Kindermann
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The Spanish Exchange Variation
ProgressinCliess
Volume 15
Editorial board GM Victor Korchnoi GM Helmut Pfleger GM Nigel Short GM Rudolf Teschner
2005 EDITION OLMS
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Stefan Kindermann
The Spanish Exchange Variation A Fischer favourite
WHITE REPERTOIRE
2005 EDITION OLMS
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Also available: Stefan Kindermann, Leningrad System A complete Weapon against l d4
ISBN 3-283-00478-1
Bibliographic Information published by Die Deutsche Bibliothek
Die Deutsche Bibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliografie; detailed bibliographic data is available in the internet at http://dnb.ddb.de.
Copyright© 2005 Edition Olms AG Breitlenstr. 11
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CH-8634 Hombrechtikon/Zurich, Switzerland
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[email protected] Internet: www.edition-olms.com All rights reserved. This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out or otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. Printed in Germany Editor: Ulrich Dirr Translator: Phil Adams Typesetting by: Art & Satz
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Ulrich Dirr, D-80331 Munchen
Printed by: Druckerei Friedr. Schmucker GmbH, D-49624 Loningen Cover: Eva Konig, D-22769 Hamburg ISBN 3-283-00479-X
Contents .
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6
1
Hi sto r i c a l Intro d u ct i o n
1 .1
The structure of t h i s book a n d how to use it . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
2
Typ i cal P o s i t i o n s
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(1 ) The typ i c a l p aw n e n d i n g . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 (2) The pawn e n d i n g i n p ract i c e
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15
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(3) Wh ite's p l ay o n t h e k i n g s i d e : t h e p h a l a n x . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 (4) W h ite's p l ay i n t h e centre
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21
(5) Wh ite's p l ay o n t h e q u e e n s i d e a n d i n t h e centre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 (6) Wh ite's p l ay o n the quee nside . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
3
Ill u strat i ve Games - The o ret i c a l se ct i o n 1 e4 e5 2 � f 3 �c 6 3 J. b 5 a6 4 J.xc6 5 0 -0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 6
3.1
T h e c l assical 5 . f 6 6 d 4 e x d 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 6 . .
3 . 1. 1 T h e trad itional 5 . . . f 6 6 d 4 e x d 4 7 tiJx d 4 c5 8 tiJb3 ( Wo m acka - G o l od) . . . . . . . . . 2 6 3 . 1 .2 T h e seco n d st r i n g 8 tiJe2 ! ? ( Vescovi - M i l os) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 3.2
The acti ve 5 . . . f6 6 d 4 Ag4 (Baklan - Ka l l i o) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
3.3
The a m b i tiou s 5 . . �d 6 6 tiJa3 !
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3.3 . 1 Roman i s h i n's 6 . . . �e6 (Spec k - Cam pos M o re n o)
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3 . 3 . 2 The p r i n c i p l e d 6 . . . b5 (Fressi n et - Stefansson) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 3 . 3.3 The flex i b l e 6 . . . Ae6 ( N i s i pean u - Sofro n i e) 3.4
The n at u ra l 5
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58
Ad6 (Rozental is - Wed berg) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
My Recommenda tion for Black: 3.5
The ag g ressive 5
3.6
The u n convent i o n a l 5 . . . tiJe7 (van der We i d e - We l l s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
3.7
U n u s u a l cont i n u at i o n s {Zhang Zhong - d e Vre u gt)
4
I n d ex of Va r i a t i o n s with key p o s i t i o n s
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5
Appe n d i ce s
5.1
Tra n s l ator's n ote
5.2
In d ex of p l ayers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 3
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Ag4 (G l e k - Tkach iev) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
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1 12
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5.3
l n d ex of g a m es . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
5.4
Key to sym bols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 23
5.5
B i b l i og raphy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
5
1 Historical Introduction Glek System { basically an improved Vienna Game 1 e4 e5 2 �f3 �c6 3 �c3 �f6 4 g3) left me with the i m p ression that after the main contin uation 4 . . . d5 5 exd5 �xd5 6 Ag2 �xc3 7 b x c3 Ad6 B l ac k has a very good position, w h i lst the Spanish Four Knights Game (4 Ab5) is made fai rly harmless by 4 . . . �d4 .
aced with the contemporary g l ut of in formation and the consequent rapid d evelopment of fash ionable theoret ical main l i nes, more and more in the l ast few years I h ave been seeking paths that avoid the beaten track . Apart from the fact that playing main l i nes today req u i res a good memory (wh i c h I d o n 't h ave) , I find it very attractive to enter new, relatively unexplored territory and make d i scoveries there. How ever, choosing a p l ayable open i n g system is actually n ot very easy. After the classical moves 1 e4 e5 it seems to me that many of the alternatives to the main l i nes of the Ruy Lopez are rather u nsatisfactory.
F
A s for swatting u p t h e m a i n l i nes o f t h e Ruy Lopez, from the Stei n itz Defence, t h ro u g h u m pteen trendy A c 5 systems, the Open Spanish and the M arshall Attack , a l l the way t h ro u g h to the baffl i n g variety of the Closed Spanish systems {the Ch igori n , Zait sev, B reyer, Smyslov, Keres . . . variations) ! ? Basically it's a very daunting prospect ; for instance, each of the many su b -variations of the Chigorin system is a subject in itself.
h
Then I stu m b l ed upon the Spanish Ex change Variation . . .
6 5
��� 2 ::! iQJ
c �e�.___a b d g'--h�_, � ��� � �
For a short time I fel l back o n my old favourite, the romantic King's gambit. But it seems to m e that after 1 e4 e5 2 f4 exf4 3 �f3 g5 ! Black is s i m ply better (4 h4 g4 5 �e5 �f6 !). The Scotch Game leads to very forced l i nes and positions w h i c h often burn out quickly. Moreover these days even the Scotch req u i res very precise knowledge of the variations and d i l igent preparation .
What fi rst i n s p i red m e was the i m p ressive game Womacka-Golod (Bad Wiessee 2002) , w hic h can be fou n d i n o u r section of Ill u s trative Games (p. 26) . In this system , Wh ite gets to d eterm i n e the structu re that arises and can thus make the opponent fight on ter rai n of W h ite's own choosi n g . F u rthermore,
The Italian Game with d3 and c3 (G i uoco Piano, i . e. Quiet Game) is defi n itely playable, but seems a bit l i m p . Experi m ents with the
6
the l i n e is positionally very soun d , since the white structu re does n ot exh i bit any weak nesses - q u ite the o pposite in fact ! I n d eed , Black is b u rdened with the prospect of a defi n itely problematic endgame since, as we shal l see, in many cases if all the pieces are exchanged the resu lting pawn ending is eas ily lost for B l ack.
The qu ite obvious idea of exchanging on c6, which was already known i n the last decade of the 1 9t h century, comes as no surprise. Af ter 1 e4 e5 2 tllf3 ti:lc6 3 Ab5, the reply 3 . . . a6 by Blac k provokes the execution of the fi rst di rect "th reat" posed . Naturally it was neces sary to understand the potential of the white positio n i . e . the problems in rel ation to the black d o u b l ed pawns, since al ready at that time the bishop pai r was regarded as being of considerable i m portance. Among the pioneers , we should fi rst name Simon W i n awer and M i khail Chigori n , who showed a p reference for the k n ight over the bishop, and not just in their own open ing system s (Wi n awer French , Ch igori n De fence) . "Our" continuation 4 Axc6 d xc6 was al ready known in the m i d - 1 860s (thus we find a game van M i nckwitz-von Schmidt, Leipzig 1 866) . H owever, at that t i m e the n ext move was nearly always 5 d4, 5 t:llc3 or even 5 d3, i n stead of 5 0-0, wh ich was due, fi rst and foremost, to fear of the pin 5 . . . Ag4 ! ? .
Natu ral ly this comes at a price. Wh ite h as to part with h i s bishop pair and i n many cases has to consent to an early exchange of queens. However, if we consider the above mentioned potential pawn-end i n g , Wh ite should find the latter prospect q u ite encour ag ing . . . To be able to handle the Spanish Exchange Variation successfu l ly, you m u st take a cer tai n pleasu re i n playi ng endings, and in par ticu lar i n g r i n d i n g away without taki n g any risks i n a slightly su perior position. The d i d actic worth of e m ploying this varia t i o n s h o u l d not be undervalued either, since it is n ot very often that Wh ite can emerge directly fro m the open i n g with such a c lear strateg ic plan : to mobil ise his own pawn ma jority o n the kingside, at the same time as deval u i n g the opposi n g paw n- mass o n the other wing !
Emanuel Lasker started playing t h e Ex change Variation towards the end of the 1 9t h cent u ry. The fi rst occasion seems to h ave been in a s i m u ltaneous exh i b ition i n Balt i more against W i l l iam Pollock i n 1 892 . Later h e used this weapon i n both his World Championship m atches agai nst W i l h e l m Stei n itz i n 1 894 and 1 896, i n which he alternated between playing 5 d4 and 5 ti:lc3 . It is part i c u l arly notable that he chose the Exchange Variation in especially i m portant games. Even today his victory in the super tournament of St. Petersburg 1 91 4 agai nst the then p ractically u n beatable J ose Rao u l Capablanca remains legendary. I n the end , Lasker succeeded in taking fi rst place i n one of the stro n g est tournaments in chess his tory, even tho u g h , w h i lst they both started the game on the same score, owi n g to the odd n u m ber of players his rival sti l l had four games to play (agai nst Lasker, Tarrasch , Mar shal l and Alekh i ne) , whereas Lasker had only
On the other hand, Black faces a fundamen tal d i lemma i n his choice of variation : either he accepts the above - mentioned s l i g htly worse endgame without any real w i n n i n g chances, or he takes some considerable risk (freq uently in the shape of i nferior devel opment) , which for a change g ives Wh ite chances of a l ively attacking game. I conducted a small private opinion poll and did not find a s i n g l e 1 . . . e5 - p l ayer who rel ishes fac i n g the S p a n i s h Exchange varia tion . . . Let us now take a g lance at the h i story of the development of o u r variat i o n , on which two World Champions, Emanuel Lasker and Bobby Fischer left their m ark !
7
1 Historical I ntroduction
three left (agai nst Capablanca, Tarrasch and Marshal l).
Perhaps Capablanca actually relaxed his vig i l ance after the early q ueen exchange, but I absol utely d o n ot bel ieve i n Lasker's oft quoted and mythologised psychological war fare. Rather it was question of playing one of h i s pet l i n es , wh ich he knew how to handle particularly wel l , whereas the official theo retical opin ion (and not just at the time) was that the variation was pretty harm less. 1
Em. L a s ke r - Ca p a b l a n c a St. Petersburg 1 914, Finals 1 e4 e5 2 tilf3 tilc6 3 Ab5 a6 4 Ax c6 dxc6 5 d4 e xd4 6 @xd4 @xd4 7 ttlxd4 Ad6 8 tilc3 tile7 9 0-0 0-0 10 f4 Ele8 1 1 ttlb3 f6 12 f5! a
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Very notable is Lasker's o ri g inal strateg ic concept of the early advance of the f-pawn to f5 , which 56 years later was employed by Bobby Fischer in his game against Wolfgang Unzicker in the Chess Olym piad in Siegen ; at the same time he demonstrated a good way to handle the wh ite pawns i n this structure (see a/so 2. Typical Positions!) . Both these games share truly asto u n d i n g paral l e l s : i n both cases White d ecided t h e game w i t h a l ater and very powerful e4-e5 advance, and both games were of exactly the same length (naturally by sheer coinci dence !). More evidence, if any were needed , of how useful studyi ng the "classics" can be!
h 8
12 . . . b6 1 3 Af4 Ab7 14 Axd6 cxd6 1 5 tild4 Elad8 1 6 ttle6 Eld7 17 Elad1 ttlc8 18 m2 b5 1 9 Elfd2 Elde7 20 b4 ©f7 21 a3 Aas 22 ©f2 Ela7 23 g4 h6 24 Eld3 a5 25 h4 a x b4 26 a x b4 Elae7 27
XIX
Fis cher - Unzicke r Chess Olym piad , Siegen 1 970
1 e4 e5 2 tilf3 tilc6 3 Ab5 a6 4 Axc6 dxc6 5 0 - 0 f6 6 d4 e xd4 7 ttlxd4 ttle7 8 Ae3 tilg6 9 ttld2 Ad6 10 ttlc4 0-0 11 @d3 ttle5 12 tilxe5 Axe5 13 f4 Ad6 14 f5 !
35 e5 ! dxe5 36 ttle4 ttld5 37.ttl6c5 Ac8 38 ttlxd7 Axd7 39 Eth7 ma 40 Ela1
8
also suffered some setbacks (among others a crush ing defeat again st Rudolf Tesch ner i n 1 96 5 , w h i c h caused h i m t o say: " I 've lost n ot j ust a game but a variation ! ") but he succeeded i n arousing the i nterest of a fu ture World Champion: i n 1 966 Bobby Fischer demolished the strong Yugoslav Svetozar G l igoric in a s pectacu lar game and , with his c o m ments to this game in his classic book "My Sixty Memorable Games ", he be gan to be forge the system with 5 0-0 i nto a form idable weapo n .
14 . .. �e7 1 S Af4 Axf4 1 6 §xf4 Ad7 17 §e1 �cs 1 8 c3 §ae8 19 g4 �d6 20 �g3 l::I e7 21 tQf3 cs a
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3 2
XVIII
Fis cher - Glig o ric Chess Olym piad , Havana 1 966
1 e4 es 2 tQf3 tQc6 3 Abs a6 4 Axc6 dxc6 S 0 - 0 f6 6 d4 Ag4 7 c3 e xd4 8 c xd4 �d7 9 h3 Ae6 10 tQc3 0-0-0 11 Af4 tQe7 12 l::I c 1 tDg6 1 3 Ag3 Ad6 14 tDa4 Axg3 1S fxg3 �b8 1 6 tQcS Wd6 17 Wa4 !
22 eS! fxes 23 me4 Ac6 24 Eixes mes 2S §xe7 §xe7 26 tQeS h6 27 h4 Ad7 28 �f4 �f6 29 §e2 Ac8 30 �c4+ ©h7 31 tQg6 I:ixe2 32 Wxe2 Ad7 33 �e7 ! Wxe7 34 tQxe7 gS 3S hxgS hxgS 36 tDdS Ac6 37 tDxc7 At3 38 tQeB ©h6 39 tDf6 ©g7 40 ©f2 Ad1 41 tQd7 c4 42 ©g3 1-0 By the way, i n later encounters with Lasker, Capablanca never again allowed the allowed the Exchange Variation by playing the move 3 . . a6. .
Lasker played the Exchange Variation for the last time i n 1 924 against Fran k Marsha l l . Among several other important g a m e s , h i s victory i n t h e 1 908 d u e l for t h e World Cham pionsh ip with his arch-rival Siegbert Tarrasch stands out ; the e n d i n g of this can be fou n d in the chapter "Typical Positions " [(3) White 's play on the kingside} on page 1 6 .
1 1 . . . ©an 1 8 tDxa6 Axh3 1 9 es tDxes 20 dxeS fxeS 21 tQcS+ ©b8 22 g xh3 e4 23 tQxe4 We7 24 §c3 bS 2S Wc2 1-0
Then the variation inexplicably van ished from sight until the late 1 950s, when it was taken up the Dutch m aster Johan Barendregt . He played the neg lected 5 0-0, which until then had been considered rather feeble, since he bel ieved that h e had fou n d an antidote to 5 . . Ag4 (see a/so the Illustrative Game with 5 £g4 on page 71) . To be sure, Barendregt
Fischer went o n to score further beautifu l victories with 5 0-0 and proved h i s be l i ef i n this variation by e m ployi n g it agai nst Boris Spassky i n their legendary 1 972 World Championsh i p m atch in Reykj av i k (161 h game) . And twenty years l ater h i s faith i n it
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9
1 Historical I ntrod uction
was as strong as ever when , in his scandal rocked 1 992 " return-match" agai nst Spassky in Sveti Stefan and Belgrade, " h is" variation led to a last d ramatic victory.
19 ... Ac8 20 �xa6 fxe5 21 �b4+ 1 -0 Fischer's ideas are stil l rel evant today ; we shall come across his creative legacy i n nu merous variations of our I l lustrative Games. Later, i nterest in the Spanish Exchange i n exp l icably decli ned agai n , a n d today there are only a few specialists who reg u l arly em p l oy this system . Foremost among these are the Latvian endgame -artist Eduardas R ozenta l i s , Igor G l e k , Stellan B rynel l , M a thias Womacka and from t h e you nger gener ation the very talented French player Lau rent Fressi n et , the you n g C h i n ese Zhang Zhong , Vlad i m i r Baklan and Livi u-Dieter N isi pean u . The g ro u p of occasional users i n c l udes t h e "su perstars" Alexei S h i rov and Jan Ti mman .
F i s cher (2785) - S p a s s ky (2560) World Championsh i p retu rn-match Sveti Stefan/Belg rade 1 992 , 9t h Game 1 e4 e5 2 �f3 �c6 3 Ab5 a6 4 Axc6 dxc6 5 0-0 f6 6 d4 exd4 7 �xd4 c5 8 �b3 '@xd1 9 Hxd1 Ag4 10 f3 Ae6 1 1 �c3 Ad6 1 2 Ae3 b6 13 a4 0-0-0 14 a5 �b7 1 5 e5!
8 7
O n the whole, the Spanish Exchange re mains a rare g u est i n the tournament h al l . T h u s you can also count on t h e element of su rprise (at least in your fi rst few games with it) and hope for a poorly prepared opponent !
3 2
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Shortly after the dead l i n e for this book, the controversial FIDE World Champion s h i p i n Tri poli d rew the attention of the c hess world once more to o u r variation. The u nfancied 24 -year-old Uzbek R us tam Kas i mdzhanov knocked out lvan c h u k , Grisch u k and Topalov, t h e n i n the final d efeated the favou rite M ic h ael Adams. Kas i mdzhanov e m p l oyed the Spanish Ex change variation as a very effective weapon ; after beat i n g G risc h u k with it, he i nflicted a crush i n g d efeat on M ichael Adams with our variat i o n . And i n the final t i e - b reak game, with the title at stake, he p l aced h i s faith once more i n this open ing variation and was not disappoi nted ! (see the Illustrative Games Vescovi- Milos (p. 36), G/ek- Tkachiev (p. 71) and Nisipeanu - Sofronie (p. 58)) .
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1 5. . . Ae7 1 6 !:txd8 Axd8 17 t!le4 �c6? 18 a xb6 cxb6 1 9 �bxc5!
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5 4 3 2
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10
1 . 1 The structure of this book and how to use it
1.1 The st r u ct u re of thi s b o o k a n d
how t o u s e i t
Berl i n Wal l (3 . . . �f6) , are s u bj ects i n their own right. I nc i d ental ly, many of the strate gic problems that Wh ite has to contend with in this fashionable endgame result from the c i rc u m stance that Wh ite's e - Pawn has al ready advanced to e5 , which has some dis advantages. Thus Black has play on the light squares , and the pawn itself can become a weakness on e5. As we shall freq uently see in "our" Spanish Exchange variation, the e pawn shou l d general ly remain at e4 for some considerabl e t i m e , w h i c h keeps the wh ite pawn structu re essentially more flexible and m i n i m ises Black's counterpl ay.
his is a repertoi re - book, desig ned for tournament players i n search of an ef fective, q u ickly l earnable and a p p l i cable open i n g system . The wh ite p l ayer is supplied with a complete repertoire after the open ing moves 1 e4 e5 2 �f3 �c6 3 Ab5 a6 4 Axc6. Against each of Black's standard set-ups I recommend the one white continu ation that, in the present state of knowledge, offers the best chances. In a few cases I also provide a second string , m ostly when it is not entirely clear to me which variation deserves preference. Sometimes it is simply because there is a second, eq ually attractive, possibil ity.
T
A small suggestion : agai nst the sharp Schlie mann Defence 3 . . . f5 the exchange idea 4 Ax c6 ! ? d x c6 5 �c3, fol l owed by 6 �e2 , appears to offer good chances and is well worth considering !
Th is is n ot a "scientific" work that aims for com plete coverage of all the possi b i l ities for each side. The a i m is rather to enable the wh ite p l ayer to use the Exchange Variation with success as q u i ckly as possible!
Thus as White we can be sure that "our" ex change variation w i l l appear on the board more than 50% of the time.
The player of the black p ieces i n search of a weapon against the Exchange Vari ation will not g o e m pty- h an d ed either; there is a section contai n i n g everyt h i n g B lack needs to know to be able to play 5 . . . Ag4 ! ? , which in my opinion is the l i n e that offers B lack the best chances at the moment. Black can gain good play agai nst Wh ite's usual reci pes against 5 . . . Ag4 !? (although with a more pre cise move order I bel ieve Wh ite can retai n a mini mal advantage!) But also i n other l i nes the m aterial suppl ied here can be the basis for further researc h .
I recommend that you beg i n by studying the typical themes and playing through the I l lus trative Games, without devoting very much attention at this stage to the related complex of variations. Then it would be best to p l ay some trai ning games (even bl itz or rapid-play games) to d evelop a feel for the positional patterns. After that it would be a good idea to study the respective variations thorough ly, since it easier to learn the material empirical ly in the context of your own games. However if, be fore playing i n a tournament, you know that an o p ponent h as a favou rite variation , this should natural ly be taken fu lly i nto account.
Naturally the Exchange Variation can n ot solve a l l your p roblems after 1 e4 e5. The Petroff o r the various deviations for Black on move t h ree, such as the fashionable
11
1 Historical I ntroduction
The theoretical material is i n corporated i nto the respective I l lustrative Games. The I ndex of Variations with Key Positions should allow you q u ickly to find you r way aro u n d .
one or other of my suggestions, the u n der standing that you w i l l have acqu i red w i l l en able you to develop your own i nterpretation of the Exchange Spanish !
A n d even i f , after some experience with t h i s openi n g , you f i n d that y o u are unhappy with
Stefan Kindermann
Techn ical i nformation : To enable the reader to find his way around an I l l ustrative Game without any hitch, different printing styles are used in the notation : - 1 e4 eS 2 thf3 thc6 3 Abs a6 4 Axc6 (actual moves of the I l l ustrative Game)
- 9 .b.d6?! 10 �aS! bS 11 c4! (ital icised , bold - the main l i n e of a theoretically i m po rtant sub -variation) ...
12
2 Typical Positions (1 ) The typ i c a l p a w n en di n g a
b
c
d
1 c5 1 . h5 would c reate a weakness at g5 and the wh ite king would have a safe route : 2 ©f2 ©e7 3 ©g3 ©f6 4 ©h4 g6 5 g4 ! ("damaging" the wh ite structu re, but enabling the su bse q uent creation of an outside passed pawn on the h -file) 5 .. . h xg4 6 ©xg4 c5 7 e5+ ©e6 8 ©g5 c4 9 h4 b5 10 f5+ ! g xf5 11 h5 +- .
•
h
e
8
...
8
. .
2 �e2 b5 2 . . . c4 3 ©e3 c5 4 e5 ©d7 5 ©e4 ©c6 6 c3 b6 7 f5 b5 8 g4 +- . a
3 �e3 �e7 4 g4 f6 4 . .. ©e6 5 g 5 ! (5 e5 - as in many other cases that we shall come across , here too the early advance of the wh ite e -pawn does n ot rep resent the optimal wh ite strategy. 5...c;!;d5) 5 . . .a5 6 ©f3 ! c4 7 c3 c5 8 ©g4 b4 9 a4 g6 1 0 e5 (first the e - pawn advances, then the wh ite king reaches e4 by m eans of zugzwang) 10 . ©e7 (10...c;!;d5 11 c;!;t3 b3 12 h3 c;!;e6 13 c;!;e4) 11 ©f3 ©d7 1 2 ©e4 ©e6. 5 h4 h6
g
Next we shall h ave a look at Wh ite's d ream and Black's n i g htmare i n the Exchange Span ish , namely the pawn end i n g . In nearly every variation o f this open i n g , sooner o r later Wh ite advances d2-d4, after which there is an exchange of the black e pawn for the wh ite d - pawn and the typical structure in question appears. To begin with, this fundamental d efect i n the black pawn structure is compensated for by his pair of bishops , but only too often B l ac k su bse quently fi nds he h as to g ive u p the bishop pai r on concrete g rounds. After that however Black's basic problem becomes horri bly ap parent : h e is unable (if W h ite p l ays it right!) to create a passed pawn on the q u eenside, whereas on the kingside Wh ite can d o pretty wel l whatever he wants.
. .
Or 5 . . . a5 6 g 5 .
As we shal l see from some exa m p l e varia tions, a pure pawn ending is, "under normal circu mstances" a simple loss for Black. Then we shal l exam ine some of the basic mecha nisms i nvolved in the correct han d l i ng of the white pawns.
Here we s e e t h e typical wh ite pawn advance, which resem bles that of a G reek phalanx (th e battl e formation of the ancient
13
2 Typical Positions
G reek army) . We shall come across many examples of this.
a
b
c
d
e
g
8
..
h 8
6. . . c4 6 . . . ©e6 7 ©f3 c4 8 g xf6 gxf6 (8 . . . ©xf6 9 ©g4 b4 1 0 e5+ ©e6 1 1 c3 (1 1 'i!;g5 a4) 1 1 . . . a4
Also i n t h i s position we see an i m portant wh ite motif in the pawn end i n g . Contrary to the c l assical ru l e o f " cand idate first " , here the f-pawn advances first, to make roo m for the wh ite k i n g . In concrete terms, this development depends on the pawn sacrifice on move 8 .
With the d readfu l threat of the p i n cer- l ever . . . a4-a3 . As h as already been m entioned , thou g h , as long as W h ite p l ays correctly, B lack can n ot create a passed pawn on the q u eenside. That is precisely the d i sadvan tage of the d o u b led pawns ! 12 a3 ! (but not 12 cxb4 ?? a3 -+), and Wh ite wins, e. g . : 1 2 . . . b3 13 ©g5 c6 14 h5 c5 1 5 ©g4 h6 1 6 ©f3 ©f5 17 ©e3 ©e6 1 8 ©e4)
6 e5 ? fxe5 7 f x e 5 ( 7 f5
9 ©g4 b4 10 c3 (10
6 . .. c4 7 �4 �d6 8 eS+ ! This pawn sacrifice m a kes the rest of the w h ite i nfantry o n the kingside mobile and leads to a w i n .
7
8 . fxeS+ .
.
8 . . . ©e7 9 exf6+ g xf6 10 g5.
8. . . fxe5+ 9 fxe5+ r!ld7 (9. . .
9 �e4 b4 1 0 c3 as 1 1 gS hxgS 1 2 hxgS c6 13 g6! cs 13 . . . © e7 14 ©xe5 a4 1 5 a3 b3 1 6 ©e4 ©f6 1 7 ©f4 c5 1 8 ©e4.
6 fS!
1 4 f6, and a wh ite pawn q ueens.
(see next diagram)
14
(2) The pawn ending in practice
(2) The p a w n en di n g i n p ra ct i ce pied black q ueenside and the m o b i l e wh ite m ajority on the kingside!
Ni s i p e a n u (2606) S e b a g (2394) 7t h Neckar Open, Deizisau 2003 -
a
b
c
d
e
8
g
31 .. . ©xe6 32 gxe7+ ©xe7 33 ©e3 ©16 34 t4 ©15 35 ©13 h6 36 g4+ ©16 37 ©e4 c6 38 c3
h 8
The zugzwang enables the Wh ite to advance in comfort on the kingside.
38 . . . ©e6 38 . . . c4 39 ©d4
39 g5 c4 40 t5+ ©17 41 g x h6 g x h6 42 ©e5 c5 43 t6 e � c � d -� �-a� b-�
h� �-9�-
43 ©d5 also w i n s : 43 . . . @f6 44 ©xc5 ©g5 (44 . . . r!?xf5 45 'i!?xb5 @g5 46 r!?xa4 r!?xh5 47 ri?b5) 45 f6 !
�
31 Elf7 ! +-
43 . . . ©ta 44 ©t4 ©gs 45 ©e4 ©ta 46 ©e5 ©e8 47 ©d5 ©t7 48 ©xc5 ©xt6 49 © x b5 ©g5 50 ©xa4 1-0
Now Black is forced i nto the "nightmare end
i ng", the pure pawn endgame with the crip-
15
2 Typi cal Po sition s
(3) Whi te's p l ay o n the ki n g s i de: the pha l a n x Em. L a s ker - Ja n ow s k i World Championsh i p , Paris 1 909 3 rd Game
Phalanx - to advance first. S u rprising ly, af ter f4-f5 the res u lting weakness of the e5squares often plays no part ; more im portant, in point of fact, is that B lack l acks an effec tive pawn lever! (in this respect compare a/so the classic games Lasker- Capablanca (p. 8) and Fischer- Unzicker (p. 8) in the historical section!) However, i n many instances the optimal se q uence consists i n advanc i n g g4 and h 4 , w h i lst the wh ite f- Pawn stays put a t f 3 i n a supporting role, and advances further only at a favourabl e moment (when e4 has enough support ! ) . 20 e5 ? ! tt::lc 6 2 1 g4 (2 1 h4 h5) 2 1 . . . g 5 !
20...f6 2 1 g 4 Eie7 2 2 Af4 Eihe8 2 3 Eie3 �c6 24 g5 �a5?!
20 f5!
24 . . . fxg5 ! 25 Axg5 tt::\ e 5+ 26 i>t4 l"!.f7 would i n this special case (because of the weak ened wh ite queenside pawns) have sufficed for equal ity but, even after Black's fau lty play, the way Wh ite proceeds here is very instruc tive !
I n this and the following exa m ples we see one of the real keys to h a n d l i n g the Ex change Variation : the correct way to acti vate the kingside pawns ! It is almost always wrong to advance the e - pawn too soon , since then Black has a start i n g point for h i s counterplay : the l evers . . . f 6 a n d . . . g5 come i nto consideration ; also the f5 square can play an i m portant role.
2 5 h 4 tilc4 2 6 Eie2 Eif7 2 7 Ei g 1 ©d7 2 8 h5! tild6 28 . . . fxgS makes the white e -pawn too pow erful : 29 l3.xg5 l3.ee7 30 e5 i>c6 31 e6.
As was already mentioned i n the i ntroduc tion , the only reaso n why the fashionable and structurally closely-re l ated Berl i n De fence has becom e so popular, i n spite of Black's ren unciation of cast l i n g , is that the wh ite pawn is bad ly placed on e5 ! To be sure, this contrad icts the classical m otto of N i m zowitsch : "candidate fi rst ! " , b u t i t h as been proved to be su bstantially m o re effective to allow the other pawns - as in the G reek
29 h6 !± The classic p i n cer-lever destroys the black structure.
29...fxg5 30 Eixg5 g6?! 30 . . . g x h6 31 l3.h5 ± .
3 1 fxg6 h x g6 3 2 Eixg6 Eief8 3 3 Eig7 Eixg7 34 hxg7 Eig8 35 Eig2 tile8?! 36 Ae5 ©e6 37 ©14 ©17 38 ©f5 1-0
16
(3) Wh ite 's play on the kingsid e : the phalanx
E m . Las ker - Tarrasch World Championsh i p Dusseldorf/M unich 1 908, 1st Game
36 'f!.e3! 'f!. h 1 37 l0g3 'f!. h4+ 38 ©es± 'f!.h3 39 f4 Lasker has created wonderful harmony be tween his rem ai n i ng pieces. U nder the wing of h i s m ig hty King , the f-Pawn sets off on its way to q u ee n , w h i l st B l ack's extra pawn remains completely useless.
3 9 . . . © d 8 4 0 f S Eih4 4 1 f 6 g xf6+ 4 2 ©xf6 Ae8 43 lOfS Eif4 44 g6 h x g6 4S hxg6 'f!.g4 46 lhe8+ ©xe8 47 g7 ©d7 48 l0h4 Elxg7 49 ©xg7 ©e6 SO l0f3 ©ts S1 ©f7 ©e4 S2 ©e6 ©d3 S3 ©d6 ©c3 54 ©xc6 ©xb3 SS ©bS 1 - 0
27
R o m ero Ho l m es (2460) va n d er Sterre n (2475) Wij k aan Zee 1 991
�hS!
A white
knight is often very effectively posted at h5, from where it exerts unpleasant pres sure on the pawn- base g7, f6 .
8
27 . . . 'f!.e7
7
a
28 g4
The wh ite m ajority sets in motio n ; we shal l see lots of examples of this. 2 8 . . . c6
29 h4 ©c7 30 gs 31 ti)g3 fxe4 32 ti)xe4
I am not convinced that Lasker, in this match game that was im portant for both players, al ways chooses the best continuation, but the whole cou rse of the game is very instructive nonetheless.
33 hS 'f!.d7 34 'f!.c3 !?
brave, "cou nter- intu itive" move ! Lasker cedes the open file to his o p ponent, s i n ce there would be no real w i n n i ng chances if the rooks came off: 34 �xd7+ ©xd7 35 ©f4 'i!?e6 . A
34 . . . 'f!.d1
d
e
g
h 8
5
5
4
4
3
3
N ow we shal l look at a modern and exem plary case wh ich i l l ustrates Wh ite's proce dure on the kingside. Romero begins by ad van c i ng the g - pawn and post i ng the knight b e h i n d it, only advanc i ng the f-pawn at the right moment. Meanwh ile Black lacks effec tive counterplay.
32 fxe4 !? 3 2 . . . AfS
c
6
30 tllg 3 !? 3 0 . . .fS
b
-
1 9 g4! b6 20 ti)g3 cs 21 c3 Scotch i ng Black's idea of . . . c4-c3 .
3S ©f4 Ad7?
Now Lasker's w i l l -to-w i n tri u m phs. I n stead , 35 . £xe4 ! 36 fxe4 (36 f!fxe4 flh 1) 36 . . . ©d6 wou ld save the game.
21 . . . l0c6 22 f4 Ae6 23 h3 g6 24 ©e2 Eld3 2S Eid1 'f!.xd1 26 ©xd1 ©d7 27 ©e2 ©e7 28 fS!
. .
17
2 Typical Po sition s
All i n accordance with Lasker's exa m p l e : start b y push ing t h e f-pawn !
28... At7 29 At4 g5 30 Ac7 b5 31 �t1 ©d7 32 Ag3 �e5? 33 Axe5 fxe5 34 �e3± ©d6 35 ©12 ©c6 36 h4! Enables the b l ac k position to be breached , si nce the fol lowi n g weakness is practically forced .
The decisive m istake ! N ow after e4-e5 the square e4 becomes accessible to the wh ite k i n g . B lack should have tried 35 . . . a4.
36 e5 fxe5 37 fxe5 l:if7+ 38 ©e4 Ele7 39 Eld6 Ele8 40 �f5 The k n i g ht reaches its optimal advanced post with decisive effect.
40... Ad7 41 �xg7 ElgB 42 Elg6 1-0
36 . .. h6 36 . . . g x h4 37 ©g2 .
R ozent a l i s (2605) - Gret a r s s o n (2450) Liechtenstei n Open 1 996
37 f6! Taking advantage of the weakness that h as arisen at h6.
37 . . . ©d7 38 �f5 gx h4 39 �xh6 Ag6 40 ©f3 ©e6 41 gs h3 42 �ts Ah5+ 43 ©g3 h 2 4 4 ©xh2 At3 4 5 © g 3 Ah1 45 . . . Axe4 46 f 7 .
4 6 ©12 1-0
R ozenta l i s (261 0) - Ha s a n ov (2265) Toronto Open 1 998 a
b
c
d
h
e
27 h5!
8
8 7
7
6
6
A good reaction to the black kingside pawn structure with h6. Wh ite fixes the black pawns, before advan c i n g h i s own g -and f pawns.
4
4
27. . . ©c6 28 g4 �d6 29 �d2!
3
3
2
2
a
b
c
d
e
g
h
Keeping the knig hts o n (since as a rule a k n i g ht e n d i n g with "an extra half-paw n " of fers g reater w i n n i n g chances than a roo k endi ng) a n d a t t h e same t i m e controlling the c4 square, which the black kn ight might oth erwise be able to use for a cou nterattack at some point.
{)-
30 �f1 !
29 .. . ©d7 30 ©e3 l:if6 31 f4±
Rozentalis redeploys the Knight to g3, i n or der to bolster e4 and thus enable the f-pawn to advance.
N ow Wh ite h as an optimal formation for his kingside pawns.
30. . . ©c7 31 �g3 AcB 32 f4 Ele7 33 ©13± Ad7 34 �f1 Aca 35 �e3 Ae6?!
31 ... c6 32 b3 ma 33 ©t3 �f7 34 Ele3 ©d6? 35 �c4+ 1-0
18
(3) White 's play on the king side : the phalanx
R ozent a l i s (2650) Wed b erg (2480) N ew York Open 1 997 -
a
b
c
d
Cleari ng the f4 square for the knight.
47 . . . ©17 48 �f4 � e5 49 c3 ©e7 50 �xh5 �d3 51 �f4 �e1 52 a4 1-0
e 8
8
4 4...h 5+ 45 ©f3 ©17 46 ©e3 ©e6 47 f5+ !
7 6
6
5
5
4
4
2
a
37
b
c
d
e
g
h
Mi l u (241 5) Vajda (2325) Bucharest 1 995 -
h
3
8
2
7
'Lr
8
5 4
h4!
3
Prepares the advance of the g - pawn , and presents Black with an awkward d i lemma.
2
2
3 7 . . . ©e6 .___�c e h�� {} a b �d ���9 �� ::..__
If 37 . . . h6 then 38 h 5 ! fol l owed by tDe2-g3f5! Now the square f5 becomes an advanced post for the wh ite knight. From there it exerts pressure on g7, whi lst the wh ite king invades the q u eenside. An exchange of knig hts o n f5 wou l d , however, i n most cases be an swered by gxf5 ! with a winning pawn end ing for Wh ite. 38
24 g4! H ere too it is wel l worth noting the right way for Wh ite to proceed : fi rst advance the h-, g- and f-pawns i n a phalanx, meanwh ile for tifying the e-pawn in its position.
24
�b5 ©d7 39 g5!
If Black now exchanges on g 5 , after h x g 5 ! the wh ite e - pawn becomes a protected passed pawn. 3 9 . . . ©e6
. . .
c5 25 bxc5 bxc5 26 Ae3 c4 27 b4!
Obvious but i m portant : now the black q ueenside is crippled .
27... �c6 28 f4 ©es 28 . . . tDxb4? 29 Ac5+ .
40 g xf6 g xf6
2 9 c 3 ©d7
Black has prevented the creation of a pro tected passed paw n , but i n stead the black f- and h-pawns now become targets for the wh ite knight.
Better is 29 . . . a5 !
30 �g3 �d8 31 g5! ± Wh ite has sent his pawns into the fray in typ ical fashion ; despite the opposite -coloured bishops, B lack is d rifting i nto great danger.
41 �c3 �d7 42 �d5 ©17 43 ©13 ©g6 44 ©g4!
31 . . . �b7 32 Ad4
The strong th reat of 45 h5+ fol l owed by 46 <;tits i n d uces Black to p l ay the fol l ow ing pawn move, which, however, resu lts in a decisive weakness at h 5 .
This i n d u ces B lack to exchange on g 5 , but this increases the value of Wh ite's pawns.
32...fxg5 33 hx g5 g6 34 ©e3 �d6 35 f5 !
19
2 Typical Positions
Once more the e - pawn stays " at h ome"; i n many l i nes t h i s move creates a n excellent square at f4 for the wh ite king. If 35 e5 , then 35 . . . tDf5 .
O n 39 c x d 6 would come 40 tDe4 then 41 tDf6. . . .
40 �e4+ e7
35 . . . g xf5 36 exf5 Ad5 37 Ae5
After 40 . . . ©e7 41 ©e5 decides.
Or 37 ©f4 .
3 7 . . . Af7 3 8 d 4 c6 3 9 Axd6 xd6
1-0
20
(4) Wh ite 's play in the centre
(4) White's p l ay i n the cen t re G l e k (2565) l bra g i m ov (2590) Vienna Open 1 998
Me ijers (2475) - l u l d a chev (251 6) Dieren Open 2002
-
a
8
I.
b
c
d
h
e
a
7
b
c
d
h
e
8
8
7
7
6
6
5
5
5
4
4
4
3
4
3 2
2
2
1� a
b
c
d
e
g
h
a
\)'
Black strugg les with all h i s m i g ht to pre vent the wh ite d-pawn from advanc i n g two squares. N evertheless this rep resents the right way to activate the wh ite game and pun ish Black's l agging development. 12 15
d
e
g
h
\)'
Here too the open ing of the centre by d4, fol lowed b y t h e exchange o f the black bishop, makes it poss i b l e for W h ite to i nvade the seventh ran k.
1 9 . . . exd4 20 cxd4 cxd4 21 �xd6+ Elxd6 21 . . . cxd6 22 gxd4 tbe6 23 gd5 g5 24 gc6 ± .
Wh ite has excel lent com pensation for the sacrificed pawn .
22 Elxc7+ c;!> g 8 2 3 El x d 4 El x d 4 2 4 Axd4 �e6 25 Eld7 Elc8 26 Ae3 Elc2+ 27 Eld2 Elc6 28 f4 g6 29 b4 b5 30 Eld7 Elc2+ 31 13 Elc3 32 Eld6 17 33 Elxa6 �d4+ 34 ©g2 �c2 35 Ela7+ ©gs 36 Acs Elxa3 37 Elb7± [1-0 ]
16 �c2 Eld8 17 '@'b3 @ca 18 �e1 !
The knight is optimally placed on d3. (com pare the analysis embedded in the Ill ustra tive Game Nisipeanu- Sofronie (p. 58), Vari ation [b] on page 59 ) .
1a . . . Ad6
c
9 d4!
d4! cxd4 13 c xd4 exd4 1 4 At4 @d7 lfac1
15 . . . �c6
b
19 �d3l55 [112-112]
21
�
2 Typical Po sition s
G l e k (2505) - W i n a nts (251 5) Germany, 2 n d leag ue 1 998 a
b
c
d
e
g
L o b ro n (2575) - Kha l if m a n (2625) SWI FT rapi d , Brussels 1 992
h
a
b
c
d
e
• 7
7
7
g
h
.! .l .l
7 6
6 5 4
8
4
3
5
5
4
4
3
3
2
a
b
c
d
e
g
h
a
{}
In this position, the doubled f-pawns red uce Wh ite's structural advantage. But even here d3-d4, p l ayed at the right moment, g ives Wh ite the s l i g htly better game. The bad ly posted bishop o n d 6 is a target ; Wh ite can exchange it at the right moment (on ly then !), either creating a weak pawn on d6 or pene trating on c7.
b
c
d
e
g
h
{}
1 1 c4 ! A typical method of play in this structure : the unpleasant possibility of Wh ite's playing c4c5 induces Black to exchange on d4, which activates Wh ite's kin g 's knight i n particul ar.
1 1 ... exd4 1 2 .!hxd4 cS 1 3 .!hfS ! 0-0
1 S d4! cxd4 1 6 cxd4 ghd8 17 gac1 Ae7
1 3 . . . Axf5 1 4 exf5 ttJe7 1 5 tLle4 tLlxf5 1 6 Axc5±.
17 . . . exd4 18 tLlxd6+ cxd6 1 9 El.xd4 (19 !1c7+ r!le6 20 !1xd4 !1d7) 1 9 . . . 'it>e6 20 f4.
14 �xd6 cxd6 1S f3 Ae6 16 °@'b6 °@'d7 17 gfd1
18 dS
The backward black d -Pawn prom ises Wh ite a slight but permanent advantage.
Threatens the unpleasant 19 ttJa5 and makes the black c -pawn weak.
17...gac8 1 8 b3 gc6 1 9 '@'as fS 20 e xfS AxfS 21 �f1 °@'d8 22 °@'xd8 gxd8 23 �g3 Ae6 24 �e4 b6 2S �c3 h6 26 gd2 .!he7 27 gad1 ;!;; [1 -0 ]
18... as 19 gd2 a4 20 gdc2 bS?! 21 �a3 b4 22 .!hbS gas 23 �xc7 b3 24 a x b3 a x b3 2S gc3± [1 -0 ]
22
(4) Wh ite 's play in the centre
Gle k (2566) - va n d e n D o el (2547) Wij k aan Zee 1 999
20 f4! ;!;; After t h i s Black m ust take i nto account not only a pawn exchange fol l owed by pressure on g 5 and o perations o n the f-fi le, but also f4-f5 . O n the other hand , a black exchange on f4 would resu lt i n a pawn on f6 that would need constant care.
20.. . 94 21 hx94 h x 94+ 22 Elh2 tfie6 23 Elx h8 Elx h8+ 24 ©92 b5
The rol e of the wh ite f-pawn(s) . 14 f4 Dissolving the doubled pawns and activating Wh ite's game. 14 . . exf4 15 Axf4 0 -0 - 0 16 A93 tfi96 17 �h1 Ac5 18 £191 tfif8 1 9 £192 g5 .
.
.
h 8 7
7
6
25 f5! Isolates the blac k g - pawn and fixes the op posing f-pawn on a dark square.
a
b
c
d
e
g
h
25.. . �95 26 �a5 ©d7 27 Elh1 Elxh1 28 ©xh1 tfit3 29 ©92 tfid4?! 30 At2 Ab6 31 i.xd4 i.xd4 32 c3± [1 -0]
i}
23
2 Typical Po sition s
(5) White's p l ay o n the qu een s i de a n d i n the cen t re Rein d e r m a n (2542) - P i ket (2609) Wij k aan Zee 1 999 a
8
.I.
b
c
d
C reating weaknesses i n the opposing q ueenside, which will be of great im portance after the game opens u p . (compare with the corresponding Ill ustrative Game Fressinet Stefansson (p. 52).)
e
7
1 0 d4 would be less effective i n this position : 1 0 . . . cxd4 1 1 cxd4 exd4 1 2 tl:lcxd4 c5 . 5
1 0 . . . �96 1 1 a x b5 a x b5 1 2 i:Ixa8+ .axa8 1 3 d4!
4
Only by opening the centre can Wh ite cash i n his l ead i n development.
3
13 . .. exd4 1 4 cxd4 .ae1 b� c � h d �e��-� g � a �� -� -�
14 . . . c x d 4 15 tl:lcx d 4 , and ihe weakness on b5 is u n p l easant for Black.
I n this position Wh ite h as two i m portant levers avai lable, both of which are employed in the next few moves. 10 a4!
15 We2 .ac6 16 d x c5 Wxc5 17 �cd4 0 -0 18 �xc6 Wxc6 1 9 �d4 �b6 20 �x b5 E:Ib8 21 �c3± [Y2-Y2]
24
(6) White ' s play on the queen side
(6) White's p l ay o n the queen s i de Wo m a cka (2484) - Golod (2523) Bad Wiessee 2002
Gle k (2565) - Acs (2450) Budapest 1 998 a
b
c
d
e
g
h
a
b
c
d
h
e
8 7
7
6
6 5
5
5
5
4
4
4
4
3
3
3 2
2 1
.s a
10
b
c
d
e
g
h
a
'(!
10 . . . c4
Si nce the central advance d2-d4 h as been stym ied , Wh ite d i rects his fu l l attention to the queenside! 11
axb5 a x b5 12 Elxa8+ Axa8 13 �a3! c6 b3!
Breaki ng up the black formation and activat ing the wh ite q ueen . 14 . . . cxb3
1 5 Wx b3 �96 1 6 c4!
A very strong move, the point of which fol lows i m med i ately. . . 16 . . . b4
17 c5!
C lears c4 for the k n i g ht , after which Wh ite has overwhel m i ng p ressu re in the centre. Once again we see this : only by opening the centre can the opponent's development lag be pun ished ! 17 . . . @x c5
18 tll c4 Ae7 1 9 Ab2 0-0
If 19 . . . f6 20 �a1 Ab7 2 1 �a5 . 20
c
d
e
g
h
'(!
An i m portant theoretical position in the vari ation with 5 . . . f6 6 d4 e x d 4 . Here we can see the correct way for Wh ite to expose the d isadvantages of Black's position. 1 3 tll a 5! 13 tbd4 i s too feeble i n comparison : 13 . . . tLle7 1 4 �d2 tiJg6 1 5 Ae3 Ad6 oo. 1 3 . . . Ac5+ 14 ©11 b5 14 . . . Ab4 ? 15 Axe? ! 1 5 a4!? This new move represents a plausible way to attack the black q u eenside. The trad itional m ove is 1 5 tbd5 , but this does not p rom ise any particular advantage if Black reacts cor rectl y : 1 5 . . . tbe7 ! 1 6 Axe? tbx d 5 1 7 �xd5 �xc7 18 �xc5+
b6 19 b4 c x b3 2 0 tb x b3 Ae6cxs . 1 5 . . . tll e7 16 a x b5 a x b5? Better i s 16 . . . Ax b5 ! t (see the Illustrative Game Womacka - Golod! (p. 26)) . 17 Ag3 El he8 18 b3! Ab4 1 9 Ae1 cx b3 20 ttlx b3 ©b8 21 ttle2! The exchange of the d ark-sq uared bishops opens u p wonderfu l prospects for the white knights on d4 and c5. 21 . . . Axe1 22 ©xe1 Ae6 23 ttled4± [1 -0]
a4!
Com pare with Rei nderman n - Pi ket (p. 24) !
14
b
tll f xe5 Wa7 2 1 El a 1 @ b7 22 d4± [0 -1 ]
25
3 Illustrative Games Theoretical section 3. 1 The c l a s s i c a l 5 . . . f6 6 d4 exd4 3. 1 . 1 T h e tra d i t i o n a l 5 . . .f6 6 d4 exd4 7 �xd4 c5 8 � b 3 (2484) - Golod (2523) Bad Wiessee 2002
Womacka
options open regarding the optimal post for the queen's knight, which i n many cases can be effectively developed via d2 or a3 .
1 e4 e5 2 �f3 �c6 3 Abs a6 4 Axc6
5 . . . f6
Actually this is a very logical move. Wh ite accepts B l ack's invitation and carries out his "threat " .
4 . . . d x c6 5 0-0!
� e � .___a�b�� c d-�
g� h_ -
___, �
The classical and m ost common m ove i n t h i s position . T h e w h ite response is p rac tically forced , since oth erwise B l ac k could reach a very good position by . . . c5, followed by Cbe7-c6.
6 d4 Our repertoire move, which is generally rated more h i g h l y these days than the older con tinuations 5 d4 and 5 Cbc3 . Fi rst of al l Wh ite com pletes the development of h i s kingside, which is particularly i m po rtant i n the varia tion with 5 . . . f6, so that after an exchange of queens on d1 Wh ite will be able to recapture with the rook. At the same time, Wh ite keeps
I n t h i s way W h ite h opes to c reate an ad vantageous pawn structu re with an " extra half-pawn up" advantage on the kingside.
6 . . . exd4 6 . . . Ag4 !? leads to complex play and is covered in the I l l u strative Game Baklan - Ka l l i o (p. 42).
26
3 . 1 . 1 The trad itional 5 . f6 6 d4 exd4 7 tt:\xd4 c5 8 tt:\b3 ( Womacka - Golod) . .
7 �xd4 c5 Avoiding the exchange of q u eens is very dangerous for B l ac k , consideri n g h i s lag i n development a n d the weakness created by . . . f6 : a) 7 . . . lfDe7 8 Ae3 lfDg6 9 �h5 Ad6 1 0 lfDf5 0-0 11 f4 �e8 1 2 lfDd2 Axf5 1 3 �xf5 l"&d8 14 l"&ad1 (14 lXae 1 ±) 1 4 . . . l"&f7 [112-112] H art ston - U nzicker, [chT] Vienna 1 972 ;
ttJ
a second stri n g (see the Illustrative Game Vescovi- Milos (p. 36)) . From the white point of view, it is very pleasant to be able to play for a win with m i n i mal risk of losi n g . In most cases, a pure pawn ending w i l l now be win ning for Wh ite, si nce Black will not be able to force the creation of a passed pawn on the q ueenside. N aturally therefore this variation is very appeal ing to "endgame-lovers" !
8
b) 7 . . Ad6 8 �h5+ g6 9 �f3 Axh2+ [9 . . . �e7 10 Af4 Ad? (10 . . . £e5!? 1 1 c3 Y/!d6 12 £xe5 fxe5 13 CZJb3 CZJf6 14 CZJa3 0-0 15 lXad 1 !We7 16 Y!!e3 [112-112] Wittmann - Mokry, {ch T] Austria 1996) 1 1 lfD d 2 0-0-0 1 2 l"&fd1 Axf4 1 3 'l:l¥xf4 g5 14 �e3 ci;>b8 15 tl:\c4 lfDh6 16 lfDa5 �b4 17 lfi)db3 lfDg4 18 �c5 �x e4 19 lfDx b7 ©xb7 20 �a3 c,!;>a7 2 1 lfDc5 �e2 22 l"&d2 �b5 23 tl:\xd7 l"&he8 24 l"&ad1 l"&e2 25 h3 lfDe5 26 .!'!xe2 �x e2 27 �c5+ ci;> b7 28 �b4+ ci;>c8 29 �b8# 1-0 M aljuti n - Korneev, Wisla [op] 1992] 1 0 ci;> x h 2 �xd4 11 l"&d1 �c4 1 2 Af4 �f7 13 �b3 �xb3 1 4 a x b3 Ae6 1 5 Ax e? �h6 16 lfDc3 0-0 17 lfDa4 l"&ae8 1 8 lfDc5 Ac8 19 f3 [1 -0] Hecht - G l igoric, Teeside 1 972 .
. . .
tl!fxd 1 9 Eixd1 Ag4
.
This s u btle bishop-move has replaced all other contin uations here. Black wants to pro voke the advance of the wh ite f- paw n , i n order t o b e a b l e t o play c5-c4 and then d e velop t h e bishop t o c 5 with check.
8 �b3
[a] 9
Considered objectively, this offers W h ite more chances of advantage than 8 lfDe2 . However, the l ess theoretical m ove of the knight to e2 is well worth consideri n g as
. . .
�d6?! 10 �a5! b5 11 c4!
As the fol l ow i n g classic game shows, the weakness of c5 causes Black a lot of pro b l e m s : 1 1 . . . lfDe7 1 2 Ae3 f 5 1 3 lfDc3 f 4 1 4 e5
27
3 I l l ustrative Games - Theoretical section
Axe5 15 Ax c5 Axc3 16 b x c3 tLlg6 17 CLic6 Ae6 18 c x b5 ax b5 19 CLia7 g b8 20 gdb1 ©f7 2 1 CLix b5 ghd8 2 2 E!.b4 Axa2 2 3 CLixc7 E!. bc8 24 h4 E!.d2 25 Ab6 f3 26 Ae3 E!.e2 27 �b5 E!.a8 28 h5 �e5 29 E!.f4+ ©e7 30 E!.d1 E!.c8 31 ge4 ©f6 32 E!.d6+ ©f5 33 E!.f4+ ©g5 34 E!.xf3+ 1-0 Fischer- Portisc h , [ol] H avana 1 966.
23 f3 E!.e8 24 E!.ad1 Ae6 2 5 E!.e1 E!.e7 26 E!.d6 1-0 Arizmendi M arti n ez - Frani c , Olomouc 1 999. 12 l1xd8+ @xdB 13 l1d1+ 1 3 a4 ! ? Ad6 (13 . . . £xb3 14 cxb3 .fle7 1 S J'J.d1+ f!?c8 1 6 .fldS .flxdS 17 J'J.xdS £e7 18 £e3 J'J.e8 19 f3 b6 20 £d2 £d6 2 1 £c3 'i!?d7 Y2-Y2 Adorjan - Vogt, [wch-u20] Stock holm 1969) 14 E!.d1 Axb3 15 c x b3 ©d7 1 6 tLld5 ©c6 1 7 b4 b6 1 8 bxc5 bxc5 1 9 E!.c1 Axf4 20 CLixf4 tLJe7 21 tLle6 E!.b8 22 CLixc5 ©d6 23 CLixa6 E!.x b2 24 CLixc7 1-0 Adorjan N agy, [ch] H u ngary 1 968. 13. . . f!lcB 14 �dS .l.xdS 15 l1xd5 b6 16 l1d2!? 16 E!.d1 CLie7 17 tLld2 tLlc6 (1 7. . . .flg6 18 £g3 £d6 19 'i!?f1 J'J.e8 20 f3 £xg3 2 1 hxg3 .fleS 22 f!?e2 f!ib7 23 J'J.h 1 h6 24 J'J.hS t 'i!?c6 2S f!?e3 as 26 a4 J'J.d8 2 7 f4 .flf7 28 b3 J'J.e8 29 .flf3 'i!?d7 30 g4 gs 31 g3 J'J.g8 32 es f!?e7 33 'i!?e4 gxf4 34 gxf4 'i!?e6 3S fS+ f!?e7 36 'i!?f4 fxeS+ 37 .flxe5 .flxeS 38 'i!?xeS J3xg4 39 J3xh6 J'J.g2 40 J'J.h 7+ 'i!?e8 4 1 J'J.xc7 J'J.xc2 42 J'J.c6 'i!?f7 43 J3xb6 c4 44 J'J.b7+ 'i!?g8 45 'i!?f6 f3b2 46 J'J.g7+ 'i!?h8 4 7 J3g4 cxb3 48 J3g3 'i!?h 7 49 'i!?f7 'i!?h6 50 f6 J3c2 S1 J'J.xb3 J'J.c7+ 52 'i!?e6 J'J.c6+ S3 'i!?e7 J'J.a6 S4 J'J.h3+ f!;>g6 SS J'J.g3+ f!ih 7 56 f7 J'J.a 7+ S 7 'i!?f6 J'J.a6+ S8 f!ifS J3c6 S9 f8J'J.! 1-0 Malisauskas - Donchenko, [ch] Uzhgorod 1988. This game is a very rare exam p l e in p ractical play of a (mean i ngfu l !) under-promotion to a rook. (59 f8V/!?? J3f6+!)) 1 8 CLic4 b5 1 9 tLle3 c4 20 tLld5 tLJe5 21 Axe5 fxe5 22 ©f1 Ad6 23 ©e2 ± [112-112) B rag i n M e l ikhov, Li petsk 1 993. 16. . . �e7 17 �c1 I l i ke this piece -set- u p . 17. . . �c6 17 . . . g5 1 8 Ae3 Ag? (18. . . .flg6 19 .fle2) 1 9 CLie2 . 18 �e2 .l.e7 19 �c3 t.
[b] 9. . . .l.d7 In this l i n e too Wh ite retains some advan tage.
10 �c3 0-0-0 11 .l.t4 .l.e6 The best and most solid move in this pos i tion .
a) 1 1 . . . g5 1 2 Ag3 Ae6 1 3 E!.xd8+ ©xd8 14 E!.d 1 + ©c8 15 h4 h6 1 6 �d5 Axd5 1 7 E!.xd5 b6 18 h5 tDe7 19 E!.d1 Ag? 2 0 c3 f5 2 1 exf5 tLlxf5 22 Ah2 E!.e8 23 g4 tLld6 24 tLld2 ge6 2 5 ©f1 b5 2 6 tLlb3 tLlb7 27 E!.d5 Af8 28 f4 Ad6 29 E!.f5 c4 30 tLld4 E!.e4 31 fxg5 Ax h 2 3 2 g x h 6 E!.e7 3 3 © g 2 Ad6 3 4 g5 c 5 3 5 tLlc6 E!.e8 36 g6 1-0 M eijers - Hedke, O l d e n b u rg 2001 ; b) 11 . . . E!.e8 ? ! is a very common error that Wh ite can p u n ish with energetic p l ay : 1 2 tLld5 !
1 2 . . . E!.xe4 13 Axe? �e7 14 tLlc3 ! E!.c4 (Black plays this move only with the g reatest rel u c tance , b u t c5 m u st be covered . . . ) 1 5 A b 6 tLJc6 1 6 E!. d 2 (the u nfortunate position of the black roo k and B l ack's poor d evelop ment give Wh ite a clear advantage) 1 6 . . . E!.b4 17 tLld5 c4 18 CLix b4 Ax b4 19 c3 c x b3 20 c x b4 b x a2 2 1 E!.xa2 CLix b4 22 E!.a1 tLlc6
[c] 9. . . .l.e6 This bishop move without the i nterpol a tion . . . Ag4/f3 is l ess explored , but perhaps eq ually playable :
28
3 . 1 . 1 The trad itional 5 . . f6 6 d4 exd4 7 tll x d4 c5 8 tll b 3 ( Womacka - Golod) .
10 �f4 c4 11 tlld4 11 Cba5 ! ? b6 1 2 Cbc6 Ad7 1 3 Cbd4 0-0-0 14 Cbd2 l'!e8 (14. . . £g4 1S.CZJ4f3) 15 f3 b5 16 a4 Ac5 1 7 Ae3 Cbe7 1 8 a x b5 axb5 19 b3 [%-1/2] Petrush i n - Kharitonov, (ch] Aktjubi nsk 1985 (19 'i!?f2 ;t) . 11. . . 0-0-0 12 tllc3 �fl 13 tlld5 13 Cbf5 .§xd1 + 1 4 .§xd1 Cbe7 1 5 Cbx e7+ Axe? 16 Cbd5 Ad8 1 7 Cbe3 l'!e8 1 8 f3 g6 1 9 ©f1 (19 'i!?f2) 19 . . . f5 2 0 exf5 g5 2 1 l'!xd8+ ©xd8 22 Ax g5+ 1/2-1/2 Vil lard - Neverov, Eger (op] 1999 .
13. . . �cs 14 c3 l1e8 15 t't:Jf5 g6 16 tllg3 c6 18 tll xe3 t't:Jh6 19 l1d4 i (112-112] Meijers - Kharitonov, Stockholm (op] 1 998. 17 �e3 �xe3
10 f3 Ad7 The most freq uently encou ntered move, en abl ing q ueenside castl i n g . H owever, in o u r main game B l a c k i s presented w i t h fresh problems. 10. . . �e6!?
This natu ral bishop m ove also comes strongly i nto consideratio n . 11 �f4!?
A direct conti n u atio n , which I t h i n k g ives more winning chances than the classical al ternative 1 1 Cbc3 . I n many variations we now reach a position with bishops of o pposite colour but, with a pair of rooks sti l l o n the board , Wh ite can cont i n u e to create p ro b lems for Black.
fb
best chance of g ai n i n g the i n itiative. How ever, the pawn can later become a weakness at a5. 13 . . . ©f7 ! The best place for the king. (13. . . 0-0-0 The dangers of this obvious m ove were demonstrated d rastically by Fischer. The b l ac k kin g becomes a tar g et here ! 14 as 'i!lb 7 1S es £e7 16 !'1xd8 £xd8 17 c6 46 exf6 Axf6 47 Ae5 1 - 0 H okkanen - G u ner, (echT] Chalkidi ki 2002 ; b} 1 1 Ae3 b6 1 2 a4 Cbe7 ! 1 3 Af4 c4 14 Cbd4 0-0-0 15 Cbc3 .§xd4 16 .§xd4 Cbg6 17 Ae3 Ac5 = [1/2-1/2] Chandler- lvanchuk, [ol] Thes saloniki 1 988.
11. . . c4 12 tll d4 0-0-0 13 tll c3 l1xd4 a} 13 . . . Ac5 14 Cbce2 Cbe7 1 5 Ae3 Axd4 (15 . . . Af7 ? ! 16 Cbf5 ! The exchange of the dark-sq u ared bishops i s very p leasant for White in such positions: 1 6 . . . Axe3+ 1 7 Cbxe3 c5 (or 1 1 . . bS 18 'i!Jf2 CZJc6 19 a3 CZJeS
a} 11 Cbc3 Ad6 12 Ae3 b6 1 3 a4 . The ad vance of the a - pawn is considered White's
29
3 I l l ustrative Games - Theoretical section
20 £Ixd8+ £Ixd8 21 £Id1 £Ie8 22 cflc3 g6 23 g4 ± [112 -112} Reinderman - Onischuk, Wijk aan Zee 2000) 1 8 ©f2 ©cl 1 9 .El.xd8 .El.xd8 20 .El.d1 .El.xd1 2 1 tt::l x d 1 f5 22 exf5 tt::l x f5 23 tt:Je3 tt:\el 24 f4 b5 25 ©f3 b4 2 6 c3 tt:Jc8 21 g4 a5 28 ©e4 ©c6 2 9 ©e5 tt::l b 6 30 f5 Cl:la4 31 Cl:ld1 Ad5 32 ©f4 ©d6 33 Cl:lg3 ©el 34 tt:Jf1 t [1-0] Rozenta l i s - Korzu bov, [ch] Lvov 1 985.) 1 6 tt::l x d 4 Afl 11
( 1 4 tt:Jf5 ! ? also comes i nto consideration : 14 . . . .El.x d 1 + 1 5 .El.xd1 tt:\el (Or 15 . . . g6 16 tt:Je3 Ac5 1 1
b) 13 . . . Afl
24 . . . tt:\el 25 ©g2 (25 e5!? fxe5 26 cflxe5 ;f;) 25 . . . tt:Jc6 26 h3 holding the e -pawn back i n reserve, so as fi rst to gain some space o n the kingside. 2 6 . . . A c 5 21 g4 tt::\ d 4 28 .El. d 2 tt::\ x f3 29 ©xf3 t A d 6 30 © g 2 h x g4 31 h x g4 Ae6 32 f5 .
The m ost combative move, p l ayed by Kor neev. 14 ©f2 ! ? Wh ite centralises h i s king and keeps all his options open . Now we witness a tense duel between two specialists : the Latvian G ran d m aster Viestu rs M e ij ers is an outstanding exponent of the wh ite side of the Exchange Span ish, whilst Oleg Korneev has often played the black side of this variation.
Aga i n and again we come across this, only apparently "anti- positional " , method : Wh ite lets B l ack h ave the e5 square, but cram ps
30
3 . 1 . 1 The trad itional 5
. . .
f6 6 d4 exd4 7 tt:\xd4 c5 8 tt:\b3 ( Womacka - Golod)
the black pieces and rel i es on the l ater ad vance of the g-paw n . 32 . . . Ad? 33 E!dd1 Ac6 34 ©f3 E!h8 35 E!h1 a5 36 g 5 b4 37 ax b4 a x b4 38 tl:le2 E!he8 39 E! h 4 Ae5 ? ! (39. . . £a4!? 40 [!.d2 fxg5 41 [!.g4 oo) 4 0 E!xd8 gxd8 41 g 6 c3 ? 42 bxc3 b x c3 43 E!h7. Following the q u ite chaotic time -scram ble, the wh ite concept tri u m p h s . A l l i n a l l , the game p resents a good exam p l e of h ow, even with red uced material , tense and hard fou g ht games are poss i b l e , a s l o n g as t h e opponents have t h e right attitu d e ! 4 3 . . . E!d1 (43. . . [!.g8 44 £f4) 44 gxg7 m1+ 45 ©g2 1-0 Meijers - Korneev, (ech] Istanbul 2003 ; 14
ttJ
Prepari n g f3-f4 , to expose the weakness at f6 . 21 . . . h5 (2 1. . . h6 22 f4) 22 e5 ! h xg4 (22. . . CLJxe5 23 £xg5) 23 fxg4 f5 24 g xf5 Axf5 25 Axg5 E!e8 26 tDd5 © b7 27 ©g3 tDxe5 2 8 Af6 c6 2 9 tl:lc3 E!g8+ 30 ©f4 1-0 Santo- Roman - M i ralles, (ch] France 1 991 .
l1xd4 �c5 15 �e3
Hard ly ever played to my knowledge, but the idea is weli worth considerat i o n . I l i ke Santo-Roman 's set-up.
1 1 Af4 0-0-0 1 2 �c3 c4
15 E!ad1 provides o n l y s l i g ht w i n n i n g chances : 1 5 . . . tl:le7 1 6 ©f1 Axd4 1 7 E!xd4 ttJc6 1 8 E!d2 E!d8 1 9 ©e2 b5 20 E!xd8+ ©xd8 21 ©e3 tLlb4 22 ©d2 ©d7 23 a3 tLic6 24 ©e3 ttJdB 2 5 tl:ld1 h5 2 6 h4 Af7 27 g4 h x g 4 28 fxg4 tDe6 29 Ag3 Ag6 = [112-1/2] Godena Gyi mes i , Budapest 1 99 5 ;
The only way for Black to make use of his 9 t h move ; other continuations would not be con seq uent. 1 2 . . . Ae6 13 E!xd8+ ©xd8 14 Ae3 b6 15 a4 a5 16 tDb5 g5 17 f4 h6 18 f5 Axb3 19 E!d 1 + Ad6 2 0 c x b3 ©d7 2 1 Ad2 E!h7 22 Ac3 E!e7 23 E!e1 Ae5 24 g4 ©eB 25 tDa3 ©fB 26 tDc4 ± (1-0] l u ldachev -Alzai m , (chT] Bei rut 2000.
15 tDe2 A x d 4 + ( 1 5. . . CLJ e l 1 6 c3!? CLJc6
13 �aS !
17 'i!?f1 £xd4 18 cxd4 CLJb4 19 £g3 c6 oo [1-0] Romero Holmes -Zak, Mesa [op] 1992) 16 tDxd4 Ad? 1 7 E!e1 tl:le7 1 8 ©f2 l'!d8 19 c3 c5 2 0 tDc2 Ae6 2 1 g 4 E!d3 22 tDe3 ©d7 23 © e2 b5 24 E!d1 ;!; tDcB 2 5 a3 E!xd1 26 ©xd1 tiJb6 27 Ag3 g6 28 Ah4 g5 29 Af2 Af7 30 ©c2 [112-112] Rozentalis- Psakh is, [ch] Sverd lovsk 1 98 4 . Black h as to face a long period of torture - the game l asted for 90 moves ! 15. . . �xd4
16 �xd4 �el 17 l1e1 !?
It is clear from this that Wh ite i ntends to abandon the d-file to h i s opponent and i n stead seek play for himself o n the kingside and i n the centre. 17. . . �c6 21
O n ly t h i s active move sets Black any p ro b lems.
18 �e3 l1d8 19 g4 g5 20 f!lg2 b6
13 . . . Acs+ 1 4 �f1
h3!?
31
3 I l l u strative Games - Theoretical section
Very natu ral and defi nitely best. Scarcely had I made this m ove i n my B u ndesl iga game against Jenni when suddenly my b lood ran cold. What was wrong with 14 . . . Ab4? Could it be that this tactical trick had been over looked in the course of more than a decade? H ad I got m ixed up? Anyway, after I had cal m ed down a bit I realised what the s n ag was with the cheeky bishop sortie to b4. 1 4 ©h1 . P roperly p repared , B l ac k n eed n ot fear this tactically-oriented move: 1 4 . . . b5 1 5 tt::\ d 5 tt::\ e7 (15. . . c6 1 6 b4 .fla l 11 �cl £b8 18
14
. . .
b l ac k k i n g , which g ives more chances than 15 tt::\d 5, which was exclusively played previ ously. Here Wh ite merely ach ieves a min imal endgame edge. The present game fro m Bad Wiessee was the catalyst for me to put the Exchange Vari ation under the microscope ! The obvious and usual 1 5 tt::\ d 5 can i n fact be countered with 1 5 . . . tt::\ e7 ! The l atest ver d ict on this positional pawn sacrifice is that the weakness of the wh ite q ueenside pawns provides enough com pensation : (15 . . . c6 ?! in contrast, constitutes an instruc tive error, since the white knight plays havoc over the next few moves: 16 b4 £al 11
bS
19. . . l3e8 20 !?cl 21 !?cl 33 l3dd8 fld6 34 l3bc8+ '>!?bl 35 flxg8 flxg8 36 flxg8 1-0 Timman -Adams, Bel grade 1995 .) 16 Axe? tt::l x d5 17 E!.xd5 ©xc7 18 E!.xc5+ ©b6 19 b4 c x b3 2 0 tt::\ x b3 Ae6 56
If 14 . . . Ab4 ? , then 15 Axc7 ! ± (15
1 5 a4!? A very i nteresting idea of the Spanish player Baron Rodriguez. Womacka, who gener ally l i kes to fol l ow the exa m p l e of Fischer i n the open i n g , obviously saw the po tential of Wh ite's concept i n h i s own re search. White wants to open l i nes against the
32
3 . 1 . 1 The traditional 5 . . f6 6 d4 exd4 7 ttixd4 c5 8 ttib3 ( Womacka - Golod) .
21 Elc3 Eld6 (2 1. . . a5 22 a4 J''fc8 23 J"!.xc8 J"!.xc8 24 tLJd4 £c4+ 25 f!?e 1 b4 26 'i!?d2 £f7 27 h4 rtlc5 28 f!?e3 f!?c4 29 <8e2 l"!.d8 30 g4 V2-1h Rogers - Slobodjan, [bl} Germany 1998) 22 a4 Ac4+ 23 ©f2 E!c8 24 ax b5 axb5 25 E!b1 b4 26 Ele3 Ax b3 27 E!exb3 E!xc2+
as favou rable as i n the main l i ne. With care less play, the tt::l a5 can even find itself out of play.
17 l1xd8+ 1 7 Ad2 !? looks a bit passive, but it prepares the open i n g of the q ueenside with b3. Here are a cou ple of sam ple variations:
=.
Even though it does not lead to any o bjec tive Wh ite advantage , it is n oteworthy that Shirov opted for this endgame against h i s strong opponent : 28 � e 3 E!xg2 2 9 E!x b4+ ©c5 30 E! b7 E!a6 31 . El.1 b3 g 5 32 h4 h6 33 Eld3 g x h4 34 E!c7+ © b4 35 E!d1 �b3 3 6 Elh1 f5 37 exf5 E!g5 38 E!b7+ ©c2 39 E!h2+ ©c3 40 E!bb2 ©c4 41 .!'!xh4+ ©c5 42 E!c2+ ©b5 43 E!h1 E!a3+ 44 �f4 E!a4+ 45 ©e5 Ela5 46 E!xh6 © b4+ 47 'i!?e4 E!g xf5 48 E!b6+ ©a3 49 E!c3+ �a2 50 f4 ms 51 E!cb3 E!c5 52 Elb2+ ©a3 53 E! b1 �a2 54. E!6b2+ ©a3 55 Elb5 E!e8+ 56 ©d4 E!x b5 57 E!x b5 �a4 58 Elb1 Elf8 59 ©e5 Ele8+ 60 ©d6 Elf8 61 m1 1-0 Shirov - Adams, Ti l b u rg 1 996.
15
. . .
ttJ
1 7 . . . f5 (17. . . J"!.he8 18 <8xb5 axb5 19 b3 £d4 20 c3 £e5 2 1 f!?e2 cxb3 22 <8xb3 t; 1 7. . . c6 18 <8xb5 cxb5 19 b3 t; 1 7. . . £d4 18 <8xb5 axb5 19 c3 £e5 20 f4 £d6 21 b3 cxb3 22 <8xb3 '8c6 23 f!?e2 J"!.he8 24 f!?f3 t; 17. . . £b6 18 <8xb5 axb5 19 b3 £xa5 20 £xa5 J"!.xd 1+ 2 1 J"!.xd 1 <8c6 22 £e 1 cxb3 23 cxb3 J"!.d8 24 J"!.c 1 '8d4 25 £g3 J"!.d7 26 b4) 18 exf5 tt::l x f5 1 9 tt::l x b5 a x b5 20 tt::l c 6 ;l; .
17. . . l1xd8 18 f!le2 £b4 18 . . . Ad4 19 tl:\x b5 (19 £d2) 19 . . . axb5 20 c3 Ab6 21 b3 ;l; .
19 �xb5 1 9 Ad2 This interesting suggestion from C h ristian Gabriel does not ach ieve anything against p recise play: 1 9 . . . g5 (19 . . . £xa5!? 20 J"!.xa5 <8c6 21 J"!.a 1 '8d4+ 22 f!ld 1 'i!?b7 23 J"!.c 1 c5 24 f!le 1 £c6 25 <8e2 f5) 20 ©e1 tt::l g 6.
�e7 16 a x b5 a x b5?
1 6. . . £xb5!
19. . . axb5 20 c3 £d6 20 . . . Ac5 21 b3 tt::l g 6 22 Ad2 (22 £g3 cxb3 23 <8xb3 £b6) 22 . . . c x b3 23 tt::l x b3 Ab6 24 Ae3 © b7 25 tt::l d 4 ;l;.
21 £xd6 In playi n g this I had underestimated Black's 23 r d move . . . 21 Ae3 ! Jen n i sign ificantly strengthens Black's game. Scarcely had the position after 1 5 . . . tt::le7 ap peared on the board when I began to won der: why not 1 6 . . . Ax b5 ? N aturally I had not considered this obvious move in my prepara tion . . . here too Wh ite must be satisfied with a very smal l edge, but all the same . . . In con crete terms, Wh ite does not now succeed i n opening t h e queenside under circumstances
33
3 I l l ustrative Games - Theoretical section
would sti l l have offered some chances of advantage, e . g . after 21 . . . f5 (2 1. . . c6 22 b3 cxb3 (22. . . ile5 23 bxc4 ilxc3 24 f"fa2) 23 tElxb3 ilxh2 24 f"fh 1 ile5 25 f"fxh 7 ;!;) 22 b3 (22 exf5 f"feB) 22 . . . fxe4 23 fxe4 c x b3 24 CLixb3 ©d7 25 m1 ± .
g
8
7
2 1. . . f1xd6 22 b3 cxb3 23 �xb3 f!?b7! =, and with this B l ac k equalises - [1/2-%] Kinder mann - Jenn i , [bl] Germany 2003 .
6
6
5
5
4
4
3 2
11 Ag3 !? A subtle preparatory move, ai med at increas ing the i m pact of Wh ite's c o m i n g b 3 . D e spite t h e red uced materia l , Wh ite's i n itiative has to be taken very seriously. The i m m e d i ate 1 7 b 3 also comes i nto considerat i o n . Following the p re m iere o f 1 5 a4 ! , obviously we m u st g rant the authors h i p to Baro n Ro driguez : 1 7 b3 cxb3 (17. .. ilb4 18
..
h
8
2
a
e
g
h
The exchange of dark-sq uared bishops would leave B l ack with an ugly hole on c5 .
21 . . . Axe1 22 ©xe1 Ae6 23 tQed4 ± Axb3 24 c x b3 fS ! The best chance l i es i n active cou nterplay.
25 tQx bS fxe4 26 fxe4 tQdS 27 §a4 c6 28 §ad4! c x bS 29 ©f2 §xe4 30 §xe4 §f8+ 31 ©g3 tQc3 32 §dd4 tQxe4+ 33 §xe4
17 . . . §he8 1 7 . . . Ab4 1 8 CLid5 CLixd5 1 9 e x d 5 does n ot solve Black's problems, owi ng to the weak ness at c6, e . g . 19 . . . f\he8 (19. . . c3 20 b3 l"fheB 21
18 b3 ! I n this way Wh ite d i ssolves the black d o u bled paw n , but a l s o exposes weaknesses in the black camp and activates h i s own pieces .
The roo k endgame is very u n p l easant for Black, owi ng to the weakness at b5, as wel l as the sensitivity of the b l ac k kingside and Wh ite's g reat activity.
18 . . . Ab4 1 9 Ae1 ! If 1 9 CLid5 B l ac k solves h i s p roblems with 1 9 . . . CLixd5 20 exd5 Ac3 ! 2 1 f\a2 Ae6 .
33 . . . §c8 33 . . . m7 ! ? 34 f\e5 ©c7 35 f\xb5 ©d6 ± (Teske) .
19 . . . c x b3 20 tQx b3 ©b8 21 tQe2! 34
3 . 1 . 1 The traditional 5 . . . f6 6 d4 exd4 7 tt'lxd4 c5 8 tt'lb3 ( Womacka - Golod)
34 �f4 Ik7 34 . l"lc2 . .
Ci'J
N atural ly it is i m po rtant that the cou nter attack 43 . . . m2 d oes n ot work, owing to B l ack's weak kingside: 44 l"le7+ !
35 l"le8+ © b7 36 l"l.e7+ l"l.c7
37 l"lx c7+ ©xc7 38 ©e5, and W h ite w i n s ,
thanks t o his space advantage i n the pawn ending.
44 g3 hS 4S §e4 ©b6 46 �d4 ©c6 47 ©e3 §fS 48 §e6+ ©bs 49 §96 ©x b4
35 EteS §b7 36 b4 ©a7 37 ©e4 ©b6 38 Ete6+ ©a7 39 @dS §f7 40 ©c6 �a6
49 . . l"l.f? 50 l"l.g5+ ©xb4 51 l"l.xh5 ©c4 52 ©e4, and the h orizontal barrier o n the 5t h ran k secures the w i n .
4 0 . . . l"lb?
.
SO §xg7 ©c4 S1 ©e4 §f2 S2 h4 §f8 S3 §gS §h8 S4 ©ts §h6 ss §98 §a6 S6 ©gs ©dS S7 ©xhS §a3 S8 g4 ©e6 S9 §f8 1 -0
4 1 ©c5.
41 �cs+ ©b7 42 ©x bS §fS+ 43 ©c4 1::1 9 5
35
3 I l l u strative Games - Theoretical section
3. 1 .2 T h e s e co n d s t r i n g 8 � e 2 ! ?
(2572) - M ilos (2608) Zonal , Sao Pau lo 2001
Ve scov i
1 e4 es 2 �f3 �c6 3 Abs a6 4 Axc6 dxc6 S 0-0 f6 6 d4 exd4 7 �xd4 cS 8 �e2!? ..
h
,----,---,---�-,----.,,.�.--=---,,,,,� 8
a
e
8 . . . '@!fxd 1 9 Eixd1 0-0-0
Ad7 1 0 �bc3
1 0 . . . tbe7 1 1 Ae3 tbc6 12 l::l. d 2 tbe5 1 3 b3 0-0-0 1 4 l::l. a d1 Ad6 1 5 f3 l::l. h e8 1 6 tbd5 Af8 17 c4 Ae6 18 tbef4 Af7 19 tbd3 tbxd3 2 0 l::l. x d3 Ae6 2 1 g4 b6 2 2 ©f2 © b7 2 3 Af4 l::l. d 7 24 tbe3 l::l. e d8 25 l::l. x d 7 l::l. x d 7 26 l::l. x d7 Axd7 27 h4 Ad6 28 Axd6 cxd6 29 f4. Once again the "phalanx" of pawns, i n tandem with the agi l e kn ight, gives White some endgame advantage. Now Garry Kasparov's namesake shows excel lent technique: 29 . . . h6 30 a4 b5 31 a5 b4 32 ©f3 Ae6 33 g 5 ! h x g 5 34 h x g 5 fxg5 35 f5 ! Af7 36 ©g4 © c 6 3 7 © x g 5 ©d7 38 tb d 5 ©c6 39 tbf4 ©d7 40 tbd3 © e7 41 e5 Ae8 42 e6 Ac6 43 tbf4 Ae4 44 tbh5 d5 45 c x d 5 c4 46 tbxg7 c3 47 f6+ ©d6 48 f7 1-0 Sergey Kasparov -Azarov, [zt] M i nsk 2000.
g
11 Ae3
Less aggressive, although positionally wel l founded , t h i s k n i g ht move comes strongly i nto consideration as a second string for the player of the wh ite p ieces, and h as been played by specialists such as the very strong young C h i nese p l ayer Zhang Z h o n g , the Russian Igor Glek, and the Brasi l ian Giovan n i Vescovi . It leads t o considerably fewer forc ing l i nes but sets Black long -term positional problems which are far from trivial , as the fol lowing material shows . . .
..
h
,--,--,--,---.-=,,.,..----,c-=-,---=.----;-o=-> 8
8 7
From e2 the k n i g ht can l ater g o to f4 and d5 (or h5) and , if the black bishop goes to d6, the e2-knight enables Wh ite to p ropose a positional ly desi rable exchange of bishops by Af4 . H owever, since this l i n e is n ot part of our recommended main repertoi re, I shall g ive only the m ost i m portant variations and basic ideas :
a
b
c
d
e
g
h
The m ost flex i b l e set-u p , keep in g the f4 square avai lable for the knight.
11 . . . EieS [a] 11. . . �d6?! 12 �f4!
36
3 . 1 .2 The second stri ng 8 tDe2 !? ( Vescovi - M i los)
1 5 El.ad 1 tbc6 1 6 f3 f5 1 1 tbh5 El.fl 1 S tbg3 b6 1 9 tbxf5 Axf5 20 El.xdS+ tbxdS 2 1 exf5 El.xf5 2 2 ©f2 tbe6 23 El.d5 El.fl 24 tbe4 h6 25 h4 © bl 26 El.e5 tbd4 2l c3 tbf5 2S h5 ©c6 29 g 4 tbd6 30 tbd2 ©dl 31 ©e3 El.f6 32 f4 c6 33 b3 ms 34 'C!?f3 tbfl 35 El.e3 'C!?d6 36 tbc4+ 1-0 Rozental i s - G retarsson , Liechtenstein [op] 1 996. The
best reaction, since Black can n ot now
avoid the exchange of bishops, which w i l l rob h i m
of his best weapon (the bishop pair) .
12 . . . �e6
12 . . . Axf4 13 tbxf4 tbel 14 El.d2 El.hfS
13 l1d2 �e7 14 l1ad1 �xf4 1S l1xd8+ l1xd8 16 l1xd8+ 'i!lxd8 17 �xf4 �f7 18 'i!Jf1 'i!ld7 19 'i!le1 'i!ld6 20 �d3 �g6 21 'i!ld2 �h4 22 �e1 �g6 23 a3 bS 24 �d1 b4 2S �e3 t [1 -0] G l e k - H ansen , Kopenhagen 1 995.
(14. . . !fJc6 - the following game by the Exchange Variation specialist Eduardas Rozen talis is a fine illustration of White 's optimal procedure on the kingside: 15 l'1ad1 b6 16 f3 f'l,hfB 1 7 t2Jcd5 l'1f7 18 t2Je3 l'1e8 19 g4 tLJd4 20 r!?t2 !fJe6 21 !fJxe6 £xe6 22 a3 a5 23 !fJg2 f'l,d l 24 l'1xd 7 £xd7 25 tLJf4 c6 26 h4 r!?c7 27 h5
[b] 11. . . b6 12 �f4 1 2 a4 ! ? a5 (12. . . ffe8 13 a5 b5 14 t2Jf4 c4 15 b3; 15 f3 - Rowson) 13 El.d2 Ad6 14 El.ad1 Ac6 15 Af4 Ael 16 tbd5 Axd5 11 El.xd5 El.xd5 1 S El.xd5 AdS 1 9 tbc3 (19 f3!) 1 9 . . . tl:iel 20 El.d2 tbg6 21 Ag3 h5 22 h4 ms 23 El.d5 f5 24 El.xf5 El.xf5 25 exf5 tbel 26 f6 gxf6 2l tl:ie2 tbg6 2S tbf4 tbxf4 29 Axf4 ©dl 30 f3 ©e6 31 c4 f5 32 g3 c6 33 ©g2 b5 34 b3 bxc4 35 b x c4 Af6 36 Ad2 AdS 31 Ac3 Acl 3S ©h3 ©fl 39 Ad2 ©g6 40 Ae3 Ad6 41 Ag5 Ae5 42 Ael Ad4 43 AdS Ac3 44 Ab6 Ab4 45 g4 Ac3 46 Axc5 Ae1 41 Ad6 Ac3 4S Acl fxg4+ 49 f x g 4 Ae1 50 AdS © h 6 51 Ael ©g6 52 Ag5 1 - 0 Rowso n - Gormal ly, H ast ings 2 003/04.
12. . . �e7 13 f3 �c6 14 �fdS �e6 1S l1d2 �d6 16 l1ad1 'i!lb7 17 �f4 �es 18 �e3 l1de8 19 �g3 hS 20 �f2 �f7 21 �eds bS 22 b3 h4 23 h3 �es 24 'i!Jt1 �g6 2S �fS �xfS 26 exfS �e7 27 �xe7 l1xe7 28 l1e1 l1xe 1+ 29 �xe1 llhS 30 l1e2 llxfS 31 �xh4 lleS 32 llxeS �xeS 33 c4 ± [1 -0] Dom inguez - M endoza, [zt] Guayaq u i l 2003.
27. . . h6 28 t2Jg2 l'1e5 29 t2Je3 £e6 30 ffd2 t!?cB 3 1 t2Jf1 r!?c7 32 t2Jg3 £c8 33 f4 l'1e7 34 r!?t3 £d7 35 !fJf1 £c8 36 !fJe3 £e6 37 e5 fxe5 38 fxe5 fff7+ 39 'i!le4 ffe7 40 ffd6 f'l,eB 41 !fJf5 £d7 42 t2Jxg7 l'1g8 43 l'1g6 1-0 Rozentalis - Hasanov, Toronto {op} 1998; 14. . . £g4 15 l'1xd8+ l'1xd8 16 f3 £d7 17 l'1d1 fll c6 18 r!?t2 f5 19 h4 l'ifB 20 !fJfd5 b6 21 !fJe3 fxe4 22 t2Jxe4 £e6 23 a3 ;;!; [112- 112] Rozen talis - Onischuk, {bl] Germany 1999)
12 r:td2 Ac6 12 . . . f5 . This active m ove fai l s to solve B l ack's pro blems : 13 El.ad1 tbf6 .
37
3 I l l u strative Games - Theoretical section
.__....__.___-'-='-'-----'-"'"'"'-"'�� �
14 Ag5 ! Ad6 1 5 Axf6 g xf6 1 6 tbg3 ! Ax g3 1 7 fxg3 Ae6 1 8 exf5 Axf5 19 tbd5 Ag4 20 tbxf6 ! resu lts i n a c l early su perior roo k end i n g : 2 0 . . . Axd1 2 1 tbxe8 A x c 2 22 .§.xc2 .§.xe8 23 .§.xc5 .§.e2 24 g4 .§.xb2 25 .§.h5 ± .§.b6 (25. . . I'fxa2 26 I'fxh 7 I'fe2 27 g5 I'fe6 28 h4 b5 29 h5) 26 .§.x h7 c5 27 .§. h 5 .§.c6 2 8 g 5 .§.g6 29 ©f2 c4 30 ©e2 b5 31 h4 .§.e6+ 32 ©d1 .§.d6+ 33 ©c1 .§.d4 34 g6 1 - 0 Oral -Acs, Bu dapest 1 998.
This m ove order is d i rected agai n st the d e velopment o f t h e black k n i g ht a t h 6 . But 1 4 tbf4 also comes i nto consideration : 14 ti:Jf4 ti:Jh6 15 ti:Jfd5 1 5 f3 tbf7 1 6 tbfd5 tbe5 1 7 b3 h5 1 8 h3 h4 19
An i nteresting manoeuvre ! The knight makes the d5 square avai lable to his col leag ue and plans to re -enter the fray at f5 . 1 8 f3 c4 ! ? 1 9 Axe5 .§. x e5 20 b x c4 Ac5+ 2 1 ©f1 .El.dB oo [1-0] Vysoc h i n - Yemel i n , [ch u 1 8] J u rmala 1 992 . 18. . . �d6 1 8 . . . tbg6 1 9 Ag3 Axe4 2 0 tbxe4 .§.xe4 21 .§.d7 tbe5 22 Axe5 fxe5 (22. . . I'fxe5 23 if)d5) 23 c3 oo . 19 ti:Jcd5 �xd5 20 I1xd5 ti:Jf7 2 1 �xd6 tilxd6t (21 . . . c x d 6 22 f3 .El.dB 23 tbf5 ±) 22 f3
8 7
a
b
c
d
e
g
h
�
1 3 �ad1 b6 13 . . . Ad6 14 Af4 ! Axf4 (14 . . . £xe4 15 £xd6 cxd6 16 if)xe4 I'fxe4 17 if)g3 ±) 15 tll xf4 tll h 6 16 .§.e2 t f5 17 e5 tbf7 18 e6 tbd6 19 h4 .§.hf8 2 0 f3 tbb5 2 1 tbxb5 Axb5 2 2 .§.e5 b6 23 ©f2 Ac6 24 h5 .§.f6 25 ©g3 .§.dB 26 .§.xd8+ ©xd8 27 e7+ ©e8 2 8 tbe6 ©xe7 2 9 tbxg7+ ©d6 30 ©f4 1-0 Vescovi - M atsuura, [zt] Sao Pau lo 2001 .
14 f3 38
3 . 1 .2 The second stri ng 8 tl:le2 !? ( Vescovi - M i los)
26 . . i:1b8 27 ©g3 a5 28 ©f4 i:1e7 29 tDf5 ! ± .
i:1d7 30 e5 fxe5+ 31 i:1xe5 a4 ? (3 1. . . b4 32 f!.dd5 %1b5 ±) 32 i:1dd5 ! +- [1 -0] O ral Slobodjan , Havana 2000.
14 tQe7 15 !Af4 !Ag6 16 !AhS . . .
8
1 6 . . . !AeS Threatening . . . tDc4 .
17 b3 c4 17 . . . f5 !? 18 Af4 fxe4 19 tDxe4 c4 2 0 i:1d4 c x b3 2 1 c x b3 tDg6 2 2 Ag3 Axe4 23 i:1xe4 Ac5+ 24 Af2 i:1 x e4 2 5 fxe4 Axf2+ 26 ©xf2 ms+ 27 ©e3 m7 28 i:1d5 !
7
a
b
c
d
e
g
h
A great square for the knight, fro m where it can exert u n p l easant p ressu re on the b l ack pawn base g7-f6 . I n return, Wh ite must allow the undou b l i ng of Black's c - pawns.
I n spite of the considerable s i m p l ification , Wh ite retains some advantage thanks to his clearly m o re active p ieces. 28 . . . © b7 29 g3 tDe7 30 i:1d8 tDc6 31 i:1e8 g 6 32 tDf4 g5 33 tDd3 i:1f1 34 e5 ± (1-0] Zhang Zhong -van der Wiel , Wij k aan Zee 2003.
1 6 ttlcdS!? ttleS 17 b3 c4 18
1 8 !AdS ©b7 1 8 . . . i:1g8 1 9 ©t2 Aa3 20 h3 © b7 21 g4 i:1d8 22 Af4 Ac5+ 23 s!?g2 c x b3 24 c x b3 i:1de8 25 Ag3 a5 26 Af2 Axf2 27 ©xf2 tlJd? 28 ©g3 Axd5 29 i:1xd5 tDc5 30 h4 h6 31 tDf4 ©c8 32 tt:Jg6 ;!; [%-%] Rozentalis- Sokolov, Ti lburg 1 993.
27 . . . i:1xe5 2 8 i:1xe5 i:1xe5 2 9 tDxg7 i:1e3
l"\d3 l"\xd3 31 cxd3 b5 32 ©e2 a4 33 bxa4 bxa4 34 ©d2 c6 35 d x c6+ © x c6 36 ©c3 'i!id5 37 tDf5 Af2 Vescovi .
30
=
28
ttlg3 lia8 29 ttle4 �d6 30 lia 1 t
Fol lowing Kasi mdzhanov's momentous vic tory i n Tri poli 2004 against the fancied , very stro n g R ussian Alexander G risc h u k , it was very i nteresting to read Kasi mdzhanov's own thoug hts about choice of open i n g and crit ical positions in Schach 8/2 004 : "I chose the Spanish Exchange Variation for a q u i et endgame. I wanted to play out a sim ple po sition for as long as possible, since coming straight from the tie -break agai nst Bel iavsky G rischuk would have no desire to play a long game. This tactic worked perfectly, si nce he
30 . . . h5
31 i:1g2 i:1h8 32 ©e2 i:1f7 33 i:1ag1 Ats tt:Jg5 i:1d7 35 c4 c6 36 i:1d1 cxd5 37 i:1xd5 i:1xd5 38 c x d 5 Ae7 39 tDf7 i:1f8 40 tDxe5 Axh4? (40. . . %1e8 41 f!?d3 £xh4 42
.
39
3 I l lustrative Games - Theoretical section
1 9 m2 as 20 g4 llg8
suffered a serious l apse of concentration . " (Kasimdzhanov) 18 . . . a5 19 a4 (Th is move, which I played re cently myself agai nst G u stafsson , does not appeal to m e so m u c h n ow, since it cre ates an u n pleasant weakness on b3 . Better is probably 19 ©t2 , since the open ing of the a -fi le is no g reat concer n . S . K.) 19 . . . © b? 20 ©t2 c x b3 2 1 c x b3 tDd7 ! 22 g4 tDc5 23 Axc5 Axc5+ 24 ©g2 Af8 2 5 h 4 El.e5 26 El.d3 El.g8 27 tDg3 Ac5 2 8 h 5 El.f8 2 9 tDf4 Ae8 30 tDf5 g6 31 h x g 6 h xg 6 32 tDg3 At? 33 El.h1 El.e7 34 El.h6 i"lg8 35 El.h1 c6 36 El.hd1 ©c7 37 tDh3 El.f8 38 tDf4 i"lb8 39 tDh3 b5 40 g5 fxg5 41 tl'ixg5 Ag8 42 f4 bxa4 43 bxa4 El. b3 44 El.dB i"lb2+ 45 ©t3 Ab3 46 R 1 d3 (" N aturally it was c l ear to m e that B l ac k ought t o stand wel l here with his bishop pair and the active rook on b2 . But his other rook on e7 is q u ite passive and can only with d if ficu lty be b ro u g ht i nto p lay. And above all I cou l d n 't see a move for h i m . 46 Axa4 does not work, for the same reason as the text move. On 46 . . . El.f2+ I go to g4 with my king and plan e4-e5 fol lowed by tDg3-e4. Per haps Wh ite's position is not so bad ? ! But natural ly I didn't analyse anything. The move he chose is a typical b l u nder at this type of time l i m it. After the 401 h move you g et 1 5 minutes - naturally this is too l ittle. You can 't real ly rel ax and a l ready you find yourself i n the n ext endless time scra m b l e . T h i n g s get o u t o f contro l . Hence the crudest b l u n ders i n Tri poli occu rred w i t h particular fre quency after the 401 h move. " (Kasi mdzhanov) 46 . . . Ac2 ?? (46 . . . El.f2+ 47 @g4 Aa4 : S . K.) 47 tDe6+ ! i"lxe6 48. R3d7+ ©b6 49 i"lb8+ ©a6 50 i"la8+ ©b6 51 El.b8+ ©a6 52 El. x b2 Axa4 53 e5 Ab5 54 i"ld8 Ab6 55 l"la8+ ©b7 56 El.f8 Ac4 57 ©g4 Ad5 58 tDe2 a4 59 tDc3 Ab3 60 tDe4 ©a6 61 tDd6 @a5 62 El.a8+ @b4 63 El.b8 ©c5 64 tDe4+ @d5 65 tDf6+ @c5 66 tDd7+ @d4 67 El.xb6 El.e? 68 tDf6 @c3 69 El.b1 i"lc? 70 El.c1 + Ac2 71 tDe4+ @d3 72 et:'ic5+ ©d2 73 l"lxc2+ 1-0 Kasi mdzhanov G rischuk, Tri poli 2004.
h 8
8 7 6
g
h
'i}
21 llg1 !? Vacates d 1 and th reatens g4-g5 at some point. Wh ite must also be vigi lant concern ing the cou nter . . . f5 ! 2 1 ©g2 Ab4 2 2 c3 Axd5 23 c x b4 Af7 24 bxa5 b5 [1 -0] Glek-Yemel i n , [ch] S t . Peters b u rg 1 99 8 (24 bxa5 2 5 J3b 1 cxb3 26 axb3 f5! 27 h3 oo, Glek) . . . .
21 . . . lld8 2 1 . . . Ab4 22 i"ldd1 .
22 �hf4 Ad6 23 h4 lld7 24 h5 c x b3 25 c x b3 2 5 a x b 3 ? ! would be su bstantially weaker, since l ater B lack would be able to c reate a passed pawn on the a-fi le.
25 . . �f7 26 llgd1 lle8?! .
40
3 . 1 .2 The second stri ng 8 tt:le2 !? ( Vescovi - M i los)
Perhaps B l ac k s h o u l d try 26 . . . h6 here, to avoid the fol lowi ng unpleasant surprise :
Only at fi rst sight is the position drawish ; ac tually Black h as serious pro b l ems with his kingside, which ultimately decide the game.
27 h6!
31 . . . � es 32 I!xeS Axes 33 �e6 g6 34 �fS �d3+ 35 ©e2 �b4 36 a3 �c2 37 �xh7 �xa3 3S �xf6 Af7 39 �dS �c2 40 ©d2 AxdS 41 exdS � b4 42 d6 �dS 43 Ad4 ©c6 44 Aes bS 45 f4 �b6 46 fS g xfS 47 gS ©ds 4S Ad4 �d7 49 g6 ©e6 so g7 ©11 51 ©e3 a4 52 b4 a3 53 ©14 a2 54 ©xfS �b6 55 ©e4 ©gs 56 Aa1 ©f7 57 ©d4 1 - 0
A pretty tactical blow, which enables Wh ite to break i nto the opponent's position.
27 �xh6 2S �x b6 c x b6 29 I!xd6 13xd6 30 I!xd6 �f7 31 I!e6! . . .
g
..
h 8
6 5 4 3 2
g
h
41
3 I l l u strative Games - Theoretical section
3.2 The a ct i ve 5 . . . f6 6 d4 A g 4 Baklan
(261 8) Kallio (2502) Batumi 2002 -
1 e4 es 2 ihf3 Chc6 3 Abs a6 4 Axc6 dxc6 S 0-0 f6 6 d4 Ag4 !? a
b
c
d
e
The most testing move. Wh ite keeps the ten sion i n the centre and then wants to continue development.
7 dxe5 This s i m p l e cont i n u ation is perhaps rightly considered to be u n p roductive, o n the ev idence of the fol l owing c lassic game. B ut i n any case the adoption of the Exchange Spanish i n a World Championsh i p m atch testifies to Fischer's faith i n it ! As we can see i n the section on 6 . . . exd4, 25 years later Fischer had sti l l not lost this faith . . .
7. f!!xd1 8 f1xd1 fxe5 9 f1d3 .l.d6 10 ttlbd2 ttlf6 11 ttlc4 ttlxe4 • •
4 3
11 . . . 0 - 0 ! ? 1 2 tbfx e5 Ae2 13 l"&e3 Axc4 1 4 tb x c4 Ac5 15 l"&f3 tb x e4 16 Ae3 l"&xf3 17 g xf3 tbd6 1/2-1/2 Kasparov -Tai , [ch] USSR Tbil issi 1 978 .
12 ttlcxe5 This active move was recommended as best by Fischer h i mself. These days Grischuk and Bel iavsky are two hig hly-rated supporters of 6 . . . Ag4 . Black h as more w i n n i n g c hances than i n the 6 . . . exd4 variation, but must also ru n g reater risks . . .
( 1 2 tbfx e5 is considered rather stronger to day) 1 2 . . . Axf3 13 �xf3 0-0 14 Ae3 b5 15 c4 l"&ab8 16 l"&c1 b x c4 17 l"&d4 mes 18 tbd2 tbxd2 1 9 l"&xd2 l"&e4 20 g3 Ae5 21 gcc2 ©f7 22 ©g2 gx b2 23 ©f3 c3 24 © x e4 c x d 2 25 gxd2 gb5 26 gc2 Ad6 27 gxc6 gas 28 Af4 ga4+ 2 9 @f3 ga3+ 30 ©e4 g x a2 31 Ax d6 c x d 6 3 2 gxd6 gxf2 3 3 gxa6 g x h 2 3 4 ©f3 = [1/2-1/2] Fischer - Spassky, [wch/1 6] Reykjavik 1 972 .
7 c3 ! a
b
c
d
e
7
. . .
Ad6
7. exd4 is very comm ittal and is hard ly ever seen in modern p ractice. In two exam p les we shall see the "master" at work :
6
..
5 4
8 cxd4 f!!d7 3
a
b
c
d
e
g
a) 8 . . . Axf3 ? ! The acceptance of the pawn sacrifice is rightly considered to be very risky. Wh ite gains a big lead in development and a strong i n itiative. 9 �xf3 �xd4 1 0 gd1 �c4
h
42
3.2 The active 5
. . .
f6 6 d4 Ag4 (Baklan - Kall io)
1 1 Af4 �fl (1 1. . . £d6 12 £xd6 cxd6 13 ff?g3 'f!/fl 14 l1xd6 cf:lh6 15 cf:lc3 0-0 16 l1ad1 ff?c7 17 l1xf6 ff?xg3 18 lixfB+ tlxfB 19 hxg3 ± [1-0] O 'Donnell- Day, [zt] Canada 1992) 1 2 tl:lc3 El.dB 1 3 E!.xd8+ ©xd8 1 4 E!.d1 + ©c8 1 5 e5 �e6 16 �d3 Ae7 17 �e3 b6 18 exf6 �xe3 1 9 fxg7 �xf4 20 g x h8� �f7 2 1 �es 1 - 0 Nadanian - M n atsakanian, Yerevan [op]
1 99 6 .
b) 8 . . . cS 9 �b3 ! (stronger than 9 d5 £d6 = indicated by Fischer and Gligoric) 9 . . . c x d 4 1 0 e5 !? Axf3 1 1 �xf3 ± Packroff - Pich ler, (corr] 1 977 . 9 h3
uses the black a6 -pawn as a target, to open l i nes agai nst the black King. 18. . . �e7 The paw n - g rab 18 . . . Axb4 looks extremely risky, e. g . 19 E!.b1 (or 19 cf:Je6 l1d7 20 ff?e4!?) 1 9 . . . Af8 20 E!.fc1 . 19 b5 axb5 20 �xb5 �d5 21 'f!!a4 �xe3 22 fxe3 'f!!e8 23 'f!!a8+ r!ld7 24 r!!!xb7 'f!!xe3+ 25 r!lh 1 £e5 26 �xc7 'f!!g 3 27 'f!!c 6+ r!le7 28 'f!!e 6+
8 Ae3 the7
£e6
9 . . . Ah5 ? ! 1 0 tl:ieS ! Ax d 1 1 1 tl:ixd7 ©xd7
1 2 l"!xd1 E!.e8 1 3 f3 tl:ie7 14 tl:ic3 ©cs 15 Ae3 16 E!.ac1 fxe4 1 7 fxe4 g6 1 8 Af4 ± Ag7 19 d5 El.dB 20 tl:ia4 E!.hf8 21 g3 gS 22 AxgS l"! f 7 2 3 ©g2 c x d S 24 exdS ©b8 2S E!.e1 Af8 26 E!.f1 E!.g7 27 Af6 E!.g8 2 8 E!.ce1 E!.e8 29 d6 cxd6 30 Ax e? Axel 31 E!.f7 1 - 0 Fischer Jimenez Zerq uera, [ol] Havana 1 966. f5
10 �c3 0-0-0 11 £e3 11 Af4 tl:ie7 1 2 E!.c1
tl:ig6 13 Ag3 Ad6
1 4 tl:la4 ± Axg3 1S fxg3 © b8 16 tl:icS �d6
After this Wh ite is once more confronted with the problem : exchange or keep the tension ? If Wh ite does not exchange, he must reckon with B l ac k playing . . . exd4 and/or . . . ts . As tournament practice h itherto testifies, Black has q u ite good cou nterplay i n that case. 8. . . 'f!!e 7 This is the main alternative. Black prepares i m med i ate q u eenside castl i n g , i ntending to seek cou nterplay on the kingside.
1 7 �a4 ©a7 18 tl:ixa6 Ax h3 19 es tl:ixeS 20 dxe5 fxeS 2 1 tl:icS+ © b 8 22 g x h3 e4 23 tl:lxe4 �e7 24 E!.c3 bS 2 S �c2 1-0
Fischer - G l igoric, [ol] H avana 1 966.
11 ... g5 12 f1c1 h5 13 d5! cxd5 14 exd5 J.xd5 15 �xd5 'f!!xd5 16 'f!!c2 'f!!f 7 17 �d4 J.d6 18 b4!
This m arks the launch of a sharp attack which is typical of this type of position. Wh ite
43
3 I l l u strative Games - Theoretical section
9 �bd2 0-0-0 a) 9 . . . exd4 10 cxd4 0-0-0 11 '@c2 .El.e8 12 e5 Ab4 1 3 h3 Ae6 14 tDe4 '@fl 1 5 a3 Ab3 1 6 '@b1 Ael 1 1 tDfd2 !?
a) 1 0 . . . '@fl 1 1 b4 e x d 4 1 2 c x d 4 f5 1 3 e5 Axb4 14 tDg5 '@d5 15 h3 Ah5 16 '@xf5+ �b8 1 1 '@e6 tDel 1 8 .El.ab1 Axd2 1 9 Axd2 .El.he8 20 Ab4 Ag6 2 1 .El.bd1 tLlf5 22 '§'x d5 .El.xd5 23 Ac3 c5 24 dxc5 .El.xc5 25 Aa1 h6 26 tDf3 oo
This n ovelty by the H u ngarian Zoltan Al masi , i n stead of the 11 tDed2 of Smyslov Geller, [ch] U S S R 1 913 , m a kes a g ood i m press i o n , since i n t h i s way W h ite sta b i l ises his centre. 1 l . . . Ad5 18 f4 Ad8 19 b 4 ;!; f5 2 0 tDc3 tDel 2 1 a4 b6 22 '@d3 'i!> bl 2 3 b5 c x b5 24 axb5 a5 25 tDa4 'i!>b8 26 tLlc5 Aa8 27 tLla6+ 'i!>c8 28 .El.fc1 ± (1-0] Almasi - Mari n , [zt] Odorheiu Secuiesc 1 99 5 ;
This typical attacking move d issolves the double pawns and exch an ges the "worse" of Black's bishops, nevertheless Wh ite cre ates excellent attacking chances against the enemy m o narch : 13 . . . tLlf6 14 b x c5 Axc5 1 5 Axc5 '§'x c5 16 tLlb3 '§'c6 11 tDfd2 tbdl 18 c5 ! Ae2 19 .El.fc1 Ab5 2 0 '@b2 Aa4 21 .El.ab1
b ) 9 . . . tLl h 6 1 0 '@c2 tbfl
W h ite has completed the redeployment of his forces that he probably plan ned with his 1 3t h move and, i n view of the th reat of tDa5 , the b l ac k position is on the poi nt of col lapse: 2 1 . . . Axb3 22 tDxb3 '@xe4 23 tDa5 tLlb8 24 .El.e1 '@g6 2 5 '§'x bl+ 'i!>dl 2 6 '@d5+ 'i!> el 21 .El. x b8 .El.xb8 2 8 tDc6+ 1-0 M e ijers Olarasu, Creon [op] 2003 . c) 1 0 . . . exd4 1 1 tDxd4 '@fl (1 1. . . h5 12 CZJc4 CZJh6 13 h3 £d7 14 !'Xfe 1 g5 15 !'Xad 1 !'XheB 1 6 f3 c5
11 c4 ! A noteworthy idea! 11 . . . exd4 1 2 tLlxd4 c5 13.tLl4b3 0-0 14 f3 Ah5 15 Af2 b6 16 tDc1 Af4 11 tDe2 Axd2 18 '@xd2 .El.fd8 1 9 '§'c2 ;!; [1 -0] Teufel - Ken nefick, Copenhagen 1 961 .
10 dxe5!? J ust as in our main game, the early exchange on e5 seems to offer good chances. 1 0 '@c2 Some recent material on this classi cal move :
44
3.2 The active 5 .f6 6 d4 1l.g4 (Baklan - Kall io) . .
17 t/Jf5 £xf5 18 exf5 £g3 19 J3xd8+ Vffxd8 20 J3e2 'f!fd5 21 £f2 J3xe2 22 V!fxe2 !£Jxf5 23 V!fe8+ 'f!fd8 24 Vffxd8+ 'i!>xd8 25 £xc5 [1/2 -112} Shirov - Piket, Monte Carlo [rapid] 1997; 1 1. . . V!fe5 12 f4 V!fh5 13 !£Jc4 !£Jh6 14 tfJxd6+ cxd6 15 f5 J3he8 1 6 J3ae 1 c5 17 tfJb3 g5 18 h3 £xh3 19 gxh3 Vffxh3 20 £c 1 tLig4 21 Vffg2 Vffxg2+ 22 'i!>xg2 h5 23 c4 'i!>c7 24 tfJd2 ;t [712-112] Rozentalis - Marin, Belfort 1995; 1 1. . . c5 12 !£Jf5 £xf5 13 exf5 'f!fd7 14 tfJe4 tfJe7 15 £xc5 £xc5 1 6 !£Jxc5 Vffxf5 1 7 'f#xf5+ !£Jxf5 18 J3fd1 a5 19 'i!>f1 b6 20 tLie6 J3xd 1+ V2-V2 Nisipean u - Grischuk, [bl] LObeck- Kreuzberg 2002) 1 2 f4 tbh6 1 3 b4 Ad? 14 h3 l"!.he8 15 a4 1/;l!'g6 1 6 l"!.f3 1/;l!'h5 1 7 f5 tllf7 18 b5 c x b5 1 9 a x b 5 Ax b5 20 tbx b5 axb5 21 1/;l!'b3 tbe5 22 1/;l!'x b5 c6 23 1/;l!'b3 Ab8 24 t.Dc4 tll x c4 25 1/;l!'xc4 1/;l!'h4 26 g4 h5 27 Af2 �g5 28 Ae3 1/;l!'h4 29 Af2 1/;l!'g5 30 Ae3 1/2-% Fressinet - G risch uk, [ol] Istan bul 2000. =
1 0. . . fxe5
2002) 1 3 . . . c x b4 14 '?;lfc2 Axf3 15 gxf3 (15 !£Jxf3! bxc3 (15. . . a5 1 6 cxb4 £xb4 17 J3fc 1 'i!>b8 18 £d2} 16 'f#xc3 tfJxe4 1 7 'f#b3 c 6 (1 7. . . b 6 1 8 'f#c4) 1 8 tfJg5 gives White attacking chances according to lvanchuk.) 15 . . . g5 16 c x b4 g4 1 7 b5 g xf3 18 tll xf3 axb5 19 a x b 5 l"!.hg8+ 2 0
11 b4
H ere too W h ite has a dangerous i n itia tive, e . g . : 1 6 . . . a5 17 tbg5 '?;lfd5 1 8 c4 1/;l!'g8 1 9 bxc6. White prepares a dangerous attack against the black k i n g . Once W h ite g ets i n b4-b5 and the l i nes become open , things are often very precarious for the black monarch . 11 . . . tt:Jf6
12 r!!c2!?
1 2 a4 ?! Too hasty ; W h ite should not b e grudge a preparatory m o v e h ere : 1 2 . . . c5 ! 13 l"!. b1 . Rather opti m isti c , but ad m ittedly we are deal ing with a rapid-play game here ! (13 b 5 a 5 14 h 3 £e6 15 !£Jg5 £g8 1 6 'f#e2 h6 1 7 !£Jgf3 £h7 18 !£Je1 ! 'i!>b8 19 f3 tfJh5 20 'i!>h2 'f#e6 21 tfJc4 b6 22 J3b 1 'i!>b 7oo [0-1} Alikhanov- Shomoev, [ch] Russia, Krasnodar
4 3
a
9 d xeS !? 45
b
c
e
g
h
{}-
3 I l l ustrative Games - Theoretical section
In con n ection with the n ext-but-one move move, this is a very i nteresting new idea from the Exchange Variation spec i a l i st Vlad i m i r Baklan .
9 ti:lbd2 S i nce this i s an i m portant m a i n - l i n e pos i t i o n , I shal l supply some further material , as an alternative to the relatively u ntested main reco m mendatio n . As long as Wh ite has n ot exchanged on e5 , he has to keep consider ing the conseq uences of Black playing . . . f5 (sometimes preceded by . . . exd4} .
9 . . . t!fd7 a) 9 . . . 0-0 10 �c2 The most flexible continu ation .
(Less conv i n c i n g is 1 0 �b3+ @ h 8 1 1 h3 (with 1 1 V/!xb l White could still force a draw against a superior opponent: 1 1. . . £e6 12 c4 J'Xb8 V2-% Reinderman - Beliavsky, [ech} Ohrid 200 1 .) 1 1 . . . Ah5 1 2 d xe5 fxe5
Here we can see the typical problem follow ing the exchange on e5 : although Wh ite can
claim a considerable structural advantage in view of the weakness o n e5 and the black doubled pawns, carefu l attention has to paid to Black's ki ngside counterplay. Specifical ly, i n many l i n es Black th reatens an exchange sacrifice on f3 .) 1 0 . . . �e8 1 1 h3 Ad? 12 ttJc4 �h5 ? 1 3 d x e5 fxe5 1 4 �d1 ! (14 !iJfxe5 ? £xe5 15 V!!d 1 V/!xd1 16 J'Xfxd1 £d6 1 7 e 5 £e6 1 8 .fla5 .flf5 19 exd6 .flxd6 20 £c5 J'Xf5 2 1 £xd6 J'Xxa5 22 £xc7 %-% Fressinet- Rausis, Creon [op] 1999) 1 4 . . . ttJg6 1 5 ttJfxe5 �x d 1 1 6 mxd1 ttJxe5 1 7 ttJxe5 Ae6 1 8 ttJd3 ± ; 1 0 . . . @h8 1 1 h3 ! ± (1 1 c4 ?! This ECO recom mendation is one move too early and actually rather weak at this point: 1 1. . . exd4 12 .flxd4 c5 13 !iJ4b3 b6! +) 11 . . . Ah5 1 2 c4 ! exd4 1 3 ttJxd4 ± ; 1 0 . . . b6 ! A fine prophylacti c move, d i rected against Wh ite's i d ea of advan ci n g c4-c5 , lead i ng to a very tough positional strugg l e : 1 1 h3 Ah5 1 2 ttJh4 @ h 8 1 3 ttJ c 4 b5 1 4 ttJa5 �e8 15 a3 gb8 16 b4 Af7 17 gad1 Ae6 18 �e2 �fl 1 9 @h1 g be8 20 ttJf3 �h5 2 1 d x e5 f x e5 22 ttJd4 Af7 2 3 ttJf3 Ae6 24 ttJg1 �f7 2 5 f3 ttJg6 26 �f2 Ad? 27 Ac5 ge6 28 ttJb7 �e7 29 �d2 Axc5 30 ttJxc5 gd6 oo [1/2-1/2] Fressinet - G rischuk, Lausanne 2000. b) 9 . . . ttJg6 1 0 �b3 �c8 1 1 c4 Once again this typical wh ite resource. The th reat of c4-c5 disorganises the black camp and m ore or less forces an exchange on d4. (1 1 dxe5!? £e6 12 c4 !iJxe5 13 .flxe5 £xe5 14 f4 £d6 15 e5 £el 16 exf6 gxf6 1 7 .fle4 0-0 18 £d4 £f5 19 J'Xfe 1 J'Xfl 20 c5 £e6 2 1 V/!g3+ rr!Jf8 22 V/!h4 V/!d8 23 J'Xad 1 £d5 2 4 J'Xd3 r;!Jg8 2 5 J'Xg3+ rr!Jh8 26 .flxf6 £xf6 2 7 J'Xe8+ J'Xf8 28 Vf!xf6+ 1-0 Rozen talis - Pribyl, Liechtenstein [op] 1995) . 1 1 . . . exd4 1 2 ttJxd4 c5 1 3 ttJf5 0-0 1 4 ttJxd6 cxd6 1 5 f3 Ae6 16 �b6 ± [1-0] Lobro n Khal ifman , B russels [rapid] 1 992 ; c) 9 . . . �c8 1 0 ttJc4 0-0 1 1 d x e5 Axe5 12 ttJc x e5 fxe5 13 �b3+ Ae6 1 4 �b4 ttJg6 15 ttJg5 a5 1 6 �a4 h6 1 7 ttJxe6 �xe6 1 8 �b3
46
3.2 The active 5 . . . f6 6 d4 1l.g4 (Baklan - Kall io)
�xb3 19 a x b3 b6 2 0 g 3 ©f7 21 .§.a4 c5 22 E!fa1 .§.ac8 2 3 b4 a x b4 24 c x b4 c x b4 25 .§.xb4 IIDe7 26 .§.c4 ©e6 27 b4 b5 28 .§.c5 c6 29 .§.a6 .§.a8 30 .§.b6 .§.fd8 31 .§.c x b5 .§.a1 + 32 ©g2 g5 33 h3 .§.dd1 34 .§.c5 .§.a2 35 .§.c3 i>f7 36 .§. b7 � e6 37 Ac5 IIDc8 38 .§.c7 1-0 Mecki ng - U nzicker, [ol] Lugano 1 968.
15. . . 'f!!fe B 16 tZlg3 h6 17 tZlf3 £e6 18 tZlf5 'f!!f f 77? 19 §xd6 cxd6 20 f!!fxg6 'f!!fxg6 21 tZle7+ 'r!lc7 22 tZlxg6 +-.
9 . . . fxeS 1 0 h3 AhS 1 1 c4 ! c5 a
b
c
d
e
g
h
10 dxe5 1 0 h3 Ae6 1 1 c4 tDg6 1 2 .§.e1 0-0 1 3 c5 fie? 1 4 �c2 .§.ad8 15 � h 2 f5 16 d x e5 f4 17 Ad4 IIDh4 1 8 b4 �e8 19 Ac3 �h5 20 l3.h1 E!.xd2 2 1 tDxd2 f3 with a dangerous black attack [0-1 ] Reinderman -Sokolov, [chT] The Netherlands 2001 .
5 4
10. . . fxe5 11 h3 £e6 12 tZlg5
2
1 2 �e2 IIDg6 1 3 .§.fd 1
0-0 1 4 tDg5 IIDf4 15 Axf4 .§.xf4 16 b4 .§.af8 17 f3 ©h8 18 tDxe6 �xe6 1 9 IIDf1 c5 2 0 a3 c x b4 2 1 a x b4 Ae7 22 tll e3 Ag5 23 l3.d5 l3.4f7 24 IIDg4 Af4 25 .§.ad1 ;!; [1-0] Baklan - Bezgodov, [ech] Oh rid. 12. . . £g8
g
h
'()'
1 2 b4! The poi nt of Wh ite's move order: i n this way White creates a further weakness in the black structure .
13 'f!!fh5+ tZlg6 14 §fd1
1 4 b4 !? 0-0-0 1 5 IIDb3 �e7 1 6 IIDf3 l3.f8
17 tll c 5 © b 8 1 8 �g4 ©a8 1 9 IIDd2 oo [0-1 ] Womacka - Kal l i o , Gausdal 2003 .
12 . . . b6 1 2 . . . IIDc6 13 b x c5 Ae7 14 1/£Vxd8+ (14 CZ)bd2 gives Black more hope of counterplay. 14 . . . 0-0 1 5 !Wc2 \Wd7) 1 4 . . . l3.xd8 1 5 IIDc3 Axf3 16 g xf3 ± .
14. . . 0-0-0 14 . . . �e? 15 b3 �f6 1 6 IIDc4 h6 17 IIDf3 Af7 18 �f5 Axc4 1 9 b x c4 c5 20 .§.ab1 b6 21 a4 0-0 22 a5 b x a5 23 �xf6 .§.xf6 24 .§.a1 IIDf8 25 .§.xa5 ± [1-0] Rozental i s - B ronstei n , War saw [op] 1 989 .
1 3 bxc5 b x c5 1 4 �bd2 a
s i,
15 !iJf1 a) 15 tll b 3 !? b6 1 6 .§.d2 © b7 1 7 .§.ad1 1/£Ve8 18 �e2 h6 1 9 IIDf3 Ae6 20 tDc1 �f7 21 IIDd3 Axa2 22 .§.a1 .§.a8 23 b4 Ac4 24 1/£Vd1 oo [1-0] Mal isauskas - Kostyra, Warsaw [op] 1 989 ;
b
c
d
e
g
h
i, s .t. .l 7
7
6 5
b) 15 c4 ! This new idea by Meijers makes a very good i m pression ! Wh ite plays against the bishop on d6: 15 . . . �e? (15 . . . CZ)f4 16 £xf4 exf4 17 CZ)df3) 1 6 .§.ac1 IIDf4 1 7 Axf4 exf4 1 8 tll df3 h6 1 9 e5 ! ± [1-0] M eijers - H ector, Gbteborg 2004 .
4 3 2
a
47
b
c
d
e
.J
3 I l l ustrative Games - Theoretical section
14 . . . 0-0 Structurally Wh ite can be very satisfied . I n the next few m oves, h owever, W h ite has to try to neutralise B l ac k 's cou nterpl ay o n the kingside. Also the transfer of the black knight to d4 should be taken i nto accou nt . Ideally Wh ite would l i ke to transfer his knight from f3 to d3 and then fortify the ki ngside with f2-f3 . If he can then play tl:lb3 (and/or �a3) , the pressu re on c5 will become overwhel m i n g . 1 4 . . . tl:lc6 ! ? 1 5 �a4 �d7 1 6 .!"l.f b 1 ! tLld4 (16. . . 0-0 1 7 .f!e1) 1 7 �xd7+ Kxd7 1 8 tLie1 .
Even though the rest of the game is not one - h u n d red - per-cent convi n c i n g , I con sider Wh ite to h ave the advantage i n this position . Black must keep defending against th reats of �a3 or /Db3, whilst Wh ite must be at pains to prevent . . . tl:lc6-d4.
1 8 . . . �fdS 1 9 � b2 1 9 tLlg4 ! ? tLig6 20 tl:lf2 ; 1 9 .§.fd1 !?
1 9 . . . At7 20 �g4 �96 21 g3!? A double -edged decision .
1 5 '@a4!
21 . . . h5 22 �f2 �f4 !
A strong move, u n p i n n i ng the tLif3 and , for the time bei ng, preventing tl:lc6, at the same time eyeing the a3 square for future use.
B lack finds the o n l y way to create cou nter p l ay : 22 . . . h4 23 g x h4 (23 g4 .f!f4 24 't!?h2) 23 . . . tl:lxh4 24 tLlg4 .
1 5 . . . '@cS
23 h4
15 . . . Axf3 ? ! 1 6 tl:lxf3 gxf3 ? (does n 't work here, si nce Wh ite can play @h2 and gg1 i n time.) 17 g xf3 �f8 (1 7. . . Yf!c8 18 't!?h2 <096 19 l!.g 1) 18 �d1 .
23 ©h2 !?
23 . . . Aea
1 6 �h2!
23 . . . �g6 24 ©h2 /De2 ! leads to unclear play, e . g . 2 5 Ag5 Ae7 2 6 tLlb3 (26 <0h3 £e6 27 l!.e1 £xh3 28 't!?xh3 £xg5 29 l!.xe2 £xd2 30 l!.exd2 l!.d4 oo) 26 . . . Axg5 27 gxe2 Ae7 oo .
I mportant prophylaxis against a threatened exchange sacrifice on f3 !
1 6 . . . '@e6 17 �ab1 h6
2 4 '@a3
17 . . . tl:lc8 18 f3 tLlb6 19 �c2 Af7 2 0 gfc1 ; 17 . . . Ae8 1 8 �a3 .
h
1 8 f3 ;;f;;
8 7 6
3 2
a
b
24 . . . Ad7?! 48
c
d
e
g
h
3.2 The active 5
From
. . .
f6 6 d4 Ag4 (Baklan - Kall io)
here Black loses the thread . 24 . . . CLie2+
25 ©h2 ttJd4 26 ttJh3 was d efi n itely prefer
able.
25 §e1 25 gxf4 exf4 26 Axc5 �g6+ 27 ©h1 �g3 = .
25 . tilh3+ 26 �xh3 @x h3 27 �f1 J:U8 28 §f2 . .
Now c5 w i l l fal l , whereas the black counter p l ay on the kingside h as reached a dead end .
28 . . . Jaf6 29 Axes §af8 30 Axd6 §xd6 31 @b3 ©h8 32 §d 1 §g6 33 @c3 ± Ae6 34 @xeS Axc4 3S @x hS+ lah6 36 @cs §f4 37 §h2 @e6 38 g xf4 §g6+ 39 §g2 1-0
49
3 I l l u strative Games - Theoretical section
3.3 The a m b i t i o u s 5 . . . Wd6 6 � a 3 ! 3.3. 1 R o m a n i s h i n 's 6 . . . 1'e6 S p eck (2381 ) Campos M o r e n o
can be q u ite poisonous, as in the following exam ple: 6 . . . f6
-
(2498) Sevi l le [op] 2004
(6. . . tiJe 7 7 £e3 tiJg6 8 tiJbd2 c5 9 a4 b6 10 c8 26 fxe6 l1df8 27 l1f7 ild6 28 .flg5 tiJf3+ 29 tiJxf3 gxf3 30 h4 l1xf7 3 1 exf7 f2 c;!;>f7 35 c;!;>xf3 g6 36 e6 37 £d2 .fle7 38 £f4 c6 39 c4 b5 40 b3 ilf6 41 £e3 £e7 42 ilf4 £f8 43 c;!;>g5 g4 e6 48 .flc7 draw, Kasimdzhanov-Adams, [wch] Tripoli 2004 and the drawn conclusion of this, the second tie -break game, gave Kasimdzhanov the title of FIDE World Champion!)
1 e4 es 2 �f3 �c6 3 Abs a6 4 Axc6 d xc6 S 0-0 Wd6
7 6 5
5
4
4
3
3 2
a
b
c
d
e
g
h
{r
7 Ae3 Ag4 8 tt::l b d2 tt::l e7 9 b4 tt::l g 6 1 0 Ac5 �d7 11 �e1 a5 1 2 a3 ax b4 13 a x b4 El.xa1 1 4 �xa1 tt::l f4 1 5 tt::l x e5 tt::l e 2+ 16 ©h1 f x e5 1 7 �xe5+ �e6 1 8 �g5 Axc5 1 9 b x c5 0-0 2 0 f3 �a2 2 1 fxg4 El.xf1 + 22 tt::l x f1 h6 23 �d2 ± [1-0] Rozental i s - Liss, [chT] Israel 1 99 9 .
An ambitious and com bative q u ee n m ove, which is the second most popular move (af ter 5 . . . f6) here . B l ac k wishes to avoi d the slight weake n i n g of the l ig ht squares c re ated by . . . f6 and i n some variations will con tinue with rapid queenside cast l i n g . Usually the tt::l g 8 will a i m for g 6 v i a e7 . H owever, if the centre becomes open with d2-d4, the black q u een can find herself in a very ex posed position and with energetic play Wh ite has good chances of transfo rm i n g h i s lead in development i nto a concrete advantage . This l i n e i s riskier for Black than 5 . . . f6, and it leads to sharper positions i n which concrete knowledge of variations is q u ite i m po rtant.
6 . . . We6
5
6 �a3 !
4
The most active move. Wh ite wants to make his lead i n development count by prepari ng a qu ick d2-d4. 6 d3. This q u i et b u i l d - u p h as been played by Eduardas Rozental is, in whose hands it
3
g
50
h
{r
3 . 3 . 1 Roman ish i n 's 6 . . . �e6 (Spec k - Campos Moreno)
Th is u nusual q u ee n move, w h i c h flouts all the classical princi ples of development, is a special ity of Oleg Roman i sh i n .
8
7 d4 !?
6
A very i nteresting idea that h as n ot yet re ceived many trials. W h ite accepts a weak en i n g of his own pawn structu re, su bse quently relying o n h i s powerful u n opposed dark-squared bishop. 7 b3 tiJe7 8
5
5
4 3
tiJc4 tiJg6 9 d4
is the trad itional approach, which is also suf ficient for a slight advantage. Ti mman 's play in the fol lowing encounter is very instructive : 9. . . exd4
...
h
,---,,-----,,.--��,---�-,-,--=---.,-,
The p ressu re on the a1-h8 d i agonal gives W h ite good long -term attacking chances against the b lack k i n g .
10 tiJxd4 t!fg4!?
(10. . . Yf#d7 1 1 £e3 c5 12 t/Jf5 Yf#xd1 13 l1axd1 £e6 14 £c 1 l1d8 15
11 . . . h6 1 1 . . . .!"l.e8 12 .!"l.ad1 b6 1 3 �d2 Ab? 1 4 tDg5 �e? (14. . . Yf#xa2 ?! 15 Yf#c3 b5 16 l1d7) 15 e5 ± .
1 2 ge3 b6 1 3 gae1 cs 1 3 . . . �xa2 14 c4 ± .
1 4 Wc3 gda?! 14 . . . .!"l.e8 15 h3 (15 '8h4 ?! Yf#g4 1 6 l1g3 7? 'f!fxh4 1 7 'f/fxf6 'f!fxg3 -+) 1 5 . . . Ab? 1 6 tDh4 tl:ih5 1 7 tDf5 f6 1 8 Ac1 ! (18 Yf#d2 t!lh 7 19 Yf#e2 g6) 1 8 . . . .E!.ad8 1 9 . .§.3e2 fol lowed by 2 0 �f3 , with clear advantage to Wh ite.
[1-0} Timman - Romanishin, Reykjavik [op] 2004) 11
15 �h4! Wg4?
£b2 f6 12 h3 t!fxd1 13 l1axd1 i.
A horri ble b l u nder that ensures a q u ick end. 1 5 . . . �c6 1 6 .§.g3 �f8 1 7 �f3 .
7 . . . Axa3 7 . . . exd4 8 �xd4 tDf6 9 .!"l.e1 Ae7 (9. . . £xa3 see the main line .) 10 Af4 ± .
8 bxa3 exd4 9 Wxd4 �f6 1 0 Ab2
1 6 gg3 Wx h4 17 Wxf6 Wxf6 17 . . . �xg37? 18 �x d8+.
0-0
1 8 Axf6 gd2 19 gxg7+ 1-0
11 gfe1
51
3 I l l ustrative Games - Theoretical section
3.3.2 T h e p r i n ci p l e d 6 Fre s s i n e t (2440) Stefa n s so n (2584)
Bischwi l ler 1 999 1 e4 es 2 �f3 �c6 3 Abs a6 4 Axc6 dxc6 S 0-0 �d6 6 �a3! bS
8
5
c
d
e
g
. . .
�e7 9 a4 EibB
9 . . . A b7 1 0 a x b5 ax b5 1 1 .§. x a8+ Ax a8 1 2 .§.e1 [1 2 d 4 ! ? This sharp gam b it m ove also comes i nto consideration : 1 2 . . . c x d 4 1 3 c x d 4 A x e 4 1 4 tl'ixe5 f 6 1 5 tl'i d 3 Ax d 3 ? ( 1 5. . . c 6 ! 1 6
6
b
J.b7
Rather passive for my taste, this set-up is recom mended i n ECO (41 h ed ition) as the path to eq ual ity. I n my view B l ack's task is not so easy. . .
7
a
. . .
[a] 8
h
.i
b5
a-fi le. I n this position Black has several con tin uations, although 8 . . . Ab7 and 8 . . . tl\e7 are the most popular by far, and can lead to the same thing by transpositio n .
-
8
. . .
h
11
" Rad ically" preventi ng tl'ic4 and enabl ing an eventual fianchetto of the q u een 's bishop ( . . . c5 , Ab7) .
10 axb5 axb5 1 1 d4
7 c3 cs 8 �c2
8
.I
7 6 5 4
11
. . .
cxd4
1 1 . . . tl'ig6 1 2 tl'ixe5 (12 !;We2!? £g4 13
With this m ove Wh ite is prepari n g , n ot only the thematic d4, but also a4, to create weak nesses in Black's q u eenside and open the
(see next analysis diagram)
52
3 . 3 . 2 The principled 6
. . .
b5 (Fressinet - Stefansson)
I n this endgame Wh ite has at least a slight advantag e ! Here also the theoretical verd ict of (=) can be seriously questioned . 20 tbf7 .El.gB 2 1 .El.dB 'i!? b7 22 tbd6+ 'i!lc7 2 3 .El.a?+ 112-112 Relan g e - Geenen , [zt] Brus sels 1 993.
20. . . .b.xd7 21 I1xd7 ;t tt:Jc6 21 . . . tbcB 22 .El.a6 Ae7 23 .El.e6 . ��--==----'--'-=-<'-=-'--' o
In ECO this position is mysteriously as sessed as eq ual , but it seems to me that Wh ite is clearly better! 17 b4 cxb4 1B tbx b4 'if#e6 1 9 'if#g3 ! [19 tbd5 ?! �xd5 20 e6 E( b7 21 '/llVxf7+ 'i!?dB 22 Af4 Axe6 23 'if#xg7 [112-1/2] De la R iva Ag uado - Foisor, Zaragoza [op] 1 99 6 ; (23 Vf#xg6 ±)] 1 9 . . . A b7 20 Ag5 ± Ax g5 21 'if#xg5 E(h5 22 'if#g3 E(xe5 ? 2 3 CDd3 .
22 I1a6. [b] 8. . . c4!? A very i nterest i n g idea from the Exchange Variat i o n spec i a l i st M ichele Godena. Black wants to prevent, o r rather h i n der, the ad vance of the wh ite d - pawn .
9 b3 f6 10 bxc4 bxc4 11 �a3 t!!fc6 12 �xfB The romantic sacrificial attack 1 2 tbxe5 leads to a very unclear position : 12 . . . fxe5 13 'if#h5+ '©'g6 14 'if#xe5+ tbe7 15 .El.ab1 oo [1/2-1/2] Rei n derman - Godena, [zt] Mondariz 2000.
12 cxd4 exd4 1 3 tt:Jcxd4 c5 Seems very plausi ble, but . . .
12. . . @xfB
13 . . . CDg6 ?! 14 'if#e2 Ad7 1 5 tbf5 'if#b4 1 6 E(d1 h5 17 .El.a? Ad6 1B tbxg7+ 'i!?f8 19 e5 'i!?xg7 20 exd6 Ae6 2 1 Ad2 Ac4 22 'if#e1 1-0 Ghinda-Olarasu, Olanesti [op] 1 997 .
14 t/:Jxb5!
13 d4 This " normal move" should suffice for a slight advantage. 1 3 '©'e2 tbe7 1 4 tbb4 (14 lfab 1 <096 15 <0b4 <0f4 16 Vf#e3 Vf#d6 17 g3 a5!) 14 . . . vgyd6 15 d4 cxd3 16 tt:Jxd3 Ag4 17 '/llVe 3 'i!?f7 1B .El.fd1 Axf3 1 9 °'if#xf3 .El. h d B 2 0 tbb4 'if#e6 21 tbd5 tbxd5 22 exd5 'if#d6 .
The only try for advantage - Wh ite tries to profit from h i s lead in development and the black king sti l l i n the centre.
14 ... t!!fx d1 15 t/:Jc7+ @dB 16 I1xd1+ 'ilxc7 17 �f4+ @b7 18 �xbB @xbB 19 tt:Je5 f6
13. . . cxd3 14 t!!fxd3 ;t .b.e6 1 5 tt:Jb4;
19 . . . f5 2 0 .El.dB 'i!?c7 2 1 .El.eB fxe4 22 .El.al+ Ab7 23 tbf7 .El.gB 24 tbdB ; 1 9 . . . Ae6 20 tbd7.
[c] 8. . . f6 9 a4 .b.b7 10 axb5 .b.xe4 10 . . . axb5 11 .El.x aB+ Ax aB 1 2 d4 Axe4 13 E(e1 with wh ite attack accord i ng to Wed berg .
20 tt:Jd7+!
53
3 I l l u strative Games - Theoretical section
11 d4 cxd4 12 IIe1 �b7 13 cxd4 axb5 14 IIxaB+ �xaB 15 �e2 e4 16 �xb5+ �c6 17 �a5 �e7 18 �d2 f5 19 b3 �d7 20 �c4 �g6 21.�e3 �b5 ( [1/2-1/2] Yusupov-Xie J u n , Linares [op] 1 997) 22 �e5! (Wedberg) 22. . . �xe5 23 dxe5 c6 24 IId1 �d3 25 �a3 �xa3 (25 . . . �f? !?) 26 �aB+ �dB 27 �xa3 IIfB 28 �c5 ± (Wed berg) .
9 He1
Probably the critical l i n e : can White prove an advantage here ?
13 �b3 �g6 14 �xd6 �xd6 1 5 �e3 IIcB 16 IIfd1 f!le7 17 a4 b4 ?! 1 7 . . . .E!.hd8!? 1 8 ax b5 ax b5 1 9 tba3 Aa6.
18 �g5+! f6 19 �e3 f!le6 20 �c4 �e7 21 �e3 �e5 22 �b6 IIc7 23 IIac 1 c4 24 �a5 IIbB 25 �bxc4 �xc4 26 �xc4 IIdB 27 IIxdB �xdB 28 f!Jt2 ± [1/2-1/2] Socko Krasen kow, [ech] Ohrid 2001 .
9
. . .
tQe7
[a] 9. . . IIdB A precaution agai nst the thematic d4.
5
10 a4
4
a
b
c
d
e
g
h
9 d4!? The i m mediate advance of the d - pawn comes strongly i nto consideration .
9. . . cxd4 10 cxd4 exd4 11 �fxd4 �e7 11 . . . 0-0-0 12 b4 ! Axe4 13 �g4+ f5 14 tll x f5 Axf5 15 �xf5+ �d7 1 6 �f3 �d5 1 7 �h3+ �d7 1 8 �c3 tbf6 19 a4 b x a4 2 0 Ag5 (20 Vffa3!?) 2 0 . . . Ae7 2 1 �f3 �d5 2 2 �h3+ �d7 23 �f3 �d5 24 �g3 ± [1-0] M arkovic Petronic, [ch] Belgrade 1 998.
Wh ite opens the queenside front.
10. . . �e7!? Here Black has several alternatives avai lable:
a) 10 . . . tbf6 1 1 a x b5 a x b5 12 d4! tbxe4 13 tbxe5 Ae7 14 .El.a? ! (14 ff#e2 0-0 15 ff#xb5 .EtbB 16 ff#d3 cxd4 1 7 ff#xd4 ff#e6 18 ttJd7 .EtfdB 19 ttJxbB .Etxd4 20 t;Jxd4 ± [1-0] Prie Sorin, [ol] Yerevan 1996) 1 4 . . . Ad5 1 5 tbe3 Ae6 16 �d3 c x d 4 17 �x b5+ �f8 18 c x d 4 �x d4 1 9 .E!.xc7 A d 6 20 tbf3 ± Prie;
12 f3 c5
b) 10 . . . c4 11 a x b5 axb5 12 tba3 ! tbf6 13 tbx b5 �b6 (13 . . . ff#c5 14 ff#a4 .Etd7 1 5 d4 cxd3 16 £e3) 14 tba3 Ac5 15 .E!.e2 tbxe4 1 6 tbxc4 Axf2+ 17 �f1 �b5 1 8 �a4 ± Prie ;
� � ������.......
c) 1 0 . . . tbe7 1 1 a x b5 a x b5 1 2 d4 c x d 4 13 cxd4 exd4 14 �x d4 �c6 15 �c3 ;!; Pri e ;
{I>
54
3.3.2 The princi pled 6 . . . b5 (Fressi net - Stefansson)
d) 1 0 . . . b4 ? ! Probably t h e stron g H u ngarian p l ayer had not appreciated the strength of the fol lowing queen move : 11 �e2 ! tlJe7 ? ! [ 1 1 . . . tlJf6 constitutes t h e critical cont i n u a tion : 1 2 d4 cxd4 1 3 cxd4 tlJxe4 1 4 tlJg5 ! (14 flxe5 Both Pinter and I wrongly assessed this position as clearly better for White . The following resource makes matters very un clear: 14 . . . b3! 15
(Of course I had seen 1 7 flxe5!, but I thought the position was "an easy win", which is always a questionable attitude to have . 1 7. . . Vffx e5 18 V!fh5+ r!Jd7 19 JJ.ad1+ r!Jc8 20 Vffg4+
11 axbS axbS 12 �e2 1 2 d 4 ! ? c x d 4 1 3 c x d 4 e x d 4 1 4 �x d4 �c6 15 tlJb4 E!.xd4 1 6 tlJxc6 E!.a4 17 E!.xa4 b x a4 1 8 tlJxe7 tlJxe7 1 9 Af4 .
1 2 cxb4 c x b4 1 3 d4
12. . . c4 13 �e3 �h6 14 b3 0-0 1S bxc4 ilxe4 16 d4 exd4 17 �xd4 �g6 18 �g4 1 8 c x b 5 ! ? Af6.
18. . . �xg4 19 �xe4 Jld6 20 �xg6 txg6 21 Jlgs t [0-1 ] N a i d itsch - Acs, Budapest 1 998 ; [b] 9. . A lt6 10 d4 cxd4 11 cxd4 �xe4 12 a4 bxa4 1 3 . . . f6 ? A horri b l e m ove, after which the game should h ave been practically over. . . (13 . . . exd4 14
1 2 . . . Ae7 13 a x b5 a x b5 14 E!.xa8+ Ax a8 15 �d3 .
1 3 �xeS il e 7 14 �e3 0-0 1 S �ts �t6 16 �g4 �d6 17 �h6+ 'i!Jh8 18 �d7 �g6 19 f1xe7 f1ae8 20 f1xe8 f1xe8 21 �es gxh6 22 �xg6+ hxg6 23 ilxh6 �ts 24 ile3 1-0 B rynel l - Go l d berg , [bl] Germany 2000 ;
14 d x e5 fxe5 15 Ag5 h6 1 6 Ah4 g5.
At this point I was u nfort u n ately d i stracted by the Austrian karate championsh i p that was taking place simu ltaneously in the same bui lding and had reached a real cl iffhanger of a fight. Watch i ng it had a paradoxical effect on me: instead of ending the game i m med i ately with a crus h i n g karate - l i ke blow, I lost the plot and contin ued feebly with :
[c] 9. . . 0-0-0 10 a4 b4 11 �e3 �e6 12 �e2 �e7 13 �c4 �c6 14 d3 as 1S ile3 ila6 16 f1ed1 ile7 17 �td2 ts 18 extS �xtS 19 �b3 e4 20 dxe4 �xe4 21 �d6+ cxd6 22 �xa6+ r!Jc7 23 �xaS + - [1-0] Balog h l brag imov, [ICC] 2003 .
17 Ag3 ??
55
3 I l l u strative Games - Theoretical section
1 0 a4 a
b
c
d
e
g
ftJrd7 23 f5 gxf5 24 e6 fxe6 25 ftJrh5+
h
7 6 5
5
14 cxd4 �e7 1 5 �e2 �c6 1 6 dxc5 �xc5 17 �cd4 0-0 18 �xc6 �xc6 19 �d4 �b6 20 �xb5 IIb8 21 �c3 c6 22
4 3
3
[b] 10. . . b4 11 �e3
2
11 c x b4 !? c x b4 12 d4 exd4 13 e5 oo . a
b
c
d
e
g
1 1. . . �xe4 12 �c4 �dS 13 �exes f6 14 c4 �b7 15 �e2 �xf3 16 �xf3 0-0-0 17 d3 �c6 18 �e3!?
h
1 0 . . . c4
1 8 b3 Ad6 1 9 'f#e6+ @ b8 20 Ab2 tl:\a5 21 l:'&ab1 tt:Jxb3 22 Axf6 g xf6 23 l:'&xb3 oo [1-0] Bhat - M i khalevski , [ICC] 2000.
[a] 10. . A lg6 11 axb5 axb5 12 IIxa8+ �xa8 13 d4!
18. . . �d6 19 �d2 ;t.
11 a x b5 a x b5 1 3 �a3! a
8
.i.
b
c
12
d
I:lxa8+
Axa8
e
7
Advanc i n g the d - pawn two squares is t i m e a n d again t h e key move f o r White!
5
13. . . exd4
4
13 . . . 'f#d7 14 'f#e2 !? [14 tl:\xe5 tl:\xe5 1 5 d x e5 'f#xd 1 1 6 l:'& x d 1 Axe4 1 7 tl:\ e 3 c4 1 8 tl:\d5 Axd 5 ! ( 1 8. . . c6 19
2
I n connection with the n ext move, this con stitutes a very typical and i m portant method of putting pressu re on the black q ueenside.
14 . . . Ad6 15 d x e5 tl:\xe5 16 tl:\xe5 Axe5 17 'f#h5 'f#e6 18 Ae3 g 6 19 'f#e2 (19 ftJrh4) 1 9 . . . c4 20 Ad4 (20 f4 .fld6 2 1 es .fle7 22
13 . . . c6 1 4 b3 ! c x b3 15 Wx b3 �96 56
3.3.2 The principled 6
8
. . .
b5 (Fressinet - Stefansson)
20 . . . �a? 21 El.a1 �b7 22 d 4 ± tDxe5 23 tDxe5 Ad6 24 tDc4 �c7 25 h3 Ae7 26 tDe3 Ab? 27 tDf5 g6 28 �g3 El.c8 29 d 5 [0-1 ] G lek Acs, B u d apest 1 998 (29 JJ,a 7 £f8 30 lWg5 [1,e8 3 1 JJ,xb7 lWxb 7 32 d5 £e7 33 �h6+ 'i!?tB 34 lWe5 f6 35 lWe6 'i!?g7 36 lWf7+ 'i!?xh6 3 7 g4 + -, Glek) .
i.
7 6
21 Axes Wa7 22 § a 1 Wd7 2 3 d4 Ab7 24 Wg3 g6 2s Ad6 ! a g
h
8
{I'
b
c
d
..
e 8
7
16 c4! This strong idea of Igor G lek's calls B lack's concept i nto question !
1 6 . . . b4 17 cS ! Vacates c4 for the knight and opens the d i agonal a2-g8.
6
6
5
5
4
4
3
3
2
17 . WxcS .
.
17 . . . �b8
18 tDc4 Axc5 19 Ab2 f6 2 0 d4
W h ite i s worki n g towards a scenario with a s u perior wh ite k n i g ht agai n st an i n effective b l ac k bishop.
exd4 2 1 e5 with attack, accord i n g to Glek.
18 tilc4 Ae7 18 . . . Ad6
2s . . . Axd6 26 tilxd6 Eld8 21 es cs 28 Wb3 cxd4 29 Wx b4 Ac6 30 Wxd4 §a8 31 §c1 We6 32 f3 §a6 33 Wf4 ©g7 34 h4 hS 3S ©h2 ©gs 36 Elc3 We7 37 §c4 !
19 Ab2 Ac? 20 d 4 .
1 9 Ab2 0-0 20 tilfxeS ±
8
5
6
8
8
5
7
7
4
6
3
5
2
4
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
20 . . tilxeS .
57
i.
6
3 I l l u strative Games - Theoretical section
Prepari ng a decisive activation of the roo k for a kingside attack.
37 . . . @g7
A tactical blow settles matters !
40 gxf7+
37 . . . ffte6 38 fftg5 @ h? 39 E!.f4 f5 40 �xf5 g xf5 41 l"!xf5 +-.
If now 40 . . . Axt? , then 41 qjf5+, and Black's q ueen is lost.
38 �g3 .ld7 39 gf4 ! .le6
1-0
3.3.3 T h e f l ex i b l e 6 . . . .te6 1 1 d3 h6 1 2 �h3 �c6 1 3 Ae3 t [0-1 ] Ben jami n - H ubner, M u nich 1 994.
(2605) (2455) Cappel l e - la-Grande Open 2002 N i s i p ea n u Sof ron i e
-
8 gd1
1 e4 e5 2 �f3 �c6 3 .lb5 a6 4 .lxc6 d x c6 5 0-0 �d6 6 �a3! .le6 a
8
.i
b
c
d
e
8
h
7 6 5
5
4
4 3 a
b
c
d
e
g
h
W h ite makes c l ear h i s i ntention to push thro u g h the thematic central advance d2d 4 . N ow B lack has to choose. He has three acceptable cont i n uations: as wel l as 8 . . . 0-0-0, he can consider 8 . . . Ag4 and 8 . . . c5, all i ntended as prophylaxis against Wh ite's i ntended d2-d4.
A very plaus ible move : B l ac k develops and prepares q ueenside cast l i n g . On the down side, the wh ite q u een 's knight w i l l h ave the c4 square avai lable (after ffte2) and , i n ad dition , the Ae6 can become a target i n var ious ways (e. g . by a k n i g ht on d4 if Wh ite achieves d2-d4, by �f3-g5, by d4-d5 . . . )
8 . 0-0-0 .
.
.
[a] 8
7 �e2 f6
...
�g4 9 d4! exd4
9 . . . 0-0-0 ! ? 1 0 Ae3 transposes to o u r main game.
Necessary, to preserve the queen's bishop : 8 qjc4 Ax c4 9 fftxc4 c5 10 �g5 fftf6
7 . . _ qje?
10 c3!
58
3 . 3 . 3 The flexi ble 6 . . . Ae6 (Nisipeanu - Sofronie)
T h i s tactical shot forces Black i nto an i nfe rior endgam e : 1 1 . . . Axe2 1 2 thx e6 l"!c8 (or 12 . . . £xd1 13 CLJxc7+ c!Jf7 14 <0xa8 £xa3 15 bxa3 <0e7 16 <0b6 lJ,d8 17 £e3 £c2 18 f3 f5 19 JJ,c 1 lJ,d1+ 20 JJ,xd1 £xd1 2 1 CLJc4 c!?e6 22 CLJd2 fxe4 23 <0xe4 t [1-0} Volzhin lbragimo v, Ekaterinburg 1997) 1 3 l"!e1 Ag4 14 etJxf8 �xf8 15 f4 l"!e8 1 6 etJc2 Ac8 17 b3 g6 18 Ab2 h5 19 c4 ± [1-0] Ti mman -On ischuk, Wij k aan Zee [op] 1 99 5 ; 10. . . 0-0-0
c) 10 . . . c5 11 h3 (1 1 CiJc2 d3 12 JJ,xd3 V!!fe6 t, Timman) 11 . . . Axf3 (1 1. . . £h5 ?! 12 cxd4 cxd4 13 CLJb5!) 1 2 �xf3 ± .
This move seems to be the lesser of the evils in the l i ne with 9 . . . exd4, although even here the black position is hardly i nspiri n g .
11 f1xd4 f!!e 7 12 f1xd8+
a ) 10 . . . the? ? ! 1 1 h3 Axf3 1 2 �xf3 th g 6 1 3 c x d4 Ae7 14 thc4 �e6 1 5 d5 ! �f7
<=:..!....--'===-:...--=---='----'
1 2 etJc4 ! I really l i ke this move. White refuses to u ntan g l e the black pieces, and the game becomes very sharp and concrete. Here are some sam ple (but far from forced} variations : 1 2 . . . l"!xd4 . l"!e 8 ! ? 1 3 Af4 g5 1 4 Ag3 c5 1 5 l"!d3 h5 (15 . . . f5 16 £e5 <0f6 1 7 exf5 £xf5 18 ife3 ±) 1 6 h3 Ae6 (16. . . £xf3 1 7 JJ,xf3 18 JJ,d3 gxh3 19 ifad 1 with a strong at tack: 19. . . hxg2 20 V!!ff3 <0h6 2 1 V!!ff4) 1 7 etJe3 g4 (1 7 . . CiJh6!? 18 JJ,ad 1 CiJf7) 1 8 thh4 �f7 (18. . . V!!fh 7 19 <0d5 £xd5 20 ifxd5) 1 9 h x g 4 (19 JJ,ad 1 gxh3 2 0 <0d5 £xd5 2 1 lJ,xd5 hxg2 22 V!!fd3) 1 9 . . . h x g4 20 l"!ad1 etJe7 2 1 etJxg4 Ag? 22 �f3 .
']}
seems to me to be on the edge of the abyss here . Wh ite can gain at least a s l i g ht advantage in several ways, yet here too ECO considers that B l ac k h as equal chances. 1 6 Af4 !? ;!; (1 6 <0a5 cxd5 1 7 exd5 t; 16 Vl!!b 3!? b5 17 CiJe3 cxd5 18 exd5 0-0 19 CLJf5 £d6) 1 6 . . . thxf4 1 7 �xf4 c x d 5 1 8 e x d 5 0-0 1 9 Wixc7 .!''!,a c 8 20 �f4 md8 2 1 the3 ; Black
12. . . f!!xd8 13 �c4 f!!e8 14 �f4 f!!e6 1 4 . . . g 5 ! ? 1 5 Ag3 Ac5 1 6 h3 (1 6 b4! seems more precise: 16. . . £a7 17 h3 £xf3 18 V!!fxf3 V!!fe6 19 <0e3
b) 10 . . . �e6 ? ! 11 thxd4 !
15 f1d1 �c5 16 h3 �xf3 17 f!!x f3 t [112-112] Fressinet - van den Doel , [zt] Mondariz 2000 ; [b] 8. . . c5 In con nection with the next move, this appears to be cu rrently the safest con-
59
3 I l l u strative Games - Theoretical section
tin uation for Black. He tries with all his m ight to prevent d2-d4.
9 c3 .tg4
1 3 . . . a x b 5 1 4 �x b5+ �d7 1 5 �x h5+ g6 1 6 �h4 c5 1 7 e5 f5 1 8 Ag5 (18 e6!?) and Wh ite has the i n itiative;
b) 13 g 4 Af7 1 4 i:Dxd4 l"&d8 15 Ae3 �e5 1 6 �c2 Axa3 1 7 b x a3 Cbe7 1 8 i:Df3 l"&xd1+ 1 9 l"&xd1 �a5 2 0 Ac5 l:D c6 2 1 i:Dd4 i:Dxd4 22 l"&xd4 Ae6 23 �d3 c6 24 l"&d6 ©f7 25 �d4 �c7 26 f4 h5 27 f5 Ac8 28 e5 fxe5 29 �xe5 l"&e8 30 m6+ 1 - 0 G l ek - N au m ki n , Asti [op] 1 997 .
The (rarely played) alternatives seem d efi n itely weaker, since Wh ite is able to achieve his objective without fu rther concessions.
a) 9 . . . 0-0-0 ? ! 1 0 d4 cxd4 1 1 cxd4 e x d 4 1 2 l"& x d 4 � b 6 1 3 l"& x d 8 + ©xd8 1 4 Ae3 �c6 15 l"&c1 �d7 16 Af4 Ad6 17 Axd6 c x d 6 1 8 i:b d 4 Cbe7 1 9 l:D c 4 l:D c 8 2 0 l:D a 5 Af7 21 �d2 ©e7 22 i:Df5+ ©f8 23 l"&xc8+ 1-0 Rausis - Pilgaard , D ianal und 2000 ;
11 �xf3 �e7 11 . . . �e6 ? ! 1 2 d4 c x d 4 13 c x d 4 exd4 1 4 l"&xd4 i:De7 1 5 Af4 i:Dc6 1 6 l"&d5 Axa3 1 7 b x a3 l"&c8 1 8 �h5+ �f7 1 9 �xf7+ ©xf7 2 0 l"&d7+ ©g6 2 1 Axe? l"&he8 22 f3 l:De5 23 Axe5 l"&xe5 24 l"&e1 l"&c3 25 l"& x b7 l"&xa3 26 l"&c1 l"&e8 27 l"&c2 ± [1-0] Ti m man - Godena, [ol] Yerevan 1 996.
b) 9 . . . �c6 1 0 d4 c x d 4 1 1 c x d 4 Axa3 1 2 bxa3 Ac4 13 �e1 !? (13 W'e3 l!,d8 14 £b2 W'b6 15 £c3 <£le7 1 6 l!,ab 1 ;t [1h-Y2} Rau sis - Ravi, Calcutta Goodricke [op] 200 1) 13 . . . 0-0-0 14 d5 �d7 15 l"&b1 Ab5 1 6 Ae3 Cbe7 17 �b4 b6 18 a4 Axa4 1 9 l"&dc1 b5 2 0 �a5 c6 21 d xc6 1-0 N is i pean u - Ravi , Du bai [op] 2002 ;
12 d4! Nevertheless ! Th is is the only way for Wh ite to bring his plans to fru itio n . Otherwise B lack wi l l continue with . . . tt::lc 6 and 0-0-0 and can be very satisfied .
c) 9 . . . l"&d8 1 0 d4 c x d 4 1 1 c x d 4 c5 1 2 d5 b5 13 Ae3 Ad? 14 l"&ac1 l"&c8 15 l"&c2 g6 1 6 l"&dc1 c4 17 l:Db1 Ah6 18 b3 ± [1-0] O ral - Petrov, Pard u bice [op] 1 998.
12. . . cxd4 13 cxd4 exd4 14 .tf4
10 h3 .txf3 10 . . . Ah5 11 d4 cxd4 1 2 cxd4 exd4, and now White has two attractive contin uations at his disposal :
a) 13 i:Db5 ! This tactical jest m akes a good i m p ression .
60
3 . 3 . 3 The flexible 6 . . . il.e6 (Nisipean u - Sofronie)
k n i g ht w i l l find an i d eal post at d3. M ean w h i l e Black h as to get i nto contortions to bri ng his king to safety.
White has strong pressure for the sacrificed pawn. Even if m atters are not entirely clear, I wou ld m u c h rather have the w h ite p ieces. Glek's plan m akes a part i c u l arly good i m pression . 14. . . ff!d7
1 8 '®'c4 This leads rapidly to equal ity. The fol l ow ing variations actually stem from M ichal Krasen kow : 1 8 . . . Ad6 1 9 Axd6 13.xd6 20 tbb4 (20
15 l1ac1
15 �b3 (th i s idea of Krasen kow's is not en tirely convincing) 15 . . . 0-0-0 (1S. . . cs 16
16 �c2
=
16 �b3 0-0-0 oo . 16. . . l1d8
16 . . . Ac5?? 1 7 '®'h5+ ; 1 6 . . . 0-0-0? 1 7 tbxd4. 17 ff!b3
18. . . £d6 19 �d3 l1f8 20 £xd6 l1xd6 21 �b4
1 7 �g3 '®'e6 (1 7. . . Y!?f7 18 £xc7 lld7 19 £f4 !Wxa2 20 eS gS 2 1 £d2
21. . . �dB 22 �d5 �c6 23 f4 l1f7 24 e5 l1e6 25 exf6 gxf6 26 l1d3
1 Z . • ff!c8
26 tbb4 ! ?
17 . . . tba5 ? 1 8 '®'g3 c5 1 9 Ac? A d 6 2 0 Axd6 �xd6 21 '®'xg7 ± ; 1 7 . . . b6 1 8 '®'g3 ; 1 7 . . . b5 1 8 et:\e3 oo 1'.. Ad6 1 9 A xd6 d x e3 20 Ac5 ± .
26. . . 'i!JfB 27 �b4 �eB 28 �xc6 l1xc6 29 l1xc6 �xc6 30 l1xd4 �c5 1/2-1/2 Glekl brag imov, Vienna [op] 1 998.
18
21 f4 ! ? ; 21 13.c5 ! ? I l i ke this plan best ! 21 . . . 13.f7 22 13.h5 h6 23 13.d5.
�e1 !? [c] 8. . . g5?! This tempting act of aggression will be pun ished .
9 d4 g4 10 �e1 0-0-0 10 . . . exd4 11 c3 c5 12 tbec2 .
11 £e3 h5 ?! 1 1 . . . '®'e? ! is surely better.
12 d5! cxd5 13 exd5 £f7 14 c4 �d7 15 d6! [1-0] Timman - Short, [ct/7] El Escorial 1 993, and Wh ite has a strong i n itiative.
very i nteresting positional plan : instead of regaining his pawn i mmediately, Wh ite s i m p l y optim ises t h e position o f his pieces. The
A
1 5 13.ac1 !?
61
3 I l l ustrative Games - Theoretical section
h 8 7
.____ a _ b__ c_ d__ e __...: 9_ :: h ____J {} _
A favourite move of Zoltan Almasi's, who has contested this variation against Jan Timman and Stellan Brynel l .
9 d4 9 tDc4 . Th is quiet plan also comes i nto con sideration , e. g . 9 . . . 'f!Je7 10 d3 'f!Jf7 1 1 Ad2 g5 12 b4 g4 13 tDh4 tDe7 14 a4 Axc4 15 d x c4 h5 1 6 Ae3 l"!.x d 1 + 1 7 l"!.xd1 tDg6 1 8 'f!fd3 Ad6 19 tDxg6 'f!Jx g 6 20 c5 ± [1-0) G lek Cladouras, Bad Wiessee [op) 1 998.
10. . . exd4 1 1 f1xd4 f!!!e 7 12 f1xd8+ 1 2 tDc4 l"!.xd4 1 3 Axd4 c5 (13. . . V!fe6 14 b3 c5 15 £b2 ;f;, lflescas) 14 Ac3 'f!Je6 1 5 b3 tDe7 1 6 E!.e1 tDc6 1 7 tDe3 h 5 ! (1 7. . . 1Wxe4 ? 18
9 . . . J.g4 9 . . . e x d 4 ? ! 1 0 l"!.xd4 'f!Je7 1 1 Af4 ! and the following frag ment shows how q u ickly the wh ite attack can d evelop against rather loose Black play : 11 . . . g 5 12 Ag3 tDh6 (12. . . h5!?) 1 3 l"!.xd8+ 'f!fx d 8 1 4 l"!.d1 'f!fe7 (14 . . . V!fe8 15
=,
1 9 Axe? ! +- [1-0) G reenfeld - M i khalevski , Beersheba 1 996.
10 J.e3 '@e6 62
3 . 3 . 3 The flexi ble 6 . . . Ae6 (Nisi peanu - Sofronie)
1 1 dxe5 !ixd 1 + 1 1 . . . .El.eS 1 2 tl:ic4 fxe5 (12 £xf3!?) 1 3 .El.d3 tiJe7 ? ! 1 4 .El.ad1 tl:ig6 1 5 h3 Axf3 16 'f#xf3 ! Ae7 1 7 'f#f5 'f#xf5 1 8 exf5 tl:ih4 1 9 g4 e4 20 .El.d7 .El.dB 2 1 .El.xd8+ Axd8 22 tl:id2 .El.e8 23 't!>f1 ;t; (1-0] E ren b u rg - l n arkiev, [ech] Is tanbul 2003. . . .
The point; here too Wh ite is trying to reach a favou rable endgame that p ro m ises some w i n n i n g chances.
14 . . . Axd1 15 t!lxe6 Axc2 16 f3 i N ow Black is u n able to d efend h i s g - pawn , after w h i c h t h e wh ite pawn -m ass on the kingside proves clearly the more dangerous.
1 2 @xd1 !?
1 6 . . . b6 16 . . . g6 17 .El.c1 Aa4 18 tl:ic5 ± .
17 !ic1 Aa4 1 8 t!lxg7 t!le7?! 18 . . . tl:if6 19 g 4 c5 ( 1 9 . . . ©d7 2 0 .El.c4 Ab5 2 1 .El.c2 .El.g8 2 2 .El.d2+ Ke7 2 3 tl:if5+ Ke6 24 Kf2 planning h4, h5 with the better game for Wh ite, since the black q ueenside pawns are very slow.) 2 0 ©f2 tl:ie8 21 tl:if5 tl:id6 22 .El.g1 !? ;t; plan n i n g .El.g3-h3, N isipean u .
1 9 Ags t!lg6 2 0 h 4 h6 a a
c
e
g
b
c
d
h
e
8
very n oteworthy n ew idea by Liv i u Dieter N i s i pean u , who c a n a l s o be cou nted amongst the experts i n the Exchange Spanish. The point becomes apparent two moves iater. 12 .El.xd1 Ax a3 13 bxa3 fxe5 = .
A
7
7
5
5
12 . . . Axa3 1 3 bxa3 fxe5 1 3 . . . �e7 ! ?
3 2
14 exf6 g xf6 &> , N isi pean u .
14 t!lg5!
a
...
h
,----,---,----,--� -,..--.,,.---=---.--� -,..
c
d
e
g
h
'1:t
20 . . . h5 2 1 ©f2 c5 22 ©e3 .El.h7 23 tl:if5 tl:if8 24 Af6 tl:id7 25 Ag7 ± , Nisi pean u .
8
8
b
7
2 1 h 5 ! h xg5 6
2 1 . . . tl:ifS 22 Ae3 c5 23 g4 ± ; 21 . . . .El.h7 22 h x g 6 .El. x g7 2 3 Af6 .El.xg6 24 Axe5 c5 25 ©f2 ± .
5 4
e
22 h xg6 !1 9 8 2 3 ttlf5 ± 2 3 . . . @b7?! 24 g7 cs 2s @12 Ad7 26 'i!>e3 as 27 !ih1 Axf5 28 e xf5 !ixg7 29 'i!>e4 'i!>c6 30 f6 1-0
g
63
3 I l l ustrative Games - Theoretical section
3.4 The n a t u ra l 5 . . A d6 .
(2650) (2480) New York 1 997
Roze n tali s Wed b e rg
-
1 e4 es 2 �f3 �c6 3 Abs a6 4 Axc6 dxc6 S 0-0 Ad6 a
8
.I.
b
c
d
Now for Wh ite the road forks. The setup with 8 Ae3 and 9 1£lbd2 seems to me to be the m ost harm o n i o u s ; we are also fol lowing in the footsteps of g reat (and very success fu l !) Exchange Variation specialists such as Eduardas Rozentalis and Stellan B rynel l .
8 Ae3
e
7
4 3
8 . . . �e7
A very natural -fee l i n g move, w hic h has b e come qu ite popular i n recent years, champi oned successful ly by the Engl ish Grandmas ter Mark Hebden . In this variation Black can usually avoid the early exchange of q ueens. However, o n the move after n ext B lack is forced to play the weake n i n g m ove . . . f6, with the resu lt that h e suffers from a dis advantage i n d evelopment i n this variation too. O n the p l u s side, B l ac k has the choice between various possible piece set-ups and can also choose between k i n g - and q ueen side castling.
This obvious k n i g ht move is the almost ex cl usive choice here . A rare alternative is: 8 . . . Ae6 9 1£lbd2 W!Je7 10 1£lc4 Ab4 11 b3 (1 1 Vf!d3 J3d8 12 Vf!e2 Vf!f7) 11 . . . c5 1 2 W!ib2 Axc4 13 bxc4 0-0-0 14 a3 (14 !'Ifd1 !? J3xd1+ 15 J3xd 1 Vf!xe4 1 6 c3 £a5 1 7 Vf!d2 t; or 14 c3 £a5 15 Vf!a3 £b6 (15 . . . b6 16 if:Jd2) 1 6 J3ab 1 t) 1 4 . . . Aa5 1 5 e5 b6 1 6 E!.fd1 .El x d 1 + 1 7 .Elxd1 W!ie6 1 8 W!ib3 1£le7 1 9 exf6 g x f6 oo [0-1 ] Khach ian - H ebden , Cappel le la-Grande [op] 1 99 6 .
9 �bd2 Ae6 So far, so c lear. Also the basic wh ite plan is q u ite obvio u s : b ri n g the q u een 's k n ight to c4 and p l ace a roo k o n the d -file. I am not s u re , however, about the most p recise way to carry out this idea. I present here various m ove o rders , w h i c h with the exception of
6 d4 Only with this move can Wh ite fight for an advantage.
6 . . . exd4 7 '@xd4 f6 64
3 . 4 The natural 5 . . . Ad6 (Rozental i s - Wedberg)
10 �c4 ? a l l come i nto consideratio n . I i n stinctively prefer 1 0 l"!.fd1 , b u t 1 0 �c3 offers the m ost i n structive exa m p l e games. N at urally, closely related and s i m i lar positions arise, and transpositions are sometimes pos sible.
1 9 �e3 fxe4 20 � x e4 Afl 21 �g5 �f8 22 l"!.e1 l"!. ae8 23 'i!?f2 Ad5 24 �xd5 cxd5 2 5 l"!.xel l"!. x el 2 6 l"!.e1 �f4 21 l"!.xel �x el 2 8 �e3 �xe3+ 2 9 'i!? x e3 �xg2+ 30 'i!?f2 tLlf4 31 'i!?e3 �g2+ 32 'i!?f2 t2Jf4 33 'i!?e3 %-1/2 Volzh i n - Galdunts, Yerevan [op] 1 996. 12 �xc4 �el . W h i lst after 1 0 l"!.ad1 this is the most popular and possibly the best black plan , there is very l ittle material on its use af ter 1 0 l"!.fd1 . Perhaps with the wh ite roo k on a1 , the black players are concerned about a possible attack with a4, b4 and b5 !? 13 l"!.d4 (13 a4 0-0-0 14 b4!? has not been tested but looks very promising.
10 t'fc3 Th is e l i m i n ates the poss i b l e black tri c k of Ax h2+ in the l ines with l"!.d1 and �c4 . How ever, if B l ac k plays Axc4 l ater, then Wh ite will have l ost a tempo in com parison with the l ines with l"!.ad1 or l"!.fd1 and t2Jc4 (without '®'c3) . On the other hand , White now has the benefit of the extra option of �d4.
White now has attacking chances, e . g. 14 . . . £xb4 (14 . . . !Xhe8 15 b5 Y$xe4 16 !Xd4 Y$e6 17 bxa6 Y$xc4 18 axb7+ f!?xb7 19 !Xxc4) 15 !Xdb 1 £d6 1 6 Y$b3 (16 a5) 16 . . . b6) 13 . . . 0-0-0 14 l"!.ad1 Af4 15 Axf4 tLlxf4 16 g3 �g6 11 l"!.xd8+ l"!.xd8 18 l"!.xd8+ �xd8 19 'i!;>g2 �e8 20 �d2 �e5 21 �e2 �dl 22 f4 ;!;; [1 -0] Prie - Flear, Hyeres [op] 1 992 ;
[a] 10 lifd1 A freq uently
played and very plausible move. I n contrast to 10 l"!.ad1 Wh ite can now an swer 1 0 . . . 0-0 with 1 1 �c4 , s i n ce here the trick with 1 1 . . . Axh2+ doesn 't work.
b) 10 . . . c5 11 �c3 b6 1 2 t2Jc4 0-0 13 l"!.d2 t2Jc8 14 e5 fxe5 15 t2Jg5 �f6 16 t2Je4 �96 (16. . . Y$f5 1 7
10. . . 0-0
The most popular black m ove in this posi tion . a) 10 . . . �96 1 1 �c4 Axc4 11 . . . Ael 12 �c3 �c8 13 �d4 Adl 14 �b3 (interesting here are the moves 14 Y$b3!? and 14
c ) 1 0 . . . �dl 1 1 �c4 El. d B 1 2 �c3 0 - 0 1 3 Af4 Axc4 1 4 �xc4+ 'i!? h 8 1 5 Ag3 �g6 1 6 l"!.d3 �el 17 l"!. b3 b5 1 8 �xc6 Axg3 19 h xg3 l"!.d6
65
3 I llustrative Games - Theoretical section
20 '/elVb7 .§.b6 21 '/elVd5 .§.d8 22 '/elVf5 .§.c6 23 .§.d3 .§.xc2 24 .§.ad 1 .§.g8 2 5 .§.d7 'lelVc5 2 6 ttJd4 '/elVxf5 27 exf5 1-0 B rynel l - Sc h neider, [chT] Sweden 2001 .
12 a3 r!!Txd4 13 tilxd4 .txc4 14 axb4 t
11 tilc4 With this, Wh ite allows the exchange of q ueens, in con nection with the following black manoeuvre. However, it appears that Wh ite can sti l l (as usual) count on a s l i g ht advantage. 11 '/elVc3 represents a rarely played alternative i n this position , e. g . 11 . . . '/elVe8 12 ttJc4 Axc4 1 3 '/elVxc4+ 'lelVf7 14 '/elVxf7+ ©xf7 1 5 ctJd2 ttJg6 (15. . . b5 16 tZJb3) 1 6 ttJc4 ± .
14. . . f1fd8 a) 1 4 . . . .§.fe8 1 5 f3 ttJg6 1 6 ©f2 .§.ad8 1 7 g4 .§.d7 18 ttJb3 .§.xd1 19 .§.xd1 Ae6 2 0 h3 Ac8 21 f4 ttJf8 22 f5 ttJd7 23 ttJd2 ©f7 24 Af4 c5 25 Axe? b5 2 6 Ad6 c x b4 27 Axb4 [%-%] Volzh i n - Lukacs, Budapest 1 99 6 ;
1 1. . . .tb4 The most solid move, but it leads once again to an endgame with a m i n i mal wh ite advan tage and which i n practical play is q u ite u n pleasant for Black.
b ) 1 4 . . . ttJ g 6 1 5 f 3 El. a d 8 1 6 © f 2 .§.d7 1 7 .§.d2 .§.fd8 18 .§.ad1 ttJe5 19 h4 Af7 2 0 b3 b6 2 1 tDe2 .§.xd2 22 .§.xd2 .§.xd2 2 3 Axd2 ©f8 24 g4 c5 25 bxc5 b x c5 26 Ae3 c4 27 b4 ttJc6 28 f4
11 . . . Axh2+ ? ! Th is tactical try does not solve Black's problems. With precise play Wh ite secures some endgame advantage : 12 ©xh2 vgyxd4 13 .§.xd4 c5
�������
�
Here we see once aga i n the ideal wh ite advance on the king -side. 28 . . . ©e8 29 c3 ©d7 30 ttJg3 ttJd8 31 g5 ttJb7 32 Ad4 fxg5 33 h x g 5 g6 34 ©e3 ttJd6 35 f5 g x f5 36 exf5 Ad5 37 Ae5 Af7 38 ©d4 ©c6 39 Axd6 © x d 6 40 ttJe4+ ©e7 1-0 M i l u Vajda, Bucharest 1 995.
14 .§.d2 (14 f!.d5 ?! tLJxd5 1 5 exd5 £xd5 and Black has a good game.) 1 4 . . . Axc4 1 5 Axc5 ±, and the poor coord i n ation of his pieces causes Black consider able problems. (15 f!.d7 f!.f7 16 f!.xc 7 b6 1 7 b4 t tZJg6 18 f!.c6) 1 5 . . . .§.f7 16 El.ad 1 h6 (16. . . tLJc6 1 7 tZJd4 ! h6 18 tLJxc6 bxc6 19 b3 £e6 20 f!.d8+ f!.xd8 21 f!.xd8+ f!lh 7 22 f!.e8 £d7 23 f!.a8) 17 b3 Ab5 1 8 .§.d8+ .§.xd8 19 .§.xd8+ © h7 2 0 a4 Ac6 21 ttJd4.
15 .tf4 f1ac8 16 tilf3 f1xd1+ 17 f1xd1 .te6 18 tild4 .tc4 19 f3 @f8 20 @f2 tilg6 21 .tg3 tiles 22 f4 tilg4+ 23 @t3 tilh6 24 h3 ts 25 exf5 .tdS+ 26 @f2 .te4 27 c3 .txf5 28 .th2
66
3 . 4 The natural 5 . . Ad6 (Rozental i s - Wedberg) .
fxg6+ 'i!lxg6 33 �xc7± (1 -0] Wah l s N u n n , M u nich 1 991 ;
g6 32
[b] 10 f1ad1 tilg6 10 . . . 0-0 1 1 �c3 (1 1 tiJc4 ? Unconvincing in this position, since in the following sequence the rook on f1 is hanging: 1 1. . . £xh2+! 12
This active plan is a favourite with Mark Heb den, who has had good resu lts with it. With the a1 rook at d1 , the white pawn-storm with a4, b4 and b5 is less dangerous than after E&fd1 . Black hopes to tie the wh ite pieces to the d efence of the e4 paw n . Even so, I sti l l rate Wh ite's chances a s rather better.
14 a4 1 4 . Ad4 Ab4 1 5 c3 Ad6 1 6 b4 E&de8 1 7 a4 �e6 1 8 �xe6+ f&xe6 1 9 !£'ld2 !£'le5 20 !£'lb3 !£'lc4 2 1 E&e2 h5 22 g3 h4 oo [0-1 ] M ar ciano - Hebden , Tou l o use [op] 1 99 0 ; 1 4 g3 E&he8 15 !£'ld4 ? �xe4 + [0-1 ] Bed narska Holoubkova, [ztW] Ti misoara 1 993.
11 tilc4 11 �c3 !? This idea comes strongly i nto con sideration i n several l i nes : Wh ite wants to put his k i n g 's k n i g ht o n d4, fro m where the advanced post on f5 beckons attrac tively: 1 1 . . . �el 1 2 !£'ld4 Ab4 1 3 �d3 E&d8 1 4 �e2 Ac8 15 !£'lf5 Axf5 16 e xf5 !£'le5 1 7 tll c 4 !£'lf7 1 8 f&xd8+ @xd8 19 �g4 E&g8 2 0 �d4+ ©e8 2 1 c3 Ad6 22 �a? !£'ld8 23 E&d1 �d7 ([%-%] Markovic - G l igoric, [ch] Belgrade 1 998) 24 Af4 +-.
14. . . f1he8 14 . . . h5 15 Ad4 h4 16 Ac3 c5 17 e5 !£'lxe5 1 8 Axe5 fxe5 1 9 h3 E&df8 20 !£'ld2 E&f4 21 tt:Je4 ©b8 22 E&d3 E&hf8 23 f3 �e8 24 �d5 �xa4 25 !£'lxd6 c x d 6 26 �x d6+ ©a8 27 �x c5 ± [%-112] Cobb - H ebden , London 2000.
15 �d4 r!!!e6 16 r!!!xe6+ f1xe6 17 �c3 f1de8 18 ttld2 ttlf4
1 1. . . �xc4
1 8 . . . f5 1 9 Axg7 fxe4 20 Ad4 t .
11 . . . Ab4
1 2 !£'lb6 ! c5 13 �xd8+ E&xd8 1 4 E&xd8+ ©xd8 1 5 E&d 1 + ©e7 1 6 !£'ld5+ Ax d5 1 7 E&xd5 ± [1-0] Pfan nkuche - J u rasi n , [bl] Germany 1 984 . 12
1 9 'i!lf1 g5 20 f3 ttlg6 21 g3 h5 21 . . . Ae5 !?
22 tilc4 �e5 23 tilxe5 tilxe5 24 'i!lf2 g4 25 �xe5 f1xe5
r!!rxc4 r!!!e 7 13 f1fe1
13 E&d4 0-0-0 14 E&fd1 leads to a transposi tion t o t h e variation with 1 0 E&fd 1 !£'lg6.
25 . . . fxe5 26 ©e3.
26 f1e3 b5 27 b3
13. . . 0-0-0
67
3 I l l u strative Games - Theoretical section
.J
10. . . �xh2+ �xc4 +.
11 @xh2 f!!!xd4 12 �xd4
27. . . gxf3? A mistake, since now the wh ite king can en ter the fray. (27. fWe6 oo, Wedberg) . . .
28 @xf3 ±
a
The conti n u ation is very instructive. Rozental is demonstrates emphatically that his ac tive king s i m ply rep resents "an extra piece i n play" .
b
c
d
e
1 0 . . . 0-0 10. . . �g6!?
28. . . fS 29 f1de1 f1f8 30 @f4 f1xe4+ 31 f1xe4 fxe4+ 32 @gs f1e8 33 c4 bxc4 34 bxc4 f1eS+ 35 @f6
Although rarely played , t h i s alternative might wel l be preferable.
11 �d4 1 1 t:t:Jc4 appears l ess logical here, since in com parison with the variations with 1 0 f!fd1 and 10 [{ad1 White is sim ply a tempo down : 1 1 . . . Axc4 1 2 'tl\'xc4 'tll'e7 1 3 f!fe1 0-0-0 1 4 Ad4 [{he8 15 Ac3 t:t:Je5 16 t:t:Jxe5 Axe5 = [%-%] B rynel l - Ernst, [chT] Sweden 1 994.
35. . . fiaS
36 f1xe4 f1xa4 37 @g6 fiaS 38 h4 f1a3 39 g4 hxg4 40 f1xg4 aS 41 hS a4 42 cs f1a1 43 h6 a3 44 h7 f1h1 45 f1a4 @d7 46 f1xa3 f1g1+ 47 @f7 f1f1+ 48 @g7 f1g1+ 49 @hB @e6 50 f1a8 figs S1 figB fixes S2 @g7 fihS 53 hBf!!! f1xh8 54 f1xh8 cS SS fihS c4 S6 ficS @d6 S7 f1xc4 cS 58 @f6 @dS S9 f1c1 c4 60 @fS @d4 61 @f4 @d3 62 @f3 c3 63 f1d1+ 1-0 Rozental is- Hebden , Hastings 1 996/97 ;
11. . . f!!!e 7 12 �xe6 f!!!x e6 13 f!!!b 3 f!!!xb3 14 axb3 [%-1/2] Reinderman -Winants, [chT] Germany 1 99 8 , and here too Wh ite h as a very s l i g ht edge, but with this pawn structure it should be kept i n m i nd that i n the endgame B l ack can eventually c reate a passed pawn with
[c] 10 �c4 ? A serious blunder, simply dropping a paw n .
68
3.4 The natural 5
. . .
Ad6 (Rozentalis - Wedberg)
. . . a5 and . . . b5 , w h i c h m eans that a p u re pawn end ing is no longer attractive for White.
11 �c4 11 /£\d4 ! ? a
b
c
e
cash in the tru m p-card of h i s better pawn structure in a knight end i n g . Whether this endgame is tenable with best play by Black i s neither here nor there, the fact is that the d efender's task i s a d ifficult and u n g ratefu l one, whereas Wh ite runs l ittle risk of losing .
•
h
a
8
b
c
d
e
h
7 7 6 6 5
5
4
4
3
3
5
5
4
4
3 2
11
. . .
Axc4
20 . . . §.adS 21 ©12 ©gs 22 �f5 ©17 23 �e3 b5 24 §.xdS §.xdS 25 §.d1 §.xd1 26 �xd1 c5 27 ©e3 ©e6 2S f4 �d7 29 �b2
1 1 . . �e8 1 2 CL'ixd6 c x d 6 1 3 �b4 �b8 14 .§.ad1 c5 1 5 �d2 .§.d8 16 Af4 �c7 1 7 Axd6 f#b6 18 b4 c x b4 19 �x b4 �x b4 20 Axb4 CL\c6 2 1 a3 ;!; [112-112] Fress i n et - Gald u nts, Bischwi l ler 1 999. .
1 2 Wxc4+ ©hS 13 §.ad1 Wes 14 Acs Axes 14 . . l"!.d8 1 5 Axd6 c x d 6 1 6 CL'id4 ± , and the ugly hole at e6 will cause B lack some trou ble. .
15 WxcS ;!;; �96 16 §.fe1 Wf7 17 b3 mes 1s �d4 Wts 1 9 Wxts+ �xfS 20 f3 Wh ite has reached h i s fi rst stag i n g post : a simpl ified position with a "half-pawn up" ad vantage on the kingside, whereas the black queenside m ajority is crippled and i n the long term B l ac k will n ot be able to c reate a passed paw n . The contin uation is exem plary: t h e great Latvian endgame-player ex changes a l l the rooks, so as to be able to
Fi rst of all Rozentalis brings his knight to the good square d3, from where it can only be d riven away by the weaken ing move . . . c4.
29 . . . ©d6 30 g3 ©e6 31 �d3 ©d6 32 g4 c4 33 b x c4 bxc4 34 �b4 c6 69
3 I l l u strative Games - Theoretical section
35 a3 a5 36 tila2 tilb6 37 tilc3 c5 38 h4 ©e6 39 tilb5 ©d7 40 g5
a
b
c
d
...
h
e
� � � � � � � � � � �
8
8 7
4 3 2
2
a
45 . . . hS+ 46 ©f3 ©17 47 ©e3 ©e6 48 f5+ ©f7 49 tilf4 Once again the optimal wh ite pawn structure on the kingside, which is considerably more effective than the p re m at u re creation of a passed e -paw n .
a
b
c
8
d
e
g
•
h 8
40 . . . ©e6 41 g xf6 g xf6 42 tilc3 tild7 4 2 . . . h5 4 3 tbe2 .
43 tild5 ©f7 43 . . . f5 44 ©f3 [44 tbc7+ ©d6 45 tbb5+ ©c6 (45. . .
With this, the game is effectively decided .
4 9 . . . til e s 5 0 c3
44 ©13 ©g6 4 5 ©g4
50 tb x h 5 c3 would g ive B l ac k a g l i m mer of hope . . .
The threat of 46 h5+ fol lowed by 47 ©f5 pro vokes the fol lowi ng pawn move, after which however the black h - pawn becom es a fatal weakness.
50 . . . ©e7 51 tilxh5 tild3 52 tilf4 tile1 53 a4 1-0
70
3.5 The aggressive 5 . il.g4 (G lek- Tkachiev) . .
My Re c o m m e n da tion fo r B la ck:
3.5 The a g g res s i ve 5 . . . A g 4 (2590) T kach i ev (2633) [chT] Italy, Treviso 2002
Gle k
at the p resent state of our knowledge, the m ove 5 . . . Ag4 represents Black's best con tin uation and i s therefore my special recom mendation for B l ac k aga i n st 5 0-0 ! N ever theless, Wh ite need n ot despair and with a g ood g rasp of the p roblems of the position can hope for a m i n i mal advantage.
-
1 e4 es 2 �f3 �c6 3 Abs a6 4 Axc6 dxc6 S 0-0 Ag4 6 h3 hS!
The alternatives are rarely p l ayed and defi n itely weaker : a) 6 . . . Ah5 ? ! 7 g4 Ag6 8 ttJxe5 ± f6 (8 . lf!h4 9 lf!f3) 9 ttJxg6 h x g 6 1 0 �f3 �d6 1 1 ttJc3 0-0-0 1 2 d4 �xd4 13 E!.d1 �c4 14 E!.xd8+ ©xd8 1 5 Af4 ± ; . .
4
b) 6 . . . Axf3 ? ! 7 �xf3 �d7 8 d 3 Ad6 9 ttJd2 ttJe7 10 ttJc4 0-0 11 Ae3 f5 12 exf5 E!.xf5 13 �e2 ttJg6 14 ttJd2 E!.af8 15 ttJe4 Ae7 1 6 �g4 �e8 ? [1-0] N u n n - Korc h n o i , Wij k aan Zee 1 985 ; 16 . . . Cl:lf4 ! 17 Axf4 exf4 18 �f3 �d5 ± , N u n n .
3 2
a
b
c
d
e
g
h
'11
Th is agg ressive and dangerous-feeling move can be viewed h i storical ly as the reason why the exchange variation with 5 0-0 took s o l o n g to emerg e . Thus (accord i n g to Soltis in h i s book on the Ruy Lopez Exchange) Reuben Fine condem ned 5 0-0 as weak on the basi s of the variation 5 . . . Ag4 ! 6 h3 h5 7 d3 �f6 8 h x g 4 h x g4 9 ttJg5 �h6 1 0 ttJh3 �h4 1 1 ttJh2 g x h3 12 g3 �h7 with advan tage to B l ack. At the end of the 1 950s the Dutch m aster Johan B arend regt took up the variation and enjoyed some s u ccess with it. In s p ite of h i s c ru s h i n g d efeat by Teschner in 1 965, i m p rovem ents for W h ite were fou n d , and when, at the end of the 1 960s, Bobby Fischer forged 5 0-0 i nto a form idable weapo n , the move 5 . . . Ag4 was a l most forgotten . It i s curious (but not u n usual f o r the deve l o p m ent o f c h e s s theory) that after a long study I have concluded that,
7 d3 Th i s is the o n l y way for Wh ite to fight for advantage. 7 c3 �d3 8 hxg4 h xg4 9 Cl:lxe5.
This sequence has featu red i n q u ite a few d rawn games (mostly pre -arranged) . 9 . . . Ad6 ! 1 0 ttJxd3 ( 1 0 ttJxg4 ? ttJf6 11 ttJxf6+ g xf6 1 2 �g4 ?? (12 e5 +) 1 2 . . . E!.h1 + 13 ©xh1 �xf1 #] 1 0 . . . Ah2+ = .
71
3 I l l u strative Games - Theoretical section
7
. . .
!ff6
bishop will be drawn to the d6 square. In the analysis of our I l l ustrative game we shal l see that the bishop is in fact not optimally posted here . . . Wh ite can also try to make use of the special advantages of this m ove o rder, leav i n g the queen's knight on d2 for some considerable t i m e and u n dertaking a sort of m i nority at tack on the q ueenside. However, the knight move to c4 (wh i c h takes p l ace in o u r main game) is sensible and thematic.
8 �bd2
S i nce most of the avai lable m aterial o n our position-type arises fro m the move o rder with 8 �bd2 and 9 �c4 , I am p resenting the m aterial o n my main recommendation 8 Ae3 exceptionally as a variation .
8 hxg4? hxg4 9 �g5 vg\lh6 10 �h3 vg\lh4 + .
8
. . .
�xf3 9 r!!!xf3 r!!fxf3 10 gxf3 �d6
8 �e3!?
B l ac k h as to prevent the advance f4 . As al ready mentioned , the bishop is not particu l arly wel l placed here. (10. . . tZJel 11 f4!) .
This solid m ove is well worth consideri n g , and i n fact I suggest that i t should b e Wh ite's " main weapon " ! A very s i m i lar position type arises from one of the variations of our I l l u strative game, and it i s not u n usual for transpositions to occ u r. White makes it clear that he i s ag reeable to an i m m ed i ate q ueen exchange on f3 , accepting d o u bled f-pawns. This form of the Exchange Variation endgame wi l l be exami ned again i n the note to move 11 in the I l lustrative game.
11 t11l d2 a) 1 1 © h 1 . I confess I d o n 't u n derstand the deep point of the early k i n g - m ove to h1 or g2 , si nce the following p l ay o n the g file seems less effective. More log i cal is the king-march via f1 to e2 , which i n most cases is the wh ite monarch's best post . But since ad m itted ly the ©h1 (©g2) idea has been played by some strong p l ayers , I shall pro vide here some relevant material on it.
A particular point of this crafty move or der (wh ich perhaps even makes it preferable to the mai n l i n e with 8 �d2 and 9 �c4) is the consideration that Black's dark-sq uared
11 . . . f6 (1 1. . . f5!? 12 exf5 tZJel 13 !1g 1 0-0 14 ttJd2 !1xf5 oo) 12 l"&g1 ©f7 1 3 �d2 �e7 14 �c4 l"&ad8 15 c3 [ 1 5 l"&g2 g5 (or 15 . . . c5
72
3 . 5 The aggressive 5 . il.g4 (G lek- Tkach iev) .
16 l1ag 1 g6) 1 6 h4 ! g4 (16. . . gxh4 1 7 l1ag 1 !, Piket) 1 7 fxg4 h xg4 1 8 .E\xg4 CZJg6 1 9 ©g2 �x h4+ 20 ©g3 (stronger was 20 'i!?f1 !, Piket) 20 . . . CZJg6 2 1 .E\g1 CZJf8 22 ©f3 CZJe6 23 <;!?e2 !lh7 24 a3 c5 25 c3 ± [112-112] Timman - Pi ket, Wijk aan Zee 1 998] 1 5 . . . c5 1 6 ©g2 CZJg6 17 'i!?f1 CZJf8 1 8 a4 b6 19 .E\ b1 CZJe6 2 0 b4 c x b4 21 c x b4 b5 22 axb5 axb5 23 ttJa5 Ae7 24 'i!?e2 Eid? 2 5 .Eigc1 .E\a8 26 .Eic2 112-1/2 l u l dachev - van Geffen, Dieren [op] 2002 ; b} 11 ©g2 CZJe7 1 2 .Eig1 f6 13 CZJd2 ©f7 14 h4 ttJg6 1 5 ©h3 CZJf8 16 d 4 exd4 17 Axd4 CZJe6 1 8 Ae3 .E\ad8 1 9 ttJc4 Af4 20 CZJa5 g5 21 .E\ad1 gxh4 22 Axf4 ttJxf4+ 23 ©xh4 ttJg6+ 24 ©h3 �f4+ 25 ©h4 ttJg6+ 26 ©h3 ttJf4+ 112-112 Ma cieja-Adams, [bl] Hamburg 2003. 11. . A lel
.
Schach two days after the World Champi onsh i p . In h i s preparat i o n , Kasi mdzhanov h ad noticed that , i n n i n e games as B lack agai nst the Exchange Variation, Adams had tried as many as five different defensive sys tem s . F ro m this he concluded that Adams had n ot yet fou n d his ideal set-u p . In ad d ition, Kasi mdzhanov formed the i nterest i n g o p i n ion that in q u i et positions Adams o n ly felt comfo rtab l e when h e held at least a s l i g ht i n itiative. I n contrast, he d i d n 't l i ke it when condemned to a long d efence with l ittle chance of the fu l l point. 12 . . . f5 (Kasi mdzhanov considers this to be structurally u nsound and recom mends i n stead a black set-up with f6) 13 b 4 a 5 (13 . . . f4 14 £c5 b6 15 £xd6 cd 16 'i!?f1 followed by 'i!?e2 and l1g1 is given by the newly-crowned World Champion as slightly better for White) 1 4 a3 0-0 1 5 CZJc4 ax b4 1 6 a x b4 b5 (oth erwise 1 7 £c5 would be quite unpleasant) 1 7 ttJa5 .E\a6 1 8 c4 CZJg6 1 9 ©f1 .E\fa8 20 Ad2 f x e4 2 1 fxe4 Ae7 22 c5 Af6 23 .E\d1 ©f7 24 ©e2 ©e8 25 .E\a3 ttJf8 (al l it takes is . . . ttJe6 for everyt h i n g i n B lack's world to be OK . . . ) 2 6 d4 ! (a strong pawn sacrifice that makes the wh ite centre mobile) 26 . . . ttJe6 (26. . . exd4 27 f4 followed by e5) 27 d x e5 Axe5 28 Ae3 Ab2 ? 29 .Eiad3 Ae5 30 .E\g1 .E\xa5? (a pan ic reaction i n a slightly worse position) 31 bxa5 .E\xa5 32 f4 Axf4 33 .E\g6 ©f7 34 .E\xe6 ©xe6 ? (the last mistake, only explicable by the enor mous tension; after the obvious 34 . . . £xe3 35 l1xc6 li,f4 36 !Xf3 g5 37 !3xc 7+ 'i!le6 White would still have work to do) 35 Axf4 .E\a4 36 ©f3 .Eic4 37 Ae3 b4 38 .E\d4 .E\xd4 39 Ax d4 g5 40 ©e3 1-0 Kasi mdzhanov Adams, [wch] Tri poli 2004 .
12 �c4
A rarely- p l ayed m ove order, but well worth consideration. N ow we h ave reached a po sition from our main line, in which Black has developed his bishop to d6 very early. As we wi ll see, placing the bishop here gives Wh ite real chances of advantage. a} 1 2 .E\fb1 ! ?
This plan o f a q ueenside minority attack has been tried by p l ayers such as S h i rov and Rozentalis, al beit without any particu lar suc cess. Only the very talented you n g C h i nese Zhang Zhong and R u stam Kas i mdzhanov, in his assault on the World Championsh i p , have succeeded with i t . T h u s it is exciting to hear Kasi mdzhanov's own assessment, in an i nterview for the Berl i n - based m ag az i n e
1 2 . . . CZJg6 (12 . . . c5 ?! 13 'i!?f1 lf)g6 14
73
3 I l l ustrative Games - Theoretical section
it is certa i n ly i m portant to force through the advance of the second f-pawn to f4 straight away and n ot allow the o p ponent to set up a blockade with . . . g5 and . . . !£:\g6, i . e. break i m med i ately with f4 .
Following the disappearance of the black e pawn, with d3-d4 the next stage in White 's conception becomes possible: 24 . . . r.!?d7 25 llf5 h4 26 d4 cxd4 2 7 cxd4 13ab8 28 d5 tiJd8 29 axb5 13xb5 30 tiJc4 13e8 3 1 f3 13b4 32 r.!?d3 tiJf7 33 £d2 13b5 34 13xa6 ± [1-0] Zhang Zhong- luldachev, [ch T] Jodh pur 2003) .
13. . . exf4 14 �xd6+ cxd6 15 .l.xf4 t!Jd7 15 . . . d5 1 6 Ae3 .
16 t!lh 1
1 3 b4 f 6 1 4 a 4 ( 1 4 t!lf1 tiJf8 15 tiJc4 .fle6 16 a4 r.!?e7 17 .fla5 .fld8 18 c3 b6 19
1 6 Ae3 .
16. . . flaeB 1 6 . . . g5 1 7 Ae3 !£:\g6 1 S f4 .
17 f1g1 g5 18 .l.h2 flegB 1S . . . !£:\g6 1 9 f4 !£:\xf4 20 Axf4 g xf4 21 gaf1 .
19 f4 g4
1 4 . . . ©t7 1 5 ©t1 !£:\ts 1 6 ©e2 !£:\e6 1 7 !£:\c4 ! 17 . . . g6 1 S !£:\a5 gabs 1 9 c3 ;!; , Shirov ;
b) 1 2 ©h2 f6 1 3 !£:\c4 ©t7 14 gad 1 ghdS 1 5 h4 a5 1 6 a4 !£:\g6 1 7 © h 3 !£:\fS 1 S d4 exd4 19 gxd4 !£:\e6 2 0 gd3 !£:\f4+ 2 1 Axf4 Axf4 22 gxdS gxdS 23 !£:\xa5 b6 24 !£:\xc6 gd2 oo (%-1/2) Rozental i s - Pedzic h , Koszal i n [op] 1 997 . 12. . . f6 20 f5! t
1 2 . . . !£:\g6 see the main game.
A typical a n d i m portant operation, b y which the remai n i ng pawns on the k i n g 's flan k are broken u p , later to becom e conven ient tar gets. At the same time Wh ite fixes the black f-pawn on a dark square and takes away the g6 square from the knight.
13 f4! (see next analysis diagram)
This resu lts i n the d i ssolution of both sides' doubled pawns, and pro m i ses White some long -term advantage with bishop against knight and better central isation . H owever,
20. . . gxh3 21 f1g3 d5 22 f1ag1 f1xg3 23 f1xg3 flgB 24 flxgB �xg8 25 .l.t4 dxe4
74
3 . 5 The aggressive 5
. . .
il,g4 (G lek- Tkachiev)
dxe4 �e7 27
29 ife2 if2d3+ 30 ife3 ifd2 31 ife2 if2d3+ 32 ife3 l12-V2 Prie - Geenen, [ch T] Clermont Ferrand 2003) 1 2 . . . exd4 with a strong attack. 10. . . �f4!
26 29
8
. . .
�e7 9 �c4!?
L...=.'--.=.:=:....=..o..='-'--'-='-'--� �
Th is sharp m ove sets Wh ite consider ably m o re problems than the conventional 10 . . . Ad6 . This freq uently played move leads to exactly the sort of endgame that Wh ite wants in choos i n g 5 0-0 ! 11 h x g 4 h x g4 12 tbh2 l"!.xh2 1 3 l/£'fx g4 ! (13 r!?xh2 ? Y!fxf2 14 l'fe2 exd4+ 15 e5 £xe5+ 16 l'Ixe5+ CZJxe5 1 7 @h 1 0-0-0 0-1 Barendregt- Teschner, [ech] Hamburg 1965 . This encounter is now admittedly of historical interest only.) 1 3 . . . l"!.h4 (13. . . Y!fh4 14 Y!fxh4 l'fxh4 15 t2Jf3 ifh5 1 6 dxe5 tZJxe5 1 7 CZJxe5 £xe5 18 c3 ;t) 1 4 '?;lVf5 ! ;!; (14 Y!fg3!?) . 11 dxe5 With this Wh ite can sti l l reach another bal anced endgame ! 1 1 h xg 4 g ives Black dangerous p ressure : 1 1 . . . h x g4 1 2 g3 (12 t2Jh2 ? ctJxg2 13 r!?xg2 ifxh2+ 14 @xh2 Y!fxf2+ 15 @h 1 g3 -+) 1 2 . . . g xf3 1 3 'tlYxf3 tbe6 14 d x e5 '?;lVh6 ! (14 . . . Y!fxe5 15 Y!ff5! Y!fc5 16 tZJf3 ;t) 1 5 tLlb3 g5 !
[a] 9 fie1 This is the trad itional antidote to the black system with 5 . . . Ag4 . It leads to a very sharp game. However, i n view of Pi ket's i m portant new idea (see Kroeze - Pi ket (p. 76)) I can recom mend it for Black only! 9. . A lg6
10 d4
1 0 h x g 4 sti l l fai l s : 1 0 . . . h x g4 1 1 g3 Ac5 ! (1 1. . . gxf3 suffices for equality.) 1 2 d4 (12 iff1 ctJf4 13 ctJh4 ifxh4 14 gxh4 Y!fxh4 -+; 12 c3 0-0-0 13 d4 exd4 14 cxd4 gxf3 15 t;Jxf3 £xd4 16 t2Jxd4 tZJe5 1 7 £f4 ifxd4 18 £xe5 \Wxe5 19 Y!ff3 Y!fe6 20 ifad 1 c5 21 ifc 1 b6 22 a3 r!?b8 23 ifc3 ifc8 24 @g2 g5 25 ife2 J1cd8 26 Y!ff5 Vf?h6 27 r!?f3 ifd3+ 28 l'fe3 l'fd2
75
3 I l lustrative Games - Theoretical section
This idea of J eroen P i ket's m a kes a very good i m pression and is superior to the q ueen check on h2 played previously. 16 Ae3 �h3 ! Accord i n g to Bartlomiej Macieja, this new move of Michael Adams's is h owever dis tinctly more precise than Pi ket's 1 6 . . . Ag7 , to prevent Wh ite's desirable king-march to e2 . 1 6 . . . Ag7 a) 17 .El.ad1 (1 7 @f1 ! £xe5 18 c3 ff#h3+ 19 £!le2 g4 20 ff#h 1 ±, Macieja) 17 . . . Axe5 + 18 c3 �h3 1 9 tDd4 Axd4 20 Axd4 .El.h6 21 �g2 �h5 22 Ae3 �e7 23 g4 �g6 24 �f3 �h7 25 �f1 .El.f6 2 6 �g2 .El.h8 [0-1 ) Kroeze - Pi ket, [chT) B reda 2001 .
advance, the plan of a3 , b4 (after Black plays . . . c5) . Occasionally the wh ite k n i g ht going to a5 can be u n p l easant for Black, and the half-open g -file can someti mes be i m portant too . The trad itional plan for Black is to set up the pawn formation of . . . f6 and . . . g 5 , post i n g the k n i g ht o n e6 . Worth consideri n g for Blac k is the h itherto rarely tried plan of tak ing the i n itiative with 0-0 (or . . . .El.f8) and . . . f5. Until now the position has been assessed as defi n itely favourable to White, but I consider the black position to be very sol i d . P ro b ably B l ac k should absta i n from developing the bishop to d 6 , since Wh ite can choose a favou rable m oment to exchange h i s knight for it.
b) 1 7 �g2 �h5 1 8 f3 (18 g4!?, Adams; 18 CZJd4 CZJxd4 19 £xd4 0-0- 0 oo) 18 . . . Ag7 1 9 �f2 Axe5 20 .El.h1 �g6 21 .El.xh8+ Ax h 8 22 c3 0 - 0 - 0 23 �h3 A g 7 24 �f5 �h5 25 .El.g1 b6 26 tll d 2 �b7 27 .El.g2 �h1 28 .El.g1 �h2+ 29 .El.g2 �h1 30 .El.g1 �h2+ 112-112 M a ciej a - Adams, [chT) Rethym non 2003 .
11. . . 'f!fg6 12 tll h 4! £xd1 13 tll x g6 �xg6 14 lixd1 0-0-0 15 lie1 tllxe5 16 tllf3 tll xf3+ 17 gxf3 = £c5 18 'i!?f1 'i!?d7 19 lid1+ 'i!?e6 20 lixd8 lixd8 21 'i!?e2 'i!?e5 [112-1/2) Sch nei der- Svensso n , [chT) Sweden 2002 . [b] 9 hxg4 hxg4 10 g3 gxf3 11 t!Txf3 t!Th6!? 12 Te1 c5 13 Sc4 Dh2+ 14 'i!?t1 Dh 1+ 15 f!le2 Dxf3+ 16 'i!?xf3 Sc6 = [112-112) Markov i c Notki n , [chT) Yugoslavia 1 998.
9
. . .
H owever, all the wh ite plans that we have mentioned sti l l requ i re some preparation and s h o u l d only be carried out at a favourable moment !
Axf3 1 0 '@xf3 '@xf3 11 g xf3 �96
1 2 Ae3
(see next diagram)
12 lid1 0-0-0
I n com parison with other Exchange Varia tion endgames, Black can be very satisfied here, si nce here (exceptionally!) the wh ite pawn structure is also d amaged ! N ow i n m ost cases t h e pawn e n d i n g w i l l n o longer be a w i n for Wh ite. H owever, I wou l d sti l l rather be han d l i n g the wh ite p i eces here, since i n the long -term Wh ite has m o re dy namic ideas : the f3-f4 advance, the d2-d4
1 2 . . . c5 13 i>f1 f6 14 Ae3 ©f7 15 ©e2 .El.d8 16 a4 Ad6 17 c3 Ae7 18 tDa5 b6 19 tDc6 .El.d7 20 a5 .El.a8 21 b4 c x b4 22 c x b4 b5 2 3 .El.ac1 Ad6 24 d4 e x d 4 2 5 .El.xd4 ©e8 oo [112-112) Balog h - Lu kacs , Budapest 2002 .
13 'i!?f1 £e7!? 14 £e3 14 �e2 c5 15 .El.g1 Ad6 16 a4 b6 17 Ae3 �b7 1 8 .El.ab1 a5 1 9 c3 .El.h7 20 .El.g5 �c6 21 b3 �d7
76
3.5 The aggressive 5
. . .
1l.g4 (Glek-Tkachiev)
21 c x d 4 c x d 4 22 tbxd6+ l3.xd6 23 l3.x c7+ ©g8 24 l3.xd4 l3.xd4 25 Ax d4 tbe6 26 l3.d7 l3.c8 27 Ae3 l3.c2+ 2 8 l3.d2 ± (1-0] Meijers l u ldachev, Dieren [op] 2002 ; b} 14 . . . tbh4 15 ©e2 g5 16 d4 exd4 17 tbxd6+ cxd6 18 l3.xd4 0-0-0 19 l3.ad1 ©c7 20 f4 g4 21 h x g 4 h x g4 22 l3.h1 l3.de8 23 l3.hd1 l3.d8 24 e5 !? tbf5 25 exd6+ l3.xd6 26 l3.xd6 tbxd6 27 Ab6+ ! ©x b6 28 l3.xd6 f5 29 l3.f6 l3.h2 30 ©f1 l3.h1+ 31 ©g2 l3.c1 32 c3 l3.c2 33 l3.xf5 l3.x b2 34 l3.e5 ©c7 35 ©g3 ©d6 36 l3.e3 l3.xa2 37 f5 l3.a5 38 ©xg4 l3.a2 39 ©g3 l3.a5 40 ©f4 l3.a2 41 f3 1 - 0 Meijers - Sol leveld , Amsterdam (op] 2000. A very i nteresting endgame ! ; c} 1 4 . . . tbf8 . The m ost solid black plan : the knight is deployed to the good central square e6 . 1 5 d4 (I very much like 15 b4. 15 . . . <0e6 16 c3 and subsequently can White choose between the plans 17 a3 then d4 and 17 a4 followed by 18 l!ab 1 and b5.) 15 . . . tbe6 16 d x e5 (16 c3 0-0-0 17 r!?e2) 16 . . . Axe5 17 c3 (1 7 l!d3!?) 1 7 . . . b6 (1 7. gS 18 f!Je2 r!?e7 with a rather balanced position.) 18 ©e2 ©e7 (18 . . . gS 19 iflxe5 fxe5 20 l!g 1 13g8 2 1 h4 t) 1 9 tbxe5 fxe5 2 0 l3.g1 ©f7 2 1 Ag5 ! This s u btle bishop m ove secu res an edge for White: to enable the black rooks to have access to the i m po rtant d -file, the bishop m ust eventually be exchanged , but then i n the d o u b l e - rook endgame the b l a c k pawn weaknesses would be very bothersome . . . 21 . . . l3.af8 22 l3.ad1 ©e8 23 l3.d2 l3.h7 24 h4! ;!; 24 . . . g6 25 l3.gd1 !
22 b4 c x b4 23 tbxd6 ©xd6 24 c x b4 a x b4 25 l3.x b4 ©e6 26 l3.g1 oo (1 -0] l u ldachev Babu, Calcutta Good ricke (op] 1 997 . 14
. . .
/J,f6 15 c3
15 a4 l3. h e8 1 6 c3 tbf8 1 7 b4 tbe6 1 8 ©e2 b6 19 l3.a2 © b7 20 l3.ad2 l3.d7 21 d4 e x d4 22 cxd4 g6 23 a5 b5 24 tba3 l3.ed8 2 5 tbc2 Ag7 26 f4 f5 oo (0-1 ] Zapata - Otero , H avana 2001 . 15 l1d7 16 b4 l1hd8 17 'C!le2 b6 18 a4 f!Jb7 19 l1a3 /J,e7 20 l1b3 /J,f6 21 l1d2 /J,e7 22 l1b1 /J,f6 23 l1b3 /J,e7 24 d4 /J,f6 25 dxe5 J1xd2+ 26 /J,xd2 �xe5 27 �xe5 /J,xe5 28 f4 /J,f6 29 f5 oo (1-0] Zapata - Rose l l i M a i l h e , Cal i 2001 . . . .
1 2 f6 . . .
[a] 12. . . /J,d6?! As mentioned above, I consider this popular move less recommendable.
. .
13 l1fd1 f6 1 3 . . b5 . This position arises from the above mentioned and very noteworthy move order with 8 Ae3 . 14 tbd2 ©d7 15 ©f1 tbf8 1 6 l£1b3 6Lie6 1 7 d4 exd4 1 8 tbxd4 tbxd4 19 Axd4 f6 20 f4 l3.he8 2 1 f3 (2 1 e5!? c5 22 exd6 cxd4 23 l!xd4 c6) 21 . . . ©c8 22 e5 Ae7 23 l3.e1 l3.f8 24 l3.ad1 ;!; (%-%] Rausi s - Bacrot, E n g h i e n les-Bai ns 1 999. .
14 @f1 c5
A strong and dynam ic decision : considered formal ly, Wh ite g rants the opponent a pro tected passed paw n , but Zapata real ised
a) 14 . . . l3.d8 1 5 ©e2 ©f7 1 6 c3 c5 1 7 l3. ac1 E!he8 18 l3.c2 b6 19 a3 tbf8 2 0 d4 exd4
77
3 I l l u strative Games - Theoretical section
that su bseq uently h e would ach i eve f3-f4 and set up a mighty pawn centre : 25 . . . coxg5 26 h x g 5 '8e7 27 '8d8+ 'i!>f7 28 @e3 '8fe8 29 '8xe8 'i!>xe8 30 f4 exf4+ 31 'i!>xf4 '8f7+ 32 'i!>e3 @el 33 f4 ± [1-0] Zapata- G arcia, [zt] San Salvador 1 998;
d) 14 . . . 0-0-0 15 c3 (15 ff?e2 tiJf8 16 f4 ?! Here this often worthwhile move is unfavourable, since White does not succeed in advanc ing the second f-pawn and the agile knight proves superior to the bishop: 16 . . . exf4 1 7 tiJxd6+ cxd6 18 £xf4 �e6 19 £e3 g5 20 c4 d5 ! + [0-1] Tischbierek- Delchev, Porto San Giorgio [op] 2003 . The strategic proce dure employed here is very instructive for the black-player!) 1 5 . . . tLlf8 1 6 b4 tLle6 1 7 a3 (1 7 a4!? This follows the plan of preparing the advance b5 by means of I1db 1 to get to grips subsequently with the black king. After each of these possible moves of the a -pawn I rather prefer the white position; compare with 14 . . . �f8.) 1 7 . . . g5 1 8 d 4 , fol lowed a t s o m e p o i n t by d o u b l i n g the rooks on the d -fi le.
1 9 tLla5 e x d 4 2 0 '8xd4 '8xd4 2 1 Axd4 b6 22 tt:Jc6 Ad6 = .
19. . . a 5 20 fld2 a4 2 1 fldc2 b5 21 . . . '8d7 22 tLla3 Axa3 23 b x a3 c6.
22 �a3 b4 23 �b5 ± [1-0] Glek-Wi nants, [chT] Germany 1 997/98. [b] 12. . . �e7!
������
�
I n my opinion the best black set-up against 9 t2:lc4 , and therefore at the same t i m e the reason why I prefer 8 Ae3 ! (see the notes to 8 £e3)
13 flfd1 13 'i!>h1 Af6 14 a4 0-0-0 1 5 a5 tLlh4 1 6 cod2 tLlg6 1 7 '8ad1 tLlf4 1 8 Axf4 exf4 1 9 t2:lc4 g5 20 @g2 '8h6 21 '8fe1 c5 22 c3 Ag? 23 '8g1 '8g6 24 'i!>f1 b5 25 a x b6 c x b6 26 @e2 oo [112-112] Hort - Spassky, [ct/m] Reykjavik 1 977 .
15 c3 'i!lf7 This position can also arise from the recom mended move order w i t h 8 Ae3 .
16 d4
13
Wh ite plays his tru m p-card rather too early, al lowing Black to equal ise the game. I rec o m mend 1 6 a3 ! Then Black would face a d i l e m m a : either he allows Wh ite to p l ay the desirable b4 or he goes into a conspicuously i nferior version of the game cont i n u ation : 1 6 . . . a5 ? ! (16. . . I1hd8 1 7 b4 cxb4 18 axb4 t) 1 7 d4 cxd4 1 8 cxd4 exd4 1 9 t2:lxd6+ c x d 6 20 '8xd4 @el 21 '8d5 ± Here t h e weaknesses on a5 , h5 and the b5-sq uare wou l d be hard to cope with .
. . .
0-0-0
13 . . . 0 - 0 ! ? During the game I was a bit scared of t h i s i nteresting and very agg res sive idea . 14 'i!>f1 (14 d4 exd4 15 J'1xd4 £f6) 1 4 . . . f5 1 5 'i!>e2 oo .
14 'i!lf1 f6! 15 r!le2 �fB Dorfman p roves to be excellently prepared and reveals the ( i n my o p i n ion) best black set - u p (an d move order) i n the entire Ex change Spanish !
16 f4 exf4 17 �xf4 �e6 112-112 Ki nderman n Dorfman, [chT] Jen bach 2003 .
16. . . cxd4 17 cxd4 fihdB?!
I now t h i n k that we could h ave d efi n itely cont i n ued the struggle, but I m ust confess that on a Sunday m o rn i n g my fighting spirit sometimes wanes . . .
1 7 . . . exd4 ! 1 8 t2:lxd6+ c x d 6 1 9 '8xd4 = 112-112 Kinderman n - Sh i rov, [bl] Germany 2003.
18 flac1 �e7 19 d5
78
3 . 5 The agg ressive 5 . . . Ag4 (G lek- Tkach iev)
17 . . . <'De6 18 Ae3 g5 19 c3 Here Wh ite should proceed very carefu lly and prepare against the poss i b l e black ideas of . . . f5 and . . . g4, without creating any weaknesses of his own .
22 <0a5 b6 23 <0c6 £e7 24 f4) 20 f4 oo (1 -0] Kasparov - Kazhgaleyev, Koszal i n 1 999; b) 13 . . . tl:ih4 14 f4 exf4 15 Axf4 0-0-0 1 6 Ag3 tl:ig6 1 7 i>h1 Ac5 1 8 l'!g1 tl:if8 1 9 l'!g2 g5
(19 d4 ? ! Probably p remat u re, since now Black's . . . f5 w i l l be q u ite u n pleasant. 19 . . . l'!hf8 ! The best black plan , prepari n g . . . f5 , without perm itt i n g the possi b l e ad vance d5-d6. (19. . . l'ldgB ?! 20 d5 cxd5 21 exd5 ;;!;; 19 . . . f5 ?! 20 exf5 CZJg7 2 1 CZJe5 ;;!;; 19 . g4 ?! 20 hxg4 hxg4 21 c3 !1h2 22 !1h 1 g3 23 !1xh2 gxh2 24 l'1h 1 l'1h8 25
.
19 . . . l'!hf8 ( 1 9 . . . g4 20 h x g4 h x g4 21 l'!h1 ) 20 f3 f5 2 1 l'!g1 oo fxe4 ? ! 22 fxe4 tl:if4+ 23 Axf4 l'!xf4 24 tl:ie3 ! ;!:; . [c] 12. . . c5 13 a4 £d6 14 l1fb1 a5 15
8
i.
b
c
7 6
.
5
4 3
d
e
g h i. I..
2 0 f4 ! The d o u b l e -advance of the f-pawns i s a very i m po rtant method of struggle for Wh ite i n t h i s type of position : 2 0 . . . g4 21 h xg4 hxg4+ 22 l'!h2 <'De6 23 l'!x h8 l'!xh8+ 24 i>g2 b5 25 f5 ;!:; tl:ig5 26 tl:ia5 i>d7 27 l'!h1 l'!xh1 28 i>xh1 <'Df3 29 i>g2 tl:id4? (29. . . £b6) 30 Af2 Ab6 31 Axd4 Axd4 32 c3 ± [1 -0] Glek-van den Doel, Wijk aan Zee 1 999.
1 4 @f1 cs For deviations see variations a) to d) on page 77.
8
15 c3 l:!d8
7 6
.
5
4 [j, 3 2
g h
{f
1 3 i!fd 1 Ad6?! The bishop is less effective here and b e comes an object o f attack, or rather ex change !
Black h as p repared against the d i rect d3d4, but Glek demonstrates a typical method bri n g i n g about another structu ral transfor mation .
a) 13 . . . c5 14 i>f1 i>f7 15 c3 Ae7 16 d4 exd4 17 cxd4 cxd4 18 l'!xd4 l'!hd8 19 l'!ad1 tl:if8 (19 !1xd4 20 l'1xd4 !1d8 21 !1xd8 £xd8 . . .
79
3 I llustrative Games - Theoretical section
15. . . bS!?
18 . . . c6?!
This position also arises fro m the recom mended move order with 8 Ae3 ! ? .
1 8 . . . E!.d7 ;!;
16 �d2
1 9 Ab6 Jad7 20 d4!
A bit feeble, but nevertheless Wh ite is never in any danger against his far su perior oppo nent.
a
However, both the following alternatives ap pear to me to g ive Wh ite chances of some advantage:
d
.I.
7
a
4
4
2
2
d
e
g
c
d
e
g
h
8
20 . . . Ac7 ?! The fi rst step down a s l i p pery slope for Black.
5
c
b
P l ayed at the right moment, this thematic advance p rocu res Wh ite the i n itiative. M ost of the fol lowi n g variations stem fro m G lek himself, who analysed this game in l nforma tor 85. I find the relatively weak play by both sides asto u n d i n g , so I orig i n a l ly thought it to be a rap i d - p l ay game but in fact it was played in the Italian team cham pionsh i p .
6
b
2
2
7
a
4
3
•
h
e
7
4
16 a3!
•
h
e
5
16... �f4 17 �xf4 exf4 1 8 a 4 @d7 19 I1a2 I1hf8 20 axbS axb5 21 I1da 1 I1xa2 22 f1xa2 't!lc6 23 't!le2 = [1/2-V2] B red e r - Adams, [bl] Porz 2003.
b
d
6
b) 1 6 �a5 ! ? would d efin itely be my choice, e. g . 1 6 . . . �f4 1 7 Axf4 exf4 1 8 d 4 ;
a
c
7
a) 16 tll x d6+ !? cxd6 1 7 d4, and i n many l i nes the p ressure of the wh ite rooks against d6 causes Black p roblems. (1 7 b4!?) 1 7 . . . c4 ! ? (1 l . . cxd4 18 cxd4 lk8 19 dxe5 dxe5 20 f1d6 ;k) 1 8 a4 ! ? (18 dxe5 dxe5 19 l1d6 r!Je7 20 £c5 t;Jf4 oo) 18 . . . ©e7 1 9 ©e2 ;
8
b
8
2 0 . . . ©e6 (20. . . exd4 ? 21 f1xd4 + -) 2 1 d5+ (2 1
h
Enables Black to shed the d o u bled paw n , but gives Wh ite possibilities of active play on the queenside and i ncreases the pressure of the com ing d4.
21 d x e5 ± Jahd8 2 1 . . . E!.xd 1 + 22 E!. x d 1 Ax b6 23 E!.d7+ ©e6 24 �xb6 ± .
17 . . . c x b4 1 8 a x b4
2 2 laxd7+ Jaxd7 23 Axc7 Jaxc7 24 exf6 �xf6 25 Jaa5!
18 cxb4!?
80
3 . 5 The agg ressive 5
. . .
Ag4 (G lek Tkachiev)
28 . . . g6 29 f4 ©f6 30 e5+ ©e6 31 �d6 31 f5+ g xf5 32 f4 +- .
31 . . . b6 32 ©e3 as 33 bxa5 33 ©e4 a4 34 f5+ g xf5+ 35 gxf5 tt:Jh7 36 b5 a3 37 b x c6 +- .
3 3 . . . bxa5 3 4 ©e4 34 f5+ \!?xe5 35 fxg6+ ©f6 36 g7 gxg7 37 tt:Je4+ ©f7 3S gxh5 ± .
34 . . . a 4 3 5 f5+ g xfS+ 3 6 §xf5 �h7 37 �c4 13d5 38 �a3 13c5
25 . . . §d7
3S . . . gd3 39 g x h 5 g x h 3 40 g x h 3 tt:Jg5+ 41 ©d4 tt:Jxh3 42 f3 ©f5 = .
25 . . . b5 26 tt:Je3 ga7 27 tt:Jg2 .
2 6 §fS+ ©e6 27 13g5
39 c4 h4 40 ©14
With this Wh ite really has ach i eved a deci sive advantage , which h e certa i n ly lets s l i p in the contin uation . For o u r purpose t h e rest is less i nterest i n g , so that only a few short variations follow.
40 f3 ga5 41 tDc2 gc5 42 ttJd4+ ©el 43 gh5 tt:JfS 44 gh6 gxc4 45 ©d3 gc1 46 tt:Jxc6+ \!?es 4 7 tt:Jd4 a3 4S ga6 tt:Jd7 49 ©d2 gh1 50 e6 tDc5 51 gas+ ©e7 52 ga7+ ©es 53 e? a2 54 tt:Jf5 tt:Jb3+ 55 ©e3 ge1 + 56 ©f4 gxe7 57 gx e7+ ©fS 5S g a? a1 fl! 59 gxa1 tt:Jxa1 60 tt:Jd4 +- (60 tf)xh4) .
27 . . . �f8 27 . . . tt:Jf4 2s ge5+ ©f6 29 gf5+ +- .
40 . . . §aS 41 �c2 13c5 42 �a3 13a5 43 ©e4 13c5 44 ©t4
28 ©e2 28 gxh5 gd3 29 tt:Ja5 +- ;
44 f3 t .
2 8 f4 gd1 + 2 9 ©e2 gc1 30 gx g7 g x c3 31 tDe3 +-.
81
3 I l l u strative Games - Theoretical section
3.6 The u n c o n ven t i o n a l 5 . � e7 .
van d e r We i d e (2400) Wells (2489)
This is the only way for Wh ite to test Black's concept. I n fact W hite m u st now get i nto contortions to maintai n h i s extra m aterial, but a pawn is a pawn.
-
M u nsterland Open 2002
7 tt::l f3 does n ot set Black any particu lar problems : 7 . . . '11lV x e4 8 El.e1 '11lVg 6 9 CLie5 '11lV f6 1 0 d 4 Af5 1 1 CLic3 0-0-0 1 2 '11lV h 5 Ag6 1 3 '11lV h 3+ '11lV f5 1 4 CLixg6 fxg6 1 5 '11lVx f5+ g xf5 16 Ag5 El.d7 [1/2-1/2] Ree - Keres, Amsterdam 1 971 .
1 e4 es 2 lQf3 lQc6 3 Abs a6 4 Axc6 d x c6 S 0-0 lQe7 a
b
c
d
.
e
=
7
7 . . . g6 8 1!fgS
4
The main move. Wh ite is determ i ned to keep h i s extra pawn .
3
8
5
2 ���� 1 � Cb � � a
b
c
d
A somewhat less demanding m ove for a wh ite -player tired of theory.
8
• . .
e
f!!Txe4 9 f!!Ta5!
This u nconventional m ove is attri b uted to Pau l Keres and i n the critical variation i n volves a thematic pawn sacrifice. Wh ite must accept it, otherwise B l ac k reaches a com fortable position with 6 . . . tt::l g 6.
6 lQxeS 1!fd4 7 1!fhS! a
b
c
d
e
In each case a neat shift of the queen !
9
. . .
�g4!
a) 9 . . . b 6 ? ! 1 0 '11lVc 3 El.g8 1 1 El.e1 '11lVd 5 1 2 d4 Ae6 1 3 CLig5 Ag? 1 4 '11lVg 3 0-0-0 1 5 '11lVa3 ! (The interpolation of 15 �xe6 gives Black pressure against f2: 15 . . . fxe6 16 !Wa3 £xd4 1 7 !Wxe 7 !Wf5 18 !Wh4 I'IgfB 19 £e3 £xb2 oo {1-0} Rausis - Nei, Cappelle -la -Grande [op] 1993) 15 . . . CLif5 1 6 tt::l x e6 fxe6 1 7 �x a6+ '.!>b8 1 8 c3 (18 if)c3 ±) 18 . . . es 19 Ag5 ± ;
82
3 . 6 The u nconventional 5 . . . ti:\e7 (van der Weide - Wells)
b) 9 . . . �f4 ?! 10 d3 �d6 11 tl:\bd2 tl:\d5 1 2 tl:le4 'i!#b4 13 �x b4 tl:\x b4 14 Ad2 Ae7 (14. . .
a
8
i.
b
c
d
e
g
h
7 6
d3 �f5 11 �xc7 �xf3 12 gxf3 �xf3 l1e1 �g4+ 14 �g3 �xg3+
5
5
4
4
3
3
14 . . . �d? !? 15 tl:\c3 ! and Wh ite has the i n itia tive : 1 5 . . . Ag? (15. . . 0-0-0 1 6 ifJa4!) 16 tl:\a4 'i!#f5 1 7 Af4 . 15
hxg3 ;t
9 . . . f5! O n ly this sharp counter-blow enables Black to justify his idea. 9 . . . �xe4 1 0 ge1 h6 1 1 �g3 ± .
1 0 e5 ! a
b
c
d
e
6
Th is l i n e g ives W h ite, with h i s more active pieces, a very sl ight edge and and m ight pro vide a m ethod of frustrat i n g an agg ressive opponent ! ?
5
5
4
4
3
3
1 5... 0-0-0
15 . . . f6 ! ? 1 6 tl:\c3 � f7 1 7 tl:\e4 tl:\f5 18 c3 h5
a
1 9 Af4 Ae7 20 d4 gac8 (20. . . g5 2 1 £c7 l1ac8
22 £b6 h4 oo) 21 ge2 ghe8 22 gae1 Af8 23 f3 ged8? 24 g4 h x g4 25 fxg4 tl:\g7 26 m1 f5 27 Ae5 ± (1 -0] J e n n i - Sc h m i d , Zurich [op]
b
c
d
e
g
h
The e - pawn is i n d igestible for B l ac k and cramps his game, at the same time prevent i n g the centre from being opened up to the benefit of the bishop pair.
1999. 1 6 �g5
l1d7 1 7 �f6 l1g8 18 �c3 b 6 19 l1e2 f!lb7 20 g4 �c8 21 @g2 h5 22 f3 ;t ( 1 -0] Brunner-Yi l m az, (ol] Manila 1 992 .
1 0 . . . Wg4 N ow the exchange on g4 would g ive the blac k pieces the use of the f5 -sq uare and m ake f2-f4 unattractive for Wh ite. 10. . . cs This m ay well be B l ack's o bj ectively best conti n u at i o n . It t h reatens the u n p l easant . . . c5-c4 .
a . . . Ag7 9 tild3 ! Indirectly defend ing the e - pawn , since the b4 square is now u n avai lable for the the black queen . 9 tl:\f3 �xe4 1 0 ge1 �b4 ! oo .
83
3 I l lustrative Games - Theoretical section
10 . . . tt::l d 5 ! ? Keres ; 10 . . . Axe5 ? 11 tt::l x e5 �xe5 1 2 d4 (12
11 b3!
A very i m po rtant point, and the only way for Wh ite to conti n u e . Wh ite u ses the c i r cumstance that the black q u een would be trapped on a1 to i m pede . . . c4 and enable the development of the bishop at b2 .
not show to advantage, so that Wh ite has the edge. In any case the position is d ifficult to play for both sides and req u i res p recise calculation . 1 6 . . . tt::l d 5 (1 6. . .
b} 11 . . . �xa1 12 tt::l c 3 b6 13 Ab2 �xf1+ 1 4 @xf1 ±, and com pared to the main l i ne Wh ite has an i m portant extra tem po. 12 �e3
11. . . h6
Th reaten i n g to fortify the the e - pawn by 1 3 Ab2 and a later f4 .
a) 11 . . . b6 1 2 �e3 Forces Black to a decision . 1 2 Ab2 ! ? �d5 ? (better is 12 . . . rti'g4) 1 3 e6 ! Axb2 14 lL!xb2 �xe6 15 lL!c3 h6 16 �g3 �d6 1 7 �xd6 cxd6 1 8 tt::l c 4 0-0 1 9 tt::l x b6 ± [1-0] Sarakauskas - Schneider, Budapest 2003.
12. . . f4!
12 . . . �xa1 ! ? (12. . . rti'd5 13 c4 rti'c6 14 �c3 ilb7 15
I nviting the endgame that fol l ows. 12 . . . tt::l c 6 13 Ab2 �xe3 14 d x e3 . This ex change helps W h ite, who can now s u pport the e - pawn with f4 : 1 4 . . . c4 1 5 b x c4 Ae6 1 6 tt::l d 2 0-0-0 1 7 md1 g5 1 8 f4 Af8 1 9 'i!?f2 Ae7 2 0 c5 g hf8 2 1 tt::l b 3 ± [1-0] B ryne l l Sanden, [chT] Sweden 1 996.
13 �xd4 An ori g i nal position , in w h i c h Wh ite has q ueen and e - pawn against two rooks. Con sideri n g the closed character of the posi tion , the strength of the black rooks does
1 3 �f3 l eads to an u nclear game: 1 3 . . . Af5 14 �x b7 ! ? Ae4 1 5 �xc7 Axd3 16 cxd3 Axe5 1 7 �b7 g b 8 1 8 �xa6 f3 oo (0-1 ] Ti m m an Short, [ct/9] E l Escorial 1 993.
84
3 . 6 The unconventional 5
. . .
tbe7 (van der Wei d e - Wel ls)
13. . . cxd4 14 tt:Jxf4 �xe5 15 d3 t
a
b
c
d
e
6 5 4
After a sharp series of exchanges we reach an endgame which is critical for the assess ment of the whole variation . As so often i n the Exchange Span i s h , this t i m e Wh ite can claim some advantage o n accou nt of h i s healthy extra pawn , but t h e opposing bishop pair constitutes a considerable hurdle on the way to victory . . .
e d .___a� b�c � g �h� � �-�� � �
1 1 '@e3 11 f4!?
15. . . f!lfl 15 . . . 0-0 16 ge1 (16 £a3 £xf4 17 £xe7 f"fe8 18 £c5 £e5 19
16 tt:Je2 16 ge1 Af6 (16. . . t2Jc6 1 7 a3 f"fe8 18 t2Je2 g5 19
The alternative, wel l worth considering si nce to a l l appearances it g i ves Wh ite the rather better chances. White accepts a sl ight weak ening of his pawn structure, in exchange for space on the kingside.
11. . . r/!xg5 12 fxg5 h6 a) 12 . . . f4 13 tl'lxf4 Ax e5 1 4 d3 0-0 15 tl'lc3 Ad4+ 16 'i!>h1 tl'lf5 17 tl'lfe2 Ag7 18 tl'le4 Ad7 19 Ad2 c5 2 0 tl'lf4 Ac6 2 1 tl'le6 m7 22 tl'lxg7 Axe4 23 d x e4 tl'lxg7 24 gxf7 iixf7 25 m 1 + 'i!;>g8 26 Ac3 ± [0-1 ] Zavgo rod n i y M i khalevski , M oscow [op] 2002 ;
16... tt:JdS 17 tt:Jd2 c5 17 . . . tl'lb4 1 8 Ab2 c5 (18. . . t2Jxc2 19 f"fac 1 tLib4 20 £xd4 £xd4 2 1 f"fxc7+ ±) 1 9 a3 tl'\d5 20 tLle4 b6 ± .
b) 1 2 . . . b6 ! ? 1 3 ge1 c5 1 4 tl'lc3 (14 b3!? ;t seems more flexible to me; White should strive to to develop the queen 's knight to d2 - after £b2,
18 tt:Je4 b 6 19 �d2 �g4 20 tt:J2g3 I t h i n k that ECO's assessment of c l ear wh ite advantage is too opti m i stic. 2 0 . . . Ac7 21 gfe1 a5 22 a4 gad8 23 f3 Ac8 24 ge2 Elde8 25 g ae1 ;!; [1/2-112] N ielse n - Kru ppa, M insk 1 993.
85
3 I l l u strative Games - Theoretical section
13 gxh6 l1xh6 14 l1e1 14 �c3 . As later games have demonstrated , the k n i g ht should m ostly be b rought i nto play via d2. 1 4 . . . g 5 1 5 .E!.e1 ©f7 16 �f2 Ae6 17 d4 ©g6 1 8 �e2 oo %-% I l lescas Cordoba lvanch uk, Dos H ermanas 1 996.
£ca 34 e6+ l1xe6 35 g6+ 1-0 Zavgorod niy Varav i n , M oscow (op) 2002.
14. . . r.!lf7
5
a) 14 . . . b6 15 tbf2 .E!.h5 16 d4 g5 17 �d2 ©f7 1 8 a4 Ae6 1 9 a5 b5 20 .E!.a3 @g6 21 .E!.h3 .E!.xh3 22 t2:1xh3 f4 23 tbe4 Ax h3 24 g x h3 tbf5 25 c3 ± Af8 26 ©f2 Ae7 27 .E!.g1 © h 6 28 b4 E!.f8 29 Ad2 ©h5 30 ©e2 �h4 31 Ae1 �g2 32 ©f3 �e3 33 Af2 �f5
4 3
a
11
. . .
b
c
d
e
g
h
t'hdS 1 2 '@e1
Th reatening 1 3 f4.
12
. . .
'@d4?!
Both q u eens cont i n u e their curious dance. The black q ueen must return to the centre.
12. . . b6!? 1 2 . . . f4 13 f3 �h5 14 �c3 0-0 15 b3 Af5 1 6 tbe4 g5 1 7 Ab2 .E!.ae8 18 �e2 b6 1 9 tbdf2 ± (1-0) van der Wei d e - Ken n au g h , Saint Vin cent 2000.
34 h4 ! By returning his worth less extra pawn, Rausis blasts open the Black defensive ring . 34 . . . �xh4+ 35 Ax h4 © x h 4 36 .E!.g4+ © h 5 3 7 h 4 ! This pretty "deja v u " decides t h e struggle. 3 7 . . . g x h4 3 8 .E!.g7 .E!.e8 39 �f2 Ad8 40 �h3 ©h6 41 .E!.g4 E!.f8 42 .E!.xf4 .E!.xf4+ 43 �xf4 Ag5 44 �e6 Ad2 45 � x c7 Axc3 46 e6 Ax b4 47 �xa6 Ad6 48 t2:lb4 1-0 Rau sis- Gyimes i , D u bai [op) 1 999 ;
13 ttlc3 13 f4 Ab7 14 c4 �el 1 5 c5 0-0-0 1 6 E!.f3 g5 1 7 .E!.g3 �h4 1 8 �f1 g4 1 9 �e1 �d5 2 0 d 4 �e7 2 1 �c4 h5 2 2 .E!. a3 a5 23 �d3 Af8 24 Ad2 �d7 2 5 �c3 �b4 2 6 �e2 0-1 Mas - Nguyen Anh Dung, [chT] Kuala Lumpur 2001 .
b) 14 . . . g5 1 5 �f2 c5 1 6 d 4 ! c x d 4 1 7 Axg5 .E!.e6 1 8 �d3 �g6 19 �d2 � x e5 2 0 �f4 ± [1 -0) Fressi n et - M i khalevski , Saint Vi ncent 2000.
13. . . �b7 14 f3 f!!!d4+ 1S f!!!f2 f!!!xf2+ 16 r.!lxf2 cS 17 titJxdS �xdS 18 ttlf4 1 8 b3 ! ? 0-0-0 (18 c4 19 CZJb2!) 1 9 Ab2 .E!.he8 (19 c4 20 ctJf4) 20 E!.fe1 c4 2 1 �f4 Ah6 22 g3 ± . . . .
. . .
1S ttlf2 gS 16 d3 lihS 17 ttld2 f4 18 g4 l1h8?! (18 ... fxg3! 19 hxg3 g4 �) 19 ttlf3 r.!Jg6 20 r.!lg2 �e6 21 �d2 cs 22 h3 b6 23 ttle4 �h6 24 b3 l1ad8 2S l1h 1 ttlc6 26 �c3 as 27 a4 l1he8 28 l1ae1 l1e7 29 r.!lf2 l1f8 30 h4 �xg4 31 hxgS �g7 32 ttlh4+ r.!Jf7 33 ttlf6
18. . . £f7 19 ttlh3 0-0-0 20 f4 c4! 21 l1d1 h6 22 b3 gS oo [1/2-1/2) Zhang Zhong - Gan gu ly, [chT] Jodhpur 2003.
1 3 thc3 f4 !? 86
3.6 The unconventional 5
8
g
i.
. . .
ti:\e7 (van der Wei d e - Wells)
1 8 . . . cs
h
B l ac k absol utely m ust break u p the wh ite centre.
7
19 �dS! A good solution to the problems of the po sition : Wh ite g ives a pawn back temporari ly and seizes the i n itiative.
4 3
19 . . . c x d4 20 Aa3 l:ie8 2 0 . . _ gd8 2 1 tLif6+ ©h8 22 Ae7 .
21 l:ic1 !
Liberates the black q ueen 's bishop and pre vents a later f2-f4 .
Van der Weide rem ai n s true to the dynam ic styl e and h i g h l i g hts the d ark-sq uare weak nesses in the opposing cam p.
14 �e2 @c4 1 S b3 @xc2 1 6 �exf4 An interesting and important move : because of h i s active p ieces and the rather i nsec u re wh ite knig hts Black has some com pensa tion for the pawn, although here too Wh ite's chances seem to be su perior.
21 . . . @xa2 22 �xc7 ± Ats 22 . . _ gx e5 23 i&b4 gb8 24 i&c4+ © h 8 2 5 Ad6 ± .
2 3 @b4 a s 2 4 @c4+ ©h8 2S . �xe8 l:ixe8 26 @f7 1::1 9 8 27 Ad6 a4 28 e6 @x b3
16 . . . �xf4 16 . . . 0-0 !? 1 7 t2Jxd5 c x d 5 1 8 i&e3 Af5 19 t2Jf4 ;!; _
1 7 �xf4 0-0 17 . . . Af5 1 8 d4 ± [1/2-%] Wiersma- de Vreugt, [chT] Netherlands 2000 (18. cS 19 £e3!) . . .
18 d4 a
b
c
d
h
e
8
6 5 4
29 @x g8+
3
A nice fin ish ; the e - pawn will ru n . e
g
2 9 . . . ©xg8 3 0 l:ic8+ At8 3 1 e 7 1-0
h
87
3 I l lustrative Games - Theoretical section
3.7 U n u s u a l c o n t i n u a t i o n s Z h a n g Z h o n g (2624) Vre u g t (2504)
-
de
Wij k aan Zee 2003 1 e4 e5 2 �f3 �c6 3 Ab5 a6 4 Axc6 dxc6
5. . . f!!Tf6 aggressive b u t very risky ! 5 . . . d6 6 d4 exd4 [6 . . . d6 leads to a variation of the Stei n itz Deferred (4 £a4 d6 5 £xc6+ bxc6 6 d4 f6) with Wh ite h avi n g gained a clear tem p o : 7 1£'ic3 t] 7 1£'ixd4 Ad? 8 1£'ic3 1£'if6 9 Af4 Ae7 1 0 e5 d x e5 11 Axe5 0-0 1 2 'M#f3
4. . . bxc6
1 2 . . . c5 13 1£'ic6 Axc6 14 'M#xc6 'M#d7 1 5 1/f#x d7 1£'ixd7 1 6 Axe? Af6 1 7 Aa5 E:ab8 18 b3 ± [1-0] I l l escas Cordoba - G ueneau, [chT] France 1 991 . 6 d4 exd4 7 �xd4 �b7 8 �c3 0-0-0 9 fib1 !
This way of recapturing has someth ing in its favou r from the point of view of the pawn structure , since it strengthens B lack's cen tre, and meanwh i l e the b l ac k e -pawn is sti l l taboo. And yet B lack fal l s considerably be hind in development, so that Wh ite can count on a clear advantage.
5 0-0 a) 5 d 4 . This natural and sen s i b l e move is Soltis's recom mendat i o n , lead i n g to the fol lowi n g variations : 5 . . . exd4 6 'M#xd 4 , and now: 6 . . . d6 7 0-0 1£'if6 8 1£'ic3 Ae6 9 Ag5 Ae7 10 'M#a4 ;
A very strong plan : the German G M Thomas Luther prepares the advance of the b - pawn ; i n many cases B lack w i l l be faced w ith a4 and b5 open ing u p the l i nes; in add ition this move is prophylaxis agai nst a later . . . c5. 9. . . �e7 9 . . . c5 1 0 1£'ib3 ± . 10 b4 d5?!
6 . . . 'M#f6 7 'M#d3 ! [7 e5 'M#g6 8 0-0 Ab 7 9 e6 ? (9 £!.d1 ! ;;!;) 9 . . . fxe6 1 0 1£'ie5 'M#x g2+ 1 1 <;!;ixg2 c5+] ; 6 . . . c5 7 'M#d3 1£'ie7 8 1£'ic3 1£'ig6 9 Ae3 Ae7 10 0-0-0 d6 11 1£'id5 t .
b) 5 1£'ixe5 ? ! would b e weak i n view o f 'M#g5 .
88
3 . 7 U nusual continuations (Zhang Zhong - d e Vreugt)
Now the weakness of the c5 square g ives Wh ite a clear advantage. (o 10. . . CLig6; 10 . . . g5!?) . 11 �e3U ± f!!Tg 6 12 e 5 tt:Jt5 1 3 tt:Jxf5 f!!Txf5 14 �d4 h5 15 tt:Ja4
6 d4 exd4 7 �g5
[1 -0] Luther- Krasen kow, Ti lburg 1 994. s o-o Ae7 a
8
.i.
b
c
d
e
h
Herein l ies Black's problem ; the black queen loses time, while the bishop exerts u n pleas ant pressu re from g 5 . 7 e5 W i t h t h i s l ively m o v e we take a t r i p b a c k i nto the romantic age, which proves that the Exchange Variation with 5 0-0 is by no means new. 5 . . . �g6 8 tl:lxd4 Ah3 9 �f3 Ag4 1 0 �g3 0-0-0 1 1 c3 Ac5 1 2 Ae3 tl:le7 13 h3 Axd4 14 Axd4 h5 15 h x g4 h xg4 16 f3 �d3 17 �x g4+ tl:lf5 1 8 tl:la3 gxd4 1 9 cxd4 gh4 20 �g5 �x d4+ 21 gf2 �xe5 22 f4 �e4 23 tl:lc2 f6 24 �g6 g h 6 25 �f7 b6 26 ge1 tl:lg3 27 �e8+ � b7 28 me2 (28 l!.f3 was a bit better.) 28 . . . gh1 + 0-1 Schal lopp - Harmonist, Fran kfu rt 1887 . 7. . . f!!Tg6 7 . . . �d6 8 tl:lxd4 (8 W#xd4 also comes into consideration: 8. . . W#xd4 9 CLixd4 £d7 1 0 CLic3 £e7 1 1 .£xe7 CLixe7 12 l!.ad 1 c5 13 CLide2 .£c6 14 tiJf4 0-0 1 S l!.d2 l!.fd8 16 l!.fd1 l!.xd2 17 l!.xd2 'i!?f8 18 f3 l!.c8 19
7 6 5
5
4
4
3
3
A rare but (at l east so far) u n refuted move. B lack plans a set-up with . . . Af6 and . . . l!i)e7g6, d i rected agai nst Wh ite's d4.
[a] 5. . . f!!Tf6 A very old and qu ite playable move but, with correct play by Wh ite, B l ac k ends up again in the "typically u n p l easant" endgame with the i nferior pawn structu re , i n which B lack no longer holds the trump-card of the bishop pai r.
89
3 I l l ustrative Games - Theoretical section
8 . . Ae7 9 Axe? tDxe7 10 tDc3 Ad? 11 tDb3 �xd 1 12 l'fax d 1 0-0-0 13 /fLJd2 b6 14 tDc4 Ae6 15 tDe3 ;!; .
[c] S. . . f!!!e 7 ..---,--..,.....-...,...-,...-=--::--.--�
L.::::::;�:::J.=::=.:::....i:...--i.;=-o..=..:'---1 �
A strange - looking q u een m ove, played by Smyslov a couple of times without success and these d ays forgotten . I nteresting ly, this cont i n u ation is n ot as bad as it looks, and the path to a wh ite advantage is i n n o way trivial ! 6 d4 As i n many other l i nes, W h ite should defi n itely open the game, to p u n ish the u nfor tunate b l ac k set-up (otherwise B l ac k would continue with . . . Ag4 and 0-0-0). 6. . . exd4 7 f!!!xd4 7 tDx d4 Ad? 8 tDc3 0-0-0 is q u ite playable for Black: 9 �f3 g 6 10 Ae3 Ag? 11 tDb3 tDh6 12 �g3 tll g 4 13 Ac5 �e6 14 Ad4 Axd4 15 tDxd4 �d6 1 6 E!.ad1 �xg3 1 7 h x g 3 = [1/2-%] Zhang Zhong - Kakageldyev, [chT] Jodhpur 2003.
[1/2-%] Fress i n et - Adams, Bordeaux [rapid] 2000.
8 f!!!xd4 �d6 9 t;)bd2 cS 10 f!!!c3 �g4 11 �h4 t;Jh6 12 l1fe1 b6 13 es �f8 14 e6 �xe6 1S t;Jd4 �d6 16 4lxe6 fxe6 17 f!!!f3 'i!Jd7 18 t;Jc4 l1ab8 19 l1ad1 t;Jf7 20 �g3 f!!!f6 21 f!!!a 3 as 22 t;Jes+ 4lxeS 23 �xeS f!!/g6 24 f!!!a4+ 'i!le7 2S f!!!c 6 libd8 26 �xd6+ cxd6 27 l1d2 l1d7 28 f!!!x b6 ± [V2-V2] Wiers m a - Sokolov, Amsterdam [op] 2000. [b] S. . . �e6?
z . �g4 7 . . . �f6 ! Th is seems to be a relatively better black try and is hardly investigated yet. It is notewor thy that here the " usual" tries do not seem to bri ng Wh ite any particular advantage. It was Jeroen Bosch who fi rst drew attention to this in New in Chess Magazine 3/2003 . It is en tirely baffl ing to me that i n his "SOS-Article " (Secrets of open i n g su rprises) Bosch also recommends the obviously weaker m ove 5 . . . Ae6 ? . After t h e open i n g o f t h e game Black now wants to exchange queens thou g h , in com parison with the M a i n Line 5 . . . f6, h e has avoided this self-same weake n i n g pawn .
is simply bad , since Black not only loses the bishop pair, but must also accept an isolated e -pawn i nto the bargai n .
6 t;JxeS f!!!d4 7 t2Jf3 f!!!xe4 8 4lgS f!!!fS 9 t;Jxe6 fxe6 10 d3 0-0-0 11 t2Jc3 t2Jf6 12 f!!!e2 �cs 13 �d2 ± [1-0] Estrada N ieto Rad u lski , Dos Hermanas [op] 2002 .
90
3 . 7 Un usual continuations (Zhang Zhong - d e Vreugt)
move, as wel l as . . . c5 (a square for the wh ite kn ight on d 5 !) . To take advantage of the vul nerable position of the black q u een , here Wh ite should avoid the exchange.
11 'll# b 3 .E! b8 1 2 e6 fxe6 13 .E!e1 with a dan gerous attack.] 9 . . . Axf3 ! 10 'll# x b7 .E!d8 11 g xf3 'll# x f3 12 'll#x c6+ .E!d7 13 tt::l d 2 (13 '/f!fc3 '/f!fg4+ 14 '/f!fg3 '/f!fx e4 15 CLic3 '/f!fx c2 1 6 J3e 1+ tLJe7 oo 1 7 .ilg5 '/f!fg 6 18 J3ad 1 J3xd 1 19 J3xd1 f6 20 .ilf4 c6 2 1 .ilc7
8 'll#e3 !? My new and so far u ntested suggestion ! I real ly l i ke h av i n g the wh ite q u een here, since she h i nders Black's development, but we keep the e - pawn o n e4 . The poss i b l e queen sal ly to a7 makes l ater q u eenside cast l i n g u n appetizing for Black, and mean while the dark-sq uared bishop can not move to either c5 or d6.
c) 8 e5. On p ri n c i p l e , the early advance of the e - pawn is strateg ically very com pro m i s i n g , since Black gets play o n the l i g ht squares and the pawn itself is freq uently p rone to become weak. Overa l l the entire wh ite pawn-formation l oses flex i b i l ity. Here h owever Wh ite d i sposes of rapid develop m ent and the d -fi l e : 8 . . . 'll#g 6 9 Ag5 Ae6 10 .E!d1 Ae7 (10. . . t2Je7 1 1 ttJc3 h6 12 .ilh4 '/f!fx c2 13 J3d3 g5 14 CLie 1) 11 Axe? tt::l x e7 oo 1 2 'll# b 4 b6.
Since this is a l l very i nteresting new terri tory that m i g ht attract many adventu rous black- players, I shal l provide some analysis material o n other cont i n u ations as a sti m u lus:
8 . . . Ag4 (8. . . CLie7!?) 9 tl\bd2 tt::l e7 (9. . 0-0-0 ? 10 '/f!fa 7) 1 0 h3 Ah5 1 1 .E!b1 !? 'll#e6 1 2 b3 ± .
a) 8 'l/#xf6 et:Jxf6 9 Af4 ! ? should g ive Wh ite some advantage accord i n g to Soltis and Dvoretsky, but I am not convi nced : 9 . . . Ae6 ! Bosch 1 0 et:Jbd2 (10 £xc7 t2Jxe4 1 1 J3e 1 f!?d7!? (1 1. . . £d6 12 .ilxd6 tfJxd6 13 tfJg5 t e.g. 13. . . 0-0-0 14 CLixe6 J3he8 15 tLJd2 J3xe6 16 J3xe6 fxe6 1 7 J3e 1 ttJf5 18 t2Je4 ttJd4 19 c3 CLie2+ 20
.
8 .l.f4!
b) 8 'll#a 4 Ag4 9 'll# b 3 ! ? was m y "fi rst fa vorite" ; surprising ly, however, Black can take on f3 :
This idea from Bed narski seems the best way for Wh ite to prove an advantage Wh ite cal m ly exped ites his d evelopment, without worrying about the doubled pawn on f3 .
[9 e5 'll# f5 ! This l ively move g iven by Bosch in New in Chess Magazine looks good : 10 tt::l b d2 (10 ttJd4 'lf!fg 6! oo 1 1 f3 .ilh3 12 J3f2 0-0-0 13 CLic3 CLie714 .ile3 ttJf5 15 t;Jxf5 .ilxf5; 10 . . . '/f!fx e5 1 1 t2Jxc6 .ild7 12 CLixe5 £.xa4 13 J3e 1 CLie7 14 b3 t) 10 . . . 'll#g 6!? oo, and now tt::lg 5 is no longer possible! Also playable seems 10 . . . 0-0-0 11 h3 Axf3 1 2 et:Jxf3 Ac5 oo .
8 �xf3 8 . . . .E!d8 9 'll#e 3 h6 1 0 tt::l c 3 g 5 ? ! 1 1 Ag3 tt::lf6 1 2 .E!ad1 .E!xd1 13 .E!xd1 Ag? 14 'll#a 7 Ac8 15 'll# b 8 ± [1-0) Schneider- Pachman, Reg gio nel l ' Em i l i a 1 975/76 . 9 gxf3 t;)f6 10 ti)c3 ti)h5 11 .l.g3 . . .
I n com parison , the much q u oted 9 . . . 'll#g 6 ? ! seems weaker: 1 0 tt::l g 5 ! ± (G i psl is) 1 0 . . . Af5
This position has been reached repeated ly; the resu lts are pretty catastrophic for Black.
91
3 I l l u strative Games - Theoretical section
Wh ite will gain control of the d -file and sub seq uently after the sooner o r later u n avo i d a b l e exchange o n g 3 , he w i l l expand i n the centre by e5 , f4 and 1£1e4 , w hic h prom ises some advantage.
8 El,e1 �g6 9 1£\e5 �f5 10 d4 Ae6 11 1£\c3 0-0-0 1 2 1£\e4 h5 13 c3 h4 oo [0-1 ) van der Weid e - So kolov, [ch] N etherlands, Rotter dam 1 998.
6 . . . At6 7 We2
11. . . l1d8 1 1 . . . 1£\xg3 1 2 h x g 3 �c5 1 3 El,ad1 �xd4 1 4 El,xd4 Ac5 1 5 El,d3 ± plan n i n g El,fd 1 , e5 , f4, 1£\e4 . . .
12 @!re3 �xg3 13 hxg3 r!fc5 13 . . . �e6 14 El,ad1 El,xd1 1 5 El,xd1 ± [1-0] Dvoretsky -Arencibia, Terrassa [op] 1 996.
14 l1ad1 r!fxe3 15 l1xd8+ f!lxd8 16 l1d1+ f!lc8 1 6 . . . ©e? 1 7 fxe3 g6 1 8 e5 ©e6 1 9 El,d8 ! ©xe5 2 0 El,e8+ @f6 2 1 El,b8 @e6 2 2 1£\e4 b6 23 El,e8+ ©d7 24 1£\f6+ ©d6 2 5 e4 c5 2 6 e5+ ©c6 27 f4 h5 28 ©g2 Ag7 2 9 El,e7 Axf6 30 exf6 El,d8 31 El,xf7 El,d7 32 El,g7 ©d6 33 f7 1-0 Brynel l - Hector, Gothenburg 1 996.
Now we enter uncharted territory. The imag i native Chi nese tactician presents an attrac tive concept - the rapid open ing of the centre with d2-d4.
17 fxe3 g6 18 e5 £g7 19 f4 f6 20 exf6 .l.xf6 21 e4 h5 22 f!lg2 Thus beg ins the tri u m phal entry of the wh ite king !
1
. . .
Ae6
Now for a few suggestions, which i n the ab sence of p ractical examples w i l l have to be analysed from scratch . I n several variations we shal l see the man ifold tactical resources p rovided by the advance of the wh ite d pawn t o d 4 :
22. . . £xc3 23 bxc3 b5 24 e5 a5 25 @h3 b4 26 f!lh4 l1e8 27 @g5 l1e6 28 f!lh6
fa]
z . . £g4
8 h3
8 1£\d1 ! (Zhang Zhong) 8 . . . !£\el 9 1£\e3 Axf3 1 0 �xf3 .
8. . . £h5 8 . . . Axf3 9 �xf3 !£\el 10 d3 ;\; .
9 l1d1 �e7? 10 g4 £g6 11 d4! 1 1 g 5 ? ! Ah5 1 2 g xf6 tDg6 is less cl ear.
1-0 Dvoretsky - Smyslov, [ch] Odessa 1 974 .
11. . . exd4 12 e5.
6 tilc3 !? [b]
6 1£\xe5. This recommendation of Fischer and Soltis does n ot seem to l ead to the hoped -for advantag e : 6 . . . �d4 7 1£\f3 �xe4
Z . . �e7
8 d4! exd4 9 e5 £h4 10 l1d1
10 1£\xh4 d x c3 11 Ag5 �d7 .
10. . . £g4 11 r!re4
92
3 . 7 Unusual continuations (Zhang Zhong - d e Vreugt)
11 h3 Axf3 1 2 '®'xf3 !£lg6 13 '®'e4 .
1 3 .!"l.fe1 .!"l.e8 1 4 '®'e4 , and Wh ite steers for the safe h aven of the d raw. [However, with 14 c4 W h ite could h ave m ad e a game of it : 14 c4 !? '®'d7 (or 14 . . . tWc6 15 d4 cxd4 16 tWd3) 1 5 '®'e3] 1 4 . . . '®'xe4 1 5 .!"!.xe4 Axe5 1 6 .!"l.xe5 .!"l.xe5 17 tl:ixe5 tl:ih6 18 .!"l.e1 .!"l.d8 19 tl:if3 1/2-1/2 Babu l a - Adams, [echT] Rethymnon 2003. 10 �a4! r!!fd6 11 �a3 b6 12 d4!
11 . . . �xf3 12 r!!fxf3 �g6 13 r!!fe4 c5 13 . . . '®'e7 14 .!"l.xd4 0-0 15 g3 ± .
14 r!!fxbl 0-0 15 f4 t. [c] 7. c5!? 8 �d5 �e6 9 �xf6+ �xf6 ..
9 . . '®'xf6 1 0 h3! prevents the annoying . . . Ag4 and sets a n asty trap. : 1 0 . . . !£le7 ? ! (10. . . h6 1 1 \We3 b6 12 \Wc3) 11 d4 ! exd4 (1 1. . . cxd4 12 £g5 \Wg6 13 £xe7
9 Aa3 ! a
b
c
d
..
h
e
8 7 6 5
5
4
4 3
A surprising trapping of the queen !
9
10 d3 r!!fd6
Playing with fire ; Zhang Zhong does not hes itate n ow. 9 . . . 0-0 10 d 4 ! exd4 11 e5 Axe5 [11 . . . Ah4 !? 12 .!"l.ad1 (12 CZJxh4 dxc3 13 l1ad1 tWeB 14 f4) 12 . . . Ag4 13 h3 Axf3 14 '®'xf3 .!"l.e8 15 Ac5] 1 2 '®'xe5 d xc3 13 .!"l.ad1 ; 9 . . . !£lg6 ! ? d efi n itely looks B l ack's best : 1 0 '®'e3 !?
1 0 . . . !£ld7 1 1 !£lg5.
1 1 �gs t plan n i ng f4.
8 b3! 8 .!"l.d1 is n o w l ess effective: 8 . . . c5 a n d t h e kn ight sortie t o d5 doesn 't work now.
8
. . .
. . .
g5
1 0 d4!
�e7
a
b
c
d
e
8 . c5 . .
A solid move, stopping any wh ite ideas of d2-d4, and the choice of M ic h ael Adams i n the only game i n which h e experi mented with 5 . . . Ae7 .
6
9 �b2 �e7
5
5
4
4 3
a) 9 . . . b 6 ? ! 10 !£ld5 ! Axd5 11 e x d 5 �xd5 1 2 Ax e5 ± ; b) 9 . . . '®'d6!? 1 0 tl:id5 (10 CZJd1 !? CZJe7 1 1 CZJe3) 1 0 . . . Axd5 1 1 e x d 5 '®'x d 5 1 2 Axe5 0-0-0
a
93
e
g
3 I l l ustrative Games - Theoretical section
The classic blow i n the centre i n reaction to a (premature) flan k attack.
1 4 . . . g3 1 5 h x g 3 Axf2+ 1 6 �xf2 �cs 1 7 tl'ic5 ± .
10 . . . 94
1 s Wc2 �h3+
10 . . . exd4 11 e5 Ag7 12 tl'ie4 g4 13 tl'ifg 5 , Zhang Zhong .
8
1 1 liad1 ! exd4
I.
7
1 1 . . . g xf3 1 2 �xf3 Ag5 1 3 d x e5 �cs 14 �g3 ± .
1 2 �xd4 .txd4 1 3 �a4 !
6
A d esperate cou nter-attack, wh ich w i l l be beaten off without any g reat d ifficu lty.
5
1 6 g x h3 g x h3 17 lid3! lig8+ 18 ©h1 Wh4 1 9 cxd4 Wxe4+ 20 f3 + - Wh4 20 . . . �g6 2 1 E:d2. a
b
c
d
e
g
21 �cs 0-0-0 22 �xe6 lig2
h
22 . . . fxe6 23 �e2 .
The point of White's concept : the d4-bishop will be lost, after which Black will be left with a shattered position .
23 Wes ! As Zhang Zhong showed , at this point there l ay a treacherous trap for the u nwary: 23 gd2 gdgS 24 gfd1 ?? gg1 + 25 gxg1 gxg1 + 26 'i!>xg1 �e1 # .
1 3 . . . �g6 13 . . . g3 !? a typical "computer-move" . 14 'i!>h1 !?
23 . . . lidg8
a) 14 hxg3?! ggs 1 5 c3 Ag4 ;
23 . . . fxe6 2 4 �e7 .
b) 1 4 gxd4 ! �xd4 15 Ab2 g x h2+ (15. . . gxf2+ 16 l'Ixf2 V/fd6 17 .flxhB 0-0-0 18 .flf6) 1 6 'i!>h1 �d6 17 Ax h S 0-0-0 1S Af6 gd7 oo , Zhang Zhong .
24 Wes fxe6 2S .tc1 ©b8 26 lidd1 lif8 27 .te3 lixa2 28 Wxe6 WhS 29 dS lie8 30 d x c6 ! lie2 31 Wh6 WfS 32 Wgs We6 33 lid8+ 1-0
14 c3 ± �f4
94
4 Index of Variations with key positions 3. I l lustrative Games - Theoretical section 3 . 1 The classical 5 . .f 6 6 d4 exd4 .
3.1 . 1 1
The traditional 6 . . . exd4 7 �xd4 cS 8 �b3
e4 es 2 �f3 �c6 3 Abs a6 4 Axc6 d xc6 [ p. 2 6 ] 4 . . . b x c6 5 0 - 0 [ 5 d4] (see Unusual continuations p. 109)
5 0-0! 8
[ p. 26]
I.
7 6 5
5
4
4
3
3 2
5
f6 6 d4 exd4 7 �xd4 cS [ p. 2 7 ] a) 7 . . . ffiJe7 ; b ) 7 . . . A d 6 [ p. 2 7 ]
. . .
8 � b3
[ p. 27]
95
[ p. 2 5 1
@
4 I ndex of Variations with key positions
[ p. 27]
8 . . . �xd1 9 Hxd1 Ag4
[ p. 27]
[a] 9 ... �d6?! 10 �a5!
[b] 9. �d7 10 �c3 0-0-0 11 �f4 . .
a) 1 1 . . . g5
[ p. 2 8 ]
[ p. 2 8 ]
b ) 1 1 . . . Re8 ?!
[ p. 2 8 ]
[c] 9. . . �e6 1 0 �f4
[ p. 2 8 ]
[ p. 2 9 ]
10 t 3 Ad7
1 0... �e6?! 11 �f4!?
[ p. 2 9 ]
a) 1 1 C2Jc3 1 1 Ae3 b 6 1 3 a 4
[ p. 2 9 ]
b ) 1 1 . Ae3 b 6 1 2 a 4 C2Je7 ! 1 3 Af4 c 4
11 . . . c4 12 �d4 0-0-0 13 �c3 14 f1xd4 a) 1 3 . . . Ac5
[ p. 2 9 ]
b) 1 3 . . . C2Jf7
[ p. 3 0 ]
1 1 At4 0-0 -0 1 2 �c3 c4 1 2 . . . Ae6
13 �a5!
[ p. 32 ]
[ p. 32 ] [ p. 32 ]
14 . . . Ab4?
15 C2Jd5
[ p. 31 ]
[ p. 31 ]
14 'i!?h1
15 a4!?
[ p. 2 9 ]
[ p. 31 ]
1 3 . . . Acs+ 14 �f1
14 . . . bS
[ p. 2 9 ]
[ p. 32 ]
[ p. 32 ] [ p. 32 ]
96
[ 3 . 1 The classical 5 . f6 6 d4 exd4 ] . .
[ p. 36]
3. 1 .2 The second string 8 �e2!?
8 . . . �xd1 9 Hxd1 Ad7 1 0 �bc3 0-0-0 11 Ae3 He8 [a] 11. . . iJ.d6?! 12 iJ.f4!
[ p. 37 ]
[b] 11. .. b6 12 �f4 [ p. 37 ]
12 Hd2 Ac6 1 2 . . f5
[ p. 37 ]
.
[ p. 38 ]
13 Had1 b6 14 f3 a
[ p. 36]
b
c
d
..
e
8
8
7 6 5
5
4
4
3
3
14 �f4 �h6 15 �fd5
[ p. 38]
14 . . . �e7 1 5 �f4 �96 1 6 �h5 1 6 tbcd 5 ! ?
16 . . . �e5 17 b3
[ p. 39]
[ p. 39 ] [ p. 39]
97
[ p. 36]
4 I ndex of Variations with key positions
3.2 The active 5 . f6 6 d4 Ag4 . .
[ p. 42 ]
7 c3 !
7 dxe5
[ p. 42 ]
7 . . . Ad6 [ p. 42 ] 7. . . exd4 8 cxd4 f!!!d7 [ p. 42 ] a) 8 . . . Axf3 ? ! 9 �xf3 �x d4 1 0 gd1 �c4 1 1 Af4 [ p . 42 ] b) 8 . . . c5 9 �b3 ! cxd4 1 0 e5 !? Axf3 1 1 �xf3 [ p. 43] 8 Ae3 �e7 [ p. 43 ] 8. . f!!!e 7 9 �bd2 0-0-0 [ p. 43 ] a) 9 . . . exd4 10 cxd4 0-0-0 1 1 �c2 ge8 1 2 e5 Ab4 1 3 h3 b) 9 . . . tt:lh6 1 0 tt:lc2 tt:lf7 1 1 c4 ! exd4 12 tt:lxd4 c5 1 3 tt:lb3 10 dxe5!? [ p. 44 ] 10 �c2 [ p. 44 ] a) 10 . . . �f7 [ p. 44] b) 1 0 . . . ge8 ? ! [ p. 44 ] [ p. 44] c) 1 0 . . . exd4 10... fxe5 11 b4 �f6 12 f!!!c2 [ p. 45 ] .
a .. .l
1 2 a4 ? !
[ p. 45 ]
98
[ p. 44] [ p. 44]
[ 3 .2 The active 5 . f6 6 d4 11.g4 ] . .
9
[ p. 46 ]
dxe5!?
9 1'Jbd2 r!!d7
[ p. 46]
a) 9 . . . 0-0 1 0 '&b3+ ©h8 1 1 h3 (1 1 'f#xb 7) 1 1 . . . £h5 1 2 d x e5 fxe5 1 3 tbg5 b) 9 . . . tbg6 1 0 '&b3 '&c8 1 1 c4 (1 1 dxe5) 1 1 . . . exd4 12 tbxd4 c5 1 3 Ltlf5 c) 9 . . '&c8 1 0 tbc4 0-0 1 1 d xe5 £xe5 12 Cl'lcx e5 fxe5 1 3 '&b3+ .
10 dxe5 (10 h3 Le6 1 1 c4] 10. . . fxe5 11 h3 �e6 12 1'Jg5 [1 2 '&e2] 9 . . . fxe5
10 h3 Lh5 11 c4 ! c5 1 2 b4! b6
1 2 . . . Cl'lc6
[ p. 47 ]
13 bxc5 bxc5 14 �bd2 0-0
8
.I
[ p. 47 ]
[ p. 48 ]
8
7
2
99
[ p. 46] [ p. 47 ]
[ p. 46] [ p. 46]
4 I ndex of Variations with key positions
3.3 The ambitious 5 . . . Wd6 3.3.1 Romanishin's 6 . . . �e6 5 . . . �d6 6 clL)a3!
[ p. 50]
6 d3 f6 7 Ae3 Ag4 8 t2Jbd2
6 . . . �e6 7 d4!?
[ p. 50]
[ p. 50]
7 b3 �e7 8 �c4 �g6 9 d4
[ p . 51 ]
7 . . . Axa3 (7 . exd4) 8 bxa3 exd4 9 �xd4 clL)f6 1 0 i.b2 0-0 1 1 E!fe1 . .
3.3.2 The principled 6
. . .
b5
6 . . . b5 7 c3 c5 8 clL)c2
8
i.
7 6 5 4 3
100
[ p. 51 ]
[ 3 . 3 The ambitious 5 . . �d6 ] .
a
...
[ p. 52 )
Ab7
[a] 8 . A le7 9 a4 IIbB (9 . . . Ab?) [ p. 52 ) 10 axbS axbS 11 d4 cxd4 ( 1 1 . . . �g6) 12 cxd4 exd4 13 tiJcxd4 cS ( 1 3 . . . �g6 ? !) 14 tiJxbS! [ p. 53 ) .
[b] 8 . c4!? 9 b3 f6 10 bxc4 bxc4 11 �a3 �c6 12 �xfB ( 1 2 �e5) 12 (13 �e2) 13. . . cxd3 14 �xd3 t [ p. 53) . .
t!JxfB 13 d4
[ p. 53)
[c] 8 ... f6 9 a4 �b7 10 axbS �xe4 9
. • .
[ p. 54)
He1
9 d4!? cxd4 10 cxd4 exd4 11 tiJfxd4 tiJe7 (11 . 0-0-0 1 2 b4 !) 12 f3 cS 13 tiJb3 .
9 . . . �e7
[a] 9
.
[ p. 54)
...
IIdB 10 a4 �e7!?
[ p. 54 ] [ p. 54)
a) 1 0 . . . �f6 1 1 ax b5 a x b5 1 2 d 4 ! �xe4 �xe5 b) 1 0 . . . c4 1 1 ax b4 axb4 1 2 �a3 ! �f6 13 �xb5
[ p. 54 )
c) 1 0 . . . �e7 1 1 axb5 a x b5 12 d4 cxd4 1 3 cxd4
[ p. 54 )
d) 1 0 . . . b4 ? ! 1 1 �e2 !
[ p. 55)
11 axbS axbS 12 �e2 [1 2 d4 !?]
[ p. 5 5 )
[b] 9
. . .
tiJf6 10 d4 cxd4 11 cxd4 tiJxe4 12 a4
[ p. 55)
[c] 9
...
0-0-0 10 a4 b4 11 tiJe3 �e6 12 �e2
[ p. 5 5 )
[ p. 5 6 )
10 a 4 a
8
.I.
b
c
d
•
e
7
4 3
3 2
a
10
. . •
c4
b
c
d
e
[ p. 56)
[a] 10... tiJg6 11 axbS axbS 12 IIxaB+ �xaB 13 d4!
[ p. 56)
[b] 10. . . b4 11 tiJe3 (11 c x b4 !?) 11 ... �xe4 12 t1Jc4 �dS 13 tiJcxeS 1 1 a x b5 a x b5 1 2 Hxa8+ Axa8 1 3 �a3! c6 14 b3!
101
[ p. 56)
[ p. 56)
[ p. 54)
4 I ndex of Variations with key positions
3.3.3 The flexible 6 . . . .aes
[ p. 58]
7 �e2 f6
7 . . . tDe7 8 tDc4
8 Etd1
8
. . .
[ p. 58]
[ p. 5 8 ]
0-0-0
[ p. 58]
[a] 8 ... �g4 9 d4! exd4 10 c3! 0-0-0
[ p. 58]
a) 1 0 . . . ttJe7 ? ! 1 1 h3 Axf3 12 '§'xf3 tDg6 1 3 cxd4 Ae7 1 4 ttJc4 '§'e6 1 5 d 5 ! °§'f7 16 Af4 !? ;t; [ p. 59] b) 1 0 . . . '§'e6 ? ! 1 1 tDxd4 ! Ax e2 1 2 tDxe6
[ p. 59]
c) 1 0 . . . c5 1 1 h3 (11 tDc2) 1 1 . . . Axf3 (11 . . . Ah5 ?!) 1 2 °§'xf3 ;!;
11 f1xd4 r!!!e 7 12 f1xd8+ ( 1 2 tDc4 !)
[ p. 59 ]
1 02
[ p. 59]
[ 3 . 3 The ambitious 5
[b] 8. . . c5 9 c3 �g4
. . .
'i:Wd6 )
[ p. 59 ]
a) 9 . . . 0-0-0 1 0 d4 cxd4 1 1 cxd4 exd4 1 2 .!3xd4
[ p. 60 ]
b) 9 . . . 'f/Jc6 1 0 d4 cxd4 1 1 cxd4 Axa3 1 2 b x a3 Ac4 1 3 'f/Je1 !? (13 'f/Je3) c) 9 . . . .!'!dB 1 0 d4 cxd4 1 1 cxd4 c5 12 d5 b5 1 3 Ae3
10 h3 �xf3
[ p. 60]
[ p. 60]
( p. 60 ]
1 0 . . . Ah5 11 d4 cxd4 1 2 cxd4 exd4 a) 1 3 tl:lb5 ! b} 1 3 g4
[ p. 60 ] [ p. 60 ]
11. r!'!xf3 �e7 (11 . . . 'f/Je6 ? !) 12 d4! cxd4 13 cxd4 exd4 14 �f4 [c] 8. . . g5?! 9 d4 g4 10 �e1 0-0-0 11 �e3 9 d4
[ p. 61 ]
( p. 62 ]
9 tl:lc4 'f!Je7 1 0 d3 'f/Jf7 1 1 Ad2 g5 1 2 b4
9 . . . Ag4
[ p. 60]
[ p. 62 ]
[ p. 62 ]
9 . . . exd4 ?! 1 0 .!3xd4 'f!Je7 1 1 Af4 !
10 Ae3 1!!fe 6
[ p. 62 ]
[ p. 62 ]
10. . . exd4 11 f1xd4 r!'!e7 12 f1xd8+ ( 1 2 tl:lc4)
[ p. 62 ]
1 1 dxe5 llxd1+ (11 . . . .!'!eB) 1 2 1!!fx d1 !? ( 1 2 .!3xd1 } 1 2 . . . Axa3 1 3 bxa3 fxe5 (13 . . . tl:le?) 14 �g5! [ p. 63 ]
1 03
4 I ndex of Variations with key positions
3.4 The natural 5 . . . J,d6
6 5 4
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
if
[ p. 64 ]
6 d4 exd4 7 �xd4 f6 8 Ae3 l!Ue7 (8 . . . Ae6) 9 l!ilbd2 Ae6
6 5 4 3
a
10 �c3
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
if
[ p. 65 ]
[a] 10 lifd1 0-0
[ p. 65 ]
a) 10 . . . t2Jg6 1 1 t2Jc4 Axc4 (11 . . . Ae7) 1 2 �xc4 �e7 13 l'!d4 (13 a4 !?) b) 1 0 . . . c5 1 1 �c3 b6 1 2 t2Jc4 0-0 13 l'!d2 c) 10 . . . �d7 11 t2Jc4 l'!d8 1 2 �c3 0-0 13 Af4
[ p. 65 ]
[ p. 65 ] [ p . 65 ]
11 4:lc4 ( 1 1 �c3) 11 . . . �b4 ( 1 1 . . . Ax h 2 + ? !) 12 a3 f!!Txd4 13 tll xd4 �xc4 14 axb4 t [ p. 66] [b] 10 11ad1 tllg 6 (10 . . . 0-0) 11 tll c4 (11 �c3 ! ?) 11. . . �xc4 (11 . . . Ab4) 12 f!!Txc4 f!!Te 7 13 11fe1 [ p. 67 ] [c] 10 tll c4 ? �xh2+ 11 f!lxh2 f!!Txd4 12 tll xd4 �xc4 +
104
[ p. 68]
[ 3 . 5 The agg ressive 5 . . . Ag4 ]
[ p. 68 ]
10 . . . 0 - 0
1 0 . . . t2Jg6 !? 1 1 tLld4 [11 tLlc4] "f!Je7 1 2 tDxe6 "f/Jxe6 1 3 "f/Jb3 [ p. 69 ]
1 1 �c4 .txc4
[ p. 69 ]
1 1 . . . "f/Je8 1 2 tLlxd6 cxd6 13 "f/Jb4
12 Wxc4+ «i!?h8 1 3 Elad1 Wea 14 .tc5 .txc5 1 5 Wxc5 ;!;
My recommendation for Black!
3.5 The aggressive 5 . . Ag4 .
6 h3 h5! a
[ p. 71 ] b
c
d
7 6 5 4
2
a
b
c
d
e
f
a) 6 . . . Ah5 ? ! ; b) 6 . . . Axf3 ? !
7 d3 Wt6 a �bd2 8 �e3!?
[ p. 68]
g
h
'Li'
[ p. 71 ]
[ p. 72 ]
[ p . 72 ]
A finesse to reach a favourable version of the main line!
1 05
[ p. 69 ]
4 I ndex of Variations with key positions
8. . �xf3 9 r!fxf3 r!fxf3 10 gxf3 �d6 11 �d2 a) 11 'i!>h1 [ p. 72 ] .
b) 11 'i!>g2
[ p. 72 ]
[ p. 73 ] [ p. 73 ]
11. . . �e7 12 �c4
(compare with the main line deviation 12 . £d6 ?!) . .
8
a) 1 2 !'l.fb1
[ p. 73 ]
b) 1 2 'i!>h2
[ p. 74 ]
12. . . f6 13 f4!
[ p. 74 ]
. . .
[ p. 77 ]
[ p. 75 ]
�e7 9 �c4 !?
[a] 9 l1e1 �g6 10 d4 (10 h x g 4 ?) 10. . . �f4!
[ p. 75 ]
1 0 . . . Ad6 1 1 h xg4 h x g4 1 2 tbh2 El.x t l 2 13 '/;\llx g 4 !
[ p. 75 ]
11 dxe5 1 1 hxg4 h x g 4 1 2 g3 g xf3 1 3 '/;\llx f3 tbe6 14 d x e5 '/;\ll h 6 ! 1 5 tbb3 g 5 ! 1 6 Ae3 '/;\ll h 3 ! a) 1 7 El.ad1 ; b) 1 7 '/;\llg 2
[ p. 76 ]
11. . . r!fg6 12 �h4! �xd1 13 �xg6 �xg6 14 l1xd1 [b] 9 hxg4 hxg4 10 g3 gxf3 11 r!fxf3 r!fh6!? 9
. . .
Axf3 10 �xf3 �xf3 1 1 g xf3 �96 a
b
c
d
e
2
106
[ p. 76 ]
[ p. 76 ]
[ 3 . 6 The unconventional 5 . . tll e7 ] .
12 .te3
[ p. 76 ]
12 l1d1 0-0-0 (1 2 . . . c5) 13 'ilt1 ile7!? 14 ile3 (14 l!?e2) 14. . . ilf6 15 c3 (15 a4) 15. . . l1d7 16 b4 [ p. 76 ] [ p. 77 ]
12 . . . f6
[a] 12. . . ild6?! 13 l1fd1 f6 (13 . . . b5) 14 'ilt1 c5 a) 14 . . _ gd8
[ p. 77 ]
b} 1 4 . . . tl:lh4
[ p. 77 ]
c) 14 . . . tl:lts
[ p. 77 ]
[ p. 77 ]
d} 14 . . 0-0-0
[ p. 78 ]
.
15 c3 'ilt7 16 d4 (16 a3 !)
[ p. 78 ]
[b] 12. . . ile7! 13 l1fd1 (13 l!?h1 }
[ p. 78 ]
[ p. 79 ]
[c] 12. . . c5 1 3 Elfd1 .td6?! a) 13 . . . c5
[ p. 79 ] [ p. 79 ]
b) 13 . . . tl:lh4
[ p. 79 ]
3.6 The unconventional 5 . �e7 . .
8
5 4 3
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
{)-
6 �xe5 @d4 7 @hS! g6 8 @g5
[ p. 82 ]
8 tt:Jf3!? r!xe4 9 °(!a5! ilg4!
[ p. 82 ]
a) 9 . . . b6 ? ! 10 �c3 gg8 1 1 ge1 �d5 1 2 d4 b} 9 . . . �f4 ?! 10 d3 �d6 1 1 tl:lbd2 Sd5 1 2 tl:le4
1 07
[ p. 82 ] [ p. 83 ]
4 I ndex of Variations with key positions
10 d3 f!!!f5 11 f!!!xc7 �xf3 12 gxf3 f!!!xf3 13 f1e1 f!!!g4+ 14 f!!!g3 f!!!xg3+ (14 . . . '®'d7 !?) 15 hxg3 ;f [ p. 83 ] [ p. 83 ]
8 . . . .tg7 9 �d3 ! f5! 10 e5! a
b
c
d
e
6 5 4
a
10 . . . '@'g4
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
[ p. 83 ]
10. . . c5 11 b3! h6 a) 11 . . . b6
[ p. 84 ]
[ p. 84 ]
b) 11 . . . '®'xa1
[ p. 84]
12 f!!!e3 f4! ( 1 2 . . . CL:lc6) 13 f!!!xd4 (13 '®'f3) 13. . . cxd4 14 tPlxf4 �xe5 15 d3 ;f 1 1 We3
[ p. 85 ] [ p. 85 ]
11 f4!? f!!!xg5 12 fxg5 h6 a) 1 2 . . . f4
[ p. 85 ]
b) 1 2 . . . b6 !?
[ p. 85]
13 gxh6 f1xh6 14 f1e1 [14 CL\c3] 14. . . f!lf7 a) 14 . . . b6
[ p. 86]
b) 14 . . . g5
[ p. 86 ]
1 1 . . . �dS 12 '@'e1 '@'d4?! 12. . . b6!? ( 1 2 . . . f4)
[ p. 86]
[ p. 86]
[ p. 86 ]
1 3 �c3 (13 f4) 1 3 . . . f4 14 �e2
[ p. 87 ]
108
[ p. 85 ]
[ 3 . 7 U nusual contin u ations ]
3. 7 U nusual continuations 1 e4 es 2 �f3 �c6 3 Abs a6 4 Axc6 d x c6 4
. . .
bxc6
[ p. 88]
5 0-0 (5 d 4 ; 5 tt:Jxe5 ?!) 5
s o-o Ae7
[a] 5
. . .
...
f!!J'f6 (5 . . d6) .
[ p. 88]
[ p. 89 ]
f!!J'f6 6 d4 exd4 7 �gs (7 e5)
[ p. 89 ]
109
�
4 Index of Variations with key positions
(7 . . . 'f;Vd6)
[ p. 89 ]
[b] 5. . . �e6? 6 �xe5
[ p. 90]
z .. �g6
[c] 5 ... �e7 6 d4 exd4 7 �xd4 [7 tt:Jxd4]
z . . �g4
[ p. 9 0 ]
7 . . . 'f;Vt6 ! 8 'f;Ve3 !? a) 8 'f;Vxf6 b) 8 vt;Va4
[ p. 91 ]
c) 8 e5
8 �f4!
[ p. 91 ] [ p . 91 ]
[ p. 91 ]
8. . . �xf3 (8 . . . '8d8) 9 gxf3 �f6 10 �c3 �h5 11 �g3 6 �c3!?
[ p. 92 ]
(6 tt:Jxe5)
[ p. 92 ]
6 . . . At6 7 'f1!fe2
7 . . . Ae6 [a]
[ p. 92 ]
[ p . 92 ]
z . . �g4
B h3 (8 tt:Jd1 !)
( p. 92 ]
110
[ p. 91 ]
( 3 . 7 U n usual conti nuations ]
[b] 7. ti:Je7 8 d4! • •
[c] 7. c5!? . .
8 b3! �e7 8
...
[ p. 92 ]
[ p. 93 ]
[ p. 93]
c5 9 �b2 ti:Je7
a) 9 . . . b6 ? ! 10 tbd5 ! b) 9 . . . �d6 !? 1 0 tbd5
9 i.a3! g5
[ p. 93 ]
[ p. 9 3 ]
( 9 . 0-0 ; 9 . . . tbg6 !?) . .
10 d4!
[ p . 93 ]
[ p. 93 ]
[ p. 93 ]
111
5 Appendices 5. 1 Tra n s l a t o r 's n ot e I n the St. Petersburg 1 914 tournament book, Tarrasch reports a conversation he had with Lasker after this gam e : "Why did you p l ay this d rawi n g variatio n ? " I asked h i m l ater. " I had n ot h i n g else , " he rep l i ed . " N ot h i n g c a n be done against you r d efence, w h i c h y o u have employed against Bernstei n and me. The second p l ayer always has a good game. " Lasker was referri n g to the Open Span i s h , Tarrasch's favou rite d efence, with which h e (Tarrasch) had a l ifeti m e score as B l ac k (accord i n g to M egabase) of won 1 0 , drawn 11 , lost 5 . The game Lasker-Tarrasch, from the prel i m i n ary section at St. Peters burg , had caused a g reat sti r. Tarrasch's i n novation a t m o v e 1 2 w a s h i g h ly praised i n t h e chess press o f the t i m e ; h e real l y had Lasker on the ropes but fai led to del iver the knock-out blow. But how m uc h credence should we give to this explanation ? Some doubts beg in to creep in. Was Lasker tel l i n g t h e trut h , and the whole truth ? Some con siderations: 1) Lasker and Tarrasch were hardly the best of friends. Lasker wou l d probably n ot feel obliged to be truthfu l , and was perhaps b e ing iron ic. 2) Tarrasch was reputed ly qu ite vain and took hi mself very seriously, and m ight therefore be
a) suscepti ble to flattery b} u n l i kely to detect any i rony in Lasker's statement. 3) Capablanca expressed a l ow o p i n i o n of the Open Spanish i n h i s books and n ever played it with Black in tournament games. He would therefore have been u n l i kely to employ it agai nst Lasker. I n his serious games prior to 1 914 Capa had generally used the Closed (Chigorin) defence. Anyway, should Lasker's choice of the Exchange Variation against Capablanca h ave been such a surprise? Lasker had previously used it several ti mes in i m po rtant games, i n c l u d i n g World Champi onsh i p matches with Stein itz, Tarrasc h , and Janowski (though adm itted ly not in his most recent m atch , against Schlechter - perhaps Lasker had been put off by the ease with which Schlechter defended the black side in their d rawn game fro m London 1 899 : 1 e4 e5 2 tt::lf3 ttJc6 3 Ab5 a6 4 Axc6 dxc6 5 ttJc3 f6 6 d4 e x d 4 7 tt::l x d 4 c5 8 tt::l d e2 �xd 1 + 9 tt::l x d1 Ad? 1 0 Af4 0-0-0 11 tt::l e3 Ac6 1 2 f3 tt::l e7 1 3 'i!?f2 g 6 1 4 l"l.ad 1 Ag? 1 5 b3 l"l.xd1 16 l"l.xd1 l"l.d8 17 l"l.xd8+ 'i!? x d 8 1 8 Ag3 Ae8 1 9 Ah4 g5 20 Ag3 Ag6 21 'i!?e1 f5 22 exf5 tt::l x f5 23 tt::l x f5 Axf5 24 'i!?d2 c4 25 b4 'i!?d7 26 Af2 'i!?e6 27 Ad4 Af8 28 c3 Ad6 29 Ae3 'i!?f6 30 Af2 Af4+ 1/2-%) . I g u ess we' l l never know the truth.
112
5.2 I ndex of players
5.2 I n dex of p l ayer s A Acs, Peter . .. 2 5 , 38, 55, 57 Adams, M ichael 1 0 , 32 , 33, 50, 73, 76, 80, 90, 93 Adorjan, Andras . . . . . 28 Alekh ine, Alexander . . .. . 7 Ali khanov, Felix . ... . . . 45 Almasi , Zoltan . . . . . 44, 62 Alzai m , Talal . . . 31 Arencibia, Walter . . . 92 Arizmendi M arti nez, J u len . . . 28 Azarov, Sergei . . . .. 36 . . . . . . . . .
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F
Fine, Reuben . . Fischer, Robert 7-1 0 , 1 6 , 2 8 , 71 , 92 Flear, Christine . Foisor, Cristi na-Adela ... Formanek, Edward . . . . . . . Fran ic, M i lan . . Fressinet, Laurent 1 0 , 24, 32 , 69, 85, 86, 90 .
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G Gabri e l , Ch ristian Galdunts, Sergey Gangu ly, Surya Shekhar . . G arcia, G i ldardo . .... Geenen , M arc . . . . Geffen, Ben van .. Geller, Efim G h i nda, M i hail .
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E Eren b u rg , Sergey . Ernst, Thomas . Estrada N i eto, J u l i an
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. .7 62 62 67
D Day, Lawrence . . . . 43 De la Riva Ag uado, Oscar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 De la Vi l l a Garcia, Jesus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Delchev, Aleksander . . . 78 Doel , Erik van den . . . 23, 59, 79 Doelan d , J u l i us van . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 Dom ing uez, Len ier . . . 37 Donchenko, Anatoly . . 28 Dorfma n , Josif . ... . . 78 Dvoretsky, M ark . . . . . 91 , 92
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B Bab u , N Sudhakar . . . . . 77 Babula, Vlast i m i l . . . . . 93 Bacrot, Etienne .. 77 Baklan, Vlad i m i r . . . . 1 0 , 26, 42 , 46, 47 Bakre, Tejas . . 56 Balogh , Csaba . . . . . . . . 55, 59, 76 Barendregt, Johan . . . 9 , 71 , 75 Baron Rodriguez, Jesus . . . . 32 , 34 Bednarska, Malgorzata . .. 67 Bed narski, J acek . . . . . 91 Bel iavsky, Alexander . . 39, 42, 46 Belotelov, Den is . . 85 Belov, Vlad i m i r . 84 Benjam i n , Joel . . . 58 Berkvens, J oost . . . . . 30 Bezgodov, Alexei . 47, 84 Bhat, Vi nay . 56, 61 Bosc h , Jeroen . ... 90, 91 Brag in, Alexander . . ... . 28 Breder, Dennis . .. . . 80 Bronste i n , David . . 47 Brun ner, Lucas . . . . 83 Brynel l , Stellan . 1 0 , 55, 62 , 64-68, 84, 92 . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Chigori n , M i khail ... .. C h robak, Gyu la . . Cladouras, Panag iotis . . Cobb, Charles . . . .
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c Cam pos M oreno, J avier . . . . 50 Capabl anca, Jose Raoul . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-9 , 1 6 Chandler, M u rray . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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113
. .
5 Appendices
G i pslis, Aivars . . . 91 1 0 , 2 1 -23, 25, 36, 37 , 40, 57, Glek, Igor 60-62 , 71 , 78-80 G l igoric, Svetozar 9, 27, 43, 67 Godena, M ichele . 31 , 53, 60, 61 Gold berg , Alexander . . . 55 Golod , Vitali . . 6 , 25, 26 Gormally, Dan iel . 37 Greenfeld , Alon . . .. . 62 Gretarsson , Helgi . 1 8 , 37 Grisch uk, Alexander 1 0 , 39, 40, 42 , 45, 46 Gueneau , Christophe . 88 G u ner, B ulent . . . . . 29 Gustafsson , Jan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Gyimes i , Zoltan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 , 59, 86 . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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H Hansen , Lars-Bo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Harmon ist, M ax . . . . . . 89 Hartston , Will iam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Hasanov, M arat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18, 37 Hebden , Mark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64, 67 , 68 Hecht, Hans-Joac h i m . .. . 27 Hector, Jonny . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 , 92 Hedke, Frank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Hokkanen, Petri . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Holoubkova, Martina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Hort, Vlast i m i l . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 , 79 H racek, Zbynek . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Hubner, Robert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 . .
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K Kaidanov, G regory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Kakageldyev, Aman m u rad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 Kal l i o , Hei kki . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26, 42 , 47 Kas i mdzhanov, Rustam . 1 0 , 39, 40, 50, 73 Kasparov, G arry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36, 42 Kasparov, Sergey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36, 79 Kazhgaleyev, M u rtas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 Ken naug h , Charles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 Kennefick, M au rice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Keres, Paul . . 82 , 84 Khachian, M e l i kset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Khal ifman , Alexander .. .. 22, 46 Kharitonov, Andrei . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Kinderman n , Stefan . . . . . . . . . . . . 34, 40, 55, 78 Korch n o i , Victor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 Korneev, Oleg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27, 30, 31 Korzubov, Peter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Koskinen, Henri . . . . . 65 Kostyra, Stanislaw . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Krasenkow, M ichal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54, 61 , 89 Kroeze, Fran k . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 , 76 Kru ppa, Yu ri . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 Kuzm i n , Alexey . . 56 .
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L Lasker, Emanuel . . . 7-9 , 1 6-1 8 Liss, Eran 50 Lobro n , Eric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22, 46 Lu kacs, Peter . . . 66, 76 Luther, Thomas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88, 89 . . . . . . . .
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M M acieja, Bartlomiej . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 , 76 M a i n ka, Romuald . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Mal isauskas, Vidmantas . . 28, 47 M aljut i n , Evgeni . . . 27 Marciano, David . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Mari n , M i hail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44, 45 M arkovic, M i roslav . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54, 67 , 76 M arshal l , Fran k . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-9 Martinovsky, Eugene . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 M as, H afizulhel m i . . .. .. 86 M atsu u ra, Everaldo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Mecki n g , Henrique . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Meijers, Viesturs . . . . . . . 2 1 , 28-31 , 44, 47, 77 . . . . . . . . . . .
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J Janowski , Dawid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 6 Jenni, Florian . . . . . 32-34, 83 , 85 J i menez Zerq uera, Eleazar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 J u rasi n , Mari n . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 . . . . . . . . .
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l brag i m ov, Al i bek . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 l bragimov, l ldar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 1 , 55, 61 , 85 I l lescas Cordoba, M i g uel . . . . . . . . . . . 62, 86, 88 l narkiev, Ernesto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 l u ldachev, Saidali . . . 2 1 , 31 , 73 , 74 , 77 lvanch uk, Vassily . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 0 , 29, 45, 86 Ivanov, Victor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84, 85 . .
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114
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5.2 I ndex of players
Meli khov, Evgeny . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Mendoza, Rafael .. 37 M i khalevski , Alexander . 86 M i khalevski, Victor . . . 56, 62 , 85 M i los, G i l berto . . . .. 1 0 , 27, 36 M i l u , Romeo Sorin . . 19, 66 M i nckwitz, Johannes van . . . . 7 M i ralles, G i l les . 31 M n atsakan ian , Eduard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Mokry, Karel ... . 27 M u lyar, M ichael .. . . . . . 75 . . . . . . . .
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43 28 55, 56, 85 . 60 . . 82 . . 29 . 86 . . . 85 .. 83 21 , 45, 58, 60, .
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R Rad u lski , J u l ian . . 90 Rausis, lgors . . . 46, 60, 77, 82 , 86 Rav i , Thandalam Shanm ugam 60 Ree, H ans . .. 82 Reinderman , D i m itri . 24, 25, 30, 46, 47, 53, 56, 68 Relange, Eloi . . 53, 74 R i b l i , Zoltan . . 32 Rogers, Ian . .. . 33 Roman i sh i n , O leg . . 51 Romero Holmes, Alfonso . . 1 7 , 30, 31 Rose l l i Mailhe, Bernardo . 77 Rowson , J onathan . 37 Rozentalis, Eduardas . 1 0 , 1 8 , 1 9 , 30, 31 , 37 , 39, 43-47 , 50, 64, 68, 69, 73, 74 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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7 . . 34 28 . 46 54, 65, 75 . . . . . 31
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N N adan i an , Ashot . Nagy, Erv i n . . Naid itsch, Arkad ij . Naumkin, Igor . N e i , l ivo . . Neverov, Anatoly Ng uyen Anh Dung . N ielsen , Peter Heine .. N i kolic, Pred rag . . N isipean u , Livi u-Dieter 1 0 , 1 5 , 63 Notki n , M aksi m . N u n n , John
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Pollock, W i l l iam Portera Garnica, M i g uel Portisch , Lajos .. Pri byl , Martin . . Prie, Eric . . . . .. . Psakh is, Lev . .. .
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. 76 67, 71
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Sanden , Stefan . . . . 84 Santo- Roman , M arc . . . 31 Sarakauskas, Ged i m i nas 84 Schal lopp, E m i l . 89 Sch m i d , Martin .. 83 Schmidt, Eugen van . . . .7 Schneider, D m itry 84 Schneider, Lars Ake . . 66, 76, 91 Sebag , M arie . . 15 Segovia, J avier . . . 62 S h i rov, Alexei 1 0 , 33, 45, 52, 73, 74, 78 Shomoev, Anton . ... 45 Short, N igel . . . . 52, 61 , 84 Sl iwa, Bogdan . . . 79 Slobodjan, Roman . . 33, 39 Smyslov, Vassily ... . . 44 , 90, 92 Socko, Bartosz . . . 54 Sofronie, J u l ian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 0 , 21 , 58 Sokolov, Ivan 39, 47, 90, 92 Solleveld , M aarten . 77 Soltis, And rew . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 , 88, 91 , 92 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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O' Donnel l , Tom . . Olaras u , Gabriela . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44, Onischuk, Alexander 30, 37 , 39, Oral , Tomas . . . 38, 39, Otero, Diasmany . . . . .
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Pachman , Ludek . . . . . 91 Packroff, Hermann . . . 43 Pedzich, Dom i n i k . .. .. . .. . 74 Petronic, Jovan . 54 Petrov, Anton . . . 60 Petrus h i n , Alexander . .. 29 Pfan nkuche, M ichael . . 67 Pichler 43 Pi ket, Jeroen 24, 25, 45, 56, 73 , 75 , 76 Pilgaard , Kim . 60 Pi nter, J ozsef . . . . . . . 55
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115
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5 Appendices
Sori n , Ariel . . 54 Sosn icki, M ichal . 43 Spassky, Boris 9, 1 0 , 42, 78 Speck, Nick . .. 50 Stefansson, H an nes . 24, 52 Steinitz, Wilhelm . . 7 Sterren, Pau l van der . . 1 7 , 30 Svensson , Sven . . . 76 Szabo, Gergely 62 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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. 42 7-9 , 1 7 . 9, 71 , 75 . 34 44 73 , 83, 84 . . 78 1 0 , 38, 71 . . 10
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Wah ls, M atth i as . . Wed berg , Tom 19, 53, Weide, Karel van der . 82 , 86, Wells, Peter Wiel , John van der . . . Wiersma, Eelke Winants, Luc . Winawer, Simon Wittman n , Walter . . . Womacka, M athias 6, 1 0 , 25, . . . . . . .
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67 54, 64, 68 87 , 89 , 92 44, 82 39 87 , 90 22, 68, 78 .7 27 26, 32 , 47
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T Tai , M i khail .. Tarrasch , Sieg bert Teschner, Rudolf . Teske, Henri k Teufel, J u rgen . . Tim man , Jan 1 0 , 32, 51 , 59-62 , Tischbierek, Raj . Tkachiev, Vlad islav . . Topalov, Vesel i n . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Vajda, Albert . . . . 1 9 , 66 Vajda, Levente . . . . 32 Varavin, Vi ktor . . 86 Vescovi , Giovan n i . . 1 0 , 27, 36, 38, 39 Vil lard , Patrick . . 29 Vogt, Lothar . . 28 .
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Zak, Uriel . . 31 Zapata, Alonso . . .. 77 , 78 Zavgorodn iy, Sergiy 85 , 86 Zhang Zhong . 1 0 , 36, 39, 73 , 74 , 86, 88, 90, 92-94 Zuidema, Coenraad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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5 . 3 Index of games
5.3 I n dex of g a m es A page number in bold indicates that the first-named player had the black pieces. Underl ining i n d i cates an I l l u strative game. A page n u m ber i n b rackets m eans a particu lar game was referred to on that page.
A Acs, Peter- G lek 25, 57 - Naiditsch 55 -Oral 38 Adams, M ichael - Babula 93 - Breder 80 - Fressinet 90 - Kasimdzhanov 50, 73 - Macieja 73, 76 - S h i rov 33 -Timman 32 Adorjan, And ras - Nagy 28 - Vogt 28 Ali khanov, Fel ix - Shomoev 45 Almasi , Zoltan - Marin 44 Alzai m , Talal - l u ldachev 31 Arencibia, Walter- Dvoretsky 92 Arizmendi M arti nez, J u l e n - Fran ic 28 Azarov, Sergei - Kasparov 36 8
Bab u , N Sudhakar - l u ldachev 77 Babula, Vlast i m i l - Adams 93 Bacrot, Etien ne- Rausis 77 Baklan, Vlad i m i r - Bezgodov 47 - Kallio (26) , 42 Bakre, Tejas - Kuzm i n 56 Balog h , Csaba- Gyimesi 59 - l brag i mov 55 - Lu kacs 76 Barendregt, Johan -Teschner 75 Baron Rod rig uez, Jesus- Portera Garnica 34 Bed narska, Malgorzata- Holoubkova 67 Beliavsky, Alexander- Reinderman 46 Belotelov, Den i s - Ivanov 85 Benjam i n , Joel - H ubner 58 Berkvens, Joost - Onisc h u k 30 Bezgodov, Alexei - Baklan 47
- Ivanov 84 Bhat, Vinay - Kaidanov 61 - M i khalevski 56 B rag i n , Alexander- M e l i khov 28 B reder, Den n i s - Adams 80 Bronstei n , David - Rozental is 47 Bru n ner, Lucas - Yi l m az 83 Brynel l , Stel lan - Ernst 68 - Goldberg 55 - Hector 92 - Koskinen 65 - M artinovsky 67 - Sanden 84 - Schneider 66 c Campos Moreno, J avier- Speck 50 Capablanca, Jose Raou l - Em . Lasker 8, (16) Chandler, M u rray - lvan c h u k 29 Chrobak, Gyu la- Szabo 62 Cladouras, Panag iotis - G lek 62 Cobb, Charles - Hebden 67
D Day, Lawrence - O ' Donnell 43 De la R iva Ag uado, Oscar- Foisor 53 De la Vi l l a G arcia, J esus - I l lescas Cordoba 62 Delchev, Aleksander-Tischbierek 78 Dael , Erik van den - G lek 23 - Fressi net 59 - G lek 79 Doelan d , J u l i us van - van der Weide 89 Dom i n g uez, Len ier - M endoza 37 Donchenko, Anatoly - M alisauskas 28 Dorfman , Josif- Ki ndermann 78 Dvoretsky, Mark-Arencibia 92 - S myslov 92
117
5 Append ices
E Erenburg , Sergey- l narkiev 63 - Segovia 62 Ernst, Thomas - Brynell 68 Estrada N i eto, J u l ian - Rad u l ski 90 F
Fischer, Robert - G l igoric 9 , 43 - J i menez Zerq uera 43 . - Po rtisch 28 - Spassky 10, 42 - U nzicker 8 , (16) Flear, Ch risti ne- Prie 65 Foisor, Cristina-Adel a - De la R iva Aguado 53 Formanek, Edward - M u lyar 75 Fran ic, M i lan -Arizmendi M arti nez 28 Fressinet, Laurent -Adams 90 - Galdunts 69 - G rischu k 45, 46 -Jenni 85 - M i khalevski 86 - Rausis 46 - Stefansson (24) , 52 -Vajda 32 - van den Dael 59
G Galdunts, Sergey- Fressinet 69 -Volzh i n 65 Gangu ly, Surya Shekhar - Zhang Zhong 86 Garcia, G i ldard o - Zapata 78 Geenen , M arc - Prie 75 - Relange 53 Geffen , Ben van - l u ldachev 73 Geller, Efi m - Smyslov 44 G h i nda, M i h ai l - Olarasu 53 Glek, lgor-Acs 25, 57 - Cladouras 62 - Hansen 37 - l brag imov 2 1 , 61 - Naumkin 60 -Tkachiev (10) , 71 -van den Dael 23, 79 -Winants 2 2 , 78 -Yemel i n 40
G l igoric, Svetozar- Fischer 9, 43 - Hecht 27 - M arkovic 67 Godena, M ichele- Gyimesi 31 - Krasenkow 61 - Reinderman 53 -Ti m m an 60 Gold berg , Alexander- Brynell 55 Golod, Vital i - Womac ka (6) , (25} , 25, 26 Gormal ly, Dan iel - Rowson 37 G reenfeld , Alon - M i khalevski 62 G retarsson , Helg i - Rozentalis 18, 37 Grisch uk, Alexander- Fressinet 45, 46 - l vanch u k 45 - Kasi mdzhanov 40 - N isi pean u 45 Gueneau , Ch ristophe - I l l escas Cordoba 88 Guner, Bulent - Hokkanen 29 Gyimesi , Zoltan - Balogh 59 - Godena 31 - Rausis 86
H Hansen, Lars- Bo - G lek 37 Harmonist, M ax - Schal lopp 89 Hartston , W i l l i am - U nzicker 27 Hasanov, M arat - Rozentalis 18, 37 Hebden , M ark- Cobb 67 - Khach ian 64 - M arciano 67 - Rozentalis 68 Hecht, H ans-Joac h i m - G l igoric 27 H ector, Jonny - Brynell 92 - Meijers 47 Hedke, Fran k - M eijers 28 H okkanen , Petri - G uner 29 Holoubkova, M arti na- Bed narska 67 Hort, Vlastim i l - S l iwa 79 - Spassky 78 H racek, Zbynek-Tkachiev 38 H u b ner, Robert - Benj am i n 58
l bragimov, Alibek-Volzhin 59 l brag i m ov, l ldar- Balogh 55 - G lek 21 , 61
118
5 . 3 I ndex of games
- N aiditsch 85 I l lescas Cordoba, M iguel - De la Vi l l a Garcia 62 - G ueneau 88 - lvanchuk 86 l narkiev, Ernesto - Erenburg 63 l u ldachev, Saidal i -Alzai m 31 - Babu 77 - Meijers 21 , 77 - van Geffen 73 -Zhang Zhong 74 lvanchuk, Vassily- Chandler 29 - G rischuk 45 - I l lescas Cordoba 86 Ivanov, Victor- Belotelov 85 - Bezgodov 84
- Sh i rov 78 Korch n o i , Victor- N u n n 71 Korneev, Oleg - Maljutin 27 - M eijers 31 - Romero Holmes 30 Korzu bov, Peter- Rozentalis 30 Koski nen, Henri - Brynell 65 Kostyra, Stan islaw - Mal isauskas 47 Krasen kow, M ichal - Godena 61 - Luther 89 - Socko 54 Kroeze , Fran k - P i ket (75) , 76 Kru ppa, Yuri - N ielsen 85 Kuzm i n , Alexey - Bakre 56
J Janowski, Dawi d - E m . Lasker 1 6 J en n i , Florian - Fressi net 85 - Kindermann 34 - Schmid 83 J i menez Zerquera, Eleazar- Fischer 43 J u rasi n , M ari n - Pfann kuche 67
L Lasker, Emanuel - Capablanca 8, (16) - Janowski 1 6 -Tarrasch 1 7 Liss , Eran - Rozentalis 50 Lob ro n , Eric- Khal ifman 22, 46 Lu kacs, Peter- Balogh 76 -Volzhin 66 Luther, Thomas - Krasen kow 89
K Kaidanov, G regory- Bhat 61 Kakageldyev, Aman murad -Zhang Zhong 90 Kal l i o , Hei kki - Baklan (26) , 42 - Womacka 47 Kasi mdzhanov, Rustam - Adams 50, 73 - Grisc h u k 40 Kasparov, Garry -Tai 42 Kasparov, Sergey- Azarov 36 - Kazhgaleyev 79 Kazhgaleyev, M u rtas - Kasparov 79 Ken nau g h , Charles - van der Weide 86 Kennefick, M aurice-Teufel 44 Keres, Pau l - Ree 82 Khach ian , M e l i kset - Hebden 64 Khalifman , Alexander- Lobron 22, 46 Kharitonov, Andrei - M eijers 29 - Petrush i n 29 Kinderman n , Stefan - Dorfman 78 -Jenni 34 - Pi nter 55
M M acieja, Bartlomiej -Adams 73 , 76 M ai n ka, Romuald - Naid itsch 56 Malisauskas, Vidmantas - Donchenko 28 - Kostyra 47 M aljut i n , Evgen i - Korneev 27 Marciano, David - Hebden 67 Mari n , M i hai l - Al masi 44 - Rozental is 45 M arkovic, M i roslav - G l igoric 67 - Notki n 76 - Petronic 54 Martinovsky, Eugene- Brynell 67 M as, Hafizu l helm i - Ng uyen An h Dung 86 M atsu u ra, Everaldo-Vescovi 38 M ecki n g , Henrique- U nzicker 47 Meijers, Viesturs - H ector 47 - H edke 28 - l u ldachev 2 1 , 77 - Kharitonov 29 - Korneev 31
119
5 Appendices
-Olarasu 44 - Sol leveld 77 Meli khov, Evgeny - Brag i n 28 Mendoza, Rafae l - Dom i n g uez 37 M i khalevski, Alexander- Fressinet 86 M i khalevski , Victor- Bhat 56 - G reenfeld 62 - Zavgorod n iy 85 M i los, G i l berto - Vescovi (10), (27) , 36 ,M i l u , Romeo Sori n - Vajda 1 9 , 66 M i nckwitz, Johannes von - von Schmidt 7 M i ralles, G i l les - Santo- Roman 31 Mnatsakan ian, Eduard - N adanian 43 Mokry, Kare l - Wittmann 27 M u lyar, M ichael - Formanek 75
N Nadan ian, Ashot - M natsakan ian 43 Nagy, Erv i n - Adorjan 28 Naid itsch , Arkad ij - Acs 55 - l brag i mov 85 - Mai n ka 56 Nau m k i n , lgor - G lek 60 Nei, l ivo- Rausis 82 Neverov, Anatoly-Vil lard 29 Ng uyen Anh Dung - M as 86 N ielsen , Peter Heine- Kruppa 85 N i kolic, Predrag -Timman 83 N isi pean u , Livi u-Dieter - G risc h u k 45 - Ravi 60 - Sebag 1 5 - Sofronie (10) , (2 1 ) , 5 8 Notki n , M aksi m - M arkovic 76 N u n n , Joh n - Korchnoi 71 - Wahls 67 0
O ' Donnel l , Tom - Day 43 Olarasu, Gabriela - G h i nda 53 - M eijers 44 Onischuk, Alexander- Berkvens 30 - Reinderman 30 - Rozentalis 37 -Timman 59 -Vescovi 39 Oral , Tomas - Acs 38
- Petrov 60 - Slobodjan 39 Otero, Diasmany- Zapata 77 p
Pachman , Ludek - Schneider 91 Packroff, Herman n - Pichler 43 Pedzich , Dom i n i k - Rozentalis 74 Petronic, Jovan - M arkovic 54 Petrov, Anto n - Oral 60 Petrush i n , Alexander- Kharitonov 29 Pfann kuche, M ichael - J u rasi n 67 Pichler- Packroff 43 Pi ket, Jeroen - Kroeze (75) , 76 - Rei nderman 24, (25) , 56 - S h i rov 45 -Ti m m an 73 Pilgaard , Kim - Rausis 60 Pi nter, Jozsef- Kindermann 55 Portera Garnica, M iguel - Baron Rodrig uez 34 Portisch , Lajos- Fischer 28 Pri byl , M arti n - Rozentalis 46 Prie, Eri c - Flear 65 - Geenen 75 - Sorin 54 Psakh is, Lev - Rozentalis 31
R Radulski, J u l ian - Estrada N i eto 90 Rausis, lgors - Bacrot 77 - Fressinet 46 - Gyimesi 86 - Nei 82 - Pilgaard 60 - Ravi 60 Rav i , Thandalam Shanm ugam - N isipean u 60 - Rausis 60 Ree, Hans- Keres 82 Reinderman , Dim itri - Bel iavsky 46 - Godena 53 - O n isch u k 30 - Pi ket 24, (25) , 56 - Sokolov 47 -Winants 68
120
5 . 3 I ndex of games
Relange, Eloi - Geenen 53 - Rozental is 74 R i b l i , Zoltan -Zuidema 32 Rogers, l an - Slobodjan 33 Romanish i n , Oleg -Timman 51 Romero Hol mes, Alfonso - Korneev 30 - van der Sterren 1 7 , 30 - Zak 31 Rose l l i Mailhe, Bernardo- Zapata 77 Rowson, Jonathan - Gormally 37 Rozentalis, Eduardas - Bronstein 47 - G retarsson 1 8 , 37 - Hasanov 1 8 , 37 - Hebden 68 - Korzubov 30 - Liss 50 - M ari n 45 - On isch u k 37 - Pedzich 74 - Pri byl 46 - Psakh is 31 - Relange 74 - Sokolov 39 - Sosn icki 43 -Wed berg 1 9 , 64 - Wells 44 s
Sanden, Stefan - Brynell 84 Santo-Roman , M arc - M i ralles 31 Sarakauskas, Ged i m i nas - Schneider 84 Schal lopp, Em i l - Harmon ist 89 Sch m i d , M art i n - J e n n i 83 Schmidt, Eugen von - von M i nckwitz 7 Schneider, Dm itry - Sarakauskas 84 Schneider, Lars Ake - Brynell 66 - Pachman 91 - Svensson 76 Sebag , M arie - N isipeanu 1 5 Segovia, Javier- Eren burg 62 Shirov, Alexe i - Adams 33 - Kindermann 78 - Pi ket 45 - Short 52 Shomoev, Anton -Ali khanov 45 Short, N igel - S h i rov 52
- Ti m m an 61 , 84 S l iwa, Bogdan - Hort 79 Slobodjan, Roman - Oral 39 - Rogers 33 Smyslov, Vassily- Dvoretsky 92 - Geller 44 Socko , Bartosz - Krasen kow 54 Sofronie, l u l i an - N isipeanu (10) , (21 ) , 58 Sokolov, lvan - Rei nderman 47 - Rozentalis 39 - van der Weide 92 -Wiersm a 90 Solleveld , M aarten - Meijers 77 Sori n , Ariel - Prie 54 Sosnicki , M ichal - Rozental is 43 Spassky, Boris- Fischer 10, 42 - Hort 78 Speck, N ic k - Cam pos Moreno 50 Stefansson , Hannes- Fressinet (24) , 52 Sterren, Paul van der- Romero Hol mes 17 - Romero Hol mes 30 Svensson , Sven - Schneider 76 Szabo, Gergely - Ch robak 62
T Tai , M i khai l - Kasparov 42 Tarrasc h , Siegbert - Em . Lasker 17 Teschner, Rudolf- Baren d regt 75 Teufe l , J U rgen - Kennefick 44 Timman, J an -Adams 32 - Godena 60 - N i kolic 83 - On isch u k 59 - Pi ket 73 - Roman ishin 51 - Short 61 , 84 Tischbierek, Raj - Delchev 78 Tkachiev, Vladislav - G lek (10) , 71 - H racek 38
u
U nzicker, Wolfgan g - Fischer 8, (1 6) - H artston 27 - Mecking 47
121
5 Appendices
v
Vajda, Albert - M i l u 1 9 , 66 Vajda, Levente - Fressinet 32 Varav i n , Viktor-Zavgorodniy 86 Vescovi , G i ovan n i - M atsu u ra 38 - M i los (10), (27) , 36 - O n isch u k 39 Vi l l ard , Patrick - Neverov 29 Vogt, Lothar-Adorjan 28 Volzhi n , Alexander- Galdunts 65 - l b rag imov 59 - Lu kacs 66 Vreugt, Dennis d e - Zhang Zhong 88 -Wiersma 87 Vysoc h i n , Spartak - Yemel i n 38
Winants, Luc - G lek 22, 78 - Reinderman 68 Wittman n , Walter- M o kry 27 Womacka, M ath ias - Golod (6) , 25, (25) , 26 - Kal l i o 47 x
Xie J u n - Yusupov 54 y
Yeme l i n , Vass i l y - G lek 40 - Vysoch i n 38 Yil m az, Turham - Brunner 83 Yusupov, Artur-Xie J u n 54 z
w
Wahls, M atthias - N u n n 67 Wed berg , Tom - Rozentalis 1 9 , 64 Weide, Karel van der-Wel ls 82 - Ken naugh 86 - Sokolov 92 - van Doeland 89 Wells, Peter- Rozental is 44 - van der Weide 82 Wiel, John van der-Zhang Zhong 39 Wiersma, Eel ke - d e Vreugt 87 - Sokolov 90
Zak, U riel - Romero Hol mes 31 Zapata, Alonso - Garcia 78 - Otero 77 - Rosel l i Mailhe 77 Zavgorodn iy, Sergiy- M i khalevski 85 - Varavin 86 Zhang Zhong - d e Vreugt 88 - Gang u ly 86 - l u ldachev 74 - Kakageldyev 90 - van der Wiel 39 Zuidema, Coenraad - Ri b l i 32
1 22
5.4 Key to symbols
5.4 Key t o sym b o l s Symbol Mean ing
Q
King Queen Rook Bishop Kn i g ht Pawn Check Mate captures short castling long castling very strong move strong move i nteresting move d u bious move bad move very bad move Wh ite has a slight advantage Black has a slight advantage White has a clear advantage B l ack has a clear advantage unclear position with com pensation development advantage better is
'\}
Wh ite to move
© '§' g
A et) [}, +
# x
0-0 0-0-0 !! !? ?! ? ?? ;!;; +
± + 00 00
()
Sym bol Mean ing
1-0 0-1 %-1/2 [1-0) [0-1 ) [1/2-1/2) [m] [m/1 ] [ct/m] [izt] [zt] [ztW] [ch] [chT) [ech] [wch] [ol] [bl) [op) [rapid] [corr] [I CC)
Wh ite has a decisive advantage B l ack has a decisive advantage equal Wh ite wins Black wins Draw final result of a game i n which further moves were played M atch 1 st match game Candidates match l nterzonal tournament Zonal tournament Women's Zonal tournament championsh i p Team championsh i p European championsh i p World championship Chess olym piad Bundesl iga (German league) Open tournament Rapid-play tournament Correspondence chess I nternet Chess C l u b
•
Black to move
+-+
123
5 Append i ces
5.5 B i b l i o g ra p hy Books Soltis, Andrew : Ruy Lopez Exchange Variation, "Fischer's Weapon ", Chess Digest, Dal las 1 995 Fischer, Bobby: "My sixty memorable games ", Faber Editions, London 1 969 Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings (ECO) Volume C, 4t h ed ition , Sahovski l nformator, Belgrade 2000
Periodic publ ications Chess Informant, Vols. 1 -87 [1 966-2004] , Sahovski l nformator, Belgrade New in Chess Yearbook, Vols. 1 984-2004, l nterchess Al kmaar Jaque Teoria , 38 (2003) - article by J u len Arizmendi on 5 . 'tlfd6 , Valencia . .
Databases Megabase 2003 , ChessBase G m b H , Hamburg 2002 Schach Plus, Vol . 1 9 99-2004 , Exzelsior Verlag G m b H Berl i n
Analysis engine Fritz 8, ChessBase G m b H Hamburg
1 24
STE FA N
K I N D E RMA N N
g a i ned the chess Grand m a ster title in
1 98 8 . He
h a s represe nted G e r m a n y in
six
chess
Olym piads
a n d once q u a l i fied for the World C h a m p i o n s h i p . He h a s worked for many years as
a
chess
w r i te r
and
tra i n er.
The S pa n i s h Exc h a n g e Va riation lets you play one of the m a j o r chess open i n g s , the Ruy Lo pez, without the r i s k of d rown i n g in the h u g e flow of i n formation now ava i l a b l e to the modern c h ess-pl ayer. W h i te ' s play in th i s open i n g i s ofte n very thematic, th u s a n u n d ersta n d i n g o f t h e typ i c a l pos itions i s m o re i m porta n t tha n conc rete knowledge o f va riati o n s . I t i s a so u n d a n d sol i d open i n g , yet g i ves g ood wi n n i n g c h a nces fo r W h i te . In contrast, i t can be h a rd fo r B l a c k to w i n without ta k i n g con s i d e ra b l e r i s k s . I f B l a c k su rvives t h e m i d d l e g a m e , there i s ofte n a n u n p l ea s a n t endga m e lyi ng i n wa it. Th i s open i n g h a s been p l ayed by m a ny to p pl ayers ove r the yea rs ( La s ke r, F i scher, Ti m m a n , S h i rov. . . ) . I n rece nt ti mes i t h a s scored we l l fo r W h i te i n the hands of spec i a l i sts such a s Roze nta l i s a n d Glek. I n 2 004 i t was u sed by the new FIDE World C h a m p i o n R u sta m Ka s i m d z h a n ov to d efea t s u pe r-g ra n d m a ste rs Ad a m s a n d G r i sc h u k o n h i s w a y t o t h e titl e . G ra n d m a ster Stefa n K i n d e rm a n n , w h o plays t h e S pa n i s h Exc h a n g e Va riation h i m se l f, p rovides c l e a r exp l a n a t i o n s , a s we l l a s i n structive a n a lys i s of ca refu l ly sel ected exa m ples, and he revea l s many new ideas and fre s h a s sess ments . Althoug h th i s i s a reperto i re book fo r W h i te , the a utho r ' s treatment i s objective, and a spec i a l c h a pte r is eve n devoted to what h e co n s i ders to be B l ac k ' s best c h o ice a g a i n st th i s fo r m i d a b l e wea pon . A key featu re of the book is the c h a pte r on typi c a l pos itions, w h i c h s h o u l d q u ickly p rovide y o u w i t h e n o u g h ba s i c strateg i c u n d e r sta n d i ng of th i s open i n g to a l low you to sta rt p l ayi ng it with confi d e n c e .
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