he played a big role in the t he match against Petrosian. Also there were other training camps where all the Soviet Olympiad team members took part. Probably it was only at these camps that Spassky and Keres exchanged some of their opening knowledge. Keres did not influence Spassky’ss opening choice directly and I suspect Spassky’ that it was Bondarevsky who recommended the arrasch, because against Fischer, when Bondarevsky was no longer around, the arrasch Defence, which may have actually suited Spassky, did not appear. Of course, the last word in making the opening choice is for the player himself. I believe this was the case with Spassky as well. Since he was not a hard-working professional like some other famous World Champions, especially Botvinnik before him and Fischer after him, most likely it was easy to talk him into playing the arrasch. At the Jurmala camp the occasional morning cognac helped the creative atmosphere, but it cannot be recommended – or at least there is no evidence that it helps your opening preparation. I also cannot speculate on how significant the impact of opening preparation
was against Petr Petrosian. osian. Spassky was younger and fitter than his rival, and as we like li ke to say, it was just his time. Te arrasch Defence served Garry Kasparov for years to come in his title matches, but I think the match between Spassky and Petrosian was more or less the crucial test for the arrasch Defence, and no more really fresh ideas were found in subsequent years. Tere is a book about the 1969 match where two of the seconds of the match (Igor Bondarevsky, who helped Spassky Spassky,, and Isaac Boleslavsky Boleslavsky,, who helped Petrosian) annotated the games separately, not knowing his counterpart’s comments. Later these comments were published together in a book which was like a bible for my first fi rst coach coa ch onu onu ruus, ruus, who w ho rarely lent his copy of the book to a third party. o my knowledge this book is not available in English, so I include the comments of the two seconds here.
igran Petrosian Petrosian – Boris Spassky Moscow (4) 1969
“After this game, when Spassky again played the arrasch Defence, it became clear that Petrosian was going to face this opening throughout the match. However, when preparing for this game Petrosian and his coaches were already forced to come up with some improvement compared with the second game of the match, when Black had no difficulties levelling the game. game.”” – Bondarevsky 1.c4 e6 2.d4 d5 3. ¤c3 c5 “When in the second game Spassky played the arrasch arrasch Defence, we had no clue whether it was a thoroughly prepared system for the whole match (not of course the only system, but an opening system which would occur more than once) or just a one-off, hoping for
Chapter 2 – Evolution of the Isolated Pawn a surprise effect. Petrosian did not have a very high opinion of the arrasch Defence and was inclined to the second view, but this game made it clear that the arrasch Defence was not finished yet.” – Boleslavsky ¥ g2 4.cxd5 exd5 5.¤f3 ¤c6 6.g3 ¤f6 7. ¥ g2 ¥ e7 ¥ g5 e7 8.0–0 0–0 9. ¥ g5 Petrosian was ready for the arrasch this time, and most likely made this move hoping that Spassky was going to repeat his game against Geller.
9...cxd4! Wee saw 9...¥e6 above in Geller – Spassky, W Riga (7) 1965. Te other main line here starts with 9...c4, although I never played this myself. Te traditional idea of the arrasch Defence – to get dynamic counterplay which usually compensates for the isolated pawn – is not present after ...c5-c4. ¥ e3 ¥ 10.¤ xd4 h6 11. ¥ e3 ¥ g4?! g4?! Later on during the match, the more flexible move 11...¦e8! was found. “Petrosian was very sceptical of this move and was taken aback that Spassky introduced it twice. Still, he needed to take his time now
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to figure out a better plan than in the second game. Anyway, the next two moves made by Petrosian in the second game were fine.” – Boleslavsky 12.¤b3 Petrosian’s camp was not ready for the arrasch and it took some days to realize that here 12.£a4! is very strong. Tis move was used in the 12th game of the match, where White got a clear advantage but was still not able to win the game. ¥ e6 12... ¥ e6 13.¦ 13.¦c1
13...¦e8! 13...¦ Tis small move changed the theory of the arrasch to the correct path. Very soon after this game, Spassky’s team realized that the correct move order is to play this on the 11th move. I still admire Spassky’s intuition in making such a move without home preparation. Calculating a forced line is much easier then uncorking some complicated move order during a practical encounter encounter.. “Now we have reached the critical position. It did not make sense to play 14. ¤b5 again, after which Black obtained a comfortable position in the second game of the match.” – Boleslavsky
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Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
14.¦e1 14.¦ Tis quiet move protects the e2-pawn just in case, and also defends against the possible ...£d7 followed by ... ¥h3. ¥ c5! 14...£d7 15. ¥ 14...£ c5! Te World Champion is also alert. He of course knows which pieces he needs to trade. We already We already know know that the more more active 15. ¤c5? is a positional mistake.
15...¦ac8 15...¦ “Black could avoid the bishop exchange with 15...¥d8, but this move disconnects the rooks and does not suit Spassky, whose first commandment command ment is piece harmony.” harmony.” – Boleslavsky ¥ 16. ¥ xe7 “White could postpone this exchange, because it is not convenient for Black to take on c5. An interesting option was to play 16. ¤b5 increasing the positional pull. pull .” – Boleslavsky B oleslavsky “After 16.¤b5 Black had 16...¥h3 and if 17.¥h1 (after 17. ¥xe7 ¤xe7 it is not possible to avoid the exchange of bishops, which weakens the king’ king’ss position) then 17...a6 18.¥xe7 £xe7 19.¤5d4 ¤e4.” – Bondarevsky £ xe7 17.e3 16...£ 16...
“If 17.¤b5, with the idea of transferring it to d4, or immediately 17.¤d4, Black has 17...£b4. On the other hand, Black is planning to play 17...¦ed8 followed by ...d4. Because of that, White is once more strengthening the d4-square and opening the e2-square for his queen, at the same time freeing the d-file for his rook.” – Bondarevsky 17...¦ed8 17...¦ As always in the arrasch, arrasch, White has a small small plus, but here is the situation I have previously described. Te position is alive, and you constantly need to make decisions. Here, for sure, Petrosian did not yet sense any danger. Te position looks very safe for White. He did not realize in time that Spassky was not playing for a draw, which in match practice is the common trend, but instead was looking to take any chance to take over the initiative.
18.£e2 18.£ “White is very aware that without the rook on d1, the d5-pawn – the only weakness Black has – is out of danger. Tis is why the queen needs to leave the d-file, but it is constrained in its movements and there is no better square for it than e2. It might seem that Black can use the fact that the white rook is not yet on d1 and the white queen has crossed to the e-file, and play
Chapter 2 – Evolution of the Isolated Pawn 18...d4 to get rid of the isolated pawn. In reality, however, after 19. ¤xd4 ¤xd4 20.exd4 ¦xd4 21.¤b5 ¦xc1 22.¤xd4! ¦xe1 23.£xe1 £d7 (if 23...b6 then 24. ¥h3 winning the pawn) 24.¤xe6 fxe6 25. £e5 ¢f7 26.£b8 Black must fight for a draw in a slightly worse endgame. Spassky of course prefers a more complicated game.” – Boleslavsky ¥ g4! 18... ¥ g4! “Tere was no sense getting rid of the isolated pawn with 18...d4. Te simplification after 19.¤xd4 ¤xd4 20.exd4 ¦xd4 21.¤b5 ¦xc1 22.¤xd4 works in White’s favour. Te concept of playing the arrasch arrasch Defence is not to think about the weakness of the isolated pawn on d5. Primarily Black’s consistent play should make use of the power of this pawn. pawn.”” – Bondarevsky
“Te last move deserves an exclamation mark because of its psychological impact. In chess terms it is good also, not allowing White to conduct his plan conveniently conveniently.. If the white rook were already on d1, then White would have only one option; now he must make a choice between pushing the f-pawn or temporarily worsening his queen’s position (19.¥f3 cannot be recommended because the exchange of bishops weakens the king’s position).” – Boleslavsky.
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19.f3 Petrosian wants to control the situation as much as possible and avoids more complicated lines like 19.£f1 ¤e4 20.¤e2 ¤g5 21.¤ed4 £b4, when Black’ Black’ss activity looks dangerous. “Tis move is difficult to criticize. White is pushing the bishop back and reliably securing the e4- and g4-squares. Te e3-pawn is easy to defend and also it is not difficult to activate the bishop. Still, the f2-f3 move is adding some sharpness to the game, which the World Champion usually tried to avoid. Te queen retreat looks more flexible and it must move to f1. Withdrawal from the f1-a6 diagonal would be a gain for Black. o provoke provoke the ...a6 move [after 19.£b5] does not make any sense, because after 19.£f1 ¤e5 20.¤d4 £b4 21.£b5 White has the better endgame. Te plan after 19.£f1 is to push back the black bishop to h5 with h2-h3, and to threaten afterwards to transfer the knight to f4. After 19... ¤e4 White has only one correct move: 20. ¤e2! Te white queen is temporarily immured, but it looks like there is no way for Black to exploit this. 20...¤b4 is no good because after 21.f3 ¤d2 22.¤xd2 £xe3 23.£f2 £xd2 24.¦cd1 White retains the material advantage. Te exchange of the knight on e2 does not solve Black’s problems; after that it is difficult to defend the d5-pawn. It is possible that after 19. £f1 Black must call back his attack and retreat the bishop to e6, accepting passive defence.” – Boleslavsky “19.£f1 was possible, but the queen is misplaced and after 19... ¤e4 White cannot continue without f2-f3 anyway. anyway.” – Bondarevsky ¥ f5 19... ¥ f5 “Retreating the bishop to f5, Black is tempting White to chase the bishop further with 20.g4, but there is no need to make this weakening move now now..” – Boleslavsky
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Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
20.¦cd1 ¤e5 20.¦ Tis move is not correct in positional terms – the knight on c6 controls the d4-square. But Spassky was trying to create as unpleasant a situation as possible for Petrosian to play.
21.¤d4 “Here White could help Black to get rid of the isolated pawn by playing 21. ¤xd5 ¦xd5 22.¦xd5 ¤xd5 23.e4, after which Black has a choice between 23...¥xe4, leading after 24.£xe4 ¤c6 25.£xe7 ¤dxe7 26.f4 ¢f8 to an endgame where White has just a ‘better draw’, or sacrificing a pawn for the initiative after 23...¤d3!. Tree white pieces are under attack. 24.exf4 is not possible in view of 24... ¤xe1. In the case of 24.exd4 £f6 the pawn on b2 will be lost. Te best option for White is 24. £xd3 ¤b4 25.£b5, but even here after 25... ¥e6 Black has a good game.” – Bondarevsky ¥ g6 21... ¥ g6 21...¥d7 was possible, but after that White has a forcing line. Te strategy used by Spassky, Spassky, however, was not to allow his opponent concrete play. 22.f4 ¥g4 23.fxe5! ¥xe2 24.exf6 £xe3† 25.¢h1 £f2 26.¦xe2 £xf6 Despite the material unbalance, according to the computer the position is equal. “21...¥d7 does not work because of 22.f4 ¥g4
23.fxe5! ¥xe2 24.exf6 £xe3† 25.¢h1 and White has three pieces for the queen and the better position.” – Boleslavsky ¥ h3 22. ¥ h3 ¦c4!? An active move which is not really threatening anything, but just forcing White to calculate some tactics. “With his last move Black is creating further sharpness, taking a risk of ending up in a difficult situation, as the hanging position of his rook may undermine some combinational motifs. Te rook does not have a good square on the c-file, because after 22... ¦c7 White has 23.¤cb5, and after 22... ¦c5 White has 23.¤a4, but Black could just play 22... ¦b8. White’ss main threat – regrouping one of the White’ knights to f4 – is difficult to achieve because of the weaknesses of the d3-square. If White uses his bishop to defend the d3-square, then Black’s rook can return to c8. In general, the position after 22... ¦b8 is about equal, but now Black is hanging by a thread. What prompted Spassky to take this kind of action? It is possible that the loss of the first game of the match encouraged him to equalize the score as soon as possible. Also he could draw extra courage from the second game, where the situation was favourable for him, and he made this puzzling retreat (or rather attack) with his rook speculating on his opponent’s future mistakes.”” – Boleslavsky mistakes.
Chapter 2 – Evolution of the Isolated Pawn 23.g4!? Spassky’s bluff has worked, and Petrosian is playing for an advantage. “White’s last move is not aesthetically pleasing. “White’s White is shutting down his own bishop and weakening his kingside. Te move itself does not suit Petrosian’s style at all, but most likely Petrosian realized that this move has to be made. Te game has entered a phase in which one cannot restrict oneself only to general understanding. After 23.g4 the threat is f3-f4 followed by ¤xd5, which means that the black rook on c4 needs to continue its journey. Te question is, could White create the same threat just by moving his queen to f1? After 23. £f1 ¦b4 24.b3 ¥h5! 25.g4 (25.£e2 ¤e4 is unpleasant) 25...¥g6 26.£e2 ¤c6 27.£d2 a similar position could arise to that in the game.” – Boleslavsky “After 23.£f1 Black could play 23...£b4.” – Bondarevsky Most likely the World Champion spent a lot of time on the combinational possibility: 23.f4 ¥h5 24.£f1
It looks very promising, as 24... ¥xd1 does not work because of 25.fxe5. Also not satisfactory for Black is 24... ¦xd4 25.exd4 ¤f3† because of: 26. £xf3! £xe1
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27.¦xe1 ¥xf3 28.¦e7 b5! 29.b4! (after 29.¤xb5 ¦b8 or 29.¦xa7 b4 30.¤a4 ¦e8 Black’s rook penetrates White’s position) 29...¥xg4! 30.¥xg4 ¤xg4 31.¦c7! ¦e8 32.h3 ¦e1† 33.¢g2 ¢f6 34.¤xb5 White has good winning chances. “Still, the position does not promise much because of 24...¤c6! 25.g4 ¤xg4 26.¤xd5 ¦xd5 27.£xc4 £h4! 28.¥xg4 (28.£f1 ¤xe3! 29.¦xe3 ¥xd1 favours Black) 28... £xg4† 29.¢h1 ¦xd4 and draw by perpetual check.” – Boleslavsky 23...¦b4 23...¦ Tis was too active, but as Emanuel Lasker pointed out, to win an equal position one first needs to weaken one’s own position. More solid was 23... ¦c7 24.f4 ¤c4 25.¥g2 ¦cc8 26.f5 ¥h7 27.h3 and White is better because of the misplaced bishop on h7. “In case of 23... £c5 24.f4 ¤c6 25.¤b3 £b4 White could achieve a better game after 26.¥g2!. Now after 26... ¤e7 White has 27.f5 ¥h7 28.¤d4, and if 26... ¥e4 then 27.¤d2 ¦c5 (27...¥xg2 28.¤xc4 ¥h3 29.¤e5 ¤xe5 30.fxe5 ¥xg4 31.£g2) 28.a3! and it is not possible to play 28... £xb2 because of 29.¤dxe4 £xe2 30.¤xf6 gxf6 31.¤xe2.” – Boleslavsky
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Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
24.b3 “Tis move was heavily criticized by many commentators during the match, but they probably did not have sufficient basis for their statement. Te critics’ point was that White has already played 23.g4 with the idea of shutting down the black bishop, and now suddenly he makes a move 24.b3 giving up the original plan for no reason. Te question is how good the pawn push really is? It is true that after 24.f4 ¤c6 25.f5 ¥h7 the black bishop is cut off from the battle for a very long time, but the white bishop on h3 is also passive, just protecting the g4-pawn. White has weakened his central squares and Black at some point might manage to break the pawn phalanx on the kingside and free his bishop, with devastating effect. Added to this is the fact that Petrosian has already committed himself to weakening the kingside, which is contradictory to his customary play play.. He naturally did not want to push his pawn further,, creating more vulnerable squares in his further camp. Petrosian continued with his intended plan and focused on Black’ Black’ss rook instead of the bishop.”” – Boleslavsky bishop. “Te tempting 24.f4 did not bring any benefits after 24... ¤c4 25.b3 ¤d6 26.f5 ¥h7 27.¥g2. In my opinion after 27... £e5 White needs to be alert about both the breakthrough threats ...g6 and ...h5. Tere is no way we can talk about any advantage for White.” – Bondarevsky B ondarevsky With the luxury of computer analysis, one can see that Bondarevsky’ Bondarevsky’ss assessment is inaccurate due to 28.¤xd5! ¤xd5 29.¥xd5 £xd5 30.¤c2 followed by ¤xb4, ¦d4 and ¦ed1 when White is close to winning. Boleslavsky, on the other hand, was right to give 24...¤c6! as Black’s best. In that case, White has little to no advantage. advantage. 24...¤c6 25.£ 25.£d2 ¦b6
26.¤ce2 Now it is obvious that the g3-g4 plan did not work, or perhaps it would be better to say that White failed to make it work. Te game has taken a lot of energy from both players and now the slow shifting piece play following the turmoil is understandable. More active was 26. ¤a4 ¦a6 27.¥f1 ¤xd4 28.exd4 ¦e6 29.¤c5 ¦xe1 30.¦xe1 £c7 with an equal game. “White’s last move deserves a question mark, and not only because it is a bad move. We have already mentioned that the knight should go to f4, and if Black’s rook was on b8 then playing the knight to e2 would be possible. However, here White did not continue the plan which promised him an advantage. White should play 26.¤a4!. Tere is always some kind of tactical miscalculation behind the decision to abandon an active continuation. ired by the previous play, Petrosian did not see that after 26. ¤a4 Black could not play 26...¤xd4 27.exd4 ¦e6, because after 28.g5 Black is losing the exchange. After 26. ¤a4! what options does Black have? Only 26... 26 ... ¦a6, but after that White has a pleasant line: 27.¥f1 ¤xd4 28.exd4 (weaker is 28. £xd4 ¦e6 29.£xa7 h5! and Black has good counterplay
Chapter 2 – Evolution of the Isolated Pawn for the pawn) 28... ¦e6 29.¤c5 ¦xe1 30.¦xe1 £c7 31.¦e5 White has a positional pull. After 26.¤ce2 the worst for Black is over. Also, the World Champion, who was already in slight time trouble, started to play uncertainly.” – Boleslavsky Petrosian did not follow up with the rook hunt, and probably could not find anything concrete. 26.¤a4 certainly gave him some initiative, but the rook remains safe. For example: 26...¦a6 (26...¤xd4 is not possible, because after 27.exd4 ¦e6 28.g5 White wins an exchange) 27. ¥f1 (after the more solid 27.¦c1 then 27...¤xd4 28.exd4 £a3 is possible, or 28. £xd4 h5 with counterplay) 27...¤xd4 28.exd4 (or 28. £xd4 ¦c6 29.£xa7 h5) 28...¦e6 29.¤c5 ¦xe1 30.¦xe1 £c7 Black has a solid position without weaknesses” – Bondarevsky). ¥ h7 26... ¥ h7 “A tricky move. Black moves his bishop in time and implies that after 27. ¤f4 he is going to play 27...g5.” – Boleslavsky “Facing the knight move to f4, Black moves his bishop away in good time. ti me.”” – Bondarevsky
¥ g2 27. ¥ g2
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“In my opinion this is the critical moment that changes the course of the game. White’s initiative on the kingside has dried up and he has ended up with weaknesses and a passive bishop. Tis situation definitely had some negative psychological impact on Petrosian’s subsequent play. In general, the position is still around equal.” equal.” – Bondarevsky Bondarevsky White gave up the 27.¤f4 idea mistakenly, because 27...g5 28.¤fe2 h5 29.gxh5 ¤xh5 30.¤f5 favoured White. Also, when withdrawing the misplaced bishop from h3 then it should only go to f1. After the f2- and g3-pawns moved forward the bishop had no active future and it was better to try to exchange it. For example, 27. ¥f1 ¤xd4 28.¤xd4 ¦d6 29.¥d3 with a good game for White.” White .” – Boleslavsky 27...¦e8 28.¤g3 Again not the best move. It is clear that Black will not allow the knight to move to f5, and after exchanges on d4 the knight on g3 is misplaced. White should play 28. ¤f4, after which White still has the more active position.” position .” – Boleslavsky 28...¤ xd4
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Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
Now the exhausted Petrosian took with the pawn. Tere was nothing wrong with 29. £xd4 ¦e6 30.¢f2, but again the position is still alive. Tere is no way White can force a draw. Tis was the outcome of the opening choice. o win a game against against an equal opponent, perfect opening preparation is not enough. One needs to create the right battleground with the opening choice, where one can outplay the opponent later in a middlegame that might not be the opponent’ opponent’ss cup of tea. “Most likely it was better to take with the queen on d4, but in time trouble Petrosian was seeking more exchanges. exchanges.”” – Boleslavsky Te point is that he was looking to trade the rooks on the open c- and e-files. 29.exd4 ¦e6 30.¦ 30.¦ xe6 £ xe6 “Black has got rid of his unfortunate rook, which took a circular route from c8 to e6 and claimed the e-file. White in the meantime has transferred his knight from c3 to g3, where it stands no better, and has moved his bishop to g2, where it is stuck behind his own pawn. It is obvious that the positional manoeuvring has benefited Black. Still, White’s position is very solid and the draw outcome looks most probable.”” – Boleslavsky probable. ¦c1 31.¦ 31.
“More precise was 31. ¢f2. White could wait with the rook move to c1 and make it only after Black has moved his rook to c8. It looks as though White is still dreaming about an advantage, but this kind of stubbornness is fraught with dangerous consequences.” – Boleslavsky In this innocent-looking position, Spassky found a fantastic resource. Te timing was also perfect, just before the time control in Petrosian’s time trouble. And of course there are no easy situations or games in world championship matches – the tension is incredible. ¥ g6! 31... ¥ g6! “Black vacates the h7-square for his knight with the idea of strengthening the position with ...¤h7 and ... £f6, and then routeing the knight via g5 or f8 to e6. Tis set-up set- up threatens the d4-pawn and creates pressure on the weak dark squares on the kingside. kingside.”” – Bondarevsky ¥ f1 32. ¥ f1 “Tis move is already a serious mistake. Tere is no time to activate the bishop. 32. ¢f2 was a must. Te text move, removing the bishop from g2, makes it clear that White did not understand the idea behind Black’s last move.” – Boleslavsky Tis move itself is not a mistake. It is difficult to decide at which moment Petrosian lost the feeling of danger. Te position is still equal, but some accuracy is needed. 32...¤h7 Switching the knight might look like a long shot, but Black is objectively already very slightly better better.. “Only now after this excellent move is White’s White’s weak kingside in danger danger.. Black’ Black’ss battery of queen
Chapter 2 – Evolution of the Isolated Pawn on f6 and knight on g5 is very uncomfortable for White. If only the bishop had remained on g2 White could play 33.h4, but now this does not work because of 33... £f6 34.h5 ¤g5 (but not 34...£xf3 35.¦c3. c3.”” – Boleslavsky 33.£f4?! 33.£ Tis pseudo-active move is a real mistake. “Here the queen is sooner or later attacked by the knight, and also the exchanges on the e-file (after ¢f2) are no longer possible. On the other hand, there was no other way to prevent 33...£f6. f6.”” – Boleslavsky
33...¤f8 Stronger was 33... £b6! 34.£d2 ¤g5 35.¥g2 ¤e6 36.¤e2 h5, with the advantage. “After this move White could exchange queens, which most likely would have secured the draw. A much more energetic move was 33...£b6 34.¦c5 ¤g5. Te threat of 35... ¤e6 forces White to take the pawn with 35. ¦xd5, but then there is 35... £c6 36.£d6 £c3, and White is defenceless against multiple threats. Spassky had enough time to calculate this line, but most likely at this moment he did not consider his position as winning and did not look for a forced win. Te move he made, raising the tension, was also very unpleasant
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for Petrosian, Petrosian, who was in serious time trouble.” – Boleslavsky 34.¦c5?! 34.¦ 34.£e5! £d7 35.£c7 £e6 36.£e5 and White can save the game. In the endgame there is no danger at all. “After 34.£e5 the best solution for Black is 34...£xe5 35.dxe5 ¤e6 36.¢f2 d4 (or 36...¦d8), but after 37.¤f5! White only had to make the remaining moves until the time control and Black would have had very few chances to win the game.” – Boleslavsky ¥ b1! 34... ¥ b1! With his last move White defended against 34...£b6, but he missed the other idea found by Spassky Spassk y. “Spassky immediately uses his chance to activate his knight with tempo.” tempo.” – Boleslavsky B oleslavsky
35.a4 With 35.£d2 White could remove his queen from the knight attack, but that would then allow 35...£f6. After 36. ¦xd5 £xf3 White is losing a pawn. Te text move was relatively best. 35...¤g6 36.£ 36.£d2
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Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
Playing safe is no longer an option here. When Petrosian Petr osian had enough time to think, he avoided some concrete lines. Now, however, switching from safe mode to active, concrete play was a must. He could still save the game after 36.£c1 ¤h4 37.£xb1 £e3† 38.¢h1 £xf3† 39.¢g1 and Black has only a perpetual check. 36...£f6 37.¢ 36...£ 37.¢f2 “Despite all the pressure from Black and the small inaccuracies made by White, the position was defendable. Petrosian, defending the concrete threat in time trouble, forgot that he cannot allow the knight to land on f4. Te question is: can he simultaneously defend the pawn on f3 and the f4-square? Not directly, but in chess there are tactical motifs to solve this kind of problem. White had 37. ¦c1, moving the rook back to the first rank and attacking the bishop on b1, which cannot move back because of the knight on g6. White is not winning the bishop, but it is enough to force the black knight to move to h4, where it is much less dangerous than on f4. After 37...¤h4 38.¥g2! (not 38.¥e2 because of 38...£xf3) 38...¥g6 39.¢f2 Black does not have any positional advantage left, but White needs to be careful here.” here.” – Boleslavsky B oleslavsky “After 37.¦c1 ¤h4 38.¥g2 (if 38.¥e2 then 38...£xf3) 38...¥g6 39.¢f2 ¢h7 Black has a positional advantage.” – Bondarevsky
37...¤f4! Most likely Petrosian was more worried about 37...¤h4?, but after 38. ¥e2 White is fine. 38.a5 Tis move is just panic in time trouble, when your only concern is not to lose on time. After 38.¦c3 ¥g6 Black has a big advantage, but is not winning immediately. ¥ d3! 38... ¥ d3! “You “Y ou do not see this kind of move very often in world championship games. Tese moves are possible only when your opponent has no time left to see even elementary tricks.” – Boleslavsky 39.¤f5 “Also no good was 39. £c3 £h4 40.¢g1 ¥xf1 41.¦c8 ¥b5!. In this line too, the move 38.a5 plays the fatal role.” – Boleslavsky
39...£g5! 39...£ “Tis is even stronger than 39... ¥xf5 40.£xf4 g5 41.£d2 ¥xg4.” – Boleslavsky. ¥ 40.¤e3 £h4† 41.¢ 41.¢g1 g1 ¥ xf1 In all lines there is a simple win for Black. 0–1
Chapter 2 – Evolution of the Isolated Pawn Tis was a very heavy blow to Petrosian’s confidence. Te fourth game was more or less crucial for the overall result of the 24-game match. Tere were a few more games in the arrasch Defence in the match, but during du ring the second part of the match, Spassky used other solid systems to neutralize Petrosian’s attempts to even the match score. Te arrasch had already done its job. Te only significant game was the 18th game, where Spassky introduced the ... ¦e8 idea on move 11, which became the standard main line in the arrasch and was successfully used later by Kasparov, Grischuk and others.
igran Petrosian Petrosian – Boris Spassky Moscow (18) 1969
1.c4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.¤c3 c5 4.cxd5 exd5 5. ¤f3 ¥ g2 ¥ ¥ g5 g2 ¥ e7 e7 8.0–0 0–0 9. ¥ g5 ¤c6 6.g3 ¤f6 7. ¥ ¥ e3 cxd4 10.¤ xd4 h6 11. ¥ e3
11...¦e8! 11...¦ An excellent move, and again at the right moment. It was 18th game of the match and Spassky was ahead. Now he used the arrasch Defence not to play for a win, as in Game 4, but just to keep it safe. Te advantage of
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playing the arrasch when you need a draw, compared with other opening lines, is that here you have to make only dynamic (tactical) decisions – assuming, of course, that you know how to handle the positional play. play. ¥ f8 ¥ e6 12.¦c1 12.¦ c1 ¥ f8 13.¤b3 b3 ¥ e6 14.¤b5 ypical Petrosian: trying to obtain maximum control of the position. In this position, he wants to guard the d4-square as much as possible. ¥ g4 14... ¥ g4 15.h3 ¥ f5 f5 17.¤ xd4
16.¤5d4
¤ xd4
¥ d7! 17... ¥ d7! A typical t ypical situation situ ation when White has the d4square: Black tries to control the other squares around d4. 18.£b3 £a5 19.a3 ¥ 18.£ 19.a3 ¥ d6 d6 20.£ 20.£d3 £d8 Tis is not the best plan. Better was 20...¦ad8. ¥ d2 ¥ e1! 21.¦fd1 £e7 22. ¥ 21.¦ d2 ¤e4 23. ¥ e1! Petrosian would never look at the following kind of line: 23.£b3 ¦ad8 24.£xb7? ¥xg3! 25.fxg3 ¤xd2 and Black is winning. ¥ e5! 23... ¥ e5! 24.£ 24.£b3
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Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
¥ 24... ¥ xd4!? Tis looks like a very straightforward way to play for a draw. Black neither wanted nor needed to play the riskier 24...¦ad8!?. Although this would work well after 25.£xb7? ¥xd4 26.¦xd4 ¤xg3!–+ or 25.£xd5? ¥a4 26.£xe4 ¥xd1 27.¦xd1 £f6µ, White could keep an edge with 25.e3. ¥ c6 25.¦ xd4 25.¦ xd4 ¥ c6 Tis is passive, but if Black badly needs a draw then he can just try to defend de fend on the light squares. Without any black pawn weaknesses, White can hardly win. I am not recommending this passive approach, as practice shows this kind of strategy does not work for everybody. I did use this approach once against Kramnik with success, but if possible one should avoid avoid it. 26.h4 £e5 27.£ 27.£e3? After 27.e3 White can play on forever using his small advantage. It is not only a question of the two bishops – in isolated pawn positions the two bishops are not very useful. Te point here is that Black cannot open the kingside, because White would then create an attack on the dark squares by trading the knight on e4. Tis means that White can push his pawns slowly on the queenside, making Black’s defence difficult. Black can only wait.
27...£f6 27...£ Suddenly White’s White’s major pieces are misplaced, and he is forced to take on e4.
¥ ¦ xe4 dxe4 30. ¥ ¥ c3 28. ¥ xe4 ¦ xe4 29. 29.¦ c3 £f5 ¦d1 ¦e8 32.¦ 31.¦ 31. 32.¦d6 32.£xa7?? would lose to 32...e3!. 32...f6 33.¦ 33.¦d4 a6 34.¢ 34.¢h2 £g4 35.a4 ¢f7 ¢g1 ¦e5 37.¦ ¥ e1 36.¢ 36. 37.¦d6 ¦f5 38.b3 £h3 39. ¥ e1 £g4 40. ¥ ¥ c3 ¥ d4 c3 £h3 41. ¥ d4
41...h5 41...¦f3!? 42.exf3 exf3 43. £e6† would lead to a drawn opposite-coloured bishop ending. ¥ c3 42. ¥ c3 ¢g8 43.¦ 43.¦d8† ¢h7 44.¦ 44.¦d6 £g4 ¥ d4 ¥ c5 45.a5 £g6 46.b4 £f7 47. ¥ d4 £c4 48. ¥ c5
Chapter 2 – Evolution of the Isolated Pawn ¦e5 49. ¥ ¥ d4 ¥ c5 d4 ¦f5 50. ¥ c5 £c2 51.£ 51.£d2 £b3 £d1 £b2 53.£ 52.£ 52. 53.£d2 £a1† 54.£ 54.£d1 £e5 £d4 £e8 56.£ 55.£ 55. 56.£c4 ¥ b5 b5 57.£ 57.£e6 £ xe6 ¦ xe6 ¦d5 59.¦ 58.¦ 58. 59.¦d6! Avoiding Avo iding the last trap: 59. ¦xe4?? ¦d1† 60.¢h2 ¥c6–+ ½–½
Te arrasch Defence has been used with success by Kasparov, Grischuk and yours truly. It was an opening that worked very well for me when I was the underdog. Because of the seminar with Yurkov I was very aware of where to put my pieces and it also helped me to avoid getting into time trouble. Opening preparation and time trouble are often linked – lack of opening knowledge forces you to spend too much time in the opening phase of the game. Te arrasch Defence has one drawback: it is very easy to prepare against with White. Tere are always opening lines where either White or Black can choose to follow the main line or deviate from it, but in the arrasch, most of the time it is White who can choose the line. Tis makes it easy to prepare, and you particularly do not want to allow this situation when your opponent is weaker than you. Tis does not mean that the arrasch Defence is somehow passive and may be used only to play for a draw; quite the contrary contrar y, as we saw in the historical games presented here. Tere are some openings that should be played just to develop one’ one’ss chess understanding. Te isolated pawn from the defensive side is difficult to master, and studying and playing the arrasch Defence helps the young chess student to develop to a new level. Tere are advantages to knowing the ins and outs of the isolated pawn from Black’s Black’s side. In my practice I used my knowledge of Lein’s games against none other than Vladimir Kramnik, whom I have already compared to igran Petrosian.
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Spassky did not play the arrasch Defence against Bobby Fischer in Reykjavik in 1972. Tis shows one thing: he was afraid of Fischer, but not Petrosian. Te specific opening choice c hoice reveals your intentions very well. Te arrasch arrasch Defence is an opening where Black is ready to play the slightly worse position that arises from nearly every line, but relies on his or her middlegame mastery to outplay the opponent in a complicated positional game that on many occasions becomes a dynamic battle. Seeing Fischer on the other side of the board, who had demolished other great players such as Bent Larsen and igran Petrosian, might lower your confidence level. Spassky and/or his team decided that the arrasch would not be a good opening against Fischer. Tis is a pity, because in my opinion it is actually a good choice against a player who likes very concrete play, as Fischer did. For some reason, nobody picked up the arrasch for a long period after the Spassky – Petrosian match. I was introduced to the arrasch in 1977, but it took many years for me to play it in big tournaments. Only in 1983, when I played in the USSR Championship qualification tournament, did I use the arrasch Defence, and with success, drawing all my games with it. As I was a player who was much more dangerous when handling the white pieces, I managed to qualify for the 1984 USSR Championship. In the Soviet Union, players were not ranked only by their FIDE rating, as today, but another quality system was used. Among chess players there was the following hierarchy hierarchy.. Te grandmaster title itself was not given any authority as evidence of being a good player. Te greatest value a player could achieve for his chess résumé was participation in the USSR Championship final. Te legend goes that when Gufeld gained the GM title he greeted Korchnoi by saying, “Hello, colleague.”
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Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
Viktor looked around and, seeing the Mongolian grandmaster Myagmarsuren, pointed to him and said, “Tat is your colleague.” For me, qualification for the USSR Championship at the age of 22 was a major success. At the time I was still relying on the openings taught to me by Vladimir Yurkov, but he was helping and working with his own students, mainly Andrei Sokolov, Sokolov, who won the 1984 Championship. My opening preparation or repertoire was good enough to qualify for the Championship, but I ended up in the middle of the table.
Garry Kasparov Te arrasch arrasch Defence was picked up by Garry Kasparov, although the secrets of his opening preparation were never revealed. I played him for the first time in 1977, and I lost as White in the Caro-Kann. Despite being from the same age group, we met only occasionally in team competitions. I won the European Junior Championship C hampionship in 1983, but Kasparov had already made his meteoric rise to the very top and was playing in another league. We We met again years later in 1988 in the World Cup series of tournaments. Te top players are usually the ones who show how to play the openings or what to play. Kasparov started with the Caro-Kann when, at the tender age of 12, he won the USSR Junior Championship against players who were up to 18 years old. Later he switched to the Scheveningen in the Sicilian Defence. Te King’s King’s Indian Defence was always his best opening. When qualifying for the Candidates cycle in 1982 he badly needed another more solid opening, as an alternative to the King’s Indian. Tat was when he started to play the arrasch Defence.
In the Soviet Union, preparation was not only done by the player and his second or coach; usually the Sport Committee in Moscow put in every effort to help the player. Also the player might have local help – in Kasparov’s case the Baku officials, where he was a citizen at that time. Tis help consisted not only in covering the everyday needs of the player, but more importantly in providing the resources to buy valuable chess information: inviting specialists in certain openings to the training camps. Te World Champion at that time was Anatoly Karpov and, for example, he could afford to have in his training camp the East German grandmaster Wolfgang Uhlmann, who was a French Defence Defence specialist. Karpov’s Karpov’s preparation was aimed at Viktor Korchnoi, who was a keen French French Defence player player.. Te two most talented players of the 1970s and 1980s, Karpov and Kasparov, had all the people and material resources they needed available. Eventually they met each other for the World Championship, and their confrontation overshadowed other contenders for the crown. Kasparov first needed to defeat the other contenders, which he did with ease. First he won the Moscow Interzonal in 1982, and then he faced Alexander Beliavsky. Both players were Communist Party members, so their opening preparation was presumably backed with the maximum resources available. available. Kasparov used the arrasch Defence in his Candidates quarter-final match against Beliavsky in 1983 – which took a bad turn for Beliavsky in Game 2.
Alexander Beliavsky – Garry Ga rry Kasparov Moscow (2) 1983 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3. ¤c3 c5 4.cxd5 exd5 ¥ g2 ¥ 5.¤f3 ¤c6 6.g3 ¤f6 7. ¥ g2 ¥ e7 e7 8.0–0 0–0
Chapter 2 – Evolution of the Isolated Pawn
73
¥ g5 ¥ e3 9. ¥ g5 cxd4 10.¤ xd4 h6 11. ¥ e3 ¦e8 12.£ 12.£a4 ¥ d7 d7 13.¦ 13.¦ad1 ¤b4 14.£ 14.£b3 a5 Beliavsky was not ready for the arrasch and, as in historic games from the past, he was unable to spot the turning point and make a draw in time.
20.¤b3 Beliavsky could have played 20. ¤db5!? ¥xb5 21.¤xb5 ¦xa2 22.£b3 and White should not be in danger of losing.
15.¦d2?! 15.¦ At that time I also had practical experience from this position: 15.a4 ¦c8!? 16.¤c2 b5 17.¤xb4 bxa4 18.¤xa4 ¥xb4 19.¤c3 ¥xc3 20.bxc3 a4 21.£a2 £e7 22.¦fe1 ¥c6 23.¥d4 ¤e4 Black had an edge and eventually won an ending in Majorovas – Ehlvest, USSR 1983.
¥ d5! 23... ¥ d5! 24.£ 24.£b1 b6! 25.e3 ¤d3 26.¦ 26.¦d1 26.¥xb6? hopes for 26... ¥xb3? 27.¦xd3!÷, but is refuted by 26... ¥b4! 27.¦c2 ¥xb3 and Black wins. 26.¤c1 may be White’s best try, but 26...¤e1 keeps an edge for Black.
15...a4 16.£ 16.£d1 a3 17.£ 17.£b1 ¥ f8 f8 18.bxa3 ¦ xa3 19.£ 19.£b2 £a8! Black has the initiative.
20... ¥ c6! 21. ¥ d4 ¤e4 22.¤ xe4 dxe4 23.¦a1?! ¥ c6! ¥ d4
¥ f1 26...b5 27. ¥ f1 27.¤c1 would now be met by: 27... ¤xc1 28.¦xc1 b4!µ
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Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
¥ £ xd3 ¦ xa2 27...b4 28. ¥ xd3?! exd3 29. 29.£ ¦ xa2 £ xa2 31.¤c5 ¥ f3 30.¦ 30. f3 32.¦ 32.¦a1 £d5 £b3! £h5 34.¤d3 ¥ d6 33.£ 33. d6 35.¤e1 ¥ b7 b7 ¦c1 £f5 37.¦ ¥ f8 36.¦ 36. 37.¦d1 d1 ¥ f8 38.£ 38.£b1 White lost on time. 0–1 Tis game itself did not decide the match, but it shows that whereas in tournament chess you can get away with weak opening preparation, this is not the case in a match. You not only have to guess what openings your opponent might play, but you also need to have some openings or lines in your own repertoire that are not played very often at the top level. A lack of homework by opponents is regularly exploited by players today, when it is more and more difficult to surprise your opponent in the opening. Rapport and Morozevich are players who like to experiment with rare opening lines. Tis is a risky approach, but if the opponent is lazy and unfamiliar with a not-so-correct line, it works in the researcher’s favour. Beliavsky had many tournament successes, twice winning the USSR Championship, but he was never a researcher – meaning that in his opening preparation he relied on well-known lines created by others, and he did not have much original preparation of his own. Kasparov used the arrasch once more in this match, drawing the game, and then suddenly switched back to his main weapon – the King’s Indian Defence. His reasoning was very simple: Kasparov was ahead, and Beliavsky might feel that his last chance was to win the 8th game of the 10-game match. In the situation of being a point ahead with three games to go, Kasparov’s choice was not to defend, which you need to do most of the time in the arrasch Defence, but to play for counterattack from the very first move. Tis tactic works in very tense, nervous situations, because it is much more difficult to defend
when you are under enormous pressure. Te risk taken by Kasparov worked perfectly, and most likely also had a surprise effect. Kasparov took the initiative in the opening and won a nice game. Te next barrier for Kasparov on his route to Karpov was Korchnoi – a formidable opponent. And for Kasparov the arrasch Defence was no longer a secret weapon.
Viktor Korchnoi – Garry Kasparov London (2) 1983
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.¤f3 c5 4.cxd5 exd5 5.g3 ¥ g2 ¤f6 6. ¥ g2 ¥ e7 e7 7.0–0 0–0 8.¤c3 ¤c6 ¥ g5 ¥ e3 9. ¥ g5 cxd4 10.¤ xd4 h6 11. ¥ e3 ¦e8 12.a3!? Tis move, made by Viktor with the idea of hiding the queen on a2 in some lines, is very poisonous and was picked up by Smyslov, who used the line against Kasparov in their Candidates final match later in the cycle.
¥ e6!? 12... ¥ e6!? Probably best. Black might be tempted to play 12...¥g4 first, with the point that after 13.h3 ¥e6 White will not have ¥h3 in some lines. However, after 14.¤xe6 fxe6 White has 15.f4, and now Black cannot jump with his knight to g4.
Chapter 2 – Evolution of the Isolated Pawn
75
Another problem with 12...¥g4 of course is just 13.£b3, and after 13... ¤a5 White has 14.£a2, which was the original idea of 12.a3.
Here White should try 17.f4 ¦ad8 18.¢h1 – the plan Smyslov later tried to execute against Kasparov in their Candidates final match.
13.£b3 13.£ Tis move is now useless, and Black obtains a good game after it.
17...£e7 18.e3 a6 19.£ 17...£ 19.£h4 ¦ac8 20.e4 d4 ¥ h3 21.¤e2 e5 22. ¥ h3 ¦c7
Much stronger was 13. £c2 ¦c8 14.¦ad1 ¥f8 with a complicated game. Later on, Karpov did not like the idea of 12.a3, but I still think this is one possibly critical line for arrasch aficionados. ¥ d6? 13...£d7 14.¤ xe6 fxe6 15.¦ 13...£ 15.¦ad1 ad1 ¥ d6? Tis is too slow. Te position still requires some precise action from Black. Te correct idea is: 15... ¦ad8! 16.¥c1 ¥c5! Tis is the difference – the bishop belongs on c5 rather than d6. ¥ c1 16. ¥ c1 ¢h8 Black’s task is to be alert to the e2-e4 breakthrough.
17.£a4? 17.£ A typical situation in the arrasch arrasch Defence. White has the better position, but this cannot last forever without doing anything concrete.
¥ g5 ¥ £ xf6 gxf6 23. ¥ g5 ¢g8 24. ¥ xf6 £ xf6 25. 25.£ 26.¤c1 White has simplified the position in time. No doubt Viktor had studied the arrasch thoroughly and knew the dangers. ¥ f5 ¢g2 26...¤a5 27.¤d3 ¤b3 28. ¥ f5 a5 29. 29.¢ ¢g7 30.¢ 30.¢h3 ¦ee7 31.¤c1 ½–½ Korchnoi could not crack Kasparov’s arrasch Defence, and he ended up losing the 6th 6 th game as White. He felt obliged to try and achieve something against the arrasch Defence and introduced an interesting plan at a very early stage.
Viktor Korchnoi – Garry Kasparov London (6) 1983
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.¤f3 c5 4.cxd5 exd5 5.g3 ¥ g2 ¥ e3!? ¤c6 6. ¥ g2 ¤f6 7.0–0 ¥ 7.0–0 ¥ e7 e7 8. ¥ e3!?
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Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
Te plan with ¥e3 was already known, but having the white knight still on b1 makes it more complicated.
8...c4 9.¤e5 0–0 10.b3 Tis was White’s idea.
Te usual move is 10.¤c3, just transposing into normal channels: 10... ¥e6 (in my opinion 10...¦e8! is the most precise move) 11.¤xc4! dxc4 12.d5 ¤xd5 13.¤xd5 ¥f6 Tis has been played in numerous games. White has achieved good results after 14. ¤xf6† 14...£xf6 15.¥xc6 bxc6 16.£d4, but it looks quite drawish, and I think 14. ¦c1!? ¥d4 15.¥xd4 ¥xd5 16.e4 ¥e6 17.¥c5 is more interesting. 10...cxb3 11.£ 11.£ xb3 £b6!? 11...¤a5 was one of Kasparov’s suggestions here, but it seems that instead of 12. £a4, as given by Kasparov, White can just play 12.£d3 and it is difficult to find counterplay for Black: 12... ¤e4!? 13.¤d2 (13.¥xe4 dxe4 14.£xe4 ¦e8 is not good for White) 13...f6! 14.¤ec4 ¤xd2 15.¤xd2 b6 16.¦fc1 ¥e6 17.£b5 White still has some pressure.
12.¦c1! 12.¦ 12.£xb6 axb6 13. ¦c1 ¤b4 14.¤c3 ¥e6 15.a3 ¤c6 16.¤b5 ¦fc8 was given as fine for Black by Kasparov. However, after 17. ¤d3 White has some advantage. advantage. 12...£ xb3 13.axb3 ¤b4! 14.¤a3 12...£ Much stronger was the more natural: 14.¤c3!
14...¦d8 14...¥e6? 15.¤b5 a6 16.¤c7 ¦ac8 17.¤xe6 fxe6 18.¥h3± 14...¥f5 15.g4! ¥xg4 16.¤xg4 ¤xg4 17.¤xd5 ¤xd5 18.¥xd5 ¤xe3 19.fxe3 ¥g5 20.¢f2 ¦fe8 21.¦c3 ¦e7 22.e4± 14...a6 15.¤a4! ¥f5 16.¦c7 ¥d6 17.¦xb7 ¤c2 18.¦c1 ¦ac8 19.¤b6 ¤xe3 20.¤xc8 ¥xc8 21.¦b6! ¤f5 22.e3, planning 23. ¥h3±. 15.¤b5 a6
Chapter 2 – Evolution of the Isolated Pawn
16.¤c7! Here Kasparov gave only 16. ¦c7, but after 16...¥f8! both 17.¤xf7 ¦d7 and 17.¦xf7 ¤c2 are unclear. 16...¦b8 17.¥d2 ¥f5 18.¦a4 ¤c2 19.e3 ¥d6 20.g4 Black’ss position becomes critical. Tis is easy Black’ to figure out nowadays with the help of powerful software, but back then this just appeared to be a complicated endgame. Korchnoi made a very good choice and outsmarted Kasparov in the opening, but he did not have enough energy to work the details out afterwards.
¥ d2 14...a6! 15. ¥ d2 ¦b8 With the the idea 16...¥f5ƒ (Kasparov). Black is now safe – all the squares are protected. ¥ 16. ¥ xb4?!
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Kasparov gives an exclamation mark to this move. I do not think it is a good move, though it is probably the only move still to play for an advantage. Korchnoi was a player known for his fighting spirit but, like many players before him, he was also trapped into feeling that you cannot lose a game against the arrasch Defence. Much safer was 16. ¤c2 ¤xc2 17.¦xc2 ¥f5 18.¦cc1 ¦fc8 19.¥g5 ¦xc1† 20.¦xc1 ¥a3 21.¦c7 ¥d6 22.¦c1 ¥a3, with a draw, but Viktor’ss stubborn attitude did not allow him to Viktor’ make an early draw, even in a match situation. ¥ 16... ¥ xb4 17.¤d3 With the plan of continuing with 18. ¤c5.
¥ d6?! 17... ¥ d6?! Kasparov is critical of this move and prefers: 17...¥xa3 18.¦xa3 ¥f5 But here Kasparov ignored the most logical 19.¤f4! ¦fc8 20.¦c5 ¥e6 21.h4 h6 22.b4 g5 23.hxg5 hxg5 24. ¤d3 when White still has better chances, and gave instead: 19.b4 ¦bc8 20.¦ac3 ¦xc3 21.¦xc3 ¦c8! 21...¥xd3?! 22.exd3 ¦b8 23.¦c7 and White is better. 22.¦xc8† 22.¤c5 b6 23.¤a4 ¦xc3 24.¤xc3 ¥e6 25.¤a4 ¤d7 and Black is fine.
78
Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
22...¥xc8 23.¤f4 ¥e6 With an equal game. ¥ g4?! 18.¤c2 c2 ¥ g4?! Better was 18...¥e6 19.¤e3 ¦fc8 20.b4! and White still has some initiative. ¢f1 19.¢ 19.
¥ f5?! 19... ¥ f5?! Kasparov was never much of an endgame player, and here he shows some anxiety. Better was 19...¦fc8 20.¤e3 ¥e6. ¥ e6 20.¤c5 ¦fc8 21.¤e3 e3 ¥ e6 22.b4 ¢f8 23.¦ 23.¦c2 ¢e7 23...b6? is a blunder of course: 24. ¤xe6† fxe6 25.¦xc8† ¦xc8 26.¥h3! ¢f7 27.¦xa6 and White is winning. 24.¢e1 h5 24.¢ A typical Kasparov move, with the idea of ...h4 or ... ¤g4. Not so good was 24...b6 25. ¤xa6 ¦xc2 26.¤xc2 ¦a8 27.b5 ¥d7 28.¦b1 and White has the better game. 25.¦b2 ¦c7! 26.¤d3! ¦a8! 25.¦ Black gets ready to meet b4-b5 with ...a5.
In this position White still has some advantage, because with the fixed pawn weakness on d5 the bishops are weaker than White’ss bishop and knight, which can attack White’ the pawn on d5 twice. Tis is a very general assessment, and because of other factors the position is still close to equal. In time trouble Korchnoi overestimates overestimates his chances and makes a nervous move forward. 27.b5?! Better was 27.¦ba2. 27...a5 28.b6 ¦c6 29.¦ 29.¦b5 29.¦a4!? ¦a6 30.¦b5 ¦cxb6 31.¦axa5 ¤e4 was still equal. 29...a4
Chapter 2 – Evolution of the Isolated Pawn
79
30.¤ xd5†?! Viktor was famous for grabbing pawns and relying on his defensive skills. Here the compensation for the pawn is obvious and he most likely regretted his decision very soon.
A stronger idea was 35. ¦c1, the point being that Black cannot push 35...a3? because of 36.¢c2 trapping the rook. If instead Black pushes 35...b4 then White has 36. ¦b5 keeping the balance.
30.¤b4 was a safer move, but after 30... ¥xb4† 31.¦xb4 a3 32.¦b3 a2 33.¦b2 ¢d6 34.¦bxa2 ¦xa2 35.¦xa2 ¦xb6 the position does not promise any winning chances.
35...¦c8 36.g4? 35...¦ A mistake in time trouble, but I think the mistake that effectively cost him the game was made earlier, and this was mainly his attitude – to win at any cost.
30.¤c5? ¥xc5 31.dxc5 and now Kasparov wrongly gave only 31... ¤d7? 32.¤xd5† ¥xd5 33.¥xd5 ¦xc5 34.¥xb7 ¦xb5 35.¥xa8 ¤xb6, again with an equal game. Instead 31...¦cc8! 32.¦b4 (32.¦a3 ¥d7) 32...¦xc5 33.¦axa4 ¦xa4 34.¦xa4 ¦b5 sees Black emerge with an extra pawn. ¥ ¦ xd5 ¦ xb6 30...¤ xd5 31. ¥ xd5 ¥ xd5 32. 32.¦ ¦ xh5 33.¦ 33. It seems strange that a player of the calibre c alibre of Korchnoi would make such a decision, going after the h5-pawn which has no relevance to the situation on the board. Te reality is that now Black has two passers, along with a strong bishop.
33...¦b3! 34.¢ 33...¦ 34.¢d2 b5 35.h4 White’ss plan is to push the pawns on the White’ kingside, but this does not work.
36.¦g5! g6 37.h5 (Kasparov), but after 37...gxh5 38. ¦xh5 a3 Black should win. 36...a3 More precise was 36... ¦c4. 37.f4 ¦cc3?! More precise was 37... ¦c4 and Black just gradually pushes his pawns, for example 38.e3 b4 39.¦b5 ¢d7! or 38.¦d5 ¢e6 39.e4 ¦cc3 40.¤c5 ¥xc5 41.dxc5 b4. 38.¦d5 ¢e6 39.¦ 38.¦ 39.¦h5
39...b4? Kasparov is correct in pointing out that this was a big mistake. m istake. Allowing the white rook to return to the game was a bad idea.
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Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
39...¦xd3† 40.exd3 ¥xf4† 41.¢e2 ¦b2† 42.¢f3 ¥d6 and now instead of 43. ¦h8 ¢d5 44.¢e3 ¦g2!–+, given by Kasparov, much stronger is 43.d5†! ¢d7 44.¦h8 b4 45.¦a8 and suddenly there is enough counterplay. 39...¦c4! was the correct route to the win, as on earlier moves. 40.¦a5 ¦ xd3† 40.¦ 40...¦b2† 41.¤xb2 ¥xf4† 42.e3 ¥xe3† 43.¢e2 axb2 44.¦b1 would also lead to a draw after either 44... ¥c1 45.¦b5 b3 46.¦e5† ¢d6 47.¦f5 or 44... ¥xd4 45.¦xb2 ¦e3† 46.¢d2 ¦g3 47.¦b1 ¥c3† 48.¢c2 ¦xg4 49.h5. 41.exd3 ¥ 41.exd3 ¥ xf4† 42.¢ 42.¢e2 ¦c3
43.g5?! More precise was: 43. ¢f3 ¥c1 (43...¦c1 44.¦1xa3!= or 43... ¥d6 44.¢e4 b3 45.¦5xa3 b2? 46.d5†!+–) 44.¢e4 ¢d6 45.¦a6† ¢d7 (45...¢c7 46.d5 ¢b7 47.d6! is dangerous for Black, though 47...b3 should still draw) 46.¦a7†= ¥ c1 43... ¥ c1 44.h5? 44.¦a4! b3 45.¦1xa3 ¥xa3 46.¦xa3 b2 47.¦a6† ¢f5 48.¦b6 and compared to the position reached in the game, here the g-pawn is still defended. ¥ ¦a6† 44...b3 45.¦ 45.¦5xa3 5xa3 ¥ xa3 46.¦ 46.¦ xa3 b2 47. 47.¦
¢f5 48.¦ 48.¦b6 ¦c2† 49.¢ 49.¢e3 ¢ xg5
50.d5 Also good enough for a draw was: 50. ¦b5† f5 51.d5 ¢xh5 52.d6 ¦c5 53.¦xb2 ¦d5 54.¦b6 g5 55.d4 ¢g4 56.¦c6 (56.¢d3? ¢f3–+) 56...¢g3 57.¦c5!= 50...¢ xh5 51.¢ 50...¢ 51.¢d4 51.d6? loses to 51... ¦c6!. 51...g5 52.¦ 52.¦b8 Instead 52.¢e5! was a relatively easy draw: 52...g4 53.d6 ¦c5† 54.¢f4 ¦d5 55.¦xb2 ¦xd6 56.¦h2† ¢g6 57.¢xg4 With a simple draw. 52...g4 53.d6
¦c6!? 53...¦ 53...
Chapter 2 – Evolution of the Isolated Pawn One last try to win the game.
81
It is obvious that Korchnoi missed this move when playing 55.¢f6.
53...¦c8 54.¦xb2 (54.¦xc8? b1=£ 55.d7 £b6† 56.¢c3 £a5† 57.¢c4 £a4†–+) 54...g3 55.¢e3! ¢g4 56.¦b4† ¢h3 57.¦b5 ¢h2 (57...¦d8 58.¢f3) 58.¦h5†= is a draw.
Instead, 59... ¢f4 60.¢e7 ¦g6 61.¦g2! ¢e4 62.¢f7 ¦g4 63.¢f6 is a draw.
¢e5 ¦c5† 54.¢ 54.
60.¢e7 ¦d5 60.¢ 60...¦e6† 61.¢f7 ¦h6 62.¦g2 ¢f4 63.¢e7 ¦h2 64.¦xg3 ¢xg3 65.d5 is also a draw.
55.¢f6 55.¢ 55.¢d4 was a draw of course.
55...g3 56.¦ 56.¦ xb2 ¦d5 57.¢ 57.¢ xf7 ¦ xd6 58.¦ 58.¦d2 ¢g4 59.d4 59.¢e7? loses to 59... ¦d4 60.¢e6 ¢f4.
¢f5! 59...¢ 59...
61.¦d3! 61.¦ 61.¦g2? ¢f4 62.¦d2 ¢e4 63.¦g2 ¢f3 64.¦d2 g2 and Black wins. 61...¢f4 62.¢ 61...¢ 62.¢e6 ¦g5
63.d5? When you are lacking energy energy,, you can miss things at the end of the game. Tis last mistake mi stake was probably due to time trouble, or perhaps the exhausted Korchnoi just thought that every move would make a draw and he missed Black’s reply. Tere is still some play left after the correct 63.¦d1, although White’s subsequent moves would be almost automatic, not leaving much chance for any further error. Te way the young Kasparov pulled out victory at the last moment reminds me of Fischer, who also fought to the last pawn and won many drawish
82
Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
positions. 63...¦g6†! 63...¦ First pushing the king away. ¦d1 ¢e5!–+ 66.d6 ¦e6† 64.¢e7 g2 65. 64.¢ 65.¦ ¢d7 67.¢ 67.
¦ xd6 g1= £ 69. ¦e6† ¢f5 67...¦ xd6† 68. 67...¦ 68.¦ g1=£ 69.¦ ¦d6 £a7† 71.¢ 70.¦ 70. 71.¢d8 ¢e5 72.¦ 72.¦g6 £a5† ¢d7 £a4† 74.¢ 73.¢ 73. 74.¢e7 £h4† 75.¢ 75.¢f8 £d8† ¢f7 ¢f5 77.¦ 76.¢ 76. 77.¦h6 £d7† 78.¢ 78.¢f8 ¢g5 0–1 Tis game effectively decided the match. Korchnoi immediately lost the next game and the match was over. As in 1965, when Keres lost his match against Spassky in Riga, this was the decisive match in finding the next world championship challenger. Te final match, against the much older Vasily Smyslov, was just a formality for Kasparov Kasparov. In the Candidates final match, Kasparov was not afraid to repeat the arrasch. Smyslov had time to prepare, and repeated the line with 12.a3, coming up with a concrete plan.
Vasily V asily Smyslov – Garry Kasparov Vilnius (2) 1984
1.d4 d5 2.¤f3 c5 3.c4 e6 4.cxd5 exd5 5.g3 ¥ g2 ¤f6 6. ¥ g2 ¥ e7 e7 7.0–0 0–0 8.¤c3 ¤c6 ¥ g5 ¥ e3 9. ¥ g5 cxd4 10.¤ xd4 h6 11. ¥ e3 ¦e8 12.a3 ¥ e6 e6 13.¢ 13.¢h1!? Tis was the second game of the t he match, and facing a novelty – and a deep one – was very unpleasant for Kasparov. Kasparov. Te plan is to prepare f2-f4, and in some lines the bishop from e3 can retreat to g1. Wee saw 13.£b3 above in Korchnoi – W Kasparov,, London (2) Kasparov ( 2) 1983.
13...£d7?! 13...£ Facing a novelty, Kasparov could not find the correct remedy. 14.¤ xe6 fxe6 15.f4 ¦ed8!? Kasparov decides that his rooks belong on c8 and d8. 15...d4? 16.¤e4! is good for White. ¥ g1 16. ¥ g1 ¦ac8 17.£ 17.£a4 ¢h8 18.¦ 18.¦ad1 White has a clear advantage, because Black cannot prevent the positional threat of e2-e4. Kasparov was lucky to save the game on move 41. ...½–½
Chapter 2 – Evolution of the Isolated Pawn Kasparov’s team found a counterplan against 13.¢h1. It may have taken a few days, because in the next two games with Black Kasparov avoided the arrasch, but he was back and ready in Game 8.
Vasily V asily Smyslov – Garry Kasparov Vilnius (8) 1984
1.d4 d5 2.¤f3 c5 3.c4 e6 4.cxd5 exd5 5.g3 ¥ g2 ¤f6 6. ¥ g2 ¥ e7 e7 7.0–0 0–0 8.¤c3 ¤c6 ¥ g5 ¥ e3 9. ¥ g5 cxd4 10.¤ xd4 h6 11. ¥ e3 ¦e8 12.a3 ¥ e6 ¥ g4! e6 13.¢ 13.¢h1 h1 ¥ g4! I do not know who came up with this, but it is a genius idea. Black has just developed the bishop to e6 and is now moving it again. Moreover, my computer likes this move as well, but back then (to my knowledge) there was no computer analysis being used.
14.f3!? I do not believe that Smyslov’s Smyslov’s team analysed Kasparov’s novelty at all, all , which is why Smyslov Smysl ov decided to continue with his original plan. By the next game, he had had time to grasp the point of Black’s Black’s last move at home, but bu t he still made the same move. Other possible moves are 14.£b3 and 14.h3.
83
¥ h5 14... ¥ h5 Kasparov repeated this move in the next game as well, but the simple retreat to d7 gives Black a satisfactory position without any hassle. I believe this is why Karpov’s team dismissed this line entirely. entirely. ¥ g1 15. ¥ g1 £d7! Black has a good game here. 16.£a4 16.£ 16.¤xc6 bxc6 17.¤a4 was played in Game 10, but Black did not have any problems there either. ¥ c5! ¥ b6 ¥ g6! 16... ¥ c5! 17.¦ 17.¦ad1 ad1 ¥ b6 18.¦ 18.¦fe1 fe1 ¥ g6!
Black has an excellent position. Te game was drawn on move move 28. ...½–½
84
Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
Vasily V asily Smyslov – Garry Kasparov Vilnius (12) 1984
1.d4 d5 2.¤f3 c5 3.c4 e6 4.cxd5 exd5 5.g3 ¥ g2 ¤f6 6. ¥ g2 ¥ e7 e7 7.0–0 0–0 8.¤c3 ¤c6 ¥ g5 ¥ e3 9. ¥ g5 cxd4 10.¤ xd4 h6 11. ¥ e3 ¦e8 12.a3 ¥ e6 e6
In this 12th game Smyslov suddenly took on e6. Te plan with 13. ¢h1 did not work as hoped for, and no more new ideas about how to beat the arrasch had been created. He was already losing the match 4-7, and usually at these moments the main concern is how to push yourself to play the next game – preparing a concrete opening line is no longer so important. Nobody wants to lose again, but Smyslov tried to beat the arrasch by just playing the position; this quickly backfired.
16...a6?! Kasparov makes a big mistake here, probably underestimating White’s potential. Te position looks closed, but White has some threats with f4. Much stronger was to play immediately 16...¤a5! 17.f4 ¤c4 18.¥c1 £b6, and Black is in time to take over the initiative. 17.f4 White should have played 17. £h4!.
13.¤ xe6?! 13.£c2!? I like this move. 13...£d7 14.¤xe6 fxe6 15.¦ad1 In the game White transferred his queen to the kingside via a4, but here the queen is placed very well, controlling the weak b1-h7 diagonal.
Black has serious problems here. Te attack on the light squares is very strong, and the white queen has a fine square on h3 in i n many m any lines.
13...fxe6 14.£ 14.£a4 ¦c8 15.¦ 15.¦ad1 ¢h8 16.¢ 16.¢h1
17...¤a5! 18.f5 b5! Other moves are weaker: 18... ¤c4? 19.¥c1± or 18...¦c4? 19.£c2 e5 20.£d2! d4 21.¥xh6
Chapter 2 – Evolution of the Isolated Pawn gxh6 (21...dxc3 22.¥xg7†±) 22.£xh6† ¢g8 23.g4 and White’s White’s attack is decisive. £h4 19.£ 19.
19...¤g8! After 19...¤c4? 20.¥xh6 ¤h7 21.¥xg7† ¢xg7 22.£g4† ¢h8 23.fxe6 White has a strong attack. 20.£h3 20.£ More active and much stronger was 20. £g4! and after 20... ¤c4 21.¥c1 ¥g5
22.fxe6! White is close to winning. Kupreichik in his comments missed that after 22... ¥xc1 23.¦xd5 £b6, instead of 24. ¦d7? White has a stronger move: 24. ¦f7 and Black is helpless, as after 24... ¥g5 White has 25. ¦xg5 hxg5 26.£h5 ¤h6 27.£g6 and mate in a few moves.
85
Instead of 22... ¥xc1, Black must try 22... ¤f6, but here also after 23. £d4 ¥xc1 24.¦xc1 ¤xb2 25.¤xb5 White has a big advantage. ¥ c1 ¥ 20...¤c4 21. ¥ c1 ¥ g5! g5! Very well played. Even in the middlegame, pushing the pawns too early is sometimes not a good idea. Te difference between the moves 17.£h4 and 17.f4 becomes obvious now. Te point is that without pushing his pawn further by f4-f5, White could not transfer his queen. Tis is why 17.f4 was a mistake. Tis kind of mistake is easy to understand: Smyslov needed to play for a win and an active move like f2-f4 is easier to make in such a situation than a slow move like £h4.
22.fxe6 ¥ 22.fxe6 ¥ xc1 23.¦ 23.¦ xc1 23.¦xd5?! £b6 24.¦xc1 ¤xb2 leaves White under pressure. 23...¤e3 24.¤ xd5! 24.¦g1 ¤f6µ ends any White counterplay. 24...¤ xf1 After 24...¦xc1? 25.¦xc1 ¤xd5 26.¦d1 White regains the piece with advantage, for example 26...¤gf6 27.e4+– or 26... ¤e3 27.¦xd8 ¦xd8 28.¢g1+–. 25.¦ xf1 ¦f8 25.¦
86
Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
26.¤f4?! 26.¦xf8! £xf8 27.¥f3 ¤e7 28.£h5 and White may survive, but this this was was the last chance for Smyslov to complicate the match situation; a draw was not really an option. 26...¤e7 27.£ 27.£g4? g5! 28.£ 28.£h3 ¦f6! 29.¤d3 ¦ xf1† 30. ¥ ¥ xf1 ¢g7 31.£ 31.£g4 £d5†
32.e4 32.¥g2? is quickly mated: 32...¦c1†! 33.¤xc1 £d1† 34.¥f1 £xf1# ¥ e2 32...£d4 33.h4 ¦f8 34. ¥ 32...£ e2 £e3 35.¢ 35.¢g2 35.hxg5? loses immediately to 35...h5!. 35...¤g6 36.h5?!
Tis hastens the end, but White was lost in any case. 36...¤e7 37.b4 ¢h7 Zugzwang!
¥ 38.¢h2 ¦d8 39.e5 ¦ xd3 40. ¥ 38.¢ xd3† £ xd3 0–1
In 1984 the world championship match between Karpov and Kasparov took place in Moscow. I was a student at artu State University at that time and I was commenting on some of the games in a local newspaper. I was studying psychology psychology,, but I did not pay too much attention to the psychological aspect of the match – the concrete moves on the board were the main subject. Now Kasparov was facing a really formidable opponent compared with his his opponents opponents in the Candidates matches. Te first test of the arrasch arrasch Defence failed.
Chapter 2 – Evolution of the Isolated Pawn
Anatoly Karpov – Garry Kasparov Kaspa rov Moscow (7) 1984
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.¤f3 c5 4.cxd5 exd5 5.g3 ¥ g2 ¥ ¥ g5 ¤f6 6. ¥ g2 ¥ e7 e7 7.0–0 0–0 8. ¤c3 ¤c6 9. ¥ g5 ¥ e3 cxd4 10.¤ xd4 h6 11. ¥ e3 ¦e8 12.£ 12.£b3 Tis move, prepared by Karpov, refuted the arrasch, at least at world championship level. Kasparov tried it once more, losing again in the same line, and then abandoned it for good. From a theoretical point of view, there is nothing wrong with Black’s Black’s position, but on the other hand White also has a lot of forcing lines. Tis removes the uncertainty that, as we saw earlier, is the main concept for Black – playing a slightly worse position, but keeping White in tension.
12...¤a5 Forced; there is no good way to defend the d5-pawn. ¥ g4 13.£c2 13.£ c2 ¥ g4 14.¤f5 ¦c8? Neither during this game nor after working with his team, did Kasparov find the alternative 14...¥b4! very attractive. Tis is the critical move and has become the main line. li ne.
87
15.¤ xe7† In their next game Karpov played 15. ¥d4!?. 15...¦ xe7 16.¦ 15...¦ 16.¦ad1 Black’s position here is not so bad, and the reputation of the move 14... ¦c8 as not very good might be just because Kasparov lost the game with it. ¥ 16...£e8! 17.h3 ¥ 16...£ 17.h3 ¥ h5 h5 18. ¥ xd5 Karpov was considered a very strong positional player. He of course successfully played all kinds of positions, but actually he was a very concrete player. player.
¥ g6 18... ¥ g6
88
Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
18...b5! 19.a3 ¥g6 20.£c1 ¤xd5 21.¦xd5 a6 and the inclusion of ...b5 and a2-a3 dramatically weakens the light squares. Black has more than enough compensation for the pawn. 22.¥xh6!? ¦xe2 (or 22...gxh6 23. £xh6 £f8 24.£g5 ¢g7÷) 23.£d1 ¦e6 24.¥c1 f6© ¥ d4 19.£c1 ¤ xd5 20.¦ 19.£ 20.¦ xd5 ¤c4 21. ¥ d4 White has an extra pawn, but the oppositecoloured bishops make the position difficult to win. 21...¦ec7 22.b3 ¤b6 23.¦ 21...¦ 23.¦e5 £d7 24.£ 24.£e3 ¥ f6 25.¦ 25.¦c5 ¦ xc5 26. ¥ xc5 £ xh3 27.¦ 27.¦d1
White gave back the pawn, hoping for an initiative in the centre. Kasparov was probably somewhat relieved and made his trademark move, which in this case is unfortunately a significant mistake. 27...h5? Once Josif Dorfman, one of Kasparov’s many seconds, was talking about Kasparov Kasparov.. He admired Kasparov’s Kasparov’s talent, but he pointed out some of the characteristics of Kasparov’s style. One was that, from the very beginning of his chess career when Garry was very young, he liked to push his rook pawns. Te idea is to gain space for a future endgame, which might be very valuable, especially in rook endgames.
I do not know how many times Kasparov really pushed his a- or h-pawns early in the middlegame, but in this game it backfired. Instead, 27... ¥e8! was a good option. Te bishop needs a role and transferring it to c6 was the correct plan. ¦d4 ¤d7 28.¦ 28.
¥ d6!? 29. ¥ d6!? 29.¥xa7? ¤e5 30.¤d5 ¤g4 31.¦xg4 £xg4 32.¤e7† ¢h7 33.¤xc8 £xc8 is drawish of course. When using a computer to check the lines, one needs to look to the very end. A line that seems to promise a good advantage might lead to a position which is actually very close to a theoretical draw. Years ago, when I was playing against a computer for fun, I always found that lines where it had an extra pawn in a rook endgame would be overestimated by the computer c omputer.. ¥ f7 ¥ 29... ¥ f7 30.¤d5 d5 ¥ xd5 31.¦ 31.¦ xd5 a6 31...¤f8 32.¦c5 b6 33.¦xc8 £xc8 34.£e7 a6 and Black is slightly worse. Kasparov was never a very good defender of inferior positions without counterplay, where there is no immediate solution to clarify the situation. ¥ f4 32. ¥ f4 ¤f8 33.£ 33.£d3
Chapter 2 – Evolution of the Isolated Pawn
33...£g4? 33...£ 33...¤e6! 34.¥e3 £g4 and Black has enough counterplay, because now there is no f2-f3, as played in the game. 34.f3 £g6 35.¢ 35.¢f2 ¦c2? Tis pseudo-active move is another mistake. 35...£xd3 36.¦xd3 ¢f7 was a simple draw. 36.£e3 ¦c8 36.£ 36...¦xa2? 37.¦d8 and White is winning. £ xd8 £f7 37.£e7 b5 38.¦ 37.£ 38.¦d8 ¦ xd8 39. 39.£ ¥ d6 40. ¥ d6 Black in now in zugzwang and he is losing all his pawns on the queenside.
89
40...g5 41.£ 41.£a8 ¢g7 42.£ 42.£ xa6 1–0
Anatoly Karpov – Garry Kasparov Moscow (9) 1984
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.¤f3 c5 4.cxd5 exd5 5.g3 ¥ g2 ¥ ¥ g5 g2 ¥ e7 e7 7.0–0 0–0 8.¤c3 ¤c6 9. ¥ g5 ¤f6 6. ¥ ¥ e3 cxd4 10.¤ xd4 h6 11. ¥ e3 ¦e8 12.£ 12.£b3 ¤a5 £c2 ¥ g4 13.£ 13. c2 ¥ g4 14.¤f5 ¦c8 As mentioned above, 14... ¥b4! is critical. Tis move had already been seen in practice during 1984, but the strong Hungarian GM Lajos Portisch had won two games as White, and taking into account that the Hungarian chess school was famous for its opening preparation, this may have led to Kasparov’s team rejecting the move. After this game the arrasch dropped out of Kasparov’s repertoire, at least at world championship level. ¥ d4 15. ¥ d4 In the previous game, we saw that the opening was not the reason for Kasparov’s failure. Tis blockading move is better than 15.¤xe7, one reason being that we prefer knights when dealing with isolated pawn positions.
¥ c5 15... ¥ c5
90
Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
Tis is the best move and it does not look good, because we do not want to trade bishops. Tis is the main reason I do not like the line with 14...¦c8. ¥ 16. ¥ xc5 ¦ xc5 17.¤e3! Now White has achieved a nice regrouping, and it is one of Karpov’s Karpov’s best games because of the fantastic endgame he won. I give the rest of the game here with just a few comments, because this game has been thoroughly annotated already in numerous books.
¥ e6 17... ¥ e6 18.¦ 18.¦ad1 £c8 19.£ 19.£a4 ¦d8 20.¦ 20.¦d3 a6 21.¦ 21.¦fd1 ¤c4 22.¤ xc4 ¦ xc4 23.£ 23.£a5 23.£b3! £c6 24.e4 d4 25.e5 is also good for White. 23...¦c5 24.£ 23...¦ 24.£b6 ¦d7 25.¦ 25.¦d4 £c7 26.£ 26.£ xc7 ¦dxc7
Tis endgame is much better for White, but it is very difficult to win because winning the isolated d-pawn is not enough on many occasions. Black always has some counterplay on the c-file. Also, rook endgames have drawish tendencies even when a pawn down. 27.h3 h5 28.a3 g6 29.e3 ¢g7 30.¢ 30.¢h2 ¦c4 ¥ f3 31. ¥ f3 b5 32.¢ 32.¢g2 ¦7c5 33.¦ 33.¦ xc4 ¦ xc4 ¦d4 ¢f8 35. ¥ ¥ e2 34.¦ 34. e2
Now here is the interesting moment. Te computer approves of Kasparov’s choice in the game. However, keeping the rooks on the board might be the correct human decision. As I have already mentioned, the rook endgame a pawn down is not lost yet, and it is much easier to defend in practice. 35...¦ xd4 36.exd4 ¢e7 37.¤a2 ¥ c8 35...¦ c8 38.¤b4 ¢d6 39.f3 ¤g8 40.h4 ¤h6 41.¢ 41.¢f2 ¥ d3 ¥ d3 g5 44. ¥ xf5 ¥ xf5 ¤f5 42.¤c2 f6 43. ¥ ¥ b1 45.¤e3 e3 ¥ b1 46.b4 Karpov was most likely familiar with the following game, in which Fischer demonstrated how to play this kind of endgame. Karpov definitely prepared against Fischer when their match was in the negotiation phase, although unfortunately the match never materialized.
Chapter 2 – Evolution of the Isolated Pawn Saidy – Fischer, New York 1964
38.¢e2 f4 39.¥f2 ¤g7 40.h3 ¤f5 41.¢d3 g4 42.hxg4 hxg4 43.fxg4 ¤h6 44.¥e1 ¤xg4 45.¥d2 ¢f5 46.¥e1 ¤f6 47.¥h4 ¤e4 48.¥e1 ¢g4 49.¢e2 ¤g3† 50.¢d3 ¤f5 51.¥f2 ¤h4 52.a5 ¤xg2 53.¢c3 ¢f3 54.¥g1 ¢e2 55.¥h2 f3 56.¥g3 ¤e3 0–1 It is of course difficult to find exactly the same position in the database, and the Saidy – Fischer game had some slight differences. 46...gxh4? Kasparov definitely definit ely missed White’s White’s next move. 47.¤g2!
Tis is the picturesque position every chess aficionado or future world championship
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contender should know. Once the move is made on the board, everybody can see the idea, which is to keep the route open for White’ White’ss king, avoiding a blockade. 47...hxg3† 48.¢ 48.¢ xg3 ¢e6 49.¤f4† ¢f5 50.¤ xh5 Black’s king cannot prevent the entry of the white king because of the threat of 51. ¤g7†, when the knight would invade Black’ Black’ss camp. 50...¢e6 51.¤f4† ¢d6 52.¢ 50...¢ 52.¢g4 ¥ c2 c2 ¢h5 ¥ d1 53.¢ 53. h5 ¥ d1 54.¢ 54.¢g6 ¢e7 55.¤ xd5†
55...¢e6 55...¢ White has achieved the maximum from the position, but it is still not clear how to win after the more stubborn defence of 55... ¢d6 56.¤e3 ¥xf3 57.¢xf6 ¥e4. ¥ 56.¤c7† ¢d7 57.¤ xa6 xa6 ¥ xf3 58.¢ 58.¢ xf6 ¢d6 ¢f5 ¢d5 60.¢ 59.¢ 59. 60.¢f4 ¥ h1 h1 61.¢ 61.¢e3 ¢c4 62.¤c5 ¥ c6 c6 63.¤d3 ¥ g2 g2 64.¤e5† ¢c3 65.¤g6 ¢c4 66.¤e7 ¥ b7 b7 67.¤f5 ¥ g2 g2 68.¤d6† ¢b3 69.¤ xb5 ¢a4 70.¤d6 1–0 Kasparov prepared and used the arrasch Defence for a very short period. After two consecutive losses to Karpov, he never again used the arrasch against top opposition.
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In 1987-88 he won three games with it against less strong grandmasters, which is a reminder that there is nothing wrong with the defence itself. I started to play the arrasch arrasch Defence in 1977 after the training camp with Vladimir Yurkov urkov,, and it was my main defence with Black in the semi-final of the USSR Championship in 1983, which was my first big tournament success. However, I did not use it in the 1984 USSR Championship. As in Kasparov’s case, there was nothing wrong with the opening. I had suffered a painful loss against Lev Psakhis in 1984, and such an occurrence usually triggers a change of opening for me. I never collected or tracked my statistics with different openings and I liked to change them a lot. One of the main reasons was that I did not have a very good team of coaches with whom I could work out my opening repertoire. Te arrasch is a good opening per se , but most of the time I was playing for qualification qualific ation spots. Usually only the top places in these tournaments are counted as success. Te Soviet Union was by far the strongest chess country in the world, but to succeed you needed to qualify from a very strong field to advance further. Keeping the arrasch Defence in my opening repertoire no longer made sense when I was looking to become first among equals; I looked for more aggressive openings. From time to time I experimented with the King’s Indian and the Grünfeld, though finally the classical approach prevailed and I had many successful years with this approach. Te arrasch Defence disappointed me once, however, when in a must-win situation in New Delhi in 2000, I could not beat rising star Alexander Grischuk with the white pieces.
Jaan Ehlvest – Alexander Grischuk New Delhi/eheran (4.4) 2000
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.¤c3 c5 4.cxd5 exd5 5. ¤f3 ¥ g2 ¥ ¥ g5 ¤c6 6.g3 ¤f6 7. ¥ g2 ¥ e7 e7 8.0–0 0–0 9. ¥ g5 ¥ e3 cxd4 10.¤ xd4 h6 11. ¥ e3 ¦e8
I knew that Grischuk was most likely going to play the arrasch arrasch and I prepared something. Te FIDE knockout system does not provide much time between the mini-matches, so I just went for a line which theoretically promised something, but in practice this was not a very clever choice on my part. 12.£b3 12.£ Like Karpov, I was looking for a forcing, concrete solution to get some advantage. Tis game was played at a shorter time control. I had lost the first rapid game and now only a win could keep me in the match. m atch. 12. £b3 is a good move, but in this situation it is probably not a good idea. However, on the morning of the match I did not know that I would need to win this particular game. Ideally, a player should have in his repertoire different lines to play in different di fferent situations. One line which looks terrific overall may not work at all in certain situations.
Chapter 2 – Evolution of the Isolated Pawn Still, I hoped that I could crack my young opponent with this line. ¥ g4 ¥ b4 ¥ d4 12...¤a5 13.£ 13.£c2 c2 ¥ g4 14.¤f5 f5 ¥ b4 15. ¥ d4 ¥ ¥ £d3 ¦e8 18.¤e3 xc3 16. ¥ xc3 ¦ xe2 17. 17.£ ¥ e6 e6
Tis position can be practically forced after 12.£b3, and I was hoping to get at least a slightly better endgame after winning back the d-pawn. Te endgame of bishop against knight with pawns on both wings should give White some winning chances. But now, facing this position in my particular situation, I started to play creative chess because the endgame did not seem so good when I had to win. 19.£b5!? b6 20.¦ 19.£ 20.¦ad1 ¦c8 21.¦ 21.¦fe1!? After 21.¥xf6 £xf6 22.¤xd5 ¥xd5 23.¥xd5 White has some advantage, but with careful defence Black can hope to defend. ¥ d7 ¥ e6 21... ¥ d7 22.£ 22.£f1 f1 ¥ e6 23.£ 23.£a6 ¤c6 24.£ 24.£a4 ¥ xf6 gxf6 26.£ 26.£h4 ¢g7 ¤e7 25. ¥ Short of time (it was a rapid game with 30 minutes plus 10-second increments), I was not sure that I would have enough after 27. ¥xd5! ¤xd5 28.¦xd5 £xd5 29.¤xd5 ¥xd5. It is difficult to win this position, but objectively this was the best opportunity I had.
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27.¦d4!? f5 28.¦ 27.¦ 28.¦ed1? 28.¦d2!? ¤g6 29.£b4 £f6 30.¦ed1 f4 and Black has enough counterplay. counterplay. 28...¤c6 29.£ 29.£ xd8 ¦exd8 Now there are no winning chances for White, and the match was over over..
30.¦4d2 d4 31.¤c2 d3 32.¤e3 ¤e5 33.b3 30.¦ 36.¦ xc2 dxc2 ¤g4 34.¤f1 ¦c2 35.h3 ¤f6 36.¦ ¦c1 f4 38.¦ 37.¦ 37. 38.¦ xc2 ¦d1 39.¢ 39.¢h2 ¤d5 40.gxf4 ¤ xf4 41.¤e3 ¦a1 42.h4 ¤ xg2 ¢ xg2 a5 44. ¦b2 a4 45.¤c2 ¥ d5† 43.¢ 43. 44.¦ c2 ¥ d5† 46.f3 ¦d1 47.¤e3 ¦d3 48.¤ xd5 a3 49.¦ 49. ¦c2 ¦ xd5 ¢g3 ¦d4 51.h5 ¢f6 52.¦ 50.¢ 50. 52.¦c6† ¢g5 ¦ xb6 ¦d2 54.¦ 53.¦ 53. 54.¦b5† f5 55.f4† ¢ xh5 ¦ xf5† ¢g6 57.¦ ¦a6† ¢f5 56.¦ 56. 57.¦a5 ¦ xa2 58. 58.¦ ¦ xh6 ¦b2 60.¦ 59.¦ 59. 60.¦h5† ¢f6 61.¦ 61.¦a5 ¦ xb3†
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62.¢g4 ¦b6 63.¦ 62.¢ 63.¦ xa3 ¦b5 64.¦ 64.¦a6† ¢f7 65.f5 ¦b1 ½–½ Te positional approach should be best against the arrasch. Tere are many early deviations where White tries to punish Black, but these lines are not too important, in part because Black often avoids the straightforward arrasch move order. After 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.¤c3 c5, White can try tr y 4.cxd5 exd5 5.dxc5!? which can be unpleasant unpleasant for Black for practical reasons. White needs only to prepare some forcing lines and Black might end up in a slightly worse endgame with no counterplay, for example: 5.dxc5 d4 6. ¤a4 ¤c6 (6...b5!? 7.e3 bxa4 8.exd4 with a complicated position) 7.e3 ¥xc5 8.¤xc5 £a5† 9.¥d2 £xc5 10.exd4 £xd4 11.¥c3 £xd1† 12.¦xd1 ¤f6 White has a small but pleasant advantage in the endgame. Playing with Black you can switch to the arrasch much later – after 1.d4 ¤f6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 d5 4.¤f3 ¥e7 5.¥g2 0–0 6.0–0 c5, for instance. Preparing one surprise line against the arrasch is not enough. When I had the arrasch in my opening repertoire as Black, I was worried about some surprise lines, and seeing one idea I tried it myself as White. I believe the idea belongs to Estonian IM Alexander Veingold Veingold and was even used once by Kasparov himself, though only in a simul.
Jaan Ehlvest – Giorgi Giorgadze Minsk 1986
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.¤f3 c5 4.cxd5 exd5 5.g3 ¥ g2 g2 ¥ e7 e7 7.0–0 0–0 8.dxc5 ¥ xc5 ¤f6 6. ¥ £c2 9.£ 9. Te USSR eam Championship seemed to me a good opportunity to try some extraordinary ideas. My teammates probably did not like it, but I did not ask them.
Tis looks like a strange move, but the idea is to gain a tempo and vacate the d1-square for the rook as quickly as possible.
¥ b6 ¥ g5 ¥ 9... ¥ b6 10.¤c3 ¤c6 11. ¥ g5 ¥ e6 e6 12.£ 12.£a4? 12.¦ad1 was more consistent, and I believe I just could not remember the line correctly. 12...h6 13.¥h4 £e7 14.£c1 (14.£a4 ¦fe8 15.¦xd5!? eventually led to a draw in Kasparov K asparov – Behrhorst, Hamburg [simul] 1987) 14... ¦fd8 15.e4 d4 16.¤a4 ¥g4 17.£f4 ¥xf3 18.¥xf6 £xf6 19.£xf6 gxf6 20. ¥xf3 ¤e5 21.¥h5 d3 22.¤c3 ¥d4 23.¤d5 ½–½ Veingold – Campos Gambuti, Marchena 1991. ¥ h4 ¥ 12...h6 13. ¥ h4 ¥ c5 c5 14.¦ 14.¦ad1 g5 15.¤ xg5
Chapter 2 – Evolution of the Isolated Pawn Tis sacrifice is more common in the open games, such as the Italian Game, in which the current World Champion obtained a huge advantage against Sergei Karjakin at Wijk aan Zee in 2017. ¥ ¥ e7 ¥ 15...hxg5 16. ¥ xg5 ¥ xg5 e7 17. ¥ xf6?! White could force a draw with 17. ¥h6 ¦e8 18.£f4 ¤h5 19.£f3 ¤f6 20.£f4, which would have been the logical end to the game. ¥ £b5 ¥ g7 17... ¥ xf6 18.¤ xd5 ¥ xb2 19. 19.£ g7 £ xb7 20.£ 20. White has three pawns for the bishop, but Black has the better game because the pawns are not dangerous and in the open position the bishop is much stronger. 20...¦c8 21.e3 20...¦ After 21.¤f4 £c7 22.£xc7 ¦xc7 23.¤xe6 fxe6 24.e3 White has good drawing chances, but this position looked too boring to me and instead I continued to play aggressive chess without any basis, and quickly lost the game. ¥ g4 21...£a5 22.f4?! £a3 23.¢ 21...£ 23.¢h1 h1 ¥ g4 24.¦ 24.¦de1 £ xa2 25.f5 ¥ 25.f5 ¥ e5 e5
26.¦c1? 26.¦ Here I had the very strong move 26. £b5, but it was difficult to find in time trouble. With a computer it looks easy, easy, though.
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¥ e2 26... ¥ e2 27.¦ 27.¦f2 ¦fd8 28.¢ 28.¢g1 £a6 29.£ 29.£b1 ¥ d3 d3 30.£ 30.£b3 ¤d4 31.¦ 31.¦ xc8 ¦ xc8 32.¤e7† ¢f8 33.£ ¥ f1 33.£b4 ¦c1† 34. ¥ f1 ¥ d6 d6 35.¤g6† £h8† ¢e7 38.£ fxg6 36.£ 36.£ xd4 gxf5 37. 37.£ 38.£g7† ¢d8 39.£ 39.£h8† ¢d7 40.£ 40.£g7† ¢c6 0–1 Tere are various other lines and ideas on the White side of the arrasch of course, but the decline in the popularity of the arrasch Defence is not connected with the quality of the opening. In my opinion, people rely more on computer evaluations nowadays, and it is much easier to learn some forcing lines in the Semi-Slav than to learn the arrasch. Te arrasch is not considered a classical opening system. “Classical” in my interpretation means an approach where the very first principles of play commonly acknowledged by chess authorities are followed. For instance, the rule about the centre: one should defend the centre from the very first move, and it is not wise to postpone the fight for the centre for very long. From this we can easily understand which openings should be classified as classical – 1.e4 e5 and 1.d4 d5 undoubtedly involve the classical approach. Te arrasch Defence is not classical in the sense that Black voluntarily creates an isolated pawn. Tis is why at the very beginning the arrasch Defence did not find many followers. Te ideas that developed during the evolution of the arrasch Defence nevertheless became classical. Tis has been somewhat hidden from the public, so I have just tried to show that this is the case. Tere are lot of applications of these classical ideas.
Applications of classical ideas Teoretically it is possible to avoid positions with an isolated pawn. Unfortunately Unfortunately,, professional chess is like any other job – sometimes you need to study things that
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you do not like or enjoy. Nobody argues that studying theoretical rook endgames a pawn down is a waste of time. Te argument, even from a very strong player, player, that he or she never loses a pawn does not convince a coach. Everyone who wants to become a top player needs to be acquainted with every opening. A wide chess c hess education raises his or her chess intellect. Chess professionals do not talk about the openings so much with strangers, but to understand and know the opening problems is valuable, not only for the tournament player, but also for the commentator, and of course is the bread and butter of the coach or second. Tere are hundreds of opening lines and it is difficult to grasp all of them. On the other hand, in trying to understand isolated pawn strategy from the defensive point of view, the know-how presented in this book should be of great benefit. How have I benefited from this knowledge? Measuring the impact on my level l evel is not possible (at least today), but there is no doubt that having access to these secrets when I was only 15 years old benefited my chess understanding. Te chances that a player will never have to play with or against an isolated pawn is effectively zero, so a few hours spent on this material must be a good idea. In my practice, the Lein approach helped me on one occasion when drawing a game against Vladimir Kramnik in a super-tournament in Zurich.
Vladimir Kramnik – Jaan Ehlvest Horgen 1995
1.¤f3 In the second part of the 1990s Kramnik was one one of the best players in the world, and he finally took the title from Kasparov in 2000. His opening repertoire was at that time strictly limited to 1.¤f3 followed by 2.c4. Later a series of books was written by Alexander Khalifman about Opening for White according to Kramnik .
Kramnik’s opening repertoire was a little too Kramnik’s timid in my opinion, but on the other hand it promised him good results without taking too much of a risk. He himself never made any big positional mistakes, and when he was playing with the white pieces there were basically only two possible results. Every player knew before the game that it was going to be a long game. Most likely you would need to defend a very slightly worse position until the very end; psychologically, this is a difficult situation. I, however, had a big plus, already being a veteran compared with many other players. I had the experience of playing many games with Anatoly Karpov Karpov,, who had the same style as Kramnik. ¥ g2 1...e6 2.g3 b6 3. ¥ g2 ¥ b7 b7 4.0–0 ¤f6 5.c4 ¥ e7 e7 6.¤c3 0–0 Te classical Queen’s Indian. I do not think I ever spent enough time or worked enough on these positions, but I had a lot of experience, especially against Karpov, the most fearsome positional player at the end of 1980s. I was ready to suffer a slightly worse position.
¦e1 7.¦ 7. Kramnik’s trademark. Against Karpov Karpov,, from from a different move order order,, I was defending another line: 1.d4 ¤f6 2.c4 e6 3.¤f3 b6 4.g3 ¥b7 5.¥g2 ¥e7 6.¤c3 ¤e4
Chapter 2 – Evolution of the Isolated Pawn
7.¥d2 ¥f6 8.£c2 ¤xd2 9.£xd2 0–0 10.0–0 d6 11.¦fd1 ¤d7 12.d5 e5 13.£c2 g6 14.e4 ¥g7 15.¥h3 h5 16.b4 £e7 17.£e2 ¦fd8 18.a3 ¥h6 19.¦a2 ¤f6 20.¦c2 a5 21.¦a2 ¦db8 22.¦da1 ¤h7 23.¥g2 ¥c8 24.¤b5
25.¤xg5 ¥xg5 26.c5 bxc5 27.bxc5 ¥a6 28.a4 dxc5 29. £c4 ¦b6 30.£c3 ¥xb5 31.axb5 ¦xb5 32.¥f1 ¦b4 33.¦xa5 ¦xa5 34.¦xa5 ¦b1 35.h4 ¦c1 36.£b3 ¥h6 37.¢g2 ¥f8 38.¦a8 ¢g7 39.¥c4 £d6 40.¦a6 £d7 41.¥e2 ¥d6 42.¦a2 c4 43.£e3 ¦e1 44.£c3 ¦b1 45.¥xc4 ¦b8 46.¥e2 ¢h7 47.£e3 £e7 ½–½ Karpov – Ehlvest, Haninge 1990. 24...¤g5
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Black has many options here, and during the game I was not sure which was the best. I made a move that was popular a long time ago, at the beginning of the 1980s, just trying to avoid following Kramnik’s well-known path. 10...£c8!? 11.¤e5 10...£ 11.¦c1 ¦d8 is Black’s plan with ... £c8. An earlier game of mine with White continued: 12.¤e5 c5 13.dxc5 bxc5
7...d5 Tere are other moves, such as 7...c5 and 7...¤e4 8.¤xe4 ¥xe4 9.d3 ¥b7 10.e4 c5, but after the text move the rook on e1 is not very well positioned.
14.e4 ¤xe4 15.¤xe4 dxe4 16.£b3 ¥d5 17.£e3 f6 18.¤c4 f5 19.f3 ¥f6 20.¥e5 ¥xe5 21.¤xe5 ¦e8 22.£f4 exf3 23.¥xf3 ¥xf3 24.¤xf3 £b7 25.£xf5 White had some advantage in Ehlvest – Wojtkiewicz, Haninge 1990.
¥ f4 8.cxd5 exd5 9.d4 ¤a6 10. ¥ f4
11...c5!?
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Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
When in doubt in the opening, the best strategy is to create a confrontation as quickly as possible. Tere was nothing wrong with 11...¦d8, but I was not sure what to do next – to play ...c5 or ...c6 anyway, anyway, or first to move my queen to e6. During the actual game, you do not have enough time to figure it out. Also, I tended to get into time trouble, and the text move was a good idea to clarify the situation in the centre. 12.dxc5 ¥ 12.dxc5 ¥ xc5! At this point I already had Lein Lein’’s idea in mind.
it is a patzer move; when a grandmaster does the same thing you need to figure out what is going on. Kramnik certainly would not underestimate his opponent, and although at first it looks as though White is securing a better position, he probably realized very soon that Black’s Black’s position is solid. It may be possible to come up with wi th this plan by using a computer, but computers do not tell you the background of the idea. I was very pleased with myself after the game that I had been able to use one of the ideas I had known for so many years, but had not previously had the chance to try out.
12...¤xc5? loses the d5-pawn without compensation: 13.¤xd5 ¥xd5 14.¥xd5±
14.¦c1 £e6 15.¤d3 14.¦ 15.¤f3 ¤e4 16.¤d4 £f6 is good for Black.
13.e3 13.¤xd5?! ¤xd5 14.¥xd5 ¥xf2† 15.¢xf2 £c5† is fine for Black. 13.¦c1!? £e6 14.¤d3 was possible, to prevent the plan Black employed in the game.
¥ b4!? 13... ¥ b4!? If you do not know this plan or idea, it is very difficult to come up with it during a game. Te position is very complicated and to give up the good bishop seems like giving up hope. When a beginner gives up his bishop
¥ 15... ¥ xc3! Of course, this is the point of ... ¥b4.
16.¦ xc3 ¤e4 17.¦ 16.¦ 17.¦c1 f6 Aiming to keep the white bishop on the h2-b8 diagonal. Tere was nothing wrong with 17... ¦ac8 18.¥e5 ¦xc1 19.£xc1 ¦c8 20.£d1 ¤b4, but this is a computer line and the last move is typical computer tactics. I was playing the position without much calculation, just following positional principles. Te line offered
Chapter 2 – Evolution of the Isolated Pawn by the computer is equal, but it changes the position and with limited time it is difficult for a human to calculate and evaluate all the positions that may occur. Sticking to one plan is a much more practical solution. 18.g4 18.f3 ¤ec5 is okay for Black. ¦ac8 19.h3 ¦ xc1 20.¤ xc1 ¤ac5 18...¦ 18...
21.f3 21.¤e2!? ¥a6 22.¤d4 also offers White a slight advantage. 21...¤d6 22.b3 Te computer’s evaluation is not really relevant here. White has a certain advantage, but it is not enough to break Black’s defences on the light squares. 22.¤e2!? ¤c4 23.¤d4 £d7 24.b3 ¤e5 25.¥g3 ¦e8 26.£d2 would be similar to the game. 22...¤f7 23.b4? It is true that this move weakens the c4square, and it received some negative criticism from commentators. On the other hand, how can you improve the position without pushing your opponent’s opponent’s pieces back?
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23.¤e2 ¤e5 24.¤d4 £d7 25.¥g3 ¦c8 26.£d2 a5 27.¦d1 ¥a6 would have given Black counterplay on the light squares. 23...¤d7 24.¤b3 ¤de5 25.¤d4 £d7 ¥ g3 26. ¥ g3 ¦c8 27.¢ 27.¢h2 27.f4 leaves a hole on the e4-square: 27...¤c4 28.f5 ¤fe5 29.¤e6 £b5 Black has good counterplay.
27...¤d6 Te active 27... ¦c3! was possible, as in the famous Petrosian – Spassky game, where Spassky confused his opponent with an active rook move, but I was not playing for a win – a draw was my goal. 28.h4 ¦e8 29.£ 29.£b3 ¢h8 30.b5 ¤dc4
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¥ f4 31.a4 £f7 32.h5 h6 33. ¥ f4 ¤d7 34.£ 34.£c2 ¥ f1 f1 ¤e5 36.¢ 36.¢g3 ¤c5 35. ¥ 36.a5 ¤e6 37.¥xe5 (37.¢g3 bxa5÷) 37...fxe5 38. ¤xe6 £xe6 39.£c7 could be tried, though 39...¥c8!? 40.£xa7 £f6 should give Black enough counterplay. counterplay. ¦c8 37.£ 36...¦ 36... 37.£f5 ¦e8
38.£c2 38.£ 38.¥xe5! ¦xe5 39.£g6 was an interesting try,, missed by both players: 39... £xg6 40.hxg6 try ¤xa4 41.¦a1 ¤c5 42.¦xa7 ¦xe3 43.¥g2 and White has good compensation. Still it looks as though after 43... ¢g8 44.¤f5 ¦e8 45.¤d6 ¦a8 46.¦xb7 ¤xb7 47.¤xb7 ¦a1 it is still a draw, but this is not really relevant to a practical game. Using computers is fun, but still too far from a real human game. 38...¦c8 39.£ 38...¦ 39.£f5 Wee were reaching the time control and W Kramnik could not see how to strengthen his position further. Te position is still better for White, which it is easy to see using a computer, computer, and indeed any GM can see it by looking at the position. Te question is whether it is enough to win the game. Kramnik came to the conclusion that it was not. ½–½
Mastering isolated pawn positions allows a player to build up his opening repertoire without being afraid of slightly worse endgames with an isolated pawn. Tis, however, needs additional knowledge of these endgames. Tere is one line in the Queen’s Gambit Declined where you may land directly in an endgame from the opening.
Valery V alery Salov – Andrei Sokolov Moscow 1988
1.d4 ¤f6 2.¤f3 d5 3.c4 e6 4. ¤c3 ¥ e7 e7 ¥ g5 5. ¥ g5 0–0 6.e3 ¤bd7 7.£ 7.£c2 c5 8.cxd5 ¥ ¥ d3 ¤ xd5 9. ¥ xe7 £ xe7 10.¤ xd5 exd5 11. ¥ d3
Which move is better here: 11...h6 or 11...g6? It depends! Both moves are fine, though the ...g6 move has some apparent advantages over ...h6. Te only drawback is that having the pawn on g6 might not be so good in the endgame. Very deep analysis is needed to figure out if this is the case. If it turns out having the pawn on g6 is not so important in the endgame, then ...g6 is definitely better: it restricts the white bishop and protects the f5-square. 11...g6 11...h6 12.dxc5 ¤xc5 13.0–0 ¥g4 14.¤d4 ¦ac8 15.¦ac1 a6 16.¥h7† ¢h8 17.¥f5 is
Chapter 2 – Evolution of the Isolated Pawn one possible line where White can use the f5square: 17...¥xf5 18.£xf5 White has a serious advantage. 12.dxc5 12.0–0? c4 13.¥e2 b5 favours Black. 12...¤ xc5 13.0–0 ¥ g4 g4 14.¤d4 ¦ac8 ¦ac1 a6 15.¦ 15. I do not want to comment on all the individual moves here, but on the endgame that arises.
¥ e2 16. ¥ e2 16.£d2!? has also been tried.
¥ d7 ¥ f3 16...¤e4 17.£ 17.£d3 d3 ¥ d7 18. ¥ f3 £b4 19.£ 19.£b3 £ xb3 20.¤ xb3 ¦ xc1 21. ¦ xc1 ¦c8 22.¦ 21.¦ 22.¦d1 ¥ e6 e6 23.¤d4 ¢f8 24.¢ 24.¢f1 ¢e7 25.¢ 25.¢e1
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25...h5 Te idea of this move is to gain space and defend against White’s plan of f2-f3, g2-g4 and h2-h4. ¥ e2 ¥ ¥ d3 26. ¥ e2 ¥ d7 d7 27.h4 ¥ 27.h4 ¥ a4 a4 28.¦ 28.¦b1 ¢d6 29. ¥ d3 ¢e5 30.¢ 30.¢e2 ¢d6 31.f3 ¤c5 32.¦ 32.¦c1 ¥ d7 d7 ¢d2 ¤ xd3 33.¢ 33. Tis move was not really necessary, necessary, but now we have the critical position on the board. Te whole theoretical line is put to the test in this endgame. If White cannot win this ideal-looking good knight against bad bishop position, then the whole line is safe for Black. ¥ 34.¦ xc8 34.¦ xc8 ¥ xc8 35.¢ 35.¢ xd3
Te main problem of this type of endgame from Black’s Black’s side is how to handle the kingside pawns. In this particular game, Black has already committed his pawns, but if the h-pawn were still on h7 then White could play g2-g4, not allowing ...h5. We We will look at such a situation below. ¥ d7 35... ¥ d7 36.¢ 36.¢c3 b6 Valery Salov, along with all Soviet players from his generation, was a very strong endgame player. We can believe him or analyse the positions ourselves, but there is no way White can win this position without somehow somehow
102
Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
tricking Black, as Karpov did to Kasparov in a similar position. 37.¤e2 ¢e5 38.¤g3 a5 39.f4† ¢d6 40.¢ 40.¢d4 ¥ f5 f5 41.e4 ½–½
Andrey Shariyazdanov – Sergey Grigoriants Nizhnij Novgorod 1999
25...a5 26.¢ 26.¢h2 ¢f8 27.¢ 27.¢g3 ¢e7 28.h4 In this game, as in the previous example, Black will not allow the ideal set-up for White. ¢f3 ¢d6 31.¢ 28...f6 29.¤d4 ¥ d7 d7 30. 30.¢ 31.¢e2 b6 32.¢ 32.¢d3 h6
33.g3 33.¤f3 ¥f5† 34.¢d4 ¥e4 35.¤e1 g5 is also fine for Black. ¢c3 33...g5 34.f4 gxh4 35.gxh4 ¥ g4 g4 36. 36.¢ ¢c5 37.¤b3† ¢d6 38.¢ 38.¢d4 ¥ d1 d1 39.¤c1 ¥ f3 ¥ g2 ¥ f3 f3 40.¤a2 a2 ¥ g2 41.¤c3 c3 ¥ f3
White cannot make progress. progress.
¥ f3 ¥ g4 42.b3 ¥ g2 42.b3 ¥ g2 43.¤e2 e2 ¥ f3 44.¤g3 g3 ¥ g4 45.¢ 45.¢c3 ¢c5 46.¤f1 ¥ f3 f3 47.¤d2 ¥ g2 g2 48.b4† ¥ h3 axb4† 49.axb4† ¢d6 50.¤b3 b3 ¥ h3 51.¤d4 ¥ g4 ¥ h3 g4 52.¢ 52.¢d3 d3 ¥ h3 53.e4 ¥ 53.e4 ¥ g2 g2 54.¤f5† ¢e6 55.¤d4† ½–½ In these games Black did not allow White to have the ideal set-up. Black was able to prevent the white king’s march to d4. Only by playing pl aying his pawn to f4 could White achieve that, but then his pawn formation would be spoiled. In the position posi tion below bel ow,, Black’s task is not easy ea sy.. Precise defence is required. Te main question is where to keep the bishop to defend the d-pawn and how to handle the pawns on the kingside.
Chapter 2 – Evolution of the Isolated Pawn
1...f6! 1...¥d7 2.¤f4 ¥c6 3.g4 h6 4.g5 hxg5 5.hxg5 ¥b7 6.e4! dxe4 7.fxe4 ¥c6 8.¤d5 b5 9.¤f4 b4 10.axb4 axb4 11.e5† and White has excellent winning chances. After 1...h5? 2. ¤f4 Black is in zugzwang and is forced to weaken his position further with 2...b5. ¥ f7 2.¤f4 f4 ¥ f7 3.g4 h6 3...g5 is also possible: 4.hxg5 fxg5 5. ¤h3 h6 6.¤f2 (6.f4 gxf4 7.exf4 ¢e6! 8.¤f2 h5! transposes) 6... ¢e6 7.f4 gxf4 8.exf4
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8...h5! Tis is the idea behind 6... ¢e6, and Black should hold. 9.gxh5 ¥xh5 10.¤h1 ¥d1 11.¤g3 ¥f3 12.¤f1 Despite the reduced material, Black still has to defend the position with accuracy. accuracy. ¥ g8 4.¤e2 g5 5.hxg5 hxg5 6. ¤c3 c3 ¥ g8 7.f4 ¥ 7.f4 ¥ e6 e6 8.b4 axb4 9.axb4 ¥ f7 f7 10.fxg5 fxg5 11.e4 ¥ b3 dxe4 12.¤ xe4† ¢e7 13.¤ xg5 xg5 ¥ b3 14.¤e4 ¢e6
Te extra pawn is not enough to win the game. Many players from the Soviet Chess School, such as Andrei Sokolov, Yuri Balashov and Yuri Y uri Razuvaev Razuvaev,, played this Queen Queen’’s Gambit Declined line with success. Knowing the endgame that arises from this opening line is only one small part of the opening preparation, but a vital one. I have also used this opening line in my practice, but I did not like the very drawish line and opted for a more aggressive one.
Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
104
Alexander Khalifman – Jaan Ehlvest
Garry Kasparov – Lajos Portisch
allinn (rapid) 2012
Brussels 1986
1.d4 ¤f6 2.c4 e6 3. ¤f3 d5 4.¤c3 ¥ e7 e7 ¥ g5 5. ¥ g5 0–0 6.e3 ¤bd7 7.£ 7.£c2 h6!? Tis is a very ambitious move.
1.d4 ¤f6 2.c4 e6 3. ¤f3 d5 4.¤c3 ¥ e7 e7 ¥ g5 5. ¥ g5 0–0 6.e3 ¤bd7 7.£ 7.£c2 h6 8.cxd5!? I have analysed this position a lot with and without computer engines. Back in the 1980s it was considered too dangerous to accept the sacrifice.
¥ h4 ¥ 8. ¥ h4 c5 9.cxd5 ¤ xd5 10. ¥ xe7 £ xe7 11.¤ xd5 exd5 White no longer has the tempo tem po move ¥d3, attacking the h7-pawn. Te following moves are forced. ¥ e2 ¥ 12.dxc5 ¤ xc5 13. ¥ e2 ¥ g4 g4 14.0–0 ¦ac8 Black has an easy game compared with other games where White had an extra tempo. 15.¦ac1 15.¦ A draw was agreed. ½–½ Why then does Black not include this simple move 7...h6 before playing ...c5? Te following game may provide an answer.
8.h4 does not attack anything and Black may just continue with 8...c5.
8...exd5? 8...hxg5 9.dxe6 fxe6 10. ¤xg5 ¤b6 11.h4 and now 11... ¥b4! 12.h5. White has compensation, but it is difficult to say, even using computer engines, whether White has an advantage. ¥ f4 9. ¥ f4 c5 9...c6 10.h3! offers White an edge. ¥ e2 10. ¥ e2 b6 11.0–0 ¥ 11.0–0 ¥ b7 b7 12.¦ 12.¦fd1 ¦c8 13.dxc5 bxc5 14.a4 £a5
Chapter 2 – Evolution of the Isolated Pawn
15.¤h4 Te early ...h6 has made the f5-square vulnerable. Kasparov did not miss this opportunity. ¦fd8 16.¤f5 ¥ f8 15...¦ 15... f5 ¥ f8 17.¤b5 ¤e8
¥ d6! 18. ¥ d6! ¤ xd6 19.¤fxd6 ¦b8 20.¤ xb7 ¦ xb7 21.¦ 21.¦ xd5 White won the pawn and eventually the game. ...1–0 Portisch made a typical mistake in the opening. If you do not want to accept a slightly worse position against a very strong player (in this case, the World World Champion) and you are playing some sideline or using some trick, then you need to
105
stick with your principles all the way. Giving up on your bluff in the opening against a very wellprepared opponent is not no t a good strategy strategy.. Accepting the piece sacrifice looks scary scary,, and probably it looked even more scary against Kasparov, as it would be naive to think that Kasparov did not know the ...h6 idea and was not prepared for it. Still, the correct play was to accept the sacrifice. Portisch knew of course that by not accepting the sacrifice he would be much worse when compared with similar lines in the t he Queen’s Gambit Declined. As with other Hungaria Hungarian n players, such as Gyula Sax and Zoltan Ribli, Portisch was a good theoretician, but they were all players who had much better results with the white pieces. Teir opening preparation was always very concrete. However, when the position did not suit their style, usually in a situation where you needed to make some big decision over the board, they played below their usual strength. Te most refreshing recent game where the isolated pawn concept was used was the following.
Radoslaw Wojtaszek – Veselin opalov Shamkir 2017
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3. ¤f3 ¤f6 4.e3 ¥ 4.e3 ¥ f5 f5 5.¤c3 ¥ g6 ¥ d3 e6 6.¤h4 h4 ¥ g6 7.¤ xg6 hxg6 8. ¥ d3
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Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
Now Black introduces a very nice idea. 8...c5! It is much easier to find this kind of idea if you are familiar with isolated pawn positions. 9.£b3 £d7 10.cxd5 exd5 11.dxc5 ¤c6! 9.£ An excellent novelty! novelty! 11...¥xc5 12.£b5! Te isolated pawn in the endgame is a weakness in most cases. 12...£xb5 13.¤xb5 ¢d7 14.0–0 ¤c6 15.¦d1 ¢e7 16.¥d2 ¥b4 17.¤c3 ¦ac8 18.¦ac1 ¦hd8 19.a3 ¥d6
20.¤e2 (20.g3! would have given White a long-term advantage, because the advance ...d4 does not promise much for Black in the endgame as it only clears more space for the white bishops. Tis is not the case in the middlegame, when the advance ...d4 can be combined with a kingside attack.) 20... ¤e5 ½–½ Kramnik – Gelfand, Saint Vincent 2005. ¥ d2 ¥ 12. ¥ d2 ¥ xc5 13.¦ 13.¦c1 ¦d8 Now we have a typical situation in which a very strong player quickly loses the thread in a position with the isolated pawn, most likely because he did not have much experience in these positions. Te following attacking move is a mistake, and instead some accurate defence was called for. for.
14.¤a4? 14.¤e2 ¥b6 15.¥b5 0–0 16.0–0 ¤e4 17.¦c2 ¦fe8 18.¤g3 and White can still hold the position together together.. ¥ d6 ¥ 14... ¥ d6 15.¤c5 c5 ¥ xc5 16.¦ 16.¦ xc5 If you are familiar with the material presented in this chapter, you will already know that here the two knights are much better than the bishops.
16...d4? opalov, however, makes this standard move too carelessly. 16...a6 17.¦c1 d4 was the correct move order.
Chapter 2 – Evolution of the Isolated Pawn ¥ b5? 17. ¥ b5? 17.e4! £e7 and most likely both players missed 18.¦b5! ¤xe4? 19.¦xb7 and White is winning. ¥ 17...0–0 18. ¥ xc6 bxc6 Now Black is clearly on top. It is difficult to understand what White could have missed – it is not hard to foresee that this position is hopeless for White. 19.f3 £e7 20.¦ 20.¦c2 ¤d5 20...¦fe8 was even stronger. ¢f2 ¦b8 22.£ 21.¢ 21. 22.£a3
22...¦ xb2 22...¦ Spectacular,, but again not the best. Spectacular
22...dxe3† 23.¥xe3 £h4† 24.g3 £h3 25.¥c5 ¦fe8 and White is helpless. £ xb2 dxe3† 24. ¥ ¥ 23.£ 23. xe3 £ xe3†
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25.¢g3 25.¢ 25.¢f1 was the only move, and after 25...¤f4 26.£c3 £b6 27.£b3 £d4 28.£c4 £d1† 29.¢f2 ¤d3† 30.¢g3 £xh1 31.£xd3 £e1† 32.¢h3 £e6† Black still has some winning chances. 25...£f4† 26.¢ 25...£ 26.¢f2 ¦b8 27.£ 27.£c1 £d4† ¢g3 ¤e3 29.¦ 28.¢ 28. 29.¦c5 ¦b2 30.¦ 30.¦g1
30...¦ xa2 30...¦ 30...¦c2! 31.¦xc2 ¤f5† 32.¢h3 £h4#
31.h3 £d6† 32.f4 £d3 33.¢ 33.¢h2 £e4 34.¦ 34.¦g5 ¦c2 0–1
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Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
Conclusion Te evolution of the isolated pawn strategy presented here using the arrasch Defence is not complete of course. It only shows how deeply one can dig into an opening line using the history of the line, identifying the relevant players and games. Te chess detective is prone to mistakes as well, and I apologise if I have missed some games or players who contributed no less value than the players and games presented in this chapter. Having previously presented this material in some private lecture sessions to my students, I am happy to now offer it to a wider audience. I would also like to finish this chapter with a selection of exercises for the reader to test his or her understanding of isolated pawn positions. I believe that the work schedule with an opening line should be in the following order. order. First, you should go through the games of today’s top players. From these games we can find the critical positions, that is, those positions where one side, usually White, cannot find any advantage, or the other side, Black, cannot find how to equalize. Next, it is very useful to understand how these positions evolved from the past. Here some good detective work is a must. Te quality of this work and how deeply it goes depends on the level of our student. For example, if our student at the beginner level wants to play some classical lines after 1.d4 – let’s say the Nimzo-Indian Defence – we could recommend to him the book about the 1953 Zurich Candidates tournament, written by David Bronstein. On the other hand, if we have a student who is going to compete in the World Junior Championship, he definitely needs to work as quickly as possible to be ready for the event. In this case, we should be aware of the problem that just remembering the computer lines and the latest games from the top players on the subject might yield only short-term success.
Exercises Ladva – omashevsky , Minsk 2017
1
2
Gralka – Rosicki, Rosicki, Jastrzebia Gora 2016
What is the best move? Should White play 13.b3 trying to develop his bishop, 13. ¤g3 immediately attacking the centralized knight, or 13.¥d2?
Should Black take the f3-knight, spoiling White’ss pawn structure, or continue to develop White’ his pieces with 12... ¤c6?
Kastek – Schnepp, Schnepp, Bad Wiessee 2016
Reshef – Cruz , Barcelona 2016
Should Black take the c3-knight to continue the positional battle, or take the f3-knight hoping for a tactical solution of the position?
Should Black take the f3-knight, or retreat the bishop to h5 or to f5?
3
4
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Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
Savchenko Sav chenko – Grachev , Sochi (blitz) 2016
5
6
Lekgau – umelano, umelano, Johannesburg 2016
Should Black take the f3-knight or retreat the bishop to e6?
Should Black take the f3-knight, or retreat the bishop to e6, or play 12... £c7?
Dzindzichashvili – Lein, Lein, Leningrad 1971
Stefansson – Seo, Seo, Uppsala 2016
Should Black take the f3-knight or retreat the bishop to f5?
Black has a difficult position. Should he keep the bishop pair and play 26...f4, or take the f3-knight?
7
8
Chapter 2 – Evolution of the Isolated Pawn
Grieme – Vachylya , Korbach 2016
9
10
111
Neiksans – Novik , Finland 2016
Black has good compensation for the pawn, but how should he continue? Should he attack the b-pawn with 18... £b6, at the same time controlling the d4-square, or take the f3-knight?
Te a-pawn is under threat. Should Black play 16...¦b8 targeting the b3-pawn if White exchanges on c6, or take with 16... ¤xd4 and then play 17...a6, or take the f3-knight?
Strating – Hummel, Hummel, Hoogeveen 2016
Kurbedinov – Predke, Predke, Sochi (rapid) 2016
Should Black take the f3-knight or play 14...£d7?
Black can play 13... ¦ab8 with the idea of 14...£xc5, or he can take the f3-knight, giving up his bishop but hoping for counterplay on the kingside. Which plan is better?
11
12
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Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
Li Yunshan – Zhao Xue, Xue , China 2016
13
14
Leroy – Erneste, Erneste, Katowice 1984
Should Black take the f3-knight, or keep the tension and play 15... ¥h5?
Black has a nice position in the centre, but how should she continue? Should she attack the white bishop with 16... ¤a4, or play 16...¦c8 or 16...¦e8?
Narayanan – Xu Yi, Yi , Bhubaneswar 2016
Gauglitz – Espig , Zittau 1989
Should Black exchange queens on d4 and hope for quick counterplay on the c-file, or take the f3-knight?
In this typical position with an isolated pawn, Black has three options. Should he play 13...¤e4, or immediately take the f3-knight, or play 13...¦e8?
15
16
Solutions 1. Ottomar Ladva – Evgeny omashevsky omashevsky
2. Tomas Kastek – Gunnar Schnepp
Minsk 2017
Bad Wiessee 2016
¥ d2! 13. ¥ d2! Tis is the correct solution – White should not be afraid to trade his bishop for the active knight on e4.
¥ 16... ¥ xf3? 16...¥xc3! was the correct solution: 17. ¥xc3
Less accurate is: 13.b3 £f6 14.£d4 £xd4 15.¤fxd4 ¤c3 16.¤xc3 ¥xc3 17.¦b1 ¥xd4= Black reaches a drawn endgame. Also weaker is 13.¤g3 ¦c8! and Black has a strong initiative.
¥ d6 13... ¥ d6 After 13...¤xd2 14.¤xd2 White has a positional advantage, because in the position with the isolated pawn, the knight is stronger than the bishop. ² 14.¦ac1 14.¦ ac1² White has completed his development and has a pleasant edge.
17...¥f5! 18.¤d2 ¤xc3 19.£xc3 ¦e8 Black has an excellent position, because of his full control over the central squares. ¥ ¥ 17.£ xf3 ¤d4 18.¦ 17.£ 18.¦ xd4 xd4 ¥ xc3 19. ¥ xc3 ¤ xc3 £d3 20.£ 20. White has an obvious advantage, because the black knight on c3 does not compensate for the weakness of the d5-pawn. 20...£b6 20...£
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Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
21.¦b4?! 21.¦ Tis eases the pressure on the d5-pawn. Correct was: 21.e3! ¦fd8 (21...£xb3?? 22.¦b4)
22.¥xd5 ¤xd5 23.¦xd5 ¦xd5 24.£xd5 ¦d8 25.£c4 White emerges with an extra pawn.
3. Przemyslaw Gralka – Marcin Rosicki Jastrzebia Gora 2016 2016
¥ 12... ¥ xf3? In the endgame the value of the bishop is more important. Better was just 12...¤c6! and Black has a satisfactory position. 13.gxf3 ¦d8 14.0–0–0 ¤c6
¥ b5?! 15. ¥ b5?! Stronger was 15.f4! d4 16.e4 and White has the better game.
Chapter 2 – Evolution of the Isolated Pawn
115
4. Omer Reshef – Cristhian Cruz
5. Boris Savchenko – Boris Grachev
Barcelona 2016
Sochi (blitz) 2016
¥ 10... ¥ xf3 Black should avoid exchanging the bishop, although 10...¥h5?! would be a mistake: 11.g4 ¥g6 12.¤e5 0–0 13.¤c3 White has a strong initiative.
¥ 13... ¥ xf3? Keeping the bishop with 13... ¥e6! is the right choice here. After the move played, the light squares become too weak. ¥ ¥ g5 ¥ d4 14. ¥ xf3 ¤d4 15. ¥ g5 ¤ xf3† 16.£ 16.£ xf3 xf3 ¥ d4
However, retreating strongest.
with
10... ¥f5! was
¥ 11. ¥ xf3 0–0 12.¤c3 Now White has the advantage, because having more pieces on the board helps White and the bishop is stronger than the knight.
£d7 13. ¥ ¥ g2 ¥ e3² 12...£ 12... g2 h6 14. ¥ e3²
¥ 17.¦ad1 17.¦ ad1 ¥ xc3 18.bxc3 White has a clear advantage, because Black’s Black’s d-pawn is very weak.
Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
116
6. Roman Dzindzichashvili – Anatoly Lein Leningrad 1971
¥ 16... ¥ xf3?! 16...¥f5! was stronger. In this position it is better to keep the bishop, because the d-pawn has advanced and the white bishop is going to be very strong on the h1-a8 diagonal. 16...¥h5 was also possible. ¥ ¥ e4 17. ¥ xf3 ¤e5 18. ¥ e4 ¦ad8
19.£c2 19.£ After 19.£f4 ¦fe8 20.¦c2 White has the advantage.
19...£h6 19...£ 19...f5!? 20.¥g2 (20.¥xf5? d3!–+) 20...f4 21.£e4 £d6 22.gxf4 ¤c6 would offer Black decent compensation. 20.£c7 20.£ 20.¢g2!? b6 21.¦d1 also gives White an edge. ¦fe8 20...¦ 20...
21.¦c5 21.¦ White could play the solid 21.¢g2 and Black still needs to find counterplay. White has the advantage.
Chapter 2 – Evolution of the Isolated Pawn
7. Mothupi Lekgau – Lesabe umelano umelano Johannesburg 2016
13.£ xf3 ¤e5 14.£ 13.£ 14.£f5 14.£d1 d4 15.cxd4 ¤xd3 16.£xd3 £xd4 leads to an equal game.
¥ 12... ¥ xf3? 12...¥e6?! 13.¥f4 is also pleasant for White.
14...¤ xd3 14...¦e8 was a better try.
Te correct option is: 12... £c7! 13.¤f5 ¥xf5 14.¥xf5 ¦fe8 15.¥c2 ¦ad8
15.£ xd3 15.£
Black is threatening ...d4 and has an excellent game. 16.¤d4 ¤xd4 17.cxd4 ¥b6 18.¥e3 £d6 Black has the advantage, because with a fixed pawn structure the knight is always better than the bishop.
117
White has a small advantage. advantage.
Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
118
8. Vignir Stefansson – Jung Min Seo
9. Jens Grieme – Andriy Vachylya Vachylya
Uppsala 2016
Korbach 2016
¥ 26... ¥ xf3! Tis a strong move – in this position with isolated pawns, the bishop is weaker than the knight.
¥ 18... ¥ xf3! Tis is much stronger than: 18... £b6?! 19.b3 d4 20.¤xd4 ¤xd4 21.cxd4 £xd4 22.¤c3
After 26...f4? 27. ¤fd4 ¦cc8 28.h3 ¥d7 29.e6 White has a winning advantage. advantage. 27.£ xf3 27.£ 27.gxf3!? was an interesting move, improving the pawn structure and opening the g-file. 27...f4 28.h3 ¦e6
Black has counterplay counterplay..
White has the advantage, because Black’ Black’ss bishop is somehow irrelevant as White can build up his position using only the dark squares. 19.gxf3 19.¦xf3? loses to 19... ¤d4.
19...¤d4! 20.£ 20.£d2 ¤f5 21.¦ 21.¦d3 ¦fe8 Even stronger is: 21... ¤h4! 22.¢h1 £c6! 23.£g5 £b5 24.¦d1 (24.£d2 £a6 25.¤a3 ¦xb2–+) 24...¤xf3 25.£e3 £xb2 Black should win.
Chapter 2 – Evolution of the Isolated Pawn 22.¤a3 ¦e6
Here too, Black has a strong attack.
119
10. Sybolt Strating – Joop Hummel Hoogeveen 2016
¥ 14... ¥ xf3? Correct is 14...£d7! 15.¦ad1 ¦ad8 and Black has a comfortable position.
15.exf3! In this open position the two bishops are very strong, and the doubled pawns are not such an important factor factor.. 15.¥xf3 ¤e5 16.¦ad1! was also strong. 15...¤e5 15...£b6 was relatively best, but after 16.¦xe8 ¦xe8 17.¦d1 d4 18.¤e2 ¦d8 19.f4 White has a big advantage, because it is difficult to defend the d-pawn. 16.¤ xd5 White has simply won a pawn.
Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
120
11. Arturs Neiksans – Maxim Novik
12. Ramis Kurbedinov – Alexandr Predke
Finland 2016
Sochi (rapid) 2016
¥ 16... ¥ xf3! After 16...¤xd4 17.¤xd4 a6 18.¦ac1 White has a small but pleasant advantage.
¥ 13... ¥ xf3! 13...¦ab8?! is weaker: 14. ¤d4 £xc5 15.¦b5 £d6 16.¤xc6 £xc6 17.a4 White has the better game.
If White meets 16... ¦b8 with 17.¤xc6 bxc6 18.¦xa7 ¥xf3 19.¥xf3 ¦xb3 20.¦c1 ¦xb2 21.¦xc6 h5! then even if Black loses his d5pawn it will still be a theoretical draw in the rook endgame. However, White can reply repl y 17. ¦fc1 and Black has nothing better than to take on f3 anyway. anyway. 17.¤ xf3 After 17. ¥xf3 ¤xd4 18.exd4 a6 Black even has the better position, because in the long run r un the d4-pawn is more difficult to defend than the d5-pawn.
17...¦e4! 18.¦ 17...¦ 18.¦a4 ¦ xa4 18...¦b4! 19.¦xb4 ¤xb4 20.¤d4 ¦c8 and Black is better b etter.. 19.bxa4 d4 20.exd4 ¤ xd4 21.¤e5 h5? After 21...b6! the endgame is equal. ¥ ¥ a6 ¥ c4² 22. ¥ xb7 ¦b8 23. ¥ a6 ¦ xb2 24. ¥ c4² White now had some pressure and eventually won.
14.gxf3 ¤e5 Black has a good game.
¥ e2 15. ¥ e2 ¦fc8 16.a4 ¦c6 16...£d7! was better, not allowing £f5.
17.¢h1 17.¢ White should have have taken the opportunity to play 17.£f5! with good chances. £d7 18.f4? £h3 17...£ 17...
Chapter 2 – Evolution of the Isolated Pawn Faced with 19.fxe5 ¤g4 20.¥xg4 £xf1#, White resigned. However, the resignation was premature, because after 19.f3! ¤h5 20.fxe5 ¤g3† 21.¢g1 ¦g6 22.¥d3 Black has only perpetual check. 0–1
121
13. Li Yunshan Yunshan – Zhao Zh ao Xue China 2016
¥ 15... ¥ xf3! After 15...¥h5 16.e3 White is able to defend the centre. ¥ 16. ¥ xf3 16.¤xf3? just loses a pawn to 16... ¤xg3. 16.exf3? allows a neat tactic:
16...¤xg3! 17.fxg3 £f6 Black regains the piece with a decisive advantage. 16...£f6! 16...£ Increasing the pressure on the d4-knight. ¥ 17.e3 ¤ xd4 18. ¥ xd4 ¥ xd4 19.exd4 ¦c3 ¥ g2 20. ¥ g2 g6
Black has a big advantage.
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Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
14. Srinath Narayanan – Xu Yi
15. Christophe Leroy – Inguna Erneste
Bhubaneswar 2016
Katowice 1984
¥ 16... ¥ xf3! Tis is stronger than: 16... £xd4 17.¤xd4 ¥xe2 18.¤xe2 ¦fc8
19.¤d4! (19.f3 ¤d2 20.¦e1 ¦c2 gives Black sufficient counterplay) 19...a6 20.f3 White has the advantage, because the knight on d4 is guarding the entry square on c2. ¥ 17. ¥ xf3 £ xd4 18.exd4 ¦fc8 19.¦ 19.¦e1 ¦c4 ¦d3 ¦ac8 20.¦ 20.
Black has reached an equal endgame.
16...¦e8! 16...¦ 16...¦c8 17.¤b3 ¦e8! is also good. However, 16...¤a4?! is not a good idea: 17.¤d4 ¤ec5 18.b3 ¤xc3 19.£xc3 ¥f6 20.e3 ¦c8 21.¥h3 ¦c7 22.¦ac1 White manages to keep equality. ¥ f8 17.¤b3 b3 ¥ f8 18.¦ 18.¦fe1
18...¤ xb3 Keeping up the pressure with 18... ¦c8 looks even stronger. 19.axb3 ¤c5 20.£ 20.£f4 White will have some compensation for the pawn he is losing.
Chapter 2 – Evolution of the Isolated Pawn
16. Gernot Gauglitz – Lutz Espig Zittau 1989
13...¦e8! 13...¦ After 13...¤e4? 14.¤d4! ¤xd4 15.£xd4 ¥f6 16.¦xc8! ¥xc8 17.£xa7 White is better better.. 13...¥xf3? 14.exf3! would give White a big advantage, because of the bishop pair and the weak pawn on d5. 14.h3
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¥ h5 14... ¥ h5 14...¥xf3? 15.exf3! again gives White the advantage. However, 14... ¥f5 is a stronger retreat, with the idea of meeting 15. ¤d4 with 15...¥e4. 15.¤c5 ¤e4 16.¤d3
Black should now go for the good and aggressive 16...g5! with a complicated game.
Chapter 3 Key Ideas and Positions Deep study of an opening line, starting with the evolution of the line, takes a lot of time. However, However, time is the most valuable commodity – there is no bank that can sell you wasted time back. Blindly memorizing lines is a supreme task and works for a short period of time. We can see this when following world championship matches. Both players usually stick stubbornly to their opening preparation. A typical match in which two very well-prepared players, Anand and Gelfand, were unable to break the opening barricades of their opponent was in Moscow 2012. Boris Gelfand prepared some opening lines especially for this match, specifically in the Grünfeld Defence. Tis opening requires remembering a lot of forced lines and the margin of error is very thin. Gelfand was already a veteran (he was over 40 years old at the time of the match), yet he still preferred concrete opening preparation and worked hard to store all these lines in his memory. After the match, however however,, he did not play these lines very often in tournament chess. Te reason is simple: one cannot, without working every day, day, keep in one’s one’s memory opening lines that require exact knowledge. However, However, this is the final grind of opening preparation. First you need to know or find the relevant positions and lines l ines to remember. Tere is an easy approach where one can just follow the current trend of opening theory and copy it. Te drawback is that when following or borrowing an opening repertoire from a trusted or prominent player, the hidden subtleties may be lost to the borrower. It is not so important if the borrower is also a very strong player and can look through the positions he has not analysed himself and quickly get acquainted with them. op op players are top players because they have this kind of ability and can switch quickly from one opening to another depending on the current state of affairs, or because they just like to follow the trend. Still, even at the top level not all players are universal players; there is a mixture. Tere are and were players players who relied relied only on their own analysis and work. Tis approach started with Mikhail Botvinnik and was followed by his student Garry Kasparov. Kasparov. On the other side there were players who did not mind following the common trend, players like Boris Spassky, Mikhail al, Anatoly Karpov and Viswanathan Anand.
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Boris Gelfand belongs to the first of these categories. Tat is why the clash in Moscow in 2012 was like the opposition of two different schools of chess: the hard-working Gelfand versus the talented Anand. Opening preparation before and during world championship matches is almost the only thing the players and their seconds work on. Psychology and fitness are also an important part of their preparation, but receive less attention. Gelfand in my view won the opening preparation battle, but ultimately he lost the match by a minimal margin. Tere is a strong trend towards moving from hard-working home preparation to the universal attitude, and this is due to computers. It is so easy to follow and check other people’s people’s games and come c ome to a conclusion using a computer, and it saves a lot of time compared with the situation in the past. Te only drawback is that we chess players do not have the same hard drive and abilities of a computer. o keep the correct information in our memory without understanding how it works is not possible. Te most recent world championship matches have shown clearly that you cannot win the match only by being better prepared prepared in the openings. Tere are no longer any sudden one-move improvements during these matches like those we saw in the past. Bobby Fischer against Boris Spassky, Spassky, in their historic battle in Reykjavik in 1972, tried to surprise Spassky by changing openings when playing with the black pieces in nearly every game. Spassky belonged to the universal type of player and did not have a recipe for every possible opening up his sleeve, and could not threaten Fischer’s risky strategy. I do not categorize Fischer here, because he probably belonged to both groups – he was hard-working himself and also a universal player.
In 1995, in the match between Kasparov and Anand, the latter could not withstand the opening pressure from Kasparov.
Garry Kasparov – Viswanathan Anand New York (10) 1995
¥ b5 ¥ a4 1.e4 e5 2.¤f3 ¤c6 3. ¥ b5 a6 4. ¥ a4 ¤f6 5.0–0 ¤ xe4 Anand tried tried playing lines that require a good memory while preparing these lines. o play these dynamic lines against Kasparov was a mistake. It worked for a while, until Kasparov’s Kasparov’s team’s hard work during the match uncorked the genie. ¥ b3 6.d4 b5 7. ¥ b3 d5 8.dxe5 ¥ e6 e6 9.¤bd2 ¤c5 10.c3 d4 11.¤g5 dxc3 12.¤ xe6 fxe6 13.bxc3 £d3
In my opinion Anand was unwise to repeat this dynamic line once more. In Game 6, after 14.¤f3 Black had a comfortable game. In this game, Garry quickly made a different move which refuted the whole line. oday with computer help it is easy to find the correct move, but back then it was not so easy easy.. However, my point is that Anand was too naive in playing such lines against Kasparov, because Anand belongs to the universal type
Chapter 3 – Key Ideas and Positions and Kasparov was the researcher. Even without a computer, the researcher sooner or later finds the correct path. ¥ c2!!N 14. ¥ c2!!N Who exactly was the author of this move is not clear. It has been pointed out that the associated idea was suggested by al. It is not about one move, the idea is to sacrifice a whole rook. 14...£ xc3 14...£ Tis is the only move. It seems likely that Vishy had not considered White’s White’s last move in his pregame preparation, because he thought for four minutes on this obvious reply reply.. 15.¤b3! Tis move, played instantly, came as a surprise to Anand. 15...¤ xb3 Now it became clear to everybody that Vishy was in unknown territory, as he spent 45 minutes on his move. ¥ 16. ¥ xb3 ¤d4 17.£ 17.£g4
17...£ xa1 17...£ Tere is no time for 17... ¤xb3, because of 18.£xe6† ¥e7 19.¥g5 winning.
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¥ 18. ¥ xe6 All these moves were more or less forced, forced, and it was obvious that Garry was still following his home preparation. 18...¦d8 18...¦ Anand found the best move and made it rather quickly. Other options are weaker. In nearly all lines the ¥d7† check is winning. For instance, after 18...c6 there follows: 19. ¥d7† ¢f7 20.£f4† ¢e7 21.¥a3† ¢xd7 22.£g4† ¤e6 23.¦xa1 ¥xa3 24.£f3 ¥e7 25.¦d1† ¢c7 26.£f7+–
¥ h6 19. ¥ h6 Kasparov made this move instantly as well.
19...£c3 19...£ Instead of the text move, Black could have the same endgame with an extra tempo after 19... £b2 20.¥xg7 £e2 21.¥xh8 £xg4 22.¥xg4, but this is objectively lost as well. ¥ 20. ¥ xg7 £d3 Tere is no time for 20... ¥xg7 because of 21.£h5†!. ¥ 21. ¥ xh8
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21...£g6 21...£ In my opinion, Black had more practical chances after 21... ¤e2† 22.¢h1 ¦d4! 23.£h5† £g6 24.£xe2 £xe6. ¥ f6 ¥ ¥ 22. ¥ f6 ¥ e7 e7 23. ¥ xe7 £ xg4 Te only move, as after 23... ¢xe7 White has the simple idea of 24. £h4† ¢e8 25.¥g4!. ¥ 24. ¥ xg4 ¢ xe7 25.¦ 25.¦c1!
Limiting Black’s counterplay. White is winning, but Kasparov never had very precise technique, so he spent a lot of time on every move in this winning endgame, to make sure he did not spoil it. White won on move 38. ...1–0
oday there is computer help to analyse dynamic positions and it is available to every player. It looks as if computer software is levelling the competition with regards to opening preparation in the same way that the Colt revolver supposedly made all men equal. Still, there is something more than just brutal computer calculation. Before the computer’s evaluation process and the player remembering the lines, there should be a concept . What is the concept of your opening preparation? Kasparov was very aware of this and used a very good concept against Anand. I have already mentioned a few times that Anand and Kasparov belong to two different categories of players. Kasparov was strongly influenced by Mikhail Botvinnik, who put professional analytical work first, whereas Anand was very talented, but somehow did not have Botvinnik’ss kind of discipline. Botvinnik’ Before their match, Kasparov had won another theoretical battle against Anand earlier the same year.
Garry Kasparov – Viswanathan Anand Riga 1995
¥ c4 ¥ 1.e4 e5 2.¤f3 ¤c6 3. ¥ c4 ¥ c5 c5
Chapter 3 – Key Ideas and Positions oday this is one of the most popular opening positions in super-tournaments. White usually tries some positional plans here, and the most successful player in these positions is World Champion Magnus Carlsen, who plays it with both colours. Te gambit line played by Kasparov against Anand is not so popular anymore because of computer analysis. It is possible to find some forcing lines that promise nothing for White. 4.b4!? Anand had no experience in this particular line prior to this game. ¥ ¥ e2 4... ¥ xb4 5.c3 ¥ e7 e7 6.d4 ¤a5 7. ¥ e2 exd4 £ xd4! ¤f6 9.e5 ¤c6 10.£ 8.£ 8. 10.£h4 ¤d5 £g3 g6 12.0–0 11.£ 11.
12...¤b6? Anand panics and will lose the game in a dozen more moves. Better was 12...0–0 13. ¦d1 ¤b6 14.a4, when White has a strong initiative. ¥ h6! 13.c4 d6 14.¦ 14.¦d1 ¤d7 15. ¥ h6! ¤cxe5 16.¤ xe5 ¤ xe5 17.¤c3 17.¥g7 ¥f6 18.¥xh8 ¥xh8 19.¤c3 is also promising for White. 17...f6 18.c5
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18...¤f7? Stronger was 18... ¥e6, although White has excellent compensation. Even strong grandmasters err in positions that are not familiar to them. Anand is in general an attacking player and rarely ends up defending. £ xh6 ¥ f8 19.cxd6 cxd6 20.£ 20.£e3 ¤ xh6 21. 21.£ f8 £e3† ¢f7 23.¤d5 ¥ e6 22.£ 22. d5 ¥ e6 24.¤f4 £e7
25.¦e1! 25.¦ 1–0
Tis opening disaster may look like a singular accident, but it actually had some underlying causes. Kasparov was testing Anand’s knowledge of a rare opening line; Anand was
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not ready. Tis gave Kasparov good reason to bluff again in the future against Anand. I put Anand in the same category as Karpov, though he was never a classical player like him. Karpov started his chess career with openings like the Ruy Lopez and only on very rare occasions played the Sicilian Defence. His main weakness in later years was opening preparation, because he could not adjust to constantly working on openings, which gave Kasparov an edge in their matches. Karpov relied more on his ability to grind his opponents in positional chess, especially in endgames. Little by little, Kasparov started to prevail in their matches, as well as in tournament chess. Te 1988 USSR Championship and also the World Cup series in 1988-89 showed that Karpov could perform at the same level as Kasparov when playing against other top grandmasters. Nevertheless, Kasparov was the better player – he was World Champion at that time – and also the better theoretician. Against Karpov, however, Kasparov never bluffed in the opening. Anand had his weaknesses and Kasparov exploited them quickly quickl y. Te game in Riga was just a small test before before their match in the same year. Te concept of playing dynamic lines worked for Anand at the beginning of the match, but the analytical power of Kasparov’s team changed the course of the battle. We We saw above the line in the Open Ruy Lopez that was refuted. If you want to become the best, you need to be perfect in all areas of chess. o o play dynamic or forcing lines you need to remember them, but also the margin of error is very small. Anand did not like the positional approach, like that of Karpov, and it was too late during the match to change his opening plans.
Kasparov, on the other hand, found and exploited openings that required deep preparation. First he played the Scheveningen system, but here Anand showed good preparation and, after a few draws, won a game. Now the situation in the match become critical for Kasparov and he switched to his other opening line. Te Sicilian Dragon came as a shock to Anand – Kasparov Kasparov’’s boldness paid off. Te main reason for his success was simply that Anand was not ready for the Dragon. Te Dragon itself may or may not be correct, but in world championship matches players usually avoid taking such risks in the opening. Only Fischer, in his match against Spassky in 1972, had played some risky openings with success. Neither Spassky nor Anand was ready to refute their opponent’s risky opening strategy. Te idea of taking a risk against a player who was not constantly working on his openings worked perfectly for Kasparov Kasparov.. In an ideal world, players must know all the sidelines and, even more so, the current key lines and critical positions. Tey should also have some of their own analysis in sidelines that may not necessarily offer an advantage, but which can be difficult for opponent to play when seeing them for the first time.
Viswanathan Anand – Garry Kasparov New York (11) 1995
1.e4 c5 2.¤f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. ¤ xd4 ¤f6 5.¤c3 g6 Garry prepared the Dragon especially for this match. He had not played it in any tournament games. ¥ e3 6. ¥ e3 Vishy hesitated a little, but still went for the most principled line. Tis is a situation where you would want to have your own odd
Chapter 3 – Key Ideas and Positions line ready to counter-surprise your opponent. Apart from the dynamic 6.¥e3 there are other more positional lines that are playable, but Anand, as we know know,, is not really a positional player. Still, in a situation in which you have lost your previous game, some caution is called for.
¥ g7 ¥ c4 6... ¥ g7 7.f3 0–0 8.£ 8.£d2 ¤c6 9. ¥ c4 Garry himself preferred 9.0–0–0. It is obvious that Anand had some idea of how to play against the Dragon. Most likely he followed one of the games played by his second, GM Patrick Wolff. ¥ d7 ¥ b3 9... ¥ d7 10.0–0–0 ¤e5 11. ¥ b3 ¦c8 12.h4 ¥ h5 13.¢ 13.¢b1 ¤c4 14. ¥ xc4 ¦ xc4 15.¤de2 b5 ¥ h6 16. ¥ h6
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16...£a5! 16...£ Tis move had first been played in Suetin – Szabo, Leningrad 1967. However, the most common move here is 16...b4, which was tested in Wolff – Ki. Georgiev, Biel 1993, where White got the upper hand after 17. ¥xg7 ¢xg7 18.¤d5 ¤xd5 19.exd5 £a5 20.b3 ¦c5 21.g4. With Patrick Wolff being one of Anand’s seconds, most certainly this line did not go unnoticed by Kasparov’s team. ¥ 17. ¥ xg7 ¢ xg7 18.¤f4 ¦fc8
Te timid professional approach in openings is that when you are faced with a novelty, novelty, or you have not analysed or do not know the position in depth, it is better to bail out with a quick draw.. Tis approach was even used by Karpov draw at the end of the 1970s and the beginning of the 1980s, when he won nearly every tournament. Karpov could afford this because it was a very rare occasion when his opponent could surprise him in the opening, and on the other hand he won a lot of tournaments by such a big margin that one draw could not spoil the final result. With his next move it seems that Anand is aiming for a draw. draw. 19.¤cd5
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With this move it is difficult to refute the Dragon. As Kasparov pointed out, White needs to push g2-g4 at some point to fight for the advantage.
After 28.¤xe7 ¦e8 29.¤d5 ¥xd5 30.b4 axb4 31.axb4 ¦c4 32.¦xd5 ¦xb4† 33.¢c1 f5 34.¦xd6 fxe4 35.¢d2 it would be equal. 28...axb4 29.axb4 ¦c4
19...£ xd2 19...£ Kasparov was happy with his opening play, and after White’s 19th move he thought that Anand was going to split the point and so offered a draw.
20.¦ xd2 20.¦ Anand declined Kasparov Kasparov’’s offer – a very strange decision. Te first rule is that if you start to think, you need to accept the offer. Tere was only one move to make if he did not want to accept the offer offer.. Spending even four minutes was a mistake. 20...¤ xd5 21.¤ xd5 ¢f8 22.¦ 22.¦e1 ¦b8 Black’s position is solid, but instead of this last move, which is just a waste of time, it was better to play 22... ¥e6 immediately. 23.b3 ¦c5 24.¤f4 ¦bc8 25.¢ 25.¢b2 a5 26.a3 ¢g7 27.¤d5 ¥ e6 d5 ¥ e6 28.b4? Anand, as if under hypnosis, continues to play for the full point and is preparing the final blunder.
30.¤b6?? Anand could not stop his hand making this move. He had to try 30.c3! instead, and after 30...¥xd5 31.¦xd5! ¦xc3 32.¦e2! he could still save the game. 30...¦ xb4† 31.¢ 30...¦ 31.¢a3 ¦ xc2 0–1 After 32.¦xc2 ¦b3† 33.¢a2 ¦e3† White would be two pawns down. Anand just had a bad day at the office. After this game the match was over over.. Anand could not find any remedy against the Dragon and even lost another game against it. However,, he made one good move: choosing However the right opening in the 14th game of the match. Tis may look like a desperate attempt, but it seems to me that it was actually a very good idea, forcing Kasparov to solve the same problem that he himself had set earlier when choosing the Dragon.
Chapter 3 – Key Ideas and Positions
Garry Kasparov – Viswanathan Anand New York (14) 1995
1.e4 d5 Tis bold move was a counter-shocker and a very good one. If you can play the Dragon, I can play the Scandinavian. 2.exd5 £ xd5 3.¤c3 £a5 4.d4 ¤f6 5.¤f3 c6
Now Kasparov did what Anand did not do when he was surprised by Kasparov. Back then, Anand followed the main line in the Dragon and Kasparov showed him his better preparation. Here Kasparov will not play the main line. Probably he was not sure that he could remember all the subtleties, so he made a different move to avoid Anand’s home preparation. Tis is the situation when it is good to have a sideline in your pocket. 6.¤e5 6.¥c4 is the main line. ¥ e6!? ¥ d3 6... ¥ e6!? 7. ¥ d3 ¤bd7 Anand shows that he he is playing for equality. equality. More complicated but more risky lines appear after 7...g6!? 8.0–0 ¥g7, but Anand was not in aggressive mood and his move is theoretically a good choice.
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8.f4?! In the opening the most difficult task is to make positional decisions. actical decisions are much easier to make because you might be able to calculate correctly to the very end. It is not possible, however, however, to calculate calc ulate a positional decision. You need to make a judgement taking into account the overall situation. Te situation might force you to take some extra risks, or conversely you might play cautiously. Te psychological factor is important here. Kasparov makes a risky decision. Te set-up with f2-f4 is aggressive, but positionally risky. If White cannot build up a concrete attack, the early pawn advance only weakens the position. For some reason Kasparov did not like the simple 8.¤xd7 ¥xd7 9.0–0, when White has a small advantage without any hassle. Most likely Kasparov was also overconfident and was at least in his mind sensing that his opponent was sweating. Tis approach nearly backfired.
¥ f5 ¥ c4 8...g6 9.0–0 ¥ 9.0–0 ¥ g7 g7 10.¢ 10.¢h1 h1 ¥ f5 11. ¥ c4 e6 Black now has an excellent blockade on the f5-square. ¥ e2 12. ¥ e2 12.g4? fails to 12... ¤xe5!.
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¥ e3 ¥ g1 ¥ f3 12...h5 13. ¥ e3 ¦d8 14. ¥ g1 0–0 15. ¥ f3 ¤d5 Black has an excellent position.
26...bxa6 was better and Black still has some advantage.
27.¤e5! £e6? 27...fxe5 28.fxe5 ¤e4 29.¥xd8 ¦xd8 30.g4 hxg4 31.¥xg4 ¥xg4 32.£xg4 ¤f2† 33.¦xf2 £xf2 34.£xg6† ¥g7 35.¦c7 £f1† results in a draw.
17...£c7 18.¦ 17...£ 18.¦c1 f6 18...¥h6! 19.g3 ¤f6 was very strong, with a huge positional advantage.
¥ g7 28.g4! hxg4 29.¤ xg4 xg4 ¥ g7 oo passive. Anand, as too often in this match when on the defensive, chooses the most timid move.
¥ f2 16.¤ xd5 exd5 17. ¥ f2 If, instead of having the bishop on f2, White could move back his pawn to f2, the position would be equal.
19.¤d3 ¦fe8 20.b3 ¤b6 21.a4 ¤c8 22.c4 £f7 23.a5 ¥ ¥ h4 23.a5 ¥ f8 f8 24.cxd5 cxd5 25. ¥ h4 ¤d6
26.a6 b6?
29...¤e4!? 30.¦c7 b5 31.¤e3 (31.¦xa7? £b6 and Black has an advantage) 31... £b6 32.£c1 would have given a complicated game. 30.¦c7 ¤e4?! 30.¦ Now this hyperactive move is a mistake. 30...¦a8! was needed. ¥ h3? 31.¤e3! e3! ¥ h3? 31...¦c8 32.¦xc8 ¦xc8 33.¤xf5 gxf5 34.¥g2 ¦c7 and White is better, but Black should defend this position. ¦g1 g5 32.¦ 32.
Chapter 3 – Key Ideas and Positions
¥ g4 33. ¥ g4 33.fxg5!? was also good, but in mutual time trouble the text move is easier to play play.. ¥ 33... ¥ xg4 34.£ 34.£ xg4 £ xg4 35.¦ 35.¦ xg4 35.¤xg4!? was also possible, as pointed out by other commentators, but it is difficult to play sophisticated chess in time trouble. ¥ f2 35...¤d6 36. ¥ f2 ¤b5 37.¦ 37.¦b7 ¦e4 38.f5 ¦ xg4 38...¦xd4? 39.¦xd4 ¤xd4 40.¦xa7 ¤xb3 41.¦b7 d4 (41...¤c5 42.¦xb6 d4 43.a7) 42.a7 and it’s over. 39.¤ xg4 ¦c8 40.¦ 40.¦d7 40.¢g2 was simple and strong, and I doubt that in a practical game Black could defend this position.
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40...¦c2?? 40...¦ Te last move in time trouble and the final mistake. After 40...¦c3 41.¦xd5 ¦xb3 42.¦d8† ¢f7 43.¦d7† ¢f8 44.d5 ¦a3 Black could save the game. 41.¦ xd5 41.¦ 1–0 Anand learned a very valuable lesson from this match, and in the future his opening preparation in world championship matches was up to the task. Also, in my opinion he benefited a lot from the fact that computers came to the fore and it was possible to check all the lines to perfection. Tis is very important if you play dynamic chess, which Anand did. Te classical approach is not so computer-sensitive. comput er-sensitive. When the two best players meet in a world championship match there is always some luck involved. Te key factor for success is still hidden in the opening phase overall, because nowadays there is not much room between where opening preparation is over over and the real real game starts. Te concept of opening choices influences the rest of the game so much that we can be sure that the right opening is the key to success. Te battle of two great minds is about the concept of opening choices.
Opening concepts When people talk about chess they like to compare it to art, sport or science. Tis imaginary chess can belong wherever the player takes it. It is arbitrary; usually it depends on the viewer’s perspective. David Bronstein, after failing to win the dramatic world championship match with Mikhail Botvinnik in 1951, started to talk about the other values of chess, becoming more interested in the artistic side than the sporting element.
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When talking about opening concepts we can fit chess players into all of these categories. If you like to play beautiful positions with nice ideas, but which are not supported by critics or computers today, you tend to value the artistic value of the game. If you are looking in your opening preparation only at the future value or gain in Elo-points or tournament wins, then chess is only a sport for you. Opening preparation can be done like scientific research. However, we cannot demand that a schoolchild work like Botvinnik, who definitely belonged to the scientific type. In his training sessions he even tried to mimic a real game situation and allowed his sparring partners to smoke during their training games. oday smoking is not allowed in the playing venue and this kind of additional training method is not needed. We can decide which opening to play by chance We or because of any influence that moves us. Tis might be friendly advice, or something noticed by chance in a book of theory. Initially it may not matter too much what opening we start to play. Even so, experienced coaches know what openings should be best for a beginner beginner.. Yes, Y es, they have their own concept of the opening. Te influence of a leading coach may strongly influence all their students, and we might say that some kind of chess school has been created. Unfortunately, nobody has documented this kind of occurrence and the name of the chess school tends to be an emotional one rather than a scientific one. “Scientific” means that there is something that we can measure, and in chess there are things that we can measure – for instance, we can retrieve a lot of information from a database. When talking about players from Riga, say say,, we can look at the statistics of the top players
from the Latvian capital: Mikhail al, Aivars Gipslis, Alexei Shirov, Aleksander Wojtkiewicz and Alexander Shabalov. Tere are others, but even this sample is impressive. Are these players representatives of a Riga Chess School? Certainly they are from an emotional standpoint, but if we work with the data we would probably end up finding something. Tat something is not the moves, but the concept. All of these players have something to do with al. al. Te legendary legendar y attacking player had an influence on those who followed, especially Shirov and Shabalov. A chess school also needs a leading coach – Grandmaster Vladimir Bagirov, from Baku, relocated to Riga and started to coach the young talents. He was a proponent of Alekhine’ss Defence, which Shabalov happily Alekhine’ picked up and played throughout his career. ypical of his style of play is the following game.
Juri Vetemaa – Alexander Shabalov Haapsalu 1986
1.e4 ¤f6 Tis is not a very popular opening in supertournaments. In world championship matches only Fischer has dared to use it, against Spassky in 1972. 2.e5 ¤d5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 ¤b6 5.f4 Tis very active line was prepared by Estonian national master and coach Juri Randviir for leading Estonian women players in the 1970s and 1980s. Unfortunately, Vetemaa also participated in these training sessions and had taken it up. 5...dxe5 6.fxe5 c5 Shabalov was never shy of complications and chooses the riskiest line for Black.
Chapter 3 – Key Ideas and Positions
7.d5 e6 8.¤c3 exd5 9.cxd5 c4 10.a3 Tis is too modest.
Stronger is 10.d6 ¤c6 11.¤f3 ¥g4 12.¥f4 and it is difficult to see how Black can escape White’ss grip. White’ ¥ c5 ¥ e2 ¥ g5 10... ¥ c5 11.¤f3 0–0 12. ¥ e2 ¥ f5 f5 13. ¥ g5 £d7 14.£ ¥ f4 14.£d2 h6 15. ¥ f4 ¤a6
Black has a good game, but White would still be doing fine after 16. ¦d1. 16.0–0–0? ¦ac8 17.h3 oo slow. Te only chance was 17. ¥xh6 gxh6 18.£xh6, seeking counterplay at any cost.
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£ xd4 ¤6c5 17...¤a4 18.¤d4 ¥ xd4 19. 19.£ ¥ 20. ¥ xc4
20...£b5! 20...£ I was told by Shabalov that his opponent was really shocked by this move, and it took some time for him to realize what was going on. 21.¦d2 21.¦ Mate arrives at b3 after either 21. ¥xb5 ¤b3# or 21. ¤xb5 ¤b3#. 21...¤ xc3 0–1 Wee can conclude that W that Randviir’ Randviir’ss chess school lost the battle this time to the boys from Riga. A chess school itself is imaginary and does not have a physical building. Te “school” is an abstract idea, and connected more with the teacher. Te Lvov Chess School is associated with its it s coach, Victor Kart. Tere are a lot of famous Ukrainian grandmasters from Lvov – Alexander Beliavsky Beliavsky,, Oleg Romanishin and others. However, I have not analysed the essence of the Lvov Chess School and cannot describe it in depth. I was first influenced a lot by the Soviet Chess School. My first coach, onu ruus, was not just someone who loved chess and teaching
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children, but he had graduated from the Moscow Sports Institute as a certified coach. onu ruus also brought valuable contacts with other coaches from Moscow, Moscow, from which I was lucky to benefit during my career career.. Te Soviet Chess School was first of all a conception or a system of how to build up your chess. Te classical approach prevailed, but it had some restrictions on openings. Te Riga players did not really follow the classical concept of opening choices, despite being children of the Soviet Chess School. Te imaginary Estonian Chess School had one weakness: it had no theoreticians. In my juvenile years, opening preparation (or the lack of it) was my main problem. onu onu was not able to build up my opening repertoire when I started to advance to the master level of play – by today’s today’s standards a rating of about 2400. Initially the Scandinavian Defence as Black, and some strange English Opening without knowledge of any theory was fine. Soon I changed my Scandinavian to the more solid French Defence, and started to play 1.e4 instead of the boring English Opening. Tere was one line in the Ruy Lopez that was popular among Estonian players, and Latvian players also used it a lot, especially Edvins Kengis. Tis line served me very well until the Under-17 World Championship in Belfort in 1979. I started the tournament very well, winning the first five games – among my victims were Nigel Short and Joel Benjamin. Ten I slowed down and finished in fifth place. One of the reasons was my limited opening repertoire. In the following game the opening went well for me, but I still lost the game.
Jaan Ehlvest – Alon Greenfeld Belfort 1979
¥ b5 ¥ a4 1.e4 e5 2.¤f3 ¤c6 3. ¥ b5 a6 4. ¥ a4 ¤f6 5.d4
Tis was the specific line that was in some way the work of the Estonian Chess School. Even Ortvin Sarapu, the only other Estonian apart from Keres to face Fischer over the board, played this line. Juri Randviir was again the one responsible for its popularity among Estonian players. Te line itself also attracted other players, among them Nigel Short, and even Kasparov played it once in his very early years.
5...exd4 6.0–0 ¥ 6.0–0 ¥ e7 e7 7.¦ 7.¦e1 7.e5 ¤e4 is the major alternative.
7...0–0 7...b5! is the critical line, with play continuing: 8.e5 (8.¥b3 d6 9.¥d5 ¤xd5 10.exd5 ¤e5 11.¤xd4 0–0! 12.f4? ¥g4 and Black is better) 8... ¤xe5 9.¦xe5 d6 10.¦e1 bxa4 11.¤xd4 ¥d7 12.£f3 0–0 13.¤c6 ¥xc6 14.£xc6
Chapter 3 – Key Ideas and Positions Back in 1979 it was considered that White had a small advantage here, because of the better pawn structure. oday we know that Black has more than sufficient counterplay and it is White who must be careful to keep the balance after 14...d5!. 8.e5 ¤e8 9.c3 d6 9...dxc3 10.¤xc3 d6 11.exd6 ¤xd6÷ is a common alternative. 9...d3 was played in Short – empone, Belfort 1979, the game ending in a draw. 10.cxd4 ¥ g4 10.cxd4 ¥ g4
11.¤c3!? 11.¥xc6! is the computer’s suggestion. I was fond of bishops throughout my career and rarely played against the two bishops myself. Tis stubborn attitude probably cost me some half points, but it was the result of my emotional reaction in my early training sessions on seeing how strong the bishop pair could be in certain positions. Later, when working with Karpov Karpov,, I realized why he was such a flexible and strong player. He liked to play positions with knight and bishop. ¥ b3 ¥ 11...b5 12. ¥ b3 dxe5 13.dxe5 £ xd1 14. ¥ xd1 ¥ g5 ¥ ¥ ¤b4 15. ¥ g5 ¥ d8 d8 16. ¥ xd8?! Losing the initiative.
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16.¦e4! ¥xf3 17.¥xf3 ¥xg5 18.¦xb4 would keep Black under pressure. ¦e4 ¥ ¥ 16...¦ xd8 17. 16...¦ 17.¦ xf3 18. ¥ xf3 c5 19.a4 ¤c2 20.¦ 20.¦c1 ¤d4=
¥ d1?! 21. ¥ d1?! In this game my love of the bishops cost me dearly. 21...¤c7 22.¤e2 ¤de6 23.¢ 23.¢f1 ¤d5 24.¤c3 ¤df4 25.axb5 axb5 26. ¤ xb5 ¦d2 27.g3? 27.¥b3 ¦xb2 28.¥c4 should allow White to defend. ¢e2 ¦d8 27...¤d3 28.¦ 28.¦c2 ¦ xd1† 29. 29.¢ ¢ xd1 ¦ xd6† 30.¤d6 f5 31.¦ 31.¦e3 ¤ xe5 32. 32.¢ ¢e1 ¤d4 34.¦ 33.¢ 33. 34.¦cc3 ¦d5 35.¢ 35.¢f1 ¢f7 ¦a3 ¢g6 37.¦ 36.¦ 36. 37.¦a6† ¢h5 38.¢ 38.¢g2 ¤c2 ¦c3 ¦d2 40.¦ 39.¦ 39. 40.¦ xc5 ¤e3† 41.¢ 41.¢h3 ¤3g4 0–1 It was obvious that I needed to switch my opening preparation to another chess school! o some extent I had already done this, because despite my opening repertoire being limited, even this was built up with help from Moscow. Vladimir Yurkov was not a very extrovert person and he did not publish
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articles in popular magazines. He was a master himself, but found his calling in one-to-one high-level coaching. I would credit him with creating some kind of chess school of his own. His students or cooperation partners, among others, were grandmasters Yuri Razuvaev, Yuri Y uri Balashov Balashov,, Andrei Sokolov Sokolov,, Alexander Morozevich and myself. I started to work with him from time to time in 1977, and the last time he helped me as my second was at the Moscow World Cup in 2002. Yurkov Y urkov kept notebooks for nearly all openings, but he had some favourites. He was a representative of the Soviet Chess School, and a solid opening repertoire was a must. Yurkov’ss most successful student was Andrei Yurkov’ Sokolov,, who reached the Candidates final Sokolov fi nal in 1987. With the black pieces Sokolov played the Nimzo-Indian or Queen’s Indian against 1.d4, and the Sicilian Defence against 1.e4. With White he opened with 1.e4, and his attacking skills made life for the Black side very difficult. I tried to play several openings against him, including various Sicilian lines and the Pirc. I lost nearly all these games. Finally, on one occasion I prepared the Ruy Lopez. Tis time, in 1980 in a USSR junior qualification tournament, I was successful with my opening choice and beat him. However, Sokolov still won the tournament and I shared second place. I will say more about my battles with Sokolov from page 237. In their Candidates match, Karpov’s choice against Sokolov was the ultra-solid CaroKann Defence. Tis did not suit Sokolov, and the theoretical battle was won by Karpov. Karpov. With the black pieces, Sokolov defended isolated pawn positions against Karpov. Te opening positions that evolved from Queen’s Indian lines were fine for Black, but still Karpov outplayed Andrei. Like Bronstein,
when failing to beat Botvinnik in 1951, Andrei never fully recovered recovered from this defeat. Andrei was a good friend of mine and we had several training camps together. In these camps Yurkov worked mainly with Andrei, and I was not fully introduced to their analytical kitchen. I had a one-to-one training camp with Yurkov in 1977, at the very beginning of my rise to being one of the top junior players in the USSR. During that camp I accumulated knowledge mainly in the arrasch Defence and the Sicilian Scheveningen. From the arrasch I learned a lot about how to play isolated pawn positions, as we have seen. Te Scheveningen is the cornerstone of the Sicilian Defence. Understanding not only the typical positions and plans, but also the move orders, is essential to mastering the Scheveningen, since its main position may be reached from other lines in the Sicilian – the Najdorf and the aimanov for instance. Black’s first critical decision to make is about the Keres Attack. If we chose the aimanov Variation move order, ord er, then the Keres Attack is avoided but 5.¤b5 is one of the critical lines. You Y ou can avoid both problems if you play the Scheveningen via the Najdorf. Unfortunately, there are other lines you need to be aware of when playing the ultra-sharp Najdorf. Najdorf. I allowed the Keres Attack and I had good results against it overall. Te ideas and plans looked very attractive to a young player. Many years later I managed to use one of these ideas against the strongest woman player, Judit Polgar, who was also famous for being an attacking player. Winning against her with the black pieces in the Keres Attack was a reward for studying these lines.
Chapter 3 – Key Ideas and Positions
Judit Polgar Polgar – Jaan Ehlvest allinn 2001
1.e4 c5 2.¤f3 e6 Te move order is already important here. It depends which sidelines bother you most. After 2...d6 there is 3. 3 . ¥b5† and after 2... ¤c6 again 3.¥b5. 3.d4 3.d3 is the most solid sideline, used in practice by none other than Bobby Fischer Fischer.. 3...cxd4 4.¤ xd4 ¤f6 5.¤c3 d6
6.g4! Tis game was played in the Keres Memorial tournament, so why not test his system? I was expecting this, which is the most principled move in this position. 6...h6 In the Najdorf line it is popular to play a slow version of the Keres Attack starting with 6.h3 followed by g2-g4. Te difference is that in the Scheveningen the pawn is still on a7, and in many lines Black never plays ...a6. Still, none of the other moves besides 6...h6 are really playable here. Tis is obvious, because in the English Attack White needs to prepare g2-g4 with f2-f3, a move m ove which can be avoided
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in the Keres Attack, and this extra tempo has made every move apart from 6...h6 disappear from practice. 7.g5 Tis is the old line. Te critical line is 7.h4 ¤c6 8.¦g1 h5 9.gxh5 ¤xh5 10.¥g5 ¤f6 and now 11. ¦g3!.
White has scored well from from this position. ¥ 7...hxg5 8. ¥ xg5 ¤c6 9.£ 9.£d2 9.h4!? is more precise, not giving Black the ...¦h3 idea, and keeping the queen on d1; in some lines the queen can move to e2. Tis move was recommended by the late Latvian GM and theoretician Aivars Gipslis. ¥ e2 9...£b6 10.¤b3 ¤e5 11. ¥ 9...£ e2 ¦h3! Tis is the idea of ... ¤e5.
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¥ e3 12. ¥ e3 ¦ xe3! Te computer does not like this idea and gives instead 12...£c7, when Black is fine. In 1977, 197 7, fortunately,, there were no computers available fortunately to spoil one’s preparation. I was excited back then about this idea and never even analysed the other options. It is a practical sacrifice, and even today it looks playable. 13.fxe3! Judit, as as I assumed during the game, did not know the ... ¦h3xe3 idea, but she played the correct recapture. After 13.£xe3 £xe3 14.fxe3 a6 15.a4 g6 Black has fine compensation. ¥ d7 13... ¥ d7
14.a4?! Tis looks too aggressive, but Judit was unable to change her style and start to consolidate, hoping to realize her material advantage in the long run. 14...a6 15.£ 15.£d4 £c7 16.a5 ¥ 16.a5 ¥ c6 c6 17.¦ 17.¦f1 ¦c8 Black has a fantastic knight on e5 and White has no clear follow-up. Te positional sacrifice has worked perfectly against a hyper-aggressive opponent. Te rest of the game was very onesided.
18.¤d2 ¤fd7 19.b4?! ¥ e7 e7 20.¦ 20.¦a3?! ¥ f6 f6 ¢d1 ¤g4 µ 22.e5 ¤gxe5 23.b5 axb5 21.¢ 21. g4µ ¥ £a4 ¥ e7 24. ¥ xb5 d5 25. 25.£ e7 26.¦ 26.¦a2 ¦a8 27.¤b3 ¤c4–+
¥ 28.¦e1 ¢f8 29. ¥ 28.¦ xc6 bxc6 30.¤d4 ¦a6 £b3 ¤c5 32.£ 31.£ 31. 32.£b1 £ xh2 33.¤ce2 ¤ xe3† ¢c1 ¤c4 35.¤f3 £h6† 36.¢ 34.¢ 34. 36.¢d1 ¥ d6 d6 37.¤ed4 ¤e4 38.£ 38.£b3 ¦a8 39.a6 ¦b8 40.a7 ¦ xb3 41.cxb3 ¤b6 42.¦ 42.¦a6 ¤a8 43.¦ 43.¦ xc6 ¥ c7 ¢c1 c7 44.¤b5 £f4 45.¦ 45.¦ xe4 £ xf3† 46. 46.¢ £f1† 47.¢ 47.¢b2 £ xb5 0–1 Troughout my career I played the Scheveningen and also followed the trends. Te move order is a matter of taste and depends on the specific opponent and the tournament situation. Te only drawback is that the Scheveningen looks like a passive defence. Tis is true, but by practising it you gain a lot of experience in how to defend against a direct attack. Te Scheveningen was tested in the world championship matches between Karpov and Kasparov, starting from 1984. Later, in 1988, when I was playing in the World Cup series and Kasparov was one of my opponents, I tried to find a way to crack the Scheveningen myself. mys elf. In Reykjavik I had the white pieces against Kasparov and it was a crucial game for the tournament standings. I hesitated a lot, and
Chapter 3 – Key Ideas and Positions finally after a few nights working with my second without finding anything in the English Attack (Kasparov had ha d won against a gainst Nigel Short in the 1988 Belfort tournament in this line), I suddenly switched to the English Opening and lost without a fight. It was a terrible experience, and probably most chess aficionados did not know at the time what had really happened. I tried to refute at home the opening that I played myself, but only got confused – and disaster struck. Te next time I had the chance to test Kasparov’s Sicilian was in 1989 in Sweden, when I achieved a big opening advantage, but could not win the game ga me anyway. Te opening concepts I got from Yurkov served me very well. My only mistake was that I could not develop and build enough opening concepts of my own during my career. I was a player with a Soviet Chess School background enhanced by the Yurkov school. My opening preparation was enough to advance towards the top, but at certain moments my preparation was not good enough. Tere were several reasons, one of which was motivation. I failed to qualify qualif y from the Manila Interzonal for the Candidates in 1990; the World World Cup tournament series shut shu t down; and the only good news was that the Soviet Union was on the verge of collapsing. I got back into top-level chess again in 1995. Suddenly urgent help was needed, and again Vladimir Yurkov helped me. Before the Novgorod super-tournament in 1995, I received some of his advice for my opening preparation. Due to the short time we had, he just tutored me on some sidelines. It was not that I had any disrespect for my opponents, but in two games my choice against the French Defence was 1.e4 e6 and now 2.£e2!?. Te sideline did not give me any real advantage, but I managed to beat Rafael Vaganian and drew against Artur Yusupov usupov..
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Jaan Ehlvest – Rafael Vaganian Novgorod 1995
1.e4 e6 2.£e2 ¤f6 Vaganian, after Wolfgang Uhlmann and Viktor Korchnoi, was one of the top specialists in the French Defence. I beat him in the 1989 World W orld Cup tournament in Skelleftea, Sweden, in a sharp theoretical line, but as I have explained, this 2.£e2 line was prepared for this tournament. We did not consider Black’s last move at all. My opponent played it very quickly though, because in an earlier round against Yusupov I had already used this rare 2.£e2 move. Te most common answer is 2...c5 3.g3 ¤c6 4.¥g2.
3.e5 ¤d5 In a previous game my opponent had played: 3...¤g8 4.f4 b6 5.¤f3 ¥b7 6.g3 h5 7.d4 Vasiukov – Vaganian, USSR 1981. 4.¤f3 d6 4...c5!? 5. ¤c3 ¤xc3 6.dxc3 d5 could be tried, with an unclear game. 5.d4 ¤e7 After this move it does not matter if the knight has travelled to e7 via d5 or g8.
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6.h4 b6 7.¤c3 d5
£d1 ¥ a6 8.£ 8. d1 ¥ a6 8...c5!? 9.¤e2 ¥a6 10.c3 ¤bc6 11.h5 looks just slightly better for White. ¥ 9. ¥ xa6 ¤ xa6 10.¤e2 £d7 11.c3 c5 12.£ 12. £d3 ¥ d2 d2 ¤bc6 15.¤f4 ¤a5 ¤b8 13.h5 h6 14. ¥ 16.0–0 ¤ec6 17.b3 cxd4 18.cxd4 ¥ a3 a3 19.¤e1!? During the game I just overlooked ... ¥b2, but it worked out well for me. My opponent realized that I had missed his move, but overestimated his position.
¥ b2 19... ¥ b2 19...¤b4?! 20.£g3 is good for White, as 20...0–0? loses to 21. ¤fd3! ¤xd3 22.¥xh6.
¥ 20.¦b1 20.¦ b1 ¥ xd4 21.b4 ¤c4 22.b5 ¥ 22.b5 ¥ xf2†? 22...¥xe5 23.bxc6 £xc6 24.¤f3 ¥d6 would give a complicated game – Black has enough compensation. ¥ c3 23.¦ xf2 ¤6xe5 24.£ 23.¦ 24.£g3 0–0–0 25. ¥ c3 In this open position the extra bishop is much stronger than the three pawns.
25...¦hg8 26.¤c2 ¢b7 27.a4 £c7 28.¦ 25...¦ 28.¦e1 ¤d7 29.¤b4 White’ss attack is decisive. White’ 29...¤c5 30.£ 30.£f3 ¤e4 30...¤xa4? loses to 31. ¤bxd5 exd5 32.¤xd5 £c5 33.¤b4†.
Chapter 3 – Key Ideas and Positions
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31.¦ xe4 a5 31.¦ Black also loses after 31...dxe4 32. £xe4† ¢c8 33. ¦c2.
Jan imman imman – Jaan Ehlvest
32.bxa6† ¢a7 33.¦ 33.¦ xe6 fxe6 34.¤ xe6 £d6 £f4 d4 37.£ 35.¤ xd8 ¦ xd8 36. 36.£ 37.£ xd6 ¦ xd6 ¥ 38. ¥ xd4 1–0
¥ b5 1.e4 e5 2.¤f3 ¤c6 3. ¥ b5 d6 4.d4 ¥ d7 d7 5.¤c3 exd4 6.¤ xd4 g6 Tis was the specific line that was used by Yurkov’ Y urkov’ss students.
I used this concept just to avoid mainstream theory, but it worked and I shared second place after Kasparov. Avoiding theoretical opening lines can be too extreme in some cases. Constantly playing 1.b3, or going for an early deviation in the Sicilian with 1.e4 c5 2. ¤f3 a6, like the Hungarian GM Richard Rapport, does not promise long-lasting success. Teoretical experiments are like bluffing in poker. If your opponents are aware of it in advance, the surprise effect no longer works and the results are disappointing. Successful players should, however, keep sidelines in their arsenal, ready to use at critical moments. Sidelines are boring to study and there may never be any reward for this work. In 2001 during the FIDE World Championship in Moscow, Yurkov was my second again. When preparing against Daniel Campora, Yurkov was shocked that t hat I did not know much about the sidelines in the Ruy Lopez. In 1995, during the Novgorod tournament, I had played a sideline with the black pieces against Jan imman. imman. Te line belonged to the Yurkov Y urkov school, and many others, including Balashov and Morozevich, had used this line in their practice. As I mentioned above, preparation for this tournament was done in a very limited amount of time.
Novgorod 1995
¥ g5 ¥ 7.h4?! ¥ g7 7.h4?! ¥ g7 8. ¥ g5 ¤f6 9. ¥ xc6 bxc6 10.£ 10.£d2 ¥ f4 h6 11. ¥ f4 ¤g4 12.f3 ¤e5 13.b3 £b8= ¥ e3 14. ¥ e3 a5 15.h5 c5 16. ¤de2 g5 17.0–0 a4
18.¦ad1 axb3 19.axb3 0–0 20.¤d5 £d8 18.¦ ¥ f2 21.¤g3 ¦e8 22. ¥ f2 ¤c6 23.c3 ¥ 23.c3 ¥ e6 e6 24.£ 24.£c2 26.¦b1 £a8 27.¤gf5 ¤e7 25.¤e3 ¦a3 26.¦ ¥ xf5 28.exf5 ¤d5 29.¤ xd5 £ xd5 30.c4 £a8 31.¦ 31.¦fe1 ¦ xe1† ½–½
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Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
Campora was known for playing some passive lines in the Ruy Lopez, and I did not have the slightest idea how to play. I was lacking knowledge about all these lines, most likely because having been one of the strongest players for years, nobody had had the courage to test my knowledge in some risky sidelines. With a few hours work we fixed some of the holes in my opening preparation, and I won convincingly. Tis approach cannot be recommended today, when players such as Baadur Jobava and others are willing to take the risk and test your opening preparation in these risky sidelines. A player must be aware of all the subtleties of the main line. When confronting a sideline, it is a good idea to have something prepared beforehand and to counterattack psychologically with an even rarer line.
Jaan Ehlvest – Daniel Campora Moscow (2.2) 2001
¥ b5 1.e4 e5 2.¤f3 ¤c6 3. ¥ b5 ¤f6 As mentioned above, 3...d6 4.d4 ¥d7 is a line I played myself, but nobody discovered and played the correct move against me: 5.¥xc6!
5...¥xc6 6.¤c3 ¤f6 (6...exd4 7. £xd4 ¤f6 8.¥g5 ¥e7 9.0–0–0 is a well-known position where White stands better) 7. £d3! Black has
a difficult task defending his centre. After 7...exd4 8.¤xd4 ¥e7 9.h3 (or 9.f3 0–0 10.¥e3) 9...0–0 10.¥e3 White has a nice position. Because of this ¥xc6 move, we cannot play the whole line. Tere are similar cases in many sidelines. You need to discover or know the refutation. ¥ e7 4.0–0 d6 5.d4 ¥ 5.d4 ¥ d7 d7 6.¤c3 c3 ¥ e7 Campora had not played this line before.
7.b3!? Tere are other options as well, but I wanted to play some less common c ommon move. ¥ b2 7...0–0 8. ¥ b2 ¦e8 9.¦ 9.¦e1 ¥ f8 f8 10.h3 exd4 11.¤ xd4 d5?
Chapter 3 – Key Ideas and Positions ¥ 12. ¥ xc6 ¥ xc6 13.e5 ¤d7 14.e6 ¤f6 £d3 15.¤ xc6 bxc6 16.exf7† ¢ xf7 17. 17.£ ¢g8 18.¤e2 ¤e4 19.¤g3 ¤c5 20.¦ 20.¦ xe8 £ xe8 21. £c3 ¦d8 22.¦ ¥ a3 21.£ 22.¦e1 £g6 23. ¥ a3 ¥ d4 24.£ 24.£c4† £f7 25.£ 25.£ xf7† ¢ xf7 26. ¥ xc5 ¥ ¥ b4 xc5 27.¢ 27.¢f1 ¦d5 28.¤e4 e4 ¥ b4 29.¦ 29.¦d1 ¢e6 ¢e2 ¢f5 31.¢ 30.¢ 30. 31.¢d3
31...h5 32.h4 ¥ e7 e7 33.f3 ¢f4 34.¦ 34.¦h1 ¦a5 35.a4 ¦d5 36.¦ 36.¦h3 ¦d7 37.¦ 37.¦g3 ¥ xh4 ¦h3 ¥ e1 38.¦ 38. e1 39.¦ 39.¦ xh5 ¦d5 40.¦ 40.¦h8 ¢f5 ¢c4 ¢g6 42.¦ 41.¢ 41. 42.¦f8 ¦h5 43.¦ 43.¦f4 a5 44.¦ 44.¦g4† ¢f7 45.¢ 45.¢ xd4 ¦d5† 46.¢ 46.¢e3 ¦d1 47.¤c5 ¥ c3 ¥ b4 c3 48.¦ 48.¦c4 c4 ¥ b4 49.¤e4 c5 50.¤ xc5 ¦d5 ¥ a3 51.¤e4 c5 52.¤f2 f2 ¥ a3 53.¤d3 g5 54.¦ 54.¦e4 ¦d8 55.¢ 55.¢d2 ¦h8 56.¢ 56.¢c3 ¦h2 57.¦ 57.¦e2 ¦h4 58.¤e5† ¢g7 59.¤g4 ¦h1 60.¢ 60.¢c4 ¦c1 61.¤e5 1–0 When choosing an opening at grandmaster level, you can just follow the main trend or work for yourself, as discussed earlier. However, the first question is which opening to play? Tere is an ECO classification of openings, but they are not in order of good or bad, risky or solid. I like to classify openings first into two groups: classical openings and others.
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Classical openings are well known, and most of the chess community has some kind of agreement about which openings fall into this category. Te Ruy Lopez is the first one that comes to mind when talking about classical openings. It is said that mastering the Ruy Lopez is like getting a higher education in chess. Of course there are a lot of rare and risky sidelines in the Ruy Lopez as well. In the closed openings, the Nimzo-Indian and the Queen’s Indian are considered to be classical openings. In general, openings that follow the classical approach to the importance of the centre, trying to defend it from the very first moves, are classical openings. Tis is why the Queen’s Gambit Declined is one of the oldest of them, used in the world championship match between Jose Capablanca and Alexander Alekhine back in 1927, and still one of the most popular choices in the world championship matches between Karpov and Kasparov during their numerous encounters. However, classical openings can be boring, and However, players do not usually want to have only solid openings in their repertoire. Just as Yurkov influenced a lot of his students’ opening choices, so did other famous coaches. Mark Dvoretsky was one of the first to develop files about certain middlegame positions. He was not fond of opening preparation, and in my opinion this has had a certain influence on his students regarding opening choices. When talking about his students, I am referring mostly to Sergey Dolmatov, Artur Yusupov and Alexander Chernin. Tey had one common tendency – with the black pieces their favourite openings were dynamic lines with a lot of tactical lines and a quick climax.
Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
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Fikret Sideif-Sade – Sergey Dolmatov Rostov 1980
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3. ¤f3 ¤f6 4.¤c3 e6 Tis system became popular thanks to Botvinnik, and is considered one of the most active systems for Black today. today. ¥ g5 5. ¥ g5 dxc4 Dolmatov is following the sharpest line. More solid and popular today is 5...h6.
¥ h4 6.e4 b5 7.e5 h6 8. ¥ h4 g5 9.¤ xg5 hxg5 ¥ ¥ e2 10. ¥ xg5 ¤bd7 11.exf6 ¥ 11.exf6 ¥ b7 b7 12. ¥ e2
Te aggressive opening choice pays off quickly. White is not prepared and Black quickly achieves a superior position.
12.g3! is the correct move. £b6 13.a4 0–0–0 12...£ 12...
14.£c1 b4 15.¤d1 c5 16.¤e3 cxd4 14.£ ¥ f4 ¦g1 ¥ d5 17.¤ xc4 £c5 18. ¥ f4 ¥ xg2 19. 19.¦ d5 ¥ ¦ xc1† 20.¤d6† ¥ xd6 21. ¥ xd6 £ xc1† 22. 22.¦ ¢b7 23.¦ ¥ c4 23.¦c7† ¢b6 24.¦ 24.¦g7 e5 25. ¥ c4 ¤ xf6 ¥ ¥ 26.a5† ¢ xa5 27. ¥ xd5 ¦ xd6 28. ¥ xf7 ¦d7 ¥ c4 29. ¥ c4 ¦ xc7 30.¦ 30.¦ xc7 ¢b6 31.¦ 31.¦e7
31...¢c5 32.b3 ¦h5 33.¦ 31...¢ 33.¦ xa7 ¤e4 34.¦ 34.¦a5† ¢c6 35.¦ 35.¦a6† ¢c7 36.¦ 36.¦e6 ¤c3 37.¢ 37.¢f1 e4 ¦e7† ¢d6 39.¦ 38.¦ 38. 39.¦e6† ¢c5 40.¢ 40.¢g2 d3 ¦e8 d2 42.¦ 41.¦ 41. 42.¦c8† ¢b6 43.¦ 43.¦d8 d1=£ d1=£ 0–1
Chapter 3 – Key Ideas and Positions Te other opening system they used was the Sveshnikov Variation of the Sicilian Defence.
Herbert Armando – Artur Yusupov Yusupov Innsbruck 1977
1.e4 c5 2.¤f3 ¤c6 3.d4 cxd4 4.¤ xd4 ¤f6 ¥ g5 5.¤c3 e5 6.¤db5 d6 7. ¥ g5 a6 8.¤a3 b5
¥ 9. ¥ xf6 Tis was the main line back then – the more solid positional approach after 9. ¤d5 ¥e7 10.¥xf6 ¥xf6 11.c4 was not yet known. 9...gxf6 10.¤d5 f5 11.exf5 ¥ 11.exf5 ¥ xf5
£f3? 12.£ 12.
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Again, just as in the previous Dolmatov game, White is not ready for this very concrete opening line and is quickly lost. 12...¤d4! 13.¤c7† £ xc7 14.£ 14.£ xa8† ¢e7
£d5 15.¦d1 ¤ xc2† 16.¤ xc2 ¥ 15.¦ xc2 17. 17.£ ¥ £ xd1 ¥ h6 ¥ e2 xd1 18. 18.£ h6 19.£ 19.£b1 ¦c8 20. ¥ e2 £a5† 21.b4 ¦c1† 22. ¥ ¥ d1 d1 ¦ xb1 23.bxa5 ¦a1 24.a4 bxa4 25.0–0 d5 26. ¥ ¥ c2 c2 ¦ xf1† ¢ xf1 a3 28. ¥ ¥ b3 27.¢ 27. b3 d4 29.¢ 29.¢e2 e4 30.f3 d3† ¢f2 e3† 32.¢ ¥ g7 31.¢ 31. 32.¢e1 e1 ¥ g7 0–1 With White, Dvoretsky Dvoretsky’’s students preferred a slow, positional approach. Yusupov preferred to play closed systems, like the Colle-Zukertort Opening and the orre Attack.
Artur Yusupov Yusupov – Peter Peter Scheeren Plovdiv 1983
1.d4 ¤f6 2.¤f3 e6 3.e3 With this move Yusupov avoids long theoretical lines, and White can still chose different plans depending on where he develops his other knight and whether he pushes the c-pawn or keeps it on c2. Te position can still become very sharp, and the opening choice is not about avoiding tactical play; instead it
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avoids lines prepared long beforehand by the opponent.
¥ d3 ¥ b2 3...c5 4. ¥ d3 d5 5.b3 ¤bd7 6. ¥ b2 b6 7.0–0 ¥ b7 b7 8.¤e5 8.c4 ¥e7 9.¤c3 0–0 10.cxd5 exd5 11. ¤e5 was the other option, but in i n this game White keeps the pawn on c2. 8...a6 9.¤d2 b5 10.¤ xd7 £ xd7 11.dxc5 ¥ £f3 ¥ e7 xc5 12. 12.£ e7 13.£ 13.£g3 0–0 14.¤f3 ¦ac8?! Better was 14... ¥d6 15.¤e5 £e7 16.f4 ¥a3, when White has a nice position but finds it difficult to create a kingside attack. 15.¤g5! g6 16.£ 16.£h3 h5 17.¦ 17.¦ad1 ¤h7?
¥ 18.£ xh5! ¥ 18.£ xg5 19. ¥ xg6 f6 20.f4 £g7 ¥ 21.fxg5 ¤ xg5 22.h4 ¤e4 23. ¥ xe4 dxe4 ¦f4 24.¦ 24. 1–0 In the next game, White pushed the c-pawn in a similar structure and won in positional style.
Artur Yusupov Yusupov – Milan Drasko Sarajevo 1984
¥ d3 1.d4 ¤f6 2.¤f3 e6 3.e3 b6 4. ¥ d3 ¥ b7 b7 ¥ d6 5.0–0 d5 6.¤e5 e5 ¥ d6 7.f4 0–0 8. ¤d2 In these closed systems it can be difficult during the game to figure out where to put your pieces. Back in 1984 there was no computer help, and even if you had the chance to prepare against your formidable opponent, you might still go wrong in the opening phase.
8...¤e4 9.c4 ¤d7 10.cxd5 exd5 11. ¤ xe4 ¥ c4 dxe4 12. ¥ c4 Tis position is already quite unpleasant for Black. ¥ d2 12...¤f6 13.£ 13.£b3 £e8 14. ¥ d2 c6 15.a4 ¤d5 ¥ 16.a5 ¦b8 17.a6 ¥ 17.a6 ¥ a8 a8 18.¦ 18.¦fc1 b5 19. ¥ xd5 ¥ b4 ¥ cxd5 20. ¥ b4 ¥ xb4 21.£ 21.£ xb4
Chapter 3 – Key Ideas and Positions
White has a long-term positional advantage and convincingly won the game. 21...f6 22.¤g4 £d7 23.¤f2 ¦fc8 24.¤d1 ¦ xc1 25.¦ ¥ c6 25.¦ xc1 ¦b6 26.¦ 26.¦a1 ¢f7 27.¤c3 c3 ¥ c6 28.h3 f5 29.¦ 29.¦a5 ¢e6 30.£ 30.£f8 b4
£g8† £f7 33.£ 31.¤ xd5 ¥ xd5 32. 32.£ 33.£ xf7† ¢ xf7 34. ¦ xd5 ¢f6 35.¦ 34.¦ 35.¦a5 ¦c6 36.¦ 36.¦b5 ¦ xa6 37. ¦ xb4 h5 38.g4 hxg4 39.hxg4 fxg4 37.¦ ¢f2 ¦a1 41.¦ 40.¢ 40. 41.¦b5 ¦b1 42.¦ 42.¦e5 ¦ xb2† ¢g3 a5 44.¦ 43.¢ 43. 44.¦ xe4 a4 45.d5 ¦b5 46.¦ 46.¦ xa4 ¦ xd5 47. ¢ xg4 g6 48.e4 ¦d1 49.e5† ¢f7 47.¢ ¦a7† ¢e6 51.¢ 50.¦ 50. 51.¢g5 ¦g1† 52.¢ 52.¢h6 ¢d5 ¦a6 ¦g4 54.¦ 53.¦ 53. 54.¦f6 ¢c5 55.¢ 55.¢g7 ¢d5 56.e6 1–0
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Tis system suited Yusupov’ Yusupov’ss solid style. Black did not know what was going to happen – White could execute various plans: a kingside attack or just solid positional play in the centre. Tis kind of opening strategy was later used by another Soviet Chess School representative, Vladimir Kramnik.
Vladimir Kramnik – Anish Giri Stavanger 2017
1.¤f3 Kramnik’s favourite first move, which has served him for decades. 1...d5 2.d4 ¤f6 3.e3 Giri is one of the hardest-working players around today, and likes to memorize all the lines in his opening repertoire. In this game, Kramnik is determined to avoid a theoretical duel. Tis solid move does not pretend to gain an opening advantage, but is just an invitation to a long, balanced middlegame.
¥ d3 3...e6 4. ¥ d3 c5 5.0–0 White could avoid Black’ Black’ss next move with 5.b3, but in my opinion Kramnik was actually hoping that Giri would lose his head and make the next move.
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5...c4?? Giri makes a practical mistake. Probably he did not give Kramnik any credit for his idea at this moment. Tere is a Russian proverb that might be translated as, “Let well alone.” Giri must know some Russian, as his mother is Russian. Tere was no reason to play ...c4, because all normal lines here are fine for Black. Psychology? It would be interesting to know what happened in his head at this point, but my assumption is that sometimes everybody gets too excited and makes childish moves. ¥ e2 6. ¥ e2 b5 7.b3 ¥ b7 b7 8.¤c3 b4 9.¤a4 c3 10.¤e5
¥ d6? 10... ¥ d6?
10...¤c6! was the correct move, m ove, when Black is actually doing fine. Now, I may seem to be contradicting my criticism of Giri’ Giri’ss 5th move. My point is that the move itself was not bad, but if you are a player who relies only on lines stored in your memory, it is not a good idea to change this attitude. Tere are very few players in chess history who were truly capable of solving new opening problems during the actual game, and Giri is not one of them. In the past, Viktor Korchnoi was one such player who could refute his opponent’ opponent’s ideas over the board. ¥ b5† 11.a3 a5 12. ¥ b5† ¢f8 13.¤c5 £b6 14.¤ xb7 £ xb7 15.£ 15.£e2 g6?
¥ h6† 16.e4! ¤ xe4 17. ¥ h6† ¢e7 18.f3 ¤d2 ¦fe1 ¢d8 20. ¥ ¥ f4 19.¦ 19. f4 1–0 An opening concept of genius from Kramnik, and I am sure that he was influenced by Yusupov. Yusupov did not use this concept all the time Yusupov of course. Against stronger opponents he tried to use the principal mainstream lines. I lost against him in 1988 in the Candidates match in Saint John, and in our short match he aimed to play the so-called normal lines. And with Black he did not play the Sveshnikov Sveshnikov,, but
Chapter 3 – Key Ideas and Positions the Petroff Defence, which had been in his repertoire alongside the Sveshnikov from the very beginning of his chess c hess career. career. Flexibility is a must if you face very strong opposition. Memorizing opening lines makes more sense nowadays, as all the memorized lines can be checked with a computer and you can be sure you are not memorizing lines that may have some holes. Yusupov aimed to play lines that needed to be memorized with the black pieces, but with White he wanted to play positions that require the player to make his own decisions from an early stage of the game. Chernin adopted the same approach in general, though with White his main opening choice was the English Opening. Opening. However However,, Dolmatov Dolmatov was more principled with the white pieces and and tried to follow the main lines after 1.e4. Lookingg into the data we can see Lookin se e that Yurkov’ Yurkov’ss best student, Andrei Sokolov, had very good results with White, beating his opponents with aggressive play after 1.e4. Dvoretsky’s Dvoretsky’s students had more even results with both colours. Playing only tactical lines with Black was not acceptable to the Soviet Chess School. Soviet players had better chess education in general and their coaches did not like openings where the result was dependent on some tactical mayhem. In 1980 I was playing in a Soviet Union junior qualification tournament in Sochi. Te main contenders for the only spot in the World W orld Junior Championship were myself, Andrei Sokolov and Valery Salov Salov.. Te only difference between us was that Salov, being a little younger, was going to play in the Under-17 World Championship without having to qualify, and the Sochi tournament was presented to him as as a training opportunity opportunity.. Moscow head coach Anatoly Bykhovsky was sceptical of Salov Salov’’s opening choices and forbade him to play the Sveshnikov. As I did
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not like playing against the Sveshnikov at all with White White and I knew the head coach coach’’s advice to Salov, I was furious when Salov still played the Sveshnikov against me. I lost the game, and only by winning the last five games was I able to share second place. Sokolov won the tournament. Bykhovsky was not Salov’s personal coach and Valery made his own choices, so there was no punishment for disobeying the boss. Nevertheless, I think a player should listen to his coach. It might sometimes be difficult to accept what your coach is telling you, because the computer evaluation might show a different di fferent story; I think this is a main area of uncertainty in coaching. You may follow the well-known approach of one of the chess schools described above, or create your own approach. Te recipe for success in opening preparation might still be unclear. One thing is clear, however: you need to find the right coach. Te coach cannot c annot teach you, Yuri Balashov once said. We, the coaches, can only help.
Te critical or key position in the opening Te Soviet Chess School had numerous training camps for the elite, which included members of the Soviet team. In 1980 I was in one of the junior team camps at the Pirita facilities in allinn, Estonia, back then in the Soviet Union. Te facilities were built for the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games because the Olympic regatta was held in allinn. allinn. Te camp included the usual suspects: Dvoretsky himself and his best students – Artur Yusupov and Sergey Dolmatov – future World W orld Champion Garry Kasparov and others, including yours truly. Dvoretsky was fond of his middlegame positions and tried to find victims who would play out the positions. Kasparov was giving time odds in blitz games. Tere was no specific opening preparation.
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Tat was done separately, and the training camp, where we were all together together,, was not the place to do it. Nevertheless, one day Kasparov showed me a position that appeared to be the critical position of the Petrosian Variation of the Queen’s Indian.
Wlodzimierz Schmidt – Adam Ada m Kuligowski Warsaw W arsaw 1980 1.d4 ¤f6 2.c4 e6 3.¤f3 b6 4.a3 ¥ 4.a3 ¥ b7 b7 5.¤c3 ¥ b5† ¥ d3 d5 6.cxd5 ¤ xd5 7.e3 ¥ 7.e3 ¥ e7 e7 8. ¥ b5† c6 9. ¥ d3 ¥ e3 e3 cxd4 ¤ xc3 10.bxc3 c5 11.e4 ¤c6 12. ¥ 13.cxd4 ¦c8 14.0–0 0–0
15.£e2 15.£ Kasparov played 15. ¦a2?! in a game in the last round of the World Junior Championship. Garry had already secured first place, but he was not satisfied with his play in this game, and the rook move is not the best. 15... ¥f6 16.¥b1 g6 17.£d3 £d7 18.¦d2 ¦fd8 19.£e2 ¤a5 20.¤e5 ¥xe5 21.dxe5 £c7 22.¦xd8† ¦xd8 23.¥g5 ¦d4 24.£e3 £xe5 25.f4 £d6 26.¥e7 £d7 27.¥f6 ¦d1 28.¥c2 ½–½ Kasparov – Karolyi, Dortmund 1980. ¦fe1 ¦c3 17.a4 ¤b3 18.¦ 15...¤a5 16. 16.¦ 18.¦ad1 £a8
Tis was the position that attracted Kasparov’s attention. At that time I did not know in which game it had occurred, or whether we were just following some of Kasparov’s own analysis. Tis game was played just a few months prior to our training camp, which was held at the end of the summer of 1980. 19.¤d2?! 19.d5! was Kasparov’s idea, which we analysed: 19...exd5 20.exd5 ¥xd5 21.¤e5!
Tis was the point. Our conclusion was that White has a dangerous initiative and has full compensation for the pawn. Tis position, however, has never happened in an actual game to my knowledge. ¦fc8 19...¦ 19...
20.¤ xb3
¦ xb3
21.f3 ¥ b4 b4
Chapter 3 – Key Ideas and Positions ¦ xb1 ¥ d6 22.¦b1 ¦ xb1 23. 22.¦ 23.¦ d6 24.£ 24.£e1 £b8 25.g3 ½–½ Kasparov used the Petrosian Variation with great success. In the next game he managed to use the idea of pushing d4-d5!
Garry Kasparov – Miguel Najdorf Bugojno 1982
1.d4 ¤f6 2.c4 e6 3.¤f3 b6 4.a3 ¥ 4.a3 ¥ b7 b7 5.¤c3 ¥ b5† ¥ d3 d5 6.cxd5 ¤ xd5 7.e3 ¥ 7.e3 ¥ e7 e7 8. ¥ b5† c6 9. ¥ d3 ¤ xc3 10.bxc3 c5 11.0–0 ¤c6 12.e4 0–0 ¥ e3 13. ¥ e3 cxd4 14.cxd4 ¦c8 15.£ 15.£e2 ¤a5 ¦fe1 £d6 16.¦ 16. Te experienced Argentinian grandmaster somehow avoided the position that was analysed at the Pirita training camp, but a similar idea is executed anyway. anyway.
17.d5!? 17.¦ad1 £xa3 18.d5 was also possible.
17...exd5 18.e5 £e6 19.¤d4 £ xe5 20.¤f5 White is just concentrating on piece power and has sacrificed the whole centre. Te computer does not approve of this, but in a practical game Najdorf was unable to solve the tactics.
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¥ f6 20... ¥ f6 Tis looks like the most solid move, but it is already not the best. 20...¤c4! Te middlegame is all about piece power. You need to improve your pieces and limit the power of your opponent’s pieces. In the opening phase of the game we need first to concentrate our attention on the centre. Te knight on a5 is misplaced and it is very logical to move it back into the game. White should still be able to save the game, but Black is absolutely fine. 21.£g4 ¦ce8? 21.£ Black loses the battle in just a few moves. ¥ d2 ¥ 22. ¥ d2 £ xa1 23.¦ 23.¦ xa1 xa1 ¥ xa1
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¥ 24.¤ xg7! xg7! ¥ xg7 24...¥c8 25.¤e6† ¢h8 26.£f5+– ¥ h6 25. ¥ h6 1–0 Kasparov was very strong in open, dynamic positions. Te only player who could from time to time stop him was the ninth World Champion, igran Petrosian. In his own Queen’s Indian system, but playing with the black pieces, he beat Kasparov in Moscow in 1981. Te game is annotated by Kasparov himself in his book Te est est of ime . Kasparov gained an advantage from the opening, but Petrosian managed to close the position, and in a long battle Kasparov lost from a promising position. Botvinnik once recommended how to play against Kasparov. His advice was to choose closed systems against him. Tis is important advice – we are not playing only against the black or white pieces, but also against the person moving those pieces. An opening position that seems critical to one player may not be critical at all for another. Having a glimpse of Kasparov’s preparation made a powerful impression. He showed me just one position, but how many critical positions did he have up u p his sleeve? Years Years later I got to see the so-called “stolen analysis” file, which contained hundreds of opening lines. Tis was Kasparov’s team’s work from around 1990-95. Te files are still circulating on the internet if one wants to search for them. Most of the ideas or lines never occurred in tournament practice. Teoretical preparation has a hidden part, like an iceberg. Once, in a training camp in 1995 with Karpov, he forced me to look at some positions in the Ruy Lopez. He had played these complicated positions against Kasparov
in their world championship matches, but he was not satisfied with the overall result. He asked my opinion about a few positions, which I suspect were critical for the line. We worked for a while, but he never used or played these lines anymore. He switched to the Caro-Kann, and although he was already a veteran player he had some excellent results in top competitions, such as beating Anand in their mini-match in 1998. What is the right percentage of time for you to spend on opening preparation, studying and analysing with a computer and seconds, for use in tournament practice? Good opening preparation needs to be cooked over long hours by the player himself. You need to find or figure out the critical positions yourself. You need to have an intelligent chess-related thinking process. Te opening concept and the lines may come recommended, and some already prepared files should be studied, but you need to understand what is going on yourself. Tis approach guarantees the stability of your results. Te opening phase is still just one part of the game; it does not solve the chess game. Tis is why older, experienced players like to stick to the lines that were their bread and butter at the peak of their game. o o understand the key positions and plans from a new modern line takes time; unfortunately we do not have an unlimited resource of time.
Critical positions in the Scheveningen I have a lot of experience with the Scheveningen. It was the first line that I was taught professiona prof essionally lly by Vladimir Yurkov. Yurkov. Te line itself is very important for understanding the Sicilian Defence. I am not talking here about those lines that are essentially just tactics. Of course, even
Chapter 3 – Key Ideas and Positions these tactical lines have their own motifs and tricks. Te difference is that in these lines the position changes quickly and the climax is reached in a few moves. oday computers offer the best assistance for solving the critical positions that arise from this type of line – the Najdorf with 6.¥g5, the Dragon with ¥c4 followed by queenside castling, and so on. o master the Scheveningen you must master the concepts – the plans and ideas are important. o find the critical positions or move orders we need to understand the essence of the Scheveningen.
Te classical approach teaches us that the centre is the subject of the game from the very first move. In the diagram position the black pawns on d6 and e6 are defending the centre, but it looks like a passive kind of defence. White has a free hand to develop his pieces in several ways and to build different set-ups. Black is in passive mode right now concerning the centre, but there is a plan to attack the centre. Te positional plan is simple and straightforward. Black wants first to push the white knight away from c3 and after that to play ...e6-e5. In this case the white knight is no longer controlling the vital d5-square. In the Najdorf Black plays
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...e7-e5 right away in many lines, weakening the d5-square. In the Scheveningen Black is more ambitious: he wants to push ...e5 only when the circumstances are right. o drive the knight from c3 Black needs to play ...b5-b4. White is perfectly aware of this plan and will try to be ready for it. Te Scheveningen is passive in the sense of allowing White to build an attack because White has secured the centre, and the plan with ...b5-b4 takes time. In some cases, after ...b4 White has a typical sacrifice on d5.
Anatoly Karpov – Josif Dorfman Moscow 1976
1.e4 c5 2.¤f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.¤ xd4 ¤f6 5.¤c3 e6 6.g4
¥ e7 6... ¥ e7 As this game and other later games showed, Black cannot get a satisfactory game with this passive move. 6...h6! is the correct line, as Black needs to temporarily stop White’s advance. ¥ e3 7.g5 ¤fd7 8.h4 ¤c6 9. ¥ e3 a6 10.£ 10.£e2 £c7 ¥ d4 11.0–0–0 b5 12.¤ xc6 £ xc6 13. ¥ d4 b4
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Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
¥ 14.¤d5! exd5 15. ¥ xg7 ¦g8 16.exd5 £c7 ¥ f6 ¥ ¥ f5 ¥ h3 17. ¥ f6 ¤e5 18. ¥ xe5 dxe5 19.f4 19.f4 ¥ f5 20. ¥ h3 ¥ xh3 21.¦ 21.¦ xh3 ¦c8 22.fxe5
22...£c4 23.¦ 22...£ 23.¦dd3 £f4† 24.¢ 24.¢b1 ¦c4 25.d6 ¦e4 26.¦ ¦ xe3 £ xh4 28. £f3 26.¦he3 ¦ xe3 27. 27.¦ 28.£ £ xg5 29. ¦e1 £g2 30.£ 29.¦ 30.£f5 ¦g6 31.¦ 31.¦f1 £d5 32.dxe7 ¢ xe7 33. £f4 a5 34.£ 33.£ 34.£h4† ¢e8 35.£ 35.£ xh7 £f3 36.£ 36.£h8† ¢e7 37.£ 37.£h4† ¢e8 38.£ 38.£c4 £b7 39.b3 ¦e6 40.¦ 40.¦g1 ¦ xe5 ¦g8† ¢e7 42.£ 41.¦ 41. 42.£h4† ¢d7 43.£ 43.£f6 ¦e7 £f5† ¢d6 45.£ 44.£ 44. 45.£ xa5 ¦e5 46.£ 46.£d8† ¢e6 ¢b2 f6 48.¦ 47.¢ 47. 48.¦f8 £g7 49.£ 49.£c8† ¢d5 £c4† 50.£ 50. 1–0
Sozin Attack White has several plans or lines in the Scheveningen. Besides the Keres Attack, there is the Sozin Attack. We should do the same research as we did for the isolated pawn in the arrasch Defence. Historically, the Sozin Attack, as the name suggests, was created by the Russian master Veniamin Sozin, and one of the first games was played in 1931.
Veniamin V eniamin Sozin – Alexander Ilyin-Zhenevsky Ilyin-Zhene vsky Moscow 1931
1.e4 c5 2.¤f3 ¤c6 3.d4 cxd4 4.¤ xd4 ¤f6 ¥ c4 ¥ e3 5.¤c3 d6 6. ¥ c4 e6 7.0–0 ¥ 7.0–0 ¥ e7 e7 8. ¥ e3 a6 9.f4? Te nuances of the system had not been worked out yet, and in this early game in the t he Sozin Attack the author of the line makes a slight mistake.
9...£c7 9...£ 9...d5! takes advantage of White’s White’s inaccurate move order. order. Black was not sufficiently familiar with the isolated pawn concept and avoided it. Tis is why general knowledge of the openings, even those that are not in your repertoire, is important. ¥ b3 10. ¥ b3 ¤a5
Chapter 3 – Key Ideas and Positions 10...0–0 11.£f3 b5 is another option.
Tis is one of the critical positions if Black is not fond of the alternative line that occurred in the Short – Kasparov game given on page 164. I was familiar with this position thanks to Yurkov Yurkov back in 1978. £f3 11.£ 11.
It is surprising that this position is critical even today, the point being that Black can reach it by a different move order – specifically specific ally after: 1.e4 c5 2.¤f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. ¤xd4 ¤f6 5.¤c3 e6 6.¥c4 ¤c6 7.¥e3 a6 8.¥b3 £c7 9.f4 ¤a5 10.£f3 ¥e7 11.0–0?! However, in this move order 11.g4! is much stronger, and White can hope for an advantage. 11...¤ xb3?!
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Tis is too early early.. Better was 11...b5!. 12.axb3 0–0 13.g4 ¦b8 14.g5 ¤d7 15.£ 15.£h5 g6 16.£ 16.£h6 ¦e8! Suddenly we have a most typical Scheveningen position, all about attack and the defence of the kingside.
¥ f8 ¥ g7 17.¦f3 17.¦ f3 ¥ f8 18.£ 18.£h4 h4 ¥ g7 19.¦ 19.¦h3 h5 20.gxh6 ¥ f6 ¥ g7 f6 21.h7† ¢h8 22.£ 22.£f2 f2 ¥ g7 23.¢ 23.¢h1? 23.¤f3!? b5 24. ¤g5 ¦e7 25.¦d1 gives a complicated game. 23...¤f6 24.¤de2 White is pulling back his pieces for no reason, and Black seizes the initiative.
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24...b5! Te typical plan is finally executed with devastating effect. ¦g5 bxc3 27.¤ xc3 ¥ b7 25.¦g1 b4 26. 25.¦ 26.¦ b7 £g2 £c6 28.£ 28. 0–1 Let us consider this typical Sozin Attack position.
White has two different plans depending on where he chooses to castle: kingside or queenside. Another factor is which pawn White is going to advance: the f- or g-pawn. Black has the same general plan mentioned earlier: the advance of the b-pawn.
Robert Fischer – Boris Spassky Reykjavik (4) 1972
1.e4 c5 2.¤f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. ¤ xd4 ¤f6 ¥ c4 ¥ b3 ¥ ¥ e3 5.¤c3 ¤c6 6. ¥ c4 e6 7. ¥ b3 ¥ e7 e7 8. ¥ e3 0–0 ¥ 9.0–0 a6 10.f4 ¤ xd4 11. ¥ xd4 b5! 12.a3 ¥ b7 b7 13.£ 13.£d3
13...a5! 14.e5 dxe5 15.fxe5 ¤d7 16.¤ xb5 ¥ ¥ xc5 ¥ xc5 xc5† 18.¢ 18.¢h1 £g5 ¤c5 17. ¥ Black has more than enough compensation for the pawn. Fischer managed to draw in 45 moves. ...½–½ In the Sozin Attack, the sacrifices on d5, d5 , e6 and f5 are constantly in the air. Te arrangement of the bishop on the a2-g8 diagonal along with the powerful knight on d4 is very dangerous. Tis is why Black needs to trade at least one of these pieces. Nearly all Black’ Black’ss plans of defence are built on this theme. Tere are different aspects of chess that affect the evaluation of a position. One is the human factor; a player might not like the position or have bad feelings about it. Te other is the objective evaluation: the position might not be playable. Tis also has different degrees; some lines are good only up to a certain level. Te Scheveningen itself looks passive and in many lines the king is under attack. White has a lot of different attacking and development schemes. Some of them are critical for Black; the Sozin is not, because Black has different move orders to reach the standard Scheveningen position.
Chapter 3 – Key Ideas and Positions 1.e4 c5 2.¤f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. ¤ xd4 ¤f6 ¥ c4 5.¤c3 ¤c6 6. ¥ c4
Against the Classical Variation, the Sozin Attack makes more sense, because the black knight is already on c6. In the Scheveningen, Black can avoid this specific Sozin position and keep the knight on b8 for a while. 1.e4 c5 2.¤f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. ¤ xd4 ¤f6 5.¤c3 e6
Te Sozin Attack is not considered a dangerous option here because of the following: ¥ c4 ¥ ¥ b3 6. ¥ c4 ¥ e7 e7 7. ¥ b3
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7.f4? d5! is why White needs to move his bishop first. Te classical rule – one must take care of the centre – applies here as well. 7...¤a6!? 7...¤bd7? 8.¥xe6! is a typical Sozin Attack sacrifice: 8...fxe6 9. ¤xe6 £a5 10.¤xg7† ¢f7 11.¤f5 White has more than enough compensation. 8.f4 ¤c5 9.£ 9.£f3
With a complicated game. Tis line is somewhat out of fashion, the main reason being that in this move order White can play the Keres Attack. Of course, for a young player who plays the Sozin wherever possible, this position might be one of the critical ones. Te most aggressive approach by White is the plan with queenside castling. Here the move order is very important. Tis is why if you pick some position and consider it as critical for a certain line you may miss some subtleties subtl eties about how to actually reach the position. In every opening line there are moments where either White or Black may choose the direction. White can choose to castle kingside or queenside. In the latter case, White again has a choice: playing the classical plan with £e2, or the more modern plan with f2-f4 followed by £f3. Let’s Let’s look first fi rst at the plan with £e2.
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Andrei Sokolov – Valery Valery Salov Nikolaev 1983
1.e4 c5 2.¤f3 ¤c6 3.d4 cxd4 4.¤ xd4 ¤f6 ¥ c4 ¥ e3 5.¤c3 d6 6. ¥ c4 e6 7. ¥ e3
7...a6? It may seem too judgmental to brand this move a mistake, but it is. One interesting option here is 7... £c7!?. Te idea is to avoid the £e2 plan, because without having spent a tempo on ... ¥e7, Black can afford to play an early ... ¤a5. After 7...¥e7 then 8.£e2! is best, but not 8.¥b3 0–0 9.f4, as you will see in Ehlvest – Milos below.
£e2? 8.£ 8. 8.¥b3! is the correct move, when White has the good option of switching to the f2-f4 plan. 8...£c7 9.0–0–0 ¥ 8...£ 9.0–0–0 ¥ e7? e7? 9...¤a5! is the t he refutation of White’s White’s plan with £e2, because after 10. ¥b3 b5 Black is already threatening the e4-pawn. Te difference is that instead of ... ¥e7 Black has already started the offensive with ...b5, and White has not yet had time to advance the g-pawn. ¥ b3 10. ¥ b3 0–0 11.¦ 11.¦hg1 11.g4 ¤xd4! and now White is forced to recapture with the rook: 12. ¦xd4 (12...¥xd4? e5) 12...b5 13.g5 ¤d7
Tis is a critical position for this line.
11...¤d7 11...b5 12.g4 b4 13. ¤xc6 £xc6 14.¤d5! exd5 15.g5 ¤xe4 16.¥xd5 £a4
Chapter 3 – Key Ideas and Positions White has several options from here. Tis position was critical some time ago, when computer analysis was not available.
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Te correct defence is 15...b4! and according to the computer evaluation Black is doing fine. 16.g6!! hxg6 17.¦ 17.¦ xg6 ¤e5
12.g4 ¤c5 13.¤f5!
13...b5 13...exf5 14.gxf5 gives White an extremely dangerous attack, for example: 14... ¤e5 15.¤d5 £d8 16.f4 ¤ed7 17.£g2 ¤xb3† 18.axb3 g6 19. ¥d4+– Lanc – Boensch, Rostock 1984. ¥ d5!? 14. ¥ d5!? Prior to this game, the plan with ¤f5 and ¥d5 was not known, and Sokolov won this game in style. Te Sozin Attack is not for the faint-hearted. In purely chess terms, however, the better move is 14.¤xe7† ¤xe7 15.¢b1 ¥b7 16.f3 b4 17.¤a4 ¤xa4 18.¥xa4 ¥c6 19.¥xc6 ¤xc6 20.h4 and White has some advantage, because the bishop is stronger than the knight in this position. ¥ b7 14... ¥ b7 15.g5! Only forward. 15...exf5
18.¦ xg7†! ¢ xg7 19.¦ 18.¦ 19.¦g1† ¤g6 20.exf5 ¦h8 ¥ d4† 21. ¥ d4† ¥ f6 f6 22.fxg6 fxg6 23.£ 23. £g4 ¦h6 ¥ 24. ¥ xf6† ¢h7 24...¢xf6 25.£d4† ¢e7 26.£g7† ¢d8 27.£xh6+–
25.¦e1 ¥ 25.¦ xd5 26.¤ xd5 £c8 27.¦ 27.¦e7† ¢g8 ¦g7† ¢f8 29.¦ 28.¦ 28. 29.¦g8† ¢ xg8 30.¤e7† 1–0 Te next game is an example of the difference if the black pawn is still on a7.
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Jaan Ehlvest – Gilberto Milos
White has an edge in this this typical position.
Bali 2000
A similar position can arise from another move order: 1.e4 c5 2. ¤f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. ¤xd4 ¤f6 5.¤c3 a6 6.¥c4 e6 7.¥b3 ¤c6 8.¥e3 ¥e7 9.f4 0–0 10.0–0 ¤xd4 11.¥xd4 b5 12.e5 dxe5 13.fxe5 ¤d7 14.¤e4 ¥b7 15.¤d6 ¥xd6 16.exd6 £g5 17.£e2
1.e4 c5 2.¤f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. ¤ xd4 ¤f6 ¥ c4 ¥ e3 ¥ ¥ b3 5.¤c3 ¤c6 6. ¥ c4 e6 7. ¥ e3 ¥ e7 e7 8. ¥ b3 0–0 9.f4?
¥ 9...¤ xd4 10. ¥ xd4 b5! Black has saved a tempo be keeping his pawn on a7 and achieves good counterplay by pushing the b-pawn without ...a6. 11.e5 dxe5 12.fxe5 ¤d7 13.£ 13.£f3?! White should prefer 13.0–0! 13.0–0! b4 14.¤e4 and now: a) 14...£a5!? 15.£h5 ¥b7 16.¤g5 ¥xg5 17.£xg5 ¥d5 with an approximately equal game. b) Not so good is: 14... ¥b7 15.¤d6 ¥xd6 16.exd6 £g5 17.£e2
Only the positioning of Black’s queenside pawns is different. White had the better game in Short – Kasparov Kasparov,, London (14) 1993. ¦b8 13...¦ 13...
¥ 14. ¥ xa7?! 14.¤e4 ¥b7 15.0–0–0 a5 and the misplaced bishop on b3 only creates problems for White. ¥ h4† 14... ¥ h4†
Chapter 3 – Key Ideas and Positions Black has a big advantage and won the game in 36 moves. ...0–1 Somehow I managed to get tricked by the Brazilian grandmaster and lost without a fight, even though I had already gained quite a lot of experience with the plan of f2-f4 followed by £f3 back in 1988.
Jaan Ehlvest – Ilya Smirin Moscow 1988
1.e4 c5 2.¤f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. ¤ xd4 ¤f6 ¥ c4 ¥ e3 ¥ b3! 5.¤c3 ¤c6 6. ¥ c4 e6 7. ¥ e3 a6 8. ¥ b3! As mentioned above, 8. £e2? £c7 9.0–0–0 ¤a5! arrives at a critical position which is a problem for White.
8...¤a5 After 8...¥e7 White even has two choices, 9.£e2!? and 9.f4, a situation which is better for Black to avoid. We should prefer to limit our opponent’s choices. 9.f4 b5 9...£c7!? is the main alternative. 10.e5 dxe5 11.fxe5 ¤ xb3 12.axb3
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12...¤d5? 12...b4!? 13.exf6 bxc3 14.fxg7 ¥xg7 15.bxc3 £h4†! 16.¥f2 £e4† 17.£e2 ¥b7 18.£xe4 ¥xe4 19.0–0–0² 13.£f3 ¤ xe3 14.£ 13.£ 14.£ xa8 £d7
£ xg2 ¥ b7 15.¤cxb5! ¤ xg2† 16. 16.£ b7 17.£ 17.£f1 axb5 18.0–0–0 ¥ 18.0–0–0 ¥ d5 d5 19.¤ xb5 £b7 20.¦ 20.¦g1 g6 21.¦ 21.¦d2 ¥ e7 e7 22.¤d6† ¥ xd6 23.exd6 0–0 24.¦ 24.¦g4 £c6 25.£ 25.£f6 £ xd6 26.c4 £c7 ¦gd4 £c5 28.b4 £c7 29.b3 ¦a8 30.¦ 27.¦ 27. 30.¦4d3 1–0
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Jaan Ehlvest – Konstantin Lerner allinn 1986
1.e4 c5 2.¤f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. ¤ xd4 ¤f6 ¥ c4 ¥ e3 5.¤c3 ¤c6 6. ¥ c4 e6 7. ¥ e3 a6 8.£ 8.£e2 £c7 9.0–0–0 ¤a5
¥ d3 10. ¥ d3 10.¥b3 b5 and White can hardly find any aggressive idea here. ¥ g5 10...b5 11. ¥ g5 Te strange 11. ¤b3 has never occurred in practice, but it is playable. White has not made m ade any big mistake yet, so the position remains sharp, and with deep preparation against an unprepared opponent it might be a good idea. Te point is that today it is so difficult to find an advantage in the opening that any small idea for one game is welcome. ¥ e7 11... ¥ e7 12.a3 ¦b8 12...¥b7!? 13.f4 ¦c8 14.¥xf6 gxf6 15. £h5 £d7 16.f5 e5 17. ¤de2 £c7 and Black was better in Ehlvest – Schults, USSR 1986. 13.f4 b4 14.axb4 ¦ xb4 15.¤f3 ¤c4 Black already has the advantage here. White has lost too much time and has not created any threats yet.
16.b3 ¤a5 17.¢ 17.¢b2 ¥ b7 b7 18.¤a2 ¦b6 ¦hf1 £c5?! 19.¦ 19. Much stronger was the simple 19...0–0. ¥ 20.f5 ¤g4 21. ¥ xe7 ¢ xe7
22.¦de1? 22.¦ 22.fxe6 fxe6 23. ¤c3 ¦b4 24.¦a1 and White is doing fine. 22...¤e5? 22...¦b8! was strong and the white king is under attack. ¢a3 ¤c6 25.£ 23.¤ xe5 £ xe5† 24. 24.¢ 25.£f2 ¤d4 26.fxe6 fxe6 27.¤c3 ¢d8 28.¤a4 ¦c6 29.c4 ¦c7 30.¦ ¥ c6 ¥ b1 30.¦d1 d1 ¥ c6 31. ¥ b1 ¤ xb3
Chapter 3 – Key Ideas and Positions
32.¢ xb3? 32.¢ 32.£b6! ¤a5 33.¥a2 ¢c8 34.£xa6† ¢b8 35.¦b1† ¤b7 36.¦b4 and according to the computer evaluation the position is equal. All this is irrelevant of course; I just blundered in time trouble. ¥ 32... ¥ xa4† 0–1 o sum up, in the classical Sozin Attack when the knight is on c6, Black can play the normal opening moves and then figure out what the critical position is. Actually it is more likely that it will be White who needs to determine the critical position, because Black is on the defensive side and White needs to prove that his attack is good enough. Black has one major choice: either to postpone castling or to do it as quickly as possible. Black needs to be aware of the move orders and not play ...a6 too quickly quickly.. Te moveorder problem is the first thing to be decided. Our goal as a Scheveningen player is to reach the classical position, but it can be reached via the Najdorf or aimanov, or with move orders such as 1.e4 c5 2. ¤f3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.¤xd4 ¤c6 5.¤c3 d6. In the Najdorf the pawn is already on a6. Tis is why Black avoids playing ...¤c6 against the Sozin Attack in the Najdorf after 6.¥c4. Te Sozin attracted players such as
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Bobby Fischer among others, but its popularity today is for some reason unjustifiably reduced. I myself had good results with the Sozin. Tanks to the Sozin, I once gained an opening advantage against none other than Kasparov himself. Probably this game was the reason why Nigel Short, in their match in London 1993, tried the Sozin. He failed, but it was nothing to do with the opening line – he, like many others, just could not keep pace with Kasparov where opening preparation preparation was concerned.
Jaan Ehlvest – Garry Kasparov Skelleftea 1989
1.e4 c5 2.¤f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.¤ xd4 ¤f6 ¥ c4 5.¤c3 a6 6. ¥ c4 e6 Here the pawn is already on a6, which I have criticized in some situations, but the plus for Black is that the knight is still on b8.
¥ b3 7. ¥ b3 Te usual waiting move, because White wants to keep his options open – specifically castling queenside. 7.f4 is too early because of 7...d5!. 7...¤bd7
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7...¥e7 is also possible, but White can try the aggressive 8.g4 against it.
¥ c4! 14. ¥ c4! In the endgame the Sozin bishop is relatively useless. Tere is no kingside attack on the agenda anymore.
¥ g5 ¥ h4 8. ¥ g5 h6 9. ¥ h4 £a5!? 10.0–0 £h5 Tis was the idea behind ... £a5. Because of this, in a later l ater game against Mikhail al al I opted for 10.f3 instead of castling.
¥ e7 ¥ f2 ¥ f1 14... ¥ e7 15. ¥ f2 ¦c8 16. ¥ f1 0–0 17.¤b3 ¦c6 18.a4 ¤hf6 19.¦ 19.¦d2 ¦fc8? 19...¤e5! gives an equal game: 20. ¤d4 ¦cc8 21.¤b3 ¦c6=
7...b5 is one of the main lines.
11.£ xh5 ¤ xh5 12.f3 b6! 11.£ Very deep understanding. Usually the Sicilian endgames are fine for Black, but one needs to be careful not to create weaknesses. With the text move Black tries to make the queenside pawn structure safe. ¦fd1 ¥ b7 13.¦ 13. fd1 ¥ b7
¥ 20.¤d4 ¦6c7 21.a5! b5 22. ¥ xb5! axb5 23.¤dxb5 ¦c4
Tis move was followed by a draw offer. White has a big advantage: the pawns are more valuable than the piece in this position. However, frustrated by my tournament position, I accepted the offer. ½–½
Keres Attack One can just decide that the famous Keres Attack is too dangerous, and abandon altogether any idea of playing the Scheveningen with a move order that allows the Keres Attack. Chess is not a poker game, but sometimes you can bluff. As we saw earlier earlier,, even Kasparov was capable of bluffing when he chose the Dragon against Anand. When I played the Sicilian, I was expecting
Chapter 3 – Key Ideas and Positions a full-scale complicated game, and the Keres Attack was welcome. Practice and understanding of the key positions helped me to achieve good results. When playing lines that are not accepted by mainstream theory, some risk is involved. Some work of your own is a must. In chess history the Polugaevsky line in the Najdorf is the best example. Lev Polugaevsky created the line and wrote a wonderful book about this subject.
However, today the line is less common in practice, mostly due to the computer’s help in analysing forced lines. Defending against the Keres Attack helped me to develop my chess knowledge and character. I started to play it immediately I became acquainted with the Scheveningen at the age of 15. Te only major setback was my game against Alexander Grischuk in 2000 in the Delhi FIDE World Championship. I lost this rapid game due to a blunder in a drawish rook endgame. Despite my good results, the Keres Attack is powerful and Black faces certain problems. Tere are some critical key positions that make Black’s life difficult. However, as I have already mentioned, going into these positions must be a calculated risk and other factors might prevail. You may be
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stronger than your opponent, or in a must-win must- win situation, for example. Let’s look at it step by step.
In the diagram position there are many different moves, but 6...h6 is the only sensible move. Why? Wee should consider the English Attack, W which evolved around 1988, and and whose typical starting position is the following diagram:
We can easily see that compared to this We position, in the Keres Attack White has not played f2-f3, but has managed to push g2-g4 right away. Te extra tempo is too valuable in the Sicilian Defence, so we cannot really play anything other than 6...h6. After 6.g4 h6 White has several options: the old straightforward 7.g5, the more
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sophisticated 7.h4, and moves such as 7.h3 or even 7.f3. Various move orders may reach the same position where Black needs to decide which plan to choose. Tere is a plan with queenside castling and another more aggressive plan with no castling at all.
Anatoly Karpov – Ulf Andersson Skara 1980
1.e4 c5 2.¤f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. ¤ xd4 ¤f6 5.¤c3 e6 6.g4 h6
7.g5 7.h3 a6 8.¥g2 £c7 9.¥e3 b5! is one possible idea. 7.¥g2 ¤c6 8.h3 ¥e7 9.¥e3 0–0 10.£e2 ¤xd4 11.¥xd4 e5 12.¥e3 ¥e6 13.0–0–0 ¦c8 14.¤d5 ¤xd5 15.exd5 ¥d7 16.¥e4 ¥g5 gave Black a good game in Grischuk – Ehlvest, New Delhi/ehran (4.3) 2000. ¥ 7...hxg5 8. ¥ xg5 ¤c6
£d2 9.£ 9. 9.h4 is perhaps a more precise move order, not allowing the ... ¤e5 idea. 9...£b6 10.¤b3 a6 9...£ I used only 10... ¤e5!? in my practice, trying to get counterplay as soon as possible. See Polgar – Ehlvest, allinn 2001, on page 141. 11.0–0–0
Here Black is at a crossroads – he needs to decide which plan to execute: queenside castling or keeping the king in the centre. I never played the former – it was too passive for my taste – but Ulf was famous for his defensive skills and he was not afraid to defend a slightly worse position.
Chapter 3 – Key Ideas and Positions
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¥ e2 11...£c7 12.f4 ¥ d7 11...£ d7 13. ¥ e2 0–0–0 14.h4 ¥ e7 ¥ c8 ¥ f3 e7 15.h5 ¢b8 16.¢ 16.¢b1 b1 ¥ c8 17. ¥ f3 ¤g8! ¦dg1 ¦h7 19.£ ¥ ¦ xg5 ¤ge7 18.¦ 18. 19.£f2 f2 ¥ xg5 20. 20.¦ ¦d1 g6 22.hxg6 ¤ xg6 23. ¦h5 ¦g7 21.¦ 21. 23.¦ ¦g1 ¦gg8 25.¦ ¥ h5 24.¦ 24. 25.¦hg5 ¤ge7 26. ¥ h5 ¦ xg5 ¦ xg5 f5 28.exf5 ¤ xf5 29. ¥ ¥ g4 27.¦ 27. g4 ¤ce7
Why not 9...¦xh5? It is not important in most cases, but by taking with the knight Black has the option of kingside castling in the future.
¥ e2 ¥ d3 30.a3 ¦f8 31. ¥ e2 ¤c6 32. ¥ d3 ¤fe7 33.£ 33.£e3 £d8 34.¤d2 £c7 35.¦ 35.¦h5 £d8 36.¤e2 ¤d5 £g3 £a5 38.f5 e5 39. ¤c4 £c7 40.¦ 37.£ 37. 40.¦h6 43.¦g6 ¤f6 41.¤c3 £e7 42.¤e3 ¤d4 43.¦ £d8 44.¦ 44.¦g5 ¤h7 45.¦ 45.¦g7 ¤f6 46.¦ 46.¦g5 ¤h7 ¦h5 ¤f6 48.¦ 47.¦ 47. 48.¦h6 ¤g8 49.¦ 49.¦h5 ½–½
11.£d2 11.£ Tis is the most popular option, but it is difficult to understand why. why.
Ulf defended this plan with queenside castling twice against Karpov, and in their third encounter Karpov gave up the 7.g5 move and played 7.¦g1 instead, but still could not win the game. Tis was a psychological success for Black, and soon other plans evolved. Specifically, White started to play 7.h4 instead of 7.g5.
Zhu Chen – Jaan Ehlvest Gibraltar 2007
1.e4 c5 2.¤f3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4. ¤ xd4 ¤f6 5.¤c3 d6 6.g4 h6 7.h4 ¤c6 8.¦ 8.¦g1 h5 9.gxh5 ¤ xh5
¥ g5 10. ¥ g5 ¤f6
Te correct move is 11. ¦g3!. 11...£b6 12.¤b3 11...£ In this position ... ¤e5 does not make any sense, because there is no ... ¦h3 anymore. 12...a6 13.0–0–0 ¥ 13.0–0–0 ¥ d7 d7
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Here my opponents tried several moves, but the conclusion – White is better, but Black has enough counter-chances – never changed.
Andrey Vovk Vovk – Alvaro Valdes Valdes Escobar
¥ g2?! 14.¦g3 £c7 15. ¥ 14.¦ g2?! ¤h5 16.¦ 16.¦h3 ¦c8 ¢b1 b5 18.a3 b4 19.axb4 ¤ xb4 20. ¥ ¥ f1 17.¢ 17. f1 ¥ h3 ¥ ¥ e5 21.¦ 21.¦h2 ¦b8 22. ¥ h3 ¥ c6 c6 23.¤d5 d5 ¥ xd5 ¥ e3 24.exd5 ¥ e7 e7 25.£ 25.£c3 £b6 26. ¥ e3 £b5 ¥ f1 ¥ a7 27. ¥ f1 £a4 28. ¥ a7 ¦a8 29.£ 29.£c7
1.e4 c5 2.¤f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. ¤ xd4 ¤f6 ¥ g5 5.¤c3 ¤c6 6. ¥ g5 e6 7.£ 7.£d2 a6 8.0–0–0 h6 ¥ f4 ¥ e7 ¥ e2 9.¤ xc6 bxc6 bxc6 10. ¥ f4 d5 11.£ 11.£e3 e3 ¥ e7 12. ¥ e2 0–0 13.h4
29...0–0 30.£ 30.£ xe7 ¦fc8 31.f3 £a2† 32.¢ 32.¢c1 £ xb3 33.¦ 33. ¦dd2 £a2 34.¢ 34.¢d1 £b1† 35.¢ 35.¢e2 ¦h1 ¦ xc2 38. ¦ xc2 ¤g3† 36.¢ 36.¢f2 ¤ xf1 37. 37.¦ 38.¦ ¤d3† 39.¢ 39.¢g2 ¤f4† 0–1 In this game a typical Sicilian battle occurred, and I do not want to focus on the mistakes made by White. oday everybody can look at the game using a computer and can point out that theoretically White has the better game. Tis is true, but the same goes for the Anand – Kasparov game we saw on page 130. My opponent definitely had not studied this position for a week. However, there is more bad news for Black in the Keres Attack. Let’s first examine the following game.
Shenzhen 2011
¥ b7 13...¦e8 14.g4 ¤h7 15.£ 13...¦ 15.£g3 g3 ¥ b7 16.g5 ¦c8 ¦dg1 d4 18.g6 fxg6 19.£ ¥ f6 17.¦ 17. 19. £ xg6 xg6 ¥ f6 20.e5 ¥ d3 ¢b1 dxc3 21. ¥ d3 ¤f8 22.£ 22.£ xh6 cxb2† 23. 23.¢ ¢f7 24.£ 24.£h5† 1–0 And now let’s let’s go back to the Keres Attack. Attack.
Ismael eran eran Alvarez A lvarez – Jaan Ehlvest Gibraltar 2007
1.e4 c5 2.¤f3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4. ¤ xd4 ¤f6 5.¤c3 d6 6.g4 h6 7.h4 ¤c6 8.¦ 8.¦g1 h5 ¥ g5 9.gxh5 ¤ xh5 10. ¥ g5 ¤f6 11.¦ 11.¦g3! Tis is the main problem in the Keres Attack. Tis waiting move creates a lot of problems for Black.
Chapter 3 – Key Ideas and Positions
¥ e7!? 11... ¥ e7!? I was trying to trick my less experienced opponent, and I succeeded. Black cannot support the c6-knight with the bishop: 11... ¥d7?! 12.¤db5! £b8 13.¦d3!± Te d6-pawn is difficult to defend, which is the other point behind ¦g3!. 11...a6 is the main move, but after 12. ¤xc6 bxc6 13.£f3! I could not find any good plan, despite analysing it at home for some time.
Tis position resembles the above one from the Rauzer. Black has the centre, but here the kingside is already open, which makes Black’s life difficult. 12.¤ xc6 12.£d2 was stronger.
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12...bxc6 13.£ 13.£f3 d5 14.0–0–0 £a5 15.¢ 15.¢b1 ¦b8 16.b3 ¦b4 17.e5 ¤h5 18.¦ 18.¦g1 £c7 £e3 19.£ 19.
¥ h6 ¥ d3 19...f6 20.exf6 gxf6 21. ¥ h6 ¦ xh4 22. ¥ d3 ¢d8 23.¤e2 ¥ a3 ¦ xh1 a3 24.¦ 24.¦h1 ¦ xh1 25. 25.¦ ¥ f4 ¥ g3 26.¦g1 ¤e8 27. ¥ f4 e5 28. ¥ g3 £b6 ¤g7 26.¦ £d2 ¥ d7 29.£ 29. d2 ¥ d7 30.¦ 30.¦d1 ¤d6 31.c4 d4 32.£ 32.£c2 ¢c8 33.f4 £c5 34.fxe5 fxe5 35.¦ 35. ¦f1 £a5 ¥ ¥ 36.c5 ¤b5 37. ¥ xe5 ¦e8 38. ¥ xd4 ¤ xd4 0–1 In the above games I was still successful, despite the fact that the players with the white pieces had some theoretical advantage from the opening.
Positional ideas In the Sicilian Defence there are some positional concepts as well, but most of the time concrete evaluation prevails. In closed systems, the plan or set-up should be decided before analysing the concrete lines. One feature of computer engines is that they are not so good in closed positions, so you need to guide the program a lot. One solid opening is the Slav Defence. I played it myself for some time, but quit when I lost to Yusupov in our Candidates match in Saint
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Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
John in 1988. Te Slav was used by Petr Petrosian osian against Spassky in their world championship match in 1969. Te book of the match was like a bible for my first coach. In one of their encounters, the Slav was annotated deeply by both seconds – Isaac Boleslavsky and Igor Bondarevsky. Bondarevsky offered an interesting positional plan.
Boris Spassky – igran Petrosian Petrosian Moscow (7) 1969
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3. ¤f3 ¤f6 4.¤c3 dxc4 5.a4 ¥ f5 ¥ ¥ b4 f5 6.e3 e6 7. ¥ xc4 ¥ xc4 b4 8.0–0 ¤bd7 9.£ 9.£e2 0–0 9...¤e4 10.¥d3! is good for White. ¥ d3 10.e4 ¥ g6 10.e4 ¥ g6 11. ¥ d3 A very well-known theoretical position.
11...¦e8 11...¦ 11...¥h5 is the most common move.
Also possible is 11...h6, which I played myself against Lerner in 1986. ¥ 12.e5 ¤d5 13. ¥ xg6 13.¤xd5 cxd5?! 14.¥xg6 hxg6 15. ¥d2 ¥e7 16.¦fc1 ¤b8?! 17.£b5! would allow White an edge.
Instead, either 13...exd5 14. ¤e1 ¥xe1! or 13...¥xd3! 14.£xd3 cxd5= should be fine for Black 13...fxg6! 13...hxg6 14.¥d2 ¥e7 15.h4! ¥xh4 16.g3 ¥e7 17.¢g2 gives White a dangerous attack on the h-file. ¥ d2 ¥ 14. ¥ d2 ¥ e7 e7
Spassky did not find any plan here, and just tried to make good moves. 15.£e4 15.£ 15.a5 a6 16.¤e4 h6 17.¤e1!
Tis was the set-up recommended by Bondarevsky. 15...¤f8 16.a5 ¦c8 17.¦ 17.¦fc1 a6 18.£ 18.£g4 h6
Chapter 3 – Key Ideas and Positions 19.¤e4 £d7! 20.h4 ¦ed8 21.¦ 21.¦c4 £e8 ¦ac1 22.¦ 22. 22.b3! was the last attempt, with the idea of ¥c1-a3. 22...¦c7 23.¤g3 £f7 24.¤e1 ¦cd7 25.¤f3 22...¦ ¦c7 26.£ 26.£e4 ¦cd7 27.£ 27.£g4 ½–½ I used this set-up as White in several games, and it was also picked up from me by Lembit Oll – a player who knew nearly everything. In the next game I used the correct set-up but, instead of winning a good game, I messed up and only won the game because of a terrible blunder from my opponent. I still managed to drink champagne, not to celebrate this particular game, but because I won the Reggio Emilia super-tournament ahead of Karpov and Ivanchuk, and this game proved important.
Jaan Ehlvest – Margeir Petursson Petursson Reggio Emilia 1989
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3. ¤f3 ¤f6 4.¤c3 dxc4 5.a4 ¥ f5 ¥ ¥ b4 f5 6.e3 e6 7. ¥ xc4 ¥ xc4 b4 8.0–0 ¤bd7 9.£ 9.£e2 ¥ g6 ¥ d3 ¥ g6 10.e4 0–0 11. ¥ d3 ¥ h5 h5
In closed positions the different moves do
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not matter much: the plan White wants to execute is still the same. 12.e5 ¤d5 13.¤e4 ¥ e7 e7 14.¤g3 ¥ g6 g6 ¥ ¥ d2 15. ¥ xg6 fxg6 16.a5! a6 17. ¥ d2 h6 18.¤e4 g5 19.¤e1 ¦f7 20.¤d3 ¤f8 White has achieved the Bondarevsky Bondarevsky set-up.
21.¦fd1 21.¦ Protecting the d-pawn, just in case. I did not have any computer assistance back then, and like Spassky I could not find the most precise follow-up. 21...¦b8 22.£ 21...¦ 22.£g4 ¢h7 23.¤dc5 ¤c7 Te computer prefers White here, but as I have explained elsewhere, the computer evaluation in closed positions can be misleading.
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24.¦a3 £d5 25.¦ 24.¦ 25.¦h3 Tis plan with ¦a3-h3 was too ambitious. Black’s position is too solid and the direct attack is not going to succeed. 25...¢g8 26.b4 ¤g6 27.g3? 25...¢ After good opening play I spoiled my position in a few moves. Still, in this game luck was on my side. ¥ ¥ e3 27... ¥ xc5 28.bxc5 ¤b5 29. ¥ e3 ¦f5
30.£h5? 30.£ Another mistake in mutual time trouble.
30...¤ xe5 30...£xe4 31.£xg6 £g4 32.£h5 £xh5 33.¦xh5 ¦f3 34.¢g2 ¦bf8 35.g4 and White should just save the game. 31.dxe5 £ xe4 32.£ 32. £g6 ¦ xe5 33.¦ 33. ¦ xh6 £ xg6 ¦ xg6 ¢f7 35.¦ 34.¦ 34. 35.¦ xg5 ¦d5 Now it is an equal endgame. ¥ 36.¦a1 ¦bd8 37.¢ 36.¦ 37.¢g2 ¦ xg5 38. ¥ xg5 ¦d3 ¦a4 e5 40.¦ ¥ e3 39.¦ 39. 40.¦e4 ¦d5 41. ¥ e3 ¢f6 42.h4 ¤d4 43.g4
¦ xd4 ¦ xa5 45. ¦d7 ¦b5 43...¦ xc5?? 44. 43...¦ 44.¦ 45.¦ 46.h5 1–0 My compatriot Lembit Oll produced a much neater game, although we never actually analysed this specific idea together. I should also confess that I used this plan once more, winning against Barua at the Yerevan Y erevan Chess Olympiad in 1986. Howeve Howeverr, at one point in the game I was totally lost, but my opponent blundered in time trouble, just like Petursso Petursson. n. What can I say? Opening preparation is important, but like they say, against a strong opponent before you count your chickens you need to win all three battles: opening, middlegame and endgame.
Lembit Oll – Aleksander Wojtkiewicz Wojtkiewicz New York York 1994 19 94
1.d4 d5 2.¤f3 c6 3.c4 ¤f6 4.¤c3 dxc4 5.a4 ¥ f5 ¥ ¥ b4 f5 6.e3 e6 7. ¥ xc4 ¥ xc4 b4 8.0–0 ¤bd7 9.£ 9.£e2 ¥ g6 ¥ d3 g6 10.e4 0–0 11. ¥ d3 ¥ h5 h5 12.e5 ¤d5 ¥ 13.¤e4 ¥ e7 e7 14.¤g3 ¥ g6 g6 15. ¥ xg6 fxg6 16.¤e4 h6 17.a5 a6 18.¤e1 £e8 19.¤d3 g5
Chapter 3 – Key Ideas and Positions
20.b4!? Te idea is just to play ¤dc5 next move. Black was too careless with 18... £e8, overestimating his position. Te correct plan was to defend the b7- and e6-pawns as quickly as possible, so that after ¤dc5 Black is not forced to trade on c5. 20...£g6 20...£ 20...¤xb4 21.¤xb4 ¥xb4 22.¦b1 ¥xa5 23.¦xb7 gives White a decisive attack. 21.¤dc5 ¤ xc5 22.bxc5 Black’s position would be fine if there were no rooks on the board, but with them it is just positionally lost.
¦ad8 23.¤d6! ¥ 22...¦ 22... d6! ¥ xd6 24.exd6 ¦d7
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¥ d2 25.¦a3 ¦f6 26.¦ 25.¦ 26.¦g3 £f7 27. ¥ d2 £e8 28.£ 28.£e4 £h5 29.¦ 29.¦b3 £h4 30.f3 £ xe4 31.fxe4 31.fxe4 ¦ xf1† ¢ xf1 ¤f6 32.¢ 32.
33.d5! An attractive final breakthrough. breakthrough.
¦c3 33...cxd5 34.e5 ¤e4 35.¢ 35.¢e2 ¤ xc5 36. 36.¦ ¥ e3 ¤e4 37.¦ 37.¦c7 ¦d8 38. ¥ e3 1–0 Tere are some closed positions where both the critical plan and the move order are important. o find such a plan is not easy, and deep understanding of the position is required. You cannot find these ideas by accident: you need to work a lot with the data and then perhaps some spark will light up.
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Baadur Jobava – Magnus Carlsen Internet (rapid) 2017
1.d4 ¤f6 2.c4 e6 3.¤f3 b6 4.¤c3 ¥ b4 b4 ¥ g5 ¥ h4 ¥ 5. ¥ g5 h6 6. ¥ h4 ¥ b7 b7
In this well-known theoretical position, Georgian players found a new idea. 7.¤d2!? 7.e3 g5 8.¥g3 ¤e4 9.£c2 ¥xc3† 10.bxc3 d6 11.¥d3 f5 12.d5 ¤a6! (a modern improvement over the older 12... ¤d7) 13.¤d4 ¤dc5
Tis is a critical position, but practice has shown that Black has good counterplay. counterplay. 7...£e7!? 7...£ Te direct attack with 7...c5 is not good because of 8.d5! g5 9. ¥g3 and White is
prepared to sacrifice a pawn. Tis is the idea behind 7.¤d2. A possible plan is 7... ¤c6 8.e3 ¤e7, but still White is somewhat better in this position. Te ...£e7 move looks strange at first sight, but I believe Carlsen’s idea was to improve on the immediate 7...¥xc3 (which has been played in several previous encounters, including some games of Nisipeanu which are well worth studying). Black is playing flexibly, making a generally useful move while keeping the option of converting to the ... ¥xc3 positions under improved circumstances. 8.£c2!? 8.£ After 8.f3 then 8...d5 is possible, as we will see in the next game. 8.a3 ¥xc3 9.bxc3 g5 10. ¥g3 d6 11.f3 ¤bd7 12.e4 0–0–0
Here it is obvious that ... £e7 fits with wit h Black’s Black’s plan. 8...c5 9.a3 ¥ 9.a3 ¥ xc3 9...¥a5!? is also possible. 10.£ xc3 10.£ 10.bxc3 d6 11.e4 g5 12. ¥g3 ¤c6 13.¤b3 leads to a complicated game. Black can even consider 13...¤xe4!?.
Chapter 3 – Key Ideas and Positions
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10...cxd4 11.£ 11.£ xd4 ¤c6 11...d6 12.e4 e5! 13. £d3 ¤bd7 14.f3 0–0 15.¥e2 ¤c5 16.£c3 ¦ac8 is fine for Black.
I am sure that the World World Champion was aware of the next game. In this earlier game the more principled move 8.f3! was played.
¥ 12.£c3 ¦c8 13.e3 0–0 14.¦ 12.£ 14. ¦d1 d5 15. ¥ xf6 gxf6 Despite the doubled pawns Black is better here; the lead in development is more important.
Alexander Moiseenko – Ruslan Ponomariov
¥ e2 16.cxd5 ¤e5 17.£ 17.£d4 ¦fd8 18. ¥ e2 ¦ xd5 £h4 £d8 20.£ ¥ 19.£ 19. 20.£ xh6 ¤d3† 21. ¥ xd3 ¦ xd3 ¥ 22.e4 ¥ 22.e4 xe4 23.0–0 ¥ 23.0–0 ¥ g6 g6 24.h4
£f4 24...¦c5 25.b4 ¦cd5 26.h5 ¦ xh5 27. 24...¦ 27.£ ¦hd5 28.¤e4 ¥ ¦ xd3 ¥ ¦c1 e4 ¥ xe4 29. 29.¦ xd3 ¥ xd3 30. 30.¦ ¢g7 31.¦ 31.¦c7 0–1
Sochi 2006
1.d4 e6 2.c4 ¤f6 3.¤c3 ¥ b4 b4 4.¤f3 b6 ¥ g5 ¥ ¥ h4 5. ¥ g5 ¥ b7 b7 6.¤d2!? h6 7. ¥ h4 £e7!? 8.f3! It seems that this is the correct way for White.
8...d5 Tis is the logical follow-up, but another plan with 8...c5 9.a3 ¥xc3 10.bxc3 d5 also deserves serious attention. It looks counterintuitive to open the position when White has the bishop pair, but Black has the better development. ¥ e2 9.e3 0–0 10. ¥ e2 e5?! 10...c5! 11.a3 ¥xc3 12.bxc3 ¤c6 13.0–0 ¤a5 Te position is complicated. Te little move ...£e7 creates a lot of lines which take time to analyse – one week at least! 11.0–0 exd4 12.exd4 ¦e8 13.¦ 13.¦f2 g5 13...£e6 14.¥d3 ¤bd7 15.cxd5 ¤xd5 16.¤xd5 ¥xd5 17.¦e2 £c6 18.¤e4 may be slightly better for White.
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¥ g3 14. ¥ g3 ¤c6 15.¤b3 15.a3!? might keep some advantage for White, for example: 15... ¥d6 16.¥xd6 cxd6 17.cxd5 ¤xd4 18.¤de4! (18.¤c4 ¤xe2† 19.¦xe2 £d7 20.¦xe8† ¦xe8 21.h4÷) 18...¤xe2† 19.¦xe2 ¤xe4 20.fxe4± 15...dxc4? 15...¦ad8!= would keep the position balanced. ¥ 16. ¥ xc4 ¦ad8 17.£ 17.£d3 ¢g7 18.f4±
18...¤g4 19.¦ 19.¦e2 £d7 20.d5 ¦ xe2 21.£ 21. £ xe2 ¦e8 22.£ ¥ b5 ¥ 22.£d2 ¤a5 23. ¥ b5 ¤ xb3 24. ¥ xd7 ¥ ¥ e1 ¥ c6 ¥ ¤ xd2 25. ¥ xe8 gxf4 26. ¥ e1 f3 27. ¥ c6 ¥ a6 a6 ¥ g3 28.gxf3 ¤ xf3† 29.¢ 29. ¢g2 ¤fe5 30. ¥ g3 ¤e3† ¢h1 ¤3c4 32.a3 ¥ 31.¢ 31. xc3 33.bxc3 ¤ xc6 ¥ b5 ¥ ¥ 34.dxc6 ¥ 34.dxc6 b5 35. ¥ xc7 ¥ xc7 xc6† 36.¢ 36.¢g1 ¢g6
37.¢f2 ¢f5 38.¢ 37.¢ 38.¢g3 ¢e4 39.¦ 39.¦f1 ¤ xa3 ¦f6 ¥ d5 ¥ b8 40.¦ 40. d5 41.¦ 41.¦ xh6 ¤b5 42. ¥ b8 ¤ xc3 ¥ 43. ¥ xa7 b5 44.h4 ¤e2† 45.¢ 45.¢g4 ¢d3 ¥ c5 46.h5 ¥ e4 e4 47. ¥ c5 f5† 48.¢ 48.¢g5 f4 49.¦ 49.¦e6 f3 50.¦ 50.¦ xe4 ¢ xe4 51.h6 ¤f4 52.h7 ¤e6† ¢g4 ¤ xc5 54.h8=£ f2 55.£ 53.¢ 53. 55.£h1† ¢e3 £f3† 56.£ 56. 1–0 When starting to look at an opening line, the first step is to study the games of prominent players. A theoretical book can be useful to provide an overview of the structure of the particular line; visually seeing the tree in a book helps you to keep track of your work. In the past the Encyclopedia of Chess Openings had this kind of tree structure, though with comments using only symbols. An opening textbook will have a lot of comments, but the conclusions can be misleading. A player needs to learn the opening himself; the book should serve only as a reference. During my long career I cannot name even one opening book that I really studied. Tis does not mean that they are completely useless, but they are just additional learning material. If a young player does not understand what he or she is reading, it only hurts their studies. Te coach should always supervise opening study. From my experience I would say that even at a level of around 2000-2100, a player is not capable of teasing out the essence of the opening line just by reading a book. Working alone with the data might also not lead to the right conclusion. Te helper (the coach), the book and the data should be combined. Finally, there is the computer evaluation, which may spoil an idea or plan that is already approved and recognized. Te next game has it all.
Chapter 3 – Key Ideas and Positions
Lajos Portisch – Anatoly Karpov Bugojno 1978
1.d4 ¤f6 2.c4 e6 3.¤c3 ¥ b4 b4 4.e3 0–0 ¥ d3 ¥ 5. ¥ d3 c5 6.¤f3 d5 7.0–0 dxc4 8. ¥ xc4 cxd4 9.exd4 b6
Positions with an isolated pawn are one of the most difficult types to master, but it is essential if the player hopes to advance to the next level. ¥ g5 10. ¥ g5 ¥ b7 b7 11.¦ 11.¦e1 ¤bd7 12.¦ 12.¦c1 ¦c8 ¥ d3 13. ¥ d3
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¥ 13... ¥ xc3!? Tis move needs deep explanation. At some level we always prefer the bishop over the knight, but with this move Black gives away the bishop pair and strengthens White’s White’s centre. However, Black’s Black’s position positio n is solid and he hopes ho pes to put pressure on the white centre. oday oday we can see many games with this theme. 14.bxc3 £c7 15.c4 15.¤d2! is the correct plan.
White wants to use the e4-square and, after f2-f3 and ¤e4, retake with the f-pawn on e4. In this case Black’s counterplay with ...e5 will not be so effective. 15...¦fe8 15...¦ 15...¤g4? is just a shot in the air: 16.h3! ¥xf3 17.£xf3 £h2† 18.¢f1 and White is winning. 16.£e2 h6 16.£ 16...£c6 17.h3 ¦cd8 18.¦cd1 ¤f8 19.£e5 ¤6d7 20.£g3± Gligoric – Portisch, Lugano 1968. ¥ d2 17. ¥ d2 17.¥h4 £f4 18.£e3 £g4 19.h3 £h5 and Black has good counterplay. counterplay.
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Te following idea was praised back in 1978 as a brilliant brilli ant plan executed by Karpov Karpov.. ¥ 17... ¥ xf3! Giving up the other bishop. 18.£ xf3 e5 18.£ Tis was Karpov’ Karpov’ss positional idea.
19.£g3? 19.£ Portisch probably chose not to play 19.d5! because it is counter-intuitive – closing the position with two bishops just does not look like the correct plan. Still, this was the best choice, and White has a good game: 19... ¤c5 20.¥f1! (20.¥c2 e4 gives Black some initiative,
although the computer likes White’ White’ss position) 20...e4 21.£h3 Again, the computer prefers White’ss position. White’ ¥ f4 19...exd4 20.¦ 20.¦ xe8† ¤ xe8 21. ¥ f4 £c6 ¥ f5 22. ¥ f5 ¦d8 23.h3 ¤c5 24.¦ 24.¦d1 £f6 Black has comfortably dealt with White’s attacking attempts and is a clear pawn up.
¥ b1 ¥ e5 25. ¥ b1 £e6 26.¢ 26.¢h2 ¢f8 27. ¥ e5 £ xc4 £f4 ¤e6 29.£ 28.£ 28. 29.£e4 £d5 30.£ 30.£e2 ¤d6 ¥ g3 ¥ a2 31.a4 ¤c4 32. ¥ g3 ¤c5 33. ¥ a2 d3 34.£ 34.£e1 £d4 35.f3 ¤e3 36.¦ 36.¦d2 ¦e8 37.£ 37.£c1 ¤ xa4 ¢h1 ¤c5 39. ¥ ¥ f2 ¥ b1 38.¢ 38. f2 £e5 40. ¥ b1 ¢g8 0–1 Tis game is difficult to grasp, even for a strong grandmaster. What is the final truth – should I play like Karpov or not? What is the final verdict on these critical positions? Wee can simply answer that “it depends” W and ignore these questions. Te lesson here was about the pattern or idea executed by Karpov. Te game of chess is fortunately so complicated that there are no ready answers for every situation. Knowing the opening patterns just helps to improve one’ one’ss game. In the next example, Karpov demonstrated how to play against White’s White’s hanging pawns.
Chapter 3 – Key Ideas and Positions
Mark aimanov aimanov – Anatoly Karpov Ka rpov Moscow 1973
¥ b4 ¥ d3 1.d4 ¤f6 2.c4 e6 3. ¤c3 c3 ¥ b4 4.e3 c5 5. ¥ d3 ¥ 0–0 6.¤f3 d5 7.0–0 dxc4 8. ¥ xc4 cxd4 ¥ b7 9.exd4 b6 10.£ 10.£e2 e2 ¥ b7 11.¦ 11.¦d1 ¤bd7
¥ d2 12. ¥ d2 A very timid move, typical of aimanov aimanov..
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15.bxc3 ¦c7 16.¦ 16.¦ac1 £c8 17.£ 17.£a4
17...¦c4! 17...¦ A very strong positional pawn sacrifice. sacrifice.
After 17...£b7 18.c4 ¦fc8 19.¥f4 ¦c6 20.h3 White is doing fine; the position is about equal.
¦c8 13. ¥ ¥ a6 ¥ 12...¦ 12... a6 ¥ xa6 14.£ 14.£ xa6
18.£ xa7 £c6 19.£ 18.£ 19.£a3 ¦c8 20.h3 h6 21.¦ 21. ¦b1 ¦a4 22.£ 22.£b3 ¤d5 23.¦ 23.¦dc1 ¦c4 24.¦ 24.¦b2 f6 25.¦ 25.¦e1 ¢f7 26.£ 26.£d1 ¤f8 27.¦ 27.¦b3 ¤g6 £b1 ¦a8 28.£ 28.
¥ 14... ¥ xc3! A strong move, seemingly improving White’ White’ss pawn structure, but instead of an isolated pawn White will now have hanging pawns with wi th no prospects.
29.¦e4 ¦ca4 30.¦ 29.¦ 30.¦b2 ¤f8 31.£ 31.£d3 ¦c4 ¦e1 ¦a3 33.£ 32.¦ 32. 33.£b1 ¤g6 34.¦ 34.¦c1 ¤ xc3 £d3 ¤e2† 36.£ ¥ 35.£ 35. 36.£ xe2 ¦ xc1† 37. ¥ xc1 £ xc1† 38.¢ 38.¢h2 ¦ xf3 39.gxf3 ¤h4 0–1
Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
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Studying these classical games teaches a lot, even to very strong players. I had the chance to use these motifs against none other than Vassily Ivanchuk in our match in the FIDE World W orld Championship in 2000. I had the fortune to win the decisive rapid game and thus the mini-match.
Vassily V assily Ivanchuk – Jaan Ehlvest New Delhi/eheran (2.4) 2000
1.c4 c6 2.e4 d5 3.exd5 ¤f6 4.¤c3 cxd5 5.d4 £c2 £c7!? e6 6.¤f3 ¥ b4 b4 7.cxd5 ¤ xd5 8. 8.£ ¥ d2 ¥ d3 9. ¥ d2 ¤d7 10. ¥ d3
¥ 10... ¥ xc3!? 10...¤f4?! 11.¥xf4 £xf4 12.0–0 is unpleasant for Black, for example: 12...a6?! 13.¦fe1 ¥xc3 14.bxc3 g6 15.¦e4 White had a serious initiative in Spacek – Dejkalo, Prague 1989. 11.bxc3 ¤5f6 12.a4?! 12.0–0 b6 13.¦fe1 ¥b7 14.¤e5 ¤xe5 15.¦xe5 would lead to a normal game. When in doubt there is always the simple advice: try to play in the centre. 12...b6 13.0–0 ¥ 13.0–0 ¥ b7 b7
14.¤h4? My opponent tries too hard. Tis move is not good and only Vassily’s bad nerves can explain such an antipositional plan. 14...0–0 15.f4 ¥ 15.f4 ¥ d5 d5 16.¤f3 White pulls back, admitting that his plan does not work. 16.c4 was the correct move, and after 16... 1 6... ¦ac8 17.¦ac1 ¥a8 the game is complicated. White should not be tempted by 18.f5? e5 when Black is better, as the a2-h7 diagonal is closed by White’s own pawn. ¥ c4 £ xd3 ¦ac8 16... ¥ c4 17.¤e5 ¥ xd3 18. 18.£ ¦f3 ¤d5 20.£ 19.¦ 19. 20.£b5 ¦fd8 21.¦ 21.¦af1
Chapter 3 – Key Ideas and Positions 21...f5! Blocking the f-file. Black has an overwhelming advantage. Compared with the aimanov – Karpov game above, Black has not even sacrificed a pawn. ¥ e1?! 22. ¥ e1?! ¤ xe5! 23.fxe5 £c4 Black is completely dominating on the light squares.
¥ h4?! 24. ¥ h4?! £ xb5 25.axb5 ¦d7 26.¦ 26.¦c1 ¦c4 ¥ e1 27. ¥ e1 ¤c7 28.h3?! 28.¦b1 would not be enough to save the game: 28...¦d5 29.¦f2 ¤xb5 30.¦b3 ¤c7 31.¦a2 ¦b5 32.¦xb5 ¤xb5 Black is winning. 28...¦dxd4! 28...¦ White will soon lose a second pawn, for example: 29.cxd4 ¦xc1 30.¢f1 ¤xb5–+ 0–1
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o find and analyse the critical or key positions is not simply routine work, but is more like a creative task that helps a player to advance. Te idea that the game starts after the opening is a big misconception. In that view we are at first in some kind of memory contest, followed by a practical exercise, and then in the final phase of the game we again test our knowledge in theoretical endgame positions. So-called Fischer Random chess (or Chess960) ostensibly cuts off the first part of the game, but in my opinion this is unnecessary: we should not cut off the logical process of the game. Nobody argues that we should remove some part of the game in other sports, such as the serve in tennis. Lastly, we start our lives when we are born and live till we die. If in chess we want to see a model of life, we need to keep it as it is. Working on openings, despite there always Working being some computer-generated final answer, is essential if you are to master chess. Te concepts, the critical lines and the positions that you have in your mind make you a player. Chess is not a game where we just compare our knowledge, but we also compare our creativity in a competitive environment.
Chapter 4 Computer Preparation versus Human Common Sense What route should we follow in opening preparation – the computer evaluation or a practical human decision? Tere is always the final truth, which can be measured strictly by computer evaluation. However, However, the number it gives is only relevant as a scientific measure of the position, and might be good if we were preparing to play a match against some advanced aliens who might visit us in the future. For decades the only measure was simply practice – this was the criterion of truth. Practical players follow the trend and use modern opening lines; researchers try to find something of their own. It becomes more and more difficult to find something new; the practical approach prevails today. In the past you had to work or analyse yourself: you could not trust practice blindly. Tere were no computers around to confirm what was right or wrong. Te old saying – trust but verify – applied. oday one can reduce the amount of work one has to do to find the correct way because there is the absolute truth of the computer evaluation. Tis attitude is very common among the new generation of chess players. I experienced this while working with young players. Once, when I tried to explain a certain position to a student in the training camp, he just ran to another room to check the correct computer move. He was right of course: the computer move was the strongest move. Ten I realized that the coach has a very difficult duty to explain to even advanced and clever students the difference between a computer evaluation and a practical human decision. Tere are many factors that we need to consider when talking about a perfect or correct opening line in terms of the computer evaluation. When we are annotating a game, we always notice and point out any mistakes using computer help. All commentators today have this powerful tool and the differences in their own chess c hess strength do not count for much. Grandmasters do not have the same magic aura that they had in the past, when only the great masters could reveal the hidden secrets of the game to chess aficionados.
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It might seem that everybody is capable of analysing and preparing opening lines using computer help, but this is not true – and I am not making the argument here to defend the profession of coach. Years ago we did not have computers, yet in Years 1988 Lev Polugaevsky was convinced that in correspondence chess he could play at the same level as the World Champion, Kasparov. Te latter correctly pointed out, however however,, that it is not enough to have nearly unlimited time to analyse the position – one must first also choose the correct opening or line to play. play. Tere are vast numbers of opening lines. Which line to choose? Te player is the most important factor, not the opening line. Te level or rating of the opposition is also a very important consideration. Some openings are good up to a certain level. We might have a very emotional bond with them, but we cannot fall in love for ever. Te King’s Gambit should be in the young player’s repertoire, but then he needs to move on and study and play other classical lines: most importantly the Ruy Lopez. Opening lines illustrate some kind of order in chess. Te young player must play attacking chess. Te first move 1.e4 must be the main opening move. When the player advances and their understanding of positional chess develops, he or she can start the game with 1.d4 or 1. ¤f3. Older players tend to play more closed positions. Some players try to play both. Which move is best – 1.e4 or 1.d4 – is not relevant, but the character of the game after each move is completely different. Tis is why once you move from 1.e4 to 1.d4 it is not so easy to switch back. Vladimir Kramnik has done it with some success, but other players have regretted that they moved from open lines to closed lines.
Computer lines become more relevant when young players approach grandmaster strength. Tey tend to check the computer evaluation all the time, and neglect the other lines. Fortunately, chess is not just about black and white decisions. At a certain level, a player may be stronger in attacking positions, but lacking in defensive skills. Te computer’ computer’ss truth is not relevant until the player reaches the very top of the game. Even then, there are some positions which, despite the computer evaluation, are easier to play for humans. In the following game I had a position after the opening which was evaluated as “...and White has compensation for the sacrificed sacrific ed piece.” Te computer evaluation is not relevant, because the compensation is positional, not dynamic or tactical.
Jaan Ehlvest – Raj ischbierek ischbierek Leningrad 1984
1.e4 c5 2.¤f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. ¤ xd4 ¤f6 ¥ c4 5.¤c3 ¤c6 6. ¥ c4
Te Sozin Attack, which we discussed in the previous chapter, chapter, is one of the most direct ways to attack the black king. It has some positional basis as well: developing the bishop to the
Chapter 4 – Computer Preparation Preparation versus Hum Human an Common Sense a2-f7 diagonal, controlling the light squares and, in some positions after f4-f5, forcing Black to move his e-pawn or to take on f5, after which White gets control over the d5-square. Black must try to trade White’s light-squared bishop or the d4-knight. If they can work together, a lot of tactical motifs are in the air. ¥ e3 6...e6 7. ¥ e3 a6 8.£ 8.£e2 £c7 9.0–0–0 ¥ e7 e7 ¥ b3 10. ¥ b3 ¤a5 11.g4 b5 12.g5 ¤ xb3† 13.axb3 ¤d7
White is not forced to sacrifice a piece here, but can just play 14.h4. However, practice shows that there is no advantage for White. 14.¤f5! exf5 15.¤d5 £d8 16.exf5 ¥ b7 b7 ¥ 17.f6 gxf6 18.¦ 18.¦he1 he1 ¥ xd5 Te only move. 19.¦ xd5 ¦g8 19.¦ In this position, a slow plan was introduced. Even today we can check the computer evaluation and see that all of the forcing lines are about equal – sooner or later White needs to force a draw. But the computer does not indicate the positional plan here. When we talk about a positional plan or move, we are usually talking about the pawns, the pawn structure, etc.
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20.h4! Who is the author of this plan? I got this idea from Yurkov, who showed me this in one of our training camps. His student Andrei Sokolov won a game with it (see below), but the very first game (according to the database) was played by Florin Florin Gheorghiu. 20...¦c8 21.f4! 20...¦ 21.¥f4? was played in the first game to reach this position, suggesting that h2-h4 was just an accidental move made by Gheorghiu without any idea behind it: 21... ¢f8 22.gxf6 ¤xf6 23.¦f5 ¦c5 24.¥h6† ¢e8 25.¦xc5 dxc5 26.¥g5 ¦g6 27.f4 ¤g8 28.f5 ¦d6 29.£e4 ¢f8–+ Black went on to win in Gheorghiu – Hamann, Vrnjacka Vrnjacka Banja 1967.
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Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
White’s plan should just be to play a positional White’s game a piece down! Te compensation lies in the lack of coordination in Black’s camp. Te position is about equal, but it is easier to play with White. 21...¢f8 22.¢ 21...¢ 22.¢b1 ¦g6 Sokolov’s game continued: 22... ¤b8?
23.£h5 (23.£d3! would already give White a big advantage) 23... ¦g7 24.¥d2 ¦c5? 25.¦xc5 dxc5 26.gxf6 ¥xf6 27.£xc5† ¢g8 (27...¥e7 28.¦xe7! £xe7 29.£c8† £e8 30.¥b4† ¢g8 31.£xe8#)
28.£c7! h5 29.£xd8† ¥xd8 30.¦e8† ¢h7 31.¦xd8+– White had regained the piece and easily won the ending in A. Sokolov – Korzubov, Bukhara 1981. 23.¦f5? 23.¦ Te correct way to keep the pressure on was: 23.h5! ¦g8 24.£d3 ¦g7 25.¥d4
White has more than enough compensation for the piece. 23...fxg5 24.hxg5 ¢g8 25.¦ 25.¦d5 ¦e6 26.£ 26.£d3 £c7 27.¦ ¥ d2 27.¦e2 £c6 28.¦ 28.¦h2 ¤f8 29. ¥ d2 £b6 ¦g2 b4 31.f5 ¦e5 30.¦ 30.
32.g6 hxg6 33.fxg6 £c6 34.gxf7† ¢ xf7 ¦f2† ¢e8 36.¦ 35.¦ 35. 36.¦d4 ¤e6 37.¦ 37.¦ xb4 ¢d7 ¥ c3 38. ¥ c3 ¦h5 39.¦ 39.¦e2 d5 40.¦ 40.¦g4 £b5 41.£ 41.£f3 ¥ d4 42.¦ 42.¦ge4 ¦c6 43. ¥ xd4 £f5 ½–½ In the next game the computer evaluation might have helped White, but back then nobody knew the exact situation.
Chapter 4 – Computer Preparation Preparation versus Hum Human an Common Sense
Oleg Romanishin – Pertti Poutiainen Poutiainen allinn 1977
1.e4 c5 2.¤f3 ¤c6 3.¤c3 d6 4.d4 cxd4 ¥ c4 ¥ b3 ¥ e3 5.¤ xd4 ¤f6 6. ¥ c4 e6 7. ¥ b3 ¥ e7 e7 8. ¥ e3 ¥ 0–0 9.f4 a6 10.£ 10. £f3 ¤ xd4 11. ¥ xd4 b5
Tis was one of the tabiya positions in the Sozin Attack. It also featured in the 1993 London match between Short and Kasparov. I have played this position with both Black and White. Te position is so complicated that once I misplayed it with White, despite being familiar with it as early as 1979, when I won a game game with Black in the Under-17 Under-17 World Championship in Belfort. ¥ 12. ¥ xf6 12.e5 dxe5 13. ¥xe5 ¦a7! 14.0–0 ¦d7 15.¦ad1 £b6† 16.¢h1 ¥b7 was fine for Black in Sorensen – Sher, Hastings 1989-90. ¥ 12... ¥ xf6 13.e5 ¥ 13.e5 ¥ h4† h4† 14.g3 ¦b8 Tis defensive trick was very well known. 15.0–0–0 Short played: 15.gxh4 ¥b7 16.¤e4 dxe5 Kasparov had prepared this line. He probably did not like that after 16... £xh4†
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17.£g3 £xg3† 18.¤xg3 ¥xh1 19.¤xh1 dxe5 20.fxe5 ¦fd8 21.¤f2! (21.¦d1? ¦xd1† 22.¢xd1 ¦d8† 23.¢e2 ¦d4 24.¤f2 ¦h4 25.h3 ¦h5) 21...¦d4 22.¢f1! White can still hope for some advantage. 17.¦g1 g6
18.¦d1 18.¦g3!? might be a try for the advantage. 18...¥xe4 19.£xe4 £xh4† 20.¢e2÷ A draw eventually resulted in Short – Kasparov, London (12) 1993. ¥ b7 ¥ e7?! 15... ¥ b7 16.¤e4 e4 ¥ e7?! Te main problem for White is: 16... ¥xe4 17.£xe4 d5
I have used this position with my students a lot. Te question is: can you find the correct plan for White? It was rather strange that I missed the correct plan myself against Mednis in 1998, but the game was played in
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Las Vegas and either due to the casino atmosphere or something else, I could not remember anything. I knew that White has a way to put pressure on Black, but could not figure it out and the game ended in a quick draw after 18. £f3 ¥e7 19.f5 a5 20.c3 a4 21.¥c2 b4 22.f6 gxf6 23. ¥xh7† ¢xh7 24.£h5† ¢g7 25.£g4† ½–½ Ehlvest – Mednis, Las Vegas 1998. Te correct move is 18. £d3! ¥e7 19.h4! and now Black has only one move to keep the balance: 19...£b6! Instead 19... £a5 20.f5 b4 21.£f3 ¢h8 22.f6± gave White the advantage in Morozevich – Mitenkov, Moscow 1991, and 19...a5 20.c3 b4 21. ¥c2 g6 22.h5 bxc3 23.hxg6 hxg6 24. ¦h6± is also good for White.
17.f5 17.exd6 ¥xd6 18.¦he1? (18.f5! ¥xe4 19.£xe4 £g5† 20.¢b1 exf5 21.£c6 ¥e5 22.£xa6 f4 23.gxf4 ¥xf4 24.a3 and White has better chances) 18...a5 19. ¥xe6? fxe6 20.£g4 ¥d5 and White did not have sufficient compensation in Hmadi – De Firmian, unis 1985. 17...exf5 Black could also consider 17...¥xe4 18.£xe4 d5. £ xf5 ¥ 18.£ 18. xf5 ¥ xe4 19.£ 19.£ xe4 £c7
20.exd6 It is difficult to understand u nderstand why Romanishin did not play 20.e6. Most likely he thought that Black has some drawing chances after 20...fxe6 21. £xe6† ¢h8 22.¦he1 ¥f6 23.£xd6 £xd6 24.¦xd6 a5, but you cannot expect to win immediately in the opening. Reaching an endgame with an extra pawn is good value from the opening. ¥ ¦hf1 a5 22.¦ ¥ d5 20... ¥ xd6 21. 21.¦ 22.¦d3 a4 23. ¥ d5 ¢h8 24.¦ 24.¦c3 24.¦xf7 ¦xf7 25.¥xf7 £xf7 26.¦xd6 £xa2 27.£e7 was still equal. £a7 25.¦ 24...£ 24... 25.¦c6 f5 26.£ 26.£d3 £e7
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Black is now better. Te opposite-coloured bishops are quite venomous, because Black will effectively have an extra piece when attacking.
to learn from it as well. Te next game shows how an interesting idea was born in a different Najdorf line.
¥ g2 ¥ 27. ¥ g2 ¥ e5 e5 28.¢ 28.¢b1 g6 29.¦ 29.¦e1 £g7 30.£ 30.£a3 ¦ce6 ¥ a1 b4 31.£ 31.£ xa4 ¥ xb2 32. 32.¦ a1 33.£ 33.£b3 ¥ c3 £d5 c3 34.¦ 34.¦d1 ¦fd8 35.¦ 35.¦ xd8† ¦ xd8 36. 36.£ £c7 37.£ 37.£f3 £d7 38.£ 38.£d3 £c8 39.¦ 39.¦d6 ¦e8 ¥ f3 ¥ ¥ d1 40. ¥ f3 ¥ g7 g7 41.£ 41.£b5 h5 42. ¥ d1 ¦d8 43.¦ 43.¦d3 ¦ xd3 44. £ xd3 £c5 45.¢ 44.£ 45.¢c1 £g1 46.£ 46.£d2 ¢h7 47.£ 47.£e2
Alvis Vitolinsh – Viktor Gavrikov
47...£a7 48.£ 47...£ 48.£c4 £e3† 49.¢ 49.¢b1 £g1 £e2 £d4 51.¢ 50.£ 50. 51.¢c1 £b2† 52.¢ 52.¢d2 £c3† ¢c1 ¥ h6† 53.¢ 53. h6† 54.¢ 54.¢b1 £a3 55.£ 55.£e7† ¥ g7 g7 56.c3 £ xc3 57.£ 57.£e2 £a1† 58.¢ 58.¢c2 £b2† 0–1 Everybody looks at the computer evaluation in sharp lines. Te Najdorf Variation of the Sicilian Defence is probably one of the most complicated openings, especially the 6. ¥g5 line. One of the best opening books ever written, Grandmaster Preparation Preparation by Lev Polugaevsky, is about the line 6. ¥g5 e6 7.f4 b5!?. Tis line is no longer considered c onsidered playable and we have computers to thank for this. Te question is: should we neglect the wonderful work done by Polugaevsky? Of course not! Te line might be refuted, but the intelligent chess researcher can and must find something
USSR 1977
1.e4 c5 2.¤f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.¤ xd4 ¤f6 ¥ g5 5.¤c3 a6 6. ¥ g5 In recent years this move has become popular again. Years ago there was one principal line that was a headache for White. 6...e6 7.f4 £b6! Te Poisoned Pawn was also played by Bobby Fischer in his match against Spassky in Reykjavik in 1972. ¦b1 £a3 10.f5 ¤c6 11.¤ xc6 8.£d2 £ xb2 9. 8.£ 9.¦ ¥ bxc6 12.fxe6 fxe6 13.e5 dxe5 14. ¥ xf6 gxf6 ¥ e7 ¥ e2 15.¤e4 e4 ¥ e7 16. ¥ e2 h5 17.¦ 17.¦b3 £a4
Tis was one of the critical positions where White got stuck. It seems that Black has everything defended. Back in the 1970s there were no computers, so how how did human players find the plan here? Te brilliant Latvian master who introduced this idea could not explain it in words. He had some mental problems and later he committed suicide by jumping off a
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bridge in Riga. Still, his chess idea was that of a genius, and later, in one of the Soviet training camps where I was present, Alexander Beliavsky explained it. ¥ 18.¤ xf6†! xf6†! ¥ xf6 19.c4! Te evaluation of the position might be 0.00, which is the common way for computers to make it crystal cr ystal clear that the position is a draw. I was never a fan of playing such positions, where you need to work a lot to remember the correct path, and at the end of the day you simply have a half point.
¥ h4† 19... ¥ h4† A good move; the idea is to provoke the pawn to g3, limiting l imiting White’s White’s play on the third rank. 20.g3 ¥ e7 20.g3 ¥ e7 21.0–0 ¦a7 22.¦ 22.¦b8 ¦c7 23.£ 23.£d3 ¥ c5† c5† 24.¢ 24.¢h1 ¢e7 25.£ 25.£g6 ¢d6 26.£ 26.£f6 ¦e8 ¥ ¥ d4 27. ¥ xh5 ¦ce7 28.¦ 28.¦d1† d1† ¥ d4 29.¦ 29.¦ xd4† exd4 exd4 £ xd4† ¢c7 31.£ 30.£ 30. 31.£b6† ¢d7 32.£ 32.£d4† ½–½ Computers are just calculating machines and they do not explain what is going on. In the Soviet Union, chess players had the privilege of having regular training camps. Most talented youngsters received some tutoring from the elite Soviet players and coaches.
Alexander Beliavsky – Peter Szekely Frunze 1979
1.e4 c5 2.¤f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. ¤ xd4 ¤f6 ¥ g5 5.¤c3 a6 6. ¥ g5 e6 7.f4 £b6 8.£ 8.£d2 £ xb2 ¦b1 £a3 10.f5 ¤c6 11.fxe6 fxe6 12.¤ xc6 9.¦ 9. ¥ ¥ e7 bxc6 13.e5 dxe5 14. ¥ xf6 gxf6 15.¤e4 e4 ¥ e7 ¥ e2 16. ¥ e2 h5 17.¦ 17.¦b3 £a4 18.¤ xf6†
Four-time Soviet champion Alexander Beliavsky prepared some very specific material for his lecture about the sacrifice in the opening. Everybody knows some very general ideas about sacrifices, such as how many tempos you should gain when sacrificing a pawn. In this specific example the situation is not trivial at all. White is not winning a tempo here to speed up his attack. Why then give up the knight? Apart from the tempo-winning motif there are others – one of them is to open routes into Black’s camp. Te knight is sacrificed not for immediate gain, but for long-time positional gain. Black’s ugly pawns do not defend the files and diagonals very well. White is not even gaining a tempo. It is a purely positional sacrifice, which most likely only humans can discover. Even so, the computer is a big help today, when you can quickly check if the idea works
Chapter 4 – Computer Preparation Preparation versus Hum Human an Common Sense at all. However, However, the evaluation – even if it was something in the region of –0.5 to –0.9 – may not be enough for a final verdict. Mastering the discovery of these kinds of position and introducing them into practice is the dream of every researcher. researcher. ¥ 18... ¥ xf6 19.c4 ¥ h4† h4† 20.g3 ¥ e7 e7 21.0–0 ¥ d7? d7? Tis move is too passive and cannot be recommended. ¥ d3 22.¦b7 ¦d8 23. ¥ 22.¦ d3 As a result of the sacrifice of the t he knight for the f-pawn, there is nothing left to defend the kingside, especially the g6-square.
¥ c5† 23... ¥ c5† 24.¢ 24.¢g2 ¦g8 25.£ 25.£e2 25.£h6 was stronger and White is winning after: 25... ¢e7 26.£f6† ¢d6 27.¦e1 ¥d4
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28.c5†! Again the same principle: open as many diagonals and files as possible. 28... ¢xc5 29.£e7† ¢d5 30.¥e4† ¢c4 31.¦c1† ¥c3 32.¦xc3† ¢xc3 33.£c5† ¢d2 34.¦b2† Followed Follow ed by mate. ¥ d4 25... ¥ d4 25...£a5 was the only move, but again very difficult to find. 26.£ xh5† ¢e7 27.£ 26.£ 27.£h4† ¢d6 28.c5† Again the same motif.
£e7† ¢d5 30.¦ 28...¢ xc5 29. 28...¢ 29.£ 30.¦ xd7† ¦ xd7 £ xd7† ¢c5 32.¦ ¥ e4 31.£ 31. 32.¦c1† ¢b6 33. ¥ e4 ¥ c3 c3 £d3 ¥ d4 ¥ 34.£ 34. d3 ¥ d4 35.¦ 35.¦ xc6† £ xc6 36. ¥ xc6 ¢ xc6 £ xa6† ¢d7 38.£ 37.£ 37. 38.£b7† ¢d6 39.a4 ¦d8 40.a5 ¦d7 41.£ 41.£b8† ¢d5 42.£ 42.£b5† ¢d6 ¢f3 ¦c7 44.a6 ¢e7 45.h4 ¢f6 46.£ 43.¢ 43. 46.£d3 1–0 Tere are openings that have a fixed or nearly fixed pawn structure out of the opening, and the set-up of the pieces and the plans are well known. Tese lines are sometimes considered a little passive, but easy to play play.. Te computers do not tell you the set-up, just the moves. One approach is to build up an aesthetically pleasant-looking position and then look to take action after that; the computers can help here.
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In the following game Paul Keres built up a nice position, but he then failed to take any concrete action and finally lost from a promising position.
Paul Keres – igran Petrosian Bled/Zagreb/Belgrade 1959
1.e4 c5 2.¤f3 ¤c6 3.d4 cxd4 4.¤ xd4 g6 ¥ e3 5.c4 ¥ g7 g7 6. ¥ e3 ¤f6 7.¤c3 ¤g4 8.£ 8.£ xg4 £d1 ¤e6 10. £d2 d6 11. ¥ ¥ e2 ¥ 9.£ 10.£ e2 ¥ d7 d7 ¤ xd4 9. ¥ c6 12.0–0 0–0 13.¦ 13.¦ac1 ac1 ¥ c6 14.¦ 14.¦fd1 ¤c5 15.f3 a5 16.b3 £b6 17.¤b5!
I like this plan and used it myself against Kveinys in a similar situation: 1.c4 c5 2. ¤f3 g6 3.d4 cxd4 4. ¤xd4 ¤c6 5.e4 ¤f6 6.¤c3 d6 7.f3 ¥g7 8.¥e3 0–0 9.£d2 ¤xd4 10.¥xd4 ¥d7 11.¥e2 ¥c6 12.0–0 ¤d7 13.¥e3 a5 14.b3 ¤c5 15.¦ad1!? £b6 (15...e6 16.¤b5±)
16.¤b5± ¥xb5 17.cxb5 ¢h8 18.¢h1 f5 19.exf5 gxf5 20. ¦fe1 ¦ad8 21.¦c1 £c7 22.¥f1 b6 23.¥d3?! d5 24.¥g5 ¥f6 25.¥h6 ¥e5 26.g3 f4 27. ¥xf8 ¦xf8 28.£e2 ¥f6 29.gxf4 £xf4 30.¥b1 d4 31.¦g1 £h4 32.¦g4 £h5 33.¦cg1 e5 34.f4 1–0 Ehlvest – Kveinys, Liepaja (rapid) 2016. However, building up the position is one thing; you need to have a follow-up. Tis is where computers are very very strong. ¥ f1 17...¦fc8 18. ¥ 17...¦ f1 £d8 Now we have a typical situation where the computer evaluation is very good for White, but some concrete plan of action is a must. Although Keres made a series of good moves, m oves, he eventually lost the thread. 19.£f2 19.£ Te computer’s computer’s top choice is: 19.g3!
I like this computer move. It is not a plan of course, because there is no such definition in the program’s algorithm. We, however, can look for some plan or set-up after this move. Tere is no immediate tactical gain, and it actually weakens the pawn formation. It might look as though the black bishop on c6 will have good prospects on the h1-a8 diagonal after this move, especially if Black is able to strike with ...f5 in the future. From White’s side, the space advantage very often allows him to make such a weakening
Chapter 4 – Computer Preparation Preparation versus Hum Human an Common Sense move, because although the space advantage is pleasant, we need to increase our advantage somehow. Tis means that we need to create a pawn weakness or carry out a direct attack against the kingside. Here Black has very good defensive barricades on both wings. As practice has shown, the plan of pushing the pawns on the queenside is very difficult to accomplish. White needs to play all over the board and for this reason the last move fits this plan. Black’s main idea is to build a blockade on the dark squares, and to undermine this we need to have the option of pushing our pawns on the kingside. Play may continue: 19...b6 (19... £f8 20.¥h3 ¦d8 21.¤c7! ¦a7 22.¥xc5 is already winning) 20.¥h3 ¦cb8 21.¤d4 ¥b7 22.¦b1 And now now,, in the changed situation, the black pawn is on b6, which favours White. Te black bishop no longer has protection on c6, and after a2-a3 and b3-b4 the pawn on b6 will be attacked by the white bishop on e3. Tis is why White wants to keep the bishops on the board in these positions. 19...£e8 20.¤c3 b6 21.¦ 19...£ 21.¦c2 £f8 22.£ 22.£d2 ¥ d7 ¥ g5 d7 23.¤d5 ¦ab8 24. ¥ g5 ¦e8
25.¦e1 25.¦ Keres still has the advantage, but he does not have a concrete plan.
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Tis is how you can use a computer engine during your opening preparation. First you need to figure out the plan, and then ask the computer, step by step, how to carry it out with the most precise move move order. order. Some positions, such as isolated pawn positions or some closed positions, are tricky to analyse, because the computer evaluation might not show the real situation on the board and even a seemingly very good evaluation is not enough to draw a final conclusion about the position. Tis does not mean that the player and his coach should analyse every position to the very end; there is just not enough time for this. Tey just need to check with the computer engine if their their assumptions about the plan or set-up are correct or not. ¥ c6 25...¦b7 26.£ 25...¦ 26.£f2 f2 ¥ c6 27.£ 27.£h4 Keres has just been playing around with his pieces, and Black begins to take over the initiative. ¥ e3 ¥ d4 27...f6 28. ¥ e3 e6 29.¤c3 ¦d7 30. ¥ d4
30...f5! Suddenly Black has the better game.
31.exf5 gxf5 32.¦ 32.¦d2 ¥ xd4† 33.¦ 33.¦ xd4 ¦g7 ¢h1 ³ ¦g6 35.¦ 34.¢ 34. h1³ 35.¦d2 ¦d8 36.¦ 36.¦ed1 ¦d7 £f2 £d8 37.£ 37.
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I consider the computer evaluation of equality here to be wrong. Te position is not equal from a human point of view. It is very difficult for White to play. play. 38.£e3?! 38.£ Te best move, 38. ¦b1!, is not easy to find, given that White had already abandoned this plan earlier in the game. 38...e5! 39.f4 39.¥d3! would make it difficult for Black to break through. It is true that computers are very strong at finding this kind of move, but you cannot build your openings on the hope of finding computer moves during the actual game. 39...e4? In time trouble Petrosian makes a serious positional mistake. After 39...£h4! 40.fxe5 ¦h6 41.£g1 dxe5 Black would have a big advantage. ¥ d7 40.¤e2 ¦dg7 41.¤d4 d4 ¥ d7
42.a3 A very human and good move. move.
Te computer move 42. ¤b5 is also strong, but difficult to make, because who wants to trade the dominating knight? 42...£a8 43.¢ 42...£ 43.¢g1? Keres is playing this game in too timid a fashion. ¦bb2 ¦g4 46.¦ 43...h5 44.¦ 44.¦b1 h4 45. 45.¦ 46.¦f2 £d8 47.b4
¦fd2 £h4 47...¦g3 48.hxg3 hxg3 49. 47...¦ 49.¦ ¥ e2? 50. ¥ e2?
Chapter 4 – Computer Preparation Preparation versus Hum Human an Common Sense 50.¤f3! exf3 51.gxf3 ¦h7 52.¥g2 ¦e7 53.£d4 ¦e1† 54.¥f1 ¤e6 55.£d5 ¦xf1† 56.¢xf1 £h1† 57.¢e2 g2 58.¦d1 g1=£ 59.¦xg1† £xg1 60.¦d2 £h2† 61.¢f1 £xf4 62.¢f2 and White can still hold on. 50...¦h7 51.¢ 50...¦ 51.¢f1? White had to try 51.¥h5! ¦xh5 52.¢f1.
51...£ xf4†! 51...£ 0–1
Tere are situations where the computer evaluation is wrong. In closed positions, computer power, at least my computer power, power, is not enough to give a realistic evaluation. Te practical point is that a human may see the correct evaluation, but in today’s world the player will most likely abandon these positions too quickly after seeing the computer evaluation. Tis is where the human factor is important. You should not teach or coach only using a computer. Tere is still a need for a good coach or an adviser who can tell the difference between human and computer evaluation.
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Harika Dronavalli – David Anton Guijarro Sharjah 2017
¥ b5 ¥ a4 1.e4 e5 2.¤f3 ¤c6 3. ¥ b5 a6 4. ¥ a4 ¤f6 ¥ e7 ¥ b3 5.0–0 ¥ 5.0–0 e7 6.¦ 6.¦e1 b5 7. ¥ b3 d6 8.c3 0–0 9.d4
Tis was my pet line when I was a young master. Te Ruy Lopez is a complex opening, and learning the main lines takes years. However, young players should follow the principled lines, because they can learn so much about chess by playing the classical established lines; thus 1. ¤f3 and 2.g3 is a no-no for a young master. I started to play the main lines of the Ruy Lopez later in my career career,, but I always followed the development of the 9.d4 line. ¥ g4 ¥ e3 9... ¥ g4 10. ¥ e3 exd4 11.cxd4 d5 Tis counterattack was very well known back in the 1970s when I started playing the line, and some theoretical overviews were published in Soviet chess journals. 12.e5 ¤e4 13.h3 13.¤bd2 was the idea that was published in a Soviet journal and I was eager to analyse it: 13...¤xd2 14.£xd2 ¥xf3 15.gxf3 ¥b4 16.£c2
Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
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Black cannot afford to take the rook: 16...¥xe1? (16...¤a5 was, however, considered a safe option) 17. £xc6 White has a big advantage, because Black’s rooks are passive and control over the light squares is more important than the exchange. ¥ h5 13... ¥ h5
14.¤bd2 Te other knight move, 14. ¤c3 ¤xc3 15.bxc3 ¤a5 16.¥c2 ¤c4, was never considered dangerous for Black. 14...¤ xd2 15.£ 15.£ xd2 £d7 Most likely Anton was aware of the trick here: 15...¥xf3
16.£c3!! Tis startling move, found by a computer, changes the evaluation. Te idea works only if h2-h3 is included, because with the pawn on h2 Black would have ... £d7, and the threat of ... £g4 means White has no time for ¦ec1. 16...£d7 17.¦ec1 ¤a7 18.gxf3
Tis position occurred in a correspondence game between two amateurs both using good computers. I was an adviser to the player with the white pieces. At first, seeing a very good computer evaluation, I was very proud of myself for having tricked Black into this position. Ten, when digging deeper and deeper, I realized that the computer evaluation is wrong. White has some advantage, because Black is on the defensive, but the advantage is not enough to win the game. Tere is some positional basis for this as well. Te position
Chapter 4 – Computer Preparation Preparation versus Hum Human an Common Sense is closed and Black is able to defend his weaknesses. 18...c6 19.¢h2 b4 20.£d3 ¤b5 21.¦g1 ¢h8 22.f4 f5 Te computer still gives White a very big advantage, but this is simply not true. White won the game, but it had nothing to do with the correct evaluation; Black just made a big mistake later in the game. Still, for an amateur even using the computer is sometimes not enough. Nevertheless, this is an amazing position, where the computer refuses to give the correct evaluation. 16.¦ac1 16.¦ 16.¦ec1 was stronger and most likely the game then would go as mentioned in the previous note after 16... ¥xf3 (16...a5 17.¤e1!) 17.£c3 ¤a7 and so on. 16...¦ab8 17.a3 ¥ 16...¦ 17.a3 ¥ xf3 18.gxf3 ¤d8 19.¢ 19.¢h2 f5 20.¦ 20.¦g1 ¤e6 21.f4 ¢h8 22.£ 22.£c2 ¦b6 ¥ b4 23.a4 ¥ 23.a4 b4 24.£ 24.£d1 g6 25.£ 25.£f3 ¦d8 26.axb5 axb5
27.£g3 27.£ White had a chance with 27.h4 to open the position with a subsequent h4-h5. ¥ d1 27...¦a6 28.h4 ¤g7 29.£ 27...¦ 29.£h3 ¥ e7 e7 30. ¥ d1 ¥ b3 h5 31. ¥ b3 ¢h7 32.£ 32.£g3 ¦e6 33.¢ 33.¢h3 c6
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34.¦a1 £b7 35.¦ 34.¦ 35.¦g2 ¦a8 36.¦ 36.¦ag1 ¥ d8 d8 ¥ d2 ¥ 37. ¥ d2 ¥ b6 b6 38.£ 38.£d3 ¦a6 Te computer still likes White’s position, but it is clear to us that Black is doing fine.
¥ b4 39. ¥ b4 £a8 40.¢ 40.¢h2 ¦a1 41.¦ 41.¦ xa1 £ xa1 ¥ f8 ¥ c2 ¥ 42. ¥ f8 £a7 43. ¥ c2 ¦e8 44. ¥ xg7 £ xg7 ¢h3 ¦a8 46.¦ 45.¢ 45. 46.¦g1 £f7 47.£ 47.£c3 £e6 ¥ d3 ¥ c2 ¥ d1 48. ¥ d3 ¦a4 49.b4 ¥ 49.b4 ¥ d8 d8 50. ¥ c2 ¦a6 51. ¥ d1 £f7 52.¦ 52.¦g3 £e7 53.¦ 53.¦g5 £e6 54.¦ 54.¦g3 ¦a2 ¦g2 £e7 55.¦ 55.
¥ ¦ xh5† 56.¦g5 ¦ xf2?? 57. ¥ 56.¦ xh5 gxh5 58. 58.¦ ¢g6 59.¦ 59.¦g5† ¢h7 60.¦ 60.¦h5† ¢g6 61.¦ 61.¦g5† ¢h7 62.£ 62.£g3+– £f7 63.e6 £e8 64.¦ 64.¦g7† ¢h6 65.¦ ¦f8 65.¦f7? ¦f3! 66.£ 66.£ xf3 £ xe6 67. 67.¦ ¥ f6 £g6† f6 68.£ 68.£g3 ¢h7 69.h5 ¥ xd4 70. 70.£ £ xg6 71.hxg6† ¢ xg6 72. ¦c8 ¢f7 72.¦
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73.¦ xc6 ¢e7 74.¢ 73.¦ 74.¢h4 ¥ f6† f6† 75.¢ 75.¢g3 ¥ d4 d4 ¢f3 ¢d7 77.¦ 76.¢ 76. 77.¦c2 ¥ b6 b6 78.¦ 78.¦h2 ¥ d8 d8 ¦h7† ¥ e7 79.¦ 79. e7 80.¢ 80.¢e3 ¢e6 81.¢ 81.¢d4 ¥ xb4 ¦h6† ¢f7 83.¢ 82.¦ 82. 83.¢ xd5 ¥ c3 c3 84.¦ 84.¦h7† ¢f6 85.¦ 85.¦c7 b4 86.¦ 86.¦c6† ¢f7 87.¦ 87.¦b6 ¢e7 ¦e6† ¢f7 89.¦ 88.¦ 88. 89.¦b6 ¢e7 90.¦ 90.¦b8 ¢f7 ¦b6 91.¦ 91. ½–½ It is difficult to convince a player nowadays to go for a line that is not backed by a computer evaluation. Te player peeks at the computer evaluation and loses his confidence. Tere are many sharp positions where the computer shows 0.00, but there is a nearly zero chance that your opponent in a real game could make all the ‘only moves’ to comply with the computer evaluation.
Chanda Sandipan – Alexei Shirov Gibraltar 2013
1.e4 I worked with Chanda from time to time over several years. In 2013 I already considered myself retired as a professional player, but I was a participant in the Gibraltar festival. However, I did not take my tournament very seriously and instead I had plenty of time to help Sandipan to prepare against his opponents. Somehow I convinced him to play 1.e4 against Shirov and also against Kamsky. Kamsky. I first met Sandipan some years ago in Kolkata, and back then I was pleasantly surprised by his tactical skills. Over the years we had a few training camps c amps focusing only on opening lines. Tis was due to my Soviet Chess School attitude, where in training camps the focus was on openings. I left the other aspects of the game aside, believing that this was up to the player himself. Later I noticed that Sandipan had started to play some odd opening lines, which was not necessarily a bad thing, but I did not like the
fact that he was focusing on closed positions. I saw him as a very energetic player in concrete positions where the ability to calculate calcu late prevails. Wee stopped working for a while, but I still W liked to help him. In Gibraltar we shared a flat during the tournament and we had enough time to prepare. I convinced him to play an open line in this game. Shirov plays very solid openings in closed systems, but prefers the Najdorf after 1.e4. I was convinced that Sandipan had more chances to beat his formidable opponent in an open game. Shirov is famous for his “fire on board” approach and is also a pure tactician. Sandipan had some concern about certain lines where the magic computer did not promise any advantage for White. 1...c5 2.¤f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. ¤ xd4 ¤f6 ¥ e3 5.¤c3 a6 6. ¥ e3 e6 7.f3 b5 8.£ 8. £d2 ¤bd7 9.g4 h6 10.0–0–0 b4
Here a strange accident happened.
11.¤a4 I quote Sandipan: “...now I can’t really explain why I went for ¤a4, as I remember we had prepared some ideas with ¤ce2.” 11.¤ce2 £c7 12.h4 d5 13. ¥g2 dxe4 14.g5 hxg5 15.hxg5 ¦xh1 16.¦xh1 ¤d5
Chapter 4 – Computer Preparation Preparation versus Hum Human an Common Sense
“Tis was the position that attracted my attention while preparing against Shirov. Computer engines prefer Black’s position, but it is much more difficult to play with Black. Nobody has the ability to remember all the sharp lines in the Najdorf. White always has compensation. compensation.”” 17.¥f2 “Tis was the suggestion of Ehlvest on which our work was based” (Sandipan). Te idea of the move is to offer a pawn, but to keep the bishop. 17...exf3 17...e3 is the correct move, but one needs to know it before the game. During the game against an opponent who has just come up with a novelty novelty,, this this move move is not not easy to make. 18.¥xe3 ¥b7! 19.g6 And now the best move is 19...e5, which is also nearly impossible to find in a practical game. 20.gxf7† ¢xf7 21.¤f5 ¤7f6 and Black has some advantage, because 22.¥g5 ¦d8 23.£e1 ¦c8 would be unpleasant for White. I think all this, starting with ...e3, is nearly impossible to find in a practical game. Te risk and return premium favours White. 18.¥xf3 ¥b7 19.g6 ¤e5 20.¥g3 White has good compensation for the pawn. 11...£a5 11...£ Most likely Shirov did not expect the Najdorf and messed something up. Te main move here is 11... ¤e5!.
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12.b3 ¥ b7 12.b3 ¥ b7 13.a3 “13.h4 would be the critical move; it seems I was completely confused around here.” – Sandipan 13...£c7 14.axb4 d5 13...£
Now White missed the strongest move, 15.e5!, but this is not important. Sandipan was forced to play a position that suits his style. He must calculate concrete lines here, and even though he did not play in the most accurate way,, in the long run he managed to outplay way even Shirov Sh irov.. 15.b5 dxe4 16.bxa6 ¥ 16.bxa6 ¥ xa6 17.¤b5 Constantly creating threats. Te computer likes Black’s position, but it is a tactical fight where you must play very precisely precisely,, which is not easy to accomplish while under pressure. One more thing is very important: only after the game can we see the computer evaluation. During the game, however, we have no clue about what it is. If our opponent plays quickly qu ickly and confidently, it can create an illusion that our position must be bad. £ xd6 ¥ 17...£b7 18.¤d6† ¥ 17...£ xd6 19. 19.£ xf1 ¦hxf1 20.¦ 20.
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20...exf3 20...¦a6 was much stronger, but if our opponent plays like a computer then it does not matter which opening we choose: we are doomed anyway. ¥ c5 21. ¥ c5 ¤ xc5 22.¤ xc5 £a7 23.£ 23.£c6† ¢e7 Shirov of course makes a human move. After 23...¢f8, objectively speaking Black would be better. better. 24.£d6† ¢e8 25.¤a4! 24.£ Now the difference is that Black cannot castle any more. 25...£b7?! 25...£ After 25...¦c8 26.¦xf3 £c7, I think the human assessment of the resulting endgame would be better for White. Shirov Shirov,, who had already repeated moves, was looking for salvation, but either he did not like the endgame (which according to the computer is around equal) or he missed White’s strong 26th move.
26.¤b6! ¦b8 27.¤c4 Now White is just winning.
27...¦c8 28.£ 27...¦ 28.£d4 ¢e7 29.¤d6 £c6 30.¤ xc8† ¦ xc8 31.c4 ¤e4 32.¦ 32.¦ xf3 ¤c5 ¦e3 £b6 34.¢ 33.¦ 33. 34.¢c2 ¦a8 35.¦ 35.¦ed3 ¦a2† ¢b1 ¦ xh2 36.¢ 36.
¢c2 37.£g1 ¦b2† 38.¢ 37.£ 38.¢ xb2 ¤ xd3† 39. 39.¢ 40.¢b1 £a5 41.£ 41.£h2 £b6 42.£ 42.£d2 ¤b4† 40.¢ 43.£d6† ¢e8 44.¢ 44.¢b2 g6 45.¦ 45.¦d2 £b7 ¤c6 43.£ £c5 ¤e7 47.£ 46.£ 46. 47.£e5 ¤c6 48.£ 48.£h8† ¢e7 £ xh6 £b4 50.£ 49.£ 49. 50.£g5† f6 51.£ 51.£h6 ¤e5 £g7† ¤f7 53.¦ 52.£ 52. 53.¦f2 f5 54.g5 £e1 55.£ 55.£f6† ¢e8 56.¦ 56.¦h2 £e4 57.c5 £d5 58.£ 58.£c3 £c6 ¦d2 ¤ xg5 60.£ 59.¦ 59. 60.£h8† ¢f7 61.£ 61.£d8 1–0
Chapter 4 – Computer Preparation Preparation versus Hum Human an Common Sense Every day, chess aficionados run probably thousands of positions through their silicon friend, trying to get the correct answers. Some of the answers (or perhaps it is better to say the data) are published in opening book format. Ten players will again run all these lines though their computers to make sure that the line recommended by the author has some backing. Players tend to focus only on the computer evaluation and lose their own creativity. Coaches and commentators do the same; they focus only on the final truth. Te game must be smooth according to the computer evaluation. Te best players are measured by their ability to make computer moves most of the time. Te World Champion since 2013, Magnus Carlsen, was top of this list in 2016. All this is very interesting, but it is doubtful that a human player will ever appear who can always copy the computer’s moves. An equilibrium between computer chess and human abilities will always remain. Some grandmasters try from time to time not to use a computer during their preparation at all, but it is impossible to keep the next generation of players away from computers. Tose cases where the computer evaluation is wrong, as presented presented above, are are very rare. I am afraid that it is impossible to explain to a young prodigy that neither he nor his opponent is capable of becoming as strong as a computer. Our minds are too stubborn, even though nobody argues that they can outrun a car.
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For coaches, computers are changing the training process. Where, in the past, the grandmaster was the person who held the knowledge of truth, today the authority of the human teacher is lowered. Te student has to master complicated terms that were not relevant before – terms like practical move, human move and interesting move all have different meanings than computer move. How long should the teacher keep the computer move out of the big picture? Tere is also a psychological problem posed by computers. Te silicon monster is a heartless critic. A player can lose his self-esteem when seeing how many mistakes he is making. Tese challenges seem very painful at first, but there is also a brighter side. Chess is becoming a game where it is always possible to find the final truth, and the goal of the coach is to develop the ability to find that final truth in every student. Te good coach, however, needs first to understand himself why the computer move is best, so that he can explain it to his students. Tus on one hand the computer helps us to teach or learn chess, but on the other hand it places higher demands on the coach.
Chapter 5 Modern ren Modern rends ds in the Opening As an example of the above topic, let’s briefly discuss why 4. £c2 is currently so popular versus the Nimzo-Indian. Wee could theoretically create an artificial intelligence (AI) to answer this. Te input might W be games from the database in chronological order, the players, the results, other lines in the Nimzo-Indian, etc. But still you might miss something and the AI would be unable to answer your question. Te line itself is very popular and one of the t he most deeply-analysed opening lines. Nevertheless, the occurrence of the line has a particular historical cause. When I was an inexperienced analyst, I always wondered why players who did not usually play any Queen’s Gambits after 1.d4 were constantly answering 1...d5 when White played 1. ¤f3, and in most of these cases White chose not to play 2.d4. o determine the cause, you need to understand the subtleties of the classical Queen’s Queen’s Gambit Declined. Te main problem for Black is the Carlsbad line with the following pawn structure.
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White has the standard positional plan of a minority attack on the queenside with b2-b4-b5, creating a weakness on c6 or d5. Tere is, however, a more aggressive plan in the centre with f2-f3 and e3-e4. Tis plan can be executed more conveniently if the white knight is not placed on f3. By making the first move 1.¤f3 White is literally cutting out the opportunity to implement the plan with f2-f3 and e3-e4 in the future. Te question arises as to how dangerous the plan really is. Everybody can easily find, by going through the most important games from the database, that it is wise to avoid this plan when playing the Queen’ Queen’s Gambit as Black. If White plays the first move 1. ¤f3 we can answer with confidence 1...d5!, but if he starts with 1.d4 the straightforward 1...d5 runs into the following problems: 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3. ¤c3
3...¤f6 Te other option is 3... ¥e7, but again White can still wait with the knight move to f3 and instead opt to play 4.cxd5 exd5 5. ¥f4 – this line was tested in several world championship games between Karpov and Kasparov.
¥ g5 ¥ 4.cxd5 exd5 5. ¥ g5 ¥ e7 e7 Here Black has the option of playing a slightly worse endgame after 5...c6 6.e3 ¥f5 7.£f3 ¥g6 8.¥xf6 £xf6 9.£xf6 gxf6. ¥ d3 6.e3 0–0 7. ¥ d3 c6 8.£ 8.£c2 ¤bd7 9.¤ge2
White has the desired set-up.
At the end of the 1980s, players like the legendary Ulf Andersson started to play a different move order with Black, postponing the ...d5 move for a while and starting the game with: 1.d4 ¤f6 2.c4 e6
Chapter 5 – Modern Trends in the Opening Now White has a basic choice to make. Te two main options are 3. ¤c3 and 3.¤f3. In the main lines of the Nimzo-Indian Defence after 3. ¤c3 ¥b4, White must take some positional risks, and players – especially Karpov – were prone to playing 3. ¤f3 so as to enter the nearly risk-free Queen’s Indian Defence. Tere are many games from that period at the end of the 1980s and the beginning of the 1990s with Karpov playing the white pieces and players like Valery Salov, Ulf Andersson and yours truly defending the Queen’s Indian with Black. Tis was not to everybody’s liking, and going directly to the Queen’s Gambit Declined with 3...d5 was a good option, especially as the ¤ge2 line is no longer available in the Exchange variation. Players with White (mainly Karpov and Kasparov) did not like to offer this option and started to play 3. ¤c3 anyway, hoping that players such as Ljubomir Ljubojevic were only bluffing and were going to play ...d5 anyway. But if the player opts for 3... ¥b4, what kind of line should White play then? Te Nimzo-Indian Defence is positionally risky for White because in many lines he will have doubled pawns on the c-file. Historically the Nimzo-Indian was very popular and a lot of theoretical material was available. Te aggressive lines were well investigated and it was difficult to find something new. new. It is impossible to know exactly how it came about, but the modest 4. £c2 attracted some players. Te move was not considered dangerous, but on the other hand this line avoided the doubled pawns and in many cases it promised a safe positional game for White. Wee should not underestimate the influence W of fashion. When famous players such as Karpov and Kasparov start employing a move, thousands of others follow in their footsteps. Very soon everybody was playing the line and the theory was developing fast.
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Chapter 6 Memorizing Opening Lines Tis can be the last polishing phase of opening preparation. As in every professional field, chess players have their own specific form of memory, which is best described as pattern recognition. It has been shown in many experiments that expert chess players have an advantage in memorizing certain chess positions over novice players. Concrete work on memorizing specific opening lines was not really needed during the precomputer era. First of all, if you were working with the subject deeply enough, you had already stored the lines in your memory, but more importantly there was no proof that the lines you were memorizing were any good. oday, when we rely on computer evaluations, which mostly offer the final truth, it makes sense to remember all the lines. Earlier in this book I tried to divide chess players into two categories, depending on how they handle opening preparation – researchers and followers. oday there is not much need for researchers, because the silicon monster can help with anything uncertain – it has the final word in nearly every theoretical position. It is difficult to distinguish between researchers and followers now. Nevertheless, there are players who know a lot of opening theory and are creditable theoreticians and strong practising grandmasters. Other players belong to a category in which t heir theoretical knowledge is not very good. Tese players may refer to their bad memory if someone criticizes their opening play. Nobody wants to belong to this category though, so let’s concentrate on the other group. Vassily Ivanchuk has the title of most complete player around – his knowledge of chess theory is very deep. Back in the 1990s, the Estonian grandmaster Lembit Oll was also known for his deep and detailed knowledge of opening theory. Lembit Oll said once, when asked about some opening line, that if he looked at it then he knows it, implying that he never forgot a line once he had studied it. In the following game his opponent was Zurab Azmaiparashvili, who belongs to the Georgian chess school. Tey do not play modern theoretical lines. Teir trademark is the Pirc with the
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black pieces and various lines starting with 1.¤f3. Te Georgian women players are more famous, but some men, including Azmaiparashvili, belonged to the chess elite as well. In this game, deep knowledge prevailed against the practical approach.
Lembit Oll – Zurab Azmaiparashvili Groningen 1993
1.e4 Every aggressive theoretician is always a 1.e4 player. 1...c5 Azmaiparashvili usually played the Pirc, but against a well-prepared Lembit Oll he wanted to vary. 2.¤f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. ¤ xd4 ¤f6 5.¤c3 ¥ g5 g5 e6 7.£ 7.£d2 a6 8.0–0–0 ¥ 8.0–0–0 ¥ d7 d7 9.f3 ¤c6 6. ¥ ¦c8 10.¢ ¥ e7 10.¢b1 b1 ¥ e7 11.h4 Tis simple but strong set-up is a popular weapon against various Sicilian lines.
11...¤e5 A more sophisticated approach is: 11...h6!? 12.¥e3 h5!? 13.¥g5 b5 14.¤xc6 ¥xc6
15.¤e2! Tis is a typical move in this set-up. 15...d5 16.e5 ¤d7 17.¥xe7 £xe7 18.£e3 ¤c5 19.¤d4 White had achieved a clear advantage in Djukic – Dourerassou, Skopje 2015. 12.g4 b5
¥ d3! 13. ¥ d3! A typical move in this kind of position.
¥ e3! 13...0–0 14. ¥ e3! In this game Oll did not have to use much of his theoretical knowledge, but he knew very well how to handle this typical position. 14...¢h8 15.h5 ¦c7 16.g5 ¤g8 14...¢ Around here a small incident occurred. Oll, seeing that he had an overwhelming position, could not stifle a giggle of excitement. His
Chapter 6 – Memorizing Opening Lines opponent noticed this and was not happy about it.
¥ 17.f4 ¤c4 18. ¥ xc4 ¦ xc4 19.f5 b4 20. ¤ce2 e5 21.f6! ¥ 21.f6! ¥ xf6 21...gxf6 is no better.
22.g6! exd4 23. ¥h6 and White is winning. £d3 £c7 25.b3 22.gxf6 ¤ xf6 23.h6 g6 24. 24.£ ¦c5 26.¤f3 Black could resign here. ¦c6 27. ¥ ¥ g5 26...¦ 26... g5 d5 28.exd5 ¥ 28.exd5 ¥ f5 f5
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¥ 29.dxc6 ¥ xd3 30. ¥ xf6† ¢g8 31.¤ xe5 ¥ ¦d7 £b6 33.¤ xg6 ¦a8 34. ¥ ¥ d4 xe2 32. 32.¦ d4 £b5 35.¤e7† ¢f8 36.¦ 36.¦g1 f6 37.¦ 37.¦g8† ¢f7 ¦ xa8 ¥ g4 38.¦ 38. xa8 ¥ g4 39.¤f5† ¢g6 40.c7 1–0 Unfortunately, not everybody has an eidetic or photographic memory. Te average person may choose to limit his opening repertoire, spend more time memorizing lines or seek help from memory specialists. Tere are some memory tricks that can help people to remember a deck of cards in less than 30 seconds; such people compete in memory competitions. Te techniques or tricks for remembering certain otherwise useless things in everyday life might look tempting for use in chess as well. For example, the brain-training software Lumosity is available online. It is by far the most successful model in business terms, but is it useful to enhance your chess training? Our purpose is to help the individual to become a better player. raining or using techniques to remember some things more easily, or, as on the Lumosity platform, to play other games to achieve better results in solving attention problems or improving one’s one’s memory, does not really make you a better chess player. You are just getting better at solving a specific problem, and nothing else.
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Te human brain is one of the best computers available. It is roughly equivalent, by some estimates, to a computer with a one-trillionbit-per-second processor. Estimates of the human brain’s memory capacity vary wildly; but whatever the exact figures might be, our desire to make greater use of our brain is entirely understandable. However, there are no easy tricks to force the brain to become more chess-friendly. One needs to understand that chess itself is not a simple problem. My brief investigation on Wikipedia revealed that the number of theoretically possible chess games is estimated to be in excess of 10120 – a number way in excess of the estimated figures for the number of atoms in the observable universe. Obviously the possible number of ‘sensible’ chess games that can be played (not counting ridiculous or obvious game-losing moves, such as moving a queen to be immediately captured by a pawn) is dramatically lower, but the estimated numbers are still of astronomical proportions, and thus far beyond the limits of human memory memo ry.. Moreover, even if you could somehow remember all those possible games, it would not do much to help or improve your chess. It would be like knowing all the words of a particular language but not knowing how to make sentences with those words. In mathematics you might blindly remember everything and seem to be solving a theorem, but actually you would just be submitting the result without knowing what you are doing. Tis kind of zombie-style chess player is a nightmare for chess culture. We want to have a player who is good not only at chess but who, after training his brain using chess, is also capable of understanding the syntax and grammar (so to speak) of the game. Te player should learn about inductive and deductive reasoning, even if he does not know what these terms refer to.
Chess players may look like robots forced to keep silent during the long hours of playing tournament games. Players like to keep calm, but on rare occasions they burst into tears after losing a game. Tis happened even to legends such as Bobby B obby Fischer. We We all have emotions. e motions. Chess players store chess-related information in their memory. It is neither clear nor important what this information looks like – although for a rough attempt to quantify it, I saw one study estimating that the average grandmaster has between 20 to 100 thousand units of information in his memory, with every unit being comparable to one word of a foreign language. Tis information is retrieved in certain situations and with the help of the emotions. Te emotional background makes a lot of difference. Recently, when I was following a supertournament, I saw a game with an interesting idea. I knew immediately that I had experienced this kind of plan in my practice. It did not even have time to spark my conscious awareness – I already knew it. My experience had been painful. Tere is definitely some truth in the saying that you learn more from your defeats.
Nigel Short – Jaan Ehlvest allinn/Parnu 1998
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4. ¥ d3 d3 ¤c6 5.c3 f4 ¥ g4 g4 7.£b3 £d7 8.¤d2 e6 9.¤gf3 ¥ f4 ¤f6 6. ¥
Chapter 6 – Memorizing Opening Lines ¥ d6 9... ¥ d6 My problem here was that the CaroKann was not my primary opening, and remembering the line took me a lot of time. I was trying to follow follow a Morozevich Morozevich – Oll game, but I was not sure that I could remember it correctly, so during the game I was checking everything after every move. 9...¥xf3 10.¤xf3 ¥d6 11.¥xd6 £xd6 12.£xb7? ¦b8 13.£a6 0–0 was played in Morozevich – Oll, Groningen 1997. Black had more than enough compensation for the pawn and he won in 48 moves. ¥ g3!? 10. ¥ g3!?
¥ 10... ¥ xf3 After this move the position is similar to the Morozevich – Oll game, where Black took on f3 before playing ... ¥d6, but I could not remember this during my game. Did he take or not? My move 9... ¥d6 was not bad at all, but it took a lot of time. Now, facing a new idea, I badly needed the time I had already spent for nothing. ¥ 11.¤ xf3 xf3 ¥ xg3 I was not familiar with two Smirin games in which his opponents played the correct
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11...0–0, and both the games, against Psakhis in 1991 and against Khalifman in 1994, ended in quick draws. 12.hxg3 a6 I was waiting for White to castle before I did. 13.¢f1!? 13.¢ Tis was a shock. I had to solve new problems again.
13...£c7 14.¦ 13...£ 14.¦e1 Tis idea – ¢f1 and then ¦e1 – and facing it in a real game made such an emotional impression on me that I never forgot it. Te same goes for my opponent, for sure.
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14...¤a5 15.£ 15.£c2 ¤c4 16.¢ 16.¢g1 h6 17.b3 ¤a5 18.c4 ¤c6 19.c5 ¦d8 Black should try: 19...¤b4!? 20.£d2 ¤xd3 21.£xd3 ¤e4 22.b4 0–0 23. ¦h4 Although the position is close to equality, White keeps some initiative. 20.a3 ¦d7 21.b4 ¦e7 22.£ 22.£b2 White has a huge positional advantage advantage and I was already in time trouble as well. Te rest of the game was easy for Nigel.
¥ c2 22...¤d7 23. ¥ c2 0–0 24.¦ 24.¦h4 ¦fe8 Black could try playing the isolated pawn structure after 24...e5 25.dxe5 ¤dxe5 26.¤xe5 ¤xe5, but after 27. ¦d1 the position is unpleasant. ¥ b3 25. ¥ b3 ¤f6 26.¤e5 ¤ xe5 27.dxe5 ¤d7 ¥ a4 ¥ £d4 f5 28. ¥ a4 ¦f8 29. ¥ xd7 £ xd7 30. 30.£ ¦f4 ¦ef7 33.¦ 31.exf6 ¦ xf6 32. 32.¦ 33.¦ xf6 ¦ xf6 34.f4?! 34.f3 was stronger: pawns don’t move backwards! £c6 35.g4 £d7 36.¦ 34...£ 34... 36.¦e5 £f7 37.g3
37...¢h8?! 37...¢ In terrible time trouble I was just quickly making some moves. Because of White’s inaccuracy on move 34 I had the chance to play: 37...g5! 38.f5 exf5 39.¦xd5 fxg4 40.¦d8† ¢h7 41.¦d7 ¦f1† 42.¢g2 ¦f2† Black escapes with perpetual check. 38.¢g2 £g6 39.£ 38.¢ 39.£d1 £f7 40.£ 40.£d3 £c7 £d4 £f7 42.a4 ¢g8 43.b5 axb5 44.axb5 41.£ 41. £d7 45.£ 45.£d3 ¢h8?! 46.¦ 46.¦e1 ¦f8
47.g5! ¦f5 47...hxg5 48. ¦h1† ¢g8 49.£h7† ¢f7 50.c6 bxc6 51.fxg5 is winning for White.
Chapter 6 – Memorizing Opening Lines 48.gxh6+– d4 After 48...gxh6 4 8...gxh6 White can just play 49. ¦c1 and the powerful passed pawn which will be created on the c-file, along with Black’s open king position, makes the position hopeless for Black. 49.hxg7† ¢ xg7 50.¦ 50.¦e4 ¦d5 50...¦xc5 51.¦xd4 is also an easy win for White. 51.g4 ¢g8 52.¢ 52.¢g3 £h7
53.c6 bxc6 Black’s position is also completely lost after 53...¦xb5. Tere is no perpetual check after 54.£xb5 £xe4 55.cxb7, though White can also play 54.c7 ¦c5 55.£xd4 £xc7 56.¦xe6+–. 54.bxc6 £h1 55.¦ 55.¦ xe6 £g1† 56.¢ 56.¢h3 £h1† ¢g3 £g1† 58.¢ 57.¢ 57. 58.¢f3 £h1† 59.¢ 59.¢e2 £g2† ¢e1 £g1† 61.¢ 60.¢ 60. 61.¢d2 £f2† 62.£ 62.£e2 £ xf4† ¢d1 ¦d8 64.c7 £ xc7 65. ¦g6† ¢h8 63.¢ 63. 65.¦ £e6 66.£ 66. 1–0 In the next game the same pattern occurred. I doubt if the Chinese prodigy knew my specific game, but the idea was very similar. After seeing these two games, I am sure everybody will have stored this idea or pattern in their chess memory.
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Wei W ei Yi – Yu Yu Yangyi Yangyi Danzhou 2017
1.e4 e5 2.¤f3 ¤f6 Te Petroff Defence Defence is an opening that every elite player should know, even if he does not play it – it is part of one’s chess education. It was the most solid defence against 1.e4 before Kramnik introduced the Berlin Defence to the chess arena. I tried it a few times, but with horrible results. It just did not suit my aggressive style. As a coach I follow the trends in this opening, and this game caught my attention. ¥ d3 ¥ 3.¤ xe5 d6 4.¤f3 ¤ xe4 5.d4 d5 6. ¥ d3 ¥ e7 e7 6...¤c6 is another option. Usually it is just a question of move order and nothing more, but if Black wants to avoid the particular idea that White uses in this game, the knight move is probably more accurate.
7.c4!? ¥ b4† b4† 8.¢ 8.¢f1 0–0 9.a3 ¥ e7 e7 10.cxd5 ¥ g5 g5 ¤f6 11.¤c3 ¤bd7 12.h4 ¤b6 13. ¥ 14.£c2 h6 15.¦ 15.¦e1! ¤fxd5 14.£ Now we have the same set-up as in my game with Short. However However,, the position is more open and the game is more concrete. Who will be next to discover the same idea – ¢f1 followed by ¦e1 – in some other line?
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15...¦e8?! 15...¦ 15...c6! was the correct move. It is fascinating that even very strong players are not good when facing a defensive task in the very early stage of a game. 16.¤e5
¥ ¥ h7† 16... ¥ xg5 17.hxg5 £ xg5 18. ¥ h7† ¢f8 19.¤ xd5 19.¤e4! £d8 20.£d2 is the inhuman computer suggestion. White keeps a strong initiative, and it is not easy to find a move for Black.
¥ f5 19...¤ xd5 20.£ 20.£c5† ¤e7 21.¦ 21.¦e3 e3 ¥ f5 21...¥e6 was the only move with which Black could have defended the position: 22.d5 (or 22.¦g3 £d2 23.¦d3 £g5 24.¦g3 with a repetition of moves) 22... ¥f5 23.¥xf5 £xf5
24.g4 £f4 25.¤d7† ¢g8 26.¦xe7 ¦xe7 27.£xe7 £c4† 28.¢g2 £xg4† 29.¢h2 £f4† Black delivers perpetual check.
22.¦h5!? 22.¦ 22.¥xf5! £xf5 23.¦h5! £e6 24.¤xf7 £c6 25.¤xh6 £xc5 26.¦f3† £f5 27.¤xf5 was even stronger. £ xh5 ¦ad8 22...£ xh5 23.¤d7† ¥ 22...£ xd7 24. 24.£ £c5 ¥ c6 ¥ c2 ¥ b3 25.£ 25. c5 ¥ c6 26. ¥ c2 a6 27. ¥ b3 ¦d6 28.£ 28.£h5
Chapter 6 – Memorizing Opening Lines
£g4 g6 28...¤d5 29.¦ 29.¦ xe8† ¢ xe8 30. 30.£ ¥ 31. ¥ xd5 ¦ xd5 32.£ 32.£c8† ¢e7 33.£ 33.£ xc7† ¢f6 £f4† ¢g7 35.f3 a5 36.b3 h5 37.¢ 34.£ 34. 37. ¢f2 ¦b5 38.£ 38.£e3 ¦d5 39.¢ 39.¢e1 ¦f5 40.£ 40.£e7 ¦d5 £c7 ¦f5 42.£ 41.£ 41. 42.£h2 ¥ d7 d7 43.¢ 43.¢d2 ¥ e6 e6 ¢c3 ¥ d5 44.¢ 44. d5 45.b4 ¥ c6 c6 46.¢ 46.¢b3 ¥ d5† d5† ¢c3 ¥ c6 47.¢ 47. c6 48.£ 48.£h4 axb4† 49.¢ 49.¢ xb4 ¦d5 ¢c4 ¦f5 51.£ 50.¢ 50. 51.£d8
Te problem for Black is that White has a plan of moving the pawn to a5, followed by advancing the other pawn to d5, when the resulting pawn endgame is lost for Black. ¥ b5† ¥ f1 51... ¥ b5† 52.¢ 52.¢b4 b4 ¥ f1 53.g4 ¦b5† 54.¢ 54.¢c3 hxg4 55.a4 ¦f5 56.fxg4 ¦f3† 57.¢ 57.¢b4 ¦f4 ¢c5 ¥ g2 58.¢ 58. g2 59.£ 59.£g5 ¦e4 60.d5 ¦ xa4
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61.£e5† ¢f8 62.£ 61.£ 62.£h8† ¢e7 63.d6† ¢d7 £b8 64.£ 64. 1–0 I am not absolutely against tricks that may help with opening preparation, but I hope that everybody understands the limits of these tricks. When you are looking at and analysing some critical opening position, it takes a while to deepen one’s one’s understanding of all the subtleties of the position. Once upon a time, a young player turned to to his coach and happily announced that he had found the verdict on a certain critical position. Te coach was sceptical and expressed a firm opinion – if it took you less than a week, do not make a final assessment yet. Te coach (his name has been mentioned in this book several times) was right. Te student might have had the right answer, but he had not worked with the material long enough. Wee chess players need to train our brains. W Te student needs time for training, so that it can make sufficiently profitable changes in his brain to allow him to become a better player. Yes, Y es, we are training our brains, the aim being that our computer – our brain – should finally, after years of chess study, become suitable for solving our chess problems more efficiently in the limited time frame of a competition. If your brain is not well trained or there are some other shortcomings, then learning some tricks cannot help you. Te good news is that there are some tricks that may really help the player. Again, you should include these tricks in your professional training as the final phase of the training ladder. A child acquires language not by memorizing it or first becoming familiar with the rules of syntax or grammar. A chess player’s development is very similar to that. Te coach needs to know and follow the imprinting pattern of pattern of the student and present the material accordingly.
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Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
Memorizing opening theory is a paramount task in increasing the student’s student’s competitiveness. A good start is to make some timeline for opening preparation. A simple spreadsheet is a good aid. Tis should be done after introductory work with the opening line, which includes finding the critical positions, studying the relevant games and reviewing some books. Tis last task is optional and is better done by a coach or second. Tere is so much information available that there is no time left for the professional player to keep an eye on every theoretical work. For the coach it is a different story. He can collect the mistakes made in these books and find some trend, or simply see what other people may be reading and what conclusions they might make after reading about a certain subject. Tis definitely includes theoretical books on secondary opening lines; some genius might pick up some suspect line and use it against our ward. On the spreadsheet or in simple notes we need to categorize what we need to know and when. When preparing for a tournament or series of tournaments people usually cram the lines from their computer before the tournament. A teacher does not need to be a memory expert to know that this is not the best solution. You should know on day one, when you start looking at or analysing the line, what material you need to store in your memory. I have already mentioned that to make yourself familiar with a certain position might take a week. Tis is a long period of time and you can remember most of the work you have done. However, in chess we need some
cooperation from our opponent. We do not know exactly when we are going to use this specific line. Next month or next year, we may only remember the verdict on the move or line, but not the exact move order. We need some repetition to remember this. My advice is to use the supermemo system created system created by Piotr Wozniak. W ozniak. Tis uses the “spa “spaced ced repetition repetition”” method of learning, which some readers may already be familiar with. Tere is no specific product for chess, but what they are offering is a scientific approach, and very soon I believe products such as “Remembering the King’s Indian Defence” might be available on the market. Finally, I want to emphasize again that working with openings is not the same as remembering them. Tere might be a need to remember quickly some new line which comes up in opening preparation against tomorrow’ tomorrow’ss opponent, and then it is a good idea to have some memory trick handy. handy. But generally, I do not like to recommend any situation where chance plays a role. Weaker players might need to increase their unpredictability to catch out a stronger opponent. Being a strong and confident player should mean that the work is already done and there is no need to use tricks to win tomorrow’s game. It is easy to recommend the need for discipline. Opening preparation reveals a lot about the player. Nobody wants to be the one who stands out as lazy and undisciplined, and if you need to work more than others to remember opening lines, then just find the time to do it.
Chapter 7 Overview of Critical Positions
Some final thoughts about openings Nobody can master all the openings – there are simply too many. many. I tried to play as many I could during my chess career and to follow nearly all of them. In this chapter I will share my views vie ws on some positions that I would recommend playing.
Critical positions for White after 1.e4 Caro-Kann Te Caro-Kann Defence is one of the most reliable replies to 1.e4. Solid players like Mikhail Botvinnik, Paul Keres and Anatoly Karpov have mastered this defence in the past. At the beginning of the 21th century, players such as Alexey Dreev, Dmitry Andreikin and Alexander Riazantsev,, representatives of the Russian chess school, are the keenest Caro-Kann proponents. Riazantsev Tis opening has been, and will probably continue to be, a frequent guest, especially in matches. In the 2001 FIDE World Championship in Moscow, I advanced to the last sixteen, where my opponent was Evgeny Bareev. His opening repertoire was very strict: the Caro-Kann was his favourite defence. Unfortunately I lost the first game of the two-game match, so now I had the white pieces in a must-win situation. My team and and I were unable to find anything convincing in the normal lines, so I opted for a more aggressive line, but my opponent was much more familiar with the line.
Jaan Ehlvest – Evgeny Bareev Moscow (4.2) 2001
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 ¥ 3.e5 ¥ f5 f5 4.¤c3 e6 5.g4 ¥ 5.g4 ¥ g6 g6 6.¤ge2 c5 7.h4 h5 8. ¤f4
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Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
¥ h7! 8... ¥ h7! 8...¤c6 was played by Bareev against Morozevich in a previous game. ¥ b5† £ xd4 ¤ge7 9. ¥ b5† ¤c6 10.¤ xh5 cxd4 11. 11.£ ¥ g5 ¥ £a4 b5 12. ¥ g5 a6 13. ¥ xc6† ¤ xc6 14. 14.£ £f4 £c7 15.£ 15. Black already has a decisive advantage and he won quickly. ...0–1 Tis set-up with 5.g4 and 6. ¤ge2 was popular back then, but thanks to computers it does not occur in practice nowadays. I liked the Pano Panovv Attack a lot in my earlier days, but in the match between Andrei Sokolov and Anatoly Karpov in 1987 this system did not work for Sokolov, Sokolov, and its popularity declined. oday there are different critical positions in the Caro-Kann. Te most prominent researcher from Black’s side is the Russian grandmaster Alexander Riazantsev. In the main line he defends the following line.
Dmitry Andreikin – Alexander Riazantsev Moscow (blitz) 2015
1.¤c3 d5 2.e4 c6 3.d4 dxe4 4. ¤ xe4 ¥ f5 f5 ¥ g6 5.¤g3 g3 ¥ g6 6.h4 h6 7. ¤f3 ¤d7 8.h5 ¥ 8.h5 ¥ h7 h7 ¥ d3 £ xd3 e6 11. ¥ ¥ d2 9. ¥ d3 ¥ xd3 10. 10.£ d2 ¤gf6 ¥ d6 £ xe4 ¤f6 12.0–0–0 ¥ 12.0–0–0 d6 13.¤e4 ¤ xe4 14. 14.£ £e2 ¥ c7!? 15.£ 15. e2 ¥ c7!? Tis is the critical position. If White cannot break through here, then the classical line does not promise enough in a must-win situation.
16.¢b1 16.¢ 16.c4 b5! is the idea behind ... ¥c7.
£d5 17.c4 £e4† 18.£ ¥ e3 16...£ 16... 18.£ xe4 ¤ xe4 19. ¥ e3
Chapter 7 – Overview of Critical Positions 19...f5?! 19...¦d8 is a safe move, and the endgame is only very slightly worse for Black. 20.d5 cxd5 21.cxd5 e5 22.¦ 22. ¦he1 0–0 23.¤h4 ¥ d6 ¥ d6 24.¤g6 ¦fe8 25.f4 exf4 26. ¥ xf4 ¦ad8 27. ¥ ¥ xd6 ¦ xd6 28.¤h4 ¦f6 29.¦ 29.¦c1 ¦d8 30.¤g6 ¦f7 31.a4 ¢h7 32.¦ 32.¦ed1 ¤f6 33.¤f4 ¦fd7 34.¤e6 ¦e8 Black has defended well against White’s pressure, but it was a blitz game and the database gives the result as a White win. 1–0 In general the classical approach is the best, playing in the centre and avoiding any strange decisions. However, this kind of solid play is not enough to win against tough opposition. Against the Caro-Kann, the the following set-up is a very popular choice.
Jaan Ehlvest – Djurabek Khamrakulov Jakarta 2013
1.e4 c6 2.¤c3 d5 3.¤f3 Tis system was used previously by Bobby Fischer,, but with Fischer wi th no particular success.
3...¤f6 Another line is 3...¥g4 4.h3 and now:
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a) 4...¥h5 5.d3!
Tis relatively rare move, recently played by Andreikin, is critical for Black. b) 4...¥xf3 5.£xf3
In this position Fischer was not very successful, losing for instance to Paul Keres in 1959. Still, in my opinion this position favours White, and while not revealing the analysis that I might need for my special students in the future, I can assure you that this position still has some bright prospects to discover. Many top players also dislike this position with the black pieces and prefer to avoid it. 4.e5 ¤e4 Another critical position. Tere are several ideas, but for a creative player I would suggest: 5.d4 5.¥e2!? is also interesting.
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Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
5...¤ xc3 6.bxc3 ¥ 6.bxc3 ¥ g4 g4 6...c5 is a better option. 7.h3 ¥ 7.h3 ¥ xf3 7...¥h5? allows the disruptive 8.e6. £ xf3 e6 9.a4 a6 10. ¥ ¥ d2 8.£ 8. d2 c5 11.¦ 11.¦b1
White had the initiative, though Black eventually escaped in a long ending. ...½–½ 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 ¥ 3.e5 ¥ f5 f5 Tis is the Advance Variation – a favourite of Fabiano Caruana.
One should study the positions with 4. ¤f3, learning first from Caruana’s games with White and Riazantsev’ Riazantsev’ss games with Black. Tis is a must for a professional 1.e4 player, because studying these positions teaches you a lot about strategy. My favourite idea, however, however, is the plan with wit h c2-c4, either immediately or after including the moves 4.h4 h5. Te strategy is similar to the game Spassky – Petrosian, Moscow (7) 1969, with the Slav Defence, featured on page 174. White has a space advantage and it is not so easy to play with the black pieces.
Sicilian Defence Te good news is that if your opponent decides to play the Sicilian Defence, it is possible in nearly every line to create a fighting game. It is mostly fashion that dictates which lines are favoured by masters. I would recommend finding a mix of dynamic and positional play. play.
Against the Najdorf Variation, Variation, the line with 6.¥g5 is a tactical one, but after 6.h3 there is a mix of tactical and positional ideas. In the Sveshnikov Variation, tactical solutions are ignored completely and only the positional approach with 11.c4 prevails.
Chapter 7 – Overview of Critical Positions
Boris Spassky’s Spassky’s favourite line was the Closed Cl osed Sicilian. Keeping in mind that the most popular lines are the Najdorf and Sveshnikov variations, the idea of starting the game with 1.e4 c5 2.¤c3 makes a lot of sense. Te Sveshnikov player can play 2... ¤c6, but the Najdorf player has some problems if White continues with 3.¤f3. Given that White has breathed new life into the Italian Game, I think this should also be possible in the Sicilian Defence.
1.e4 e5 What should you choose with the white pieces if you are facing a Berlin Defence player? I do not recommend playing the Italian Game – it is a good opening to know know,, but it does not give enough pressure against a typical 2400-2600 player. Te King’s Gambit is an interesting alternative in my opinion. However, the line with 3.¥e2!? cannot be recommended.
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Tis move was once recommended in an April Fool’ Fool’ss Day article on the ChessBase website. I was one of the fools who checked the line with a computer, as it was promised that this was the only move for White to keep an equal game (which it does). Te main problem for White in the King’s Gambit is the counterattack with ...d7-d5. Tis is why the line with 3. ¤f3 does not work, but the 3.¥c4 line is still alive. Tere is plenty of opportunity to find new ideas in old lines, such as the Four Knights. I greatly enjoyed Kovalenko’s play in the following game.
Igor Kovalenko – Nikita Meskovs Warsaw W arsaw 2015
¥ b5 ¥ 1.e4 e5 2.¤f3 ¤c6 3.¤c3 ¤f6 4. ¥ b5 ¥ b4 b4 5.0–0 0–0 6.d3 ¥ 6.d3 ¥ xc3 7.bxc3 d6 8.¤d2!?
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Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
¥ c4 ¥ b3 8...a6 9. ¥ c4 ¤a5 10. ¥ b3 ¤ xb3 11.axb3 d5 12.f3!? With an irregular position. White won a long game. ...1–0 Although White’ White’ss win in this game was not directly because of the opening, I think this is the future for these lines. Players need to work to find new ideas, which will most likely not be the computer’s first choice, but which create problems that are not so easy to solve in a practical game. Some openings seem to be completely com pletely different, but suddenly the same position emerges – for example the Exchange Variation Variation in the French Defence and the Petr Petroff off Defence.
From the French Defence the move order is 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4. ¤f3 ¤f6, and from the Petroff 1.e4 e5 2. ¤f3 ¤f6 3.¤xe5 d6 4.¤f3 ¤xe4 5.d3 ¤f6 6.d4 d5. It is a good idea if you can prepare one position while actually preparing for two openings. Opening preparation takes time, and this kind of trick can save time until the student has studied all the intricate lines in the French Defence and can play the main lines. Te Exchange Variation certainly does not mean that White is playing for a draw.
Closed systems for White Kramnik is one of the best practical players who tries to avoid his opponent’ opponent’ss opening preparation as much as possible, and prefers to start the game with 1. ¤f3. Tis move is fine if you are not looking for an opening advantage and are hoping to outplay your opponent in a long game. My advice is to start the game with 1.g3!. Tere are some differences, one of which is that Black can play 1...e5 immediately or after 2.¥g2. Tis is why some players after 1.g3 d5 still play 2.¤f3. In my opinion if the player is not looking for an opening advantage and is ready to play Pirc or King’s Indian positions with colours reversed, then he must be ready to give up the centre and simply play 2. ¥g2. Tis is the only downside of the 1.g3 move order, but White can benefit a lot in other lines. Te point is that the knight is still on g1 and White can create a set-up which involves developing the knight to e2, as in the following game.
Chapter 7 – Overview of Critical Positions
Mikhail Botvinnik – Vitaly Shcherbakov Moscow 1955
¥ g2 1.c4 ¤f6 2.¤c3 g6 3.g3 ¥ g7 g7 4. ¥ g2 0–0 5.e4 d6 6.¤ge2 Tis set-up against King’s Indian players is very effective. Black does not have the usual active play.
6...e5 7.0–0 ¤bd7 8.d3 ¤c5 9.f4! Te typical plan – the pawn phalanx is moving forward.
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9...c6 10.h3 ¤e6 11.f5 ¤d4 12.g4 ¤e8 ¥ e3 ¥ g5 ¥ ¥ 13. ¥ e3 a6 14.£ 14.£d2 b5 15. ¥ g5 ¥ f6 f6 16. ¥ xf6 ¤ xf6 17.¤ xd4 exd4 18.¤e2 £b6 19.cxb5 axb5
¥ d7 20.£h6 20.£ h6 ¥ d7 21.g5 ¤h5 22.¤f4 ¤g7 23.f6 1–0 Tere are hundreds of lines where computer assistance may decide the outcome. Tese lines are like snowflakes: they disappear as quickly as they appear. Te concept is much more important: which opening line to play, when and why. Tis should be agreed between the coach and the player. In my opinion, coaches have been pushed to the background and the computer is doing the job instead. I hope that this book offers some help to both the coach and the player.
Chapter 8 How to Build Your Y our Open Opening ing Reper Repertoire toire Te beginner A beginner might be six years old or 60. eaching eaching chess principles depends on the student’s student’s age. Every coach or textbook emphasizes the importance of the centre and the development of the pieces. Tis looks so simple that nobody doubts that it must be comprehensible to even the most stubborn student. Tis is true if we are talking about adult students, but what about children? Tey might listen to what the coach is talking about, but can they really understand the subject? By analysing their games we can see that they are not strictly following the rules about the centre and development in the opening phase of the game. We need to correct and remind them t hem of their mistakes over and over again. It is much simpler to teach chess to a computer. It is easy to write an algorithm in which the program follows these two principles. (Of ( Of course there are more principles, but let’s let’s use just these two for now.) When explaining these principles to an adult we may be pretty sure sure that he or she understands them. Te child, however, however, does not think in the same way. way. Tis is easy to understand by looking at how children gradually learn their mother tongue. First they learn to speak the language, but only afterwards do they learn the language’s grammar and syntax. It seems that it is possible to speak a language without knowing the principles of its structure. Te six-year-old Samuel Reshevsky gave simultaneous displays against adults and beat them, but he was definitely not able to explain to them how he was doing it. Te correct choice of opening is a tool that keeps the child on the right track with the principles of chess. Te development principle is most clearly c learly visible in the Four Knights Game.
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Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
One piece of advice is to develop the knights first, and this principle is clearly visible here. Also, the knight’s move is the most exciting chess move, which attracts the child’s imagination. Te centre principle is already clear from the first move when playing with the black pieces and answering 1...e5.
Tis classical move is a very good choice for the beginner, because the symmetrical battle in the centre is a good starting point to practise and become familiar with these types of positions. Te coach must direct the student to play positions that are most in line with these two
principles – development and the centre. Once the student is familiar with these, the next step might be the introduction of new openings that include more extreme principles, such as sacrificing a pawn for quick development.
Te King’s King’s Gambit is i s one of these openings. However, it does not make any sense to play this opening while the student is still too weak in tactics and not capable of calculating the consequences of his moves. Aggressive openings promise good results at certain levels, when the ability to see one’s own threats prevails over defensive skills. Te coach, however, needs to understand that our aim is to help the student to grow in chess in general, and not to win some games here and there. Opening selections should not chop and change, with the sole aim of winning at any cost, but must follow the long-term interests of the student. Understanding of the openings grows with the student’ student’ss own development. Te development of an individual chess player mirrors the evolution of the chess game itself. During the 19th century Paul Morphy was a feared attacking player in open positions. Later,, at the end of the 19th century, the father Later of positional chess, Wilhelm Steinitz, became World W orld Champion. Te young player should
Chapter 8 – How to Build Your Opening Repertoire follow the route from Morphy to Steinitz, and opening choices should match these changes.
Some openings may teach the young player classical patterns better than others. As I mentioned, for piece activity and centralization, the wo Knights Defence is a good choice to make the student familiar with these patterns. Te term “centralization”, for instance, might not tell a young student anything, but the pattern should. Tis is why it does not make any sense to teach a young student complicated complicate d terminology. A visual example is the best tool. An attack on the f7-pawn is a motif in many games between beginners. Te most drastic example is Scholar’s Mate. In one of my first games at the chess school, when I was eight years old, my opponent was eager to mate me in just a few moves: ¥ c5 1.e4 e5 2.¤f3 f3 ¥ c5 3.¤c3 £h4??
I did not overlook the mate on f2, but took my opponent’s queen. With the white pieces, I reached the following following position a few times: ¥ c4 1.e4 e5 2.¤f3 ¤c6 3. ¥ c4 ¤f6 4.¤g5 Attacking the f7-pawn!
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4...d5 5.exd5 And now instead of the theoretical 5... ¤a5! or 5...b5, my opponent recaptured on d5. 5...¤ xd5? 6.¤ xf7 Tis combination looks very attractive to a beginner’s eye. However, it is not the best move. 6...¢ xf7 7.£ 6...¢ 7.£f3† ¢e6 8.¤c3
White has a strong attack, but I lost the game. Only later did I learn that 6. ¤xf7 is not the best move, and the more sophisticated 6.d4! is possible.
Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
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Te idea is to open the position as much as possible. White has a strong initiative. By that time, however, my opponents were stronger and they no longer made the mistake 5... ¤xd5. Te Italian Game should be in the repertoire of a young player. oday we are suddenly seeing this opening in top tournaments, and World W orld Champion Magnus Carlsen C arlsen employs it with both colours. However, However, the young player should not play it like Magnus!
Magnus Carlsen – Viswanathan Anand Leuven (rapid) 2016
¥ c4!? ¥ 1.e4 e5 2.¤f3 ¤c6 3. ¥ c4!? ¥ c5 c5 4.0–0 ¤f6 5.d3
5...d6
“5...0–0!? used to be considered interesting, the idea being 6.c3 d5!? 7.exd5 ¤xd5, when Black is supposed to have active play with his pieces, compensating for the e5-pawn being somewhat weak. However, White has 8.a4!?. Kramnik, Anand and Giri played this in Paris/ Leuven, adding new life to White’s ambitions in this branch.” – P.H. Nielsen. 6.c3 a6 7.a4!? Tis is a slow plan and cannot be recommended to the young player, for the same reason that the young player should not play the closed systems as White. Tis style of game should be tried when one has already exhausted all other options. It takes time, and I do not believe one needs this kind of sophisticated play before one’s one’s rating is at least around 2500.
¥ a7!? 7... ¥ a7!? 7...h6 has been Kramnik’ Kramnik’ss choice here, while Nakamura has preferred 7...0–0. ¥ e3 8.¤a3 ¤e7!? 9.¤c2 0–0 10. ¥ e3 ¥ xe3 11.¤ xe3 White went on to win this this dull position. ...1–0 Te correct plan at beginner level is the following one:
Chapter 8 – How to Build Your Opening Repertoire ¥ c4 1.e4 e5 2.¤f3 ¤c6 3. ¥ c4 ¥ c5 c5 4.c3 ¤f6 5.d4! 5.d3 is also a good move, defending the d-pawn, but as early as possible the student should be taught the more aggressive move 5.d4, attacking the centre. 5...exd4 6.cxd4 ¥ 6.cxd4 ¥ b4† b4† 7.¤c3 Tis move loses the pawn on e4 because of the pin, but White does this intentionally. Sacrifice – the intentional loss of material to achieve a more important result. Tis chess terminology cannot be explained only in words to the young student, but needs needs a visual example. Tis line should be in the beginner’s repertoire.
¥ ¥ f6 ¦e1 0–0 7...¤ xe4 8.0–0 8.0–0 ¥ xc3 9.d5 9.d5 ¥ f6 10. 10.¦ ¦ xe4 ¤e7 11.¦ 11.
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It is difficult to imagine that at beginner level the game will proceed so far to this theoretical position. Still, it can be a good idea to show how some games progress as far as possible. Of course, at some point the naive attack against the f7-pawn will no longer be interesting to the young player, and other plans should be taught. Here is an example of how to present a game to the young player.
Ernst Jacobsen – Paul Johner Copenhagen 1916
¥ c4 1.e4 e5 2.¤f3 ¤c6 3. ¥ c4 Developing the pieces. 3...¤f6 4.d4 Attacking the centre and opening diagonals and files for the pieces.
4...exd4 5.0–0 Quick development! 5...¤ xe4 6.¦ 6.¦e1 Pinning the knight. 6...d5
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Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
¥ 7. ¥ xd5! A combination involving pins on the e- and d-files. ¥ e6 7...£ xd5 8. ¤c3 £a5 9.¤ xe4 7...£ xe4 ¥ e6 10.¤eg5 ¥ d6 ¥ g5 0–0–0 11.¤ xe6 fxe6 12.¦ 12.¦ xe6 xe6 ¥ d6 13. ¥ g5 White cannot grab the pawn because of 13.¤xd4? ¤xd4 14.£xd4 ¥xh2†. ¦df8 13...¦ 13...
Black has a threat – can you see it?
¥ h4 14. ¥ h4 14.£e2! is the best move, allowing Black to carry out his threat, though this tactic might be too complicated to explain to the beginner: 14...¦xf3? 15.¦e8† ¤d8 16.¦xh8+–
£d5 15.£ 14...£ 14... 15.£e2 ¤d8 16.¦ 16.¦e4 c5 17.b3 ¤c6
18.¦d1? 18.¦ 18.¦e1! Te rook belongs on the open file!
18...¢d7 19.¦ 18...¢ 19.¦e1! ¦f4 20.¦ 20.¦e8 20.¤e5† was winning: 20... ¥xe5 21.¦xf4 ¥xf4 22.£g4† ¢c7 23.£xg7† ¢b6 24.£xh8+– ¦ xe8 21.£ ¥ g3 20...¦ 20... 21.£ xe8† ¢c7 22. ¥ g3 ¦f6
23.¤d2? Losing a pawn. Black seizes the opportunity and converts his advantage convincingly. convincingly. ¥ 23... ¥ xg3 24.hxg3 £f5 25.£ 25.£e2 £ xc2 26.¤e4 £ xe2 27.¦ 27.¦ xe2 ¦e6
Chapter 8 – How to Build Your Opening Repertoire
28.f3 h6 29.¢ 29.¢f2 b6 30.¦ 30.¦d2 ¤b4 31.g4 ¤d5 ¦c2 ¤e3 33.¦ 32.¦ 32. 33.¦c1 ¤ xg4† 0–1
Te tournament player A young player who is no longer making any one-move blunders may be eager to play tournament chess. Now some hands-on knowledge of the openings is a must. mu st. When I started to play in tournaments my first move was 1.e4, but then I turned to 1.c4. I was a third category player back then during the Soviet Union era, which might correspond to a 1500 rating today. Te closed systems are not a very good choice for a young player. In those openings, understanding of positional plans is more important i mportant than concrete play. Once, when I was still a third category player, I opened the game with 1.d4 and my opponent played the Nimzo-Indian Defence. I had no clue where to put my pieces and castled queenside. I lost the game very quickly to a much stronger opponent (he was a first category player – on today’s today’s scale around 1900 rating) and later got some good advice from my stronger colleagues: don’t castle queenside when your pawn is already on c4, because it is very easy for Black to open the c-file and your king is exposed. Somehow, I remembered this advice for life.
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I adopted the move 1.c4 when I was roughly a 1600-rated player, and the only thing I knew was this set-up:
Tis does not need much in the way of opening preparation, and is almost universal against every opening Black might choose. It was my main weapon until the age of of 15, when I started to return to 1.e4. I cannot stop people playing closed systems, but I would recommend open systems for young players. After development there is one more principle: centralization. Tis means that you should concentrate the power of your pieces on the central files, ranks and squares. Te open systems require this and the young player becomes accustomed to it. In closed systems, as in the English Opening, the game is somewhat concentrated at the edges of the board. In the King’s Indian, for example, there is a clear picture of where to play: Black tries to build his game on the kingside and White on the queenside. Tere is nothing wrong with this, but for the young player it is better to learn sword fighting first and only after that to start to figure out how the artillery works. Of course, a player cannot avoid closed systems altogether when playing with the black pieces. Some opponents will play 1.d4,
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1.c4 or 1.¤f3, and some set-up or system must be taught. I cannot recommend a best recipe here. It is good, however, to have one system for all these moves. If we follow our great predecessors, we can see that Garry Kasparov’s choice (or that of his coaches – we do not know exactly) was the King’s King’s Indian Defence. When I was writing about Dvoretsky Dvoretsky’’s students, I mentioned that some of them had two different kinds of openings depending on White’s first move. After 1.e4 they had a solid defence and against 1.d4 some active dynamic system, or vice versa. Kasparov played the aggressive King’s Indian Defence as Black against the closed systems, but after 1.e4, when he was winning nearly all the Soviet Union junior championships, he played the solid Caro-Kann. Later he switched to the Scheveningen system in the Sicilian Defence, which served him until the world championship matches against Karpov. Karpov. Why would I force younger players to play 1.e4? I will give one example from my practice. While putting my English set-up on the board I did not have any clear plan of how to continue, so I created one of my own.
In this kind of position I started to play ¥g5 followed by £d2 and then h2-h4. Tere is a
saying that it is better to play with a bad plan than with no plan at all. However, it is even better to build attacking positions on open lines.
How much work should we do on openings? In my coaching practice I try to minimize the time we spend on openings with my students. I only try to provide general advice or concepts. Te casual tournament player or adolescent trying to improve his game has so much to learn that spending valuable time with the coach is not the most profitable behaviour – not to mention that coaching is not usually free. Players should not jump from one opening to another. Te opening itself is not a secret weapon, regardless of what the titles of opening books say. “Winning with the King’s Indian” or any other opening is unfortunately only a marketing slogan. Howeve Howeverr, after mastering an opening line at a certain level, there might be some reason to leave it behind and study new material. ournament failure at this level usually has nothing to do with openings or opening preparation.
Pre-professional level Youngsters competing in junior tournaments Youngsters are not professionals per se . Teir livelihood does not depend on their results. Chess professionalism may have several definitions. Some great chess players used to say that chess was their life, but their life was not only only chess. For some players it was only chess – they devoted their whole life to chess. When I talk about professionalism I mean the attitude to work. Botvinnik was the first player to take it as seriously as possible, but his life was not only chess. Later, Bobby Fischer was the hardest working player player,, and his life was only chess. It is difficult difficu lt to demand dem and from schoolchildren the same devotion that Fischer
Chapter 8 – How to Build Your Opening Repertoire had. Not every talented youngster has the makings of an elite player. It is not good to make excessive promises to the player. oday, at a very early age, it should be clear if the prodigy has enough talent to become a professional player. At the age of between 15 and 17 the youngster should be a grandmaster or at least playing at that level. For everyone else it makes no sense to hope to become a professional player who may have to feed his or her future family. Everybody who represents their country at the World Junior Championships has some pre-professional quality. Tey also need some good help in opening preparation. I was stunned when I saw my students’ games from the Under-10 World Championship age group. Some of their opponents had excellent opening knowledge – or perhaps it would be better to say preparation. Tere is a limit to the opening knowledge of children, and the main concern should be to limit the number of situations in which your student has to face a position in which he or she does not know or understand what is going on. Preparation is sometimes even too deep – players know the moves, but they lack understanding. Tis trend, in my opinion, is harmful for players. It works only on those occasions when the opponent does the same thing but is out-prepared. Opening preparation should follow the general level of the student. Studying opening lines that go over their heads makes no sense. Tis also happens with adult players with ratings around 1800-2200, who blindly try to follow some top-level game where the critical position appears after the 20th move. Tere are so many positions which might happen before then in the game that it makes sense to work on those positions. For the positions that occur
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after move 20, you need to find a cooperative opponent in order to reach them. Sometimes such opening preparation pays off, and in the news we hear nearly every day of some prodigy who made a draw with a grandmaster. However, to show good knowledge of some drawish theoretical line is not much of an accomplishment in itself. I want to stress that players who are already at the pre-professional level must work on openings themselves. No one can rely on seconds or coaches all the time. My good friend Andrei Sokolov had his coach, Yurkov, always at his side during junior tournaments, but later, after he lost the match to Karpov in 1987, his results started to decline rapidly, and one of the reasons was that he did not have the same help in opening preparation. He was not a self-made man and could not adjust to the new situation. Some might also say that the main reason was that he could not psychologically recover from his defeat. Still the fact is that his opening preparation was not improving, and his opponents started to adjust to the lines he was constantly playing. Te pre-professional needs professional help. Local chess schools, à la Dvoretsky, do not exist everywhere. FIDE has its own rainers’ Commission and the licensing of trainers looks like a never-ending process. I am not qualified to approve or criticize this system, but the fact is that good coaches co aches aren’t aren’t available availabl e everywhere. Private coaching over the internet is expensive. What is the solution? Players must have an analytical mind and the opening preparation that they do for themselves is the place to start. My main rival during my junior years was Andrei Sokolov. He was a powerful player with the white pieces. I lost numerous games against him in different qualification tournaments. Te level
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of chess in the Soviet Union was way ahead of the rest of the world, but there was still only one qualification spot for the World Junior Championship. Te motivation to find the correct opening was huge. My usual opening choices against Andrei did not work – I lost with the Pirc and I lost with the Sicilian. Even when I had good preparation, Andrei’s attacking skills helped him to win objectively inferior positions.
Andrei Sokolov – Jaan Ehlvest Sochi 1980
1.e4 c5 2.¤f3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4. ¤ xd4 ¤f6 5.¤c3 d6 6.f4 Tis was popular at that time, and I also played it with the white pieces myself. ¥ e3 ¥ b7 ¥ d3 6...a6 7. ¥ e3 b5 8.£ 8.£f3 f3 ¥ b7 9. ¥ d3 b4 Tis was my preparation.
10.¤d1!? Facing a new challenge during the game, White made a move that I had had not foreseen in my analysis at home. I concentrated on 10. ¤ce2 h5!? 11.0–0–0 ¤bd7, when White is in trouble because it is very difficult to defend the e-pawn. Te threat
of ...¤c5 is very annoying. After 12. ¤b3 a5! Black has a big advantage. 10...¤bd7 11.¤f2
11...e5! When the white knight has been pushed away from the c3-square, this idea is always good. £ xf4 ¤e5 12.¤f5 g6 13.¤g3 exf4 14. 14.£ ¥ d4 ¥ c4 15. ¥ d4 ¤fd7 16. ¥ c4
¥ e7 16... ¥ e7 16...h5! was very strong, with the threat of 17...¥h6. ¥ b3 17.h4 0–0 18. ¥ b3 a5 19.¤g4 ¤ xg4
Chapter 8 – How to Build Your Opening Repertoire
20.h5! 20.£xg4 ¤f6 21.¥xf6 ¥xf6 22.h5 £c8 23.¤f5 ¦e8! and Black is winning. Te detail of this computer line is not important, because bec ause it is obvious that after 20. £xg4 Black has enough time to consolidate the position and White is in trouble. 20...d5? 20...¤ge5 21.hxg6 ¥g5 was the correct defence: 22.gxf7† ¦xf7 Te only move. 23.¥xf7† ¤xf7 24.£f5 ¤f8 25.0–0 £d7 Black has defended against the direct threats and has the better game. ¥ 21.hxg6 ¥ f6 21.hxg6 ¥ f6 22.£ 22.£ xg4 xg4 ¥ xd4 23.gxf7† ¢h8 £g6 ¥ f2† 24.£ 24. g6 ¥ f2†
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25.¢d1 ¤f6 26.¤f5 dxe4† 27.¢ 25.¢ 27.¢c1 ¥ e3† e3† 28.¤ xe3 £d4 29.£ 29.£h6 ¦ad8 30.¤f5 ¤h5 31.¤ xd4 1–0 I definitely needed to change my opening against him. At that time we did not have any computer databases and the work was done mainly in my head. I figured out that the classical approach was the correct way to fight against Sokolov’s aggressive style. I started to study the Ruy Lopez from the Black side, and was finally successful against him. More good news was that I was able to use this line later against another aggressive attacking player, Ilya Smirin, in a USSR Championship qualification tournament. My work paid off.
Ilya Smirin – Jaan Ehlvest Pinsk 1986
1.e4 e5 Sometimes you need to take a risk in the opening. I was not very sure what to do if my opponent did not play the Ruy Lopez. I was not a regular 1...e5 player and had never deeply studied all the gambit lines, such as the King’s Gambit. My opponent did not know this and we reached the Ruy Lopez, which was a relief for me. ¥ b5 ¥ a4 2.¤f3 ¤c6 3. ¥ b5 a6 4. ¥ a4 ¤f6 5.0–0 ¥ 5.0–0 ¥ e7 e7 ¦e1 b5 7. ¥ ¥ b3 6.¦ 6. b3 d6 8.c3 0–0 9.h3 ¤a5 I chose one of the oldest set-ups. ¥ c2 10. ¥ c2 c5 11.d4 £c7 12.¤bd2 ¤c6!? Tis line is not considered particularly good for Black. Te reason I picked it and prepared it against Sokolov was that in this line there is no dynamic play; it is going to be a slow positional game. White needs to make positional decisions, which are more difficult to make than just tactical play play..
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13.d5 ¤a5 14.¤f1 ¤b7 15.b3 g6 16.¤g3 ¥ d7 d7 17.¤h2?! After 17.c4!? ¦fb8 18.¥e3 ¤d8 Black has the idea of cementing the kingside with ...¤e8, ...f6, ... ¤f7 and later ... ¤g7. Tis plan is passive but, as I have already explained, I was taking a calculated risk. 17...c4! 18.b4 a5 19.a3 axb4 20.cxb4 ¤e8 21.¤g4 ¤g7 22.f4 exf4 Te computer move 22...h5 promises an advantage for Black, but it is too non-human to play it in a game without working it out at home in advance. ¥ 23. ¥ xf4
¥ 23... ¥ xg4! A good positional decision. ¥ f6 ¥ e5 24.£ xg4 24.£ xg4 ¥ f6 25.¦ 25.¦a2 ¦a6 26.£ 26.£f3 f3 ¥ e5 Black must be satisfied with his opening strategy. Te position is about equal, but more importantly there are no dynamics. Tis position was definitely not to Smirin’s liking.
£ xf4 ¦fa8 27.¢h1 £e7 28.¦ 27.¢ 28.¦f1 ¥ xf4 29. 29.£ ¦f3 ¤d8 31.¤e2 £e5 32.¤c3 ¦b8 30.¦ 30. £ xe5 dxe5 34.¦ 33.£ 33. 34.¦f1 ¤e8 Tis complicated endgame is still around equal, but Black has a clear plan and it is more difficult to play with White.
35.a4
Chapter 8 – How to Build Your Opening Repertoire Smirin plays the most straightforward move, but it only makes his task more difficult. 35.¦b1! looks better b etter.. White keeps more tension and defends the b-pawn in advance, thus preparing a3-a4 under better circumstances. After 35... ¤d6 White could consider 36.g4!?, preventing ...f5 and intending ¢g2 before taking action on the queenside. ¥ 35...bxa4 36.b5 ¦a7 37. ¥ xa4? Better was 37.¦fa1! ¤b7 38.¦xa4 ¦xa4 39.¦xa4 ¤ed6 40.¦a7 ¢f8 and only Black can improve his position, though White could still hold with precise play. 37...¢f8 38.¦ 37...¢ 38.¦b2 ¤d6 Now Black’s positional advantage is obvious. Te blockading knight on d6 is very strong.
¥ c6 39.¦b4 ¤8b7 40.b6 ¦a6 41. ¥ 39.¦ c6 ¤c5 42.b7 ¤cxe4 43.¤ xe4 ¤ xe4 Black wins a pawn, because 44. ¦xc4 is not possible due to the fork 44... ¤d2. White did not miss this, but just overestimated the passer on b7. 44.¢g1 ¤d6 45.¦ 44.¢ 45.¦e1 e4 46.¢ 46.¢f2 ¦a3 47.¦ 47.¦e3 ¦a1 48.¦ 48.¦e1 ¦ xe1 49.¢ 49. ¢ xe1 ¢e7 50.¢ 50.¢d2 f5 ¢e3 ¢d8 52.¢ 51.¢ 51. 52.¢d4 ¢c7 53.¦ 53.¦a4 f4 54.h4 h6 55.¦ 55.¦a1 e3 56.¦ 56.¦f1 ¦f8 57.¢ 57.¢e5
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57...¤ xb7! One of my childhood coaches explained that the endgame is just mathematics: you simply need to calculate. In this case I tried very hard to calculate accurately accu rately.. Te game had enormous importance for me. Tanks to it I qualified for the USSR Championship First League, and after that my career as a professional took off. ¥ ¢e6 g5 60.¢ 58. ¥ xb7 ¢ xb7 59. 59.¢ 60.¢e7 ¦h8 ¦b1† ¢a6 62.hxg5 hxg5 63.d6 c3 61.¦ 61. ¢f6 c2 65.¦ 64.¢ 64. 65.¦a1† ¢b5 66.¢ 66.¢ xg5 ¢c4 ¢ xf4 ¢d3 67.¢ 67. Te black king arrives just in time. 0–1 I have mentioned already that nowadays book knowledge of the openings might help to make m ake a draw against a much stronger opponent. Playing for a draw should not in itself be a huge problem. It can be more of a problem reaching a situation where a draw is a good result. More often we have a must-win situation. So how do we handle the situation in which a draw is the desired result? It should not be too complicated when playing with the white pieces, but in a tense situation it is far from trivial. Usually in these situations the player is ready to trade pieces, but along with this he or she is likely to give away the initiative. Tere are several examples from chess
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history, and one of the best is the following game. Tis game was played in the last round of the Interzonal, and Gurevich needed only a draw to qualify for the Candidates. Short was half a point behind and he needed to win to qualify.
Mikhail Gurevich – Nigel Short Manila 1990
1.d4 e6 Short did not have a very wide opening repertoire, consisting mainly of the Queen’s Gambit Declined and the French Defence. Neither opening is very useful when you are in a must-win situation. 2.e4 Gurevich switches to the French Defence, which proves to be a bad choice. ¥ g4 2...d5 3.exd5 exd5 4. ¤f3 f3 ¥ g4 5.h3 ¥ 5.h3 ¥ h5 h5
¥ e2? 6. ¥ e2? Tis move is too timid.
Te correct move is 6. £e2†, as first played by Kasparov. Te point is 6... ¥e7?! 7.£b5†, when White is winning a pawn. Against 6...£e7 White can play for an
advantage with 7. ¥e3, or, in Gurevich’s situation, trade the queens and hope for the best. ¥ d6 6... ¥ d6 An early game continued: 6... ¤c6 7.0–0 ¥d6 8.¤c3 ¤ge7 9.¥e3 f6 10.£d2 ¥f7 11.¦ae1² Marshall – Capablanca, St Petersburg 1914. ¥ £ xe2 ¤e7 9.0–0 0–0 10. ¥ ¥ f4 7.¤e5?! e5?! ¥ xe2 8. 8.£ f4 ¦e8 11.£ ¥ ³ 13. ¥ ¥ g3 11.£g4 ¥ xe5 12. ¥ xe5 ¤g6 g6³ g3 15.£f3 c6 16.£ 16.£b3 £b6!? ¤d7 14.¤d2 ¤f6 15.£ £ xb6 axb6 17.£ 17.
Tis endgame is unpleasant for White, and he eventually lost it. ...0–1 I faced a similar situation of needing only a draw in a game against Boris B oris Gulko.
Jaan Ehlvest – Boris Gulko Volgodonsk 1983
¥ 1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3. ¤f3 a6 4.e3 ¤f6 5. ¥ xc4 e6 6.0–0 c5 7.dxc5?! Tis move is fine, but the concept is wrong. I made the same mistake mi stake as Gurevich. It is not so easy to make a draw by just simplifying the position. A better strategy is just to play
Chapter 8 – How to Build Your Opening Repertoire your normal game and from time to time to remind yourself that your goal is to make a draw. Another important point is that if you are satisfied with a draw before the game, you should never change that attitude during the game. Even if you get a winning position you should still concentrate on making mak ing a draw. draw. ¥ 7... ¥ xc5 8.£ 8.£ xd8† ¢ xd8
In this endgame White could try to play for a win, but if you are thinking only of how to draw, the game can go downhill very quickly. ¥ b2 9.a3 ¢e7 10.b4 ¥ 10.b4 ¥ d6 d6 11. ¥ b2 ¤bd7 12.¤bd2 ¥ d3 b5 13. ¥ d3 ¥ b7 b7 14.¦ 14.¦fd1 ¦hc8 15.¢ 15.¢f1 g6 16.h3 ¦c7 17.¦ 17.¦ac1 ¦ac8 18.¦ 18.¦ xc7 ¦ xc7
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19.e4?! e5 20.¢ 20.¢e2 ¤h5 21.g3 ¤g7 22.¦ 22.¦c1 ¦ xc1 23. ¥ ¥ ¥ b2 xc1 ¤b6 24. ¥ b2 f6 25.h4 ¥ c8 c8 26.¤e1 ¥ g4† g4† 27.f3 ¥ e6 e6 28.¤g2 ¤h5 ¥ c1 29.¤f1 ¤c4 30. ¥ c1 f5 31.exf5 gxf5 32.¢ 32. ¢f2 ¥ c7 ¥ b6 c7 33.¤ge3 ge3 ¥ b6 34.¢ 34.¢g2
34...¤ xg3? 34...¤d6, keeping the tension, was much better, when White would need to defend accurately to achieve a draw: 35. ¥b2 e4 36.fxe4 fxe4 37. ¥e2 ¤f6 38.g4 ¤d5 Black has the advantage because he is much better centralized. 35.¢ xg3 f4† 36.¢ 35.¢ 36.¢f2 Black no longer has any advantage and the draw was agreed. ½–½ With the white pieces it does not look too difficult to make a draw, and many players have never paid much attention to the matter. However, as there are many knockout competitions with two-game matches, this situation is not so rare at all. I once had this kind of match against Vassily Ivanchuk. Te Ukrainian player won our first game with Black, and in the second game he needed a draw to win the match. He opened with 1.e4! – an excellent choice, because in the open games there are so many forcing drawish lines, and
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it is more difficult for Black to keep the game going. My choice was the Najdorf Variation of the Sicilian.
Vassily V assily Ivanchuk – Jaan Ehlvest Elista (1.2) 1998
1.e4 c5 2.¤f3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. ¤ xd4 ¤f6 5.¤c3 a6
¥ g5! 6. ¥ g5! When you need a draw draw,, concrete play is much easier to handle. It is always more difficult to make a positional decision than a tactical one. 6...¤bd7 I preferred to avoid: 6...e6 7.f4 £b6
Tis is the critical position, but White can make a forced draw in many lines. ¥ c4 ¥ e7?! 7. ¥ c4 e6 8.0–0 £a5! 9.£ 9.£d2 d2 ¥ e7?! 9...h6! is sounder, but after 10. ¥xf6 ¤xf6 11.¥b3 ¥e7 12.f4 White has an easy game, which is a situation that you want to avoid when you have to win. You want to create problems for your opponent that are difficult to solve in a tense situation. ¥ e3 10.¦ad1 h6 11. ¥ 10.¦ e3 ¤c5? 11...¤e5!? 12.¥b3 ¤eg4 13.f4 ¤xe3 14.£xe3 0–0 15.¢h1 £c5 and Black is defending – not the best scenario in a must win situation.
¥ 12.¤b3! ¤ xb3 13. ¥ xb3 b5 14.f3 White needs a draw draw,, but objectively better was 14.a3 ¥b7 15.f4! with the advantage. ¥ b7 14... ¥ b7 15.£ 15.£f2 £c7 16.£ 16.£g3 ¦g8 16...h5!? was an interesting attempt to complicate matters: 17.£xg7 ¦g8 18.£h6 ¦g6 19.£f4 h4 20.¥f2! ¤h5 21.£e3 0–0–0 Black has enough counterplay. counterplay. £f2 g5 18. ¥ ¥ b6 ¥ d4 17.£ 17. b6 £c6 19. ¥ d4
Chapter 8 – How to Build Your Opening Repertoire
19...¤h5? 19...h5! was a better try try.. 20.¤e2! Simple and strong.
¥ c2 20...a5 21.c3 ¤f6 22. ¥ c2 h5 Returning to the correct plan, but it is too late now now.. 23.a4 ¥ a6 23.a4 ¥ a6
¥ 24. ¥ xf6! Tis simplifying move is very strong. Now it becomes obvious that Black has no winning chances in this game. ¥ ¦ xd4 ¢e7 24... ¥ xf6 25.¤d4 ¥ xd4 26. 26.¦
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27.¦fd1 ¦ad8 28.e5! dxe5 27.¦ 28...d5 29.f4 is hopeless. £a7† ¢e8 31.¦ 29.¦ xd8 ¦ xd8 30. 29.¦ 30.£ 31.¦ xd8† ¢ xd8
32.h4! 32.£xf7? £c5† 33.¢h1 £f2 with a draw.
¥ e4 32...gxh4 33. ¥ e4 £d6 34.axb5 ¥ 34.axb5 ¥ c8 c8 34...¥xb5 35.£xa5† ¢e7 36.£xb5 and White wins. 35.£ xa5† ¢e7 36.£ 35.£ 36.£a7† ¢f6 37.£ 37.£f2 ¢g7 £ xh4 £c5† 39.¢ ¥ c6 38.£ 38. 39.¢h2 f5 40. ¥ c6 1–0 It is a different story if you have the black pieces and need a draw. Tis has been very common in World Championship matches – usually in the last game of the match. Tis situation does not include the average Joe, so let’ss look at a more human situation. let’ What opening to choose? Something classical or a more active modern opening? Tere is no ready-made recipe for this. In a tense situation, however,, it is difficult to play a long game when however you are under slight but constant pressure, and any mistake can be fatal. In the next game my choice was the Ruy Lopez, which was probably not the correct choice; a Sicilian would have been better.
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Yehuda Y ehuda Gruenfeld – Jaan Ehlvest Zagreb 1987
1.e4 Tis game was played in the last round of the Interzonal tournament. I had very good chances to finish in the top three and qualify for the Candidates matches, but my opening choice here was too solid. My opponent had no qualifying chances, and giving him a situation in which he had no losing chances made his life too simple. ¥ b5 ¥ a4 1...e5 2.¤f3 ¤c6 3. ¥ b5 a6 4. ¥ a4 ¤f6 5.0–0 ¥ e7 ¥ b3 e7 6.¦ 6.¦e1 b5 7. ¥ b3 0–0 8.c3 d6 9.h3 ¤b8 Te Breyer system is solid but very passive. ¥ c2 10.d4 ¤bd7 11.¤bd2 ¥ b7 b7 12. ¥ c2 ¦e8 13.b4 13.¤f1 is the most common move. ¥ f8 ¥ b2 13... ¥ f8 14.a4 ¤b6 15.a5 ¤bd7 16. ¥ b2 ¦b8 17.¦ ¥ a1 ¥ 17.¦b1 g6 18. ¥ a1 ¥ a8 a8 19.dxe5!? ¤ xe5 ¥ c3 20.¤ xe5 dxe5 21.c4 bxc4 22. ¥ c3
¥ c6 22... ¥ c6 22...c5 is possible, for example: 23. ¤xc4 £xd1 24.¦bxd1 cxb4 25.¥xe5 b3!? (25... ¦bc8? 26.¥xf6 ¦xc4 27.¥b3!±) 26.¥d3 ¦xe5 27.¤xe5 ¥b4 Black has good compensation for the exchange.
¥ b5 23.£e2 23.£ e2 ¥ b5 24.¤ xc4 c5 25.bxc5 ¥ 25.bxc5 ¥ xc5 25...¤d7!? could be tried. ¥ b3! 26. ¥ b3! o allow the white whi te queen to move m ove away from the pin. 26...£c7 27.¦ 26...£ 27.¦bc1 27.£f3? allows a tactic: 27... ¥xc4 28.¥xc4 ¦xb1 29.¦xb1 ¥xf2†µ
Te position is still equal, but I was already in time trouble. My opponent was playing quickly because this game had significant importance to me, but not to him. White has the initiative and it is not so easy to play with Black. ¥ a3? 27... ¥ a3? 27...¥c6! 28.¤d2 ¥a3 29.¦c2 ¦xb3 30.¤xb3 ¥xe4 31.¦a2 ¥f8 offers Black good compensation, but I did not have enough time to calculate this line. ¥ d2! 28.¦c2 ¤d7?! 29. ¥ 28.¦ d2! Now suddenly White has a big advantage. ¥ c5?! 29... ¥ c5?! 29...¤c5 30.¥a2! (30.£e3 ¤xb3 31.¤xa3 ¥c6÷) 30...£e7 31.£f3 ¥xc4 32.¥xc4 ¥b2 33.¥g5 £f8 34.h4 and White is much better better..
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£f3+– 30.£ 30.
with certain openings from the very beginning. Interesting lines and openings that include some not-so-correct gambits lie in the past. It is possible to suddenly change one’s opening repertoire when approaching the professional level, but perhaps only to a certain extent. A player who has never played the Sicilian Defence before cannot suddenly start to play it. Tis is why the correct opening choices must be made at the very beginning. Tere are players like grandmaster Eduardas Rozentalis who played the Petroff Defence when he was just at the pre-professional level, and he has not changed his opening repertoire ever since.
¥ g5 30...¦e6 31. ¥ 30...¦ g5 ¦c6 32.¤e3 ¦f8 33.¤d5 £ xa5 34.¦ ¥ f6† 34.¦ec1 ¢g7 35.¦ 35.¦ xc5! ¦ xc5 36. ¥ f6† 1–0
Chess is a sport for young people, but elite players can compete at the top level for many decades. Tis means that they have time to change their opening preferences. I have already mentioned that the first move 1.e4 should be in the young player’s repertoire. Ideally a professional should handle both closed and open positions well, making the opponent’s opening preparation as difficult as possible. oday’s professionals try to keep up with both these options and are ready to open the game with either 1.e4 or 1.d4. Nevertheless, younger players should still keep the balance in favour of 1.e4. Why? Because it is difficult to return to 1.e4. igran Petrosian, who was a very solid player, very quickly found his home in closed positions and could no longer return to 1.e4. In his own words, he regretted it. Tis is why Vladimir Kramnik has pushed himself, despite his age, to play 1.e4 recently, and he has had good results with it. I am sure he knew of Petrosian’s confession.
Te good news after this game was that I still shared 2nd-3rd place and qualified for the Candidates. But I learned the lesson. o summarize opening preparation at pre-professional level – during opening preparation, students and their coaches should work out different openings for different situations. Some kind of home-made line is good to have. Tis is a line that might not even be correct according to the books. What is more important is that the player knows it inside out. Tis secret weapon may decide a single game and change the course of the tournament. Some players have too many of these secrets and are constantly using them. Tis strategy cannot be recommended. One’s opening repertoire should be firmly defined.
Professional level At this level one’ one’ss opening choice cannot be made solely on the basis of an emotional decision. Te opening choice is actually a long l ong process. Te player should have experience
Tere are certain trends in chess and the professional player needs to follow them. Te Berlin Defence in the Ruy Lopez was a big discovery, and suddenly White had more problems when starting the game with 1.e4.
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Before that there was the Sveshnikov in the Sicilian, and the Marshall Attack in the Ruy Lopez, not to mention the Petroff Petroff Defence. Te main feature of the Berlin Defence is that there are relatively few forced lines with a clear conclusion. Tis was what Kasparov did not like, and this concept gave Kramnik the edge in his match against him in 2000, leading Kasparov to quit chess a few years later. Te game had changed dramatically, and computer assistance did not help in these complicated endgames that arose straight after the opening. White has adjusted and tried to play some slow lines, avoiding the endgame. Somebody then discovered that for this kind of slow play, play, it is better to start from the Italian Game instead.
9...¤g4 9...¤e7 is a more solid option.
10.¦e2 ¢h8 11.h3 ¤h6 12.¤f1 f5 13.d4 10.¦ £f6 13...fxe4 14.¦xe4 ¥f5 is a good alternative, for example: 15. ¦e1 exd4 16.cxd4 £f6 17.¥g5 £g6 18.£d2 ¤f7 19.¥e3 ¥xh3 20.¤g3 ¥g4 21.¤h2 ¥d7 22.¥c2 £f6
In the past the following plan of regrouping the pieces was considered the main line.
Te computer evaluates this as fine for Black.
Tis position was not new in i n top-level chess, but very soon new plans were discovered.
Jaan Ehlvest – Valery Valery Salov Rotterdam 1989
¥ c4 ¥ 1.e4 e5 2.¤f3 ¤c6 3. ¥ c4 ¥ c5 c5 4.c3 ¤f6 5.d3 ¥ b3 a6 6.0–0 ¥ 6.0–0 ¥ a7 a7 7.¤bd2 0–0 8.¦ 8.¦e1 d6 9. ¥ b3 Tis was the critical position.
14.dxe5 ¤ xe5 15. ¤ xe5 £ xe5 16.exf5 £ xf5 ¥ e3 17. ¥ e3 White has a big advantage because of his better centralization. Te knight on h6 is out of play.
Chapter 8 – How to Build Your Opening Repertoire
¥ 17... ¥ xe3 18.¤ xe3 £g5 19.£ 19.£d5 £f6 ¦d1 ¤g8 21. ¥ ¥ c2 20.¦ 20. c2 g6 22.£ 22.£c4 c6 23.£ 23.£b4 ¦d6 £g5 d5 24.c4 d4 25.¦ 25.¦ xd4 ¥ xh3 26. 26.¦ ¢f1 ¥ f5 27.¢ 27. f5 28.£ 28.£c3† ¦f6 29.¤ xf5 gxf5 ¦d7 b5 31.¦ ¥ d3 30.¦ 30. 31.¦e3 ¦af8 32. ¥ d3 £h5 ¢g1 b4 34.£ ¥ e2 33.¢ 33. 34.£e5 ¤h6 35. ¥ e2 £g6 ¦g3 ¤g4 37.£ 36.¦ 36. 37.£d4
¥ d3 37...h5 38.f3 f4 39. ¥ d3 £e8 40.¦ 40.¦h3 £e1† ¥ f1 41. ¥ f1 ¤e3 42.¦ 42.¦ xh5† ¢g8 43.¦ 43.¦g5† ¢h8 £e5 £ xf1† 45. ¢h2 £b1 46.¦ 44.£ 44. 45.¢ 46.¦h5† ¢g8 £e7 47.£ 47. 1–0 However, these lines were abandoned because the plan with ¤b1-d2-f1-g3 was too simple, and Black had no problem fulfilling his own ideas.
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At the top level you cannot really win a game with a standard approach. New, more sophisticated, ideas have been introduced.
White’s last move 7.a4 looks strange and I White’s would not recommend it to players who are not at the professional level. Magnus Carlsen handles these kinds of positions from the Italian Game with both colours. Tis 7.a4 move can be made against a different move order, order, particularly after 6...d6.
Te move 7.a4 has many duties. First it is a defence against ... ¤a5, when White would now not be forced to trade the bishop. Secondly it gains some space, and in the future it will support the advance of the b-pawn
Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
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to b5. In closed positions, where there is no direct confrontation in the centre, the different moves or move orders are not crucial; more important is the plan itself and the future coordination of the pieces. Tis is an area in which Magnus Magnus Carlsen is extremely extremely strong and these kinds of positions suit his style. op players need to master (or at least try to master) all kinds of positions. Tis position is like a test for the player. If he wants to be first among equals he needs to master this position with both colours. It is like a higher chess education. Tis is why nearly all the top players have the modern Italian Game in their repertoire with both colours.
Tere are plenty of chess professionals who make a living playing in open tournaments. to urnaments. For them the intricacies of the Italian Game are not so important. Teir goal is constantly to beat lower-rated opposition. Many professionals prefer the classical positional approach, and starting the game with 1.c4 is very ver y popular. Te idea is to avoid forcing theoretical lines and to limit the opponent’s opening preparation. Playing with the black pieces there are two kinds of players. Some, who were taught the classical approach from the very beginning of their chess education, almost never bluff in the opening. Tis helps to keep the fluctuation of their rating to a minimum. Other players like to take more risks in the opening, but their results vary more. Anatoly Karpov K arpov was a player who rarely took any risks in the t he opening. On one occasion he played the Sicilian Defence and lost; probably this painful game did not encourage him in the future.
Igor Ivanov – Anatoly Karpov Moscow 1979
1.e4 c5 2.¤f3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4. ¤ xd4 a6 Te Kan Variation Variation is very flexible. Tere are many different set-ups Black may choose, the
black king is relatively safe, and a long game is assured. Tis is why many aggressive players have this line in their repertoire. ¥ d3 ¥ 5.¤c3 b5 6. ¥ d3 ¥ b7 b7 7.0–0 ¤e7 Tis is a risky move, and this kind of creative play in the opening did not suit Karpov at all.
£g4 h5 8.¢h1 ¤bc6 9.¤ xc6 ¤ xc6 10. 8.¢ 10.£ £e2 ¤e5 12.f4 ¤g4 13.¦ 11.£ 11. 13.¦f3 £h4 14.h3 ¥ c5 ¥ d2 c5 15. ¥ d2
15...g6 Repeating moves with 15... ¤f2† 16.¢h2 ¤g4† 17.¢h1 was the logical conclusion to the game.
Chapter 8 – How to Build Your Opening Repertoire 16.¦af1 £e7 17.a3 16.¦ oo timid! Better was 17.e5!? ¥xf3 18.£xf3 ¦a7 19.¤e4, with excellent compensation for the exchange. 17...f5 Black is doing fine, but this kind of position was not to Karpov Karpov’’s liking and he could not keep the initiative.
18.¦e1 £f8? 18.¦ Prophylaxis Prophylax is is not a good idea in the Sicilian. 18...¦c8! and Black is better. 19.b4 ¥ d4 d4 20.a4! ¦c8 21.¤d1 £f6 22.c3 ¥ a7 a7 23.axb5 axb5
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¥ ¥ 24.exf5! gxf5 25. ¥ xb5 ¥ xb5 xf3 26.£ 26.£ xf3 Te rest of the game was agony for Karpov. Karpov. 26...¦c7 27.c4 ¥ d4 26...¦ d4 28.£ 28.£d5 ¢d8 29.£ 29.£d6 ¥ ¥ e3 ¥ ¦ xe3 ¤f2† 30.¤ xf2 xf2 ¥ xf2 31. ¥ e3 ¥ xe3 32. 32.¦ £e7 33.£ 33.£d2 ¢e8 34.£ 34.£d4 ¦g8 35.£ 35.£b6 £g7 £ xe6† ¢d8 37.£ 36.£ 36. 37.£d5 ¦a7 38.¦ 38.¦d3 ¦a1† ¢h2 ¦a2 39.¢ 39.
¥ c6 40. ¥ c6 ¦a7 41.£ 41.£c5 ¦c7 42.£ 42.£b6 ¢c8 1–0
Later in his career Karpov avoided this kind of hyper-aggressive play against weaker opponents, and he did a good job. Another question to be considered is: how often was he in a must-win situation with the black pieces? Te open tournament specialist definitely has more crucial games and needs to adjust his opening repertoire depending on the tournament situation. Tere is not much to say about the established grandmaster. grandmaster. He relies on his chess understanding and his main concern is his physical condition, because most of the time his opponents are younger. For the younger generation I would recommend the aggressive style. Many young players today have a tendency to play too
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timidly, especially against stronger opposition. timidly, Tey are most likely trying to follow an objectively correct evaluation from computer software and avoiding risky lines altogether. Tere are tournaments such as the World Junior Championship where it makes sense to avoid taking unnecessary risks when playing among equals, but open tournaments are the training ground for a young player. Knowledge of some risky lines will provide help in refuting them in the future from the other side of the board. Te King’s Indian, Dutch and Benko Gambit should all be played at some point. If someone wants to research how to play risky opening lines in open tournaments, he or she can follow fol low the career of o f Veselin Veselin opalov. opalov. He of course adjusted his opening repertoire when he broke through to the elite, but still his ability to play risky dynamic positions served him well in winning the 2005 World Championship tournament in San Luis, Argentina. Chess is like life, many used to say. In chess, as in life, there are so many variables that it is difficult to give winning advice. Professionals are only professionals when they can make the correct decision for themselves.
Psychological warfare in chess In chess history certain attempts have been made by players to disturb their opponents. For example, during the match between Korchnoi and Petrosian in 1974, an incident happened during the 5th game. Korchnoi told the following story in his autobiography Chess is My Life . Te opening had been predicted by seitlin, and Korchnoi had studied the position after 15 moves the day before the game began. He stated: “Petrosian is better than me in the middlegame, but this could not compensate for his opening play.”
Korchnoi was slightly better and, with the time scramble approaching, Petrosian began shaking the table. Korchnoi felt he was doing this on purpose, and said, “Stop shaking the table, you’re disturbing me.” Petrosian made out that he hadn’t heard. “We’re not in a bazaar,” he replied. Te arbiter rushed up: “Calm down, calm down.” Petrosian seated himself more comfortably, but again began shaking the table. Ten Korchnoi uttered the famous words: “Tis is your last chance!” Petrosian may have heard this – he was using a hearing aid, which he sometimes turned off. Anyway,, Korchnoi says he now “gained the Anyway chance to continue playing, under normal conditions.”” Korchnoi finally won the game. conditions.
Viktor Korchnoi – igran igran Petrosian Odessa (5) 1974
1.c4 c5 2.¤f3 g6 3.d4 cxd4 4. ¤ xd4 ¥ g7 g7 ¥ e3 5.e4 ¤f6 6.¤c3 ¤c6 7. ¥ e3 ¤g4 8.£ 8.£ xg4 ¥ e2 9.£d1 ¤e6 10.£ 10.£d2 d6 11. ¥ e2 ¤ xd4 9.£
11...£a5 11...£ Better is 11...¥d7! 12.¦b1 0–0 13.0–0 a5 14.b3 ¥c6 15.f3 ¤c5 and we reach the typical position in the Maroczy.
Chapter 8 – How to Build Your Opening Repertoire ¥ d7 ¥ h6! 12.¦c1 12.¦ c1 ¥ d7 13.0–0 ¤c5 14. ¥ h6! 0–0 After 14...¥xc3 15.¦xc3 ¤xe4 White wins back the pawn with the advantage: 16. £d4 £e5 17.£xe5 dxe5 18.¦e3 ¤d6 19.¥g7± ¥ 15. ¥ xg7 ¢ xg7
16.b3! Tis, according to seitlin, was prepared at home. ¥ c6 ¥ g4 16... ¥ c6 17.¦ 17.¦fe1 ¤e6 18. ¥ g4 ¦ad8 Tis is too passive. Black should try: 18...£g5 19.£xg5 ¤xg5 20.h4 h5 21.hxg5 (21. ¥xh5?! ¦h8 22.hxg5 ¦xh5 23.f4 e5 24.g3 ¦ah8 gives Black lots of play for a pawn) 21...hxg4 22. ¤d5 ¦ae8 23.e5 ¦h8 24.exd6 ¥xd5 25.cxd5 exd6 26. ¦xe8 ¦xe8 27.¦c7 b5 28.¦xa7 ¦e5 29.¦a5 ¦xd5 30.¢h2 White has some winning chances. 19.¦e3 ¤f4 19.¦ 19...£g5 can be met by 20. ¥xe6 fxe6 21.£d4† £f6 22.£xf6† exf6 23. ¦d1 with pressure on the d6-pawn. 20.g3 h5 21.£ 21.£b2 Tis move justifies 16.b3, but is not the best. After 21.¥f3 ¤e6 22.h4 White keeps a longterm advantage.
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White has more space and Black can only wait. However However,, this was a typical strategy for Petrosian, and sometimes it worked perfectly, as we saw in his game against Keres on page 196. 21...hxg4 22.¤d5† e5 23.gxf4 ¦de8 23...¥xd5 24.exd5 (24.cxd5 f6 25. ¦g3 £b4÷) 24...f6 25. £e2! (25.¦g3 exf4 26.¦xg4 ¦de8 27.¦xf4 ¦e5©) 25...£c7 26.£xg4 £d7 27.£g3 and White has an extra pawn. 24.¦g3 24.¦
¥ d7? 24... ¥ d7? 24...f5! 25.fxe5 ¦xe5 26.h3 fxe4 27. ¤e3 gxh3 28.¢h2 ¢f7 29.b4 £d8 30.¦cg1 ¢e8 31.¦xg6 £h4 and Black has enough counterplay to keep the balance.
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Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
25.¦d1 f6 26.fxe5 25.¦ 26.f5! gxf5 27.exf5 ¥xf5 28.¤e3 ¥g6 29.¦xg4 f5 30.¦g5 £d8 31.f4 gives White a winning attack. 26...¦ xe5 26...¦ 26...fxe5 27. ¤e3 ¦f6 28.¤xg4 ¥xg4 29.¦xg4 ¦h8 30.£e2 and White should win. 27.¤c3 £c5 28.£ 28.£d2 f5 29.£ 29.£ xd6 £ xd6 ¦ xd6 ¥ c6 30.¦ 30. xd6 ¥ c6 30...¥e6 31.exf5 gxf5? 32.f4! ¦e1† 33.¢f2 and White is winning. 31.f3! Wee do not know exactly when the incident W i ncident occurred, but Korchnoi was in time trouble so it might be around here.
31...¢h6?? 31...¢ Better is 31...g5 32.fxg4 fxe4 33. ¦e3±, and it is not easy to win this endgame, especially in time trouble. 32.f4!+– ¦ee8 33.exf5 ¥ f3 f3 34.¦ 34.¦ xg6† ¢h7 ¦g5 ¦e1† 36.¢ 35.¦ 35. 36.¢f2 ¦h1 37.¦ 37.¦h5† ¢g7 38.¤d5 ¦a1 39.f6† ¢g6 40.¦ 40.¦g5† ¢f7 ¦g7† ¢e6 42.¦ 41.¦ 41. 42.¦e7† ¢f5 43.¦ 43.¦e5† 1–0
During a USSR Championship semi-final in Ivano Frankovsk, the following incident occurred during the game between Eduard Gufeld and Josif Dorfman. Gufeld had a comfortable endgame a pawn up. He was consciously or unconsciously shaking his leg, resulting in the chessboard shaking as well. Dorfman, sure that this was intentional, muttered some nasty remark to Gufeld. Te latter became excited; his face turned red and he called the arbiter arbiter.. Tere were no witnesses to the muttering and the game continued. Finally Finally,, Gufeld lost his nearly winning endgame. It was the boomerang effect! Similar things happen in other sports, such as tennis. John McEnroe was famous for his emotional outbursts – smashing his racquets, etc. Tis behaviour often had the effect of disturbing his opponent, though this was most likely done unconsciously. Te problem, however, is that if your opponent keeps his cool and does not react to your outbursts, it backfires on the originator. Tis happened to McEnroe in the French Open final in 1984 against Ivan Lendl. It is open for debate whether McEnroe would have achieved better results without his aggressive behaviour. In chess, a direct outburst is not really possible, but there are other possible psychological attacks – choosing an outrageous opening is one! Te most famous case happened in the game between the original Englishman ony Miles and the World Champion at that time, Anatoly Karpov. Karpov.
Anatoly Karpov – Anthony Miles Skara 1980
1.e4 a6!? Tere are eyewitnesses who say that Karpov showed no reaction on seeing this move. Wee cannot know whether this move was the W
Chapter 8 – How to Build Your Opening Repertoire cornerstone of Black’s Black’s success in this game or if it was just a bad day for Karpov.
¥ b7 ¥ d3 2.d4 b5 3.¤f3 f3 ¥ b7 4. ¥ d3 ¤f6 5.£ 5.£e2 In several later games, White played 5.e5 ¤d5 6.¤g5!? with an attack. 5...e6 6.a4 6.¥g5, 6.0–0 or 6. ¤bd2 are all decent alternatives. 6...c5 7.dxc5 ¥ xc5 8.¤bd2 b4 9.e5 ¤d5 ¥ e7 10.¤e4 e4 ¥ e7 11.0–0?! 11.¥g5! looks more critical, for example 11...f6 12.exf6 gxf6? 13. ¤e5! with a strong attack, or 11...0–0 12.h4!? ². ¥ d2 11...¤c6 12. ¥ d2 12.¥g5 f6! 13.exf6 gxf6 14. ¥h6 £c7 was unclear in Westerinen – Schulz, Hamburg 1980. 12...£c7 12...£ Suddenly Black has a very good structure, similar to the Kan Variation of the Sicilian. Te psychological effect was such that Karpov, Karpov, who in general had a very good sense of danger,, probably could not cope with the idea danger that after 1...a6 he could not win the game.
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¥ 13.c4 bxc3 14.¤ xc3 ¤ xc3 15. ¥ xc3 ¤b4 ¥ ¥ ¥ e4 16. ¥ xb4 ¥ xb4 xb4 17.¦ 17.¦ac1 £b6 18. ¥ e4 18.¤g5!? was an interesting attempt, but it looks as though Karpov was playing way below his normal strength during the second part of the game. 18...0–0 19.¤g5 I am sure that Karpov calculated 19. ¥xh7†, but when he could not find any clear win he just dismissed it. Te draw was not an option for him. 19... ¢xh7 20.¤g5†
20...¢g6! (20...¢h6? 21.¦c4 g6 22.£g4!+–) 21.£g4 f5 22.£g3 £d4 23.¤xe6† (23.h3 ¢h5!÷) 23...£g4 24.£xg4† fxg4 25. ¤xf8† ¥xf8 26.¦fd1 ¥c6 27.e6 ¥xa4 28.exd7 ¦d8 29.¦d4 ¥b5 30.¦c8 ¥e7 31.¦xg4† ¢f7 Tis endgame should end peacefully.
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Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
¥ h7†!? 19...h6 20. ¥ h7†!? 20.¥xb7 £xb7 21.£e4 £xe4 22.¤xe4 and Black is slightly better, but a player with Karpov’s endgame technique could hold this position. ¥ b1 ¥ 20...¢h8 21. ¥ 20...¢ b1 ¥ e7 e7 22.¤e4 After 22.£d3 Black can play simply 22...g6. 22...¦ac8 22...¦ Karpov has hesitated for too long. Now Black has a serious advantage.
23.£d3? ¦ xc1 24.¦ 23.£ 24.¦ xc1 £ xb2 25.¦ 25.¦e1 25.¦c7 ¥c6 26.¤d6 £c1† 27.£f1 £f4 is just winning.
25...£ xe5 25...£ Black is winning. ¥ b4 ¥ 26.£ xd7 26.£ xd7 ¥ b4 27.¦ 27.¦e3 £d5 28.£ 28.£ xd5 xd5 ¥ xd5 29.¤c3 ¦c8 30.¤e2 g5 31.h4 ¢g7 32.hxg5 ¥ d3 hxg5 33. ¥ d3 a5 34.¦ 34.¦g3 ¢f6 35.¦ 35.¦g4 ¥ d6 d6 ¢f1 ¥ e5 36.¢ 36. f1 ¥ e5 37.¢ 37.¢e1
37...¦h8 38.f4 gxf4 39. ¤ xf4 ¥ c6 37...¦ c6 40.¤e2 ¦h1† 41.¢ 41.¢d2 ¦h2 42.g3 ¥ 42.g3 ¥ f3 f3 43.¦ 43.¦g8 ¦g2 ¢e1 ¥ ¥ ¥ c7 44.¢ 44. e1 ¥ xe2 45. ¥ xe2 ¦ xg3 46.¦ 46.¦a8 a8 ¥ c7 0–1 Nowadays there are some other tricks used to put psychological pressure on your opponent in the opening, but they work only if you can really shake your opponent. If not, they backfire. In the next game one of the most creative players around, Hungarian grandmaster Richard Rapport, tried to knock me off balance in our blitz game.
Jaan Ehlvest – Richard Rapport Jurmala (blitz) (blitz) 2015
1.d4 g6 2.e4 ¤f6 I knew this idea, but never took any time to seriously look at it.
Chapter 8 – How to Build Your Opening Repertoire
3.¤c3 3.e5 ¤h5!? is the point, mixing the Pirc and Alekhine Defences. 3...d5 After 3...d6 we are are back into a normal Pirc. 4.e5 ¤e4 5.¤ce2! Tis standard move is known from various opening lines. It was easy to make even in a blitz game. ¥ e3 5...f6 6.f3 ¤g5 7. ¥ e3 ¤f7 8.f4 ¤h6 9.h3 ¥ f2 f2 h5 11.¤f3 h4 ¤f5 10. ¥
I know this kind of position well, because I have had experience in the Modern Defence
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from both sides. Similar positions occur after 1.e4 g6 2.d4 ¥g7 3.¤c3 c6 4.f4 d5 5.e5 h5 6.¤f3 ¤h6 7.¥e3 etc. ¥ e6 ¥ d3 12.c4! c6 13.¤c3 c3 ¥ e6 14.cxd5 ¥ 14.cxd5 ¥ xd5 15. ¥ d3 e6 16.0–0 White has a winning advantage. Black tried hard to confuse White, but it was clear that the opening experiment had failed.
¥ £ xf3 fxe5 18.dxe5 ¤d7 16... ¥ xf3 17. 17.£ ¦ad1 £e7 20.¤e4 ¥ g7 ¥ c4 19.¦ 19. g7 21. ¥ c4 0–0 £g4 ¦f7 23.¦ £ xg6 ¤e7 22.£ 22. 23.¦ xd7 £ xd7 24. 24.£ £ xe6 ¤d5 26.£ 25.£ 25. 26.£g6 £f5 27.£ 27.£ xf5 ¦ xf5 ¥ ¥ 28. ¥ xh4 ¢h8 29. ¥ xd5 cxd5 30.¤d6 ¦ff8 ¥ e7 ¥ f6† 31. ¥ e7 ¦g8 32.¦ 32.¦d1 ¥ f8 f8 33. ¥ f6† ¥ g7 g7 ¥ 34. ¥ xg7† ¦ xg7 35.¦ 35.¦ xd5
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Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
35...¦f8 36.f5 ¦g3 37.e6 ¦e3 38.¦ 35...¦ 38.¦d2 ¢g7 ¢g2 ¦e3 41.g5 ¦e5 42.f6† 39.g4 ¦ xh3 40. 40.¢ ¢g6 43.e7 ¦ xg5† 44. ¢h1 ¦h8† 45.¦ 44.¢ 45.¦h2 ¦gh5 46.¦ 46.¦ xh5 ¦ xh5† 47.¢ 47.¢g2 ¦g5† 48.¢ 48.¢f3 ¦e5 49.e8=£ 49.e8=£† 1–0 Tere is a difference between bluffing and playing lines that are not positionally justified. Bluffing means relying on some concrete move or idea that might be unknown to your opponent. Playing lines that are not positionally correct makes sense only in extreme situations. During one’s one’s career a player may nevertheless try this, but in the long run this is not a strategy to be recommended.
Opening repertoire for women Te principles described earlier are relevant to women as well. Opening preparation depends on the age and level of the player. player. Te sensitive debate about why women are not as strong as men is not relevant here: there is no excuse for not knowing the opening you are playing. I would not conclude that women not being as strong as men should mean their opening preparation cannot be as good. Judit Po Polgar lgar had excellent opening preparation and she opted for opening lines that suited her attacking style. However, style and opening choice are more relevant to women players than for men. Women tend to be stronger in dynamic concrete positions than in boring, slow manoeuvring positions. In my experience, women are better students and listen to their coaches with respect; they follow the coach’s directions more carefully. Tere is no distinction between women’s and men’s coaches, but there should be. Some are good coaches for women and some are not. I am not certain what the qualities of a good coach for a woman should be, but I know which openings need to be considered by a female player.
It might be coincidence that the best female player in history, Judit Polgar, played open positions, but I am sure that if a statistical analysis were done on the games of female players, we would find a statistically significant factor showing that they handle the game better in open positions. It is unlikely that such research will be done very soon, so I will just have to ask the reader reader to trust me on this. When following the Women omen’’s World Cup or other top female tournaments, I am always surprised to see so many games in closed systems. While playing with the black pieces we cannot cannot avoid avoid this, but with the white pieces the first move should be à la Polgar. Polgar. Here are a couple of examples from atyana Fomina, who was one of the best female players in Estonia during the period 1968-95. 1968- 95. She also received some coaching from Vladimir Yurkov, who preferred 1.e4.
atyana Fomina – amara Golovey bilisi 1974
¥ b5 1.e4 c5 2.¤f3 ¤c6 3. ¥ b5 o play open positions posit ions requires requi res a lot of work. In some lines a player may resort to playing a sideline. 3...g6 4.0–0 ¥ 4.0–0 ¥ g7 g7 5.¦ 5.¦e1 ¤f6 6.¤c3 0–0 7.e5 ¥ ¤e8 8. ¥ xc6 bxc6
Chapter 8 – How to Build Your Opening Repertoire In this position some slow positional plans come to mind. Instead, Inst ead, Fomina plays like Polgar, choosing the most direct aggressive move. 9.d4!? Te positional approach would be 9. ¤a4 d6 10.b3, or 9.d3 d6 10.h3 ¤c7 11.b3. ¥ g5 9...cxd4 10.¤ xd4 ¤c7 11. ¥ g5 Again, only forward! ¥ h4 11...c5 12.¤f3 ¤e6 13. ¥ h4 h6
Black did not like the pressure on the e7pawn after ¤d5, but this solution is not good. ¥ g3 ¥ 14.¤d5 g5 15. ¥ g3 ¥ b7 b7 16.c4 ¥ 16.c4 ¥ c6 c6 17.£ 17.£d3 ¦b8 18.b3 ¦b7 19.¦ 19.¦ad1
259
White has built up a great position. position. 19...£e8 20.h4! f5 21.exf6 ¥ 19...£ xf6 22.hxg5 ¥ e5 ¥ hxg5 23. ¥ e5 £f7 24. ¥ xf6 exf6 25.£ 25.£f5 ¢g7 ¦e3 ¦h8 27.¤e5! 26.¦ 26.
27...fxe5 28.£ 28.£ xe5† ¢g8 29.¦ 29.¦f3 d6 30.¤f6†! ¢g7 31.¤e8† ¢g8 32.¤ xd6 ¥ xd6 ¥ xf3 33. ¤ xf7 ¥ xd1 34.¤ xh8 ¦e7 35.¤g6 ¦e8 36.£ 36.£h8† ¢f7 37.¤e5† ¢e7 38.£ 38.£h7† ¢d6 39.£ 39.£d7† 1–0 Tis game is a textbook example of how to centralize the pieces. In the next example, slow manoeuvring play occurred for most of the game.
atyana Fomina – Ramane Moscow 1979
1.e4 ¤f6 2.d3 Why do old men play closed positions? Are they too lazy to study modern opening lines or do they just think that they can outplay the youngsters in closed positions? In our game a lack of knowledge led Fomina to play this passive move. 2...e5 3.c4!? Making sure to reach a position that had never been seen by her opponent.
260
Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
¥ b4† 3... ¥ b4† 4.¤c3 c6 5.£ 5.£b3 Te original game continues.
¥ a5 ¥ d2 5... ¥ a5 6. ¥ d2 0–0 7.¤f3 ¦e8 8.0–0–0 In closed systems, queenside castling is rare. 8...¤a6 9.h3 d6 9...d5! was possible, with a good game for Black. ¥ e2 10.g4 ¤c5 11.£ 11.£c2 ¤e6 12. ¥ e2 ¤d4 13.¤ xd4 exd4 14.¤b1 b5 White’ss position after the opening is not White’ very impressive.
15.g5 ¤d7 16.f4 Now the attack starts. But why start the game with 2.d3 if you like to attack?
¥ b7 ¥ f3 16... ¥ b7 17.h4 c5 18. ¥ f3 bxc4 19.dxc4 ¦b8 20.h5 It is difficult to believe that White can really build a successful attack with the knight k night on b1.
20...g6? Why open the h-file for White?
¥ 21. ¥ xa5 £ xa5 22.hxg6 fxg6 23.f5!? Only forward. Prophylaxis with 23.b3 was most likely not considered. 23...¤e5? After 23...¤f8! there is no follow-up for White, and positional factors should decide the game in Black’s favour.
Chapter 8 – How to Build Your Opening Repertoire 24.¦ xh7! ¤ xf3 24.¦ Black should accept the sacrifice: 24...¢xh7! 25.£h2† ¢g8 26.¦h1 ¢f8 27.f6 ¢f7 28.£h7† ¢e6 29.£h3† White has perpetual check, but no more.
261
27.f6 27.£h6! was winning immediately.
25.¦dh1 25.¦ Now it is not easy for Black to defend.
£h8† ¢f7 27...¦b7 28.¦ 27...¦ 28.¦ xb7 ¥ xb7 29. 29.£ £g7† ¢e6 31.£ 30.£ 30. 31.£ xb7 ¤h3? 31...£b4 was the only move, but it is a computer move and beyond a good defender to find it during a practical game.
25...¤ xg5? 25...gxf5! was the only move and White has no more than perpetual check: 26. ¦h8† ¢f7 27.¦8h7†=
¦ xh3 £d8 32.f7 ¦f8 33.£ 33.£e4† ¢ xf7 34. 34.¦ ¦g3 g5 36.¤d2 35.¦ 35. Finally the knight makes a move, but by now it is an extra piece and the game is over.
£h2! ¥ 26.£ 26. h2! ¥ xe4
36...¢g8 37.£ 36...¢ 37.£g6† ¢h8 38.¦ 38.¦h3#
Te inclination for dynamic, attacking positions should not be overlooked in opening preparation. Tis is where a good coach makes a difference. Some players, though, may already be playing positions that do not suit them. However, some women have started to try to play more like the top men, switching their opening repertoire between closed and open positions. Aspiring to perfection must be every chess player’s dream!
Game Index Chapter 1 Vladimir Kramnik – Jaan Ehlvest, Moscow (ol) 1994 Jan imman – Jaan Jaan Ehlvest, Linares 1991 Mikhail al – Paul Keres, Moscow 1959 Fischer – Keres, Bled/Zagreb/Belgrade 1959 Mikhail al al – Mikhail Botvinnik, Moscow (3) 1960 Mikhail al – Garry Kasparov, Minsk 1979
8 12 14 14 16 17
Chapter 2 Curt von Bardeleben – Siegbert arrasch, Leipzig 1888 Psakhis – Ehlvest, Lvov 1984 eimour Radjabov – Pavel Eljanov, Astrakhan Eljanov, Astrakhan 2010 Emanuel Lasker – Siegbert arrasch, arrasch, Duesseldorf/M Duesseldorf/Munich unich 1908 Aron Nimzowitsch Nimzowitsch – Siegbert arrasch, arrasch, St Petersburg 1914 Alexey Selezniev – Siegbert arrasch, arrasch, Gothenburg 1920 Emanuel Lasker – Siegbert arrasch, arrasch, Berlin 1918 Richard Reti – Siegbert arrasch, Bad Pistyan 1922 Paul Keres – Mikhail Botvinnik, Leningrad/Mosco Leningrad/Moscow w 1941 Mikenas – Botvinnik, Moscow 1940 Paul Keres – Vladas Mikenas, Parnu 1955 Paul Keres – Igor Bondarevsky, Parnu 1951 Nikolay Novotelnov – Igor Bondarevsky, Moscow 1951 igran Petrosian – Paul Keres, Amsterdam/Leeuwarden Keres, Amsterdam/Leeuwarden 1956 Mikhail al – Paul Keres, Bled/Zagreb/Belgrade 1959 Leonid Stein – Paul Keres, Moscow 1966 Yuri Y uri Anikaev – Anatoly Lein, Grozny 1968 Lev Polugaevsky – Anatoly Lein, Alma-Ata Lein, Alma-Ata 1968 Mikhail Podgaets – Anatoly Lein, Ivano-F Ivano-Frankivsk rankivsk 1971 Viktor Korchnoi – Anatoly Karpov, Karpov, Baguio City (17) 1978 Efim Geller – Boris Spassky Spassky,, Riga (7) 1965 igran Petrosian – Boris Spassky, Moscow (4) 1969 Geller – Spassky Spassky,, Riga (7) 1965 igran Petrosian – Boris Spassky, Moscow (18) 1969 Alexander Beliavsky – Garry Kasparov, Kasparov, Moscow (2) 1983 Majorovas Majorov as – Ehlvest, USSR 1983 Viktor Korchnoi – Garry Kasparov, Kasparov, London (2) 1983 Viktor Korchnoi – Garry Kasparov, Kasparov, London (6) 1983 Vasily V asily Smyslov – Garry Kasparov, Kasparov, Vilnius (2) 1984 Vasily V asily Smyslov – Garry Kasparov, Kasparov, Vilnius (8) 1984 Vasily V asily Smyslov – Garry Kasparov, Kasparov, Vilnius (12) 1984 Anatoly Karpov – Garry Kasparov, Kasparov, Moscow (7) 1984
23 23 24 26 27 30 32 34 36 36 37 38 39 41 42 46 48 52 53 55 56 58 59 69 72 73 74 75 82 83 84 87
Game Index
263
Anatoly Karpov – Garry Kasparov, Kasparov, Moscow (9) 1984 Saidy – Fischer, New York 1964 Jaan Ehlvest Ehlvest – Alexander Grischuk, New Delhi/ Delhi/ eheran (4.4) 2000 Jaan Ehlvest Ehlvest – Giorgi Giorgadze, Minsk 1986 Kasparov – Behrhorst, Hamburg (simul) 1987 Veingold – Campos Gambuti, Marchena 1991 Vladimir Kramnik – Jaan Ehlvest, Ehlvest, Horgen 1995 Karpov – Ehlvest, Haninge 1990 Ehlvest – Wojtkiewicz, Haninge 1990 Valery V alery Salov – Andrei Sokolov Sokolov, Moscow 1988 Andrey Shariyazdanov Shariyazdanov – Sergey Grigoriants, Nizhnij Nov Novgorod gorod 1999 Alexander Khalifman – Jaan Ehlvest, Ehlvest, allin allinn n (rapid (rapid)) 2012 Garry Kasparov – Lajos Portisch, Brussels 1986 Radoslaw Radosl aw Wojtasze Wojtaszek k – Veseli Veselin n opalov, opalov, Shamkir 2017 Kramnik – Gelfand, Saint Vincent 2005
89 91 92 94 94 94 96 96 97 100 102 104 104 105 106
Solutions to exercises 1. Ottomar Ladva – Evgeny omashevsky, Minsk 2017 2. Tomas Kastek – Gunnar Schnepp, Bad Wiessee 2016 3. Przemyslaw Gralka – Marcin Rosicki, Jastrzebia Rosicki, Jastrzebia Gora Gora 2016 4. Omer Reshef – Cristhian Cruz, Barcelona 2016 5. Boris Savch Savchenko enko – Boris Grachev, Grachev, Sochi (blitz) 2016 6. Roman Dzindzichashvili – Anatoly Lein, Leningrad 1971 7. Mothupi Lekgau – Lesabe umelano, Johannesburg umelano, Johannesburg 2016 8. Vignir Stefansson – Jung Min Seo, Uppsala 2016 9. Jens Grieme – Andriy Vachylya, Korbach 2016 10. Sybolt Strating – Joop Hummel, Hoogeveen 2016 11. Arturs Neiksans – Maxim Novik, Finland 2016 12. Ramis Kurbedinov – Alexandr Predke, Sochi (rapid) 2016 13. Li Yunshan – Zhao Xue, China 2016 14. Srinath Narayanan – Xu Yi, Bhubaneswar 2016 15. Christophe Leroy – Inguna Erneste, Katowice 1984 16. Gernot Gauglitz – Lutz Espig, Zittau 1989
113 113 114 115 115 116 117 118 118 119 120 120 121 122 122 123
Chapter 3 Garry Kasparov – Viswanathan Anand, New York (10) 1995 Garry Kasparov – Viswanathan Anand, Riga 1995 Viswanathan Anand – Garry Kasparov, Kasparov, New York (11) 1995 Wolff W olff – Ki. Georgiev, Georgiev, Biel 1993 Garry Kasparov – Viswanathan Anand, New York (14) 1995 Juri Vetemaa – Alexander Shabalov, Shabalov, Haapsalu 1986 Jaan Ehlvest Ehlvest – Alon Greenfeld, Belfort 1979 Judit Polgar Polgar – Jaan Ehlvest, Ehlvest, allinn 2001 Jaan Ehlvest Ehlvest – Rafael Vaganian, Vaganian, Novg Novgorod orod 1995
126 128 130 131 133 136 138 141 143
264
Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
Vasiukov – Vaganian aganian,, USSR 1981 Jan imman – Jaan Jaan Ehlvest, Nov Novgorod gorod 1995 Jaan Ehlvest Ehlvest – Daniel Campora, Moscow (2.2) 2001 Fikret Sideif-Sade – Sergey Dolmatov, Rostov 1980 Herbert Armando – Artur Yusupov, Innsbruck 1977 Artur Yusupov Yusupov – Peter Peter Scheeren, Plovdiv 1983 Artur Yusupov Yusupov – Milan Drasko, Drasko, Sarajevo 1984 Vladimir Kramnik – Anish Giri, Stavanger 2017 arsaw 1980 Wlodzimierz Schmidt – Adam Kuligowski, W Kuligowski, Warsaw Kasparov – Karolyi, Dortmund 1980 Garry Kasparov – Miguel Najdorf, Bugojno 1982 Anatoly Karpov – Josif Dorfman, Dorfman, Moscow 1976 Veniamin V eniamin Sozin – Alexander Ilyin-Zhenevsky, Ilyin-Zhenevsky, Moscow 1931 Robert Fischer – Boris Spassky Spassky,, Reykjavik (4) 1972 Andrei Sokolov – Valery Salov, Salov, Nikolaev 1983 Jaan Ehlvest Ehlvest – Gilberto Milos, Bali 2000 Short – Kasparov Kasparov,, London (14) 1993 Jaan Ehlvest Ehlvest – Ilya Smirin, Moscow 1988 Jaan Ehlvest Ehlvest – Konstantin Lerner, Lerner, allinn 1986 Ehlvest – Schults, USSR 1986 Jaan Ehlvest Ehlvest – Garry Kasparov, Kasparov, Skelleftea 1989 Anatoly Karpov – Ulf Andersson, Skara 1980 Grischuk – Ehlvest, New Delhi/ Delhi/ehran ehran (4.3) 2000 Zhu Chen – Jaan Ehlvest, Gibraltar 2007 Andrey Vovk Vovk – Alvaro Valdes Escobar, Escobar, Shenzhen 2011 Ismael eran Alvarez – Jaan Ehlvest, Gibraltar 2007 Boris Spassky – igran Petrosian, Moscow (7) 1969 Jaan Ehlvest Ehlvest – Margeir Petursson, Petursson, Reggio Emilia 1989 Lembit Oll – Aleksander Wojtkiewicz, Wojtkiewicz, New York 1994 Baadur Jobava – Magnus Carlsen, Internet (rapid) 2017 Alexander Moiseenko – Ruslan Ponomariov Ponomariov,, Sochi 2006 Lajos Portisch – Anatoly Karpov, Bugojno 1978 Mark aimanov – Anatoly Karpov, Moscow 1973 Vassily V assily Ivanchuk – Jaan Jaan Ehlvest, New Delhi/ Delhi/eheran eheran (2.4) 2000 Spacek – Dejkalo, Prague 1989
143 145 146 148 149 149 150 151 154 154 155 157 158 160 162 164 164 165 166 166 167 170 170 171 172 172 174 175 176 178 179 181 183 184 184
Chapter 4 Jaan Ehlvest Ehlvest – Raj ischbierek, ischbierek, Leningrad 1984 Gheorghiu – Hamann, Vrnjacka Banja 1967 A. Sokolov – Korzubov Korzubov,, Bukhara 1981 Oleg Romanishin – Pertti Poutiainen, allinn 1977 Sorensen – Sher Sher,, Hastings 1989-90 Short – Kasparov Kasparov,, London (12) 1993 Ehlvest – Mednis, Las Vegas 1998
188 189 190 191 191 191 192
Game Index
265
Hmadi – De Firmian, unis 1985 Alvis Vitolinsh – Viktor Gavrikov, Gavrikov, USSR 1977 Alexander Beliavsky – Peter Peter Szekely, Szekely, Frunze 1979 Paul Keres – igran Petrosian, Bled/Zagreb/Belgrade 1959 Ehlvest – Kveinys, Liepaja (rapid) 2016 Harika Dronavalli – David Anton Guijarro, Sharjah 2017 Chanda Sandipan – Alexei Shirov, Gibraltar 2013
192 193 194 196 196 199 202
Chapter 6 Lembit Oll – Zurab Azmaiparashvili, Groningen 1993 Djukic – Dourerassou, Skopje 2015 Nigel Short – Jaan Ehlvest, allin allinn/Parnu n/Parnu 1998 Morozevich Morozev ich – Oll, Groningen 1997 Wei W ei Yi – Yu Yangyi, Yangyi, Danzhou 2017
212 212 214 215 217
Chapter 7 Jaan Ehlvest Ehlvest – Evgeny Bareev Bareev,, Moscow (4.2) 2001 Dmitry Andreikin – Alexander Riazantsev, Riazantsev, Moscow (blitz) 2015 Jaan Ehlvest Ehlvest – Djurabek Khamrakulov, Khamrakulov, Jakarta 2013 Igor Kovalenko – Nikita Meskovs, W Meskovs, Warsaw arsaw 2015 Mikhail Botvinnik – Vitaly Shcherbakov Shcherbakov,, Moscow 1955
221 222 223 225 227
Chapter 8 Magnus Carlsen – Viswanathan Anand, Leuven (rapid) 2016 Ernst Jacobsen – Paul Johner, Copenhagen 1916 Andrei Sokolov – Jaan Jaan Ehlvest, Sochi 1980 Ilya Smirin – Jaan Ehlvest, Pinsk 1986 Mikhail Gurevich – Nigel Short, Manila 1990 Marshall – Capablanca, St Peter Petersburg sburg 1914 Jaan Ehlvest Ehlvest – Boris Gulko, Volgodo olgodonsk nsk 1983 Vassily V assily Ivanchuk – Jaan Jaan Ehlvest, Elista (1.2) 1998 Yehuda Y ehuda Gruenfeld – Jaan Jaan Ehlvest, Zagreb 1987 Jaan Ehlvest Ehlvest – Valery Valery Salov, Salov, Rotterdam 1989 Igor Ivanov – Anatoly Karpov, Moscow 1979 Viktor Korchnoi – igran Petrosian, Petrosian, Odessa (5) 1974 Anatoly Karpov – Anthony Miles, Skara 1980 Westerinen W esterinen – Schulz, Hamburg 1980 Jaan Ehlvest Ehlvest – Richard Rapport, Jurmala Rapport, Jurmala (blitz) 2015 atyana Fomina – amara amara Golovey Golovey,, bilisi 1974 atyana Fomina – Ramane, Moscow 1979
232 233 238 239 242 242 242 244 246 248 250 252 254 255 256 258 259
Name Index A
D
Aagaard Alekhine Anand
De Firmian Dejkalo Dizdar Dolmatov Dorfman Drasko Dreev Dronavalli Dvoretsky Dzindzichashvili
3, 20 136, 147, 257 18, 125, 126, 127, 128, 129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 156, 168, 172, 232 Andersson 170, 208, 209 Andreikin 221, 222, 223 Anikaev 48, 50 Azmaiparashvili 211, 212 B Balashov Bareev Barua Behrhorst Beliavsky Benjamin Boensch Boleslavsky
21, 103, 140, 145, 153 53, 221, 222 176 94 72, 73, 74, 137, 194 138 163 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 174 Bondarevsky 38, 39, 43, 54, 58, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 68, 174, 175 Botvinnik 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 23, 36, 37, 58, 125, 128, 135, 136, 140, 148, 156, 221, 227, 236, 237 Bronstein 108, 135, 140, 237 Bykhovsky 153 C Campora 145, 146 Capablanca 147, 242 Carlsen 7, 129, 178, 205, 232, 249, 250 Caruana 224 Chernin 147, 153 Cruz 109, 115
192 184 25 147, 148, 149, 153 88, 157, 254 150 221 199 147, 149, 153, 236, 237 110, 116
E Eljanov Erneste Espig
24, 25 112, 122 112, 123
F Fischer
Fomina Fridman
11, 14, 43, 58, 71, 81, 90, 91, 126, 130, 136, 138, 141, 160, 167, 193, 214, 223, 236 258, 259 53
Name Index
G Gauglitz Gavrikov Gelfand Geller Georgiev Gheorghiu Gipslis Giri Golovey Grachev Gralka Greenfeld Grieme Grigoriants Grischuk Gruenfeld Gufeld Guijarro Gulko Gurevich
K 25, 112, 123 193 9, 18, 106, 125, 126 56, 59 131 189 136, 141 9, 151, 152, 232 258 110, 115 109, 114 138 111, 118 102 21, 69, 71, 92, 169, 170 246 71, 254 199 242 53, 242
H Hamann Hmadi Hummel
189 192 111, 119
I Ilyin-Zhenevsky Ioseliani Ivanchuk Ivanov
158 21 9, 11, 12, 13, 18, 175, 184, 211, 243, 244 250
J Jacobsen Jobava Johner
267
233 146, 178 233
Kamsky 202 Karjakin 95 Karolyi 154 Karpov 7, 11, 12, 18, 19, 20, 21, 27, 30, 39, 43, 55, 72, 74, 75, 83, 86, 87, 89, 90, 91, 92, 96, 97, 102, 125, 130, 131, 139, 140, 142, 147, 156, 157, 170, 171, 175, 181, 182, 183, 185, 208, 209, 221, 222, 236, 237, 250, 251, 254, 255, 256 Kart 137 Kasparov 7, 11, 12, 17, 18, 21, 30, 39, 43, 58, 69, 71, 72, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 94, 96, 102, 104, 105, 125, 126, 127, 128, 129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 138, 142, 143, 145, 147, 153, 154, 155, 156, 159, 164, 167, 168, 172, 188, 191, 208, 209, 236, 242, 248 Kastek 109, 113 Kengis 138 Keres 12, 14, 15, 20, 27, 29, 32, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 50, 54, 56, 58, 82, 138, 141, 196, 197, 198, 221, 223, 253 Khalifman 18, 96, 104, 215 Khamrakulov 223 Korchnoi 11, 20, 33, 53, 55, 71, 72, 74, 75, 77, 78, 79, 81, 82, 143, 152, 252, 254 Korzubov 190 Kovalenko 225 Kramnik 7, 8, 9, 18, 22, 55, 70, 71, 96, 97, 98, 100, 106, 151, 152, 188, 217, 226, 232, 247, 248 Krogius 58 Kuligowski 154 Kupreichik 85 Kurbedinov 111, 120 Kveinys 196
268
Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
L Ladva Lanc Larsen Lasker Lein Lekgau Leko Lendl Lerner Leroy Li Yunshan Ljubojevic
O 109, 113 163 71 26, 32, 33, 63 44, 47, 48, 49, 50, 52, 53, 54, 71, 96, 98, 110, 116 110, 117 55 254 166, 174 112, 122 112, 121 209
M Majorovas Malaniuk Marshall McEnroe Mednis Meskovs Mikenas Miles Milos Mitenkov Moiseenko Morozevich Morphy Myagmarsuren
73 29 242, 248 254 191, 192 225 32, 36, 37, 38 254 162, 164 192 179 24, 25, 30, 74, 140, 145, 192, 215, 222 11, 230, 231 72
N Najdorf Narayanan Neiksans Nielsen Nimzowitsch Novik Novotelnov Ntirlis
155 112, 122 111, 120 232 27 111, 120 39 20
Oll
10, 175, 176, 211, 212, 215
P Petrosian Petr osian
21, 38, 39, 41, 43, 53, 55, 56, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 71, 99, 156, 174, 196, 198, 224, 247, 252, 253 Petursson Peturs son 175, 176 Piket 10 Podgaets Po dgaets 53, 54 Polgar Po lgar 140, 141, 170, 258, 259 Polugaevsky Po lugaevsky 52, 169, 188, 193 Ponomariov 179 Portisch Po rtisch 89, 104, 105, 181, 182 Poutiainen 191 Predke 111, 120 Psakhis 23, 24, 36, 92, 215 R Radjabov Ramane Randviir Rapport Razuvaev Reshef Reti Riazantsev Ribli Romanishin Roshal Rosicki Rozentalis
24, 25 259 136, 137, 138 30, 31, 74, 145, 256 21, 103, 140 109, 115 34, 35 221, 222, 224 105 137, 191, 192 54 109, 114 247
Name Index
S
Saidy 91 Salov 100, 101, 153, 162, 209, 248 Sandipan 202, 203 Sarapu 138 Savchenko 110, 115 Sax 105 Scheeren 149 Schmidt 154 Schnepp 109, 113 Schults 166 Selezniev 30 Seo 110, 118 Shabalov 31, 136, 137 Shariyazdanov 102 Shcherbakov 227 Sher 191 Shirov 136, 202, 203, 204 Short 93, 138, 139, 143, 159, 164, 167, 191, 214, 217, 242 Simagin 36 Smirin 165, 215, 239, 240, 241 Smyslov 16, 29, 41, 74, 75, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86 Sokolov 12, 19, 21, 72, 100, 103, 140, 153, 162, 163, 189, 190, 222, 237, 238, 239 Sorensen 191 Sozin 158 Spacek 184 Spassky 15, 21, 38, 39, 43, 44, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 66, 67, 69, 71, 82, 99, 125, 126, 130, 136, 160, 174, 175, 193, 224, 225 Stefansson 110, 118 Stein 46, 47, 50 Steinitz 11, 230, 231 Strating 111, 119 Szekely 194
aimanov al
arrasch eichmann empone eran Alvarez imman ischbierek omashevs omashevsky ky opalov ruus seitli seitlin n ukmakov umelan umelanoo
269
183, 185 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 20, 23, 24, 38, 39, 42, 43, 44, 46, 47, 54, 125, 127, 136, 168 20, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 37 35 139 172 12, 145 188 109, 113 105, 106, 252 21, 58, 137, 138 252, 253 9 110, 117
U Uhlmann
72, 143
V Vachyly achylyaa Vaganian Valdes Escoba Escobarr Vasiukov Vetemaa Vitolinsh Vovk
111, 118 143 172 143 136 193 172
W Wei Yi Wei Wojtaszek W ojtaszek Wojtkiewicz W ojtkiewicz Wolff W olff Wozniak W ozniak
217 105 97, 136, 176 131 220
X Xu Yi
112, 122
270
Grandmaster Opening Preparat Preparation ion
Y Yurkov Y urkov
Yusupov Y usupov Yu Y u Yangyi Yangyi
7, 9, 17, 21, 71, 72, 92, 139, 140, 143, 145, 147, 153, 156, 159, 189, 237, 258 143, 147, 149, 150, 151, 152, 153, 173 217
Z Zhao Xue Zhu Chen
112, 121 171
Opening Index Petroff Defence Four Knights Game Evans Gambit Italian Game wo Knight Knightss Defence Ruy Lopez
217 225 128 232, 248 231, 233 126, 138, 145, 146, 199, 239, 246
St George Defence Owen’ss Defence Owen’ North Sea Defence Scandinavian Defence Alekhine’ss Defence Alekhine’ Caro-Kann Defence French Defence Sicilian Dragon Sicilian Kan Sicilian Keres Attack Sicilian Maroczy Bind Sicilian Najdorf Sicilian Rauzer Sicilian Rossolimo Sicilian Scheveningen Sicilian Sozin Attack Sicilian Sveshniko Sveshnikovv
254 8 256 133 136, 259 14, 16, 184, 214, 221, 222, 223 143, 242 130 250 141, 157, 168, 170, 171, 172 196, 252 193, 194, 202, 244 172, 212 258 17, 238 158, 160, 161, 162, 164, 165, 166, 167, 188, 191 149
Queen’s Gambit Accept Queen’s Accepted ed Ragozin Defence Queen’ss Gambit Decline Queen’ Declined d arrasch Defence Slav Defence Semi-Slav Defence Queen’ss Pawn Opening Queen’ London System Colle System Nimzo-Indian Defence Queen’ss Indian Defence Queen’ English Opening
242 24 100, 104, 208 20, 23, 26, 32, 34, 37, 38, 39, 41, 42, 46, 48, 52, 53, 56, 58, 69, 72, 74, 75, 82, 83, 84, 87, 89, 92, 94 105, 174, 175, 176 148 27 30 149, 150, 151 36, 178, 179, 181, 183, 207 12, 96, 154, 155 96, 227
