The Cutting Edge, The Open Sicilian 1 - Pavlovic, M - 2010

First English edldon 2010 by QUality Chess UK LLP Copyright © 2010 Milos PavlovIc and Quality Chess

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The Cutting Edge: Series Introduction 7he Cuttlng Edge is a new type of opening book. The purpose of the series is to investigate a selection of the most en tical variations in various opemngs. providing a state-of-the-art, "cutting edge" snapshot of the cunene theoretical picture as well as suggesting numerous improvements and new ideas. 1he Cuning Edge concept The idea of thIs series was in some ways inspired by recent trends amongst OUf competitors. First there was New In Chess. whose successful s.O.S. series continues to cover a variety of unusual opening hnes deSigned to surprise one's opponents. Everyman's Dangerous Weapons series did something slmLlar. except chat each individual volume IS dedicated to one parricuiar opemng. OUf Cutting Edge series Is closer to the laner, In the sense that each volume covers a number of vanations wl(hin one major opening, which we believe [0 be the mOst logical and reader-friendly approach. However, chere are a couple of major differences. Firsdy, 1he Cuttmg Edge focuses on reputable main hnes, most of which have been tested at the very highest levels. Secondly, we are not looking to 'sell' one Side of the posmon over the other. Instead we allow the author to investigate the variations in question with a completely open mind, Ifl an effort co discover the real truch of the poSItion. Cuning Edge preparation When building and maintaining an opening repertoire, one must pay attemion both to inferior andlor unusual responses, and to the more critical main lines. Preparing for sidelines is generally not [00 difficult. Rare moves are normally rare for a reason, and in most cases you can easily check a database andlor a good book [Q find a convincing response. Of course we have all, at one time or another, succumbed after being surprised in the opemng, but we should not worry about it unduly. Preparing for main lines IS a completely different ketde of fish. The theory of rhese lines is constantly evolving, as certam criticaJ positions are tested over and over by top players armed with increasingly powerful analysis engines. Simply put, it can be a d,auntlng prospect even for a seasoned grandmaster. Cuning Edge value The purpose of our Cuttmg Edge series is co give the reader the best pOSSible headstan in prepanng for the most challenging opemng variations, irrespective of the side of the board on which he will be suting. The material is as up-[O..ciate as it can be, and IOdudes a plethora of original analysIs from the amhor. Furthermore, the fact that we cover several different variations within each volume enables the reader [0 adopt a flexible approach, varying his choices while keeping a number of aces up his sleeve. The goal of this series is not [0 spoon-feed the reader a repertOlfe, but rather to prOVide hlghquality information chat Will enable him ro develop and refine his knowledge and understanding of the opening in question. We are excited about this series, and hope the readers will share our enthUSiasm. Andrew Greet Series Editor

Contents Bibliography Key to symbols used

5 6

The Sveshnikov Variation

I 2 3

13.tiJxb5 piece sac 18.h4 pawn sac The positional approach: 11.c4

7 27 41

The Rauzer Variation

4

Doubled f-pawn variation

57

The Dragon Variation

5 6 7

Chinese Dragon 12 .. '!l:e8 variation Topalov variation

75 83

93

The Taimanov Variation

8

English Anack main line English Anack 8".~e7 10 5... a6 6.tiJxc6 bxc6 7.1d3

9

101 115 127

The Kan Variation

II 12

5.tiJc3 V!ic7 6 ..id3 tiJf6 7.0-0 .ic5 5.id31c5

Index

141

155

Bibliography Aagaatd 8< Shaw (editors). Expms VS. ,he Stcilian (second edmon), QUalIty Chess 2006. Dearing. Play the Steilian Dragon, Gambit 2004 De la ViUa. Dtsmantllng ,he Siciltan, New In Chess 2009. DeIchev 8< Semkov' The Safest Sicilian -A Black R'pmoirl! with 1 t4 c5 2 lUf3 e6 (Itcond edmon), Chess Srars 2008 Khalifman' Openmgfor Whit, According '0 Anand 1 .4 (Volum, 9), Chess Srars 2007. Khalifman Opening for White According '0 Anand 1 .4 (Volume IO), Chess Srars 2007 Khalifman. Openmgfor Whit, According to Anand 1 t4 (Volurn, ll), Chess Srars 2009. Khalifman' Openmgfor Whtu According 10 Anand 1 e4 (Volume I2), Chess Srars 2009 Kolev Be Nedev. The F.aswt S,cr!ian. Chess Srars 2008 Rogozenko Th, Sveshntkov Reloaded, QUalIty Chess 2005 Wade, Speelman, Povah 8< BIacbtock: Stctltan rasktr-Peltkan, Botsford 1978 Periodicals Chess Informant New In Chess Yearbooks TWIC MegaBase Corr Databau

Key to symbols used ;

White is shghtly better Black is slightly better

±

White is better

j;

+

Black IS better

+-

White has a decisive advantage

-+

i

Black has a decISive advantage equality with compc::nsadon

f±

with counterplay

unclear a weak move

11

a blunder a good move

!!

an excellent move a move worth considering

lr I! #

a move of doubtful value mate

Sveshnikov abcdefgb

13.QJxb5 piece sac Variation Index l.e4 c5 2.~f3 ~c6 3.d4 cxd4 4.~xd4 ~f6 5.~c3 e5 6.~db5 d6 7.~g5 a6 8.~a3 b5 9 ..hf6 gxf6 10.~d5 f5 11.~d3 ~e6 12.c3 ~g7 13.~xb5!? nb5 14..bb5 A) 14...~d715.exf5 AI) 15...0-0 16.0-0 All) 16... l!!b8 A12) 16... l!!e8 17.a4 e4 18.%Yg4 mh8 A121) 19.1!!ad1 A122) 19.1!!fdl!? A2) 15... ~b8 A21) 16.a4 A2ll) 16....bb5 A212) 16...0-O!? A22) 16.%Yg4 B) 14... l!!c8 AI) nOlewHh 16 c;th8P

abcdef

18 ~xg7t'

9 10 11

13 13 15 18 18 18 20 21 23

AI2I) after 21 ~/l5

A211) after 20 e4

abcdefgh

abcdefgb

22~e2'N

21 b61N

The Sveshnikov Variation The Sveshnikov, also known as the Lasker or Pelikan variation of the Sicilian, is an

immensely popular line. The great Emanuel Lasker played it first, but the Argentinean master Jorge Pelikan and later on the famous Russian grandmasrer Evgeny Sveshnikov both made valuable contributions, popularizing this hIghly complex line. The whole system is based on the mISplaced knighr on a3 In addition to

7

6 4

the bishop pair and strong centre in many

abcdefgh

lines. To begin our invescigarion I will present a position that has been regarded as suspicious

by modern theory bur was briefly popular the 1970s and '80s:

III

l.e4 c5 2.1tlf3 Itlc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.ltlxd4 Itlf6 5.ltlc3 e5 6.ltldb5 d6 7.iLg5 a6 8.ltla3 d5!?

In the early 1970s these ideas were revolutionary and did not catch on right away. When other strong grandmasters such as John Nunn and Andras Adorjan began to take an interest in Black's system it became more widely accepted. Nowadays it has become one of the moSt challenging obStacles against White's aspiratIons for an opening advantage.

3

The names of Kasparov, Kramnik, Radjabov, Topalov and Leko are just a few of those I could mention amongst top players who have used it with success. In thIS chapter I will focus on one of the most direct attemp" to refute Black's play, by sacrificing the knight on 03. One way of doing

2

it, from the above diagram posidon. is with:

4

1 I.ltlxb5!? axb5 12.iLxb5 abcdefgh This pawn sacrifice never achieved great

popularity, but at least it gave a hint about Black's active pOSSibilities. Pelikan published

7

6

analysis on this so his contributIOn to the

system

IS

by no means sma11.

On the other hand Sveshnikov realized the strength of a bishop pair and potentially strong pawn centre despite W1tite's strong outpost on the dS-square. The Russian pioneered the

following system: l.e4 c5 2.ltlf3 Itlc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.ltlxd4 Itlf6 5.ltlc3 e5 6.ltldb5 d6 7.iLg5 a6 8.ltla3 b5 9.iLxf6 gxf6 JO.ltld5 f5

4

3 2 abcdefgh

The sacrifice on b5, by either the bishop or knight, is nowadays considered to be one of the most direct challenges to the entire variation. The diagram posidon first occurred to my

Chapter I - 13.111xb5 piece sac knowledge in a game of Murey. but became better known and more WIdely accepted after David Bronstein won a nice game against Vukic at a tournament In Vrsac in 1979. The line was subsequently adopted by many other players. but antidotes have been found. Until the early 2000. the line disappeared. until White players unearthed a more accurate move order

9

he gets the chance. Black on the other hand is a piece up. but passive at the moment, so activating pieces is his mam peioCiry. All In aU,

a fascinating and complex struggle lies ahead of us. In the present posinon Black has two ideas,

of which the first is cri,icai: A) 14...Ad7 and B) 14 ••• E!c8.

to sidestep certain problems that occurred m

the original sacrifice. The present chapter will focus on the modern incarnation of the knight sacrifice:

l.e4 <5 2.108 1Oc6 3.d4 ad4 4.lOxd4 1Of6 5.10<3 e5 6.lOdb5 d6 7.¥ a6 8.1Oa3 b5 9..bf6 pf6 lo.lOd5 f5 1l.~d3 ~e6 12.<3 ~g713.lOxb5!! ub5 14.Axb5

A) 14•• .id7 15.ed5

We have reached anQ[her imponant branching point. White has three pawns for a piece, a great knIght on d5 and a strong pawn cham on the queenside, while Black is after aU a piece up. That was a basic explanation, but later we will see that many more ideas and evaluations will come to the surface.

8

8

7

7

6

6

5

5

4

4

3

3

2

2

a

b

c

d

e

g

h

In companson with the bishop sacrifice

on b5 (an aggressive Ime thal will no' be considered in ,he present book). here While'S strategy is more pOSitional He will obtain three pawns for a piece while retaining the

strong outpoS[ on d5. Afrer Black defends the knigh' on c6 Wh"e will capture on f5, Winning a third pawn and securing some space

a

b

c

d

e

g

h

Here we Will consider the follOWing moves in del.ii: AI) 15... 0-0 .nd Al) 15... lObS. Also lS ... e4!? is pOSSible. [t is an Interesting move order from Kotronias. intending to rule

out Wh"e's possible idea of coming qUIckly With the queen to e4. White has two main options:

on ,he kmgside. In some posi,ions the pro'pee, of £5-f6 can be [Coublesome for the second player. The q ueenside pawns are another key

a) The attempt

element in the position, and White will usually stan pushing hiS a- and b-pawns as soon as

16.'!1Ig41l1f8 17.'!1Ixe4 17.'!1If4111e5 18.ie2 ic6 is good for Black.

[Q

a[[ack ,he e4-pawn leads

nowhere:

10


17 .. :~a5! Threarening ... ge8. 18.0--0 1ll'xb5 19.£6 Ah6 20.a41Wb3 21.1ll'h4 After a forced sequence of moves White did

17 ... gb8 The trick is 18.1ll'xg7t!

revealed after:

17 ... lLle7?

not achieve any advantage, for instance:

2l...1ll'xd5 22.1ll'xh6t We8 23.1ll'g7 gf8 24.gfeit Now both 24 ... Ae6 and 24 ... lLle5 give Black at least adequate play.

7

6 4

b) However. White can and should prefer the SImple 16.0--0. After 16 ... 0--0 17.a4 !:!e8 18.1ll'g4 wh8 the game will transpose to Ime Al2) below.

AI) 15••• ~

8

7

6 5 4 3 2

abc

d

abcdefgh

18... Wxg7 19.£6t wh8 20.fxe7 1ll'a5 21.ex!8=1ll't gxf8 22.Axd7 1ll'xd5 23.a4 After a pracncally forced seq uence, it is only White who can play for a win in the resulting position. thanks to his dangerous queenside pawns. Both players should be on the lookout for the sacrifice on g7 whenever the white queen comes [Q g4. 18.a4f6! This brings Black an excellent game. Compared with line A II Black has not wasted a tempo on ...ge8 and will aim for a quick ... lLle7. Meanwhile the white queen is not so well placed on g4 in this position.

16.~

e

g

h

With apologies for the further dIVISIon. there are two maIO lines to consider here: All) 16.••!bS and A12) 16...!eS. In A1maSl - Shuov. Bundeshga 2004/05. Black preferred 16 ... wh8!? This move can have independent meaning. but it can also lead to transpositions as we will see. It is worth checking two possible responses: a) 17.1ll'g4 This sets a nice trap. but is not the most accurate move. It is bener to I~ve the queen at home until Black goes for ... e4 ideas. as we will see later.

b) 17.a4! This is the best move.

17... f6 18.b4 gb8 19.1ll'd3

7

6

5 4

3

abcdefgh

Chapter I - 13.lilxb5 piece sac This

IS

a useful move, connecting the rooks

and also keeping an eye on the c3-pawn. Furthermore. the queen blocks any ... e4 ideas, while also preparing some pressure on the d-file and defending the bishop in preparation for a4-a5. A truly multifunctional move! 19...!le8 Now the game continued 20.!lfdl e421.%I'e2 %l'cs at which point A1masi decided to repeat the position with 22.Aa6 %l'd8 23.Ab5 %l'cs 24.Aa6 (Rogozenko mentions the possibiliry of24.a5!1 intending lilb6) 24 ... %I'd8 25.Ab5

v,-v,. It may have been as well for White to play: 20.lWe4 Transposing to line A II bdow.

11

17... %I'g5 Black wants to restram the enemy queen, and also hopes to exert pressure against the

fS-pawn as well as on the kingslde generally.

18.%1'8 This looks to me like the most logical move. I think that as a general rule

In

this line,

White should not move the knight away from d5 unless it IS absolutely necessary. IS.lile3 could be met by IS .. J:1fdS 19.%I'xd6 AeS 20.%I'a3lile7 21 ~xeS !lxe8 22.a5lilxfS 23.lilxfS %l'xfS 24.a6 e4. This position is not clear; the black bIShop is not blocked in so it

will help to restrict the white pawns on the queenslde. At the same time he has the idea

of ...Ae5 to arrack the oppoSIte Rank; quite an ancacrive plan when you consider that the whne queen is far away on a3.

All) 16... !1!b8 Black intends to stabilize his posItion and to prepare ... liJe7. His main goal is to exchange both sets of minor pieces. The problem with

this line is that the move ... 17-f6 will have to

be played at some point. which will severely hmlt the scope of black's remaining bishop not an ideal scenano when confronted by two

speedong pawns on the queenside. Nevertheless the move has been tried many times.

IS ... l!IhS 19.1ile3 !1!xb51! 19...!lfcS! was surely bener. After 20.!lfdl oifB 21.b4 White has the imtiative. but the posltion remains interesting; Black is certainly not without chances.

20.axb5 lile7 21.§aS Axb5 22.f6 White won quickly in Parligras - Kapnissis. Kavala 2004.

18.'l:tg4l!1h8 19.'I:t~ f6 8 7 6 5 4 3

2

a

b

d

e

g

h

17 .•4 !1!e8 This IS the usual move here. although Black can also try:

abc

d

e

g

h

Both sides have carried out their objectives

to some degree. White has firmly blocked his

12


opponent's potential attempt to push with ... e5-e4. while on the other hand Black is now ready from a tactical point of view to exchange pieces. There is no time to lose. so \Vhite starts pushing hIS pawns.

20.b4 ~e7 21..L:d7 Wixd7 22.~xe7 Wixe7 23.a5l1!ec8 We have arrived at what is possibly the cntical position for the 16 .. .labSllne.

Wid. breaking down Black's defensive wall on the dark squares. 26.b5 !lc7 27.c4 iIB 2s.WidS This looks good for White. although there is stili a fight ahead of us. 2S .. .ifS! This is probably best. 26.bS dS! It is worth glvmg up the d-pawn to activate the bishop. 27.Wixd5 icS 2S.!la2 !ldS White now has four pawns for the bishop, but Black has activated hIS pIeces. Overall I prefer White. but the position is playable for both SIdes and should be te"ed ID practice. 26.b5 !leeS 27.b6! !lxb6 2S.!lxb6 'l!l'xb6 29.'I!I'b7WidS No better is 29 ...Wic5 30.g3. 30.a7 !laS 31.!lci Intending !lc7. 31 'l!l'gS 32.!lbl! Threatening 'l!l'xaS. 32 ...!ldS 33 WibS And White wins. ThIS line provides quite a good ilIumacion of the dangers Black faces in thIS Ime.

abc

d e

g

h

A5 was mentioned previously. both sides have succeeded in executing certain parts of their plans. White is pushing pawns while Black has exchanged some pieces and is attacking the pawns with his rooks. The final verdict may well be deCIded by the question of whether or not Black can find a useful role for his bishop.

24.l1!fhl This led to a white success In a high level game, although that does not necessarily mean

24...Wid7 24 ...!lxc31 2S.a6 Wia7 26.bS transposes to 24.a6!1 above. 25.c4 d5 This is a rypical idea; Black gives up another pawn in order to free his pieces. 26.ad5 1111 27.h3 !lb5 28.a6 Wid6 29.a7 !la830.Wic4

it is the best.

24.a6"N This original suggestion also looks quite promising. 24 ... Wia7 2S.!lfhl !lxc31 This is a en tical, but losing move. Black should Instead look for a way to Improve his bishop. for example: 25 ... ih6 The idea of thIS move is to prevent

abc

d e

g

h

Chapter 1 - 13.lLlxb5 piece sac We have been following the game A1masi Wang Yue, Paks 2006. Black faces an uphill defensive struggle, which eventually proved too much for him to handle. A12) 16•.•geS This move is multifunctional. It prepares ... e4 but also keeps the option of ... lLle7 at

some poim.

17.a4 Pc; usual, White wastes no time in mobilizing his queenside pawns.

13

If 18 ... 04, then 19.f3!. The French GM Igor Nataf mentioned this as a good move in his annotations

[0

an encounter with

Cherniaev. I agree that White indeed looks better, especially conSidering that 19... exf31 and 19 ... e31 both lose to 20.f6! followed by tLd3. 19.b4 !!b8 20.!!fdl lLle7 21.tLxd7 IWxd7 22.IWfl Black faces difficult problems. lS.1!1ig4Wh8

8 8

7

7

6

6

5

5

4

4

3

3

2

2 a

abc

d e

g h

17... 04 Pushing the e-pawn IS the most prinCipled continuation. Black Increases the scope of

his bishop and rook, and clears a potential outpost square for the knight. On the negative Side, of course the pawn on e4 could become weak. Compared with variation All above, the position now becomes more sharp and

unstable. Some players have also tried: 17 ... l!1h8 This allows Whi
against Black's last move. 18 ... f6

c

d

e

g

h

How to play with rooks is often one of the most difficult deCisions for a chess player to make, and the present posmon is a typical example. Should White focus on the centre by placing them on d 1 and e I, or should he maintaIn some support for the potential queenstde runners with rooks on d 1 and

aH It is a difficult chOIce. and we will examine the following options in detail: A121) 19.9adl followed by the less Common, but vety Interesting A122) 19.!!fdl!1. A121) 19.!!adl This 'central strategy' has been the most popular choice, although we will see that " does not seem to be suffiCIent for an advantage against Black's best play.

14


19 ... gc8 Activating another piece looks b~st. 19 ... :Se5?! seems to be premature

by just

one

move. 20.111e3! Because Black did not take the time to defend his knight. he is unable to take the pawn on fS. Meanwhile he must also worry about the d6-pawn. All this gives White time to improve his posinon. Two games

of the Greek grandmaster (and outstanding theoretiCian)

Vasilios

Kotronias

illustrate

28.!'le3 !'lg6 29.g3 !'lg5 30.'l!!fc8t I!1h7 31.h4 !'lg6 32.'l!!ffS I!1g8 33.1I.fl !'le6 34.aS 'l!!fa2 3S.1I.e2 'l!!fd2 36.l!1g2 'l!!fdSt 37.'l!!fe4 'l!!fxe4t 38.!'lxe4 lllc6 39.!'lxe6 fire6 40.a6 llla7 41.b5 1I.eS 42.b6111c8 43.b7111a7 44.1I.c41!1f7 4S.f4 1I.b8 46.fS lllc6 47.1I.xe6t 1!1f6 48.1!1f3 llla7 49.1I.d71!1eS 50.l!1g41!1f6 S1.1I.a41!1g7 52.c4 1I.c7 53.c5 1I.b8 S4.l!1h5 1I.xg3 SS.f6t I!1xf6 S6.l!1xh6.te5 S7.l!1h71!1e6 58.h51!1d5 S9.h6 I!1xcS 60.l!1g8 1-{) Kotronias - Parligras, Dresden 2008.

Black's difficulties: a) 20 ...'l!!ff6 21.'l!!fh5 ga7 22.f4! ge8 23.l!1hl llle7 24.g4 d5 25.g5 'l!!fb6 26.1I.xd7 !'lxd7 27.f6 I!1g8 28.'l!!fh3 'l!!fc6 29.1Xg7 d4 30.cxd4 llldS 31.f5 !'lb7 32.g6 1-{) Kotronias Papadopoulos, Rhodes 2008. Impressive play from White, who showed exactly how to handle me position. b) 20 ... dS 21.!'lxd5 !'lxdS 22.111xdS llle5 23.'l!!fxe4 kxlS 24.'l!!fxf5 'l!!fxd5 2S.gel

abc

d e

f

g h

20.gCel 20.h3 This s~mi-waiting move is not so dangerous now.

4

3

abcdefgh

Despite the fact that Black has an active knight and dark-squared bishop, White's Iightsquared control and excellent pawns on the

queenslde gave him a long-term advantage. I Will

give the remaining moves, and would

certainly recommend that interested readers

play through

to

the end

improves his position

to

see how Kotronias

and converts his

advantage. 2S ...!'ld8 26.h3 h6 27.b4 gd6

20 ...!'le5! 20 ... 111eS?! is premature: 21.'l!!fxe4 lllc4 22.'l!!ff3 !iJxb2 23.f611.f8 24.!'ld4gc5 2S.'l!!fg3 is dangerous for Black. 21.111e3 'l!!ff6 22.'l!!fe2 22.!'lfel?!White has no time forthis. 22 ...!'lg8 23.'l!!ff4 1I.h6 24.111g4 !'lxg4 2S.'l!!fxg4 1I.xfS 26.'l!!fg3 ke6! The black pieces will create unpleasant threats agamst the enemy king. The immediate threat is ... .1f4.

White also fails to achieve anything after 22.gd5 1I.h6 23.!'!xe5 lllxe5 24.'l!!fxe4 1I.xe3 2S.&e3 1i.xb5 26.axb5 lllc4. I do not think that Black is in any way inferior, as the knight is an excellent piece here.

Chapter I - 13.lilxb5 piece sac 22 ...ixf5 23.lilxf5 ~xf5! Better than 23 ... !l!xf5 24.~xc6 !l!xe6 25.~xe4 ae8 26.!l!xd6 ~xd6 27.~xf5 !l!c7 28.!l!el and White is better. 24.!l!xd6 !l!e6! 25.!l!xe6 ~xe6 26.!l!dl f5 27.a5 lile5 28.a6 !l!g8 29.l!;>h I ~g6 Black has very strong counterplay.

This position is interesting but it seems to me that Black has adequa,e counterplay. Despite hIS knigh, being pushed to b8. the centralized position of hIS rooks and queen. along with the strong dark-squared bishop gives him quite healthy prospects. The following line shows how the game might develop.

20.••!!eS 21./ile3\!rf6 Now Whitt: must make an important choice.

8 7

8

6

7

5 1iC%~ ..6 %ti% 4

6 5

3

4

2

bd,j''''::'''',//,w,

abc

2 abc

d

e

g

h

d

e

g

h

2S.gedl ~f6! Black wants to transfer the bishop to the a7gl diagonal.

22.\!re2!N TIus has not yet been tested. bm it seems

to me it is clearly ,he best try for White. The orner two moves do not bnng any advantage, and might even lead him mto trouble as can be seen from one example:

22. ~h3 !l!g8 is comfortable enough for Black. 22.~h5?!

This move was disastrous in ,he

26.g3 ie7 27.gd7 ics 28.gd8t gnl.8 29.!1!][d8t \f;>g7 3O.\f;>g2 Not 30.!l!xb8? e3 31.13 !l!d5 and Black wins. 30•..ia7 It appears to me that White has to play more precisely to maantam the balance here. Black's knigh' is out of play but his superb bishop more than makes up for (hat.

f~lIowing game. 22 ... ~xf5 23.lilxf5 !l!xf5 24.~h3 lile5 25.!l!xe4 !l!g8 26.!l!fl ~g6 27!l!e3 !l!h5 28.~g3 ~h6 29.!l!e4 !l!xh2 0-1

A122) 19.!!fdll!

Delehev - Kotronias. Le Port Marly 2009.

my knowledge. but it may well be the most

This move has only been tned once to

Kotronias. this time with Black, shows that

promising direction for future investigations.

he IS a true expert on bo,h sides of this sharp

White abandons the plan to attack the e4-

v~natlon.

pawn and instead electS (0 keep the rook on a 1 where It supports the Important passed a-pawn.

22 ....b5 23./ilES \!rES 24.!l!n1.6 /ilb8

16

The Sveshnikov Variation Or 2l...!'tgB 22.lllg4 'l!!fxf5 23.'l!!fxf5 !'txf5 24.!'txd6 and White is much better. 22.!'tdS! !'ta7 23.!'tadl 'l!!fg7 24.b4 !'txd5 2S.lllxdS illeS 26.f6 'l!!fg6 27.'l!!fxg6 hxg6 2B Axd7 !'txd7 29.!'td4 W'hite wins. This was not a forced line. but it highlights the danger of the black position. 19...!'tbBN ThIS untested move looks quite playable. 20M!?

a

g

h

19 ... !c8N I will take this natural move as the main hne. Som~ other moves can also be tried. It is interesting that, although the overall characteristics of the position remain quite similar, there are some tactical nuances that can vary greatly from one: line to the next.

19... !'teS?! TIus IS a principled move, bUl in my opmion not a good one.

7

6 4

3 2

abcdefgh Again we see this small improving move. It

looks like the two sides are playing a game of cat and mouse. testing each other to see who has the more useful non-commiual moves. P" I mentioned earlier, While should keep

6

5 4

3

2

20.llle3 'l!!ff6!?N Attacking the fS-pawn looks like a critical test, but it is insufficient. In Lagarde - Kovalev, Moscow 200B, Black was a bit worse after the: moce timid 20 ... 'l!!fc7. 21.'l!!fhS AfB

his knight on dS for as long as possible. For instance. if 20.llle3 llle5 21.'l!!fxe4 hb5 22.axbS !'txbS 23.b4 !'tbB 24.'l!!ff4 !'tcB Black is on time to get countc:rplay against the enemy pawns. Now Black has several options: 20 ... 'l!!fcB This is the most complex move, although the third of the followmg alternatives also deserves attention. 20 ... Ah6?! is a bit 100 optimistic. 21.'l!!fh5 1/.g5 22.b4 !'tgB 23.'l!!fe2 1/.xfS 24.hc6 Axh3 2S.gxh3 Black does not have enough compensation here - there is not much he can achieve with his discovered check.

Chapter 1 - 13.lilxb5 piece sac 20 ... lile5 21.Wlxe4 Axb5 22.axb5 :gxb5 23.b4 :gba 24.Wlf4! The threat of f6 is annoying for Black. 20 ... &5!? This is a critical move as we saw many times in this system. 21.lile3 Wlf6 22.Wlh5 Wle7 23.b4 1:lga 24.Ac4 Ae6! 25.a5 lila7 26.a6 Af6 We have reached a complicated position that looks playable for both sides. 21.Wlg5! This appears best. 21...1:le5 22.lile3 Axf5 23.1:lxd6Iile7 24.1:ladl! Ignoring Black's threat. 24 ... Axh3 25.Wlh4 Af5 26.lilc4 :ge6 27.1:lxe6 Wlxe6 28.1:ld6 Iilg6 29.Wlg5 f6 30.Wlh5 Ag4 31.1:lxe6 Axh5 32.1:lxe4 This is just one possible line from a highly complex position, bur it seems quite promising for WhIte in view of his dangerous queenside pawns.

20 .. .1:1.5 Not the only move, but the alternatives not impressive:

17

ate

20 ... lile5? simply does not work, as afrer 21.Wlxe4 Black lacks a convincing follow-up. 20 ... lilb8 21.Iile3 Ac6 22.Wlh5 1:lc7 23.1:ld2 1:ld7 24.1:ladl Wle7 25.c4 White is better, as the plan of a5-a6 is not easy to meet.

21.1ile311!!1f6 22.11!!1e2 Again this is a good way to coordinate the pieces.

22••.L5 23.1llx511!!1x5 24.!hd61llb8 24 ...1:le6 is well met by: 25.!:!xc6! 1:lcxc6 26.Axc6 1:lxc6 27.a5!

7

20.b3!1

6 5

4 2 abcdefgb

abc

d

e

g

h

This liuie move is ofi::en a useful one for

White. Surprisingly, it is not only intended to safeguard against back rank mates, although having an escape square is always useful. In

fact.

it turns

OUt

that in cenain critical lines

White benefits from controllIng the g4-squate,

ThIS highhghts an important diffetence between the earlier choice of 1:lfdl instead of 1:ladl in the opening. With the rook on al White is now much better placed for this type of action and hIS a-pawn can roll a long way down the board.

25.!l:adl ~f6 Now comes an important moment.

26.11!!1g4! This was the subtle point behind White's 20th move.

which enables him to force a transition into a

favourable endgame!

26•••11!!1xg4 27.hIg4

18

The Sveshnikov Variation This 15 a very Interesting move. After analysing ic I chink Whice's chances co gain an advantage agaInst accurate defence a..J."e almost non-existent, and my overall assessment is that che position IS equal. Black's general idea is co exchange some PICceS, and later on undermme che knighc on dS wich ... Iilf6. Whice has cwo main replies: A21) 16.•4 and A22) 16.'I'g4.

8 7 6

5 4 3

16..txd7t simply helps Black co carry ouC his plan. Afm 16... lilxd7 17.0-0 0-0 Black WIll concinue wich ... e4 or ... Iilf6 wich a fine game.

2

abc

d

e

g

h

White has achIeved exactly whac he was looking for. In che resulcing endgame hIS pieces are very active, he has managed [0 bury the enemy knight for a long nrne, and can now look to improve his posicion even more. Note chac che acrempc co obcain councecplay wich 27 ... .tgS can be meC by 28.g3!, wich an Idea [0 meec 28 ... e31 with 29.f4. The whole line wich I 9J:lfdl!1 requires funher [
A2) IS •. Job8

16..td3 is also unpromisIng. 16... .tc6 17.ea Iild7 18 ..te4 ~b8 19.b4 hdS 20..txdS 0-0 21.0-0 1ilf6

6 4

3

2 ~bcdefgh

The bishop on g7 is noc blocked, so ic has che potencial to create strong pressure on the long dIagonal. Noce cha, Whice will noc be able [0 prevent ... e4 and poSSIbly lacer ... dS. All in all, chIS is noc che cype of posicion for which Whice should be aiming.

A21) 16.•4 ThIS is a lOgIcal move, and deserves consideration despite 1[$ low statistical score. Here we have two imeresring possibilities for Black: che ctied and ceseed A211) 16...LbS and ,he unusual buc interescing A212) 16...0-0!1. A2U) 16.. ..t.:bS

Chapeer 1 - 13.lilxbS piece sac

19

This comes one move too late.

bed

e

g

h

Black decides to diminate the bishops from [he game. He brings [he white pawn further forward. but countS on rapId development to provide a decent share of the chances. 17.ub5 !!lml 18."f!Vml tld7 19."f!Va7 0-0 20.0-0e4 This seems like the most principled choice for Black. who is aiming for an ideal set-up with a bIshop on eS and kmght on f6.

BeSt would have been 22.!i:xe4lilf6 23.lile7t \!Ig7 24.!i:e1 (afrer 24.lilc6'i!1c8! Black gains good counterplay against the pawn on f5; another line is 24.!i:c4 dS 2S.!i:c8'i!1d6 26.h3 d4 with fine play for Black) 24 ...!i:e8 2S.lilc6 'i!lc8 26.lilxeS !i:xeS 27.!i:xeS dxeS 28.'i!le3 'i!lxf5 The position should be balanced. Black IS okay but White is also not doing badly. as the advanced b-pawn gives adequate play for the mISSing piece. 22 ...1ilf6 23.lile7t \!Ig7 24.'i!lc7'i!1d7 2S.'i!lxd7 Iilxd7 26.lildS Iilf6 27.1ilxf6\!1xf6 28.g4 dS Najer - Tregubov. Dagomys 2009. Black stands better since he successfully connected his pawns in the centre and the bishop on eS dominates the board. Tregubov went on to win. 21. ..~e5 22.!!lal White has achieved a more or less optimal set-up. Compared with the aforementioned game. the rook IS much bener on al where it can help [Q support the b-pawn. 22 ...1ilf6 23.tle7t *g7 24.'i!lc7 'litd7 This is forced. otherwise there follows 'i!lxd8 followed by Iilc6 and the b-pawn is unstoppable. 25.l:!a5 !i:e8 26."f!Vul7 tl"d7 27.tld5 l:!bS 28.!!lb5 !i:b7 29.g3

abc

d

e

g

h

21.b6!N According [0 my analysis. this as yet untested move is the strongest.

21.!i:el This does not achIeve anything special. 2l...AeS 22.b6?!

20


It seems to me that White has the better prospects here, although ir is nor easy to make a breakthrough. Ir is imporrant fOr him to maintain control over the dS·square. His rook and knight are optimally placed, so his nexc job should he to aaivate hIS king.

Now Black has several bishop mo'. '" 18 ... Ag6 or even 18 ...Ac8 are both possi" . , but it seems to me that retreating [0 ::-..!:: central square e6 is by far rhe mosr narural.x logICal. 18...Ae6

A212) 16.•• 0-0!1 When I looked ac the variation wich 16.a4 I fOund myself wondering why this had almosr never been played. HavlUg spent some time analyslUg it, I consider ic a sharp but fully viable option for Black.

a

e

g

h

19.Ii:lf6tN During the writing of thiS section, concenuated on the text move:. However, at

abc

d e

g

h

17.0-0!? lIlls is an attempt to play for a win, alchough l [ IS hard to say which side is lU more danger lU che resulting position. The following alternative leads to a forced draw: 17.£6 Axf6 18.li:lxf6t 1!!Ixf6 19.Axd71i:lxd7 20.1!!Ig4t 1!!Ig6 21.1Wxd7 lWe4t 22.~d2 1!!If4t with perperual check. 17•...bf5 One of che few games I was able to find on the darabase conrinued 17... Axb5 18.axb5 !lxa1 19.1Wxal Ii:ld7 20.1!!Ia7 transposing to line A2l 1 above, Gutsche - Stephan, Imernet 2004. 18.1!!It3

a1mosr rhe last moment before publicanon. I was interested to see the diagram position occurnng if; one of the four exhibition Sicihanchemed games contesred between Judit Polgar and Gregory Kaidanov. Thus in Kaidanov J. Polgar. HJlton Head (I) 2010, White opred for 19.1i:le7t and afrer 19 ... lWxe7 20.1!!Ixa8 d5 21.a5 Ii:ld7 22.1!!Ia7 the position was unclear and double-edged, jusr as in the main line below, although White eventually prevailed. The faa that rhis variation was played in such a highly publicized match may encourage ocher players to follow suit, so it may noc be long before the text move also recc:ivc:s a practical

resc. 19...1!!Ixf6 20.1!!Ixa8 The evaluation of (his position revolves

around wherher the a-pawn will be fascer than Black's anack on rhe kingslde.

21

Chap«r 1 - 13.lilxbS piece sac

2o...lild72I."I"b7 Also possible IS: 21."I"c6!1 This also leads 10 a very double-edged position. Now Black may be tempted to gain a tempo agalOSt the queen by bringing his knighr co eS wlCh: 21...dS!? 22.aS e4 23.a6l1leS

8 7

6

, •••.•• 7-'~/........

5 4

3

.m'''~',,~

..n/'=~

2 6

abc

d e

g

h

The position is complicated and challenging for both sides. It would be inreresting ro see chis teseed in pracrice. 2

A22) 16.1Yg4 This is the maIn hne for Whire. bur

abcdefgh The black arrack is very dangerous. despire rhe fact rhat the pawn on a6 IS practically unstoppable. The posmon is razor-sharp and dangerous for both sides. but u1timarely the

cournamem praC[1ce seems to indicate that

It

is insufficient for any advantage.

chances seem more or less balanced. Here is a possible line: ~4.1!:\'d61!:\'gS 2S.l!1h 1

White does noc want the bishop

(0

arrive on

h3. ~5 ... lilg4 26.a7 ieS 27.1!:\'cS 27.f4 exG 2B.1!:\'xfSt 1!1xf8 29.aB=1!:\'t I!1g7 30.!:!xGl1lxh2 White looks ro be in rrouble. but he can just survive as follows: 3J.!:!h3 ixh3 32.gxh311lf3 33.1!:\'aaf4 34.1!:\'dl1!:\'g3 3S.1!:\'gl! I1lxgl 36J:lxgl 1!:\'xgIt 37.\!lxgl and the game ends in a draw. ~- .. .!i:aB 2B.g3 2B.f41 hf4 does not help White. ~8 .. lilxh2 29.l!1xh2 1!:\'h4t 30.l!1g1 ixg3 .'l.fxg31!:\'xg3t 32.i>hl White cannot escape the perpetual. and Black has no time 10 bring in any supporring ;tleCes, so the game ends in a draw.

21 ... lilcS 22.1Yb6 .td5 23.!adl "l"e6

abc

d e

g h

16...0~ 16... l!1fB has also been played. but I see no reason for Black to play like rhis so will instead focus on the texe move . 17.0~h5

Not 17...ixbS?? 18.f6 and White wins. 18.'irf31

22


One of the subtle points behind White's 16th move is that he can leave the bishop on b5 undefended for quite a number of moves.

abc

d e

g

19.'lJu4 !:le8 20.'lJd3 Lb5 21.'I9xb51ild7 At the time of writing this position has appeared only once. In that game White blundered on the next move, but the last word surely has yet to be spoken.

h

18•.. e4 There are a few interesting alternatives: Despite the previous comment IS ... j.xb5!? actually looks playable: 19.f() ie2! 20./ile7t 'l9xe7 21.fxe7 ixB 22.exf8='I9t 1ilxf8 23.gxf3 !:la4! with an uncleat endgame. White has a slight material advantage, but Black is restraining the enemy pawns for the moment, and his minor pieces may eventually prove their worth.

lS ... 'I9g5!? This interesting move, along with the entire concept of ... /ilbS, belongs to Topalov whose original idea was exactly this position. 19.a4 !:la7 20.'Ige3! White executes his typical strategy for this line. He hopes for a favourable endgame where he can push his queenside pawns, helped by the strong knight on d5 which controls the entire board. 20 ... 'I9xe3 21.&e3 ~h6 22.e4 j.g5 23.b4 j.xb5 24.axb5 !:lb7 This was Vallejo Pons - Topalov, Linares 2004. The game eventually resulted 10 a dtaw after a long fight. AI. this stage I would nor wish [Q venture an assessment orner chan to say that the position is extremely complicated.

abc

d e

g h

22.!!fdm This loses a pawn for nothing. White can obviously improve considerably, although I have not found any path to an advantage. Examples include: 22.'I9d3 /ilf() 23./ilb4 reaches a roughly balanced position. 22.!:lae1 !:lbS 23 ..!!xeSt 'l9xeS 24.'I9c6 !:!xb2 25.'I9xd6

abedefgb Again this looks like approximately equal chances. It is quite possible that a perpetual

Chapter I - 13.ltlxbS piece sac check

will arise at some pomt arise due

to

the

.xposed black king. 22 ... lIb8 23.'l!fa6 lIm2 24.lIabl Perhaps White had counted on 24.1!!I'xd6, only to realize that it would be refuted by ,he very strong 24 ... i.eS! with the idea of ...i.xh2t.

White needs to force the c:6-bishop into defensIve duties, in order to pick up the 5pawn.

15.. .J.d7 16.a5 ~ 17.~ ~h8

8 7

24... lIml 25.lIml ~f6 26.1!!1'd3 ~Id5 27.1!!I'Id5 lIe5 28.'l!fd3 'l!ff6 Black simply picked up the enemy pawns and obcalned a wInnmg posltlon, Almasi Ni Hua, ReggiO Emilia 2009.

6

5 4

3 F";:-"',,"",,('~"",

Overall, the conclusion IS that IS ... ~b8 is presently In good theoretical health. although my improvement in line A211 may give While

2 abc

some cause for opnmlsm.

Let us now consider Black's orner opdon on move 14. B) 14... lIc8 This move did not catch many foUowers. and according to my understanding it IS probably weaker than 14 ... i.d7. Nevmheless it is Interesting to see how White should conduct hIS play.

d

e

g

h

All these moves are absolutely standard. We can see obVIOUS resemblances WIth the l4...i.d7 line, especially variation All where Black did not push WIth ... e4 but instead went fot ... ltJe7 ideas. Here the rook on c8 IS worse placed then on b8, which makes thIngs more difficult for Black now. That is why he turns his mention to the kingside, looking for countetplay involving ideas like .. .!'!g8, ... ih6 and ...1!!I'gS. 18.'l!fe4 WhIte centralizes the queen while making way for the queenside pawns to advance.

l8.lladl This leads

[0

a similar type of position, but it

seems less precise to me. In many cases gfdl is more useful, leaVing the other rook on al to support the a-pawn. 18 ... llg8 19.1!!I'e41!!1'gS 20.ltJe3~f8 2!.g3ltJb8

abc 15.'l!fa41

d

e

g

h

22.a4 There is nothing wrong with the white position. but by thiS time It IS obvious that

the other rook should have come to d 1.

24


22 ... Ae7 23.c4 Ac6 24.lild5 AaS 25.l:!fe1 idS 26.b4 1ilc6 27.ixc6 ixc6 2S.a5 We have been following the game Shott Koshy, Mumbai 2004. White managed to get a better position but eventually the game was drawn.

8 7 abcdefgh

6

22.'I:I'xf5 ixfS 23.ixc6 l:!xc6 24.lile7 Ad7 25.lilxc6 ixc6 26.!lxd6 and White wins.

5 4

19 ... illl looks like the best chance to defend. Black protects the pawn on d6 and wUl try to regroup later, although one gets the feeling he is runnmg uphill.

3 2

abc

d e

g

h

18••. :!!g8 19.:!!fdl I think thiS is (he most precise move order. partially due [0 a tactical finesse (hat occurs later. Now \Vhire puts a lot of pressure on [he opponent's position, although the alternative

proved to be good as well:

20.a4! I give the exclamation mark just to emphasise the right strategy for White. The queen's rook remains on al. supponing the pawn, and now his enure position looks very harmonious.

8

19.a4 ih6 20.g3 l:!bS (20 ... 'I:I'g5N was possible. White has to retreat with 21.id3 but still keeps everything protected while planning as and perhaps 1ilb6later.) 21.b4 l:!gS 22.Iile3 l:!cs 23.l:!fdl illl 24.a5 This was Cheparinov - Halkias, Antalya 2004. White managed (0 Improve his position and kept better

7 6

5 4

3 2

chances.

19 .. if6 ThIS looks a bit clumsy, but the alternatives were also uninspiring:

abc

d e

g

h

19 ... Ah6 Here this idea is probably not good enough. 20.g3 'l:l'gS 21.h4 Now Black must

20 ...:!!g521.Iile3Wc722.1edS.b523.1i'xd6 Ae6 24JJxc7 :!!][c7 25.lild5 im5 26.:!!xd5 lile7 27.:!!d6
fS-

converted successfully in Colovic - Mertens,

retreat because attemptmg to capture the

pawn leads to disaster: 21...'I:I'xfS?

Bad WoeClshofen 2005.

Chapter I - 13.liJxb5 piece sac

Condwion Line B with 14 .. JlcS has a dubious reputation, and I have not found any reason to question thiS assessment, so 14 ... ~d7 remains me critical response to White's sacrifice. Then after 15.exf5 Black can choose between twO playable moves: AI) 15 ... 0--0 and A2) 15 ... liJbS. After 15... 0--0 16.0--0, rhe solid but slightly passive option of Al 1) 16... !'lbS gives White reasonable chances of an advantage. as shown Ifl rhe game Almasi - Wang Yue, Pales 2006, as well as rhe porential improvement 24.a6!?N rhat was menrioned on page 12. Therefore critIcal conunuation seems to be (he more dynamic A12) 16... !'leS, planning ... e5-o4. A

me

25

15 ... ltlbS also leads to interesting play. After A21) 16.a4, the response A211) 16.. .i.xb5 has been almost a universal chOIce. However, despite White's low statistical score here. it seems to me thac he can pose some problems

for the defence with rhe new idea 2J.b6!N. On the orher hand, rhe rarely played A212) 16... 0--0!? seems perfecdy sound, when Whire can either force a draw or enter an unclear position involving a race between White's

a-pawn and Black's kingside arrack. Finally, White's most popular option of A22) 16.1IlI'g4 does nor currendy appear to give realistic chances for an advantage. After rhe usual conrinuauon of 16... 0-0 17.0--0 h5 IS.1IlI'f3, it looks as rhough Black has no fewer than three routes to a satisfaaory game.

few moves later. we saw White encountering me age-old dilemma of "Which rook?" \ccordlflg to my analysIS, the rare AI22) 19.!'lfdl!? may well be the more promislflg of me twO alternatives analysed. The position is rach in possibilities for born sides, and requires further practical testing.

Overall, I! seems to me that Black is holding his own in this variauon. although I have highlighred a number of crirical lInes 1fl whIch funher practical tests are required.

Sveshnikov abcdefgh

lS.h4 pawn sac Variation Index 1.e4 c5 2.li)Oli)c6 3.d4 cxd4 4.li)"d4li)f6 5.li)c3 e5 6.li)db5 d6 7.J.g5 a6 8.li)a3 b5 9.li)d5 .te7 10.hf6 hf6 11.c3 0-0 12.li)c2.tg5 13.a4 bu4 14.gu4 a5 15•.tc4 gbS 16.b31!1h8 17.li)ce3 g6 18.h4!? hIl4 19.93 A) 19... i.f6?! B) 19....tg5 20.f4 ex:f4 21.gxf4 .th4t Bl) 22.l!1fl?! B2) 22.1!1d2 B21) 22...5 B22) 22... li)e7! B221) 23.1!1d3!?N B222) 23.ga2 B223) 23.l!1c2 B224) 23.l!1cl

28 30 30 31 32 33 34 35 37 38

821) after 27 ifO

822) afrer 22 lile7'

8224) after 26 ...IWfO

abcdefgb

abcdefgh

abcdefgh

28 IWh2'N

8221) 23 'o!Id3!~N

27IWd2"N

28


In this chapter we will examine a sharp pawn sacrifice. which has become hIghly topical m recent years. We will start by acquaInting ourselves with the preliminary moves as well as a few early deviations. before examimng the most critical lines in detail.

We have an extremely complicated. position in front ofus. Although the 18.h4 pawn sacrifice was known even m the 1980s. it only became popular afier rhe turn of the millennium when computers started to become really strong. which enabled human players to appreciate

l.e4 cS 2.~a ~c6 3.d4 ad4 4.~:
the many hidden resources in (he posicion. In Simple terms, White has given up a pawn co

S.~o3 .S 6.~dbS d6 7.J.g5 .6 S.~a3 bS 9.~dS .11..7 10..Lf6.Lf6 11.03 0-0

The main alternatIves are II Ji'Je7 12.lilxf6t

gxf6, obtaining a central majority at the expense of some pawn weaknesses. and II...AgS 12.lilc2 l'lb8 (12 ... lile7 is also possible). whIch IS directed against White's queenside play with a4. The text is the main line though. 12. ~c2 .ll.g5 13.a4 bu4 14J!u4 as lS.J.c4 l!bS16.b3 16.l'la2 has also been tested at the highest levels, but the text is currendy conSidered to be the most challenging move. 16.•. l!IhS 17.lilce3 White can also castle, but we will soon see one possible reason for delaYIng it ... 17•.•g6 lS.h4!! This line has become popular only in the last couple of years. although it has eXISted for quite some time before that. 18.0-0 is the

open the h·file. Helped by his firm grip over the dS-square. as well as the typical !i:a4-a2-h2 manoeuvre, White hopes to launch a powerful attack against the enemy king. On the other hand. White's own king is likely to remain m the centre for some time. and Black has good reason co hope thar his material advanrage and dark-squared control will eventually prevaIl. From the diagram position Black has twO mam candidates: A) 19••.J.f6!! and B) 19.•• .ig5. The former is rare, while rhe lauer is far more complex and demanding - as well as simply a better move overall. A) 19•• .J.f61!

ThIS was once played by Kramnik bur the move Itself never caught on. with good reason. It has been pretty firmly established thac thIS type of defence IS simply not good enough against Whi(e's porenr anack.

solid move.

ls••• Lh419.g3

a

b

d

e

g

h

Chapter 2 - lS.h4 pawn sac 20Aa2! This i, a 'Ypical manoeuvre for this line, and o~c that we will see time and time again during thepre,en. chap,.r. 20•. ..1g7 2 I.f4 af4 22.gd"4 !ea 23.1110 This is the only move ro have been played, which is why I have kepr ir ... rhe main hnc. Howevtr. it is important to stress a better move order as poinred our by Ponomariov: 23.i!ah2! Black has a few diffe«nr oprions. but none can challenge the eva1uation thar Whire srand, dearly better:

29

23••.lI1 g8 24.Lh2 b6? In the famous game Ponom,riov - Krarnnik, Wijk aan Zee 2005, Black played the more S[ubborn 24 ... h5! and managed '0 draw. S,ilL i, ,hould be pointed out ,hat 25.'/5g2!, instead of Ponomariov's 25.E!xh5, would have brought White a better position. 25.Wg2f Whitis artack is already decisive.

8 7 6

5

4 7

3

6

2 t

4

a

3

b

d

e

f

g

h

25 ••••4

abcdefg

23 ...lIxo4 Onlyrhi' cap,urecanquestion rhe correctness of Whi,e's last move. Unfurtunately for Black, rhe pawn sacrifice was no' a bluff. and Whire wins by force. 23 .. .h5? simply loses after 24.E!xh5t gxh5 25.'/5ah5t \tig8 26.'/5h7t \tiES 27.lIgJ. H ... h6 is also unsatisfactory. and can be compared with the main game after 24.'/51'3. 24.E!ah7t \tig8 25.'/5c2! 1£5 Black is not helped by 25 ... i!xe3t 26.liJxe3 '/5e7 27.\tifl! '/5xe3 28.gh8t 1xh8 29.'/5xg6t ig730.'/5.f7#. 26.'/5h2! The mating threats will decide the game.

Alternatives also fail, e.g. 25 ... liJe7 26.i!xh6! iah6 27.'/5h2! IiJxd5 28.'/5xh6 ~f6 29.liJxd5 '/5g7 30.'/5g5 Ji.e6 31.liJf6t \tiES 32.i!h7 and White wins.

26.!xh6! Lh6 27.!da6 ~g7 28.6 !b8 29.f6t~g8

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30


30.1lxg6t! 1-0 This was Korbut - Cheluskma, SerbIa 2006, a mce attacking game by White.

B) 19....tg5 By provoking the following pawn move, Black hopes co open the game and exploi t the strength of his dark.squared bishop.

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20.f4 exf4 21.gd4 .th4t Now White mUSt decide where to put hIS king. Two moves have been tested: Bl) 22.l!1fl?! and B2) 22.1!1d2. We will t~e a look at both, although there is no doubt about which is stronger.

Surprisingly nobody seems co have played thIS move, nor have I seen any comments about It. After spending some time on it I have concluded that It is not as strong as the main line, but I thought it would nevereheless be worehwhile co share my findings here. Compared with line B2, the idea behind the text move is co aVOId blocking the d·file, preventing ideas such as ...liJe7 which would now be refuted by a queen check on d4. The drawback is that the king on e2 prevents the queen from using the d l·h5 diagonal. 22...gg8 I think this is best, although the direct 22 ... g5!? also looks interesting. 23.~d3 gg7 24.gaZ g5! Exploiting the fact that the queen is one move (00 late in entering the accack. 25.gah2 gxf4 26.gxh41lle5t 27.~c2 fxe3 Black is fine. Bl) 22.l!1fl?! This move was first ~n in murnamem practice all the way back in the I 980s. Modem theory frowns upon this line, with good reason as the king can easily become exposed along the f·file. A few strong players tried co revive It but Without success, as we will see.

I also looked at the following novel'}': 22.'~e2!?N

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22 ...1'51 This strong move immediately underlines the bad posltlon of the white king.

Chapter 2 - 18.h4 pawn sac 23.!!!a2 In Delchev - Kotanjian, Kusadasi 2006, White cried 23.exf5 but was quickly desuoyed after 23 ... lLxf5 24.1tlxf5 !ixfS 25.'/5g4 ig5! 26.l1lg2 lLxf4 27.liJxf4 !ig5 28.liJxg6t I1lg7 1)...1. ThIS was a really crushmg defeat,

31

We have been followmg the game Hcacek Misca, Czech Republic 2006. Black has a scrong initiative and went on [0 wm convmcingly after caking a subsequent opponunl[y [0 simplify [0 a favoucable endgame. B2) 22.111<12

23...&e4 24.!!!ah2 g5!

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Black successfully blocks his opponent's a[[ack on the h-file, helped gready by che poor posi tion of the white king. 25.liJg2 !!!b7 26.liJxh4 gxh4 27.!!!xh4 !!!g7 After a logical sequence of moves White has achieved the maximum he could have hoped for, but he IS still muggling [0 equaliu:.

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This is the mosc challengmg move, and the almost universal choice. The king is certainly

less exposed on d2 chan on fl, alchough on the negative side it blocks the queen from coming to the potentially useful d4-square, as well as obmucting the second rank, along which the rook Will ofren transfer itself to the kmgside. Black has two main options here: B2l) 22 ...1'5 and B22) 22 .•• liJe7!. The first is a "sky anempr at a coumeranack, while the second

more sober line involves playing for exchanges in the hope of neucralizmg hIS opponent's imnative. There are two independent tries here, buc it

seems that nel[her is good enough to eq uallU:: 22 ... ie6 23.!'1a2 !'1g8 24.l1lcl !'1g7 25.!iah2 if6 26.l1lc2!? There is no need for White [0 rush. In the game Black cried to disrupt the queenside with 26 ... a4 27.b4 !'1c8, but after 28.liJxf6 '/5xf6 29.'/5xd6 White remained on top, Stromboli - Cmilyte, Palau 2009.

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32


22 ....tf6 23.lIIcl Whi,e prepares ,he usual rook swing. 23 ... .tg7 24.li:a2 h6 25.li:ah2 White has a dangerous Initiative, with 1:Wgl a strong candida,e for the next move. With ,he heavy pieces situated on ,he open g- and h-liles ,he pomion reminds one of ,he Benko gambit, wi,h the added bonus of a juicy ,arget on hs. B2l) 22 ...5 This has been less popular and has achieved a considerably lower percentage SCOre than 22 ... lile7, nevertheless it has been used by some strong grandmasters and should be ,aken seriously. Black is striving to open the posinon ac ,he earlies, opportunity. He crUSts that ,he queen's rook will be able to defend h7 ftom ,he queenSlde, and hopes to activate the other one by opening the f-lile and putting pressure on f4. The strategy is ambitious but also rather nsky, and I have found several new Ideas for White that should be enough to cast 22 .. .f5 under a shadow.

imporcanc chan the sacrificed pawn. Here is a possible continuation: 23 ....txf5 24.lilxf5 1M5 25.lIIc2 :5b7 26.'!!'g4 :5h5 27.'!!'e6 '!!'fs 28.lIIb2 :5f7 29 ..te2 :5h6 30.'!!'e4 These moves were not all forced, but they all appear lOgical. White is playing on the hght squares and although he is a pawn down it seems to me chac hiS Initiative more than compensateS fot that loss. 23_ •..tg3 24.:5b6 &04 25.ftg! [ would like to propose a second potential improvement in 25.'!!'hl!?N. My analysis continues 25 ...:5b7 26.:5xgG '!!'h4 (no better IS 26 ....tb4 27.:5h6 .tf2 2S.'!!'xe4) 27.'!!'xh4 .txh4 2S .lhd6 with bener chances fot White. 25 ... lIIg7 26.gbl ih427.lIIcl Preparing the usual :5a2-h2 shift. 27 ....tf6

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23.gb2 A very imponam new idea is: 23.exf5!?N White IS hoping that his concrol over the light squares and attack against the enemy king - helped, of course, by the presence of opposite-coloured bishops - will ptove more

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28.ga2 Once again [ think White missed a good opportunity hete: 2S.'!!'h2!N This leads to a powerful attack as you can see ftom the following line: 2S ... h5 29.:5g1 ih4 30.g.2 :5hs 31.g.g2 :5h6 32.£5 lile533.lilf4

Chapcer 2 - lS.h4 pawn sac

33

position is very much compromised and I have highlighted what I consider to be the main possibilities for improvements. 822) 22...llle7! This is the best move according ro cheory, although it is always possible for opinions to change in such sharp positions. Black exploits the indirecr defence of the h4.bishop to facilieate the exchange of a pair of knights. in order [0 release some tension and gradually create some space for a counterattack against the white monarch.

abcdefgh

Black IS under heavy pressure. 28...l:!h8 Black is doing his beSt to fortii}' the kingside.

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31.lhb7t!? This was a terrible blunder from a strong grandmaster. Whire could still have maintained some pressure with 31.'!!Ih2 or 3 U:!h5!?

In this position White can try a great vatiety of moves. The main issue is how to shift the rook from a4 ro the kingside and where to puc the king. If he plays inaccurately then his central control and strong OUtpOst on d5 might soon be threatened, so it is essential for him to execute his plan with speed and precision. There are four main moves that deserve our attention: 8221) 23.ebd3!?N. 8222) 23.1:1a2. 8223) 23.ebc2 and 8224) 23.ebcl; along with a few minor options:

31. •. l:!xh7 32.!hg6t 1llxg6 33.'!!Ixg6t ebh8 34.Illxf6l:!bg7 White had to resign a few moves lacer In Ganguly - Shabalov. Edmonton 2008. Despite a loss in thIS game I think the black

23.l:!xh4?! is a direct attempt to attack on the h-file. but it simply does not work. After the natural sequence 23 ... lOxd5 24.'!!Ihl IOf6 25.lOd5. both 25 ... ebg8 and 25 ... h5 leave Black with a fine position.

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29.l:!g2l:!b7 30.1'5 illeS Unfortunately White now got a little overexcited With:

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23.:!lh2!? is an inceresting recent idea. The idea IS co hit Black along the h-file with 'IiIh I. The game GrigoCiants - So. Moscow 2009. continued 23. .. lLlxd5 24.lLlxdS fS 2S.'lilhl g5 26.l!lc2 !'lb7 27.ia6 !'lbf7 28.hc8 'IiIxc8 29.fxgsllLxgS 30.:!lxaS 'IiIe6 White managed to regain his pawn. but Black achieved enough counterplayalong [he f-file.

hardly surprising that no-one has played icl Despite the odd appearance che move is quite logical, White opens the second rank while also keeping the sensitive c3-pawn defended. The drawback. aside from the potentially exposed posiCIon of [he lung. IS that i[ deprives the queen of the possibility of coming [od4.

23.'lilgl This is an Importanc opcion for Black co consider. White creates the dlCect threat of 'IiIh2. while also keeping an eye on the d4-square. which can somecimes be an important motif. 23 ... lLlxd5 24.1ilxdS te6 2s.'lilh2 g5 26.fxgS lbgS t 27. I!lc2 h6 28 .!'laa 1 !'lg8 29 .!'lag 1 :!lg6 30.lLlf4 ixf4 31.'lilxf4 'IiIf6 This was played in a few games but White achieved nothing. The position is equal. as Illustrated by the end of the following game. 32.!'lxg6 'IiIxf4 33.:!lhxh6t 'IiIxh6 34.:!lxh6t I!lg7 3S.!'lhS lbc4 36.bxc4:!lc8 37.!'lxaS !'lxc4 38.l!ld3 :!lc6 39.l!ld4 I!lf6 40.04 1!le6 41.:!lhS :!la6 42.cS v,-v, KarJakin - So. AI Ain 2008.

23•••5 This looks lIke the most principled move. Alternatives are also possible, for instance: 23 ... lLlxdS 24.lLlxdS:!lg8 24 ... l
B221) 23.1!ld3!IN

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24.'oI1c2! Ie is inceresting that White can afford such a luxury buc it seems [0 work. The "free" move ...17 -fS might turn oue co be more of a lIabilIty chan an asset.

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This is an original suggestion; indeed, Judging by the appearance of rhe move i. is

24... ILl"d5 25.ILl"d5 We have arrived at another critical posinon.

Chapter 2 - 18.h4 pawn sac

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31.:!!:u5 he4

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a b c d e g 25 ....tf6 Defending against the primary threat of 11>.114, as well as any potennal checks on d4. 25 ... hS is possible. WhICe has the initiative ,,'th 26.exfS Lfst 27.~d3. An example is 27 ... ig4 28.'IlI"glllig7 29.fS! with an atrack. 26.'IlI"gl! :!!b7 Whire wins afrer 26 ... llig7i 27.'IlI"h2 hS 28Jlgi Ilih6 29.'IlI"g3 'IlI"e8 30.liJc7. 26 ... 'IlI"e8 IS well met by 27.llicl! intending ro "ank up the pressure with :!!a2.h2. A possible .onrinuation is 27 ... fxe4 28.liJxfi5lhf6 29.idS 'iltd7 30.lhe4 and WhICe is almost winning due ro the threats of'lll"d4 and 'IlI"a7, while the <·file is also ctincally weak for Black. All these lines are fascmating and they deserve dose attention.

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32.51 \!1g7 33.M Whire looks bener here due to his much better placed queen and rooks. Note that the attempt to cake a pawn is not good:

33...gxf5! An Improvement might be 33 ... gS With complications, although it seems for the time bemg mac White has some initiative. 34.:!!glt \!1hS 35.:!!fl \!1g s 36.i:Yd5! i:Yd7 37.:!!aSt \!1g7 3S.:!!gl t :!!g6 39.i:Yd4t \!1h6 4O.:!!gS Wbirewins. B222) 23.:!!a2

27..ia6 :!!g7 2S..hcll i:Y"clI 29.liJxf6 :!!xf6 30.i:Yd4 An interesting position has been reached. Black's problems have still not been fully solved, despite the disappearance of all the mmor pieces. WhICe's rooks and especially his queen are all very well placed. 30••. :!!gt'7 30 ... E:f17 31.E:xa5 fxe4 32.E:hal continues Wbite's initiative.

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36


With this natural move White prepares the thematic rook transfer while keeping his optIons open with regard to the placement of his king.

23 ... ~xd5 24.~xd5.tf6 24 .. .i.e6? is tOO slow. and after 25.1iId3 .bd5 26 ..bd5 Black was already in bIg trouble due to the threat of!lah2. Kastner - Flitsch. e-mail 2007.

25.lPd The following alternative also looks very interesting: 25.liId3!? !lgS

.txdS 2S ..ltxdS !lg7 29.'I!I'xaS 'l!l'cs 30.!lg2 !lbS 31.'I!I'xbS 'l!l'xc3t 32.liIe2 y,-y, was Monacell- Hadet. e-mail 2007. 26... 'I!I'xaS 27.l1lxf6 !lg7 2S.'I!I'el The black king appears to be in some danger. but the second player can start a counteraccack of his own with: 2S ... d5! 29.exd5 .ltf5t Now both 30.1iIe2 and 30.1iId2 are possIble. In both cases the pOSition remains complex and dIfficult. but ultimately playable for both sides.

25 ...!lg8 This chema[(c move seems like the most solId choice.

25 ... liIg7!? looks a bit strange but should be playable. although in the following encounter Black eventually succumbed to a kmgside breakthrough: 26.!lg2 h6 27.'I!I'h5 !lhs 2S.!lhgl .tg5 29.'I!I'dl if6 30.'I!I'd3 !leS 31.1iIf3 ih4 32.l1le3 'l!l'f6

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26.!lxa5!?N Anew idea. although it is hard to say If" is the best move as the position is so complicated. Alternatives Include: a) 26.fS IS not so dangerous after 26 ... .tb7 27.!lah2 !lg7 2S.fxg6 fxg6 29.l1lf4 dS! Black IS JUSt in rime [0 neuccaiize the dangerous bishop on c4. and will follow up with .. 'l!l'd6 WIth strong coumerplay. b) 26.!lh6.te6 27.!lah2 !lg7 2S.'I!I'hl hd5 29.!lxh7t !lxh7 30.!lxh7t IiIgS 31..txdS i.g7 and Black has enough counterplay against the c3-pawn. c) 26.'I!I'gl!? .tb7 (also quite playable IS 26 ...ie6 27.!lxa5 'l!l'xa5 2s.l1lxf6 !lg7 29.'I!I'h2 hS 30.fS .ltxc4t 3l.bxc4 !lh7 and Black has sufficient counter play) 27.'I!I'a7

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abcdefgb 33 ..bf7! 'l!l'xf7 34J'lxg6t 'l!l'xg6 35.!!xg6t IiIxg6 36.'I!I'xd6t 1iIf7 37.'I!I'd5t lilfs 3S.'I!I'c5t .lte7 39.'I!I'c6 !lxb3 40.'I!I'xh6t IiIgS Despite th.e approximate material equality. th.e exposed position of Black's king proves to be his undoing. 41.'I!I'c6 IPfs 42.f5 !:!b7 43.l1lc4 a4 44.l1le5 ia3 45.l1lg6t 1iIf7 46.'I!I'c4t 1iIf6 47.'I!I'xa4 !:!d7 4S.eSt !!xeS 49.l1lxeS IiIxeS SO.'I!I'aSt 1-0 Hadet - Zubac. e-mail 2007.

Chaprer 2 - IB.h4 pawn sac

37

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28... g.8 'h-lh In Iorov- Larronico. e-mail 2006. rhe players saw no reason to continue the fight.

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B223) 23.111<2

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26.~rl6 It is doubrful rhar Whire has anyrhmg better.

16.gh6 te6 27.gah2 gg7 2B.'tI'hl txd5 19.9xh7t (29.txd5 111gB leads ro the same thing) 29 ... gxh7 30.gxh7t 111gB 31.ixd5 ig7 Black has no problems here rhanks ro rhe pressure against c3. Whire also fuils ro achieve much afrer: 26.gah2 ::;g7 27.~xfl) 'tI'xfl)2B.'tI'd4 'tI'xd4t 29.l11xd4 f5 30.exf5 ixf5 31.gal ge7 32.id5 h5 33.gxa5 ::;el Black is line In rhis endgame. 26...'tI'rl6 27.l!rd4 'l!YDl4t 28.cDl4 28.l11xd4 also leads ro an equal endgame after 28 ...ie6 29.ixe6 fXe6 30.gxa5 gxb3.

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This move keeps rhe path open for the queen ro come ro d4. On rhe orher hand ir has rhe disadvantage of blocking the second rank. thus inhibiring the rransfer of rhe rook on a4 ro the kings ide. " 23 ... ~Id5 24.~Dl5 i..6 The following alrernative also looks quire alrighr: 24 ... ifl) 25.~xfl) 'tI'xflJ 26.'tI'd4 'tI'xd4 27.cxd4 tb7 2B.d5 ga8 29.ghal h5 30.gxa5 gxa5 An endgame has been reached In which both sides have rheir chances. 31.gxa5 h4 32.l11d3111g7 33.11103 gh8 34.ga2 h3 35.gh2 111fl) 36.l11f3 g5 Black was more rhan okay In Frolyanov - Tregubov. Ulan Ude 2009. 25.gal 25.'tI'd4t I11g8 26.ghal txd5 27.'tI'xd5 tg3 28.gfI \-l-lh Leskur - Yukic. Zlatibor 2006 25.. ..Itf6 26.!h2 .ig7 27.'l!Yd2 a4! 28.!!:ahl ub3t 29..bb3 .hd5 3O.!xh7t I11g8 31..hd5 'l!Yf6

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38


We have been following the game Korneev - Solak. VtSac 2006. Black equalized without any difficulties and Korneev wisely decided to force a draw before his unptotected king became a problem:

is an mterestmg opnon. although it is s[llI no[ enough for an advantage after: 26 .. ixd5 27.'!I"xd5 '!I"f6 28.'!I"d2 Ag3 29.!:!fl d5!) 26 ....bd5 27.'!I"xd5 if6 wi[h a double·edged pOSICion. Jakovenko - Shirov. Foros 2007.

32.'litd4 'litm4 33.ad4 hd4 34•• S .n.S 3S..L:f7t !!:xf7 36.~b8t i>g7 37.~lb7t i>f6 38.~:d7t i>:d7 39.~xb8 af4

25 ....L:dS

'h_Ih

Trying [0 do wJ[hour [his exchange only leads to problems for Black. for instance: 25 ... !:!g8 26.!:!ah2 g5 27.'!I"d4t !:!g7 28.~f6 wJ[h a scrong arrack.

8224) 23.i>cl 26.'litxd5 'litf6 Black gains [ime for defence by acracking 03. The face [hac the f4.pawn could be taken wim check is also tactically significant.

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ThIS time White keeps [he second rank free to facili[ace !:!a2·h2 ideas. The problem is [hac [he o3·pawn is not defended. while in cecrain positions the f4·pawn migh[ be cap[ured with check.

23 ... ~xdS 24.~xdS .t.6 24 ... if6? is Simply weak. Recceacing here voluntarily IS rarely a good idea for Black in this line. 25.~a2 ig7 26.~ah2 h6 27.'!I"gl! This is a typicaJ reacdon. White's arcack is immense. for instance 27 ... lI1g8 28.!'lxh6 ixh6 29.'!I"h2 winning.

2S.!'lall? This has no[ been me most common move. bue i[ leads [0 very inceresting play. The usual choice has been: 25.'!I"d4t II1g8 26.lI1bl (26.!'la2

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27.'litd2!?N This untested move leads [0 Interesting play, although J[ [urns OU[ ma[ Black can secure a fine game thanks co a surprising tactical resource.

[ suspect that the objectively best continuation IS 27.'!I"d4 '!I"xd4 28.cxd4 id8 29.!'lah2 h5 when Black was Just a httle worse. Mista Shirov. WatSaw (rapid) 2008. The endgame should be tenahle. although on this occasion Black evencually lost.

27 ....tg3 28.~fl

Chapter 2 - IB.h4 pawn sac

39

Conclusion Line A) 19 ...if61! looks dubious, so

It

is no

surprise char most games have featured

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28 ... dSI This imponant move enables Black to solve

all his problems.

29.hds After 29.exd5 lHeB Black has strong play on the e·file while the bishop on c4 is restricted.

29...g5! ThIS was the point behind Black's previous move: the rook on fl is undefended, so Black gainS excellent play on the dark squares. Thetefote White should ptobably cake the opportunity to obtain a marginal endgame advantage as In the Mista - Shirov game noted at move 27.

me

superior B) 19 ... ig5, followed by the usual sequence of 20.f4 exf4 2i.gxf4 ih4t. Now B1) 22.l1Ifl?! just seems to be a bad idea, but the untested 22.l1Ie2!1, as analysed on page 30, seems Interesting. Nevercheless I believe the main line of B2) 22.l1Id2 to be the most difficult for Black to face. In this posmon the aggressive B21) 22 ... f5 IS superficially attractive, but ultimately rather "sky for Black, so It IS quite right that B22) 22 ... ltle7! should be considered the main line.

The position at White's 23rd move is arguably the critical one for the entire variation. White has a wtde choice between several slmilar, bue nevertheless distinct alternatives. His general

plan almost always involves the thematic l:lal-h2 [(ansfer, but there are many different ways of executing it. each with their own pros and cons. I analysed four main lines, each of which deserves Qrrention. My overall feeling is that Black will need to play more accurately to maintain the balance, although his position remains quite sound. In other words. the

general evaluation of the opening IS acceprable [0 both players. There is considerable scope for ongmal analysis. as evidenced by my coverage of the new move B221) 23.l1Id3!?N, which definitely looks worthy of a practical test. I have provided a lot of original analysis of both thIS and other moves, although I would encourage the reader to search for his own improvemenrs as well.

Sveshnikov abc:defgh

The positional approach: II.c4 Variation Index l.e4 c5 2.tDf3 tDc6 3.d4 ad4 4.tDxd4 tDf6 5.tDc3 e5 6.tDdb5 d6 7 ..ig5 a6 8.tDa3 b5 9.tDd5 .ie7 10..ixf6.hf6 1l.c4 42 43 44 44 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54

\ .. 11 ... b4 12.tDc2 AI) 12 .. J!!b8 Al) 12 ... a5 All) l3 •.ie2,ig5 14.0-00-0 15.Y!Yd3.ie6 Alll) 16J!!ad1 Al12) 16JUdl

Al2) l3.g3 0-0 14..ig2 .ig5 15.0-0 tDe7 Al21) 16.tDxe7t Al22) 16.tDde3 Al23) 16.h4! Al3) l3.Y!Yf3!? A3) 12..•0-O1? J 1l. .. tDd4?1 \11 note to 15l1!g2

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18 'i!'c8!N

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A223) after 19 'i!'c7

B) after 19 l1!h6

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abcdefgh

20 gadlN

20 !ladiN

42


1.04 cS 2.~13 ~c6 3.d4 ad4 4.~xd4 ~f6 5.~c3 oS 6.~db5 d6 7..tgS a6 8.~a3 b5 9.~d5 ~.7 10.Lf6 Lf6 II.c4

L2 ... b4 A queen exchange is not helpful to Black. bur now h.s queen w.1I be misplaced on a5. 13.~c2 gb8 L4.b3 Intending a3. L4 ...~c5 L5.ltlxf6t gxf6 L6.g3 White is better due to his superior pawn structure and safer king. Polzin - Chuchelov. Bundesliga 2005. A) 11... b4 12. ~c2 Here we have a further division. All three

moves lead to broadly the same type of position; though mat .s not to say they are all of equal ment. Before exploring the different options in detail. I will first tty to explam some positional nuances.

8 This move has been known for a long lime,

but it has experienced a surge on popularity during me last few years. It can practically be regarded as an altogether new line - qUIte a rarity in modern chess. The great innovacor

Morozevlch used it against Leko in San Luis 2005. and It gained immense popularity almost instantly. Sonce then it has been widely accepted, since many players unders[Qod the

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... ~~".:;:"'.

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great positional potential ofWhire's sec-up.

Black has two pnncipal replies here: the main line of A) 1l •.• b4 and me rather speculallve B) 1l •.. ~d41!. It has been known for a long time that alrernatives such as LI...~a5t do not enable Black to equalize. I will give a recent example: L2.~d2

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g

h

As IS customary for the Sveshnikov variation, White enjoys a firm grip over the d5-square. He has a solid pawn structure. healthy knights and the d6-pawn is a potential target. On the other hand. by contrast to the "absolute" main line of LI.c3. the d4-square is irrevocably weak. Black has a bishop pair that potentially can be dangerous; the unopposed dark-squared bishop is especially significant. since It has the potential [0 become either a tower of suengch or a lame, oversized pawn. Black's ben idea is at some moment to

eliminate the knight on d5, e.mer exchanging knights or with ... ~e6xd5. However, his first decision concerns the question of how to defend (or not to defend) the pawn on b4. Thus

2

abcdefgh

Chapter 3 - The positional approach: II.c4 rhe three main canduiates are AI) 12•. J:!b8. A2) 12••.•5 and A3) 12...0-0!1. The first move is playable but loses some 8exibility. The second is most popular, and is known

[0

be a

reliable choice. The third is an interesting and relatively new refinement, which might enable Black [0 reduce his opponent's options. AI) 12...!b8 I am quue sure that this move is less accurate

man

12 ... a5, for two reasons. The first is chat

Black will. for rhe time being, be unable ro execure rhe exchanging manoeuvre of .JiJe7. due to the vulnerability of the b4-pawn. Secondly, he is deprived of the active ... as-a4 plan, which can often prove to be an important source of counrerplay, as we will see in line A2 below. 13.b30-0 14.g3.tgS 15.,tgl h. I mentioned before, the whole sysrem starting with I1.c4 become popular afrer Morozevich used it to defeat Leko. Thac encounter continued:

IS.h4!? With this ambidous move Whae reveals his

intention to delaycasrhng, at lease for a while. The rext move drives the enemy bishop to a

worse square, while also preparing ih3. IS ... ih6 16.ih3 ie6 17.l!Ifl

43

tried once. Now after lB.l!lg2. Ismagarnbetov - Kozlov. Astana 2007, [suggest IB ...'I>I'cB!N with the possible continuation: 19.03 ~xh3t 20J:lxh3 fS! 21.liJdxb4 IiJxb4 22.liJxb4 fXe4 23.'I>I'dSt !bt7 With ... 'I>I'g4 on the way. Black has taken over the initiative. This line was not forced, but it underlines the dangers connected With White's deCision not to castle.

IB.I!Ig2 !b7 19.AfS! This is a typiCal way for White to increase the pressure.

19 ... l!IhB 20.'I>I'd3 The position is rich with possibilities for

both Sides, but at this stage White's chances are slightly preferable and he eventually went on to Win In Morozevich - Lc:ko, San Luis 200S. 15.•.i.e6 This is the moS[ popular move, although there is a serious alternative:

15 ... l!IhB!? This is quite possibly the best way for Black to justify his twelfth move, a1rhough I doubt that even this is enough to equalize. 16.0-{)fS The pOint is that afrer the exchange on fS, the rook will not be hanging on aB. 17.exfS ixfS 18.lLlde3 ixe3 19.1Llxe3lLld4 8

8

7

7

6

6

4

4

3

3

2

abcdefg

17... aS I believe Black may be able to improve with 17 .. J:lb7!?, which only appears to have been

abcdefgh

Black has obtained a playable position. Nevertheless afrer 20.f4!

44


Whore IS shghdy berter ,hanks co his sounder

Al) l2 .•. a5

pawn structure. At the same rime the well placed knigh, on d4 keeps some chances alive for Black. Gallego Alcaraz - Ruiz Blais. Medellin 2009. l6.~

a

b

d

e

g

h

This is the main line. Black defends the b4 pawn securely and sets up the important p

pOSSIbility of ... a5-a4 later m ,he game. If White has already played b2-b3. then the

abc

d

e

g

h

l6 ....bd5 The knigh' on d5 is a powerful piece. and

advance of the a-pawn can be used to prise

open the queenside. If the pawn remains on b2. then Black might be tempted to play for ... b4-b3. driving the knigh, away

should be eliminated at some point. Note that

from c2 in order to selze conrrol over

... llle7 is not an opnon due co ,he hanging b4-pawn, Black could of course prepare or by playing .. a5. bucchiswould be a dear admIssion mat his twelfth move was an inaccuracy.

d4-square.

I will bnetly mention ,har 16... '!I'd7 17.'!I'd3 (I7.f4alsolooksgood) 17... l!1h818.lllde3g6 19.£4 exf4 20.gxf4 ~f6 21.l:!adl was dearly hence for White in Mogranzlnl - Roncherl, Frascan 2006. l7.'!I'ul5 ~e7 l8.'!I'd3 '!I'b6 19.1!adl l:!fd8 20 I!1hl We have been followmg ,he game P,cado - Uesugi. Dresden (01) 2008. White stands slighdy bereer, and intends co increase his minative WIth 12-f4 in the near future. Black IS not without chances, hut overall I would nor consider thIS scenano to he a fully satisfactory outcome from the opening.

me

At this pom, White has several ideas. They have all been tested quite recendy and there is no clear consensus as to which set-up IS best.

In general ,he whole line is ripe for further lnvesnganon and home analysis. The three

mam options are: All) 13..te2. Al2) 13.g3 and Al3) 13.'1'13. All) 13..te2 White develops fast and also prepares ~g4 to exchange ,he light-squared bishops, or simply to control the h3-c8 diagonal. which can often prove to be important. The following sequence usually occurs:

13....tgS l4.~ ~ l5.'I'd3 Sometlmes White plays 15.~g4 immediately. bur the position after 15 ....106 should be

Chapter 3 - The positional approach: II.c4 comfonableenough fot Black. Therefore White usually prefers rhe more Rexible development of rhe queen. and keeps the option of a subsequent .tg4 a( a more favourable mOIDen( later In the game.

lS ....te6 There is an interesting alternative: IS ... ib7!? Only recently rhis move caught on. The idea is not to eliminate rhe knight on dS. but 10 play around it.

45

18 ... 1tl.6!? 19.Wlxa5 Wlxa5 20.!lxaS ItlcS 21.!lxa8' This appears critical. Alier 21.!la3 Itlxe4 22.i.f3 Itld2! Black managed to equalize in Fedorov - Parligras. Romania 2009. 2l...!lxa8 22.b4 Itlxe4 23.if3

7 6 4

3

4

abcdefgh 16.!lfd1 Itlb8!? Black intends to put the knight on cS; an excellent square. and especially logical given the position of the white queen. 17.o3! This has been cried in a few recent games. It is a principled attempt. which more or less forces Black [0 sacrifice a pawn. An alternative is 17.ltlde3 ltla6 18.1tlf5 and now instead of 18 ... ltlcS. which was played in a game Kostemuk - Harika. Dresden (ol) 2008. it looks interesting for Black to try 18 ...Wlf6!?N. with the possible continuation 19.1tlce3 g6 20.ltlg4 Wle6 with a balanced

abede gh 23 ... ltld2? 23 ... f5!N was essential. Alier 24.ixe4 lXe4 Black's two bishops and control over the a-file give him some compensalion. White is still bener, but it is not easy for him ro make progress. 24.ltle7t \!lIB Alier 24 ... ixe7 25.ixb7 !lb8 26.idS Itlb3 27.cS White should win. 2s.ixb7 !la2 26.1tlf5 !lxc2

4 3

posl[ion.

17... bxa318.Wlxa3 At first glance it looks as though somethIng IS seriously wrong with the black position. However, he has a surprising resource:

27.!la1! W'hite is winning. as

hiS

coordinate perfectly arrack.

produce a lethal

to

three pieces

46


27 ... ~dS After 27 .. .f6 2sM th6 29J1aSt Wf7 30.td5t Wg6 3l.g4 Black can resign. 2S.g3! Black is powerless against the threat of !:1aS, winning a piece.

2S ... g6 29.~e3 l'lb2 30.!!aS l'lxb4 31.!!xdSt We7 32.~d5t W.dS 33.~xb4 ~xc4 34.td5 1-0 Erenburg - Sarkar, Pawtucket 200S.

weakness of the d6-pawn should tell eventually. The immediate plan IS f2-f4. In Perunovic - BogosavlJevlc, Serbia 2007, Black preferred 16 ... '1\'bS 17.'1\'g3 ~dS, but this was also insufficient to equalize after IS.tg4 txd5 19.cxd5 ~e7 20.~e3 ~b6 21.~c4 tc5 22.Whl. White has the better

prospects here, thanks to the namral plan

of f2-f4 with pressure on the kingside. Note that the opposite-coloured bishops are ..ther helpful to White in this regard. This game showed. another important theme. namely the possibIlity for White of meeting an exchange on d5 With adS in order to create an outpost

on c4 for the other kmght.

We have reached an important crossroads, at which White must choose which rook (0 PUt

on dl. (The same dilemma also occurred in Chapter I on page 13.) We will analyse Alll) 16.l'ladl and Al12) 16.l'lfdl.

a

b

d

e

f

g

h

Alll) 16Ji:adl By choosing this rook White reveals his

17.ti'xd.5

intention to play on (he kmgslde wlCh f4.

the previous note. The kmght will be superbly placed if it can get to c4, while a timely tg4 can help him to fight for the c-file. On the other hand, me bishop on g5 is already Ideally placed to prevem a white rook from controlling the open file, while " might also be used to ellmina[e a kmgh[ on e3 before i[ can gee [0 its dream home on c4. Asnan - Ni Hua, Taiyuan 2006 continued: 17... ~bS IS.tg4 ~a6 19.93 Iilc5 20.'1\'f3 ~a4 21.'1\'b3 ~c5 22.'1\'f3 '1\'b6 23.h4 ~6 24.~e3 .txe3 1With [his important move Black prevents

16... ,bd5 This

LS

the best and most popular move,

although a few alternatives have also been tried:

16 ...!!a7 17.h3 g6 Is.Ag4 '1\'bS 19.~de3 Ae7 20.b3 h5 21.,txe6 fxe6 22.g3 was Kamsky - Jun Zhao, World Cup 2005. White has obtamed a pleasane advaneage. His knights are better than the black minor pieces, and the

Whlte can also consider 17.cxd5. just as in

47

Chapter 3 - The positional approach: II.c4 me knight from ever taking up residence on ,~. Black is absolutely fine here. with the better minor piece. If anything. It is White who has to be more careful 10 hold the balance. In [he game he managed chis with no problems. and a draw was agreed twelve moves later.

Al12) 16.!!:fdl

17.••eb6

abc This

IS

d e

g

h

much less popular that the previous

rook move, bur in my opinion It is [he more challenging option. At [he same dme it seems

that Black can still hold the balance without [00

abc

d e

f' g

much trouble. With the text move White

abandons any hopes of achieving f2-f4. On the plus SIde. the other rook can come 10 c1 In

h

Both sides have developed narurally. and the chances are approximately equal; it IS difficult for either player to Improve their posicion Slgmficantly.

some cases.

16...hd5 Again this is [he safest Idea. as practice has shown. Alternatives can only create problems

for Black. for instance:

18.g3 The

following

attempting

[0

example

shows

that

open lines achieves nothing

for White: 18.'/~i"b5 VfJc7 19.c5 dxc5 20.VfJxc5 ~acB 21.~g4 lLle7! Black was dOing fine due 10 Ius play on the c-file in LI Shilong- Wang Vue. China (ch) 2006.

16 ...VfJbB 17.b3 VfJa7 1B.VfJg3! .th6 19 ..tg4

7

6

18.. .l:!fd8 19.b3 ec5 20.e"c5 cbc5 Black has equalized withour problems.

4 3

lU!d5 .te7 22..tg4 I'l-'h This was Nepomniachtchi - Wang Vue. Russia-China match 2009. The position is almost dead equal. so [he players saw no reason [0

continue.

2 abcdefgh

Again [hIS set-up proves 10 be effective for White. 19 .. .1:ladB 20.VfJh3 VfJd7 21..tf5!

48


and Black was under some pressure in

8

Balogh - Zinchenko. Cappelle la Grande 2009.

7

6

17.a:d5 This is the best try. In Vuckovic - Halkias. Serbian Team Ch. 2009. White preferred 17.'I!!Ixd5. hopmg to obtain pressure along the d-lile. However. he achieved very little after: 17... 'I!!Ib6 18.!!d3 !!fd8 19.!!adl 'I!!Ic7 20.!!f3

5 4 3

2 b

abcdefgh In this position a draw was agreed. Perhaps White has a tiny edge. but it is hard for hIm 10 make much progress. He could make some small improvements to his poSItion with g3 and h4. perhaps followed by h5 if Black ever plays ... g6; but even then 1I is hard 10 see anything special for him. Meanwhile Black has ideas like ... a4. trymg to open a queenSJde file. while a knight transfer to c5 might also prove useful.

c

d

e

g

19...!!:cS! It is important to be precise. The tempting 19... lilc5 allows White to achieve preCISely the result he wants with 20.!!xc5! This " a powerful posillonal sacrifice. 20 .. ..txe3 (20 ... dxc5 21.Iilc4 would lead to tremendous pOSitional compensallon for White.) 21.'I!!Ixe3 dxc5 22.d6 'I!!Ib6 23.~c4 White had mce compensation for the exchange in Filippov Khamrakulov. Tashkent 2009.

2o.lhc8 'l!!lIeS 21..tg4 ~c5! Without this tactical idea Black's position would be problematic. but now he is fine.

22.Wb5 Wbs 23.l!I'xbS lhbS 24.~c4 ~".4 25.J.f5 ~f6 26.~xd6 g6 27.J.c2 !!dS Black held the endgame without ddnculties in

Haslmger

-

Reinderman.

Hilversum

2009.

17... ~bS IS.~e3 ~d719.!!acl

A22) B.g3

This is a key difference from the prevIous line. White plays on the queenside and tries to explOIt the fact that Black has not yet coordinated his pieces.

The bishop will be quite well placed on g2 where 1I helps 10 discourage ... f5 ideas. White can also considet the idea of h4 and ih3. just

We have reached an important posinon.

as we saw In the earlier Morozevich - Leko game. Just as in the previous line, the queen

Black's early tries were unsuccessful. but

1I

seems that the route to equality has now been

found.

This

IS

another imponanc plan for white.

WIll usually come to d3 followed by either rook to d I. Note that the pawn on g3 might also be useful in supporting f2-£4.

Chapter 3 - The positional approach: 1 Lc4

49

Black should be fine here, as demonmated by a few games. 21.c5 21.gfl looks risky: 2l...gafll 22.0-0-0 gb3 23.'1:I'c2 d5! And Black had among atrack in Nisipeanu - Shirov, Foros 2008. 2l...'1:I'xc5 22.gcl '1:I'b5 23.'1:I'e2 '1:I'xe2t 24.lIIe2 gafS 25.ghfl d5 26.ltlc6 Ad6 Black has sufficient counterplay in ,he endgame, Amonatov - Zinchenko, Moscow 2009.

8 7 6 5

4 3

2

abc

d e

g

14...AgS 15.0-0 ~e7

h

13... 0-0 14~2 White can also consider:

14.h4 The idea, as mentioned previously, is

[0

put

abc

4

3

abcdefg

16.i.xe6 This is ,he principled move. The quieter 16.b3 achieves no,hing af,er 16...ixd5 17.cxd5 Itld4 18.ltlxd4 exd4 19.0-0 ge8 20.bxa4 gxe4 21.gcl ge8 and Black was fine in ,he recem game Nepomniachrchi Ni Hua, Russia-China ma,ch 2009. 16... ixo6 17.ltldxb4 Itlxb4 18.ltlxb4 '1:I'b6 19.'1:I'd2 fi.e7 20.a3 gf3

d e

g

h

We have reached a normal position thar has been tested many times in the past few years. Black's last move challenged
50

The Sveshnikov Variation pressure against g2 gave him a full share of the chances in Berndt - Kaiini!Schew, Bundesliga 2004.

abcdefgh

Just as in [he main line, thiS acuve plan gives Black enough counterplay. 20.f4 axb3 21.axb3 !lxal 22.lLlxal exf4 23.gxf4 1f6 24.lLlc2 103 Black IS fine, Movseslan - Tregubov, Russian Team Ch. 2008.

A222) 16.~de3 16.llJce3 is another option. and it is quite possible that the same position will be reached In either case. I believe the text [0 be more accurate as it prepares [0 anack the d6-pawn with 'Wd3 followed by a rook to dl. while the c2-knight maimalns comrol over the d4-square as well as eyeing the b4-pawn thus making ... a4 ideas harder 10 carry out.

16.•..he3 ThIS IS the typical reaction; the knights are strong to be left alive Indefinitely.

100

16•..'Wxe717.'Wd3 'We7 19.b3 17.1Llxe3.ie6 18.'Wd3 'We7 It IS worth menllOnlng that 18 ... ~b6?! can be strongly met by 19.1Ll5! when White IS bener. 19.9adl !!!fd8 Now White muS! choose between king.ide expansion and a more patient positional buildup.

8 7

a

e

g

h

19...'We5! This excellent move discourages lLle3. whtle also defending the b4-pawn in preparacion for ... a4. 20.gadl gfd8 21.lIIbl Playing for f4 seems to be White's only active plan. 21 ....ib7 22.f4 exf4 23.gxf4 J.f6 24.1Lle3 a4 25.1Ll5 ""b3 26.""b3 gal Black's queenside counterplay and potencial

I"""h·''''h/~~h·'·h''../~=

6 5 4

3

2

a

b

d

e

g

h

20.b3 The more aggressive plan IS: 20.f4 f6 21.llIhl ~c5 22.f5 if7 23.g4

Chapter 3 - The positional approach: II.c4

51

23 .•• ~d4 I prefer 23 ... a4; it seems that coming to d4

8

was a bit premature.

24.~c2 ~xc21 The lesser evil was to retreat with 24 ... ltJc6. 25.~xc2

abcdefgh This was seen in Fedorov - San Segundo, Dresden (01) 2008. The position is complicated, though not of great theoreucal Importance SInce White may very well be able to obtain the same Situation with the useful move h2-h4 thrown in for free (as well as perhaps the king on h2 Instead of h I, see line A223 below for details of how this can be achieved).

f6 26.~cd2 The early middlegame has not been a success for Black. He has carried out the wrong plan; or perhaps more precisely, pICked the wrong way to execute his chosen plan. White's plan is .th3 followed by 'liff3. HIS position is much easier to play, and In the game Balogh - Reinderman, Beijing (rapid) 2008, Black was unable to withstand the pressure. A223) 16.M!

20_.1!'c51! Black could have improved with 20 ... a4!. In that case he could have followed up with ... ~a5 and ... -ea7, with a more elastic position than that which he obtained in the game.

21.!!d2 ~c6 22.~fd1 !!!a7

a

b

d

e

g

h

This very interesting move has only been played once at the time of writing. It was GM Kotronias who pointed out the strength of thIS move to me. The idea is that before moving a knight to e3. White wants CO improve his structure on the kmgside. The extra move h2-

23M Once again, the indusion of thiS move serves as an mdlcator of the accuracy oftme A223.

h4 is useful in facilitating ideas such as \!1hZ followed by th3. Also in the event of a future f4-f5 White will have gained a tempo for a kingside attack. 16.. .j,b6

52


16... lilxd5 is not so good: 17.hxg5 lilb6 18.lile3 'I!!txg5 19.'l!!txd6 looks better for White.

remains solid and reliable, Maletin, Ulan Ude 2009.

B~matsyrenov

-

2o ...E!fd8 21.b3 a4 22.f4 f6 23.l!Ih2 17./()ce3 17.lilde3 will almost certainly lead to the same position; Black cannot tolerate such powerful knights indefinitely.

Both sides have their chances, but at least Whi te is a tempo up over the analogous

position that might have been reached in line A222 above. It would be interesting to see rhis position tested.

17... ,be3 This is the thematic and best idea.

A23) 13.%4I0!1 This is a modern idea. White liberates rhe dl-square for the rook and at the same time creates some pressure against f6. Also options like il.d3 exist here. which was not the case for the lines we looked at previously.

18./()xe3.te6

8 7

13....ie6

6

This is the best move. One of the ideas behind 13.'l!!tf3 can be seen after 13".~;? 14.h4! ih6. Perhaps Black should cut his losses and retreat to e7 or f6. although this is also hardly ideal. 15.g4! f6 IG.g5! fxg5 17.'l!!th;t I!If8 18.il.h3 White has a tremendous position and an automatic anack.

5 4 3

2 abc

d

e

g

h

We have reached the same position as in line A222 above, with the extra tempo h2h4 for White. There is little doubt in my mind that this helps his chances somewhat. although whether this is enough to claim a real advantage is another debate. Many games have been played with the pawn on h2, so we can at least continue along the same path for a few more moves.

19.%4Id3 %4Ic7 20.E!adIN It looks logical for White to play on the kingside. in order to maximize the usefulness of the move h2-h4. The only game I found on the database continued 20.E!fd 1 E!fd8 21.E!d2 'l!!tc8 22.E!adl. This is by no means a bad set-up for White. but at the same time the black position

14.E!dl This position is still quite fresh and need.; further testing before an evaluation can be made.

Chapter 3 - The positional approach: II.c4

14....bd5 There is an interesting alternative: 14... a4!? 15.liJdxb4 White should react in the principled way, otherwise a "mely ... b4·b3 might prove annoying. 15.liJcxb4 should lead to the same thing. 15 .. .'l:\laS IS ... liJxb416.liJxb4 §"b8 17.a3 (I7.§"a3!?N deserves senous attention, avoiding any compromising of the queenside structure)

17... 0-0 18.~e21
Papadopoulos, Budva 2009. 16.a3 (}",O Perhaps Black should invesriga[e 16... id8!? 17.ie2 IiJd4 18.§"d3 (}",O According to GM Kolev Black has compensation here. 'Whether or not

1£

is enough for a pawn

IS

open [0 debate; in any case, it would be lflteresnng to see this tested in practice. 17ie2IiJd418.liJxd4exd419.(}...0 Black did no[ have enough compensanon, Macsenko - Gomez Jucado, Badalona 2009.

53

17...~g518.0-00-0 We have been following the game Kobalia Krasenkow, Dagomys 2008. The chances are approximately equal. In my opinion 13.§"f3 is an interesting line that deserves huther practical testing. However, if you are interested in playIng it with White, I must draw your attention to the following variation, with which Black attempts !O bypass the 13.§"f3line altogether. A3) 12... 0-011 This is a recent idea; perhaps not surprisingly; it took some time before anyone realised that Black may not actually be obliged to defend the b4.pawn immediately. Black is not aiming for anythIng revolutionary, and in the event of a normal response he will usually follow up with 13 ... a5, transposing to variation A2 above. The rea] purpose of Black's chosen move order IS to avoid line Al3) 13.§"f3.

15.lh:d5 lIus looks na[ural, a1[hough IS.adS!? has scored quite favourably for WhICe. I think Black should play IS ... liJa7 and lacer ...1
a 15 ... liJe716.:i!dlI!i'b6 17.~e2 ThIs was ,he cholCe of the only 2600 playet [0 have reached thiS position. However, in the future Wlute may do well to investigate 17.h4!?, preventing the enemy bIShop from becoming aCtiVe. Black would certainly need to look for an unprovement over the following game: 17... 1iJg6 18 g3 b3?! 19.§"xb3 §"xb3 20.axb3 E1b8 21.E1d3 !!dB 22.ih3 and Black had no compensation, Zolotukhin - Devereaux, Budva 2009.

b

d

e

g

h

13.I!I'B We will take this move as the main line, even though it is not the strongest, in order to appreciate Black's concept. It is Important to see the difference between the queen sortie here and In the previous variation where Black had played ...a6·aS instead of castling. 13.ie2 or 13.g3 will almost always transpose to lines Allor Al2 respectively, after the standard reply 13 ... aS.

54


Taking the pawn does not bring White anything: 13.liJcxb4liJxb4 14.liJxb4 'l:l'b6 IS.liJd5 White is unable to keep the extra pawn with 15.liJd31 on account of IS ... 'I:I'd4!+ (Rogozenko). There is also nothing to be gained from 15.'I:I'd21! !!b8 16.liJdS 'l:l'xb2 17.'I:I'xb2 !!xb2 with a slightly better ending for Black, Torres Sam per - Nunez, Benidorm 2003. 15 ... 'I:I'xb2 16.~d3 After 16.liJxf6t gxf6 17.~d3 Black can prevent castlmg with 17... 'I:I'c3t! 18.l!Ie2 !!b8 19.!!b1 ie6 with good counterplay (Rogozenko). 16... .td8 17.0-0 ~e6 We have been following Anand - Radjabov, Bilbao 2008. The position is level and a subsequent exchange on dS soon led to a completely equal opposite-coloured bIShop posicion.

13... ig51 In the analogous position from line A23 this would have been a mistake, but the fact that Black has already casded changes the evaluation, for reasons that will become clear.

14.h4 ih6 15.g4 f6!

Now the difference becomes obvious: Wbae IS unable to start a quick a
16.ffg3 ie6 17.!!:gl ixd5 Black was not forced to make this exchange immediately, and could also have conSidered 17...'I:I'aS!I.

IS.ad5 if4 19.'1:1'9 ffa5 20.b3 We have been following the game Kovchan - Gladyszev, Russian Team Ch. 2009. Now instead of the game continuation of20 ... liJb8, I thmk that Black should have played 20 ... liJe7!, defending the kingside and preparing ... f5 with good chances. If this is all correct then it seems reasonable to conclude that 12 ... 0-0 might be even more precise then 12... aS as It takes the sting out of the 13.'1:1'13 idea. Of course, some Black players may decIde they are not concerned about thIS line in any case, so ultimately it is for the reader to decIde which opnons he WIShes to allow or prevent. I hope to have at least given you enough information (0 make an informed choice. At the time of writing there have not been man~ games with the 12... 0-0 move order, so it WIll be mteresllng to see how its theory will develop. At the moment it looks like an entirely viable opnon for the second player B) 11 ... liJd4?!

We will conclude the chapter by checking this enterprising but ultimately dubious pa" n sacrifice. Black hopes that his strong knight and slight lead in development will compensate for the sacrificed pawn, but I believe the idea" tOO optimistic.

abc

d e

g

h

I 1. ..ig5 has occasionally been tried. The general concept is the same, as is the overaL evaIuanon in favour of White. The follOwing

Chapter 3 - The positional approach: l1.c4 example features more or less model play from Whae: 12.cxbS l!I"aSt 13.1Oc3 IOd4 14.id3 0-0 IS.0--O axbS 16.lOaxbS l!I"b4 17.!lb1 ie6 IS.o3 and wah b4 on the way, Whae stood clearly better in A. Sokolov - Gauglicz, Bundeshga 2009.

SS

Another interesting move IS 16.!lb1!?N with an Idea to push the q ueenside pawns. A plaUSIble continuation IS 16 ... ixdS 17 ..1xdS l!I"xb6 IS.b4 I!ihS 19.1Oc4 l!I"c7 20.a4 with a solid advantage for White. Clearly it IS Whae who IS haVIng all the fun here. being able to choose berween multiple routes [0 an advantage according [Q his own personal tastes. 16.. ..bdS 17..bdS l!I"xb6 18.lOc4 \lfcS 19.\lfg4~h6

8

7

6 5 12.ab5 0-0 13.b6 This

IS

the strongest move.

In Shon - Arakhamla, Gibraltar 2007, Whae grabbed a second pawn wah 13.bxa6 igS 14.lOc2 ig4 IS.l!I"d3. He went on to wm the game, but at thiS stage the situation is far from clear. The idea of the text is to return the pawn In order [0 obtain a solid positional advantage. 13•.• ~b7 14.~c4 White IS happy to gIve back the pawn m return for a dommating bIShop on dS. 14...!lbS 15.0-0 ~g5 16.b3 This quiet consolidating move IS sufficient to maintain an advantage. It was also possible to play more aggressively wah 16.l!ih1!? wah the Idea of f2-f4. This could help to undermine the knight on d4 as well as opening the way towards (he sensitive f7.pawn.

4 3

2

abc

d e

g

h

This position was reached in Karim Solomon. Turin (01) 2006. and here I suggest: 20.!lad1N With a stable advantage. The obVIOUS conclusion IS that this line IS not theoretically healthy for Black. It seems to me that he IS tOO rehant on the ability of the kmght on d4 to resltiet White's activity. The knight is a well-placed piece. no doubt about a. but the plan hIghlighted above, whereby W'hire returns [he pawn to obtam a positional advantage. appears quite convincing.


56 Conclusion

After 11.c4 b4 12.lbc2, AI) 12 ... gb8 appears to be slightly inaccurate for reasonS already explained. Therefore it is no surprise that Al) 12 ... a5 is considered the main line. Then we considered three moves for White, all of which are quite playable. All) 13.ie2 does not seem especially dangereous, and Black should hold his own although there is always a chance to outplay the opponent. Overall I would regard Al2) 13.g3 as a slightly better try for an advantage. The critical line seems to be Al23) 16.h4!, which has still almost never been tested in practice. Finally Al3) 13.'!fIf3!1100ks

really

interesting and deserves further testing,

although if you are looking to include this line in your repertoire then you should be sure

[0

consider the clever new move order beginning

with A3) 12... 0-0!1, which currently looks fully viable. To summarize, if you intend to play the black side of [hiS variation chan 12 ... 0-0!? currently

looks like [he most accurate move order, in order co bypass the 13.'!fIf3 variation and intending to transpose [0 one of the ocher From White's lines after a subsequent ...

as.

perspective, Al2) 13.g3 looks like the most promising Se[~Up, especially in conjunction

with Al23) 16.h4!. This looks

to

me like

the mOSt important hne on which future

Investigations should be focused.

Rauzer abcdefgb

Doubled f-pawn variation Variation Index 1.e4 c5 2.lLla lLlc6 3.d4 ",d4 4.lLlxd4lLlf6 5.lLlc3 d6 6..ig5 e6 7.1!id2 a6 8.0-0-0 .id7 9.f4 b5

10..bf6gxf6 _\l 1l.lLlxc6 hc6 12.1!ie31!ie7 l3..1d31!ia7

58

AI) 14.1!ih3 All) 14...1!ic5 Al2) 14... h5 Al3) 14... b4 A2) 14.1!iel A2I) 14....te7 A22) 14...0-0-0 " Il.lt>bl1!ib6 12.lLlxc6 hc6 l3.1!iel BI) l3 ...0-0-O!? B2) l3 ....te7 14.f51!ic5 15•.td3 B21) 15 ...1!ie5 B22) 15 ... b4 B23) 15•.• lt>d7 B3) l3 ..• ga7

59 60 61 62 63 64 64 64

65 66 67 67 69 71

All) after 21. a4

A12) after 16 .. b4

A13) after 22 '/I'e3

.!bcdefgb

abcdefgh

abcdefgh

22lild2'N

17lilbI'N

231Oxf6!'N

58


1.04 c5 2.~f3 ~c6 3.d4 ad4 4.~xd4 ~f6 5.~c3 d6 6.lLg5 e6 7.lid2 a6 8.0-0--0 ILd7 9.f4 b5 lO.hf6 gxf6

8 7 6 5

4 3 2

abc

d e

g

h

We can consider chis a Classical Rauzer, a line that has existed for many decades and has been a frequent guest in tournament practice at all levels. Nowadays (he rop connoisseurs from (he black side include GMs Damljanovlc. Kozul. Korconias and NiJboer amongst others.

If one is [0 succeed on either side of chis vanation, positional underscandmg is paramount. The ecernal barde for supremacy berween kmght and bishop could potentially be won by either side. \X1h.ire has more space, easier development, a sounder pawn structure. and attacking chances against his opponent's uncasded lang. Black. on the other hand. IS counting on the latent potencial of hiS bishop palC and cemeal pawn mass, as well as his own attacking chances connected with the [hematic advance of the b- and a-pawns. It should also be noted that an exchange of queens will normally favour Black. whose bIShop pal( and centralized king could become imporrant assets in an endgame. The presem vanalion has a repucalion for being difficult to handle for both sides. One reason for chis is rhar rhere are a lot of nonforCing moves in fronr of us, which Increases the

likelihood of subtle but Significant inaccuracies. It also means that both sides should play with a clear strategy in mind, racher rhan only thinking a few moves ahead. Such a struc(Ure featuring two bishops versus knight and bIShop. combined with doubled f-pawns. can occur In cectam mher Sicilian varia nons, most notably the Na,dorf. In fact, I would suggest that all chess players would benefit from a solid understanding of chis structure and ItS subtle positional nuances. Therefore I hope the present chapter will prove useful even to those readers who have no Lmention of emering this precise variation over the board. From che diagram pOSICion White has tried many Ideas. but the follOWing rwo are by far the most popular and dangerous: A) ll.~ and B) ll,l!;>bl.

abc

d e

g

h

This move has several purposes, the main one being to prevent the black queen from coming to b6. where itwould be ideally placed. Another POlRt IS to prepare the move /tld5. It should be noted that Black should generally try to avoid the temptation to guard against the /tld5 idea by "developing" his bishop on e7. as this piece is acrually much happier on f8 where ir has the option of coming to g7 or h6.

Chapter 4 - Doubled f-pawn variation White's primary active plan in this whole variarion is f4-£5: If he can carry ou[ the further fXe6 under favourable circumstances, he will create targets on e6 and fl5 (in addition 10 the existing one on d6), as well as the h5d 1 diagonal leading to the black king. Black's tipica1 defensive plan after f4-f5 will be to react such ... b5-b4, pushing rhe knight away from c3 followed by ... e6-e5 dosing the position. ltis slightly paradoxical that the side with the bishop pair should want to dose the position, but in this variation it is almost essential due to his lagging development. In such closed poSItions the black bishops can still exert a strong influence over the board, with one on a6 and the other preferably on h6. Black's other acttve plans include using the open g- and c-files, as well as the obvious idea of hurling the a- and b-pawns towards the opponent's castled king. White, on the other hand, has the makings of a huge positional advantage (imagine one of his nunor pieces exchanging itself for the bishop onc6, and rhe other firmly entrenched on d5), but must find the right way to consolidate and orgamze his position. 12...ile7

59

all of which continued 13 ...Ylla7 14.Ylle 1 with similar play to line B below, except for the pOSItion of the black queen on a7 instead ofb6. 14.lile2 YIIa7 15.Ylld3 d5 This is the most ambidous move, hoping to acrivare the bishops and erode the enemy centre before W'hite can organize his

posidon. 16.exd5 ixd5 If White plays slowly then he will probably just be worse, but the following energetic continuation keeps the game comperi£lve.

17.c4! 1c6 18.f5 The pOSItion is highly complex. I analysed a few morc moves:

IS ...Yllf2 Computers favour this move, whIch prevents Iilf4 while counting on the queen's general nuisance value to disrupt the enemy position.

19.1ilg3 1e7 20.1e2 The position is rich in possibilities for both sides.

13...ila7 After this typical move White must deCIde

This is Black's most promising continuation.

between two queen moves (remembering that

lbe idea is to prevent any Iild5 ideas while "",paring ...Ylla7.

a queen exchange is not in his interests): AI) 14.ilh3 and A2) 14.Yllel.

,\, was mentioned previously, Black should delay the developmenr of the bishop on e7. _-Yter 12...~e7 13.f5 YIIa5 14.l!Ibl b4 15.lile2 e; 16.lilg3 White has nice play.

AI) 14.Yllh3

13~d3 This is by far the most common move, although the following rare continuallon also deserves acren cion: 13.l!Ibl!? b4!?N This untested move looks interesting. although it is hard to say if It is best. I found a handful of games on the database,

abc

d e

g

h

60

The Rauzef Variation

Now we come to a further division. at which Black's main options involve either actIVating

his queen or advancing a pawn on eirher wing. Thus we WIll consider: All) 14.•."I!I'c5, A12) 14•.• h5 and A13) 14.•. b4. The third is the main hne because it forces the knight away from (he centre, whereas the other two moves

enable White to play for /Od5 ideas, which usually leads Black to compromISe his position In someway. All) 14•••"I!I'c5 15.~he1 White wastes no time in prc:panng ~dS.

15•.•~e7 It would be risky for Black to allow the knight Jump.

to 18.fXe6t fXe6 19./Od5! with a strong initiative.

18.g3 b4 Black must not hesitate with this. For instance, 18 ... lIIc7 19.1IIbl b4 20./Oe2 e5 21."I!I'h5! gg7 22./OcI! White has the initiative and intends "l!l'e2 followed by.ac4. taIong control over the important light squares. Lacer he can look co organize pla~

on the queenside with /Od3 and eventualh c2·d or ·c4. 19./Oe2 e5 20.lIIbl a5 21./OcI a422.b3 Pteparing .ac4. We have reached a comple> position with slightly better chances for White Black's "'ng is not entirely safe, and the £7. pawn is weak.

16.•. h5 16.lIIbl I found a new Idea, which I believe deserves dose anentian: 16."I!I'h6!?N

7 6 4

3

abc bcdefgh AsIde from generally improving the queen and restraining the h7 -pawn, thiS move prepares a tactical sting. The pOint is that by putting pressure on f6 White renews [he rhreat of /Od5. 16 ... lIId7 16 ... b4? 17./Od5! is exactly what White wants.

17.f5 gag8 Once ag.un

17... b4 is dangerous due

d

e

g

h

Preventing "l!l'h6 ideas. Still, White is better developed and his pieces are well centralized The time has come for him co take concrete action.

17.5 17.e5!?N This is also interesting.

17... fice5 In case of 17 ... dxe5 White's idea is to play 18.f5! with pressure on the light squares Afrer 18 ... id7 19.fX<6 heG 20 ..af5 'l!!c6

Chapler 4 - Doubled f-pawn varialion 21.lile4 While has good compensalion. allhough il is hard 10 say if he is objeclively better. The poSllion IS complex and playable for bOlh sides. 18.lXe5 0-0-0 Black had belter nOl leave his king in Ihe centr~ for much longer. otherwise it may not gel a chance 10 flee. 19.exd6 ~xd6 20.lile4 'IiIb6 21.lilxd6t !'lxd6 ~1.a3

While keeps a slighl edge due 10 his safer king wd sounder pawn scructuce. His immediate

61

I think it would have been better 10 play: 22.lild2!N This enables White to stabilize [he posicion

while keeping much belter prospects alive for the knight. For Instance, afrer 22 •.•!cS 23.'lild3 White will play ~d5 nexr, followed with lilc4 with excellent prospects. A12) 14... h5 Black gains some space on kingside but neglects the important c4-square.

plan will be ~e2 and ~f3.

15.!he1 .ie7 17... b4 Black reacts in Ihe usual way.

Just as in line All), the spectre of lild5 is usually enough 10 induce Ihis generally undesirable move.

IS.lila e5 19.1ilcl This is an important manoeuvre [0 drive the ~nemy queen away, and IS thematic for this

hne.

In NiSlpeanu - Moldovan, Nice 2004, Black experimented with 15 ... 0-0-0, bUI afrer 16.f5 ~d7 17.'itIbllt>b8 18.'lilf3 .ie7 19.1ile2 While maintained some pressure.

19....5 2o.lilb3 'IiIb6 21.~c4 34

16.5 b4 8

7 6 5 4 3

l... ... /·~%....... /w//N

,,,,ON. /.,,_ ••//,.,,_,.

2

So far we have been follOWIng Ihe game Castella - Cabrera. Mancha Real 2004. ThaI encounler connnued 22.lilcl !'lc8 23.~d5 ~5 wilh an unclear posilion. Despile Ihe facI rhar Whire managed to cement his bishop on d5, the posllion remains closed and rhe knight IS far from ideally placed.

abc

d

e

g

h

17.lilbl!N The standard idea is 17.lile2 e5 18.~c4 wirh a double-edged game, Sax - DamlJanovlc. Manila 1990. I beheve the text to be an improvement.

62


17...• 5 18.~d2 ~1lI19.~c4

reason why no-one has so far ventured

been driven away from the centre, ideas such

White's last move. IB.ttlg3 ~c6 19.f5 e5 19 ... d5 runs Inro 20.fxo6! dxc4 21.Itlxh5 with a very strong attack. The planned !'1he 1 is difficult to meet. 20.ttlxh5 0-0-0 21.~d5 'l\'b7 22.c4! White stands clearly better. He has a firm grip on [he light squares, active pieces and a safer king.

as the aggressive e4·e5 also become far less dangerous.

16.em

Compared with (he aforemenCloned game,

the white knight enjoys consIderably better prospects on d2 than e2. In my opinion thIS posICion is not very promising for Black.

AU) 14... h4 It is logical to play this move before ~d5 becomes a possibility. Once the knight has

This is a very old line. which has been almost completely abandoned in recem eimes. However. I found a new idea which might just be enough to resurrect ie,

8 7

6

16....5

5

Black reacts in the typical way.

4 3 2 abc

d

e

g

h

15.~.2 Yflc5 This is a typical move, preventing (he

white bishop from emerging on c4 after a subsequent f4-f5. The follOWIng alternative IS also playable: 15 ... h5 Black's idea is [0 cake some space on [he kmgside and restrict [he enemy queen.

16.'.!ibl a5 Here 16... 'I\'c5 IS a bit late due to 17.~c\! followed by Itlb3. 17.~c4!?N

This is an original suggestion. WhLte offers a pawn sacrifice in order [0 obtain a strong attack. 17 ... ~xe4 This is not forced, bur it is certainly [he

prinCipled reaction and doubtlessly the

17.~g3 a5 18.~h5 ~h6t 19.mb! ~ Both sides have proceeded in a logical way and made certain achievements, \Vhlce managed to put a knight on h5 - often a good square in this line - while Black. on the other hand. found a way to defend f6 actively. 20.~g4 Threatening

[0

drive [he bishop away, so

Black's next is more or less forced. 20 ... m.7 21.h4 ~h6 22.Yflo2 This dual purpose move prepares both ~c4 and g4-g5. 22. ..Yfle3 Black puts his faith in the endgame. It would be risky co venture: 22...a423.g4 Also mterestlng is 23.~c4 !'1hc8 2S.!'1he\ with a complicated position. Nore thar 2S ... he4? is bad due to 26.llI'xe4 llI'xc4 27.ttlxf6! with a strong initiative. 23 ... a3 25.~c4 axb2

Chapter 4 - Doubled f-pawn variation Now both 25.g5 and 25.~xf6 appear promising for W'hite.

63

8 7

8

6

7

5

6

4

5

3

4

2

3

abc

2

a

b

d

g

h

23.~xf6!!N

This startling new Idea might change the evaluation of the whole line with 16.f5. In the game Torre - Kinlay. London 1977. White acqUiesced to the queen exchange with 23.exe3. but achieved nothing and eventually lost.

d e

f

g

h

27...,hc2tl Again this seems to be the only playable move: 27...!'!afS? loses immediately to 2S.d7. whIle 27 ... !'!hfS is not much better after 2S.g4! I!ig7 29.!'!hel ef2 30.f6t I!ihS 31.~d3 and 'Whuc wins.

28.l!ixc2 ti'e4t 29..td3 ti'xg2t 30.l!ibl !:!hg831.d7 Black may have repulsed the immediate mate. but he still has considerable problems to solve.

23 ...1!ixf6 24.ehS! White only has a smgle pawn for a piece. bur the black p,eces are all on highly unstable positions. The immediate threat

IS

25.:!ihel.

drivmg the queen away from the defence of h6.

24 .••if4 2S.J.c4 dS Once again Black has no chOIce.

26.exdSh4 Other moves are worse, for Instance 26 ... ,id7? 27.d6 !'!afS 2S.g4 with a winning attack. 27.d6 ReneWing the threat to f7 whIle also increaSing the scope of the rook, not [Q mention pushmg (he d-pawn onc step closer

to the eighth rank. Black should also not forget abour the pOSSIbility of g4-g5t.

This

IS

an imponant hne, which

15

closely

related to variation B below; the only difference bemg the slightly different position

64

The Rau:zer Variation

of rhe black queen on a7 inS[ead ofb6. In moS[ hnes rhis should nor marrer gready, alrhough I did find one new idea in line A22, by which Whir< exeraces a slighr ben.fir from rh. qu •• n's presence on a7. The rhrear is IiJd5, so Black has cwo principal oprions: All) 14•..iL.7 and Al2) 14 ...0-0-0.

All) 14 •.• iL.7 15.lfIbl Whir< rak.s a bnef'rim. our' forch. seandard improvemenr of his king's posiCIon.

15 ... b4 There IS a major alrernarive in 15 ... l!!lc5 16.f5. This posicIOn will be examined under [he move ord.r 12.@bll!!lb613.liJxc6iLxc614.l!!le1i1.e7 15.il.d3l!!lc5 (variarion B2, page 66). 16.~.21!&'c517.~c1 a518.~b3I!&'a719.ic4 a4 20.~d4

24.!!:d3 IfIflI25.f5 So far we have been following rhe game Naraf - MICon, Ohrid 200 I. Ar rhis poinr Black arr.mpred ro avoid weak.ning his lighr squares wICh 25 ...l!!le5, bur afrer 26.1iJf3 l!!lc5 27.fx.6 fxe6 Whire could have obtained a tremendous anack with 28.e5!. (Naraf missed rhis opporrunity, bur S[ill won rhe game evenrually.) Relarively bese would have be.n 25 ...• 5, closing [he centre. However. in that case W'hirc responds wirh 26.1iJf3 il.c6 27.liJd2! inr.nding 1iJf1·e3 wirh an iron grip over rhe centre. Nataf assesses the posicion as better for White. and [ wholehearredlyagree.

Al2) 14...0-0-0 From here a few games have continued 15.lfIb 1 b4 16.liJe2 d5 with unclear consequences. [nseead the following new idea deserves serious consideranon:

!5.a3!!N

8 7

6

5 4 3 ThIS Improving of rhe kntghr IS one of rhe ryplCal ideas for Whire, and go.s a long way rowards raking rhe seing our of Black's queenside advances.

2o... id7 2!.1!&'.2 1!&'c5 22.!!:h.! !!:c8 23.b3 h5 Orherwise Whire mighr have played g4 next, gaining even more space.

........ p.'=,,=

~-~/.

2 abc

d

e

g

h

By securing the posirion of rhe knight on c3, Whit. pr.vents any ... d5 Id.as for th. foreseeable furu ... Th. position of th. queen on a7 makes it harder for Black to prepare ... b4.

65

Chapler 4 - Doubled f-pawn variadon I will mention a few possible continuations, although In sllch a non-forcing position it would be dlfficull (and nOI especially helpful) 10 give much delailed analysis.

15 ...'if;'b8 Improving Ihe long is a lOgical idea. In Ihe evenl of 15 ...m6. planning ... a5. While can respond wilh Ihe simple 16.We2. l6.~bl ie7 17.gfl h5 18.1'5 I rare Whiles chances as slighdy beller. II IS nOI easy for Black (Q generare counrerplay. Meanwhile While has ideas like I'ta and perhaps a4. Irying 10 occupy Ihe imporlanl c4-square and undermining Ihe posilion of Ihe black king.

attack on [he kingside in some postCions. This

line IS almost identical to variation A2 above, excepl Ihar Ihe black queen is on b6 inSlead of a7. Transposilions are possible. Ihe mOSllikely scenario being after a subsequenl ... Wc5 as in line B2 below. An imporlanl bendil for Black is Ihal While has been denied Ihe oplion of placing the queen on h3, as occurred in line Al above. Before moving on it is woech mentioning char 13.15 is a serious allernarive. which WIll nOI be examined in [he present chapter.

B) 11.~bl This is the most popular move. l l ...Wb6 The queen comes arnves at her favourite square in this V3n3rion.

abc

d e

g

h

In Ihis posidon Black mUSI once again deal wilh Ihe Ihre.. of Iild5. so his Ihree main ideas are: Bl) 13...0-0-0!1. B2) 13...ie7 and B3)

13... ga7. Bl) 13... 0-0-0!1 This IS quire a solid continuation. Black vacales his king from Ihe cenlre. redUcing Ihe risk of a direct attack.

abc

d

e

g

h

14.IWh4!

12.~"c6 12.lilce2 is anolher reasonable move Ihar will nOI be examined here.

White's most promising continuation involves (he creation of direct [hreats. Amazingly Ihis move has only been played a few times.

12...bc6 13.IWel NOl only preparing Iild5. bUI also Wh4

10

14.1d3

66

The: Rauzer Variation

This has been by far the most popular move. but i[ seems rhat Black can ob[am quite good chances as follows. 14 ... b4 15.ltleZ dS This is Black's main idea for counrerplay. 16.eS If 16.ltlg3 dxe4 17.ltlxe4 ~e7 IS.1!!Iezl!ibS Black's bishop pair IS a source of optimism for him. 16 .. .fS 17.ltld4 ~b7 IS.~eZ ~cS 19.1!!IdZ

f,urly logical sacrifice. 19... E:xdS 20.1!!Ic4t E:cS 21.1!!Ixa6t 1!!Ixa6 Z2.~xa6t White has some compensation for the: exchange. hut no advantage. and the game was later drawn.

8 7 6 5

4 7

3

6

2

4

abc

3

abcdefgh 19 ... E:hgS! This impocranc improvement was played a true specialist in this variation.

by

In Holzke - Baklan. Bundesliga ZOOI. White soon obtained an advantage after 19 ... l!ibS ZO.~hS E:d7 Zl.h3 h6 2Z.g4. due to hIS active play on [he kingslde. Zo.g3l!ibS Zl.E:hgl as 22.1!!Id3 E:cS With ... E:c7 and ... E:gcS on [he cards. Black had [he be[[er chances m Betescu - Kozul. D,akovo ZOOS.

14... b4 15.1tl.z i.7 IS ...he4? is inadvisable due to 16.ltlg3 followed by 1!!Ixf6 and 1!!Ixfl. when White will keep a heal[hy extra pawn. 16.1!!Ih5!!N This IS an 3nempr to Improve on the game Negi - Ni,boer. Hoogeveen 200S. which took the following course: 16.f5 eS 17.ltlg3 dS IS.exdS ~xdS 19.E:xdS!? A speculative but

d

e

g

h

16...d5 This seems safest. 16... ~xe4 17.1!!Ixfl looks good for Whit<. while 16 ... E:dfs 17.ltlg3 ~b7 IS.~c4 leaves Black in an unpleasant bind. 17.•5 We have reached a position somewhat reminiscen t of the Berc:scu - Kozul game notes above. but the p[esent one is a slightly improves versIOn for White, thanks to his better queen and generally more active prospects.

17... E:dftllS.1!!Ih4 1!!IdS The position IS rarhe[ double-edged and holds chances for both SIdes. I would persooaly prefer White slightly after 19.1!!Ifl or 19.1!!Ih6 but the black position remains sound and full of porential. Ove[a11 I regard 13... 0--0-0 as a fully playable option. not always [he mosc enrerraJrung bur

defimtely solid. B2)

B ...i.7 14.5 1!!Ic5

This rhemacic move is

popular

In

the poSllion.

by far

the mosr

67

Chapter 4 - Doubled f-pawn variation 15.1c13 This posi tion has been reached in a lot of games, and many different moves have been

tried. We will consider the following three in detail: B21) 15 ...Yge5. B22) 15 ... b4 and B23) 15 ... li1d7. Each of the above moves is in some way thematic for the whole variation. Often cwo or more of these moves will be played at some pOint, but there is always a question of which opClons [0 commit to and which other ones to leave open.

17... &4 Snatching the pawn with 17 ...11:\Ixh2~ would be far too dangerous in view of 18.ghl Y9xg2 19.11:\Ib6 and White wins. 18./tle2 as 19./tlf4 a4 20.1c4 The pressure againSt e6 is rather troublesome for Black. 20... 03 If Black plays 20 ....id7 to protect e6 there IS

an interesting tactical motif. exploiting the

position of the queen on e5: 21.~5! gb8 22.g3 with the far from trivial threat of /tld3. trapping the queen.

821) 15...Yge5

21./tlc13 Y9xb2 22.Y9b6 1d7 23.ghl Y9g3 24.!xh7 We have been follOWIng the game Nijboer - Alekseev. Hoogeveen 2002. It is clear that White has a strong initiative. and eventually he managed. to win. B22) 15... &4

abc

d

e

g

h

ThIS IS a typICal resource. both for the present line and the Sicilian in general. The queen takes up a strong central outpost from which she can carty OUt both offensIve and defensive duties. 16.Y9f2 !g8 It would be a mIstake for Black to tty 16... b4 17./tle2 a5. with an idea similar to line B22, with the difference that the queen is on f2 instead of e 1. The point is that with this particular configuration of pieces White can

play 18./tld4! ~d7 19.~c4 a4 20.11:\Ie2 followed by IncreaSIng the pressure against 06. 17.!hel! White can happily leave the h2-pawn to its fate.

a

b

d

e

g

h

The previous line showed us that the queen on e5 could become tactically vulnerable. In this line Black does away with that idea. instead preferring to roll his queenSlde pawns down the board without delay.

68

The Rauzer Variarion

16.~e2

as

We should also look at the themanc alternative: 16 ... e5 Unfortunately for Black. in this parncular position this standard idea does not work so well. The fact that the bishop has committed itself to e7 does not help him. 17 ..!ilg3 a5 The evaluation is not changed by 17... h5. as after the calm 18.~e2 h4 19 ..!ilf! a5 20 ..!ile3 a4 2 !.~c4 White once again obramed his ideal set-up and kept the better chances in Beccera - Charbonneau. Inrerner 2008. 18.~e2 a4 19.~c4 a3 20.b3

black bishops. Thus White will need to exploit his tactical chances or force some other kind of concession if he is to justify the deciSIOn to

exchange on 06. 17••.&.:6 18.~f4 ~e5 19J!fI 19.~f2 is slightly less promising in view of 19... a4 20.~c4 b3, with unclear play.

4

a b

3

2 abcdefgh

We have been following the game Hjartarson - Radzlejewski. Groningen 1979. It is a relatively old game. but nevertheless one played with deep understanding on the while side. White has achieved his ideal formation wirh the bishop on c4. Larer the knight will find an excellent home eirher on h5 or e3 and perhaps later d5. Meanwhile the rooks will double on the d-file. All in all. Black faces an unpleasant defensive challenge.

d

e

g

7

17.&.:6

6

This is a principled move; White is striving

to explOit his opponent's refusal to block the centre. by opening additional lines of attack. The potential downSide is that Black no longer has doubled f-pawns. while the pawn exchange generally helps to dear some space for the

h

19... l:!c8 A natural a1ternallve would be: 19 ... a4 20.~c4 20.~xb4 a3 gives Black good compensation due 10 me bishop pair and soon-to-be open queenSide files. 20... ~xe4 In case of20 ... ~d7 White keeps the initiative with 2!..!ild3 ~a5 22.~h4. thanks to his pressure along the open lines and free piece play. 21..!ilxe6

4

abcdefgh

Chapter 4 - Doubled f-pawn variation This looks quite dangerous for Black. although the alternative 21..txe6!? is equally tempting. 21...a3 21...!lbB was suggested by Hazai as best for Black. but after 22.~g3 a3 23.~b3 the white position looks bener regardless. 22.liJd4 d5 23id3 ixd3 24.!lxd3 ~xel 25.!lxel ~d7 26.liJb3 White keeps the beuet chances In the endgame.

69

with the mitlative. as the bishop

IS

no longer

vulnerable on the c-file. 22.1tld31 This was the important Idea behind the previous move. 22...~gS Other moves are worse, for instance: 22...~xe4 23.~h5t ~g6 24.~a5! exploiting [he vulnerable posicion of (he rook, or 22...~a5 23 ..tc4 ~d7 24.e5! dxe5 25.liJl), with a dangerous attack. 23.~xgS&g5 Unfortunately for Black. this ,ime the queen exchange does not solve his problems. in view of the following sequence. which appears to be more or less forced.

8 7

6 5 4

8

3

7

2

6 5

abc

d

e

g

h

We have reached a crideal moment. In

the game So - Gupta. Yerevan 2007. White decided to exchange the queens. bur after 21.~h5t ~xh5 22.liJxh5 0-0 the position was unclear. In principle. thIS type of endgame should usually be quite accepEable for Black. Instead I found the following new idea. which I believe to be a major improvement.

lI.1a6!N ThIS creates ftesh problems for the defence.

4 3 2

abc

d e

g

h

24.liJ~b4 he4 25.1b5t It1d8 26.!fel hg2 27.!he6 a3 28.bw While IS clearly beuer. although Black is certainly not completely doomed. and can try to carry on fighting wi,h 2B ... .tS 29.!ldel g4. hoping for counterplay on the klngside.

ll •.. !c7 Keeping the rook on rhe c-file seems like :he most consistent and prinCIpled choice. If It moves along the first rank. for instance ,,·lth 21...!la8. than White can play 22 ..tc4!

B23) 15 ...lt1d7 This unusua1~looking move makes a ~rtam amount of sense. Black connects [he rooks and reasons that ,he king could be quite well

70


placed on d7. where it helps to reinforce the sensitive e6-pawn. The king is not immediatdy vulnerable on its present location, although being on a half-open file opposite an enemy rook IS not exactly a recipe for safety either.

8 7

6 5 4

8

3

7

2

6 5

abc

4

3

2

a

b

d

e

g

d e

f

g

h

17.ehS!N The game B. Vuckovic - Damljanovic. Bar 2003. continued 17.lWh3 i.d8 18.1%hfl at which point 18... e5?! 19.i.e2 gave White a nice advantage. which he successfully converted. Instead Black should have preferred 18 ... lWe5!N with interesting play.

16.eh4 There is a promISing alternative in 16.1%fl. for instance 16 ...1%ag8 17.1%12 1%g5 18.lile2 e5 19.1ilcl! As is so often the case in this variation. once White finds a useful role for this knight his prospects Improve considerably. 19... Ad8 20.lilb3 ea7 21.c4! Black had some problems due to his unsafe king. Videlu - Mann. Hungary 1997.

18.eh31t>d7 It seems reasonable for Black to repeal moves and challenge White to show why his queen is better on h3 than h4.

16•. .l:~ag8 A logical alternative. deserving of attention. is 16 ... h5!? preventing rhe white queen from occupying that important square. Nevertheless, after 17.eh3 1%agS 18.1%hfl ee5 19.1De2 id8 20.lilf4 it seems to me th .. White's chances

He migh, also try 18 ...i.d7. although retreating (he bishop from its active position is a definite concession. Play may continue 19.1ilo2 lWe5 20.1%hfl with a pleasant edge for White. who intends the standard ideas of Iilf4 followed by c3 and a bishop transfer to b3.

are preferable. His main idea [0 increase the pressure is c2-c3 intendmg a bishop transfer to b3. Note that in this instance It is best not to exchange pawns on e6. as in some positions

19.fxe6t beG 2o.lDdS!!!gS 20 ... .txd5? 21.exd5 lWxd5 looks dangerous after 22.1%hel f5 23.lWe3.

White may simply be able to capture the h5pawn. After the text move i found a strong new Idea.

17••. lt>e8 17...1%g7 would lose a pawn after 18.6ce6t 6ce6 19.1Wxc5 dxc5 2o.Axb5t.

too

21.!!hel White keeps some initiative. i, is difficult to give much hard analysis in this non-forCing

Chapter 4 - Doubled f-pawn variation

71

position, so I will merely offer the following sample continuadon. featuring sensible moves from both sides:

a

b

d

e

g

h

IS ... ~e7

21 ... hS 22.g3 !!:g4 23.ltlf4 ~eS 24.0 WhIte keeps the more pleasant position. His next objective will be to improve his bishop with ic2-b3.

B3) 13 •••!!:a7 This move found favour amongst specialists of Black's system after first being tested by Kozul in a number of games from the early 1990s. The idea is to prevent ItJd5 without committing the bIShop to the e7 -square, which we already know to be a somewhat undesirable location for this piece.

This is safest, although we already know it is something of a concession for Black to commit the bishop to this square. There are a few alternatives leading to different types of positions: Is ...ig?? lost a pawn after 16.~g4 in BonevKozhuharov, Borovets 200S. IS ... b4 allows the knight to take up a strong position in the centre after 16.ltJe2 ~eS 17.ltJd4 This shows a potential advantage of delaying the development of the bishop on d3.

6

14.5

5

Thematic and best. 14.id3 has been equally popular, but for the time being White can do

4

without this move and instead look to create threats Immediately.

2

14••.~cS IS.~M! The routine 15.~d3 has been much more common, but the text is more challenging in my opinion. Now Black must make an

immediate

f6-pawn.

decision

concerning

the

3

abcdefgh Now 17... ixe4 IS bad due to IS ..td3 when White's initiative in the centre IS difficult to handle. Instead 17... ~d7 Is.ic4 allows White a typical promising set-UP, helped further by

72


the fact that the bishop has arrived on c4 in a single move rather than the usual (Wo. 15 ...1!I'e5N is a ptincipled move, which does not appear to have been tested thus far. The following line looks like a logical continuation: 16.id3 Ag7 17.!lhel a5 18.llld5 !lb7 (18 ... a4? 19.a3 blocks Black's queenside play)

17.fxe6 fxe6

7 6 4

3

2 abcdefgh

4 3

abcdefgh

In this position White would love to bnng his knight to g4, but the immediate 19.1lld allows Black to defend conveniendy with 19 ... h5. Thus the correct idea is not hard to find: 19.1!I'h5! and now the idea 1lle3-g4 is not at all easy to meet. Once again 19 ... a4 20.03 stops all counterplay, so White keeps the initiative. The final alternative is 15 ... h5!? 16.e5! Wl[h thiS energetic move White hopes to exploit his opponent's lack of development. 16.1!I'xf6 allows Black to demonstrate his idea with 16...!lh6 17.1!I'h4 (17.1!I'd4 1!I'xd4 18.!lxd4
18.llle4!N In the game Wells - Nevednichy, Ohrid 200 1. White played 18.i.d3 but after 18 ...!le7' 19.!lhfl
16.1d3

a

b

d

e

g

h

16•.• b4N Strangely enough, this thematic move. mtending to close the centre, has not beec

Chapter 4 - Doubled f-pawn variation

73

tested in this precise position. although we soon transpose to a previous game.

In most games Black has maintained the central tension, primarily wlm: 16...• S This h.s been tested by Kozul on more than one occasion. Instead of driving the knight away from c3, BI.ck Intends to undermine Lt with ... a4-o3, while keeping. p.wn on bS [0 keep control over the c4-square. However, we will see th.t refusing to block the centre carries cectaln riSks for Black. 17.lice61ice6 Up to now we have been foUowing Horv.th - Kozul, Austri. 2007.

a

b

d

e

g

h

2O •.tc4N There is nothing sensational about this move; indeed we have seen the same idea many

times over the course of the present chapter. Nevertheless in this particular position

It

is a

novelty.

4

abcdefgh 18.>!fIg4!N This creates .wkward problems for the defence. for instance:

18 ...>!fIeS 19.1iJdS! '\Qhite is much quicker in creating threats. Black cannot accept the knight as the check on c8 would be too strong. 17.liJe2e5 We have now transposed to the game Fercec

- Kotronias, Reggio Emilia 200S, which we "ill follow for a few more moves.

as

18.~cI 19.~b3 >!fIb6 Here I found a natural improvement for

White.

The aforementioned game continued 20.liJd2 .4 2l.liJc4 >!fIcS 22.l'ld2 l'ld7 23.l'lhdl ~d8?!, and now 24.>!fIh6!N intending liJe3 would have given White the bener position. However, I think Black could h.ve improved with 23 ... dS!?N when the position is r.ther unclear. 20•..•4 2I.~cI >!fIc522.b3 White will continue to improve hiS pieces with l'lhel-e2-d2. He keeps an edge due to the weakness on f7 and Black's limited prospects for coumerplay. Conclusion

We began by checking the second-mostpopular line, A) ll.liJxc6 ixc6 12.>!fIe3 >!fIe7 13.id3 >!fI.7, when White has two mam tries. AI) 14.>!fIh31ooks like quite a dangerous move for Black to face, and I was .ble to find • number of promising new ideas, most notably

the spect.cular 23.liJxJlJ!!N in Ime AB. The other line, A2) 14.>!fIel, is a bLt less aggressive,

74


but also gIves reasonable chances for an advantage. Black's position remains playable, although if you are interested In playIng the black side I would advise you to study these lines closely

10

order to avoid the numerous

pitfalls. We then moved on to the main line of B) l1.l!lbl 'l>i'b612.li:lxc6hc613.'I>i'e1.Although this has been the most popular continuation, it seems to me that it has certain drawbacks

compared with lIne A. Firstly, the queen does not have the option of moving to h3. Secondly, even if the queen intends to come ro el anyway, one can make the argument that the

black queen is slightly worse placed on a7, as occurs in line A2, compared with b6, as occurs in line B. A small example of this can be found In line A22, in which my new idea of 15.a3!?N looks quite interesting, but only works because of [he queen's placemen[ on a7. Despne [hese slight disadvan[ages from of view, my general impression IS tha[ Black faces some problems In line B as well. Most of the sub·variatlons ended wi[h an evaluation in favour of Whi£e. Out of all [he lines examined, perhaps B1) 13 ... 0-{)-O!' represents Black's best chance for a dynamically balanced game. Nevenheless, my overall conclusion has [0 be tha[ Black is under some pressure In [he doubled f.pawn va[iatlon of [he Rauzer. If you like these positions then you should not be afraId [0 play mem, but just be aware [hat [he handling of [he black position will probably require a greater depth of skill and undemanding in order to avoid falling into difficulties. Whife's point

Dragon abcdergh

Chinese Dragon Variation Index l.e4 c5 2.lO0 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.lOxd4lOf6 5.lOc3 g6 6.~e3 ~g7 7.0 0-0 8.§'d2 lOc6 9.ic4 ~d7 10.0-0-0 l1!b8 ll.ib3lOa5 76 78

A) 12.g4 B) 12.M A) after 18 .• 5

B) nore (0 15 Iilxh5

B) after 16 .lilf6

abcdefgb

191ild2'N

16h6"N

171ilf5'N

76


1.e4 c5 2.ftll3 d6 3.d4 ctd4 4.ftlxd4 ftlf6 5.ftlc3 g6 6 ..i.e3 .i.g77.13 0-0 8.1rd2 ftlc6 9 ..i.c4.i.d7 10.0-0-0 !b8

Now White has two prinCipal continuations: A) 12.g4 and 0) 12.M.

12.ih6 has been the most popular move. but it should transpose to line A below. 12...i.x/t6 13.1rxh6 b5 14.h41! This is an independent try. It appears to be the most natural attacking move. but unfortunately for White. it simply does not work. (l4.g4! reaches line A.) 14 ... e5! 15.lilde2 b4 16.lild5 Iilxb3t 17.axb3 Iilxd5 IS.!!xd5 Now Black has a choice between Is ...ie6 19.h5 !!b7. and IS ...!!b6. intending 19.h5 g5!. with better chances in both cases. A) 12.g4 b5 13 ..i.b6 bh6

Black has a few alternatives here.

abc

d e

g h

The present line has become Increasingly

[Opical

In

recene years. Certain Chinese

Grandmasters such as Bu XJangzhi helped to popularize it, and several other strong players have used it with success. including the world number one at the rime of writing, Magnus

Carlsen. In the space of around a decade the Chinese Dragon has gone from bemg an obscure sideline

(0

one of the most prominem

main lines of the Dragon. The main idea behind Black's last move is to prepare ... b5 and ... ftlc4. after whIch an exchange on c4 will lead to an opening of the b-file. when the rook on bS WIll be Ideally placed. The drawback IS that. for the time being at least. the [Ook is less active on bs chan cS. The great majority of games cominue the natural moves:

With

1l.J.b3 ftla5 ThIS IS the best square lOr the knight the Chinese Dragon. The

pOint IS

13 ... b4 14.lild5 Iilxb3t 15.lilxb3 Iilxd5 16.1xg7 ~xg7 17.exd5 a5 IS.h4 a4 19.h5! !!hS (l9 ... axb3? 20.hxg6 gives White a winning attack) 20.lild4 f6 2Ulde1 Black was under pressure in Cheparinov - Banikas. Plovd,v 2003, and was unable to hold the position. 13 ... lilc4 White should now prevent the opening of the b-file with: 14.Wlg5! Wlb6 15.h4 White's chances seem preferable. for instance: 15 ...!!fcS 16.ixg7! Avoiding any ... lilxe4 tricks. 16...~xg7 17.lild51ilxd5 IS.exd5 f6 IS ... a5 19.Wlxe7 is strong. 19:e!1f4 a5 20.g5 a4 21.h5 White has a promising attack.

10

chac, aside

from the possibihry of ... ftlc4. he also keeps the option of exchanging on b3 as well as a timely ... e5. neither of whIch would have been possible had the knight gone to e5 Instead.

14.1rxh6 b4 14... e51 is more or less refuted by 15.1ilf5! By the way. the main purpose of White's 12th move was to prepare thIS knight leap in response to the thematic ...e5. In the game Gopal - Li Chao. Martunl 2007. Black Wal SWIftly annihilated after 15 ... gxf5 16.g5

Chapter 5 - Chinese Dragon

77

Iilxb3t 17.axb31ile8 18.lild5 f6 19.1:!hgl!!f7 20.gxf6t I!ih8 21.Iile7 1-0.

18.h4

However, 14 ... lilxb3t IS a perfectly valid move order, after which 15.liJxb3 b4 16.liJd5 transposes to the mam line below.

Recently in the game Domiguez - Carlsen. Linares 2009. White tried IB.!!he\ but without success: IB ... e5 19.dxe6 fxe6 20.!!e3!!f7 Black had active play and eventually won.

White should continue playmg aggressively.

18...e5

abc

d

e

g

h

This is a standard position for the 12.g4 line. 17...!!b61 This move fully deserves the exclamation mark, as it is a key concept that has helped [0 revIve Black's set-up. A$ far as I am aware, the credit for finding it goes [0 the french .Iso introduces the potential attacking idea of ~a6.

The older 17... e5 is less promISIng, due to IB.dxe6 ~xe6 19.'1!if4 !!b6 20.h4 when Willte s better thanks to his sounder pawn structure md safer king.

abc

d

e

g

h

19.1iJd2!N The knight was doing nothing on the queenslde, so It lmmediatdy heads for Lts s(Congcst square on e4 Instead after 19.dxe6 fxe6 Black has achieve hIS goal of opemng the f-file. MeanwhIle all the important squares are covered and the posl[Ion holds chances for both sides. Alternatively. after 19.1!ibl Black can reply WIth another resourceful move, 19 ...!!b5!1. which seems to hold the balance. 19...!!a6 Apart from this active move Black has a few

alternatives. 19.. .f51 is premarure. 20M g5 2l.gxf5 '1!if6 22.'1!ixf6 !!xf6 23.liJe4 !!xf5 24.h6 White is clearly better.

78


The more solid 19... ee7!? deserves attention. especially if my evaluation of che critical mam line holds firm. Meer 20.!!dgl I!:ih8 21.I!:ibl I prefer White's posicion slighcly. alchough chere IS noching concrete at chis stage.

which neither side will find it easy to resolve the tension on the kingside.

26...!b627.b3

20.~o4 5 21.~g5 ee7

Not only giving the king some breathmg room. but also preparing the idea of a3. opening the queenside.

Black has enough resources co hold his kmgslde cogether. but chac does not necessarily

27 ...!b8

mean his problems are at an end.

The rook hurries to reinforce its brother on

the kings ide. Now White must address the threat of ...!!bf8.

22.h5 !U6 23.l!:ibl! eg7 In case of 23 ... fxg4 24.~e4! White is clearly better. especIally as 24 ... gxf3? loses co 2S.egS!.

24.e:.g7t \fag7 It looks as though Black has solved all hIS problems. Indeed. with a bIshop versus a knight and several pawn targets (g4. f3. dS. (2). it would appear that he has qUIte realistic prospects of assuming the initiative. White must react with great precision.

25.h6t! II1g8 26.!hfl!

8

28.f4! A nice move, JUSt

In

the nick of time!

28 ...04 29.!d4 a5 30.!el !c8 31.1I1b2!fIII 32.gxf5 gxf5 33.!gl II1h8 34.!':tc4 W'lute retains the better chances in the

endgame. ObVIously I cannot claim that all the moves starcing from 19.1tld2 were forced. but chis certainly appeared to be the most ccitical and principled way for Black to handle the position. Practical tests are dearly needed. but for the time being my conclusion is that Black is under some pressure in [his line. B) 12.h4

7

6

5 4

3 2

It

abc

d e

[urns

that

out

g h White's

aggressive

middlegame strategy has yielded cerram positional gains on the ktngside; the knIght on gS and pawn on h6 make an effective tandem. We now reach a very interesting situation in

abc

d e

g

h

12... b5 B.h5!? I decided to IOvesugate this move i

79

Chaptet 5 - Chinese Dtagon .:onnecr:ion with a rarely played but very :.nteresting contInuation.

\Iore common is 13.lllbl Illc4 14.ixc4 bxc4 IS.lllal. White secures his king's fortifications, at the expense of some time. Black can follow ,Ult WIth 15 ... h5! 16.gbl '!!Ia5 17.ih6 ixh6 18.'!!Ixh6 gb6, resulting in complex play with mutual chances, Carlsen - Radjabov, Bilbao ~008.

a

e

g

15.•. lllxh5 We should also consider: 15 ... a5 16.h6!?N The game Sanc - Daurelle, St Lorrain 2005, continued 16.hxgG hxg6 17.e5 dxe5 18.lllc6 ixc6 19.9.d8 gfxd8 20.'!!Ic5 and now '"stead of 20 ... a4? 21.ixf7t 1llxf7 22.'!!Ixc6, Black could have obtained decent compensation for the queen with 20 ...ie8!.

abc

d e

g

h

14.'!!Itl!! This is the unusual idea; White allows the <"
Unsurprismgly, exchanging on c4 has been rhe most popular choice her<. I will not ~amine this move in detail, but will just mention that the open b-file gives Black a full share of the chances.

4

abcdefgh

16...ih817.e5! With ... a4 and ... b4 on rhe way, White has no tIme to lose.

17... dxe5 Also possible is 17... a4, although after 18.exf6 e5 19.1lld5 i.xfl> 20.lllxf6t '!!Ixf6 21.id5 exd4 22.'!!Ixd4 White has berrer chances in the endgame. 18.lllc6 ixc6 19.9xd8 gfxd8 20.'!!Ic5 ie8 21.gdl

80


White has an improved version of the note

to move 16 above, thanks to the strong pawn on h6.

4 3

2

abcdefgb Now the following forcing continuation

leads to a draw: 2Ulxg7 \f;>xg7 22.lild5 1:1g8 23.03 'l!l'f2 24.lilxe71!ih8 25.'I!I'h6 1:1g1 t 26.idl Ii:lh5! 27.1:1xh5 !lxdl t 28.l!ixdl 'l!l'xf3t With perpetual check. However, White can be perhaps try for more with: TIllS IS a themacic idea in many Dragon positions, but here it is completely new. I

found the idea some time ago. One important feature of the position is that Black does not have the typical ...!lxc3 ideas to dimlnate the potentiallild5 jump. 17•.•gxf5 In many Dragon pOSitions Black would almost automatically capture this piece with the bishop rather than the pawn. However. Ifl thiS particular position White's auack on the light squares remains quite powerful after either recapture. Once again, u: IS important that there is no .. J~xc3 sacrifice.

18.gxf5\f;>h8 19.!:!dgl Occupying the newly opened file IS natural, although 19.1:1h3!? also looks quite dangerous, intending to double or even triple on the h-file. This idea requires deep analysis. 19•.. '1'1>6 20:I'f4!!!g8 Anothet logical move is: 20 .. :~d4

21.'I!I'h4 Threatening Ii:ld5. 21...lLc6 22.l!ibl b423.li:le2 8 7

6 4

abcdefgb IntendIng Ii:lf4 with a tremendous attack. Of course these are only samples of many possible lines which would require a huge amount of time and space to analyse fully. The purpose of this book IS to cover a broad range of material, so in such cases the best 1 can do is provide a plausible main line and highlight what I regard as the most important lines that warrant further investigation.

Chapter S - Chinese Dragon 21.l:!dl! WI",e must not forget about the threat of j,h6!. Although it looks strange [0 move :..ck with the rook, Black's position is still not =yo

81

After this fina! accurate move, it seems that the players must settle for a repetition of moves after 27.lilb3 i.f6 28.'I1Ih6 i.g7.

Ir goes without saying there are a gteat many unanswered quesdons in this line. and I am sure the reader can have fun analysing the various possibilities for both sides. At this srage my conclusion is mat, from a practical point of view, Black is likely [0 encounter more difficult problems than Whice. Although I dId not find a win or forced route co an advantage. [ am confident that White will have .. least a draw In most lines, whilst Black must really walk a tightrope to survive. Conclusion

21. .. i.c6 2l...l:!gc8 is well met by 22.lildS! IilxdS !3.l:!xdS, with the powerful threat of f6. 22.iJ7l:!gflI23.i.e6 b4 24.lile2 i.b5! White must not be given time to move the queen and bring the knight to f4.

The Chinese Dragon has built up a considerable body of theory, but the evidence of the present chapter suggests that there is still plenty of scope for creativity. In line A my new idea of 19.1ild2!N looks like a crirical rest of Black's ser-up. The main line led to a queenless position that seemed [0 be balanced on a knife edge, but in the end White's chances proved to be higher. However, If Black does not find any improvement here. he can always inve5ngate

8

.......

alternatives such as the solid 19...'I1Ie7!1, which looks quite playable. I am sure it will not be long before these lines are tested in practice. In line B I chose to focus on a plan that has almost never been tested, by which White allows his prized dark-squared bishop [0 be exchanged for a lOWly knIght. Usually this would be an act of lunacy on the Dragon, but in this instance it was Justified by some specific features of the position. The ensuing knight

./'~"."'.

7

6 5 4

, ....w/·~·..·"' ...

3 2

sacnfice led to fascinating complications. and

abc

d e

g

h

although my main line resulced in a draw, the complications were immense and I would not be surprised to learn that improvements eXisted for both sides. Once again, tests are needed.

Dragon abcdcfgh

12.J1e8 variation Variation Index 1.e4 e5 2.lilo d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.lilxd4lilf6 5.lilc3 g6 6..te3 .ig7 7.0 0-0 8.~d2 lile6 9 ..tc4 .id7 10.0-0-0 !le8 1l..ib3lile5 12.c;!ibl !le8 B.h4h5 84 84 85 86 87 88

A) 14.g4 hxg415.h5lilxh5 16..th6 AI) 16....if6 A2) 16... ~h7 A3) 16••• e6 17.!!dgl A31) 17.•.'6'f6 A32) 17...g3 B) 14..ih6 A2) after 21. .lilxg6

89

A32)

after 17 g3

B) after 19 .. fxg6

abcdefgh

abcdefgh

abcdefgh

2Hlhgl"N

lSlLice2"N

20 b3"N

84


1.ri c5 2.~f3 d6 3.d4 ad4 4.~J:d4 ~f6 g6 6.i.e3 i.g7 7.f3 0-0 S.fi'dl ~c6 9.i.c4 i.d7 10.0-0-0 !i!c8 1l ..ib3 ~e5 12.'~b1 !!IeS 5.~<3

8 7 6

5

8

4

7

3

6

~~~/~?/'~«~/''='~~~?W?a

~~/.~:;'~:,w......,~,

2

5 4

g h a b d There is nothing subtle going on here White just wants 10 bulldoze a path through to the enemy king. For bener or worse, Black should accept the challenge.

3 2

abc

d e

g

h

llus modern move became popular in recent years thanks to the efforts of RadJabov and Carlsen, amongst others. Dragon players were not satisfied with the outcome of 12... 'ilc4, and started to investIgate other ideas. ThlS waiting move has certain advantages, although on the other hand, if one compares the last move of each side, White's i>b 1 is undoubtedly useful whereas the future of the rook on eB is less certam. Let us see how the game may continue from here.

14...1ug4 15.h5 There can be no turnmg back.

8 7 6

5

4

13.M

3

Please note that 13.g4? would enable Black to seize the initiative immediately with 13... b5!, as demonstrated in several games.

2

a 13... h5 This is the most popular and strongest move. Now White faces a very importam choice between the ultra-aggressIVe A) 14.g4 and the shghtly more reserved B) 14.i.h6. Both 3[[Cmprs have been tested extensively, and each has its own advantages.

d

b

e

g

h

White has sacrificed two pawns in order 10 open lines around the enemy king. The immediare threat IS :!lxh5. so Black is more or less obliged 10 choose one of the follOWing three options: A1) 16... i.f6, Al) 16... i>h7 and A3) 16...e6.

All 16....t.f617.~d5 a5 A) 14.g4

Black begms

hIS

own counter-offensive.

Chapter 6 - 12... !'!e8 variation

85

This move has been teseed a couple of times

8

by Kasimdzhanov. The game now follows a forcing tactical sequence.

7

6

17.hg7I11xg718.&g4hg419.~f5t!.hf5

5

20.af5 !!h8 21.&g6 ~xg6

4

3 2

a

b

c

d

e

g

h

18.a3I?N For some: reason this simple move does not appear to have been tested. In some correspondence games White has played 18.~xf6t exf6 19.!,!dgl a4 20..td5. but here Black can obtain good counterplay with 10... a3!N 2l.b3 !'!c5'. intendmg ...!'!xd5 at a

abc

d e

g

h

White is two pawns down. but this

suitable moment.

compensated

IS

by his quite realistic attackmg

18..• a4 19..1a2!!c5 After 19 ... gxf3? there follows 20.!'!dgl ig4 ~ 1.~f5! with a dangerous actack.

chances. Having spent some lime analysing the position. 1 believe that the first player can claim a slight advantage with accurate play.

20.!:!dgl

22.!!hgl!1N This is an interesting new idea. although I

White has a powerful initiative. To give

• brief example. after 20 ... %\Ia5 21.c3 ih8 ~2.!'!xh5! White should win. Overall the 16 ...if6 line looks rather shaky tor Black.

must stress that other moves arc:: also okay. It was not essential [0 find a new idea. but I just wanted [Q add one more interesting option

Al) 16...lI1h7

The game Radjabov - Kasimdzhanov. FIDE Grand Prix 2008. connnued 22.~e4 ~f6 23.!,!dfl !lxh! 24.!'!xhl d5 25.~xf6 (Also promlSmg is 25.%\Ih6tN i>gB 26.~xf6t exf6 27.c3 f5 2B.%\Ih3 %\If6 29.hd5 b6 30.!lfl ~e7 3l.ib3 with some minarive.) 25 ... i>xf6 26.%\If2t i>g7 27.!lfl f6 2B.%\If5. with better chances for White.

worth analysmg.

Another

reasonable

continuatIon

is

22.!ldfl!?N ~hf4 (22 ... ~f6 23.~e4 cransposes to Radpbov - Kasimdzhanov right above)

abc

d e

g

h

86

The Dragon Variation This is the main defensive idea for Black bolstering the a2-gS diagonal and making way for the queen to assist the defence.

4

abcdefgh 23.!!hgl e5 24.1tle2!!h426.ltlxf4!!xf4 27.!!xf4 exf4 2S.exf4 ef6 29.ee4!le7 30.ed3, again with a promising iniCiative for White. 22 ... 1tlf6 23.ltld5 !!c5 23 ... e6? is a bad idea due to 24.ltlf4 when White is much bener. 24.ltlf4 !!b6 25.c3 !!e5 26.i.c2 27.!!dfl

ee8

abc

d

e

g h

17.!!dg1 Another piece joins the attack. Now Black should choose between A31) 17...ef6 and A32) 17... g3. In the event of 17... i.h8?! the following game looks pretty convincmg for White: IS.fxg4 1tlf6 19.i.g5 i.g7 20.eh2 eb6 2I.i.xf6 i.xf6

abc

d

e

g

h

The position is rather double-edged. Black has twO ex"a pawns, but White has conSIderable attacking potential with ideas of !!f3-g3 and ef2 lurking in the position. It might be that chis is a somewhat riskier path for White than the alternatives mentioned at move 22, bur i[

surely deserves au'ention all the same.

A3) 16.... 6

abcdefgh 22.1tlf5! gxf5 (22 ... exf5 23.ltld5 ed8 24.gxf5 gives White a crushing attack) 23. g5 e xg 1 (or 23 ... i.g7 24 .•xf5 exf5 25.g6 with a huge attack) 24.!!xgl i.g7 25.exfS and White eventually converted his material advantage Noritano - Tatar, Internet 2006.

87

Chapter 6 - 12."l:!e8 variation

A31l 17•••"f6 This is an absolutely natural move. Black decides to return one of his extra pawns in order to transfer the queen to aid the defence.

18.&g4 ixh6 19.'I'xh6 "g7

Imending to remove the blockader of the h-file. Here is a sample continuanon: 22 ... a5 23.ltlg3 l:!xc3!? 24.'l!fxc3 a4 25.l:!xh5! l:!c8 26.'l!fb4 axb3 27.axb3 Itlf3 28.l:!fI gxh5 29.l:!xf3 'l!fxg5 30.'l!fxd6 ie8 31.l:!fI The Initiative seems to be on White's Side. 20••.1tlf6 21.g5ltlb5 22.ltlce2 Apart from this there is also the interesting alternative 22.l:!h3!?N.

4

3

a

c

d

e

2

g

20.'I'd211 I found and analysed thIS promISing new idea myself, but thanks '0 a reeem game played Just before publication, I can no longer claim It as a novelty.

The following alternative IS also interesting: 20.'1'<3 1tlf6 21.g5 Itlh5 Now 22.ltldb5 ixb5 23.ltlxb5 l:!ed8 2H!lxa71tlf3 25.l:!g2 'l'e5 gave Black a solId position in the recent game Domiguez Smerdon, Khanty-Mansiysk 2009. Instead I propose the following improvement: 22.ltlde2!?N

abc

d

e

Preparing Itlde2 and defending ,he third rank. Afrer 22 ... ltlc4 23.'l!ff2 b5 24.ixc4 bxc4 25.e5 'l!fxeS 26.l:!el 'l!ff4 27.l:!f3 'l!fxg5 27.l:!xf7 White mai maInS some pressure. Alternatively, after 22 ... l:!c5 23.ltlde2 l:!d8 24.ltlf4 ic6 25.'l!ff2 the threat of l:!xh5 IS In the air. These lines are by no means exhaustive,

but they illustrate the potemial danger for Black.

8 7

6 5 4 4

3 2

abcdefgh

abc

d

e

g

h

88

The Dragon Variacion

22 •.• ~c4 23 •.bc4 !hc4 24.b3 l1!cS 25.~g3 ~xg3 26.l1!xg3 Wh.n I originally wrote this chapter. [ .nd.d my analysis here. evaluating the posmon as promising for White. who imends to double and possibly triple on the h-6Ie. WhIle the book was being edited. [ noticed that this very same position had been tested In a Sicilianth.m.d .xhibition match. Let us see how the s.cond of the four games .nd.d:

26 ... l1!ec8 During my initial analysis [ had noticed that 26 ...• 5 could be Strongly m.t by 27.lLlfS'.

27.l1!gh3! This requires precis. calculation; or p.rhaps ic was all preparation. Either way, it works p.rf.ctly.

27 ... 05 28.l1!h4! exd4 29.Wh21

Unfortunately for Black. his coumerattack does not arrive in time, and White finishes the gam. in fin. styl•.

34.05! Wx05 35.l1!h7l1!5c7 36.Wd6! 1-0 ]. Polgar- Kaidanov. Hilton H.ad (2) 2010. Aft.r this crushing d.feat. the onus is on Dragon fans to 6nd an Improvem.m in this particular line. A32) 17...g3 This is another att.mpt by Kasimdzhanov. 18.~ce2!IN

[n the stem game Vachier Lagrav. Kasimdzhanov. Donostia-San S.bastian 2009. Whit. played the more forcing 18.l1!xhS. which is also nor bad. The game cominued 18 ... gxhS 19.1'lxg3lLlg6 20.lLlfS Af6 21.ILlxd6 with some inidative for White. However, [ decided it would be more tnterestlng to analyse a fr.sh continuation.

8 7

8

6

7

5

6

4

5

3

4 3

2

2

abc

d e

g

h

With this move White regains the sacrificed piece by force. while also keeping a powerful attack..

29... liIftl30.Wxd6+ IiIg8 31.Wxd7 d3 A good attempt to obtain coumerplay. but Polgar keeps comrol expertly.

abc

d

e

g

h

18...W(6 19..bg7 19.~g5?? does not win the queen but inst.ad loses the gam. aft.r 19 ... lLlxf3.

19...Wxg7 20.~xg3 ~xg3 Attempting to avoid the knight exchange is risky: 20 ...1Llf6 21.f4 lLl.g4 22.ILlS ~cC B.lLlgS with a dang.rous attack.

Chapter 6 - 12...!:leB variation

lI.!!xg3 as 2l.f4 ~c4 22.V!!'fl

89

This is the main line and probably strongest, although there are some playable alternatives. Mrer 14...V!!'a5 15.g4 !:lxc3 16.hg7 I!Ixg7 17.bxc3 !:lc8 18.gxh5 liJxh5 19.!:!hgl White has some inuiacive. The altern pc to exchange queens with 19 ...V!!'xc3 is well mer by 20.V!!'g5!.

abc

d e

g

h

[prefer White's chances in rhis double-edged position. 22 ... e5? fails now due to 23.f5!, "hile 22 ... l!IfS 2H!gh3 leaves White with an ongoing inidacive to compensate for (he smaIl material defici[.

14...j,hB 15.g4 liJc4 16.V!!'d3 b5 17.gxh5!?N (Khalifinan gives I 7.g5, which is also promising in my opmion, but my idea is to go lOr a direct attack along the g-file using the gg5 monf.) 17... liJxh5 18.e!hgl V!!'a5 19.e5! with a strong initiative. That is Just one small example [0 illustrate White's attacking resources in these

posicions.

lS..bc4 !hc4 16..bg7I!1xg7

B) 14.ih6

abc abc

d e

g

h

Compared with 14.g4 this move may not seem as dramauc. but that IS not to ;ay it is any less dangerous. White simply \\ Ishes to exchange the dark-squared bIShops before attempnng to crack open the lungside.

d e

g

h

17.g4 Having achieved thedeslted bishop exchange, White wastes no time in starting his attack.

In several games White tried 17.liJd5, but after 17...e5! 18.liJxf6 V!!'xfl) I 9.liJb3 gec8 1 20.V!!'xd6 .te6 Black has decent compensation for the sacrificed pawn. 17... 1ag4 18.h5 !h8 19.1ug6 &g6

90


22 ...tfe8 This looks best, avoidmg a potential fork on eG. Here are some alternative ideas:

8 7

6

If Black plays a 'non-committal' move such as 22 ... a5, then 23."l!fg2! is strong.

5 4

3

22 ... lilxe4 looks critical, but after 23."l!fg2 !ixd5 24."l!fxe4 !ig5 25.!idgl :!!xhl 26."l!fxhl \Vh.i re IS bener.

F"~//,·,,,",,·p'~',·~.~,

2

abc

d

e

g h We have reached a critical posItion.

20.h3!?N Usually White plays 20.f4, but I am not convinced that any advantage can be achieved after 20 ... !ixh I (another approach is 20 ... e5!~, with immense complications) 2 L!ixhl Wfl. In general the pomions are hard to evaluate, and there are surely many new ideas waiting to

be discovered. Instead I decided to focus on the text move, a completely new idea that I found myself. It involves an entirely different approach to the

position.

20...!c5 21.fxg4! This is the idea - instead of pushmg with f4, White wants to open some kingside files.

22 ... lilxd5 23.exd5 !ixd5 24.:!!hgl "l!fd7 25."l!fg2:!!xd4 26.!ixd4 .if5 reaches a pOSition rhat is not easy to assess. Overall I would say that the presence of queens, combined with the open lines on kingslde, make White's position somewhat easier [0 play.

23.!ixb8 tfxb8 24.!gl tfh5 25.tfg2 It also looks tempting for White to switch to a positional strategy With 25.c4!1, with the idea that after 25 ... lilxd5 26.exd5 he still maintainS some pressure despite being a pawn down. Black has weak pawns on g6, e7, and potentiallya7 and b7 as well. Furthermore the rook on c5 is misplaced, for the moment at least. 25 ....ib3 It looks like Black has achieved a comfortable position. but White can connnue

[Q

problems with the follOwing tactical shot.

abc

d

e

g

h

abc

d

e

g

h

pose

Chapter 6 - 12 ... ge8 variation U;.~e6t! obe6 27.~f4 Y!"g4 28.Y!"f2 ~xe4 29.Y!"d4t ~f6 3O.gxg4 .bg4 31.~d3 ga5 n.Y!"c3 This endgame is tough to evaluate. Wirh rook, bishop and [WO pawns for the queen, Black acrually has a shght material advantage, but the white queen is about to penetrate

[0

c7 which should enable him to regain a pawn. The final result may well be decided by a murual pawn race. Overall 1 would be slightly more opdmistic about White's chances, although it is clear rhat a deep analysis will

be required to demonsrrace this with any certainty. Conclusion Borh of the main branches examined hete can lead to deeply complex and fascinating positions. In line A) 14.g4 hxg4 15.h51llxh5 16.ih6, we saw that Black has three main
extra pawns but a perman~ntly exposed

kmgside. The position is challenging for both Sides. but with accurate play I consider White's chances to be slightly hIgher. Finally, Black's moSt populat choice has been A3) 16... e6 17.gdgl, when there are [WO maIO cries. The lirst, A3 I) 17.. .'/fIfU, was dealt a severe blow by the recent Polgar - Kaidanov game. There is no quesrion thar the ball is in Black's court here. and

1t

will be Iflreresring

to

see

If Dragon aficIOnados can lind a slgmlicanr Improvement. This leaves A32) 17 ... g3, a1rhough here toO White's prospects appear quire brighr. The original Vachier Lagrave -

Kasimdzhanov game demonstrated one

good continua non, while my new idea of 18.lllce2!?N also appears promISing.

91

We ended the chapter by examining the less ovenly aggressive, but snll qUIte dangerous continuanon of B) 14.ih6. Here toO, the play is complex and difficult for both sides. My new idea of 20.b3!?N looks like an interesring one, which requires practical resting. Overall I prefer White's chances slightly in this Ime roo, although it is obviously toO early to draw any firm condusions.

Dragon abcdefgh

Topalov variation Variation Index l.e4 c5 2.
A) 16••• b4

96

B) 16••. mg8!

98

13 ~d5

A) aher 21 'l\'a5

B) aher 17 I1th,l

abcdefgh

abcdefgh

abcdefgh

17. e5 t

22.~c4'N

17 I1tc5'

note

[0

94


1.e4 c5 2.lOa d6 3.d4 ad4 4.lOxd4 1Of6 5.100 g6 6 •.id .ig7 7.a 0-0 8.l!Ydl 1Oc6 9 •.ic4 Ad7 10.0--0-0 gc8 1l.J.b3 IOxd4 12..ixd4 b5

18.hxg6 hxg6 Black has enough counterpla) 16... b4 17.llle2 f5

2 abcdefgh

Black has good play on the dark squares.

abc

d e

g

h

This is a truly modern variation of the Dragon. which was first played at a hIgh level by Topalov in 19%. Black immediately goes for a pawn advance on the queenside. and does not mind making the generally unfavourable kmght exchange on d4 in order to carry OUt his objective.

\3.1xa7 b4 14.llle2 14.llld5 IOxd5 15.exd5 l!Ya5 16.l!Ye3 ~a 17.~d4 !lc7 gives Black full compensation. 14...l!Ya5 15.~d4 A.4 16.Axa41!Yxa4 17.l!Ib White seems to be consolidating, but Blae

can maintain the inidative in the followin energetic manner:

B.lOd5 The threat of ... a5 was quite unpleasant. so White wastes no time in removing (he

knight

from the finng Ime of the advancing enemy pawns. This is by far the moSt popular move. and the only one worth analysing in detail. We will take a very brief look at a few lesser alternatives: Swapping down to an ending offers White nothing: 13.e5 dxe5 14.~xe5 ~c6 15.l!Yxd8 !llXd8 16.!lxd8t !lxd8 17.!ldl ~h6t 18.';i;>bl !lxdJt 19.1Oxdl and now either 19 ... lOhS or Illd7 gives Black at least equal chances. 13.h4 a5 14.h5 a4 15.~xf6 exfU 16.~d5 (Perhaps White should prefer 16.l!Yxd6. although after 16... axb3 17.l!Yxd7 l!Ya5

abcdefgh

17 ... e5! 18.Ad 18.b3l!Yc6 19 ..tb2 d5 and \8.~2 d5 19.c b3 both give Black good playas well. 18 ... d5! 19.exd5lllxd5 20.l!Yxd5 2o.Ag5 e4! looks dangerous. 20 ... l!Yxc2t 21.I!Iai I!Yxe2 22.l!Yd2 !lc 23.l!Yxe2 !lxe2 Black eventually ground OUt a win in th ending in Azadmanesh - Van de Morte Amsterdam 1998.

Chapcer 7 - Topalov variation

95

If you intend to play the black side of the Topalov variation. then I would encourage you ro carry out your own research and investigate these lines more closely, as the above examples are merely dlustratlve lines and are not Intended to provide a complete repertoire against White's 13th move ahernatives. My overall evaluation isthatl3.li:ld5 remains the only serious try for an advantage. so I do not want to get toO bogged down with the less Important lines.

13...li:lxd5 14.hg7111xg7 15.exd5 It is worth menlloning briefly that taking with the bishop is toothless. 15.~d5 a5 16.a3 Y!!c7 17.lI1bl b4 IS.axb4 axb4 19 ..tb3 Y!!a5 20.h4 l'lc5 21.Y!!d4t f6 with excellent play for Black. Ortiz Suarez - Gashimov. Ourense (rapid) 2009.

8 7 6 5 4

3 2

abc

d e

g

h

At this "age we can begin to see certain defects In Black's set-up. This central structure IS known to favour While thanks to hIS extra space and pOlenllai pressure along the e-file. However. the fact that he has already committed his king to the queenside renders the task of exploitIng his positional advantage CAther more problematic. 15... a516.a3

abc

d e

h

g

We have reached a critical pOSllion. in which Black can choose between twO main moves. For a long time A) 16... b4 was considered critical. but based on a recent game of Shirov I now believe B) 16... lI1g8! to be slightly more accurate. Another option is: 16... Y!!b6 During the early days of the present sy"em this was Black's main Idea. The queen development looks quite attractive for Black. especially when you appreciate the devious thceat of ... a4 followed by ... l'lxe2L However. ic has been under a cloud ever since Anand demonstrated the following plan: 17.l'lhel l'leS lS.g4 b4 19.a4 Y!!c5 20.lI1bl e5 2l.dxe6 Le6 22.h4 Lb3 23.cxb3 l'lxe 1 24.l'lxel S 7

4

abc

d

e

g

h

96

The Dragon Variarion

White has a srable advanrage rhanks to his safer king and sounder pawn mucrure, Anand - Tiviakov, Wijk aan Zee 200 I.

A) 16...b4 This pawn sacrifice was considered Black's besr chance unril Shirov unveiled his new approach. Thar being said, it srill poses Whire plenry of problems.

17.Ol[b4 Ir would be nice for White to block the queenside with 17.a4, but after 17... l!I'eS! Black simply pIcks up the a-pawn.

17... Ol[b418.exb4l!1g8 19.11Ihe1 111e8 We have reached a critical position. White has an exrra pawn, but Black has three open files ra play with on the queenside. Furthermore, it IS hard to see White's extra pawn playing any significant role in the game in the immediate future. Therefore he must strive to Improve his pieces and gradually force exchanges or otherwise consolidate his material advantage, perhaps wirh a king march to the opposi .. flank. Obviously ir will take a grear deal of skill and precision to achieve these aims.

20.!1!d4 This has been by far the mosr popular move, and is considered by most commentators [0 be the strongest, but I am not so sure. 20 ... !1!bS 21.l!I'c3 2l.l!I'd2 has been more popular, but in order not to may toO far off-topic. I will focus on the text move, which is currently considered to be more crincal. 2I...l!I'b622.l!1dl The king begins his migration. 22 ... ~b5 23.!1!de4 l!I'a7! A nice move, defending the e7-pawn while maintaining [he queen's position on the a7 gl diagonal and incidenrally taking comrol over the a-file as well. p

4

3

abcdefgh

8 7

6 5 4 <"",,/""'7"'mh

3~~)~ 2

a e g 20.!1!e3! This rare move deserves serious attentlOn, and could weU be the most accurate according to my analysis. The main alternative IS:

24.h4 24.l!I'd4 is also possible, but after 24 ... l!I'al t 25.l!Id2 l!I'a5t 26.l!I'c3 V!fa7 White is not getting very far. The game might continue 27.!1!le3 l!I'al 2S.!1!xe7 !1!xe7 29.l1Ixe7 l!I'fl 30.l!I'f6 l!I'f2t 31.I!1dl l!I'fl t 32.!1!el l!I'xg2 when a perperual is the mosr likely outcome (nore that White would even lose after 33.l!I'xd6?? !1!aS!). So far we have been following the game Mad! - Remete, Hungary 2006. At this poim I found a new idea for Black. 24 ...!1!ecS!N The game contmued 24 ... !la8, but afte 25.l!I'd4 Black was struggling to demonsrrar. compensation.

Chapter 7 - Topalov variation 25.l!I'd4 If 25.l!I'd2 l!I'a! t 26.l!I'cl l!I'a6! Black plans .. .1I.c4 with counterplay. 25 ...l!I'a! t 26.l!?d2 l!I'a5t 27.l!I'b4 l!I'a7 I do not see a realistic way for White to make much progress In terms of Improving his position to play for a Win.

97

22 ... gb4 23.1I.c411.b5 24.l!I'd! This was White's idea - he can afford to give up his bishop as the threats against the black king wUl enable him to regain it. 24 .. .1I.xc4 25.l:!xe7 l:!xe7 26.l:!xe7 l!I'a4 27.l:!e4 f5 28.l:!h4 l!I'a! t 29.l!?d2 l:!b8 30.l:!xc4 After spending six moves a piece down, White finally recoups his investment while keeping an extra pawn. However, Ius exposed king gives him some problems. 30...l:!e8 3l.l!I'd4 l!I'fI 32.1!?c3 l!I'xg2 33.l!I'f4 l!I'e2 ThIS was lvanovic - Alexander, e-mail 2005. White remains a pawn up, although the computer still rates the pOSition as dead equal, despite the absence of an immediate perpetual check. I am not entirely sure what to make of all this, but it cellainly looks worthy of further

investigation.

abede

gh

Let us now consider the position after my preferred continuation of 20.ge3!. The main Idea behind this move is to prepare gdel, when the pressure against e7 will distract Black from hIS queenside play.

Nevertheless, I still prefer my new idea, which looks even more theoretically promising and, just as importantly, a lot more 'human'.

Now we see another advantage of the earlier rook move to e3: the possibiliry of swinging along the third rank.

20•••gb8 I also conSidered 20 ... gc5 2l.gdel l!I'a8 22.l!I'd4 with some advantage for White, although the poslllon remains complicated. 21.l!I'd41Ya5 Here I suggest a new idea.

22.1I.c41N A few other games continued 22. l!I'd 1fta7 when While found nothing beller than returning with 23.l!I'd4. 22.l:!de\!? This may also be a legitimate try for an advantage, although Il relies on some computer-inspired tactics.

abe

d

e

g

h

22...1I.b5 Black also fails to equalize after 22 ...l!I'a\ t 23.l!?d2 l!I'a5t (23 ...l!I'xb2? 24.l!I'xb2 l:!xb2 25.1I.b3) 24.l!I'c3.

98


23.!!ia3 "!!Jc7 24..bb5 Having succeeded in transferring the rook to a favourable defensive position. White could also consider 24 ..tb3!? 24 ...lhb5

25.!!id~

White keeps an edge, wnh chances co conven his extra pawn.

B) 16.. .'oIIg8! Although this move has been known for a long time. it was recendy used to particularly good effect by Shirov as we will soon see. Black still intends to play ... b4 at some poin[. bur hopes to obtain an imptoved version of the previous line by waiting for the optimum

17...!!ic5! ThIS was Shirov's big new idea. Khalifman mentions the alternatives 17... b4. 17... if5 and 17 ... l:!e8. in each case provIding a convincmg route (Q a white advantage. We will now follow [he game Ka'Jakin Shirov. Grand Slam MaSters 2009. 18.g4 The moSt natural move appears to be 18.!'le3. I assume that in [his case Shirov's idea was 18 ... b4! with twO possibilities for White: a) 19.axb4 axb4 20."!!Jxb4 "!!JaB!

moment.

abcdefgh

abc

d e

g

h

17.!!ihel Another possibility is 17.h4 b4 18.axb4 axb4 19.h5. Now in Negi - Konguvel. India (ch) 200B. Black played 19..."!!Ja5?! and soon wenr down after 20."!!Jd4 1I.f5 2 I.l!;>d2 !!ic5 22.hxgG II.xgG 23.1!;>e3 "!!Jb5 24.1!;>f1 gfc8 25.l!;>g3 "!!Jd7 26."!!Je3 g5c7 27.gd4! "!!Jb5? 28.gg4! gill 29."!!Jh6! 14>. This was a nice game from Negi. buc it

IS

not toO hard to improve on Black's play. for insrance with 19 ... lI.f5! 20.hxgG.LgG 2I."!!Jd4 gc5!. with decent counterplay as 22.l!;>d2 is well met by 22 ... "!!Jb6!.

The pom[ is that Black has po[entially saved a tempo over the 16 ... b4 hne. as the rook on the e-file will need to expend a second tempo [0 capture on e7. 2I.!!ixe7 is StU! playable. but after 21..."!!Jalt 22.l!;>d2 "!!Jxb2 Black has plenty of counterplay. And If White refrains from capturing on e7. Black will obtam a dearly improved version of the 16... b4 line. as the king's rook wU! swing direcdy to bB. inStead of spending a tempo going to e8 fim. b) I also wondered about: 19.a4!? Usually this is a dubious idea in the Topalov variation. due to the reply ... "!!JeB hitting a4. However,

in

[he present posidon White

can prepare a Strike against the e7-pawn.

Chapter 7 - Topalov variation Nevertheless it turns out that Black can play it regardless. 19...'!!Ie8 20.'!!Ie2! 20.gdei?! .txa4 21.!h.e7 '!!Ib5 is good for Black. 2o ... ixa4 21.!h.e7 '!!Ixe7! This queen sacnfice saves the day for Black. Instead 2l...'!!Ib5 22.'!!Ixb5 hb5 23.1:!a7 would leave him struggling to defend an ending a pawn down.

22.'!!Ixe7 hb3 23.1:!rl2 gfcB I do not see any problems for Black in this endmg. 18•.. b4 19.axb4 ""b4 20.~][b4 ~a8! 21.11>d2 gb8

abc

d e

f

g

h

Somewhat reminiscent ofthe Benko Gambit, isn't i,? Karjakin was evidently convinced by Black's compensation, so he steers ,he game towards a draw. 22.gal g,.d5t 23.11>03 ge5t 'h-'h At present, this game is the last word of ,he theore,ical dispute in ,he Topalov variation. be fully playable, Overall I regard ,his line and have not been able find any major Improvements for White, although we will

'0 '0

have to wait for more games before drawing

any firm conclusions.

99

Conclusion Topalov's system cominues [0 be a viable method of handling the Dragon. The old main line of A) 16... b4 gives decent practical compensation, although I believe I have charted qui,e a promising path ,owards an advantage for White. However, after the more refined B) 16... lIIgB, with the idea of postponing ,he ... b4 sacrifice until a more favourable moment presents itself, the ball is firmly in White's court at present.

The theore,ical debate will surely con,inue for some time. Regardless of the final outcome, from a pracdca1 perspecdve it is reasonable to state ,hat ,he positions resulting from ,he ... b4 pawn sacrifice are extremely double.edged and difficul, for both sides. I must emphasize that the Topalov line IS in a general sense a rypical 'computer line'. full of tac,ical motifs and pi,faIls. Perhaps that is one reason why i, has not been the most popular choice in tournament chess - it is very easy for human players to make mistakes, from either SIde of the board. at almost any stage of the game.

Taimanov abcdefgh

English Attack main line Variation Index 1.e4 e5 2.~0 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.~xd4 ~c6 5.~c3 fie7 6..ie3 a6

7.fid2 ~f6 8.0 Ab4 A) 9••• ~e5

B) 9 ... 0-0!? Bl) B2) B3)

102 107 109 110

10.g4 b5 II.g5 ~e8 12.~xc6

12.'t>bl 12.a3!?

III 83) nOlelo 13 b4

83) .f(er 15 iixb4

abcde(gh

abedefgb

abcdefgh

15 lli'el'N

141ili5"N

161li'd4"N

82)

no(e (0

14 d6

102


1.e4 c5 2.~a e6 3.d4 ad4 4.~][d4 ~c6 Bc7 6 ..103 a6 7.fI"d2 ~f6 .1b4 9.0-0-0

8.a

5.~c3

Here is a very brief summary of rhe alternatives: The natural 9 ... d S?! is now known [0 be premamrc:. White obtains advantage with 1O.•3! ~xc3 (I0... ~a5 1 L/Ob3! also eliminates the valuable bishop, whIle other bishop retreats would leave Black saddled wirh an isol.red d-pawn,) 11.v.!'xc3 dxe4. Ar rhis point White has a pleasant choice between 12.fxe4 /Oxe4 13,v.!'d3 /0,5 14,v.!'c4 /Od7 15,/Oxc6 v.!'xc6 16,v.!'g4 wirh good compensation, Krammk - Ljubojevic. Monte Carlo 2003, and 12./Oxc6 v.!'xc6 13.v.!'e5 0-0 14.1/.g5 /Od7, Tseshkovsky - Thorfinnsson, Biel 2004, 15,v.!'xe4!N fl"xe4 16,fxe4 with a pleasant endgame advantage thanks to rhe powerful bishop pair,

me

8 7

6 5 4

3 r~~~="Fe~'=<~"''''~~fi

2

abc

d

e

g

h

This modem line only became really popular within the last five years or so. Players of the white pieces wanted to make the English atrack into a univ(:rsaI system against practically all variations of the Sicilian. At first it did not

appear to be anything special against the Taimanov, as Black had some extra active:: possibilities such as the active development of

the bishop on b4, perhaps in conjunction with an early ".d5 break. Nevertheless, 11 gradually transpired that the white posicion canramed plenry of resources to fight for the advantage against such ideas. Thanks largely [0 rhe efforts of players like Shirov and SVldler, the present line remains one of White's most challenging options against the Taimanov. Black has tried several moves in the diagram posiCIon. There is nowhere near enough space here for an exhaustive survey, so I Will Instead focus on two of the most topical lines thar I find the most interesting: A) 9 ... ~.5 and B) 9 ..•0-0!1, The first IS the established main lIne, The second has been seen much less frequently, bue has started [0 become fashionable larely and has scored quire highly for Black,

9... /Oe7 is the second most popular move after 9 ... ttJe5. White's strongest response is

1O,/Ode2!, when the two crirical responses are 1L~g5! dxe4 12,.txf6 gxf6 13.v.!'d4 exf3 14.v.!'xb4 fxe2 15 ..txe2 with promising compensation for Whire, and 10 ... b5 1 L1/.f4 e5 12,1/.g5 with slightly bener chances for rhe first player, alrhough in both cases rhe posmon remains hIghly complex,

m .. d5

A) 9 •.• ~e5

8 7

6

5 4

2

abc

d

e

g

h

Chapter 8 - English Attack main line IMlb31 The kmghe did noe have many prospeers on d4, so it retreacs in order co give the queen and bishop a benee view of me boaed. This is fiemly eS(ablished as Whiee's moS( promising continuation. lO ... b5 1l.'I!I'el There are sevecal ocher moves heee, bue me text seems to be the most dangerous one for Black. The genecal idea is [0 eransfec me queen co ehe kmgSlde, alehough ehe move also caeries ehe incidental ehreae oflLlxbS.

103

17.g3 d6 18.lLlb3 lLlf6 "with roughly even chances".) For mS(ance, 17... d6 18.lLlb3 b4 19.aS l:!b8 20.lLla4 wim be((er prospeefS for White. 14.icS!

7

6 4 3 2

8 abcdefgb

7

ThIS a((ractive move has been played a few

6

times.

5 4

k/////('",,""/~w/

3 1'Wf'?!/:~%~ 2

abc

d e

g

h

1l ... .i.e7 Black has some ocher opeions as well. (Please note that takIng on c3 is not one of them, as Whiee's dark-squared bishop would become a monster [hat would heavily oucweigh ehe theoretical weakness of me doubled pawns in [he endgame.) 1l...l:!b8 12.'I!I'g3lLlhS 13.'I!I'f2! This peep ares a nice
14... dS IS.exdS Also possible is me immediate IS.bxc3 ib7 16.'I!I'h4 lLlf4 17.'I!I'g3 lLlfg6 18.f4! lLld7 19.ib4 with a scrong mitiauve, Karjakm Stellwagen, Wijk aan Zoe 2009. IS ... exdS 16.bxc3 ie6 17.l:!eI f6 18.'I!I'h4lLlf4 19.1!1bl White had a very nice position, MuzychukStepovaja, St Petersburg 2009. ll...lLlc4 12.id4 0-0 White can now initiate the following more or less forcing sequence: 13.eS! ixc3 14.hc3lLldS IS. id4 as 16.lLlcS a417.o3

7

6 4 3 2


104

17... 10 Black needs to challenge his opponent's domination over the dark squares. 18.exf6Itlxf619.$g3! This is a key move for White. 19 ... eS 20.~xc4t bxc4 21.$xeS d6 22.$g3 ifS 22 ... ltlhS 23.$h4 dscS 24.$xhS ifS 2S.il.c3 was clearly better for White in Perez Candelario - Saldano Dayer, ElgOibar 2004. 23.~xlO lhlO 24.1tle4 !:lg6 2S. $f4 !:llll No better is 2S ... ixe4 26.$xe4 !:lb8 27.!:lhe1 !:lxg2 28.$dSt $f7 29.$xd6 with advantage to White, Nepomniachtchi - Papin, Plovdiv 2008. 26.$d2 ~xe4 27.fxe4 c3 28.bxc3

7

6 4 3

abc

d e

g

h

12••• 1tlg6 This slightly odd-looking move is the main line. 12... ltlc4 This looks natural, but has not been a high scorer for Black. 13.cSltlg4 13 ... ltlxe3?! has never been played, as after 14.$xe3 Black cannot play 14 ... ltlg4?? due to IS.$8. Therefore the knight would have to retreat to g8, which can hardly be desirable for Black, bishop pair or not. 1H.d4

abcdefgh

We have been following the game Krivoruchko - Ma"enko, Paleohora 2008. Now instead of 28 ...$c41 29.$dSt $xdS 30.exdS !:lxg2 31.!:ld2 !:lff2 32.!:lxf2 !:lxf2 33.c4, when White won the ending without tOO many problems, It was essential for Black to play either 28 ... h6 or 28 ... l!1h8. In both cases after 29.!:lhfl lab8 Black has a degree of practical compensation for the rvro missing pawns, as the white king is a bit exposed. Nevenheless there can be no doubt that the first player's position is objectively superior. 12.£4

abcdefgh

14... 15 The game Sutovsky - J. Polgar, Richard Riordan (rapid) 2009, continued 14 ...~b7 IS.ixc4 bxc4 16.ltld2 Itlh6 17.$02 !:le8 18.ltlde4 ItlfS 19.94 Itlxd4 20.!:lxd4 0-0. Now instead of 21.g5, White should have

105

Chapter 8 - English Attack main line preferred 21.l"lhdl with advantage. 15.h3/tlh6 16.'lWf2 ib7 Another game continued 16... l"lb8 l7.b7 l"lb7 18.ic5 ixc5 19./tlxc5 l"lb6 20.ixc4 bxc4 21./tl3a4 l"lc6 22.'lWd4 /tlfl 23.'lWxc4 and White was better despite the slight misplacement of the knight on a4. perez Candelario - Damljanovic. Sanxenxo 2004. 17.ixc4 bxc4 18.ib6! By securing rhe a5-square for his knIght. White creates real problems for the defi:nce.

22.l"lxd5!N exd5 23.l"ldl The pawns on d5 and c4 will drop. and the black pieces are in total dIsarray. The position is already close to wmning for White. 13.e5 /tlg4 14.l!le4 0-0 So far 14... /tlxe3 has only been tested a few times. After l5.'lWxe3 0-0 16.id3 ib7 17.l"lhfI I prefi:r White slightly. but the black pOSition remains quite playable. DarmarakisTassopoulos. Ermioni 2006.

8

15..tc5

7

Exchanging these bishops IS a key part of White's strategy. It looks like he is well on the way to dark-squared supremacy. but it is important to keep in mind the important resource of ... f6 for Black

6 4

8 7 abcdefgh

18... 'lWc8 Even worse is 18 ... 'lWc6?! 19.1;)a5 'lWxg2 20.'lWd4 .1<8 21.ic5 ixc5 22.'lWxc5 and White won quickly In Grischuk - j. Gdler. Sochi 2004. 19./tla5 ib4 20.'lWd4 ixc3 21.'lWxc3 id5 We have been following the game Fluvia Poyatos - Javakhishvlli. Barcdona 2004. At this point White could have obtamed a huge advantage with a simple exchange sacnfice.

6

5 4 2

a

e

g

15 .. .J.b7 Obviously it is no good for Black to play l5 ...lf/.xcs 16./tlexc5 /tlxf4? on account of 17.'lWg3 forking the knIghts.

8 7

6 4

abcdefgh

16.h3 A recent game featured a new and interesting approach for White: 16.ixe7!? /tlxe7 17.lf/.d3 f5 18./tld6lf/.xg2? This looks too risky. If White's new idea is repeated then Black should look to improve with 18... /tld5 or 18 ...ic6.

106


19.1i:g1 .id5 20M Iilh6 21.1!I'g3 Iilg6 22.h4 Iilg4 23.h5 lile7 24 ..ie2

2o.lild6 We have reached a critical positIon for this

line. One of the key questions IS whether or not Black will manage to find a useful role for the knight on h6. He would love to exchange It for the intruder on d6. but for the time being this is impossible as we shall see.

6 4

8 7

6 abcdefgh

5

Black faced a huge attack and soon lost, Kryvoruchko - Ribli, Slovenia 2009.

4

16••. lilh6 17.h.7 1il".7 18.~d3 Iild5

2

19.!!:fl I prefer thIS to 19.1!I'd2 as played in Vachier Lagrave - Vitiugov, Plovdiv 2008, after which Delchev and Sernkov's suggestion of 19... £6! gives Black enough counterplay. 19... 5 There is a critical alternative 10 19 .. .f6!?, as played in Potrata - D,bley, e·mail 2006, and a few subsequent games. Here I found a new and promISIng idea:

3

1

abc

d e

g

h

20...~c6 Can you ... why 20 ...1ilf7? IS un playable! The answer IS revealed after 21.lilxb7 1!I'xb7 22.hf5! exf5 23.lila5 and Wlute wins a pawn.

21.g4! Black was ready for ... Iilf7, so Wh,te wastes no urne in creating fresh problems for his opponent on [he kingside.

21 ...&g4 22.1!1'g3 1ilf7 6

5 4

3

abcdefgh

20.lila5!?N with the possible continuation 20 ... fxe5 21.lilxb7 1!I'xb7 22.lilgS exf4 23 ..ixh7t I!1h8 24 ..ie4 and White keeps some iniciative.

abc

d e

g

h

Chapter 8 - English Atrack main line 23.bxg4! This was a key improvement over 23.1ilxf7 !:!xf7 24.hxg4 !:!aEl! 2S.fS Iilb4 26.lild4 Iilxd3t 27.'lWxd3 (27.!:!xd3 te4) 27 ... 'lWxeS 2B.fxo6 !:!xfl 29.!:!xfl 'lWgSt 30.lt1bl !:!xfl t 31.'lWxfl 'lWf6 with an equal ending. Schlosser - Ivanisevic. France 2007.

resolute defence. Nevertheless. at this stage it is clear thar White has the inidative. B) 9 ... 0-0!1

abc 2

abc

d e

g

h

24.Vh2! An important finesse. Instead after 24.exd6 'lWxd6 2S.'lWh2 Black defends comforrably with 2S ... g6. 24... h6 Now 24 ... g6? is inadvisable due to 2S.!:!h1! !:!t7 26.txg6. 25.exd6 \Wb6 The computer· inspired 2S ...'lWxd6!? 26.gS 'lWbB 27.gxh6 Iilxf4 has been suggested as a possible defence. but White remains on tOP after 2B.'lWd2! Iilxd3t 29.'lWxd3 'lWeS 30.hxg7 when the black king is highly compromISed. 26.!:!del Iil b4 27-Ag6 This was the game Nepomniachtchi Vitiugov. Novokuznetsk 200B. The position contains considerable resources for both sides.

and Black was eventually able to draw after a

107

d e

g

h

This is a relatively new, interesting and fresh alternative to the main line. BelQre deciding how to arrange his pieces Black first evacuates his king from the centre. 10.g4 b5 Less promising. in my view, is: 10... lileS 11.gSIilhS Chepannov - Maletm. Budva 2009. 12.f4!'N

7

6 5 4 2

abcdefgh ThIS has not yet been tested. but it looks to me like the critical test of Black's idea. White IS playing directly against the misplaced knight on hS.

108


12...~xc3

Again there

Black can also try 12... lilg4 13.eS hc3 14.bxc3 d6 lS.~e2 Iilxe3 16.'llI'xe3 dxeS 17./XeS g6 18.ixhS gxhS 19.1ile2 intending Iil f4 wllh an attack. 13.'llI'xc3 'llI'xc3 14.bxc3lilg4 lS.lIId2!

7

6 4

IS

an Interesting but probably

weaker alternatJve:

1l...lilhS 12.lilde2! This move has only been played once, but it looks absolutely logical to target the misplaced knight immediately. Instead after 12.lt>b1 Iilxd4 13.'llI'xd4 ixc3 14.'llI'xc3 'llI'xc3 lS.bxc3 dS Black held the ending without any real problems in Anand J. Polgar, Calmava (rapid) 2007.

7

6 4

abc

d

e

h

g

3

lS ... d6 The following attempt is riskier: lS ... f6 16.ie2 Iilxe3 17.lt>xd Iilxf4 18.lIIxf4 eSt 19.1t>e3 exd4t 20.cxd4 /XgS 21.ic4t IIIh8 22.!!hfl with unpleasant pressure. 16.lilb3 e5 17.15 The d6-pawn is doomed. 17... £6 18.!!gl Iilxe3 19.1IIxe3 White is much better.

H.gS

abcdeCgh 12.. .f6 Another posSlb.Ury for Black mIght be: 12... lileS 13.lilg3 ixc3 14.bxc3 g6 15.lilxh5 gxhS 16.f41ilc4 17 ..txc4 'llI'xc4 18.i.d4!

7

6

8 4

7

6 2

5 4

abcd.Cgh

3 2

a 1I ...1ile8

b

c

d

e

g

h

We have reached a ryplcal opposite-coloured bishop poslOon In which Black's king is in real danger, for example: 18 ...'llI'xa2 19.'llI'<2 d6 20.i£6 'llI'a3t 21.It>d2 eS 22.'llI'xhS b4 23.lIIe3!! and Black has no good defence agaInst 'llI'h6.

Chapter 8 - English Attack main line 13,l;1g3/Llxg3 14.lug3 fXgS

109

White has given up a pawn, but this is a

moves in detail: Bl) 12./Llxc6. B2) 12.ll1bl and B3) 12.03!!.

small price to pay for opening the h-file. 15,£4 d6 This position was reached in Volokitin Markus, Slovenia 2007. Now instead of 16. ~h2, the strongest continuation was: 16.eS!N

Bl) 12./Llxc6 dxc6 12 ... ~xc6 also leads to complex play after 13.h4, for instance: 13 ... fS!1 14.gxf6 E!xf6 IS.~d4 E!f7 (lS ... E!xf3 16.~g2) 16.E!gl, Kapnisis - Vorobiov, Kavala 2009. 13.h4.5

7

8

6

7 4

6

5

2

4 abcdefgh

3

16... gxf4 17.gxf4 dxeS 18.il.d3 White has tremendous aft3cking chances thanks to the many open lmes, for example: 18 ... h6 19.9.jgl exf4 20.~h2 Black is unlikely to survIve.

2

8 7

6

14.a3IN 1his looks more accurate than:

14M ~aS!N This IS an improvement over 14... ~e6 IS.g6 ~aS 16.h6! with a dangerous mitiatlve for White in the game. Motylev - Arsovic,

3

Budva 2009. IS.g6 IS.a3 ha3! is dangerous for White. IS ... fXg6! 16.lug6 ~xc3 Black IS certainly not worse.

2

14...£e7 15.g6!!

5 4

White hurries to open lines at the cost of a pawn. We have reached an important crossroads.

The theory of this whole line is still bemg worked out and it IS far from dear how White should continue, so we will consider three

15...£o6! IS ... b4 is not good due to 16.gxh7t I!1h8 17.axb4 ~xb4 18.~d8 and White has the better posltion.

110


15 ... fxg6 16.lOd5 ti'd6 17.lOxe7t ti'xe7 18.ig2ltlf6 19.ti'c3 ti'e6 20.ic5 !le8 21.i>bl IOh5 22.!ld6 ti'fl 23.!lhd1 wirh compensation due to rhe weak e5-pawn and nice comrol of rhe dark squares. 16.gdt7t i>h8 The pomion is extremely sharp. bur overall I rhink Black has enough counterplay rhanks ro rhe weak a3-pawn. B2) 12.i>bl

abc

d e

g

h

15.ti'e\!N The remprIng 15 ..txb5 only led 10 an unclear posinon In Morylev - Porkin. Krasnoyarsk 2007. after 15 ... Axa3! 16.bxa3 (l6.Axe5!1 is possible and leads ro a messy position after 16... ti'xe5 17.ixd7 ie7 18.£4 ti'd6 19.1Ob3 ti'c7 20.£5 exf5 21.ixf5 g6 22.ig4 a5"') 16... axb5. and a draw was soon agreed after 17.ltldxb5 ti'b8 18.ti'd4IOxf3 V2-V2. 15 ... d6 The raclical pOInr behind While's lasr move IS revealed after 15... b4 16.axb4 ixb4 and now 17.lOd5! ixd5 18.ti'xb4 wirh advantage rhanks ro Ihe cwo bishops. 16.h4 IOc4 17.ic1

12... Ab7 One of rhe points behind Whire's lasr move is rhar 12 ... lOe51 would now be a racrical error due ro 13.lOcxb5! ti'a5 14.lOc3 IOd6 15.ltlb3 ti'c7 16.if4! wirh a soUd advamage for Whlre. 4 ~d

3

Orher moves have been played. bUI Ihe lexl seems like rhe most promising.

2

B ... Ae7 14..tf4!! This is an interesting way to create concrete

problems for rhe derence.

14... d6 The alternative is: 14... lOe5

abcdefgh While has obtained a tavourable version of rhe English Arrack. rhanks in part 10 Ihe misplaced knighr on e8. A1rhough rhe move 02a3 may appear ro have weakened rhe queenside. ir actually does a nice Job of prevenring any ... b4 ideas for rhe foreseeable future.

Chapter S - English Arrack main line 15.~"c6 Also very interesting is the surprising new idea: 15.~e3!?N In my opinion It is worth the loss of time to provoke the move ... d7 ·d6. which has significantly restricted the prospects of two of his minor pieces.

III

18.h51N IS.il.h3 id7 was unclear Potkin. Kallithea 200S.

Edouard -

In

18... gdt5 19,9m5 e5 20.J.e3!hf3 21.J.h3 White's conuol overrhe d5-square. combined with the open kingside files. give him excellent compensadon for the sacrificed pawns. 83) 12.a3!1 This is a rather ambitious and committal move.

4

3

12.. ,J,e7 White has removed the annoying bishop. but also weakened his q ueenside and will therefore need to play energetICally.

abcdefgh Play may continue 15 ... b4 16.lilxc6 .txc6 16.axb4 'Wb7 17..tc4 'Wxb4 IS ..tb3 with better chances for White. For instance. after the natural IS ... a5 there follows 19.'Wd4! and Whue will have excellent prospects in the queenless posidon thanks

8

7

6

Ius extra space,

5

well.placed pieces. and possibIlities for active play connected with h5 and g6.

4

(0

15... hc6 15 ... 'Wxc6 enables White to obtain the advantage with 16.h4 ~c7 17.h5 a5 IS.h6! g6 19.ixd6 !'lfdS 20.'Wd4 ~eS 21.e5. 16.h4 'Wb7 17.g6!1 hg6

abc

d

e

g

h

Also deserving auennon is: 13.lilf5!? This has been cried by a few strong players. The sacrifice is slIghtly speculative. but still very inreresnng. 13 ... exf514.lild5'Wb715.exfSlilc716.f6idS 17.fxg7 !'leS

7 6

5

4

2

r -"",.%",/,"""~'",.'.'"

13.M

8

3

3 2

The position is extremely complex and

hard to evaluate. During ,he final stages of editing ,he book. I noticed ,hat thIS line had occurred in a game from ,he high.c1ass

r-'%",,,,wZ.,,,",',,,,,,"

AeroRo( tournament in Moscow.

abc

d

e

g

h

112


IS.Iilf6t!? This looks like an improvement on IS.lilb6 1:!bS 19.~d3 b4 20.ti'f2 lileS 21.ixh7t I!;>xh7 22.ti'h4t I!;>xg7 23.ti'h6t I!;>gS 24.g6 Iilxg6 2S.id4 lile6 when White failed [0 demonstrate adequate compensation, Simacek - Podan. Budva 2009. Is ....bf6 19.9xf61ileS 20.id4Iilxf3 21.ti'h6 ti'dS! This more or less forces a queen exchange. 22.id3 ti'gSt 23.ti'xgS IilxgS Despite the queen exchange White rerains a reasonable level of compensation. 24.!lhgl lile4 24 ...1il8 2S.!lg3 Iilxd4?? 26.ixhlt I!;>xh7 27.!lxd4 is mating. 24 ... h6!? was worth considering though. 2S.ib61ilxf6 26.ixc7 ib7 'White has some initiative here with his (wo bishops. but Black managed to hold on for a draw in Nepomniachtchi - Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son, Moscow 2010.

14... exfS Ot 14 ... ixa3 IS.bxa3 Iilx8 16.lildS! exd5 17.lilelt I!;>hS IS.ti'b4 d6 19.1ilxdS with a white advantage. IS.lildS ti'd6 16.if4 White intends ti'h2 next. with a dangerous initiative for the sacnficed piece.

13 ... ib714.lilfS!? Again this gives rise

The thematic sacrifice looks even more ro

the poine here than on the previous move.

6 4

some fasdnating

Another interesting possibility is 14.if4!? when play might continue: 14... lileS (14 ...ti'b6 15.lilb3!; 14 ... d6!? looks safest, although IS.lilxc6 followed by hS leads to a complex position where White looks to be

faster in creating threats.) IS.hS b4 16.axb4 ixb4 17.ti'h2 d6 IS.g6 Lc3 8 6

13... b4 This is the most obvious move. although I checked a couple of alternatives as well.

13 ... lileS This was played in Kryvoruchko - Konguvel. Paleohora 2009. 14.lilfS!?N

to

complications.

4

abcdefgh 19.h6! with fantastic complications ahead of us. 14 ... e
g6

coming

next.

3

2

abc

d e

g

h

14.lilxro ti'xro 15.axb4 hb4 This position was reached in Cornette -

Chapter 8 - English Auack main line Gjuran. Chalkidiki 2001, as well as three subsequent games.

113

Conclusion The big main line of A) 9 ... lIle5 continues to be an important bauleground. Afrer the standard continuation of 10.lIlb3 b5. we focused on the most popular option of I I. 'Wei. which I believe to be the most critical move at WhIte's disposal. The resulting positions are highly complex

8 7 6

5

and require a combination of theoretical

4

3 2

a

b

c

d

e

g

h

16.Y!7d411N ThIS new Idea looks quite promising.

m.8

16... The safe option is 16... ~xc3 17.'Wxc3 'Wxc3 18.bxc3. but Wh,te should always be a little better in this type of endgame. If 18 .. .f6 then 19 .~e2 keeps control.

17.h5 ~e7

18.~c4 !:!b4

abc

19.b3 a5 20.g6

d e

g

h

The position is complex and holds chances for both sides. We may conclude that Whire

has been the first to create threats against the opposmg king. but everyrhmg IS sull to play for.

knowledge. positional undersranding and tactical sharpness from bom players. Afrer analysing the whole line tiling into account the latest games. it seems (0 me that White's chances are slightly hIgher although mere is surely a lot more to be discovered. We then moved on to the even more modern

9 ... 0-0!1. which has only really taken off in me past couple of years. The whole variation is still very fresh and has not been anywhere near so heavily res red as line A. Afrer the srandard moves lO.g4 b5 II.g5 lIle8. I analysed three continuations: BI) 12.lIlxc6. B2) 12.l!1bl and B3) 12.>3!1. It is hard to draw any firm conclusions as there have not been many games. However. based on my investigadon I would suggest thar line B I seems to g,ve Black enough counterplay. but lines B2 and B3 appear perhaps a little more promising for White. All three lead to sharp play and require further testing.

Taimanov abcdefgb

English Attack S...ie7 Variation Index 1.e4 c5 2.~f3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.~xd4 ~c6 5.~c3 ec7 6..ie3 a6 7.Y!Yd2 ~f6 8.O-O-O.te7 9.f3 A) 9 ...0-0 10.g4 b5 1l.g5 ~e8 12.h4 ~e5 13.Wbl .tb7 AI) 14..t£4!? Al) 14.h5 B) 9 •••h51? 10.ef'2 BI) 10... ~e5 B2) 10... d6

116 118 119 121 122

122

A) note co 11 ... ~e8

AI) note to 14 . d6

B2) aft., II . 1;),5

abcdefgh

abcdefgb

abcdefgb

17W1h2!N

17.g6!'

12.ig5"N

116


1..4 c5 2.~f3 e6 3.d4 ad4 4.~Id4 ~c6 5.~c3 1fc7 6.~e3 .6 7.1fd2 ~f6 8.0-0-0 ~.79.f3

The following alrernative looks a bit too s 10... l'ldB 11.g5 ~eB 12.h4 b5 13.g6!? White immediately challenges his oppon lethargic play. 13 ... fxg6 14.h5 gxh5 15.1'1xh5 tilf6 16 d6 17.'11Ig2 tileB IB.l'lh5 tilxd4 19.!'(xd4 20.id3 ~f6 2U!g5 if8

7

6

a b

d

e

g

2

h

Here is another interestmg set up for Black. For many years it was almost automatically

assumed that the bishop should go to b4. but more recemly it transpired that the seemmgly more modest development on e7 also brings certain advantages. We will now consider the

natural A) 9... 0-0. as well as the rather doubleedged B) 9... h5!? The former leads co posinons resembling those

found in line B ofthe previous chapter. although the differing placement of Black's bishop will bring cenain pros and cons for borh sides.

The latter is an idea borrowed from cerram vanations of the Najdorf. whereby Black flSks a potential weakening of Ius kingside in order to restrain his opponem's klngside advance.

A) 9...041 This has been used several urnes by Alexander Morozevich.

10.g4 b5 Compared with line B of the previous chapter, one advantage associated with the

poSItion of the bIShop on .7 is that the b-pawn is not obstructed.

abcdffgh 22.e5! dxe5 23.1'1h4 White obtained a dangerous arrack and ' on

[0 Win

in Nijboer - Diamant, VlissiJ

200B.

H.p ~e8 The alternative

IS:

11...tilh5 12.tilce2! Anticipating ... b4 and immediately mo to challenge the knight on h5. 12... g6!? 12 ...1'1dB has scored well for Black. but 13.tilg3 tilxd4. so far no-one seems to tried 14.'11Ixd4!N tilf4 (14...~xg3 15.1 '11Ixg3? 16.e5! IS tOO dangerous for BI 15.h4Ab716.'11Ib6!'11IbBI7.lt>bl withf play for Whire. for instance: 17... tilg6 I. tile5 19.96!? with decent atracking chan 13.tilg3 tilxd4 14.ixd4 Also deservmg attemion is 14.'11Ixd4!?N 15.h4 f6 with an unbalanced game. 14 ... tilf4 15.h4 e5 16.ie3 !,(dB 16... d5!?N is anothet interesting possib for Instance: 17.exd5 l'ldB 18.ix[4 19.tile4 ib7 20.d6 ixd6 21.tilxd6 ,

Chapter 9 - English Attack 8... i.e7 22 ..tg2 .txdl 23.!i:xdl !lab8 24 ..tf3 wIth highly unclear play. This position was reached. in Dominguez -

Zapata. Havana 2003. and here I like:

7

6

117

16.!lxh3lild6 17..tc5Iilc4 lS.b3. and here the simplest reply for Black would have been lS ... txc5N 19."IlYxc5 "IlYb6 20."IlYxb6/iJxb6 with a level endgame. 14 ...te6 15.g6 !IdS In the event of 15 ... fxg6 16.hxg6 !IdS. H.B. Pedersen - Barnsley. e-mail 2006. the SImple 17.gxh7t IYhS lS."IlYg2 would have challenged Black to demonstrate compensation.

4

Perhaps Black could investigate the following idea: 15 ... "IlYa5!?N 16.gxh7t IYhS 17."IlY12 !lbS lS.tc5 b4!? 19.txe7 bxc3 20.bxc3 txa2 with a complicated position. although I suspect White stands somewhat better here too.

17."IlYh2!N

16.gxh7t IYhS 17 ..td3

There is nothing subde about this move, but

it seems [0 wotk well regardless. 17... tc5 ls.hc5 "IlYxc5 19.h5 "IlYe7 20.lYbl d6 21.lile21ilxe2 22.txe2 te6 23.f4 White keeps some inmative.

7

6

8 7

2

6 5

abcdefgh This was seen in the

4 2

abc

d

e

g

h

12.h4 Sometimes White plays 12.lYbl first. but usually we will end up in the same position a few moves. Also deservmg attention is:

fairly recem game,

C. Balogh - D. Mastrovasilis. Novl Sad 2009. White's energetic play makes a positive Impression and he went on to win conVincingly. The ball seems to be to Black's court here. and it remains to be seen if he will find a way [0 make this line work better 10 the future.

3

In

12.lilxc6 dxc6 13.h4 e5 14.h5 The hIgh-level encounter Leko- Morozevich. Moscow 2008, continued with the less dangerous 14."IlY12 te6 15.th3 hh3

12 ... lile513.lYbl It IS doubtful that White can benefit from postponing this move indefinttely. In Dominguez - Morozevich. Sarajevo 2008. WhIte pressed ahead with 13.h5 .tb7 14.g6 !lc8. bur then found nothing better than 15.lYbl anyway. Then after 15 ... b4 16.lila4

118


Black found an interesting combination that led to a balanced endgame: 16... liJxf3!? 17.liJxf3 txe4 18.liJb6 ixf3 19.1iJxc8 '!11xc8 20.'!11xd7 '!11xd72 1.!lxd7 ixhI22.gxh7t\!ixh7 23.id3t \!ig8 24.!lxe7liJf6 25.!la7 l'z-'h.

13.•.i.b7 8

Black might also try to make use of the rnct that his d-pawn has not yet moved. 15.h5 !lc8 Also possible is 15 ... d6 although after 16.g6 ~xc3 17.bxc3 it seems that White has the better game. for instance. if 17... liJf6?! 18.,txe5 dxe5 19.h6! White crashes through. 16.'!11h2 d6 17.g6 ixc3

7 6 6

5

5

4

4

3

3

2

abc

d

e

g h

Now we will consider the unusual but very interesting AI) 14•.tf4!1 followed by the more commonA2) 14.h5. AI) 14.i.f4!? d6 This was Black's choice in the only game I found. although many other moves are of course possible. Here are other some hnes [ analysed: 14 ... f6 15.gxf6 ixf6 unpleasant pin.

16.'!11h2! with an

abcdefgh

18.h6! With fascinating complications. The position looks dangerous for Black, although deep analysis is required. 14 ...!lc8 15.'!11h2 d6 16.h5 b4

7

6 4

14 ... tb4!?N

3

abcdefgh

4

17.g6!! bxc3 18.h6! Once again we see that the pawn tandem g6h6 is the most powerful attacking idea for White. In this rich position I will mention one line ou[ of many possibilines:

Chapter 9 - English Attack B... ~e7 IB".'/5'b6 19.b3 fxg6 20.hxg71i:lxg7 21.'/5'xh7t Itf7

119

Black mighr also try the crafty 16... I:1oB. Intending ...Ii:lxf3. White's besr reaction looks [0 be 17 .i!g I! with similar play to the main line.

17.b31tlc6 18.Itl"eG heG 19.1tlb2 d5

6 4

Black srems to be plaYing qui« thomatically by breaking on the centre. bue White can press homo hIS attack in tho usual fashion:

2

20.g6! Itld6 21.exd5 hd5 22.h6 The atrack should decide tho gamo. Once again It is too early [Q draw any firm conclusions

abcdefgh

wlthout practical testing, but overall I would

22.li:lxe6! Desrroying the black posiCIon. All thIS is entertaining and fun to play with 'W'hne, although it is [00 early [0 give a delinire verdict as there are many possibilities for both sides. However, it seems faor to say that black will have a hard time withsrandong the attack.

say 14.if4!? IS a dangerous move that deserves serious attention.

A2l14.h5 This

IS

the more obVIOUS attacking move.

8

7 15.h5N In Stojanovic - Cabrilo. Sarajevo 200B. hite preferred 15.a3. but I do not see any od for this slow mo"".

6 5 4

3

15•.•b416.ltla4

2 8 7

abc

6 5 4

3

d

e

g

h

14...li:c8 Another possibIlIty is: 14 ... b4 ThIS has been suggesred as a possible improvement for Black. F'~'""w/.t'''~'''

2

b 16...'/5'05

d

e

g

h

15.li:la4 d5 16.g6 dxe4 Here I found a srrong idea for White: 17.ih3! With serious pressure agamst e6. The following IS one criricalline:

17... li:lc4 1B.'/5'f2 exf3

120


gives complicated play with chances for both sides. 16.liJa41317.grl6 Now all three recaptures are possible.

8 2

7

6

abcdefgh

19.1iJxe6! fxe6 20.ixe6t I!1h8 21.h6! Again we see this typical motif. 21...liJxe322.E!d7! White keeps some advantage. although as usual the position is extremely complicated.

4 3 2

abc

d e

g

h

17... liJ:d6 17...!lxf6 18.f4 liJf7 19.1iJb3 gave White better chances In Sarenac - Raj kovic, Kragujevac 2009.

abc

d e

f

g

h

15.8g2! 15.g6 transposes to Dominguez Petez Morozevich, as given in the note to Whne's

17 ...il.xf6!?N deserves attention. Black keeps the option of playing the thematiC ... liJd6 while using the bishop to ptOtect g7. After 18.!lgl !lf7 the position is highly complex and requires further investigation. Black's next idea is ... liJd6. while White should be aiming for b3 and liJb2-c4.

dangerous. as Black had the arrractive ...liJxf3 idea at his disposal. After the text move the same idea is no longer working for Black.

18.1013 l!!f7 19.b3 l!!cftI 20J!!dgl liJe8 21.l!!h3 White stands berrer. and in the following game he was able to capitalize on his advantage in attractive style.

15 ... b4 Perhaps Black should consider the immediate 15 ... f5!?N. as it IS not completely clear if it helps him to push the knight away from the centte immediately. Now 16.exf5 b4! leads to immense complications. and 16.gxf6 ixf6

21 ...1(6 22.liJb2 liJc6 23.liJ"c6 '/1l"c6 24.liJc4 Black's position is rather passive, and given time White wiH continue to build his initiative on the kingside. In the game Black tried to ftee hiS pOSicion. with unfortunate consequences:

13th move above. We saw that this was not so

Chaptor 9 - English Attack B... Ae7

121

I should mention that the present variation is very much iii modern onc. with the earliest of

the 80+ games on the database commg from 2005 and the overwhelming majority from 2008 onwards. 10.!lf2

abc

d e

g

h

24... d51 25.exd5 ad5 26.b6! 1--C This was the abrupt end to KarJakin Morozevich. Wijkaan Zee2009. Blackrosigned in VIew of 2G ... gG (or 26 ... dxc4 27.Axh7t ~h8 28.Ae4) 27.Axg6 hxg6 28.'!~xg6t ~h8 29.'/!Ig7t! !l:xg7 30.hxg7t ~g8 31.!'lh8t

abc

d e

g

h

winning easily.

Almost every sensible.loolong move has been tried. but [ believe the text to be the most

Summing up. the 9 ... 0-0 variatIOn leads to complex positions with mutual chances. At

promising.

the moment the hne is still very fresh, with considerable scope for creativity on both sides.

I have suggested several new ideas and hope [Q

see some of them tested in practice in the

near future.

It is also imponant variation: 10 ... bS

to

consider the follOwing

This allows White to demonstrate one of the points of his previous move.

B)9•.• b5!1 This idea is often seen in mher Sicilians,

most notably the English Attack versus the Najdorf, although it sometimes crops up in the Rauzer variation of the Classical as well. Just as in chose lines, Black is playing to prevent

g4 and maintam the position of his knight on fG, where it helps in the fight for the central squares and might suppOrt a future ... dS break. On the negative side, the text move leaves some pO£cnriaJ weaknesses on the klngside

and may make future.

Now we will consider: B1) 10.•. llle5 followed by the more popular B2) 10... dG.

It

dIfficult to easrle in the

II.IllxcG dxcG !2.AbG! This is slightly awkward for Black to meet. 12...'/!If4t Or 12 ... Wb7 13.Acs eS 14.Ad6 with better play for White. 13.~bl Iild7 14.Ad4!? eS Under normal Circumstances Black would probably have castled, but the presence of the pawn on hS probably made hIm think twice. lS~e3 '/!IfG 16.h4 ib4 !7.igS

f6 19.Ae3 '/!Ie7 20.g4

'/!leG 18.llle2

122


W'lure mamtained the iniliative and went on a nice game. Edouard - Damljanovic. Andorra 2008. to Win

6

Bl) 10...~e5 1l.b3 A few other moves have been tried, but the text seems like the most logical

8 7

(0

me.

5 4

1l ...b4

3

Black should de6nirely avoid l1...b5? 12.f4! Iilc4 13.~xc4 '/;!'xc4 14.e5 Iild5 15.lilxd5 '/;!'xd5 16.lilf5! '/;!'xa2 17.lilxe7 and White shouldwm.

2

12.f4 ~c4 U.hc4 "!!\'xc4 14.e5 ~b5!? Now we see rhe idea behind Black's 11th move. We have been following rhe game Shytaj - Damljanovic, Andorra 2009, and here White missed a strong idea:

abc

d e

g h

19.~xe6!

Once .gain the defence is broken by this nice motif

19... dxe620.li!d4 White Will regain the piece while maintaining a decISIve advantage.

8 7 6 5 4

B2) 10...d6 ThIS is Black's safest and most popular continuation. The position closely resembles a Rauzer variation.

3

11.i>bl!? Il.h3 has been the most common chOICe.

2

but I am not convinced that White needs this move, at least not Immediately.

8 15.f5!N

7

The game continuarion of 15.lile4 b5 16.b3 '/;!'b4 17.~d2 '/;!'a3t 18.i>bl ~b7 enabled

6

Black to consolidate his position and obtain

5

decent prospecrs.

4

15... ~g3 16.li!bel b5 17.{6 gxf6 18.exf6

3

AM

2

18 .. .i.fS is refuted by 19.1ilxe6! dxeG 20.,/;!,d2 '/;!'c7 21.~d5 and Whire WInS.

abc

d e

g

h

123

Chapter 9 - English Attack 8 ....te7 11... ~eS The other move

(0

have been tested is:

ll...bS Yu - Zherebukh. Moscow 2008. Now it looks promising for White to play: 12.lllxc6!?N'I1Ixc6 13 ..td3

6 4

The posicion continues to resemble a Rauzer variarion. A normal continuation might

3 2

be: 13 ... b4 14.llle2 eS IS.lllg3 h4 Also possible IS IS ... g6 16.h4 11.06 17..tgS

abcdefgh

16.AbSt! id7 17.lllfS! 0-0-0 18.lllxd6t ~b8 19 ..txa6! Illxhl 20.'I1IxeS Illf2 21.!ld2 bxa6 22.!lxf2 White is clearly bener. with three pawns for the exchange and a. benee pawn

a5 18.f4 with some initiative for White. 16.~fS AxfS 17.exfS dS 18.g4

snuccure.

6

13.f4 ~ed7 14•.tc13 b4 Also interesting is 14....tb7 15.!lheI 0-0-0 16.a31!ib8 17.'I1Ih4 with sltghrly better chances for White.

4

3

abcdefgh

Whl!e keeps the better Instance: 18 ... e4 19..te2 !k8 20.!ld2t

chances.

for

12 ..tg5!IN In SUtovsky - Giri. Zurich 2009. White preferred 12.h3 bur did not achieve anything special afrer 12 ... bS 13..td3 b4 14.lllce2 h4 IS.~b3Illfd7 16 f41llxd3 17.cxd3 as 18.!lel 'I1Ib7 with complex play and an eventual draw. After the text move we reach a kind of hybrid benveen the Taimanov. Rauzer and Najdorf variations!

12 ... bS lhecomplications resulting from 12... lllfg4?! turn out in Whites favour after: 13.'I1Id2 ixgS 14.'I1IxgSIllf2 IS.'I1Ixg7!lfS

8

7 6

5 4 3 2

abc

d

e

f

g

h

White is gearing up for an e4-eS break. 16...gc8 Another possibiliry is 16... 0-0 17.!lhe I !lfd8 (I7 ... 'I1IaS 18.b3 illeS looks fairly sensible. but after 19.1llxcs dxcS 20 ..txf6! .txf6 21.eS White has a promising attack.)

124


The king is surviving for the moment, although ItS present location is hardly the most comfortable. 6 4 3

abcdefgll 18.g4! hxg4 19.h3 White is coming fast on the kingside.

17.flhel

~c5

18.e5!

White must play enetgetically. otherwise he would be worse.

18..• ~xa4 This is not forced. and 18 ... ~xd3 might also be considered. However, I chose to focus on the text move as it leads to some fascmatlng

abc

d

e

g

24.1fxf6 flhfB 25.1fd4 lfib5 26.g3 The position remai os extremely complicated,

although it seems to me that Black is takmg more risks than Wh1[e.

possibilities.

Conclusion

19.~,,06

The ennre variation with B... ie7 only became popular in recent years. The active

Another mtriguing option is 19.exf6!? gxfO 20.ltg6! (20.lth4 ~c5 defends)

development of the bishop on b4 seems natural and obVIOUS. so it is perhaps not too surprising that It took some time for players to realize

mat the more modest e7-squarc might offer its

own advantages. Aftet the normal 9.£3. Black must decide between two radically different pathways. A) 9 ... 0-0 and B) 9 ... h5!? 4 3

The first leads to positions that are somewhat reminiscent of other Sicilians in which the English attack might be played. with one

2

abcdefgll I will stop here, givmg readers a chance to delve further into this remarkable position.

19...&06 2Oig6t lfid7 21.exf6 .bf6 22..bf6 gd6 23.1f"e6t lfi06

important difference: Black's d-pawn remains

on d7 instead of d6. This helps to reinforce the e6·pawn (which might otherwise be undermined by g5-g6) while also keeping the dark-squared diagonals clear for the queen on c7 and bishop on e7. The mam drawback for Black is that after g4·g5. his knight will

Chaprer 9 - English A{{ack S ... ie? often have to retreat to the passive e8-square,

alrhough we saw in rhe nOre ro Black's II rh move ID line A rhar coming ro h5 is by no means a bad alternative. A further consequence of leaving rhe pawn on d7 is rhar afrer a subsequenr ... lile5, the knighr mighr be caughr in an unpleasant pm.

We saw in line AI) 14.if4!? rbar rhis pinning morif mighr creare some awkward problems for Black. So fur rhis parricular move has only been played ID one game, bur I expecr rhar to change In the nearest future as the move appears quite promising. More common has beenA2) 14.h5. Ir seems ro me rhar rhe first players chances are slightly hIgher here tOO, alrhough once again furrher resting will be required before a firm evaluarion can be made. The orher major line, B) 9 ... h5!?, also leads ro typIcally complex positions for rhe Sicilian. After I O.~f2, rhe first line that we examined ID detail, BI) IO ... lile5 ,looks rarher risky in view ofWhire's plan of a qUick h3 and f4. On the other hand, B2) IO ... d6 looks more reliable, when I doubr tbar Whire has any more than a slighr advanrage. I found some new ideas that I thlDkdeserve to be teSted, especially 12.ig5!?N which can lead to fascinating complicatIons, as shown in the illusuative lines above

125

Taimanov abcdcfgh

5...a6 6.~xc6 bxc6 7.id3 Variation Index l.e4 c5 v!Oa e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.olOxd4 olOw 5.olOc3 a6 6.olOxw bxc6 7 ..id3 7 ••• d5 8.0-0 olOf6 9J'!el A) 9 .•. ~b7 B) 9 •.•~e7 Bl) 10.Y:ra B2) 10.e5 olOd7 B21) 1l.olOa4 B22) 1l.Y:rg4 g6 B221) 12•.ih6 B222) 12.b3

128 130 130 131 131 133

134 136

8221) _fte< 20 ..."1I'h5

B222) note to 16.t:'fh3!

8222) after 17 €lc3"

abcdcfgb

abcdefgb

abcde(gh

21..xg6"

17.."1I'd2"N

17 d4"N

12S


1..4 c5 2.~f3 .6 3.d4 ad4 4.~Id4 ~c6 5.~c3 a6 6.~xc6 bxc6 7.W

the sltghtly offbeat but Intetesting A) 9 .•..t.b7. followed by the main line of B) 9 .. ~e7.

A) 9 ... ib7 By postponing the development of the darksquared bishop. Black is fighting against his opponent's typical plan of e5 followed by V!lg4. On the other hand neglecting development is not wuhour its drawbacks, and we Will see that there are other ways for the white queen ro become active.

10.trf3!1 H

This is another important battleground. Black has avoided the dangerous EnglISh Attack. whIch would be less attractive with the black queen not having committed herself to the c7-square. In the diagram position. Black has already obtained a useful central pawn majomy. 0 n the other hand White has a useful lead In development, whIle the move ... a7 -a6 looks completely out of place. Thus both sides have made certain achievemems. and the stage

IS set for a rough struggle. It should be mentioned that the present line IS seen regularly at the highest levels. with Mamedyarov and Rublevsky being the tOP proponents of Black's cause. Others. including Anand. have been known ro play both sides of

ThIS has not been played in many games. but is nO( an easy move for Black to face.

10•...t.e7 11.trg3 Another possIbility is: I l..t.f4 0-0 ThIS closely resembles line B I below. and could transpose directly after 12.lila4 g6. Instead we will consider a few games that continued independently. 12.:!!adl geS Also possible is 12 ... g6. when I 3.lila4 again transposes to BI. On the other hand, the game Kolev - Daml)anovic. Bajada de la Virgen 2005. continued: l3ig5 d4 14.lila4 Iild7 15 ..I\xe7 V!lxe7 16.e5 gabS 17.V!le2 c5!

the position. a sure sign of its richness.

7 ..•d5 From time to time Black adopts a more modest stance in the centre, but we

will

focus

on the text move, which is undoubtedly his most principled approach.

8.0-0 ~f6 9.:!!e1 White continues hIS policy of rapid and flexible development. Now we will consider

4

2 abcdefgh

And Black was doing 6ne. It IS Important to note that IS ..txa6 .tc6 19.b3 .txa4 20.bxa4 Iilb6 followed by Iild5-c3 gives

Chapter 10 - 5 ... a6 6.1i:lxc6 bxc6 7.id3 Black excellent chances despite being a pawn down, due to hIS powerful knight. 13.lila4 ~aS 14.b3 dxe4 IS.ixe4 Iilxe4 16. ~xe4 !:ladS

129

We have reached a critical position for the

9 ...Ab7 line. It is not so easy for Black to solve hIS problems. 12••• ,itll Black needs to facilitate casding sooner

or later, as demonstrated by [he following example: 12 ... lild7? After this careless move Black is already lost. 13.ad5

4

3

Under normal circumstances this exchange

would be posi[ionally undesirable, but in the present case it leads to a crushing arrack. l3 ... ad5 l3 ... cxdS 14.!:lxe6! wins immediately, slRce

abcdefgh

Once again Black is okay, Edouard PhilIppe, Clichy 200S. The position is almost identical [0 that reached in line B1, except that Black has played ...!:l18-eS instead of ... g7-g6, which should not affect [he evaluation in any serious way.

taking the rook allows mate in two.

14.!:le2IilcS lS.!:laellile6

6

1l ... g6 11...i>18 has also been played, but it is hard to believe this can be fully satisfactory for Black, and indeed he has lost all three of the games I fOund on the database. abcdefgh

I2iM 16.gxe6!

Not a difficult exchange sacrifice. but a pleasing one nonetheless.

a

b

d

e

g

h

16... &e6 17.lWeS! ggS 17... g18 is refuted by IS.ixfs ixf8 (1S ... i>xfS 19.1WhSt) 19..bg6t! hxg6 20.~xe6t Ae7 (20 ... ~e7 21.~xg6t wins the queen) 2I.g<3! Now the only defence against gh3 is 21...icS, but this allows 22.~xc6t with an easily winning position for Whi[e (analysis by Notkin). IS.~xe6 g18 19.igS gf7 Now a second sacrifice sealed Black's fate. 2o.Axg6! hxg6 21.~xg6 ~d7 22.gxe7t ~xe7

The Tairnanov Variation

130

23 ..fI.xe7
8)9 ....fI.e7

B.'lrh3 Also possible is 13 ..fI.xfll
13...hh6

14.'lrda6 11lg4 16.l1la40-017.11lc5

15.'lrf4 11lf6

8

abc

7

6

d e

f

g h

Afr.er this White must decide whether to keep the centre aUld, as in me previous line.

5

or advance his e-pawn. Thus we wIll examine

4

81) 10.'lrB and 82) 10.e5.

3 2

1 a

b

d

e

g

h

81) 10.'lfB Keeptng the tenSIOn leads to inreres£ing play, but overall this plan IS not as effective as it was in the previous line.

17....fI.c8 Also possible was 17...!lb8!? 18.b4 !le8. with a slightly different poSition although the overall evaluatlon is the same.

10...0-0 Already we see Black has easily achieved somerhing that was more problematic in Ime A.

lU!adl I1ld7 19.I1l"d7 Ld7 We have been following the game De Vreught - Andersson. Bundesliga 2003. Black's position " slightly passIVe. but at the same time solid and hard to break down. In the game White failed to find anything conclusive and a draw was soon agreed after 20.h4 ~b8 21.e5 f6 22.~h6 .fI.e8 23.h5 !la7 24.exf6 ,,-'h.

1l.M4

Of course we should remember that Vlf Andersson IS one of the best defensive players of all rIme, and it will not be to everyone's faS£e to defend such positions. This may explain why 9 ... .fI.b7 is not really popular nowadays.

The alternative ll..fl.g5 is well met by ll...d4112.ltla4 e5 13.b31tld7 (also reasonable IS 13 ... .fI.e6 14.ltlb2 Itld7 15.1i.d2 a5 with balanced chances. Kudmov - Taimanov. Stockholm 1998) 14.ixe7 ~xe7 15.03 c5 16.lhcl ~d6 17.~g3 ib7 18.!lc2 !lac8 19 .!lecl ~h6 and Black was doing fine In Topalov - Mamedyarov. Sofia 2007. 1I ...g6 Several other moves have also been tried. but I like the idea of fortifying the kingside without revealing anyrhtng on the q ueenside.

131

Chapter 10 - 5 ... a6 6.itlxc6 bxc6 7 ..td3 12.lila4.ib7 nJ!adl 'i'aS 14.b3

We have been followmg the game Nakamura - Volokinn, B.el2005. Here Wlute's best move would have been: 22.Iil"eS!! In the game White preferred 22.lOb2, but later came under pressure from his opponent's

powerful bishops and barely escaped with a draw. The text should lead to eq uallry as follows: 22•..,beS 23.'i'"eS 'i'gS 24.S 24.g3? loses after 24 ... f6 2S ..td4 'i'd2.

a

b

d

g

h

24...!1!d2 2S.g3 25.g4?! 'i'h4 is dangerous for White.

14...cb:e4! Finally the tension has been released. In doing so Black compromises hIS pawn structure slightly, but his strong pair of bishops will make up for thIS.

25...'i'f5 26.'i'o3 'i'IS 27.'i'IS hf3 With an equal endgame (analysis by Ribli).

IS.,be4IO"e416.'i'".4 g".{8 17.b3 White also gams no advantage from 17..te5 l:!xd1 18.l:!xd1 l:!d8 19.1:!xd8t 'i'xd8 20.'i'd4 'i'd5 21.itlc3 'i'xd4 22 ..txd4 c5 23 ..to3 .te6 White eventually ground out a WIn but the position at this srage IS equal. Cheparinov Firman, Warsaw 2005.

10... lild7

B2) 10.eS This is the big main Ime, which features in more than 200 games on the database.

17.••'i'bS lU!"dS lbd8 19.04 gd7 lO.,teS eS 21.'i'o3 '!!If5

abc

d e

g

h

Now we WIll consider the modern and slightly offbeat B21) 11.lila4, followed by the much more common B22) 11.'i'g4.

B21) 11.lOa4

abc

d e

g

h

132


This has been nowhere near as popular as the main line, bu, i, has been tes,ed by several strong players. White is not in a rush to commit his queen, and ins,ead prepares ,he standard queenside se,-up with c4 and perhaps b3.

has

compensation

(I9 ... h4!? in,ending Interesting) 20.li:xe4 21.exg4 li:h7. !9 ... exb7

after 19 ....ixe4 ... h3 also looks hxg4 (20... li:h7!?)

1l ...Vc711 There is nothing., all wrong with castling, but I decided ro focus on this aggressive idea as played by arguably ,he world's foremos, expert on the black side of this opening. 4

12.J.f4g5!! Black wants '0 exploit the posi,ion of the bIShop in order ro facilitate a kingside advance. He can alford play like this as his centre is rock-solid.

3

'0

13.J.g3 h5 14.h3 c5 15.c4 d4 16.b3 17.lilb2 0-0-0 18,~e4

~b7

This is a standard regrouping for Whi'e. The knigh, will be ideally placed on d3.

abcdefgh

20.h4 Closing the kingside looks best. 2o ... Iilf8 21.Iild3 1ilg6 22.li:b1! a5 23.03 I!id7! The king JUS' has nme 10 evacua'e before hIS fOrtress ctumbles. 24.b4 axb4 25.axb4 ab4 26.c51!ie8 27.lilxb4

1!if8

6 4

3

abc

d e

g

h

18...!!dg8 Also deserving anention is: 18... g4!?N I, is hard say if this is any beller than ,he game con,inuation. but i, migh' lead 10 some fasCinating complications. 19.ixb7t 19.hxg4 is possible, bu, Black certainly

'0

abcdefg

The pOSition remains complex: and unclear. Whi 'e succeeded in breaking open the q ueenside and ob'aining a powerful passed pawn. but Black brough, his king safety while the g3-bishop remains a real problem for Whi,e. Of course this whole line was far from fOrced. but it certainly demonsrra
'0

Chap«r 10 - 5... a6 6.li:lxc6 bxc6 7.id3 19.~d3 !!g7 20.a3 !!hg8 21.lhb7t

White was eVIdently not so keen on 21.~xh5 g4. 21. ••~m7 22.B g4 23.Mg4 hxg4 24.£4!!h7 25.~f2l:!gh8

133

1l...g6 The alternative is ll...I!1fS This IS less common. perhaps with good reason as it will take Black some lime to organize his kingslde. 12.li:la4h513.~f4It1gS14 ..td2g615.c4It1g7 16.b4ib7

7

6 4

g

h

We have been following the game Navara - Mamedyarov. Baku 200S. Black eventually won this encounter, although at this stage I think it is fair lO evaluate the poslOon
abc

d

e

Black has solved his problems on the kmgside. but White has used the time taken to develop an inmarive on the opposite Rank. 17.cxd5 Perhaps White could have postponed this for a few more moves, not that there is much wrong With the text.

l7 ... cxd5 IS.!:lad !:lacS 19.Ae3 h4 We have been follOWIng the game 1..on Hoyos - Granda Zuniga. Call 2007. Now the Simple: 20.b3 Would have left White with an edge.

abc

d

e

f

g

h

134


Here we reach a final spht between two important options: 8221) 12.~6 and 8222) 12.b3. 8221) 12.~b6 gb8 This move has a healthy reputation. although if Black wants to simplify his preparation he can alwaY' continue 12 ... cS 13.b3 and now 13...\!hS 14.~a4 c4 transposes to line B222 below. 13.l!i'h3 This looks like the most conslsrent continuation. sclting up the idea of .ig7. Alternatives such as 13.!l:abl !l:b4 14.l!i'e2 !l:h4 IS ..idZ. as seen in Shirov - Laznicka. Carlsbad 2007. do not Impress me. Apart from the game continuation of IS ... l!i'b6 16.g3 !l:hS 17.~a4 l!i'd4 18.b4 !l:xeS 19 ..ic3 !l:xc3 20.l!i'xc3 l!i'xe3 21.!l:xe3 eS. which brought Black full compensation and an eventual win, there is another straightforward solution: IS .. .!:!hS!?N 16.ltf4 (l6.f4? ltcst is no good for White) 16... .igS 17..ig3 .ih4 and it is hard to find a profitable way for White to avoid a repetition

This has been tested in both correspondence and grandmaster games and it seems Black is okay. Play continues 19.1txf7t ~xf7 20.!l:xc3 l!i'gS 21.l!i'xgS ~xgS 22.!l:g3 ~h7 23.!l:g8t ~f8 with a double-edged endgame in which Black's chances ace not worse, West - Kilgour. e-mad 1997. 14.iLg7 !:lg8! First played by Anand. this exchange sacrifice is s(fonger (as well as more inreresnng to analyse!) than 14 ...!l:h4. 15.9xh7 !:lxg7 16.Y:fxg7 Af8 17.9g8 Y:fg5

of moves.

13...gb4 The alternative is sharper but also fully adequate: 13 ...!l:xb2!? 14 ..ig7 gg8 IS.l!i'xh7 !l:xg7 16.l!i'xg7 .ib4 17.!l:c3 .ixc3 18..ixg6 ~xeS

The eS-pawn IS doomed. Black has a rocksolid pawn chain and his dark-squared bishop has the potential to become the most dominant pIece on the board. All in all. he has more than enough compensation for the exchange, and nowadays White has more or less abandoned the 12 ..ih6 lIRe.

7

6

18.g3 White has also tried:

4 3

abcdefgh

18.ge3 ~xeS 19.9.. 1 ~xd3 20.gxd3 IIxb2 was fine for Black in Popilsky - urner. Givatalm 2007. It is worth mentioning Langeweg's suggestion of 21.!l:f3 IIb7 22.~a4. which should be met by 22 ... Y:fd2! and afier

Chap«r 10- 5 ... a6 6.ltJxc6 bxc6 7.id3 23.lm '!¥b4 the position is double-edged, but certainly okay fot Black. IS.f4!? is an interesting idea, sacrificing another pawn in order to open lines for the rooks. Still, after IS ... ~4 19.1itn (Langeweg gives 19.93 as a possible imptovement but afrer the SImple 19 ....tb7 Black is doing fine) 19 ... ltJxe5 20.iitxf4 '!¥xf4 21.litn '!¥h6 Black was once again well, Munoz. - Quezada. Sanm Domingo 2005. 18..•10...5 19.f41tJat 20.'O!?f'2 '!¥h5

abc

d e

f

g

h

21.bg6!! This was the idea behind Wh"e's previous few moves, but Anand keeps everything under control.

21...bg6 22.!he6t he6 23.'!¥"e6t .ie7 24.Wxc6t 'O!?ftl25.'!¥a8t 'O!?g7 26.'!¥"d5ItJmz 27.Wm5gm5 White faces a difficult ending. She came very close to lOSing, but eventually held on for a draw in J. Polgar - Anand, Sofia 2005, afrer Black missed a probable Wlnnlng line. B222) 12.b3 12.ltJa4 sometimes leads to the same posillon after 12...'ff.5 13.ih6 c5 14.b3. However, with thIS move order Black has the additional

135

option of 13 ... '!¥b4!? It seems thIS enables him to hold the balance In the endgame occurring after the following forcing sequence: 14.'ffxb4 ixb4 15.c3 ia5 16.b4 .tc7 17.f4 a5 IS.b5 1tJb6 19.1tJxb6 Lb6t 20.lI1n cxb5 21.Lb5t .td7 22.litab 1 .txb5t 23.litxb5 .tc7 24.c4 dxc4 25.litc5 (}-O-D 26.litxc4 litd7 27.ig5 II1b7 2S.litb I t lI1a7! (but not 2S ...~b6?! 29.f5! when Black was under seriOUS pressure, Ponomariov - Rublevsky, POlkovsky 2006) 29.15 litbS! 30.ie3t 'O!?a8 and Wh"e did not manage to achieve anything, M.khitarian - Le,taO, Sao Paulo 2006.

abc

d e

g

h

12...c5 Several other moves have been tested, but the text has been the main choice of the speCialists.

13.1h6 13.ltJa4 might transpose after 13 ... c4 14 ..tfl '!¥a5 15.Ah6 Ab7.

13...'!¥a5 ThIS is more critical than 13 ....tb7, when the following looks like sensible play from both sides: 14.ltJa4 '!¥c7 15.'!¥f4 Af8 16.Lf8 'O!?xf8 17.c4 d4 IS.'!¥h6t II1gS 19.Ae4 litbS 20.ltJb2 '!¥dS 21.1tJd3 White has a typical slight edge and went on to win a fine game, Adams Werle. London 2007.

136

The Taimanov Variadon

14.~a4

The following alternatives are also interesting:

14..id2 looks less challenging: 14 ... "I:I'c7 15."I:I'g3 ib7 16.~a4 h5 (also interesting was 16 ... c4!?N 17.bxc4 dxc4 IS.Afl O~O wlm an unclear position) 17.c4 h4 (Another good option was 17 ... d4!?N intending to meet the thematic 18..ie4 with 18...he4 19.!!xe4 h4! followed by ...!!h5 and Black IS doing fine.) 1B."I:I'h3 dxc4!? 19.hc4 ~xe5 20 ..if4 .id6 21.he6 O-O! Black was fine and a draw was agreed a few mOves larer, Shirov - Rublevsky, POIkovsky 2008.

16.!!e3 ic6 17."I:I'f4 Here l foundanancacrive new idea:

7 6

14...c415.j,fl j,b7 abedefgh

8

17... "I:I'd2!?N ThIS looks like a blunder but is in fact a positional pawn sacrifice. [ must stress chat there is norhing at all wrong with the following alternative: 17 ... "I:I'c7 18.~b2 .ic5 19.!!e2 !!b8 20.~d1 "l:l'a5 \Iz-\Iz Khairullin - Svidler. Russia 2006.

7 6 5 4

3

The position remains complex with chances for both sides. and it is a pIty the game was

2

abc

d

e

g

h

We have reached an extremely (ense and complex position. Black will usually continue with ....if8 m order facilitate castling or evacuate hIS king to the safe g7 -square. He might flICk in ....ic6 at some point, dependmg

agreed drawn so prematurely. 1B.t!I'xf7t'ibxf7 19.!!f3t 'ibg8 20.hd2 ixa4 21.bxa4 'ibg7 22.g3 !!hfS

7

6

on circumstances. 'White. on the other hand,

wIll look for a way to open hnes and exploit his better development. 16.'ifh3! This is the most challenging idea. White threatens an immediate .ig7. which is nO( so

easy to meet. The only drawback from White's point of View is that the e5-pawn is not so well protected. and Black should try to exploit this.

abede

gh

Black has nice compensation; the bishop on fI will have a hard time finding a meaningful role. 16.t!I'g3.ic6 17.€\b2

Chapter 10 - S... a6 6.lDxc6 bxc6 7.~d3 By contrast to the main line. 17.1Dc3? does not work here. as after 17... ib4 18.a3 ixc3 19.b4 ixb4 20.axb4 ~xb4 White's compensation is simply not enough.

17...!:tb8 18.!:tebl ~f8! Mamedyarov demonstrates

hIs

137

Both sides should he on the lookout for this type of idea; Black's plan is simply ...!:tg8g6 to embarrass the bishop. A possible continuation might 17.~g7

keen

understanding of the position with a clever

pawn sacrifice.

be:

17.Lc4? does not work due to 17... g4!. 17... !:tg818.if6ixf619.exfl)!:tg6 Black is fine again. although the position remains full of possibilities for both sides.

abcdefgh

19.ixf8l!1xf8 20.bxc41!1g7 The king reaches a safe spot. and the h8-rook

abc

will soon make irs way into the game. 21.a3 !:thc8 22.~e3 !:tc7 Black has excellent compensation. Naiditseh - Mamedyatov. Dortmund 2008. Finally. there Langeweg:

IS

the following suggestion of

16.~f3!' A!; usual. Black has a few different responses.

of which I find the following to be the most interesting: 16... gS!?

d e

h

g

16...Ad; I also analysed the follOWing new idea: 16... ,ib4!?N The idea is that White will either have to weaken his queenside slightly. or move hIS rook to a square where it does not defend the key eS-pawn.

7 6 4

4 abc

3

d

e

g

h

17.03 I also checked the twO rook moves: abcdefgh

138


l7.!:i:edl .l!I.IB 18 ..l!I.xfB IIIxf8 19.'I1Ih6t IIIg8 20 ..l!I.xc4 .lic6 21..l!I.fl .lixa4 22.bxa4 IiJxe5 wuh an unclear position. Black's kmgslde situanon is less than ideal, bur If he can solve that problem conveniendy he will be positionally winning. 17.gebl .lic6! Planning a thematic exchange sacnfice. l8.ig7 gg8 19.'I1Ixh7 l1xg7 20.'I1Ixg7.l!i.xa4 2l.bxa4 iIB 22.'I1Ih8 '11103

4

me that Black keeps a fair share of the chances. For instance, 22.bxc4 'I1Ixa2 is no cause for concern. 17.~c3!!

Here ,h,s retreat is cacrically Justified. Khalifman recommended a new idea of l7.ig7, but I disagree wuh h,s evaluation. Play continues 17...!'lg8 18.'I1Ixh7 O-D--O 19.!'le2.l!i.xa4 20.bxa4 ic5 (20 ... ig5 21.g3;!; Khalifmanl 21.!'lb 1. So far we have been followmg Khalifman's analysis. Now after 21...lIIc7 I do not see any problems for Black, for inscance 22.g3 'I1Ixa4 23.c3 !'lb8 with a good position.

3

8 7 abcdefgh

Black has nice compensalion. The pawns on e5 and c2 are weak, and Whi,e's bishop is presendy being dominated by the wall of enemy pawns. 17... .l!I.IB!

6

t~. ~~.~~}im

5 "~"""",,,/,,''''

4

3 2

abc

6

d

e

f

g

h

17•.•d4!IN After this move the position gets very complicated.

4

abcdefgh

HaVing provoked a weakness, the bishop makes a typical retreat to loosen his opponent's bInd on the kingside. 18 ..ixfll IIIxIB 19.'I1Ih6t IIIg8 20.gabl gb8 21.1iJb2.ic6 The position is complicated. bUl it seems to

In the stem game, Morylev - Rublevsky, POlkovsky 2009, Black played 17...ib4 and after 18.a3.l!i.xo3 19M.l!i.xb4 20.axb4 'I1Ixb4 21 !'lebl 'I1Ic5 22.ig7 gg8 23.'I1Ixh7 0·0·0 24 !'lxa6 White was better. Perhaps Black could Instead have obtained some compensation with the hold 23 ... !'!xg7!?N 24.'I1Ixg7 as. 18.~e4

The alternatives are also interesting:

139

Chapter 10 - 5 ... a6 6.lilxc6 bxc6 7.id3 IS.lile2 'l¥xe5 19.!aadl d3! 20.cxd3 cxb3 leads to a complex situation. One possible continuation is 21.d4 'l¥f5 22.'I¥xf5 gaf5 23.axb3 !;IgS with an unclear endgame. IS.lila4.ixa4 19.bxa4 .~.b4 20.!aedl Also possIble is 20.!;Ieb 1 ic3 21.ig7 !;IgS 22.'I¥xh7 !axg7 23.'I¥xg7 !;IdS with counterplay. Due to the weak pawn on e5 I thmk Black has enough play here. 20 ... 'I¥xe5 21.ixc4 .tf8 22.!;Iabl ixh6 23.'I¥xh61ilc5 23 ... i>e7!? is also possible. with unclear consequences. 24.!ael 'I¥/l)

23 ... Iil/l)!! 24.'I¥xf7 (White cannot take twice on RJ due to the lethal check on c5) 24 ...!axd4! 25.1ilxfl> ic5 with a dangerous attack. 22 ... 0-0-0 23.~e3 Also 23.hc4 g5!? leads to Immense complica[lons.

23 ... g5!? The position is hugely complicated. and I am sure the reader will have a lot of fun analysing even deeper if he is so inclined. One possible continuation is 24.15 exf5 25.gxf5 !;IgeS and the game mIght go either way. 20.'I¥xh5 ph5 21.j,g7 21.~4 !;IgS is fine for Black. 21 ••• !;Ig8! 22.hd4 h4 23Jbc4l:!g4

4

3

abcd,fgh

It seems to me that Black IS okay here. and he will have the beuer long-term chances unless 'W'hite can achieve something quickly. 18...'I¥e5 19.f4 'It'h5 This is the relatively safe option. There is a sharper alternative: 19 ...~f5!? 20.g4 ~a5 21.ig7 !agS 22.hd4 22.~xh7 is riSky due to 22...0-0-0 23.hd4

a

b

d

e

g

h

We have reached a queenless position that holds chances for both sides. Play may continue 24.!aadll:!:rl'4 25.~fl j,b5 when any result is possible. Conclusion

A) 9 ...ib7 is certainly playable. but after IO.~f3!? Black ends up in a slightly passive position with limited prospects for counterplay. B) 9 ....te7 IS more natural. and undoubtedly abcdefgh

140 deserves After


Its

status as the main line.

that

move

we

examined

MO

continuations for White. BI) IO.YGf3 is a reasonable move, which usually leads to qUiet positional play in which the stronger player is likely co prevail. However, from a theoretical point of view, Black has absolutely no problems. Thus If White really wants to fight for the advantage, he should opt for the more principled B2) 10.e5IiJd7. From thiS position we began by examining B21) 11.1iJa4, a reasonable move which, however, fails to put the black position under any immediate pressure. Black can choose

B221) 12 ..th6 is currently under a cloud thanks to the powerful exchange sacnfice that was introduced by Anand aga.nst Polgar, and I found no reason to question this assessment. Thus we are left with B222) 12.b3 as the absolute mam Ime, and White's best chance ror an advantage. Play usually continues 12... c5 13.,th6 yga5 14.lila4 c4 15.ifl ib7, reaching a mlddlegame rich in possibilities ror both sides. Black is behind in development, but he

has scrong conreol over the cenue and the fT· c4 pawn chain makes a nice impression. We saw a number of lines in which he was able ro sacnfice an exchange for solid positional

between a quiet ser·up and a more aggressive

compensation. Other options such as my new

plan Involving long castling, as used by Mamedyatov against Navara.

Idea of 17 ... d4"N comphcations.

Finally we moved on to the most important

Overall I regard the present vanatlon as fascinating and rich in possibilities for both SideS. Theoretically It seems to me that Black IS m healthy shape, although there are certain cflnca1lines that require further testing.

option of B22) Il.YGg4 g6, when White has succeeded in indUCing a slight weakening of his opponent's kingside. In this position we looked at twO options in det ..1.

may

lead

co

Wild

Kan abcdcfgh

5.~c3 We7 6.1d3 ~f6 7.0-0 Variation Index 1.e4 c5 2.~f3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.~xd4 a6 5.~c3 Wlc7 6.i.d3 ~f6 7.0-0 .ic5

A) 8...i.a7 9.mhl ~c61O..ig5 AI) 10... d6 A2) 10... b5 A3) 10.•. h5!? 8) 8•.. i.e7 9.£4 d6 10.a4 81) 10... b6 82) 10... ~c6

8.~b3

142 143 144 144 145

146 148

A3) after 10 hS"

81) note to 15 €ldxe5'?

82) note to 22.ic51>

abcdefgh

abcdcfgb

abcdcfgh

II.l/.h4!'N

16 !!xf7"

24igS"

142

The Kan Variation

1.e4 c5 2.€lf3 e6 3.d4 ad4 4.€lxd4 a6 5.€lc3 ~c7 6.id3 €lf6 7.0-0 ic5

8

This is somethmg of a double-edged move. The bishop is certainly active on the a7-g1 diagonal, but on the other hand It will not be so effective m defending the kingside if and when It IS needed.

7

6 5 4

3 2

The presem lme has become quite
rapid development and a probable a"ack m the cemre or on the kingside. Black is playing flexibly, as is typical for the Kan variation. His development is a little slower, but all the vital squares are covered. and no obvious weaknesses exist in ius posicion.

With his last move Black develops his bIShop while aiming to drive theopponen,s centralized knight away from the centre.

abc

d e

g

h

With thIS move White begms to PUt pressure on his opponent's slightly weakened kingSlde, questioning the placement of the bishop on a7. Another possible set-up is: 10.£4 d6 11.11:I'e2 0-0 12.~d2

8.€lb3 8.~e3 has been tried a few times by strong players, but we Will focus on the text move which is generally considered to be a lot more challenging.

Now we reach an importam branching point.

Obviously Black should move his bishop, but he has a couple of sensible options. Thus we will consider the slightly risky but playable A) 8 ...i.7 and the more popular main line,

abcdefgb

B) 8.. .ie7.

White intends to start an attack with E:ael and e5.

A) 8 ... i.7

12... €ld4 Perhaps Black should investigate the new

143

Chapter II - S.itJc3 Yfc7 6 ..id3itJf6 7.0-0 AcS idea 12... b5!?N, intending [Q develop the queenslde pIeces as fast as poSSIble. 13.!!ael b4! It is important to drive the knight from the centre, and afrer 14.lildl ib7 the position is complicated, with chances for both sides. Note that 15.e5 dxe5 16.fXe5 lild7 17.Af4 lile7 is surely fine for Black. 13.Yfel lild7 14.Yfg3 b5 15.f5 IiIhB 16.fXe6 fXe6 17.e5!

a

abcdefgh White has launched a powerful attack on the enemy king, exposlOg Black's clumsy set-up and lagging development, Delchev - Caruana, Andorra 2006. Returning to the main line, Black now has three main moves: AI) 10...d6, Al) 10..• b5 and A3) 10... b5!? The time-wasting 1O ... lile5? is exactly what White is dreaming of. Following the natural contmuation l1.f4lilxd3 12.cxd3 d6 13.!!cl Yfd7 14.f5 White was already almost winnmg due to his enormous lead in development. Asrian - Makbnev, K1mry 2007.

AI) 10•.•d6 1I.hf6 I only found one game with this move, but I think it is

me most promismg route.

1I .•.gx:f6 12.Yfb5! The queen is ideally placed here.

e

g

h

12.••Yf07 While analysing this game I also considered the somewhat speculative, but stili rather interesdng idea: 12... i.d7N 13.f4 O-O-O!? I doubt that thIS is fully sound, but it IS not completely stupid either, and certainly gives a degree of practical compensation. 14. ~xt7 !!dfB 15. ~h5 IiIbB 16.!hd 1 !!hgB Black's Strong bishops and open g-file gIve interesting chances, although objectively White should be better. One possible plan for Black is ... lile7 and .. .£5, while if White plays f5 hImself then Black will get a nice square for hIS knight on e5. l3.f4 ~d7 14.!!ael 0-0-0

8 7

6 5 4

3 2

abc

d

e

g

h

144

The Kan Variation

IS.~dSI

12... bxc3 13.erl'6 cxb2 14.fxg7! !g8 If 14... bxal=lW 15.lWxal !g8 16.hh7

This thematic temporary sacrifice works perfectly here.

wins.

IS •.•adS 16.ad5 ~eS 17.fxeS fxeS

ISl!bl !xg7 16.Af6

These moves were played in Korsur- Neverov, Dubai 2008. Now insread of raking on f7 with the queen, White should have played:

Black eventually managed to draw the game Moroz - Shalimov, Yalta 1996, but at this stage White 15 clearly better.

18.lhf7

"e8

Now there are many good moves, but the one I like best is 19.~d2! when White's advantage should be deciSIve, with an extra pawn and

A3) IO ... hS!? This is arguably Black's most ptomismg option. Here I found a very interesting new Idea:

total control over the position.

Obviously Black will need to find an improvement somewhere in order (0 make [his line playable.

8 7 6

Al) IO •••bS 11.f4 is not so attractive here, as the

5

presence of the pawn on d7 instead of d6 gIves Black more chances to become active on the dark squares, as well as reinforCing the ~nsltlve e6-pawn against White's light-squared attack.

4

Taking on

f6

3

F','''··,,=Y'·''!''''·

2

11 ..• b4

bed

e

g

h

1l.Ab4!?N Preventing the further advance of the h-pawn

while preparing a possible .ag3. JUSt as in the ptevlOuslme, 1 \..axf6 gxRi is not so specIal for White, especially as his queen 15 deprived of the active h5-squate. 12.f4 d6 13 ..ae2 .ad7 14.lWd2 0-0-0 15.1ladl .ae8 16.!f3 h4 17.h3 1lg8 led to a complicated game with mutual chances, Fogarasi - Caruana, Budapest 2007.

abc

d e

g

h

12.eS! In Golubev - Istratescu, Romanian League 2006, White played 12.ltla4 and aftet 12 ... h5 13.~h4 d6 the pOSition was uncleat.

11.e'd2!? was Caruana's suggested improvement for White. Now after 1l...ltlg4 12.£f4 I think Black should play 12 ... ltlce5!? (Caruana gave 12 ... d6 13.h3 Itlge5 14.Ae3!? Axe3 15.Wlxe3;!;) 13.h3 g5! 14.Ag3 f6 with an

Chapter II - 5.lilc3 'l!!c7 6.Ad3lilf6 7.0-0 AcS extremely complex position. Paradoxically for the Sicilian, here it is Black who is trying to exert pressure against White's kingside! 1l •.. d6 The main alternative is II...lilg4, when there mIght follow: 12 ..tg3 ttlge5 13.h3 d6 14.Ae2 h4 15ih2 g5 16.'I!!d2 'l!!e7 17.!ladl

145

White's chances are somewhat higher. Unhke some other positions we have exammed. here

he has not given up a bIShop for a knight. This means that Black will constantly have to watch OUt for ideas of e4-e5, openmg up the centre and underlining the strange placement of the rook on h7. B) 8... Ae7 This IS the more solid chOice. Black keeps the blshop in a central location from where it can defend the kingside if needed.

7

8

7

6 5 abcdefgh I like White's chances, although there IS still a long fight ahead of us.

4 3 2

12.'I!!d2 Ad7 13.!!adl 0-0.0 14.Ae2 Ae8 15.'I!!g5! This is a highly unorthodox way to activate the queen in the Sidhan, but it seems to work well here, and shows another dimension to the bishop retreat on move 11.

15 .••!!b7 16.£4

abc

d e

g

h

9.£4 d6 10.a4 1O.'I!!f3 is a serious alternative. but I have chosen to focus on the text move, which I believe to be the most logical. By introducing the possibility of playing actively on the queenside, 'White tries to justify the posidon of the knight on b3.

Black's two main replies are Bl) 10... b6 and B2) 10... ~c6.

bed e f

g

h

Black fails to eqUalIze with 1O... lilbd7 Il.a5 ttlc5 (11...0-0 12.'I!!e2 is also good for While, who intends .te3 or .td2 next) 12.lilxc5 'l!!xc5t 13.';Ph I White has the more pleasant pOSition, and the grady attempt to gain material wirh 13 ... AdS soon led to even greater problems for Black after 14.'I!!e2 haS 15.e5 hc3 16.bxc3

146

The Kan Variation

ItldS 17..1a3 with a strong attack, Friedel Marrer, Las Vegas 2009.

IS ... ltlf6 16.fxe6 he6 17.'1:1113 Itlc6 18.ltld4 gc8 19.1tlxe6 fxe6 20.'1:IIh3 Black is busted.

BI) 10... b6 This natural-looking continuation is in fact

highly risky for Black. It !Urns out ,hat ,he Inclusion of the moves a2-a4 and ... b7-b6 enables White to launch a Strong attack. 11._5! I believe this 10 be Strongest, although ,he follOwing alternative IS also interesting. 1I.aS!? bS In ,he event of 1l...~b7 12.axb6 '1:IIxb6t 13.l!?hl 1tlc6 14.!h4 0-0 lS.'1:IIe2 White stands better due to the weakness of the a6pawn.

The bestreaction would have been 11...ltlc6! 12.axb6 '1:IIxb6t transposing to line B2 below. 12.eS! Itlfd7 Black is not helped by 12 ... dxeS 13.fxeS Itlfd7 14.'1:IIf3 0-0 IS.'1:IIxa8Itlc6 16.fif4! and Whi,e IS Winning as ItldS is coming. 13.exd6 ixd6 14..103 .1e7 Whi,e was ,hrearening hbS. This position was reached In Nlthander Blomqvist, 51Ockholm 2007. Now White could have obtained a huge attack wirh:

1l...dx_5 The alternative is:

1l...ltlfd7 12.exd6 fixd6 13.ltle4 fie7 14.fS exfS 14... eS1S.'1:IIg41!?f816.figS f6 17.fie3 looks even worse for Black. Here White has tried a few different Ideas, but curiously no-one seems ro have played the most obvious one.

7

6

abcdefgb IS.gxf5!N The a1,ernatlves lS.tilc3, IS.tilg3 and IS./if4 are all Interesting, but I think the rext move 15 strongest.

IS ... tileS This is surely the reason why no-one has

lS.f5!N The game continuation of IS.'~13 was nor at all bad, bur rhe text poses serious problems, for instance:

ventured this line with White. Other moves are no better, for instance IS ... tilc6 16.fif4 tildeS 17.!!:xeS tilxeS 18.'1:IIhS and Whire wins. 16.gxeS! This is the point - White can afford 10 sacrifice the exchange thanks 10 his huge lead in development. 16... '1:IIxeS 17.'1:1113 .1b7 18 ..1f4 '1:IIdS 19.9el 0-020.'1:IIh3 White attack is very powerful, for instance:

20 ... f5 This is rhe best defence.

Chapter II - 5.~c3 'l!fc7 6.~d3 ~f6 7.0-0 .ic5 20 ... h6 21.ixh6 and 20 ... g6 21.~6 are both unsansfacrory for Black. 21.~g3! .ic5t 22.~xc5 'l!fxc5t 23 ..ie3 'l!fb4 24 ..ifl

147

16...!lg8!?N The game continued 16.. ~f8 17.hfB !lxf8 18.1ile4 !la7 19.1ild4! and White had a winning attack. The text looks more resilIent, although It seems ro me that Black is still tn ([ouble. 17.~f4 f6 l8.Yfh3 !lg7 19.Yfxe6lilc5 20.~xe5 IXe5 21.Yfxe5 Yfxe5 22.!lxe5 First White sacrificed a pawn, bu, now he has regained i, with 100% tnterest. 22...~xd3 23.cxd3 .ib7 24.!lf6! White wins a second pavvn, and With it a decisive advantage.

15.gael ~che5!1N

abcdefgh White keeps a huge a([ack, which should decide the game.

12.&e5 ~fd7 13.Yfg4 g6 14..ih6

I tried ro make Black's pOSItion work wi,h ,his Untesled move, but I doub, il is enough 10 solve hIS problems. The follOWing line is simply beautiful. 15 ....ib7N Instead 15 ... lilcxe5 transposes to Ihe above nOle after l6.Yfg3. (ThIS was Ihe move order seen In Ihe Felgaer - Flores game). 16.!lxl:7!! 1tix1:7 16... ~dxe5 also does not save Black after 17.Yff4 0-0-0 18.!lxe7 Yfxe7 19.!lxe5 Iilxe5 20.Yfxe5 and While's Ihree strong pieces overpower Black's two rooks.

7

abc

d

e

g

h

14...~c6 The alternative is 14...~xe5 15.Yfg3!?N In ,he game C. Cobb - Rossi,er, Birmingham 2001, White played 15.Yff4 which seems less effective. 15 ... ~bd7 16.!lael This position occurred in ,he game Felgaer - Flores, Argentina (ch) 2008, via a slightly different order of moves.

6

abcdefgh 17.Yfxe6t!! I will leave il Ihe reader to have fun discovering Ihe Winning moves from here. (A him: raking

148

The Kan Variation

the queen leads to mate in a maximum of nine moves, so the best option is

[Q

retreat the king,

although even here White has • deCISive att.ck with .ccur.te pl.y.)

16.tfg3 f5 17.Af4 Ad6 It seems like Bl.ck is defending. but the following lovely move sh.rrers the illUSIOn:

This IS (he critical continuation. Instead 11 ..td led to • typically complex .nd double· edged position after l1...b6 12.\\\If3 Ab7 13.!hel 1ilb4 m Cubas - Avrukh. Turin (01) 2006. BI.ck has m.n.ged to develop his pieces In an optimal way without suffedng any unpleasant consequences.

1l ... b5 Reheving the clamp on the b6-squ.re IS the prinCipled continuation. If 11 ... 0-0 12.Ae3 White has .chleved hIS goal; of course the game is far from being decided. but it IS safe to say that Black IS under some pressure due to the c1.mp on the queenside.

8 7

6

5 4 3

12.ub6 tf"bGt B.lt/hl 0-0 14.tff3!! An Important moment. The text move is not

2

so popular. but it contains some nice points.

bed

e

18.AbSI ubS 19.1tlxbS tfe7 tf"d6 21.!!"e5

g

h 20.~Id6t

White has • huge .dv.nt.ge. B2) 10... ~~ This is much safer th.n the previous line.

11..5

The most common continuation has been: 14.\\\Ie2Iilb4 This is an importam resource for Black. It is useful to have the option of e"min.ting the dangerous bishop on d3. as well as protecting the weak .6.p.wn. In C.r1sen - V.n Wely. Sh.gen 2006. BI.ck preferred 14.... 5 but after IS ..td \\\Ic7 16.lilbS \\\Ib8 17.03 Whice h.d obt.ined • solid grip. Now V.n Wely rushed with 17... dS but after 18.eS lile4 19..ixe4 dxe4 20.lilcS .ixcS 21..ixcS !!d8 22.lild6 he found himself in serious trouble. IS.Ad lS.Iil.S h.s also been seen. Afrer lS ... lilxd3 16.cxd3 ~7 17.\\\103 \\\Ib4 18 ..td2 \\\Ib8 19.b4 !lc8 BI.ck reached .n uncle.r but fully pl.yable position in Delchev - Gallego. Andorr. 2006. I thmk It m.y have been slightly more .ccur.te to pl.y IS .. ..td7!?N 50 as not to reveal Black's imentions

yet. IS ... \\\Ib8

Chapter II - S.Iilc3 '1!Jc7 6.id3 Itlf6 7.0-0 ic5

149

mentions the variation 15 ...Wlc7 16.ltlb5!? (The only game continued 16.ltla5 !:tbS 17..td4 e5 \02-\02 Bellia - Cs. Horva[h, Brm0200S) 16... '1!JbSI7.lilxd6.txd618.e5 .txe5 19.fxe5 '1!Jxe5 20.!:ta5. claiming some initiative for \Vhite. although I am not so sure about [his after 20 ... ltlbd5. 16.ltla5 '1!Jc7 Kritz

From here White can choose between a few

different approaches. abcdefgh 23.!:txfO!? Bu[ Black is no[ obliged to cooperate. 23 ... d4! Wi[hou[ this Black would be in trouble. 24.lild5 '1!Jb7 25.!:tf5 dxe3 'W'hite does not have much advantage. If any. The e3-pawn is a great asset, and it will

abc

d

e

g

17.ltlc4!?N ThIS untested move was mentioned by Kri[Z, although I do not entirely agree with

be hard for Wh"e [0 advance his queenside pawns with Black's heavy pieces s£anoned on [he b- and c-files.

Let us now return to the mam line and see how the more active placement of the queen on

f3

might make a difference.

his evaluation. Other moves lead nowhere

special for White: 17 ~f2 ~d7 IS.ic4 ~b5! was already comfortable for Black in Navara - Grischuk, Sochi 200S. 17..tgl !:tbSIS.e5Itld719.exd6ixd620.f5 exfS 21.ixf5led to unclear play in Nithander - ErdelYI, Gibraltar 2009. However, I think Black could have done even betrer WIth 20 ... ltlf6!N. 17... d5 IS.exd5 exd5!? Krin mentions only I S... lilbxd5 , assessing the position as equal. However, it seems to me that after 19.1ilxd5ltlxd5 20 ..td4 Whi .. has promising attacking chances. 19.1ilb6 !:tbs 20.ltlxcS !:tfxcS 21..txa6 Itlxa6 22.!:txa6ic5 Black has a grea[ deal of aC[iviry, so [he following Idea looks absolu[ely necessary:

8 7

6 5 4 3 2

b

e

g

15.ie3 'fflc7 15 ... '1!JbS is more camious. The queen 15 less active than on c7. but on the other hand it

150

The Kan Variation

d
be adjusted to fit with tho main line undor discussion.

17•••dxe5 18.&e5 Uxe5 19.1:ia5! This is an important manoeuvre the rook.

8

8

7

7

6

6

5

5

4

4

3

3

2

2

a

b

c

d

e

g

h

16.e5! In Ponomariov - Ivanchuk, Soclu 2006, White played 16.Ad4 but achieved nothing special afrer 16... ,tb7 17 .lila5 ~ab8 18 .Iilxb7 I'iIxb7 19.1'iIh3 h6 20.l'iIg3 \-2-V2. Th< text mov< has be
The starring moves of Timman - Kurajica, Reggio Emilia 1984, were l.e4 c5 2.1ilf3 Iilc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.lilxd4 I'iIb6 5.lilb3 Iilf6 6.1ilc3 e6 7.,td I'iIc7 8 ..td3 /i.e7 9.f4 d6 100--0 0-0 II.a3 a6 12.1'iIf3 b5 13.ltlhl b4 14.axb4 Iilxb4 and now 15.e5. (To keep things simple, I Will adjust any references to rhat game to fit in with the move order given in the main line above.)

16... ib717.Uh3 In addition to the Timman - Kurajica encounter. several other games have reached

this position. through a few different move orders. Once again, all move numbers will

a

b

c

d

e

g

to

activate

h

19...Ud6!N llus umested move is the only satisfactory one. Alternatives lead to serious problems for Black:

Firstly, let us note that 19... lilbd5 can be Immediately refuted by 20.~x/l5!. 19 ... l'iIc7? also loses after 20.ixh7t! Iillrh7 In Bogdanos - Koerant, Athens 1994, Black soon went down after 21...£5 22.~lrh7 ~/l5 23.l'iIh5 ~h6 24.~lrh6 gxh6 25.l'iIgGt Itlh8 26.l'iIlrh6t Itlg8 27.l'iIxe6t 1-0. 21.~h5.

19 ...id5 This is also unsatisfactory. 20.lilxd5 exd5 21.~d4I'i1h5 21. ..1'iIe6 would have been a bit more resilient, but ultimately it leads to a similar situation after 22.£f5! (bu, not 22.h/l5? Iilxd3) 22 ...l'iIe2 23.~aal I'iIh5 24.£xf6 Ulrh3 25.ixe7! I'iIh6 26.ixb4 when Whi,e's ,hr« pieces should eventually outgun rhe black queen.

Chapter II - S.ltk3 fic7 6.id3 ~f6 7.0-0 ics

151

21..bfG fixh3 22 ..txe7 "!:I'e6 23.hb4 !:IfeB 24 ..tc3 g6 2S.~cS "!:I'd6 26 ..td4 !:Ie7 27.h4 I-j) Zdziubany - Ragamis, corr. 19B6. 19... ~xd3 20.!:IxeS ~xeS has been played a few times, but it is hard to believe that Black's pieces can match the white queen in this position. White has a clear advantage after both 21..1cS, Timman - Kurajica, ReggIo Emilia 1984, and 21.~aS, Opl- Martinovic, Austria 1997. 20.i.xh7t Also very interesting is: 20 ..tcS "!:I'dB 21..txe7 "!:I'xe7 22 ..txh7t ibxh7 23.!:Ih5 f5 24.!:Ixh7 "!:I'g5

b

d

e

g

h

22..ic5!! The clever point behind Black's last move is revealed after: 22.!:Ixh7 hg2t! Hubner stopped analysing here, having amomacicaJly assumed that this position was unacceptable for White. However, we

will

soon see that thiS is not the case. 23.~xg2 "!:I'g6t

4 3

abcdefgh

Here Hubner analysed the following line, which turns OUt well for Black: 25.!:IhBt ~f7 26.!:Ih5 "!:I'g6 27.~d4? (or 27.gdl gadB) 27 ...!:IhB 2B.~xf5 gxh5 29.~g3t (29.~h4t? ~gB 30.~xg6 gxh3-+) 29 ... gf5+ Stronger is 25.!:IgI!. It may look passive, but White is preparing ~c5 or ~d4. The position is extremely complicated and requires further investigation and testing. 20 ... ~xh7 21.!b5 e51 This is a key defensive concept for Black, without which he would be in serious trouble. For example, after 21...i.xg2t 22.~g2 e5 23.~hl! "!:I'g6 24.!:Igl "!:I'xc2 25.~d2 White is winning.

4

3

abcdefgh

24..tg5!! Hubner can certainly be forgiven for missing this incredible resource (hiS annotations are from long before the days of Fritz and Rybka). 24 ... "!:I'xh7 25 ..txe7 "!:I'xc2t ThIS should lead to a forced draw. If Black is feeling more ambitious he mIght try 25 ... "!:I'xh3t!? 26.~xh3 glbB WIth an unclear endgame.

152

The Kan Variation

26.!H2 'l!l'xb3 27.~f6!

24.:!!xe5 24.txfB also leads to highly unclear play after 24 ... ltle3 25.:!!f2Itlxg2 26.:!!xg2 :!!xfB.

24...!!feB 25.ltlc5 tc6 26.1tld3

6

The position is a real mess.

4 3

2 abcdefgh 27 ... ltld5! There is no point in Black rislung 27 ... gxf6?! 28.'I!I'g4t Illh7 29.:!!f5! (obviously White could take an immediate draw if he wIShed it) 29 ...'I!I'xb2t 30.ltle2 'l!l'd2 31.:!!h5t 'l!l'h6 32.'I!I'f5t Illg7 33.:!!xh6 Illxh6 34.'I!I'xf6t Illh7 35.'I!I'h4t followed by capturing the knight on b4, with some wInnmg chances. 28.hg7Illxg729.'I!I'g4t With a perpetual to follow. 22••.'I!I'g6! ThIS is more challenging ,han 22 ... 'I!I'e6 23.he7 'l!l'xh3 24.:!!xh3 Itlxc2 25.1xfB :!!xfB 26.ltla5 with a better endgame for WhIte. although the game IS far from over.

I am sure there are many more ideas waiting to be discovered in this variation, but still the above analysis gives some idea of how complicated ,he game might become. The plan of attaclung along the fifth rank is rather attractive, so I would not be surprised if the attacking plan beginning with 14.'I!I'f3 becomes more popular in the future. Condusion We began by considermg the slightly riSky A) 8 ... ta7. This maintains the bishop'S active poSItion on the a7 -g I diagonal, but leaves the kingside a little more vulnerable. After the usual 9.i>hl ltleG 1O.1g5 we examined three moves: A!) 10...d6, A2) 1O ... b5 and A3) 1O... h5!? All three lead to interesting play, but it seems [0 me that the third represents Black's best chance for a balanced game. The whole line requires further testing. and I have lughllghted what I beheve to be the most important new directions.

23.he7Itlxc21

The complicatIons continue!

The more popular and solid continuation is B) B...1e7. Then after 9.f4 d6 I 0.a4 we considered bothB!) 1O... b6and B2) 10... ltlc6.Thefirstis extremely f1Sky and despite my best efforts to find improvements for Black, in the end there is no way I can recommend it. The second, on the other hand, is more reliable. A few moves down the lme, White's main decision concerns whether to posltion his queen on e2 or f3. The former has been more popular. but it seems to me that the latter offers more active possibilities connected with

e4-e5. The resulting poSitions can become

abc

d

e

f

g

h

Chaptet II - 5.!bc3 V!!c7 6.1i.d3 !bf6 7.0-0 ~c5 staggeringly complicated, and I am sure the reader Will have fun plaYIng through and perhaps trying to improve upon the analysis provided. My overall assessment is that accurate play from both sides should either lead to highly unclear but roughly balanced posItIons. or. In the case of (he note to W'hire's 22nd move, a fotced draw.

153

Kan abcdefgh

5.1d31c5 Variation Index l.e4 c5 2.~a e6 3.d4 crd4 4.~][d4 a6 5.~d3 ~c5 6.~b3

A) 6.• ~a7 7.Yfg4 ~f6 S.Yfg3 d6 9.~c3 ~c6 10..igS h6 1l •.id2 AI) 1l ••• e5 Al) 1l ••. ~h5 B) 6.•.~e7 7 ~e3!! ~f6 8.~1d2 Bl) 8.•. d6 B2) 8... ~c6

156 157 159 161 162 163

A) note to Black's 11 rh move

AI) note to 12 ~h5'?

8Z) note to lZ "iff3

abcdefgb

abcdefgb

abcdcfgb

14ae3'

141!1bl!N

lZ"ifeZ!'N

156

The Kan Variation

1.04 cS 2.~a e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.~xd4 a6 S,J,d3

A) 6 ...~a7 7.1Wg4 HlSCorically [he mose popular response has been 7.1We2 in[endmg 1ilc3 and .te3. bu[ che [ex[ is considered [he mos[ challengmg continuation at present.

7 ... ~f6 8.'iWg3 Whice can hardly hope [0 benefit from 8.'iWxg7 !lg8 9.'iWh6 hf2t. Nevereheless Whi[e IS hoping [hac [he pressure agains[ g7 will evencually force a concession from Black.

This IS 'White's most popular option agamst [he Kan. 5.1ilc3 IS [he ocher big move. bu[ [he text is more elastic as is keeps the option of c2-c4. Mos[ expercs beheve i[ co be Wh"e's mos[ promising approach. and i[ has been used by vircually all of che cop l.e4 players in [he world.

8... d6 9.~c3 ~c6 10.~gS Wi[h [he bishop on a7 [h,S pin is cacher annoymg for Black. He can of course break " by playing ... h6 at any cimo. but this will weaken his kingside slighdy. 10.0-0 has also been qui[e popular. but i[ seems to me (hat 'W'lllre does bener [0 retain the opnon of long casdmg.

Wi[h [he Kan being such a flexible syscem. Black has cried vireually every legal move m [he diagram posicion. [n [hIS chap[er [ would hke to focus on an active choice that has been especially [opical in recen[ years.

S...~c5 Black wishes co drive [he ac[ive knigh[ away from [he cemre. The resemblance [0 [he previous chapter is obvious. but we

will soon

see that the cwo Imes are quite independent. 6.~b3

Some mong players have occasionally expenmented With ocher moves, but the text is still an automatic choice in the majoricy of games. Now Black muse make an Imporean[ choice berween A) 6 ...~a7 and B)6 ...~07.

abc

d

e

g

h

IO ... h6 Black usually eleccs co break [he pm Immediately. The main alternative is: 1O... b5 11.0-0-0 b4 12.~xfU!? This looks more promIsing chan 12.lOe2 ~b7 13.f4. Fedorchuk - Zakharov. Ukraine 1999. when It looks inceresting for Black co [ry 13 ... h6N 14.~h4 g5!? leading to a

Chapter 12 - 5.1d3 1c5 complicated position after 15.fxg5 IZlh5 16.'i!Yel hxg5. 12... gxf6 13.lZle21b7 This was Van der Steeren - Blackstock, London 19BO. Now it looks good for White to play: 14.f4'i!Ye7 15.£5 0-0-0 16.lZlf4 W1l.ite keeps some pressure in something closely resembling the Rauzer positions from Chapter 4.

157

4 2

abcdefgh

11.1d2 Now we will examine both AI) 11 ....5 and A2) 11 ... lZlhS in detail, after a btief look at the alternatives: 1l...g6 12.1e2 IZld4 13.'i!Yd3 IZlxe2 14.'i!Yxe2 e5 15.1e3 1xe3 16.'i!Yxe3 106 17.0-0-0 'i!Yc7 IB.EW2 0-0-0 19.!lhdlltlbB 20.£3

7

6

abcdefgh

With lasting pressure for White, Z. A1masl Glek, Bundeshga 2005. 11 ... lZle5 12.ie2 g5!? Black tries to wrest control ofthe dark squares in a thematic fashion for the Sicilian. 13.0-0-0 !1gB This is designed to discourage £2-f4. The alternative is 13 ...1d7 14.£4 gxf4 15.1xf4 !1gB 16.'i!Yh3 'i!Ye7 17.!lhfI 0-0-0 IB.ie3 txe3t 19.'i!Yxe3 with some advantage, Blomqvist Stripunsky, Helsingor 2007.

14.1e3! Exchanging bishops makes a good deal of sense here as Black looks a little sensitive on the dark squares, especially the d6-pawn. 14...1b8!? Black resorts to drastic measures to prevent the exchange. Stili, it IS hard to put much faith in this unorthodox manoeuvre. Instead after the normal-looking 14 ... he3t 15.'i!Yxe3 'i!Yc7 16.!ld4 White IS much better. 15.f3 ~7 16.h4 White keeps a slight mitiative, Markgraf Lanka, Hamburg 2007. AI) 11 ....5 12.0-0-0 12.1e2 was the choice of a world-class player in Svidler - SmlCin, Kemer 2007, but although White eventually triumphed, he did not achieve any advantage from the opening. I do not believe there is any real need to cover the h5-sq uare at this stage.

158

The Kan Variation

12... ~h511 This untesced move was suggested by Avrukh in his annotations to the aforemennoned

game. 12... ltle7 was played in Chowdhury Shamima, Dhaka 2005. This move appears a bit artificial, and after 13.lte2!?N Black is under some pressure on the kingside. 12... lte6 This looks like a sensible alternative. I chink White's best response is: 13.Jte2! Having more oc less completed development on the previous move, I think this is a better

time to rerreat the bishop and make 'l:l'xg7 into a real threat. This position was analysed by Avrukh, via a slightly dilf«ent order of moves, in his annocadons to Svidler Smlrin game. 13 ... g5 This was Black's choice in Erenburg Kovalev, Israel 2008. Avrukh mentioned the line 13... g6 14.i.e3 ltxe3t 15.'I:I'xe3 b5 "wich counterplay", but

15 ... b5 16.£3!:lc8 17.l!ib11tld4 when Black was doing fine. 14 ... b5 15.h4 g4 16.£3 !:lc8 17.!:lhfl White has a promising position. For instance, I checked che following continuation: 17... ltld4 18.ltlxd4 ixd4 Hoping for a typIcal exchange sactifice on 03, but White should not be so generous as to allow thIS.

6 4

me

[ think the initiauve is on White's side, for

instance: 16.f4 "I:I'c7 17.l!ib1 0-0 18.5 ltxb3 19.axb3 I!ig7 20.g4 with promising chances on the kingside.

abcdefgb 19.1tld5! The position of the black king is highly compromised, and his modest activity is not

enough to compensate for that problem. For instance: 19 ... ltlxd5 20.exd5 ixd5 21.ib4 White intends 03 next, with excellent chances.

13.'1:1'8 ~f6 Black has lost time with hIS knight, but has driven the queen to a less favourable square. Assuming White is not content with an early

draw, he should fight for the advantage in the following way:

4

3

14.h3!1

abcdefgb 14.l!ib1!N I like this better than the game continuation: 14.h4 g4 15.h5 Pechaps this is not necessary.

Avrukh mentions the line 14.ltld5 Itlxd5 15.exd5 ltle7, evaluating the posicion as unclear. That seems pretty close to the truth, for example: 16."I:I'g3 1tl5 17.ixf5 ixf5 18.'I:I'xg7 'l:l'e7! 19.io3 0-0-0 20."1:1'£6 ig6 21.l!ibl

159

Chapter 12 - S..td3 .tcS

16.l!ibl We have now transposed to the game Christlansen - Stripunsky, Internet 200S, which reached (rus position via the move order ll...liJh5 12.'I!I'f3 11lf6 13.0-0-0 e5 14.liJd5 .te6 15.l!ib1 &8 16.h3.

7

6 4

16•.. ~d4 16 ....txd5 Il.exd5 liJel IS.g4 looks good for White. abcdefgb White" a pawn up but Black's bishop pair hould not be underestimated.

Il.~"d4 hd4 18,c3 .tal 19.94

4....to6 15.~d5 8 7

6L~J~.~~. 4 3

abc

2

d e

g

h

White has maimained the initiative. and went on to win.

abc

d e

g

h

5... gc8 An imponanr alternative IS: S... .txd5 16.exd5 liJe7 17.ghe1! White develops his last piece and intends to open the centre with a subsequent f4. 7 ... liJexd5 This is not forced, but it must surely be the cmical test of White's play. S..te4 A sharper alternative is IS.'I!I'g3 I!ifS 19.c4 'l!l'cl 20.l!ib1 liJel 21.f4 with a strong mitiative for a pawn. 8...l1lxe4 19.'I!I'xe411lf6 20.'I!I'xbl 0-0 21.f4 "White keeps some 101(iarive thanks to his >elter development.

All 1l ... ~h5 Popularized by Kamsky and Stnpunsky, this line was for some time considered unclear, but now it seems that a dear antidote has been

found.

a

C

d

e

f

g

h

160

The Kan Variarion

12.§'e§'h4 The next

few moves are more or Jess forced.

It also occurred to me rhat Black could try 18 ... e5!? with the folloWing idea: 19.1:!xd6 exf4 20.gxf4 .tb8

13.g3 ~.5 14.§'e2 §'g4 15.0-0-0 §'x.2 15 ... /iJf6 just transposes after 16.f4 §'xeZ

17.bZ. 15 ...§'f:\?! IS roo optimistic. and after 16.§'xf3 /iJxf3 17..teZ /iJxd2 18./iJxd2 /iJf6 19./iJc4 Black was under pressure in Balogh - Wing, Cappelle la Grande 2007. 16.Le2 ~f617.f4 ~eg4 17... /iJc6 has been played. but it is obvious that 'X'hite stands at least a little better there.

The rexr is clearly the principled move.

4

abcdefgh However, White keeps the upper hand after 21.l"!xf6! /iJxf6 22.e5 /iJd7 23./iJd5 wllh tremendous compensation for the exchange.

18..tel

19.1"!d3! This is an important move, and a clear

8

improvement over 19./iJd4?! e5 20./iJf5t .txf5 21.exf5 /iJe3 22.l"!d3 e4 23.l"!dz d5 when Black was in control. Vallejo Pons - Kamsky. Khanty-Mansiysk 2005.

7 6

5 4

8

3

7

2

6 5

abc

d

e

g

h

Kamsky was the fi"r to play rhis posItIon wlIh Black. It broughr him a victory. but he has not repeared it since. which was probably a wise decision considering that 'White has made a huge score in subsequent games.

4 3

2

abc 18••. ~e7 In Robson - Friedel. Miami 2008, Black tested a new approach in 18 ... g5!? The idea seems logical. but after 19.1!Ibl lte3 ZO.e5 dxe5 21.h3 /iJf2 22 ..bf2 ltxf2 23.6cg5 White was better and went on to win.

d

e

g

19 ... ~f2 Exchanging this knight for a bIShop seems like a principled chOIce. although it suffers from an obvious drawback in the loss of rime. Black has tried a few other ideas. but has always f31len short of equality.

Chapter 12 - 5.~d3 ~cS 19 ... hS 20.~f3 h4 2 I.l1ld 1 h3 22.~b4 eS 23 ..I!I.xd6t illeS 24.fxeS I1lh7 2S.e6 ~xe6 26.eS 1-0 was a disaster for Black, Erenburg Friedel, Pawtucket 2008. Just three days later in the same event, Eren burg reached the same position again! This time his opponent tried to improve with 19 ... ~d7 but after 20 ..1f3 eS 21.l1ldl ib5 2H!c3 !!hc8 23.h3 !!xc3 24.hc3 I1lf2 2S.I1lxf2 ixf2 26.fxeS dxeS 27 ..beSllle6 28.ic3 White was

161

7.h31? I decided to focus on this move, which has become quite fashionable lately. Unusually for the Kan variation, Whlte can seriously consider long castling. 7.'I:I'g4 is another serious move, but we WIll leave this for another day.

7 ... ~f6 Black often plays 7 ... d6, but this will usually

a pawn up and soon won, Erenburg - Zhao,

nanspose to line 82 below after a subsequent

Pawtucket 2008.

... I1lf6.

20.hfl hfl 21.!!hdl g5

8.~1d2

This counterauack is the best chance, bur

White still manages to keep control.

8

22.iB ¢4 23.gxf4 ib6 24.e5 dxe5 25.&e5 ~d7 26.hb7 !!a7 27.hc8!!xc8 28.!!el 'X'hite went on co conVert his extra pawn in

7

Saltaev - Lemmers, Belgium 2006.

6 5

4 B)6 ... ie7

3 2

8 7

abc

6

d e

g

h

This position can be conSIdered the basic starting point of the 7 ..ie3 variation. \Vl'llce's plan for the next few moves WIll usually involve f4 followed by 'l:l'e2 or 'l:l'f3, followed by a

5 4

3

standard attack. Black can react in a variety

2

abc

d e

g

h

ThIS line has achieved great popularity in recent years. Black's position is 8exible and solid. while at the same time containing enough dynamic potential to play for a win. Promment practitioners of thIS line include Svidler, Epishm, Rublevsky, Avrukh, Hellsten and others.

of ways. He mIght try fighting back in the centre with ... eS andlor ...dS. Alternatively he can Opt for a typIcal Sicilian set-up with d6, in which case his queens knIght might go to either c6 or d7. As this IS a modern line there are not a huge number of games, and certam

positions might be reached via several different move orders. I decided to organize the material as follows: BI) 8 ... d6 (omitting or delaying ... I1lc6) and B2) 8 ... ~c6.

162

The Kan VariatIOn

B1) 8 ... d6 9.f41 This was first played by Anand back in 2003.

9 •.. ~bd7 The stem game was a nice advert for White's

chances, and helps to explain why the whole lIRe became popular. 9 ... bG 1O.'IlI'e2~b7 11.0-0-0 'IlI'c712.g4 ~fd7 13.llIbl ~cG 14.c3 b5 15.!lhfl e5 IG.f5 hG 17.'IlI'f2 !lcB?! This IS a bit too slow; besides, it is not yet clear if the rook belongs on the c-file. Anand recommended 17 ... b4! IB.lael (1B.c4 a5 19.~f3 a4 20.~bd2 ~c5+) IB ... 'IlI'd8 intending ... a5-a4 when Black at least getS some counterplay. 18.h4 b4 19.!lcl bxc3 20.!lxc3 'IlI'd8

Black has also tried 9 ... e5, after which play normally contmues 10.£5 d5 11.'IlI'f3 1tlc6. Now 12.c3 transposes to lme B2, although White mIght also try to do without thIS move with 12.0-0, for instance: 12... d4 13.~f2 h5 14.h3 h4?! This looks like a dubious plan. 15.c3 Itlh5 IG.~c4 ~f(j 17.~d5 IlIfB 18.hcG bxcG 19.cxd4 exd4 20.ltlc4 and Black already faced serious problems, Delgado IUmirez - Nogueiras Santiago, Sanra Clara 2007. lO.'IlI'e2 The queen can also go further: 1O.'IlI'f3 'IlI'c7 This was seen m Ni Hua - Avrukh, Dagomys 2008, Via a d,fferent move order whereby Black postponed ... Itlf(j. The game continued 11.0-0-0 b5 12.g4 Itlc5 13.ltlxc5 dxc5 14.c4 ~b7 15.g5 Itld7 IG.'IlI'h3 reaching a doubleedged position.

6

abcdefgh 21.£6! gxf(j Obviously Black cannot take with a piece In

VIew of 22.g5. 22.o3! Playing to restrict the knight on c6. It IS not easy for Black to find a constructive plan. 22...~c5

According to Anand, Black's best chance was: 22 ... ltlcbB 23.!lxc8 ~xcB;!; 23.ltlxc5 dxc5 24.g5! hxg5 25.hxg5 Itld4 26.gxf6 ~fB 27.'IlI'g3 White had regamed hIS pawn while keepmg a strong initiative, and went on to win a nice

game.

a

b

d

e

g

h

1O... h511 I believe this is probably Black', besr chance for an acceptable middlegarne position. The idea is of course to slow down White's intended g4 advance. Technically this move is a novelry, although the resulting position has already been reached in the game Gmsburg - Markowski, Bad Zwesten 2004, via the move order 7 ... dG 8.~ld2 Itld7 9.f4 h5 1O.'IlI'e2 Itlgf(j. We will see how that

163

Chapter 12 - 5.ad3 ac5 game continued, after first checking a few alternatives.

14.l!Ibllk8 15.l3hfl

10 ... O-OI! looks far too risky, and In the following game Black was swiftly destroyed: 11.g4 e5 12.f5 d5 13.g5111xe4 14.axe4 dxe4 15.111xeHle816.0-0-O'I!I'c717.f6af818.fxg7 ixg7 19.'I!I'h5 'l!l'c6 20.111d6 !if8 21.!ihfl and Black's kingSlde collapsed, Mamedov - Clitan, Bucharest 2008. If Black is not going to prevent g4, then he should at least postpone castling for the time being, for instance: 10 ... 'I!I'c7 11.0-0-0 b5 12.g4 g6 13.g5 I think White should have preferred 13.l!Ib I!N before Initiating a confrontation. 13 ... 111h5 14.!ihfl e5 15.15 Now Black came up with a very interesting concept:

abc

d e

g

h

Ginsburg - Markowski, Bad Zwesten 2004. White has easier play although the position IS full of possibilities for both sides. 82) 8 ...111c6 9.£4 d6 This is perhaps the most elastic approach, although several others have been tried.

7

9 ... d5 10.e5 d4 (After 10 ... llld7 II.lllf3 White has a pleasant version of a French set-up.) This was Bulski - Skliba, Litomysl 2009, and now after the simple Il.if2N llld5 12.'I!I'f3 White has a comfortable edge, so it seems Black's activity in the centre was premacure.

6 5

4 2 I

abcdefgb 15 ... a5!1 16.axb5 a4 17.111al In return for the pawn Black has managed to drive the knight to a poor square. Here I think he should have continued: 17... 0-0N Instead 17 ... 031' 18.'I!I'c4 gave White better chances in Brinck - Clausen, Copenhagen 2005. After the text move, Black has definite compensation thanks to the open q ueenslde files and misplaced knight on a 1. 11.0-0-0 b5 12.111a ~7 13.~g5 ft'c7

9 ...'I!I'c7 1O.'I!I'e2 b6 Obviously Black can transpose to the main line by playing ... d6 at any point, but he can also try to do without this move. Another idea is 10 ... Illb4, In order to discourage long castling. The problem is that the queen is misplaced on the c-file, and White is better after 11.0-0 d6 12.03 lllxd3 13.cxd3 when Black must worry about unpleasant Ideas like !iacl followed by lllc4. 11.0-0-0 lllb4 12.i>bl ib7 13.g4 d5 Finally the d-pawn moves, but this time It travels cwo squares racher chan one. 14.e5111d7 15.111f3!ic8

The Kan Variation

164

By way ofan improvement for Black I suggest 15 ... lOc5!?N with the possible continuation 16.51Obxd3 17.cxd3 a5! Intending ...~a6. Now 18.g5 is a little premature due to IS ... exf5 19.1Ox5 0-0; nevertheless, I would still rate White's chances as slightly better after IS.h4. 16.f5 IOc5 17.lObd4 ~d7 IS.h4 ~a4 19.a3 IObxd3 20.cxd3 a5 21.g5 ~a6 22.f6 White is gaining a huge amount of space, although his opponent is not without counterplay. We will follow the game to the end, as the finish was spectacular. 22 ....i!l.fS 23.h5 b5 24.g6 hxg6 25.hxg6 l'lxh I 26.l'lxhl b4

7

6 5

4 3

abcdefgh

White had a dangerous attack, Fedorov Gweinov, Presidents Cup 2007.

Another notable game continued I 0 ... ~c7 11.~f3 b6 12.0-O-0.i!l.b7 13.l!ib1 IOd7 14.g4 IOc5 15 ..i!l.c2 b5 16.g5 0-0-0 Avoiding a direct attack. but runnmg

7

Into

other probJems

as we shall see. 17.~f2 lObS IS.5 IObd7 19.1Oxc5 dxc5 20.fxo6 fxe6 21.~f7 White has developed his initiadve with natural

4

moves, and is rewarded with a valuable pawn.

3 2 abcdefgh

27.l'lhS! .i!l.xd3t 2S.~xd3IOxd3 29.fxg7 Despite having an extra queen (temporarily at least), Black is defenceless. 29 ... ~dIt 30.'ilIa2l!id7 31.l'lxfBl'leS 32.gxf7 b3t 33.lOxb3 1-0 Sh"ov - Manik, Ohrid 2009.

IO.c3I? I think it makes sense to prevent ... lOb4, whieh could be a more tempting proposition for Black without the queen being misplaced on c7. 1O...e5 10... 0-0 looks risky, and indeed after: 11.~f3 e5 12.5 b5 13.g4IOd7 14.h4 .i!l.b7 15.g5l'leS 16.0-0-0 a5 17.f6!

2l....i!l.d6 22.~xe6l'lhe8 23.~g4 Black had no compensation and White went on [0 convert his advantage, Karjakin - HeUsten, Turin (ol) 2006.

11.5 d5 8 7

6 5 4 3 2

abc

d e

g

h

In most Sicilians, the ability to play both ... e5 and ... d5 would almost guarantee Black a good

Chapter 12 - 5.id3 ic5

game. The present variation is an exception, as he still h3S some problems [0 solve.

12.'iI't3 Whi[e may also consider 12.'f!I'e2!?N with [he possible continuation: 12 ... 0-0 13.0-0 'f!I'c7 14,1aacI!? Anticipating the possible opening of [he c-file [hat could occur after ... d4. 14 ... !ldS 15.g4 h6 16.h4

165

13.g4 gx/5 There is also nothing wrong with 13... d4 14.cxd4exd415.Af4/Llb4!? (l5 ...Ad6 16.0-0-0 looks better for Whi[e) with highly unclear play, Sanchez - Cs. Horvath, Bratto 2009. Black can also postpone the exchange on /5 with: 13 ... aS!?N This looks provocative, but the anempr at refutation only leads to a draw. 14.gS (l4.a4 is lIkely to transpose [0 the main line after a subsequent exchange on /5, for instance: 14 ... dxe4 IS.Axe4/Llxe4 16./Llxe4 gxfS 17.gx/5) 14 ... dxe4 lS./Llxe4 /Llxe4 16.Axe4

4 3

7

2

6 abcdefgh

We have reached an ultra-sharp position [hat requires further mvestlgation.

4 2

12.•. g6!! This undermining move is Black's most prinCipled choice. It looks risky [0 play [his way when undeveloped, but so far no clear

refutation has been demonstrated. I 2 ... dxe4? is a bad idea, 3S after 13.ixe4/Llxe4 14./Llxe4 [he centralized krught and auackmg possibilities connected with /5-fG are much more relevant [han Black's bishop pair. The following game ended in a massacre after: 14... 'f!I'd3?! This is toO greedy, but Black would have been suffering after other moves as wdl. IS.!ldl 'il'c2 16.0-0 'f!I'xb2 17.f6 gxf6 IS. !lf2 'f!I'a3 19./Llxf6t ixf6 20.'f!I'xfG 'f!I'fS 2l.ic5 1-0 Ardeleanu - Siebrecht. Triesen 200S.

abcdefgh

16 ... ixgS! 17.ixgS 'il'xgS lS.Axc6t bxc6 19.'iI'xc6t
7

6 5

4

13.exd5 I [hmk [hIS IS [he best chance for an advantage, although [he following alternative is also interesting:

2 abcdefg

166

The Kan Variation

18...lild4!N This ultra-sharp move looks like Black's be" bet here. Is ... ifS 19.!l:gl looks messy, but more dangerous for Black. The game Martins - Hughes, Gaziantep 2OOS, continued Is ...ig4 19.'!I'xg4 '!I'xe3t 20.'!I'e2 '!I'xe2t 21.I!lxe2 ifS 22.!l:ad1 (22.!l:hgl!? may be even better) with clearly better chances for White. It is obvious that the inclusion of the moves ... a5 and a2-a4 helps White in this ending. 19.cxd4 ib4t 20.lilbd2 20.lilc3 ixc3t 2l.bxc3 '!I'xc3t 22.I!lf.! '!I'xb3 23.'!I'e4 !l:a6 looks quite acceptable for Black. 20 ... exd4 21.0-0-0 '!I'xe3 The position remains unclear. Black is highly compromISed on the e-file, but it is not clear if White can exploit this.

13... lilxd5 This posinon was reached in Ritscher Siebrecht, Hamburg 2009. Here I suggest the following improvement:

14..ih6!!N With the possible conunuadon:

14...pf5 15.h5 h5 16.'eYx5 '!I'e8 17.0-0

'frd5 18.!!Id5 !!Ig8 19.1ile4!!1g6 20.id2

8

Condusion After the usual knight retreat to b3, Black can choose beCVlfeen two bishop reueats. Ju.st as in the previous chapter, retreating the bishop to a7 is the slightly riskier choice, as Black's kingside is left a little vulnerable. Nevertheless it is perfectly playable, and later we considered two main options: AI) II...e5 and A2) 11. .. lilh5. The first seems qUite solid, and even though I prefer White's prospects slightly, I doubt that he can obtain any more than a slight edge. The second is usually connected with a plan of exchanging queens, as first played by Kamsky. Although the mitial outing was a success, it now seems as though White has succeeded in charting a safe path towards an advantage, and I was unable to find any new ideas that undermined that verdict. B) 6 ... ie7 is the more solid choice, after which I decided to focus on the especially topical continuation of 7.ke3!? Iilf6 S.1il1d2, when Black has cwo main choices: B1) S... d6 and B2) S... lilc6. The main difference concerns the intended destination of Black's queens knight. Both moves are perfectly playable, and it is hard to recommend one over the oth... Overall [ prefer White's chances slightly in both lines, btl[ Black's poslrion remains quite resilient,

7

With plenty of dynamiC potential.

6

5 4

3

White has slightly better chances in this ending thanks to his blockade over the light squares, although a tough fight lies ahead.

.."'...

vP,,,/..••=·,/.~~,·

2

a

e

g

Index ofVariations Chapter 1 1.<4 c5 2.<~la otc6 3.d4 ""d4 4.'~lxd4 otf6 5.otc3 .5 6.otdb5 d6 7.1/.g5 a6 8.ota3 b5 9 ..txf6gxf610.lild5 fS11.1/.d31/.0612.c31/.g7 13.lilxb5!! ub5 14.bb5 A) 14...1/.d7 15.exf5 9 AI) 15 ... 0-0 16.0-010 All) 16 .. labS 11 A12) 16... lae8 17 .•4 e4 IS.\\\'g4I!ih8 13 AI21) 19.1aadl 13 A122) 19.1afdl!? 15 A2) 15...o<:IbS 18 A21) 16.•4 18 A211) 16... hb5 18 A212) 16... 0-O!? 20 A22) 16.\\\'g4 21 B) 14 ... lacS 23 Chap tor 2 1.<4 c5 2.lila Iilc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.otId4 1ilf6 5.1ilc3 .5 6.lildb5 d6 7.1/.g5 a6 8.ota3 b5 9.lild5 ie7 10•.txf6 .txf6 11.c3 0-0 12.otc2 igS 13.a4 bxa414.lba4 a5 15.ic4 lab8 16.b3 I!ih8 17.lilce3 g6 18.M!! hh4 19.93 A) 19... if6>! 28 B) 19... ig5 20.f4 exf4 21.gxf4 ih4t 30 BI) 22.l!ifI?! 30 B2) 22.l!id2 31 B21) 22 .. f5 32 B22) 22 ... 0<:I07! 33 B221) 23.l!id3!'N 34 B222) 23.la.2 35 B223) 23.l!ic2 37 B224) 23.l!icl 38

AI) 12 ... lab8 43 A2) 12",'544 A21) 131/.e21/.g5 14.0--00-0 15.\\\'d3 ie6 44 A211) 16.la.dl 46 A212) 16.lafdl 47 A22) 13.g3 0-0 14 ..!lI.g2 llI.g5 15.0-0 o<:Ie7 48 A221) 16.o<:Ixe7t 49 A222) 16.o<:Ido3 50 A223) 16M! 51 A23) 13.\\\'8'? 52 A3) 12... 0-0!? 53 B) II .. lild4?! 54 Chapter 4 1.<4 c5 2.lila 1ilc6 3.d4 ""d4 4.IilId4 1ilf6 5.1ilc3 d6 6.1Lg5 e6 7.8d2 a6 8.0-0-0 1/.d7 9.f4 b5 10•.Lf6 gxf6 A) 1 I.Iilxc6hc6 12.\\\'03 8e7 13..!lI.d3 \\\,.7 58 AI) 14.8h3 59 All) 14 ... \\\'c5 60 A12) 14 ... h5 61 A13) 14 ... b4 62 A2) 14.\\\'el 63 A21) 14...1/.e7 64 A22) 14 ... 0--0-0 64 B) I I.l!ibl \\\'b612.'~lxc6ixc6 13.\\\'el 64 B I) 13.. O-O-O!' 65 B2) 13....!lI.e7 14 f5 \\\'c5 15.!l/.d3 66 B21) 15 ... \\\'e5 67 B22) 15 .. b4 67 B23) 15 ..\lld7 69 B3) 13 ... la.7 71 Chapter 5

Chapter 3 1.<4 c5 2.lila 1ilc6 3.d4 ""d4 4.IilId4 otf6 5.lild 05 6.lildb5 d6 7.!gS a6 8.1ila3 b5 9.lild5 i0710•.txf6.txf611.c4 A) II. .h4 12.o<:Ic2 42

1••4 c5 2.lila d6 3.d4 ""d4 4.1ilxd41ilf6 5.1ilc3 g6 6.1/..3 ig7 7.13 0-0 8.8d21ilc6 9.1/.c4 .!lI.d7 10.0-0-0 l:!bS 11.1/.b3Iila5 A) 12.g4 76 B) 12M 78

168

Index ofV.ri.tions

Cbaptor6

Cbapter 10

1.04 e5 2.~a d6 3.d4 ad4 4.~xd4 ~f6 5.1ilc3 g6 6.103 117 7.a 0-0 8.15'd2 ~e6 9.1<4 1d7 10.0-0-0 l:!c8 11.1b3 ~e5 12.l!1bll:!e8 13.M b5 A) 14.g4 bxg4 15.h51ilxh5 16.ih6 84 AI) 16 .. ..if6 84 A2) 16...l!ih785 A3) 16 ... 06 17.11dgl 86 A31) 17... Wf6 87 A32) 17... g3 88 B) IH.h689

1.04 c5 2.~a e6 3.d4 ad4 4.~xd4 ~c6 5.~ a6 6.llic6 bKC6 7.1<13 d5 8.0-0 ~f6 9.!le1 A) 9 .. ..ib7 128 B) 9... J.e7 130 BI) 10.Wf3 130 B2) IO.e51lld7 131 B21) 1l.1ll.413I B22) Il.Wg4 g6 133 B221) 12.J.h6I34 B222) 12.b3 136 Cbapter 11

Cbapter7 1.04 e5 2.~a d6 3.d4 ad4 4.~Kd4 ~f6 5.~c3 g6 6.ie3 197 7.a 0-0 8.Wd2 ~e6 9.1e4 id7 10.0-0-0 llc8 11.ib3 ~Kd4 12iKd4 b5 13.~d5 llid5 14.lbg7 I!1Kg7 15.ad5 as 16.a3 A) 16... b4 96 B) 16... l!1g8! 98

1.04 e5 2.~a e6 3.d4 ad4 4.~Kd4 a6 15'c7 6.1<13 ~f6 7.0-0 ic5 8.~b3 A) 8... L? 9.l!ihllllc6 IO.J.g5 142 AI) 1O.•. d6 143 A2) 10... b5 144 A3) 10... h5'? 144 B) 8...J.e7 9.f4 d6 10.•4 145 BI) 10 ... b6 146 B2) 10... lilc6 148

5.~

Chapter 8 Chapter 12 1.04 c5 2.~a e6 3.d4 ad4 4.~xd4Iile6 5.~e3 15'e7 6.1e3 a6 7.Wd2 ~f6 8.a J.b4 9.0-0-0 A) 9... lile5 102 B) 9... 0-0!? 10.g4 b5 ll.g5llle8 107 BI) IHlxc6 109 B2) 12.l!1bl 110 B3) 12 .•3!? III Cbapter9 1.04 e5 2.~a e6 3.d4 ad4 4.~Kd4 ~c6 5.~c3 We7 6.103 a6 7.15'd2 ~f6 8.0-0-0 ie7 9.a A) 9... 0-0 10.g4 b5 ll.g5 lile8 12M llle5 13.l!ibl ib7 116 AI) 14.J.f4!? 118 A2) 14.h5 119 B) 9. h5!? IO.W12 121 BI) IO ... lile5 122 B2) 1O.•• d6 122

1.04 c5 2.~a e6 J.e56.~b3

3.d4 cxd4 4.~Kd4 a6 5.1.

A) 6...L7 7.Wg4 Iilf6 8.Wg3 d6 9.1llc3 III IO.ig5 h6 ll.id2 156 AI) ll...e5 157 A2) 1l...lilh5 159 B) 6... J.e?7.J.e3!?lilf68.lllld2I6I BI) 8... d6 162 B2) 8... 1llc6 163

The Cutting Edge, The Open Sicilian 1 - Pavlovic, M - 2010

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