Denis Yevseev

Fighting the French: ANew Concept

Chess Stars Technical Editor: 1M Sergey Soloviov

Cover design by: Kalojan Nachev

Translation by: GM Evgeny Ermenkov

The publishers would like to thank Phil Adams for advice regarding the English translation.

Copyright © Denis Yevseev 2011

Printed in Bulgaria by "Chess Stars" Ltd. - Sofia 1SBN13: 978 954 8782 83-8 Other CHFSS STARS Books

Repertoire books:

Opening for WhiteAce. to Kramnik t.fdf3 by A. Khalifman Volume 1a: Old Indian, rare lines in the Classical Variation, 2006 Volume 1b: The Classical Variation, 2006 Volume 2: Anti-Nim-Ind,Anti-Queen's Indian, English,2008 Volume 3: English (l...c5), English (four knights), 2011

Opening for WhiteAccording to Anand 1.e4 by A. Khalifman Volume 8: The Sicilian, Paulsen-Kan and rare lines, 2006 Volume 9: The Sicilian, Paulsen-Taimanov and other lines, 2007 Volume 10: The Sicilian, Sveshnikov, 2007 Volume 11; The Sicilian, Dragon, 2009 Volume 12: The Sicilian, Rauzer Attack, 2009 Volume 13: The Sicilian, English Attack, 2010

Opening for Black According to Karpov by Khalifman

Current theory and practice series:

An Expert's Guide to the 7.Bc4 Gruenfeld by Sakaev, 2006 The Sharpest Sicilian by Kiril Georgiev and At. Kolev, 2007 The Safest Sicilian by Delchev and Semkov, 2nd rev.ed. 2008 TheQueen's Gambit Accepted by Sakaev and Semkov, 3rd. rev. ed., 2008 The Easiest Sicilian by Kolev and Nedev, 2008 The Petrosian System Against the QID by Beliavsky and Mikhalchishin, 2008 Kill K.I.D. by Semko Semkov, 2009 The Kings Indian. A Complete Black Repertoire by Victor Bologan, 2009 The Scotch Game for White by Vladimir Barsky, 2009 The Modern Philidor Defence by Vladimir Barsky, 2010 The Moscow & Anti-Moscow Variations by Alexey Dreev, 2010 Squeezing the Gambits by Kiril Georgiev, 2010 The French Defence. A Complete Black Repertoire by Nikita Vitiugov, 2010 A Universal Weapon l.d4 d6 by Vladimir Barsky, 2010 The Meran & Anti-Meran Variations by Alexey Dreev, 2011 The Safest Grunfeld by Alexander Delchev and Evgenij Agrest, 2011

More details at www.chess-stars.com

Contents

Preface ...... 8

Part 1. The Rubinstein Va riation 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.1Od2 dxe4 4.lOxe4

1 Various; 4 •..lOf6

Quick Repertoire ...... 14

Step by Step ...... 16

Complete Games ...... 31 2 4 ....ld7

Quick Repertoire...... 39 Step by Step...... 41 Complete Games. . 55

3 4 .•. lOd7 Quick Repertoire...... 65 Step by Step...... 69 Complete Games...... 105

Part 2. All Other Black Replies 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.lOd2

4 3.•. g6; 3.•. b6; 3.•. lOe7 Quick Repertoire ...... 117 Step by Step...... 124 Complete Games ...... 143

5 3.•• lOc6 Quick Repertoire...... 151

Step by Step ...... 154 Complete Games...... 173

5 6 3 ...i.e7 Quick Repertoire ...... 183 Step by Step ...... 186 Complete Games...... 195

7 3.•• h6; 3.•• a6 Quick Repertoire ...... 202 Step by Step ...... 206 Complete Games. . . 216 8 3 ...c5 Quick Repertoire ...... 221 Step by Step ...... 223 Complete Games...... 230

9 3••• lDf6 Quick Repertoire ...... 233 Step by Step ...... 235 Complete Games...... 247

Part 3. TheIsolated Queen's Pawn

it 3••• lDf6 4.i.d3cS S.c3 lDc6 6.lDgf3 cxd4 7.cxd4 dxe4 8.lDxe4 i.e79. 0-0 0-0 10.lDc3 ...... 257 10.i.e3 ...... 268 Complete Games ...... 27 8

i2 3••• lDf6 4.i.d3 cS S.c3 lDc6 6.lDgf3 cxd4 7.cxd4 dxe4 8.lDxe4 i.b4+ 9.lDc3 0-0 10.0- 0 b6 1l.a3 i.e7 12J�el .ib7 13.i.c2 ...... 285 Complete Games ...... 297 3 3 ...c5 4.c 3 cxd4 S.cxd4 dxe4 6.tilxe4 Ab4+ 7.tilc3 tilf6 8.Ad3 0-0 9.tilf3 b6 10.0-0 Ab7 1U�e1

1l••• tilbd7 ...... 310 Complete Games ...... 322

i4 3 ...a6 4.tilgf3 c5 S.c3 tilc6 6.Ad3 cxd4 7.cxd4 dxe4 8.tilxe4 Ab4+ 9.tilc3 tilf6 10.0-0 0-0 1l.a3 Ae7 12.ge1 . 336 Complete Games ..... 349

is 3 ••• a6 4.tilgf3 cS S.c3 tilc6 6.Ad3 cxd4 7.cxd4 dxe4 8.tilxe4 Ae7 9.0-0 tilf6 10.a3 358 Complete Games. .362

i6 3••• a6 4.tilgf3 cS S.c3 cxd4 6.cxd4 dxe4 7.tilxe4tild7 8.A d3 tilgf6 9.0-0 Ae7 10.tileS ...... 367 Complete Games. . . . . 370

i7 3 ...c5 4.c3 tilc6 S.tilgf3 cxd4 6.cxd4 dxe4 7.tilxe4Ab4+ 8.tilc3 tilge79. Ad3 tildS 10.0-0 ...... 372 Complete Games. . .377 PREFACE

The move 1...e6, in response to the initial advance of White's pawn to e4, was tried as early as the 17th century. However, it enjoyed its first wave of popularity during the middle of the 19th century. After the French players scored remarkable victories with this opening in the telegraph match between London and Paris in 1834, it was named the French Defence. Later, the famous Russian master Karl Jaenisch published the first serious analyses of this opening in 1842. At the be­ ginning of the 20th centurythe French Defence became the favourite weapon of numerous great masters. We should mention here the out­ standing contribution of the Hungarian maestro Maroczy, who replied to 1.e4 almost exclusively with the French and wrote a monograph on it. Many new ideas and analyses appeared, thanks to great players of the past, such as Chigorin, Alapin, Steinitz, Rubinstein, Nimzowitsch and many others. Based on their analyticalwork and practical experience, an extensive theory of this opening was created. Most of the strongest chess players in the world have played this opening and this is not at all surprising. It is based on a verysolid positional foundation. Black is fightingagainst White'spowerful e4-pawn in the centre and this is in harmony with all the classical principles of playing the opening.

Nowadays the French Defence is one of the most popular open­ ing schemes in response to l.e4, so every player whobegins his games by advancing his king's pawn two squares will regularly need to play against it. I should like to suggest a new concept of combating it. White plays 3.ttJd2 (l.e4 e6 2.d4 dS 3.ttJd2) and then he deploys his pieces according to the scheme �gfJ,J.d3 , c3, 0-0, against almost anything that Black may play (with only minimal excep­ tions), and this will usually lead to exchanges in the centre and the appearance of an isolated queen's pawn for White. Accordingly, after one rarely played move - 3 ...h6, as well as against four very popular variations: 3 ...a6, 3 ...i.e7, 3 ...c5 and 3 ...ttJf6 , White plays in the same fashion and aims for the same type of position with an isolated pawn in the centre. The scheme of development we have chosen enables us to reduce the study of this tremendously popular opening to a mini­ mal number of pawn-structures in the middle game. White thus avoids the necessityto study some fundamental but complicated variations of

8 the French Defence such as, for example, 3 ...lLlf6 4.e5, or 3 ...cS 4.exd5 exd5, as well as many others, all of which demand extensive theoretical knowledge and vast practical experience.

I should like to emphasize that the essence of my new concept is not so much how to play positions with an isolated queen's pawn, but how best to attain them. The most important idea is that White should be striving to reach and play positions of this type.

This book is not an opening monograph in the standard sense of the word. In fact, the majority of the variations analyzed in it deal with one specific pawn-structure, so we have devoted the third part of the book entirely to positions with an isolated queen's pawn, arising from differentlines of the French Defence. It is a well known fact that an IQP can arise from various other opening systems. Thus the positions we analyze are quite similar to lines from the Nimzo-Indian Defence, the Panov attack in the Caro-Kann Defence, as well as to some of the varia­ tions of the Queen's Gambit Accepted and the Alapin variation against the Sicilian Defence.

It is very difficult to say exactly who was the first player to try out the scheme of development which we suggest here. Readers will find in our book several games by the English grandmaster Jim Plaskett. Among them there are some very beautiful victories and some other games in which he did not play so well. He demonstrated numerous important ideas, most of them in the middle game, in the following encounter, which he won with White in spectacular fashion: 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.lLld2i.e7 4.lLlgf3 lLlf 6 5.i.d3 c5 6.c3 lLlc6 7. 0-0 dxe4 8.lLlxe4cxd4 9.cxd4 0-0

9 10.c!LJc3!? c!LJb4 1l • .ib1 b6 12.ge1 .ib7 13.c!LJe5 c!LJbd5 14.�d3 gcS

15.�h3! c!LJxc3 16.bxc3 �d5 17 • .id2 g6 1S • .ic2 �a5 19.�h4 gxc3 20• .ib3! c!LJd521 .�h6 .ib422. c!LJd7! gdS 23.h:d5gxd7

24.gxe6! fxe6 25.he6+ �hS 26.h:c3 gdS 27.�f4 and Black resigned, Plaskett - Short, Great Britain 2000.

In general, the side with an isolated pawn in the centre should try to develop his initiative on the kingside. I will quote here another exam­ ple from grandmaster practice: 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.tiJd2 tiJf6 4 . .id3 c5 5.c3 c!LJc6 6.c!LJgf3 cxd4 7.cxd4 dxe4 S.c!LJxe4.ib4 + 9.c!LJc3 0-0 10.0-0 .ie7 11.a3 b6 12.ge1 .ib7 13 . .ic2 c!LJa5!?

10 14 • .igS! h6 1S • .if4! tDc4 16.tDeS! tDd6 17.Wfd3 tDfS 18.gad1 tDdS 19.tDxdSWfxdS 20 .Wfh3 tDxd4

21.hh6! gfd8 22.gxd4! Wfxd4 23 • .igS (it was even stronger for White to play here 23.Wfh5! �f8 24.i.h7+! wh8 25.i.e4!+-) 23 ...hgS 24.Wfh7+ wf8 2S.Wfh8+ We7 26.Wfxg7 WfxeS 27.WfxeS± and White gradually realised his advantage in the game Kornev - Gleizerov, Kalu­ ga 2003. No doubt Black's play in these games was far from perfect, but my intention here is to highlight how White should play in such positions.

We have to pay special attention to two other popular replies for Black against 3.tt:ld2: 3 ...dxe4 and 3 ...tt:lc 6. The Rubinstein variation, which begins with 3 ... dxe4, is quite differentfrom all the other lines of the French Defence and is like "an opening within an opening ..." We devote a separate study to it in Part 1.

11 The interesting move 3 ...tt::l c6 is another very specific subject within the structure of the French Defence in general, as well as in the context of this book. White must prevent Black from equalizing quickly and rather simply, so he plays in an entirely differentmanner and positions arise in which the character of the fight is quite different.We deal with 3... tt::l c6 in Chapter 5 of our book.

Some very seldom played lines, in particular 3... tt::l e7, 3 ...g6, 3 ...b6, as well as a few others, are dealt with in Chapter 4. ] will mention that, in reply to them, with only rare exceptions, White shoulddevelop his forces according to the same scheme: tt::lgf3, .id3, c3, 0-0.] recom­ mend this harmonious set-up as an almost universal weapon for White in the entire complex of variations.

Denis Evseev Saint Petersburg, July 2011

12 Partt

The Rubinstein Variation 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.tlJd2dxe4

and on which flank to evacuate his king. On the other hand, Black's game is simple and quite logical and his position has no real weaknesses, so White must work very hardto obtain an open­ ing advantage. It is interesting that the move 3 ...dxe4 was tried in practice long before Akiba Rubinstein's star be­ gan shining in the chess firma­ In this system Black reduces ment. The firstgames with it were the tension in the centre early and played during the second part of immediately clarifies his inten­ the 19th century and some of the tions. He wants to simplify the greatest players of the time such struggle and patiently complete as Bird, Paulsen and Emanuel his development, safely deploying Lasker were involved in them. In his forces. Then he plans to ex­ fact, although the opening system change several of the minor pieces is named after Rubinstein, this and carry out the freeing pawn­ move-order was not often seen in advance c7-c5. It is evident that his games. Black cannot hope for more than The Rubinstein variation is equality even if he plays very ac­ tremendously popular nowadays curately. and is considered to be one of the Tournament practice has most reliable ways of equalizing shownthat his opening concept is out of all the opening systems simple but can be very effective. against l.e4. It is used fairly fre­ On the one hand, White is not quently by the majority of the faced with any serious strategic or players who have the French De­ tactical problems, so he can fence as a regular weapon in their choose how to deploy his pieces opening armoury.

13 Chapter 1 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.�d2 dxe4 4.�xe4

Quick Repertoire

light-squared bishop or else de­ velops it on the long diagonal via the route d7-c6, he develops his forces according to an entirely differentsche me: .id6, tLlc6,0-0, hoping to quickly advance with e6-eS, opening the c8-h3 diagonal for his bishop. The bonus for Black in this set­ up is that he mobilizes his forces very quickly, but an essential In this chapter, we shall exam­ drawback is that his queen is ine all the possibilities for Black overexposed. Because of this he is apart from the main lines 4 ....id7 forced to play an early h7-h6 and and 4 ...tLlbd7. after castling on the kingside, he 4 ... tLlf6 has great problems defending Of all the ways for Black to against White's battery of queen + avoid the main lines (with the ex­ bishop along the b1-h7 diago­ ception of the move-orders which nal. lead into them by transposition), 6.tLlf3h6 this is the only move, which de­ White's next move 7 . .id3 serves serious attention and sets will create the threat of trapping White a quite complicated task Black's queen with 8 . .igS,so Black to obtain an opening advantage. cannot continue the game without Black has several alternatives in this prophylactic move. the position of the last diagram 7.i.d3 i.d6 8.0-0 tLlc6 9.c3 and we shall deal with them in the 0-0 10.�e2 e5 "Step by Step" section. Black has almost completed 5.tLlxf6 + �xf6 his development and he has ac­ In this variation, in contrast complished the desired pawn­ with the classical lines in which break, but the real fight is just Black usually fianchettoes his beginning.

14 3.liJd2 dxe44.liJxe4

1l.ti'e4

op on e5 and prepares a queen­ sortie to the h5-square.

This marks the start of tactical 19 ..•l"tb6 complications and from this mo­ White would be very hap­ ment right up to Black's 17th move, py with the variation 19 .. J�eB? the majority of both sides' moves 20.ti'h5 �f4 21.h4! are practically forced. 20.l"tael l"teS 21.Axg5!

1l •••g6 12.dxe5 lLlxe5 13. hh2+! lLlxe5Axe5 14.hh6 Black loses after 21...'IWxg5 Whitehas won a pawn, but his 22.f4+- queen and bishops are both under 22.'i!;>hl! attack, so the forced play contin­ It is weaker for White to play ues. Meanwhile, Black should not 22.lt>xh2 because of 22 .. .'IWhB+! fo rget that his rook on fB is hang­ 22••• l"txe 2 23 • .ixf6 l"txel ing too. 24.l"txel l"txf6 25. 'i!;>xh2 l"txf2

14 •••�f5 15.ti'c4 b5! 26.l"teS+ 'i!;>g7 27.l"tbS± This is Black's best chance. With the help of this tactical blow, Black saves his rook from the at­ tack with tempo and furthermore has the later possibility of pen­ etrating to his opponent's second rank. 16.ti'xb5 lUbS 17.ti'c4 Axd3 IS.ti'xd3 g5 (diagram) White already has two extra pawns, but his bishop remains endangered in Black's camp. White has an extra pawn and 19.ti'e2! good winningchances in this rook White attacks the enemy bish- and pawn ending.

15 Chapter 1 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.�d2 dxe4 4.�xe4

Step by Step

the game transposes to the main variation B. 4) the position after 4 ...h6 S.tt:lf3 tt:lbd7 (S ...tt:lf6 6.tt:lxf6+ �xf6 7.id3 - see 4 ...tt:lf6) 6.id3 tt:lf6 will be dealt with in Chapter 3; S) it is rather dubious for Black to play here 4 ...cS? !, since afterS. dxcS �xd1 + 6. wxd1 fS (He fails to solve his problems if he

4 ••• llJf6 plays anything else: 6 ...tt:lf6 7. Of all Black's attempts to avoid tt:lxf6+ gxf6 8.ie3±; or 6 ...tt:ld7 the main lines 4 ...id7 and 4 ... 7.ibS tt:lgf6 8.tt:lxf6+ gxf6, Mati­ llJbd7 (excluding move-orders lainen - Olkinuora, Gausdal 1996, which lead to them by transposi­ and now the simplest way for tion), this is the only move White to maintain a clear advan­ which deserves thorough atten­ tage is 9.ie3±) 7.tt:ld6+ ixd6 8. tion and creates problems for cxd6 tt:lf6 9.if4 tt:le410 .we1 tt:lc6 White to obtain an opening ad­ l1.ibS id7 12.f3 tt:lf6 13.ixc6 vantage. ixc6 14.tt:le2± and Black has no The alternatives for Black are: compensation for the sacrificed 1) 4 ...eS? ! S.dxeS - see Chap- pawn, Lorenzini - Gonzalez, Bue­ ter 4 (3 ...eS); nos Aires 1997; 2) 4 ...b6 S.llJf3 - see Chapter 6) 4 .. .fS?! He manages in this 4 (3 ...b6) ; way to accomplish quickly the 3) after 4... llJc 6 S.tt:lf3 tt:lf6(The planned undermining move in moves S ...ie7 and S ...b6 are ana- the centre c7 -cS, but too many lyzed in Chapter S; S ...�dS 6.id3 weaknesses appear in his camp. - see 4 ...�dS) 6.tt:lxf6+ �xf6 (6 ... S.tt:lc3 tt:lf6(after S ...cS, White has gxf6 - see Chapter S) 7.id3 h6 the powerful riposte 6.dS! exdS 8.0-0 id6 9.c3 0-0 10.�e2 and - Black also has great problems

16 3.lLld2 dxe4 4.lLlxe4 after 6 ...lLlf6 7 . .tbS!± - 7.'�xdS;!;) 11 ...lLle 4 12.1:!el! hgS 13.lLlxgS 6.lLlf3 cS. This is relatively the �xgS 14.lLlc7+ @e7 IS.lLlxa8 1:!xa8 best for him. (If Black tries any­ 16.f3±) 8.�xd4 �xd4 (8 ....te7 thing else, his position remains 9.0-0-0 0-0 1O . .tc4± Tella - unpromising owing to the vulner­ Kujala, Finland 2000) 9.lLlxd4 ability of his e6-square: 6 ....td6 ?! eS (9 ...a6 10 . .tc4 eS 11.lLle6 he6 7 . .tc4 0-0 8.0-0 h6 9J'!el 1:!e8 12.he6±) 1O . .tbS+! @f7(10 ....td7 1O.�d3± Cascudo - Lopez, Spain 11.lLlxfS±) 11.lLlf3 lLlbd7 12 . .tc4± 2002; 6 ...lLlc6? ! 7 . .tc4 .tb4 8.0-0 Black's king is exposed and thus hc3 9.bxc3 0-0 1O.lLlgS! lLldS he has great defensive problems; 11.1:!el lLlaS, Llaneza - Corredor, 7) 4 ....th 4+?! This is not a good Spain 1999. White must continue move, because now there arises a here with 12 . .tfl!±, maintaining position which is similar to the powerfulpressure, since it is very variation with 4 ....te7 except that bad for Black to play 12 ...lLlxc 3?, White has an extra tempo, since because of 13.�d2+- and White the move c2-c3 is usefulfor him. wins a piece; 8 ...0-0 9.a3 hc3 S.c3 .te7 6.lLlf3 lLlf67.lLlx f6+ .txf6 1O.bxc3 lLle4 11.�d3 @h8 12.1:!el 8 . .td3 0-0 9.�e2 .te7 1O. .tf4 (An­ �e8 13 . .tf4 .td7 14.lLleS lLlxeS other move for White that deserves IS.heS c5 16.1:!abl± Kuporosov - serious attention here is 10 . .td2!? Eliseev, Bor 2000) 7 . .tgS cS 11.dxcS hcS 12.0-0-0---. with good attacking prospects; as well as 10 . .te3!?, preparing queenside castling and considerably imped­ ing Black's freeingpawn-advance c7-cS.) 1O ....td6 11 . .tg3 lLlc6 12.0- 0-0 .td7 13.lLleS 1:!c8 14.f4± Kar­ pov - "Fidelity", Turin (simul) 1982. 8) 4 ...�dS S . .td3

7 ...cxd4 (White maintains a considerable advantage af­ ter 7 ...lLlc 6 8 . .tbS .td7 9.dS exdS 10.lLlxdS .te7 11.0-0!±. The posi­ tion is open and White's lead in development is a very important factor, for example: 11 ...lLlxdS 12.�xdS hgS 13.lLlxgS �xgS 14.1:!fel+ @d8 1S.1:!adl+-; 11...0-0 12.1:!el 1:!e8 13.lLlxe7+1:!xe7 14.hf6 Black should not be greedy in 1:!xel+ IS.lLlxel! gxf6 16.�dS+-; the diagram position. He loses by

17 Chapter 1 force if he attempts to win a pawn - Rajcevic,Yugoslavia 1976, 10 ... with a line which has been tried �d7! 1l.c4 'MIaS 12.a3 O-O-O+! in practice several times: S .. .fS?! with good counterplay for Black) 6.lLlg3 'MIxg2? (It is still not too late 7 ...lLlf6 (also after 7 ...lLlxd3+ 8. for Black to play more prudently 'MIxd3 'MIaS+ 9.c3 lLlf6 10.b4!?;!; - 6 ...cS - but after for example: White's prospects are preferable) 7.lLlf3 lLlc6 8.c4 'MId8 9.dS!? exdS 8.lLlxf6+ gxf6 9.hc7 �d7 1O.c4 10.cxdS 'MIxdS 11.0-0t White has lLlxd3+1l.'MI xd3 �b4+ 12.i>e2'MIc6 a dangerous initiative, because 13.�g3 'MIa6 14.a3 �e7 lS.a4! (pre­ Black's king is stranded in the venting lS ...bS) lS ...�c6 16.�hd1 centre and there are too many �d8 17.b3 �d7 18.'MIe3±. White open files and diagonals around has consolidated his position it.) 7.lLlf3 'MIh3 (7 ...�e7 8.�f1 +-) and Black's compensation for 8.�gS (Black's queen has been the pawn is nowhere in sight, trapped.) 8 ...h6 9.�f1+- Acs - Sonnberger - Sulava, Goetzis Zdjelar, Hungary 1997. 1996. Here Black could also consider 8b) S ... lLlf6 6.lLlxf6+ gxf6 S ...lLlc 6 or S ...lLlf 6. 7. lLlf3 8a) S ... lLlc6 6.lLlf3 (Black suc­ ceeds in exchanging his oppo­ nent's powerfulbishop on d3, but White wins several tempi after this, while after6.c 3 he must con­ sider the possibility of 6 ...eS !?) 6 ... lLlb4! (6... eS? 7.dxeS lLlxeS 8.lLlxeS 'MIxeS 9.0-0 �e7 1O.�el± Manes- cu - Piotrovskis, Tallinn 1997; 6 .. . lLlf6 7.lLlxf6+ gxf6 8.0-0 - see 5 ... lLlf6) 7 ...�g8 (7 ...lLlc 6 8.0-0 �g8 - see 7 ...�g8 ; 7 ...�d7 8.c4 'MId6 9.0-0 lLlc6 1O.�e3 lLle7 - after 10 ...0-0-0, White has the re­ source 11.'MIb3!? �12.cS - 11.b4 lLlg612 .cS 'MIdS13.b S �g8 14.i>hU Mortensen - Crouch, Copenha­ gen 1995 (game 1). Black's king is endangered in the centre of the board, while after castling his queen will be unsafe. After 14 ... 0- 7.�f4! (the position is not so 0-0, it is very good for White to clear after 7.0-0 lLlxd3 8.'MIxd3 play lS.lLld2! threatening 16.�e4) lLlf6 9.lLlxf6+ gxf6 1O.�f4, Pavicic 8.0-0 lLlc6 9.�e1 �d6

18 3.0,d2 dxe44.0, xe4

advantage thanks to the vulner­ ability of Black's kingside pawns, Glek - Hoang Thanh Trang, Bu­ dapest 1998 (game 2). 9) 4 ... i.e7 S.0,f3 0,f6 (S ...0,d7 6.i.d3 0,gf6 - see Chapter 3; S ... b6 6.i.bS+! i.d7 7.i.d3 0,f6 8.0,eS 0,c6 9.0,xd7 0,xd7 1O.i.bS 0,db8 1l.c3± and Whitemaintains a great 1O.g3! (White must restrict advantage owing to his power­ the mobility of Black's rook on ful centre and active bishop-pair, g8 and bishop on d6 before he Wendel - Jaeger, Germany 1989, begins active operations in the or 6 ... c6 7.i.d3 i.b7 8.�e2 0,d7 centre. If he plays immediately 9.i.f4 0,df6 1O.0,egS 0,dS 1l.i.d2 1O.i.e4 �hS 1l.dS then Black has 0,gf6 12.0,xf7!? 'it>xf7 13.0,gS+ the resource 1l ...f S!?f± with good 'it>e8 14.0,xe6 �d6 1S.0,xg7+ 'it>d8 counterplay.) 10 ...�hS (This is in 16.0,e6± and White has three fact his only move, because after pawns for the piece and the initia­ 1O ...i.d7, White has the powerful tive, Rozhkov - Sazanova, Nizh­ riposte 1l.i.e4 �hS 12.dSi with nij Novgorod 1998; 7 ...0,d7 8.i.f4 the initiative.) 1l.i.e2 �h3 12.dS 0,df6 9.0,egS. Now it would be 0,e7 13.dxe6 i.xe6 (It is quite very bad for Black to play 9 ...h6? reasonable for Black to prepare in view of 10.0,xf7! 'it>xf7 11.0,eS+ queenside castling as quickly as and White's advantage would be possible; after 13 ...fxe6 it is very decisive, while after the forcing good for White to play 14.i.bSt, line: 9 ...0,h6 10.c3 i.d6 1l.hd6 stranding Black's monarch in the �xd6 12.0,eS 0-0 13.�e2 i.b7 centre.) 14.i.bS+ i.d7 1S.hd7+ 14.0-0-0 c5 1S.i.c2± his attack �xd7 16.�d4! (White not only at­ is very dangerous, Kr.Georgiev tacks f6 but also prevents his op­ - Bjerring, Cappelle la Grande ponent from queenside castling.) 1992) 16 ...�g4 (after 16 ...�fS White has the resource 17.�a4+! c6 18.0,d4, increasing the pressure) 17.�xg4 (Entering a slightly bet­ ter endgame seems more reliable for White than playing 17.�xf6 0-0-0 with a complicated fight in which Black has some compen­ sation for the sacrificed pawn.) 17 .. J'1xg4 18.c3 0-0-0 19.i.f4!t. White has a slight but very stable 6.i.d3 b6 (The moves 6 ... i.d7

19 Chapter 1 and 6 ...ttJbd7, as well as 6 ...0-0 something which is absolutely es­ 7.VIffe2 ttJbd7, transpose to posi­ sential for him in order to obtain tions analyzed in Chapters 2 and a good game. At this particular 3; Black cannot solve his opening moment, after 16... c5, White has problems with 6 ...ttJxe4 7.ixe4 the powerful riposte 17.dS! exdS cS 8.0-0 cxd4 9.ttJxd4 0-0 10.c3 18.exdS and after Black captures ttJd7 1l.VIffe2 ttJf6 12.i.f3;t and on dS with any of his pieces, White White is better, J.Polgar - Simic, has the tactical shot 19.j"gxdS! fol­ New York 1986; while after 8 ... lowed by 20.VIffd3, winning mate­ ttJc6, Mateo - Moreto, La Roda rial, while after 18 ...i.d6 19.VIffc4 2007, White should continue his passed d-pawn becomes very with 9.i.e3 and after the forcing powerful. variation 9 ...cxd4 10.ttJxd4 ttJxd4 5.�xf6+ 1l.ixd4 0-0 12.VIffd3;tthere arises a position in which White exerts some pressure thanks to his more actively placed pieces.) 7.ttJxf6+ ixf6 8.i.e4 c6 9.0-0 i.b7 1O.VIffe2 ttJd7 11.i.f4 0-0 12.j"gad1 i.e7 13.c4 ttJf6 14.i.c2 VIffc8 lS.j"gfe1 j"ge8 (15 ... cS?! 16.dS!) 16.i.eS!;t

A) 5 ...gxf6 B) 5 ...'Wxf6

A) 5 ...gxf6 Black unnecessarily weakens his pawn-structure with this, and This standard middlegame practically forces himself to castle position arose in the game queenside. Yet there are also some G.Kasparov - Pereiro, Cordo­ benefits with this capture. Black ba (simul) 1992 (game 3) and increases his control over the cen­ White's advantage here is obvi­ tre (in particular, White's knight ous. His forces are perfectly mo­ is deprived of the eS-square, bilized and ready for active opera­ which it can use in the classical tions, while Black, just as before, lines of the Rubinstein variation) finds it verydifficult to carry out and can exploit the half-open g­ the thematic pawn-break c6-cS file in the future. This last factor, under favourable circumstances, however, is not very important,

20 3.ltJd2 dxe4 4.ltJxe4 ltJf6 5.ltJxf6 gxf6 6.ltJj3 because White can easily neutral­ White's central pawns: 6 ....id7 ize it by transferring his bishop 7.g3 .ic6 8 . .ig2 ltJd7 9.0-0 Vffe7 to the g3-square (.if4-g3), or by 1O.c4 0-0-0 11.Vffc2 (Here White fianchettoinghis king's bishop. In could already consider playing: general, the defects of Black's last 11.dS!? exdS 12.ltJd4t) 11 ...hS move are much more important 12.dS! exdS 13.ltJd4t and White than its pluses, so we can say that has a powerful initiative, Szopka although it is playable, objective­ - Czyz, Wroclaw 2006. ly speaking the move is not very It seems more natural for good and strong players only use Black to try 6 ... cS, but this under­ it very rarely. The only idea then mining move does not combine may be to confuse some not so well with his previous move. The well prepared opponent. centre is opened too early and his 6.tlJf3 king might remain stranded in the centre: 7 . .ie3

7 ...Vff b6 (7 ...cxd4 8.ltJxd4 a6 6 ...b6 9.VffhS Vffc7 10.0-0-0 ltJc6, Holz­ This is the most reasonable ke - Hoennekes, Bad Wiessee way for Black to develop. 2007 and here White's simplest He must prepare queenside reaction would be 11. ltJxc6!? castling, so any attempts to devel­ Vffxc6 12. .id3 eS 13.f3t; 12... .id7 op his kingside first are not very 13. wbl t and Black will find it sensible and facilitate White's very difficult to castle queenside task, for example: 6 ....ie7 7.g 3 b6 because of White's unpleasant 8 . .ig2 .ib7 9.0-0 ltJd7 1O.c4 ltJf8 pressure against the f7-pawn) 11.dSt Svidler - Fietz, Darmstadt 8 . .ie2 ltJc6 9.0-0 .id7 (after 9 ... (simul) 2000 and in view of the cxd4 1O.ltJxd4 .icS, Matras - variation 11 ...exdS 12.ltJd4 Black Bashkite, Warsaw 2001, White has great difficulties. can simply exchange several piec­ It is not good for Black to try es and then invade Black's camp to develop his bishop to c6, be­ along the open files: 11.ltJxc6 cause it will become a target for .ixe3 12.fxe3 Vffxe3+ 13.whl bxc6 Chapter 1

14.�d6 i.d7 1S.i.hSt with very This move blocks the diagonal dangerous threats for White) of Black's own bishop, but other­ 1O.c3 i.e7 (Black has great prob­ wise he will simply lose a tempo, lems after 10 ... 0-0-0 11.b4! cxd4 while his position is not attractive 1Vuxd4t) 11.dS (here 11.M is not in any case: so strong because of the line: 11 ... 7 ...i.d7 8.i.d3 i.c6 9.�e2 i.b7 cxd4 12.ltJxd4 ltJxd4 13.hd4 �c7) 1O.i.f4 i.d6 11.i.g3 �e7 12.0-0-0 11...exdS 12.M! d4 (12 ... 0-0-0 ltJd7 13.ghe1 0-0-0, Brodsky - 13.�xdS i.e6 14.�hS±) 13.bxcS Zschischang, Yerevan 1996 and �xcS 14.ltJxd4�xc3 1S.i.f3± White can maintain his comfort­ able advantage in several ways, for example with 14.i.a6t 8.�d3 YNc7 9.YNe2 �b7 10.a4! The pawn-structure is such that Black's king can be safe nei­ ther in the centre nor on the king­ side. With the move in the game, White is also ready to "welcome" it to the queenside with an attack. Just as in many variations of 10... lild7 the 6 ...cS line, an open position Black's defence would not be has arisen in which Black's king any easier after1O ...a6 11.0-0 ltJd7 is in terrible danger, Richter - 12.aS bS 13.c4 0-0-0 14 . .td2t Petrovs, Munich 1936. Ll1S.gfcl. 11.a5 �d6 11...cS 12.0-0 i.d6 13.i.e4±

7.�b5+ Before placing his bishop on d3, White wishes to weaken his 12.a6! opponent's position slightly. Black's bishop is pushed back 7 ...c6 into a passive position and Black

22 3.ttJd2 dxe4 4Jilxe4 4:Jf6 5.4:Jxj6 Wixf6 6.4:Jj3 will be unable to prevent the Rubinstein variation, Black usu­ opening of files on the queenside ally fianchettoes his queen's bish­ (if he castles there) anyway. op or else develops it on the long 12 ...oic8 13.0-0 tDf8 14.c4 diagonal along the route d7-c6, oid7 15.oie3 tDg6 16.g3 0-0 after which he attempts sooner 17.h4± or later to accomplish the pawn­ break c7-c5. Here, after 5 ...Wixf6, he develops according to an en­ tirely differentsche me: i.d6,4:Jc 6, 0-0, hoping to advance quickly e6-e5, opening the c8-h3 diagonal for his light-squared bishop. Black mobilizes his forces very swiftly with this set-up, but his queen is somewhat exposed, so he needs to play h7-h6 at a very ear­ ly stage of the game and after he castles kingside he will have de­ Black was forced to castle fensive problems against White's kingside, but this was an ac­ queen + bishop battery along the knowledgement of the failure of bl-h7 diagonal. the whole strategy chosen by him 6.tDf3h6 on move five. It is quite obvious Black can hardly manage that his monarch will not find a without this move, because after safe haven there either, Lastin - White's next move 7.i.d3 he will Agasieva, Baku 2008 (game 4). be threatening to trap the enemy queen with 8.i.g5, so most of Black's alternatives just lead to a

B) 5 .••Wixf6 transposition of moves: 6 ...i.d6 7.i.d3 h6, or 6 ...4:Jd7 7.i.d3 h6, or 6 ...4:Jc 6 7.i.d3 h6 - see 6 ...h6. Original positions arise only after6 ...Wid8 andthen 7.i.d3.

In the classical lines of the

23 Chapter 1

Thediagram position has been 13.h4-+, although even then tested in practice numerous times White's extra tempi are a telling and it is similar to the main lines, factor.) l1..ibS+ .id7 (Black's po­ usually arising after the move­ sition is very difficult after 11 ... order 4 ... tLld7 S.tLlf3 tLlgf6 6 ..id3, 'i!?fB 12.0-0±) 12.0-0-0 'fIb6 (it which we shall analyze in Chapter looks as if his best is 12 ... 'fIaS, but 3. The difference is that in this even then after 13.�d7 tLlxd7 14. case Black's knight is on bB and �d1 �dB lS.tLleS 0-0 16.tLlxd7 not on f6, which is undoubtedly 'fIxa2 17.c3+- White's position is in White's favour. White usually winning) 13.�d7 tLlxd7 14.tLleS tries to castle queenside in simi­ �dB, Dominguez Alcon - Perez lar situations. The game becomes Gonzalez, Padron 200B and here, verysharp and concrete and each his simplest winning line is: 15. tempo is of paramount impor­ tLlxd7�d7 16.�d1 +- tance. Accordingly, the fact that 2) 7 ...cS B . .ie3.Bearingin mind Black is a couple of tempi be­ what happens later, we should say hind makes the organization of that Black was not obliged to lose his queenside counterplay very so quickly, but even with better difficult. We shall have a look at defence he would still have great several examples illustrating his problems: B ... 'fIb6 (after B ...cxd4 problems: 9.tLlxd4 j.e7 1O.'fIf3 0-0 11.0-0-0 1) 7 ....ie7 (a transposition of tLld712 .'i!?b1-+White's threats are moves arises after 7 ...tLld7 B.We2 very dangerous; while after B ... .ie7 9 ..if4 - see 7 ....ie7; but not tLld7 a very good continuation is B ...cS 9.dS!) B.'fIe2 tLld7 9 . .if4 cS 9.'fId2, followed by 10.0-0-0) (It would be too slow for Black 9.0-0 tLlc6 1O.c3 'fIxb2 (1O ... .ie7 to play 9 ... tLlf6?! 10.0-0-0 a6 11.b4!t) l1.dxcS (it might be in­ 11.tLleS 0-0 12.'i!?b1 'fIeB. He is teresting for White to try here forced to make such awkward 11.'fIe1!? with the idea 12.dS!) 11 ... moves in order to develop his 'fIxc3 (11... .ie7 12.'fIb3!;!;) 12.�b1 bishop on b7. 13.h4 bS 14.�h3 .ib7 'fIaS (after 12 ....ie7 13 . .ie4 0-0 lS.�g3. White has organized a 14.'fIa4! Black's queen is in se­ crushing attack while Black has rious danger and White is also been completing his development. threatening to capture on c6) There follows a quick and spec­ 13.tLld4 'fIdB? (this is the decisive tacular finish: 15 ...'i!?hB 16 ..igS mistake, but even after 13 ....ie7 �dB 17.hf6 .ixf6 1B . .ixh7! heS 14.tLlxc6 bxc6 1S.'fIf3 j.d7 16.�b7t 19.'fIhS .if4 20.�gS and Black re­ Black's position is very difficult) signed, Sermek - Sula, Istanbul 14 . .ie4 'fId7 lS.tLlxc6 bxc6 16.'fIf3 2000.) 1O.dxcS!? tLlxcS? (He 1-0 Dimitrov - Martinez Ramon, should have played instead 10 ... Padron 2004.

'fIaS+ 11.M2 'fIxcS12 .0-0-0 0-0 7 . .id3

24 3.liJd2 dxe4 4.liJxe4liJf6 5.liJxf6 'eixf6 6.liJj3

up: 7 ...liJd7 8.0-0 cS 9.c3 i.d610. 'eie2'eie7 11.liJeS a6 12.i.f4 liJf6 13. dxcS hcS 14.gadl±. White has a great lead in development, Spiel­ mann - Havasi, Budapest 1928. The immediate undermining move c7-cS, in connection with the development of the knight to c6, looks interesting for Black: 7 ...cS 8.i.e3 liJc6 (it is much weaker for him to play 8 ...liJd7? ! 9.0-0 i.d6

7... J.d6 1O.i.bS± Rudolf - Mnatsakan­ There is a transposition of yan, Yerevan 2006; or 8 ...cxd4 ?! moves after 7 ...liJc6 8.0-0 i.d6 9.hd4 'eid8,Savickas - Stauskas, 9.c3 - see 7 ...i.d6. Black's attempt Panevezys 2007, 1O.'eid2± �11. to castle queenside is tremen­ 0-0-0 and in both cases Black can dously risky: 8 ...i.d7 9.c3 i.d6 hardly complete his development 1O.'eie2 0-0-0 11.M gS 12.bS liJe7 without losing material) 9.dxcS!? 13.c4 i.f4 14.i.b2 g4 lS.liJeS heS (This is a very interesting possi­ 16.dxeS 'eigS 17.i.e4± Zarnicki - bility. Whiteradically changes the Jerez, Villa Martelli 1997; or 11 ... character of the struggle, compro­ liJe712.bS liJdS 13.c4 liJf4 14.hf4 mising his pawn-structure in the hf4 lS.a4± Ortel - Nagy Dani, hope of exploiting his consider­ Hungary 2001 (game 5) and it able lead in development. How­ becomes quite clear that White's ever, it would be also good for him attack is running effortlessly. to calmly play 9.0-0, for example: It would be dubious for Black 9 ...cxd4 10.liJxd4 i.d7 11.i.e4 i.e7 to try the manoeuvre 7 ...i.d7? ! 12.liJxc6 hc6 13.i.d4 eS 14.hc6+ 8.0-0 i.c6. After 9.liJeS i.d6 bxc6 lS.i.c3 0-0 16.'eihS i.d6 White can play 1O.'eie2 and trans­ 17.f4±, winning a pawn) 9 ... 'eixb2 pose to the favourable variation 10.0-0 i.e7 (or 1O ...1Wf6 11.liJd4 7 ...i.d6 8.0-0 i.d7 9.'eie2 i.c6 10. i.d712.liJ bS gc8, Janosevic - Puc, liJeS, but under the circumstanc­ Belgrade 1948, and now 13.gbl± es it is even stronger for him to and again White has a powerful play 1O.f4, for example: 10 ... 0-0 initiative, for example: 13 ...'eieS 11.'eie2 'eih4 12.i.e3 liJd7 13.liJxc6 14.1Wd2 hcS lS.i.f4 1Wf616.i. d61', bxc6 14.i.e4±and Black is in great or 13 ...i.e7 14.i.e4 'eieS lS.'eid31') trouble, Chernyshov - Bozic, Lito­ 11.liJd4 0-0 12.liJxc6 bxc6 13.i.d4 mys1 1996. 1Wb8 (after 13 ...'eib7 White should His queen on f6 is awkwardly play 14.'eig4 i.gS lS.i.eS!±, plan­ placed and it seems too slow for ning later to increase the pressure him to head for the liJd7+cS set- with gab1 and i.d6).

25 Chapter 1

The diagram position was - Eidam, Bad Wildbad 1997; 10 ... reached in the game Zugaj - he5 11.dxe5 �h4 12.f4 - see Varini, Portoroz 2005. White 1O ...�h4 ; 11...�e7 12.i.d2! ttJd7 could have obtained a consider­ 13.b4! a6 14.a4 ttJb6 15.b5 axb5 able advantage with 14.�g4!±, 16.axb5 E1xaI 17.E1xal i.d7 18.�g4 with the idea of 14 ... e5 (14 ...i.g5 g6 19.h4+- and White's initia­ 15.�e4 f5 16.�xc6±) 15.�e4 f5 tive becomes decisive, Z.Szabo 16.�xc6! exd4? 17.E1abl+- - Frank, Gyula 2001.) 11.f4 he5 8.0-0 (11 ...0-0 12.i.e3± - see 7 ...i.d7) 12.dxe5 ttJd7 13.i.e3�e7 (13 ... 0-0 14.b4!?) 14.i.b5 hb5 (White ob­ tains a great advantage after 14 ...0-0 15.i.xc6 bxc6 16.�f3 c5 17.�c6± Amrein - Frank, Har­ kany 1998; Black's most reliable move here is 14 ...ttJb8t, but even then his position is so passive that White's advantage is beyond any doubt: 15.E1adl 0-0 16.c3 a6 17.i.d3 ttJd7 18.b4! etc.) 15.�xb5 b6 (Black cannot castle queenside:

8 ...

26 3.!£Jd2 dxe4 4.!£Jxe4 !£Jf6 5.!£Jxf6 Wixf6 6.!£Jj3 cramped after 9 ...c6 ?! 1O.b3 0-0 possibly gf3-g3 and meanwhile 11.i.b2 ge8 12.!£JeS± Tiviakov - Black must still solve the prob­ Abel Naby, Cairo 2002; White has lem of the development of his c8- a stable edge after 9 ...b6 1O.i.e4 bishop. gb8 1l.b3 0-0 12.i.b2;!; Tiviakov After8. ..0-0 9.Wie2, - Kadziela, Warsaw 2009, game 6; 9 ...i.f4 .

the game transposes to the main line with 9 ...!£Jc6 ! 1O.c3 eS Black lacks space, so his de­ - see 8 ...!£Jc6 , while if Black plays sire to simplify the position is something else White quickly ob­ understandable, but White has a tains a clear advantage: simple and very powerful riposte: 9 ...Wie7? 1O.Wie4fS ll.Wie2!£Jd7 1O.i.e3! White plans to recapture 12.i.c4 gf6 13.ge1 !£Jf8 14.!£JeS± on e3 with his pawn, fortifyinghis and since Black's pawn-structure centre and opening the f-file,so it has great defects White enjoys would be unsatisfactory for Black an overwhelming advantage, to exchange the bishops and thus M.Rytshagov - Reuter, Germany White's initiative runs effortless­ 1994; ly: 10 ...0-0 1l.gae1 gd8 12.!£Jd2!t 9 ...!£Jd7? 1O.Wie4 gd8 (it is Fodre - E.Szabo, Hungary 2008) more or less the same after 10 ... 1O.!£JeS 0-0 1l.i.d2 cS 12.c3;!; ge8) 11.Wih7+ wf8 12.ge1 b6 (Black has great problems after 12 ...cS 13.i.e3 cxd4 14.hd4 eS lS.i.c3±; or 13 ...b6 14.i.e4 gb8 lS.gadl± and White has a clear advantage. His attack is very strong in the variation 12 ...gS 13. h4 We7 14.hxgS hxgS lS.WihS-4 Kujovic - Dobrotka, Slovakia 2001) 13.i.e4 gb8 14.i.d2! (creat­ ing the threat lS.i.c3!) 14 ...bS White plans to increase his (14 ...i.b7 lS.,hb7 gxb7 16.i.c3±) pressure with f4 , gad1 and later lS.a3 gb6 16.i.c3 We7 17.dS eS 18.

27 Chapter 1 id3 (�19.tild4) 1B ...g6 19.�xh6 until Black's 17thmove, the major­ �hB 20.�e3 �hS, Villavicencio - ity ofboth sides' moves are practi­ P.Garcia, Gran Can aria 19B9. cally forced.

With 21.tilxeS!+-, followed by 1l. . . g6 22.f4, White could have obtained Black should prevent the a decisive advantage. rather unpleasant check on h7: 9.c3 0-0 10.t'fe2 1l ...�eB? 12.�h7+ \tlfB 13.�e1 ie6 14.ie3 �adB 1S.ie4 exd4 16. tilxd4±id7 17.hc6 ixc6 18.tilxc6 bxc6 19.igS! and Black resigned, I.Gurevich - Chow, New York 1994. 12.dxe5 Here 12.ixh6? fails to 12 ... ifS 13.�e2 e4!+ and White loses material after 14.he4 �feB, or 14.MB exd3! 12 ...�xe5 13.�xe5 he5

14• .ixh6 .tf5 10... e5 Black must play this move right now; otherwise, White will continue with 1l.tild2!, prevent­ ing it for a long time: lO ...tile7, Hrvacic - Sunara, Split 1999, 1l.tild2!;!;.White plans 12.tile4 and 13.f4, radically pre­ venting e6-eS, while after 1l ...eS (1l ...�h4 12.f4!) White will con­ tinue with 12.tile4 �e6 13.ic4! �g4 (13 ...�fS 14.f4!+-; 13 ... �g6 14.tilxd6 cxd6 1S.dxeS dxeS 15.t'fc4 16.�xeS±) 14.�xg4 hg4 1S.hh6! This is again the only move for exd4 16.cxd4±, winning a pawn; White; it would be bad for him to or lO ... �eB, Shagalovich - Zil­ play 1S.�e3? �feB+ Bach - Bocks­ ber, Minsk 19S7, 1l.tild2!;!;(�tile4 , berger, Germany 1999; or 1S.�f3? f4). Here, the move 1l ...eS? leads �h4+ to considerable material loss for 15 ...b5 ! Black after 12.f4!+- This is Black's best chance. 1l.t'fe4 With this tactical shot he is able The game enters tactical com­ to move his fB-rook away from plications and from this moment the attack with tempo and later

2B 3.ttJd2dxe4 4.ttJxe4 ttJf6 5.ttJxf6 Wixf6 6.ttJj3 he has the possibility to invade his White has the resource 20.ie4) opponent's second rank with it. 20.ie3 E:d621.E: ad1 .bc322.ic4i After lS ....bh2+ 16.wxh2 - Black has succeeded in regain­ Wid6+ 17. Wif4 Wixf4+ 1B . .bf4 ing the sacrificed material but .bd3 19JUd1 ibS 20 . .bc7± Fi­ White has consolidated his posi­ lev - Todorov, Sofia20 04, or lS ... tion and Black's weak a7- and c7- .bd3 16.Wixd3 Wih4 (16... .bh 2+? pawns remain vulnerable. 17.Wxh2 Wih4+ 1B.Wih3+-) 17.f4± 18 Jbd3 g5 White preserveshis extra pawn. Black fails to trap the enemy 16.Wxb5llUb8 17.Wc4 bishop inside his own camp, so he should play here 1B ...E:xb2 !? After this White must play very accu­ rately to maintain his advantage: 19.ic1! He must place his bishop on e3, after first evicting the en­ emy rook from his 2nd rank. 19 ... E:b6 (the outcome is similar after 19 ...E:bbB 20.i e3 E:dB21. Wic4 .bc3 22.E:adU)20 .ie3 E:dB 21.Wic2E:c6 22.E:ad1E:xc3 23.E:xdB+ WixdB 24. Wia4i.Just as in the variation with 17... ie6, the forced play has led to 17 ...hd3 a situation in which the material Here again, the check on h2 balance has been restored and a would not help Black much: 16 ... very important factor for the eval­ .bh2+ 17.Wxh2 Wid6+ 1B.Wg1 uation of the arising position is E:fbB (lB... .bd3 19 . .bfB E:xfB 20. the vulnerability of Black's pawns WiaS .bf1 21.E:xfl±) 19.WiaS .bd3 on a7 and c7. 20.E:fd1wh7 (20 ...E:xb2? 21. E:xd3! Wixd3 22.WieS f6 23.Wie7E:b 1+ 24. E:xb1 Wixb1+ 2S.wh2+-) 21.ie3 E:xb2 22.WigS and White's attack was victorious in the game Yu - Tse, Canberra 2007. After 17 ...E:xb2 1B . .bfS WixfS 19.ie3i Black's pieces are active­ ly placed but White has an extra pawn and a solid position. The move 17... ie6 !? deserves very serious consideration for Black. There might follow: 1B.Wia4 The diagram position was E:xb2 19.icl! E:b6 (after 19 ...E:bbB reached in the game Rozentalis -

29 Chapter 1

Odeev, Minsk 1986. Now White 25.'i!;>xh2 gxf2 26.geS+ �g7 should play: 19.'fIe2! There might 27.gbS± follow: 19 •• J�b6 (White retains at least one extra pawn inthe other variations: 19 .. J�e8 20.1MfhS i.f4 21.h4+-; 19 ...i.xh2+ 20.'i!;>xh2 1Mfxh6+ 21.'i!;>gl±; 19 ...i.f4 20.g3±) 20.gael geS (Here again, after 20 ...i.f4 21.g3 1Mfxh6 22.gxf4 gxf4 23.'i!;>hl±, or 20 ...i.xh 2+ 21.'i!;>xh2 1Mff4+ 22.g3 l'!xh6+ 23.'i!;>g2 1MffS 24.l'!hl±,White 's extra pawn guar­ antees his advantage.) 2l • .ixg5! hh2+! (21...1MfxgS 22.f4+-) 22.'i!;>hl! (but not 22.'i!;>xh2 be­ White has an extra pawn and cause of 22... 1Mfh 8+!) 22 •••gxe2 good winning chances in this rook

23 • .ixf6 gxel 24.gxel M6 and pawn ending.

30 Chapter 1 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.�d2 dxe4 4.�xe4

Complete Games

1 Mortensen Crouch Copenhagen 1995 l.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.lLlc3 dxe4 4.lLlxe4 Wfd5 5.i.d3 lLlf6 6.lLlxf6 + gxf6 7.lLlf3 .id7 S.c4 Wfd6 9.0-0 lLlc6 10.i.e3 lLle7

The deployment of Black's forces obviously lacks harmony. The majority of his pieces (par­ ticularly the bishops) are too pas­ sive, while on the contrary his queen is too active. 14 ...a6 1l.b4! It is bad for him to play White reacts energetically 14 ... 0-0-0 because of 1S.lLld2 against Black's somewhat awk­ and White wins material, since ward opening set-up. Black has no satisfactory defence 1l ...lLlg6 12.c 5 Wfd5 13.b5! against 16.i.e4, and if 1S ...fS then White deprives Black's bishop 16.i.c4+-. Therefore, instead of the c6-square and squeezes his of completing his development, position even more. Black must ensure a possible line 13 ...ggS 14.�h1! of retreat for his queen. This is a common-sense pro­ 15.a4 axb5 16.axb5 gxa1 phylactic move, but it also pre­ 17.Wfxa1 i.e7 1S.lLld2 i.cS 19. pares the rather unpleasant (for i.e4 Black) manoeuvre 1S.lLld2,which It seems very strong for White would not work immediately be­ to play 19.'ltiaS 'ltidS20. b6! (threat­ cause of 14.lLld2? lLlh4 1S.i.e4 ening 21.i.bS+ 'it>fS22 .i.h6+) 20 ... lLlxg2! c6 21.lLlc4 fS 22.'ltibS! and Black

31 Chapter 1 can hardly move. 2 Glek - Hoang Thanh Trang

19 •••t!fdS 20. g3 f5 21• .ig2f4 Budapest 1998 22 . .bf4 tl)xf4 23.gxf4gg4 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.tl)c3 dxe4 4.tl)xe4 §'d5 5 . .id3 tl)f6 6. tl)xf6+ gxf6 7.tl)f3 ggS S.O-O tl)c6 9.ge1 .id6 10.g3 §'h5 1l . .ie2 §'h3 12.d5 tl)e7 13. dxe6 he6 14 . .ib5+ .id7 15. hd7+ §'xd7 16.§'d4 §'g4 17. §'xg4 gxg4 lS.c3 0-0-0 19 . .if4;!;

Black has managed to activate his pieces somehow, but his posi­ tion remains difficult as before. His king is unsafe and his bishop on c8 is very passive, so he will hardly manage to survive.

24 • .!L\t'3 gxf4 25.§'c1gf6 26. §'e3 .ifS 27.tl)e5 gh6 2S.f4 §'h4 29.tl)f3§'h5 30.ga1 Afterthe exchange of the bish­ White begins the decisive in­ ops, there arises an endgame vasion. which is very comfortable for 30 ....ig7 31.gaS �dS 32. White. Black's kingside pawns §'e4+- are very weak and White's knight will fight very effectively against them. Accordingly, Black must try to exchange knights, since this would facilitate his defence con­ siderably. 19 ...tl)c 6 20.hd6 gxd6 21. geS+ gdS 22.gae1 ga4 23.a3 ga5 24.�g2 It is more precise for White to play 24J''!8e4! Black has no defence. 24 ...gad5 32 ...§'d5 33.§'xd5+ exd5 Black overlooks a key moment 34.tl)g5 gf6 35 . .ih3 gxf4 36. to make use of an important stra­ gxcS+ �e7 37.gxc7+ �fS 3S. tegic finesse (see our comments gcS+ �e7 39.gc7+ �fS 40.c6. above): 24 ...ltJeS! This would not Black resigned. have solved all his problems, but

32 3.ttJd2 dxe44.tiJxe4

he would have more chance of 29 •..b5 30.�c3 ebd7?! holding the rook and pawn end­ 30 ...ttJa 7± ing. 25.�8e4! After this move, Black will not be able to exchange knights any time soon.

25 •••�f5 26.�le2h5 27.� 2e3 �d1 28.b4

31.ttJh4?! White overlooks a wonder­ ful chance to trap his opponent's rook, winningimmedia tely: 31.h3! Black's only defence against 32.g4 is the move 31...bxc4, but af­ ter 32J�exc4, he suffers heavy

28••• a6 material losses: 32 ... l'!d6 (32... This is another imprecIsIOn, l'!xf3 33.wxf3 ttJeS+ 34.we2+-) which is difficultto spot but quite 33.l'!xc6! l'!xc6 34.l'!xc6 wxc6 crucial. 3S.ttJd4+-

Black had to try to contain 31••• �e5 32.�f4 �d6 33.ttJf3 White's pawns with the move 28 ... �e2 34.cxb5 axb5 35.�c5 �a2 as!? However, such endgames 36.�xb5 �xa3 37.�xh5+- are very unpleasant for the de­ White has won a pawn, pre­ fending side. At first sight, the serving all the advantages of his position might seem quite defen­ position. In addition, he has cre­ sible (in fact, it is!), but Black has ated a very dangerous passed h­ long-term difficulties. Finding pawn. counterplay is very hard (and, if 37••• �b3 38.b5 ttJe7 39.�h7 the opponent plays precisely, �xb5 40.�xf7 �bb6 41.�h4 practically impossible), so he is ebe6 42.�hh7 ttJd5 43.�f8 �d7 restricted to making only passive 44.ttJd4+ ebd6 45.ttJf5+ebc6 moves for long periods of the 4S ... we6 46.l'!e8+- game, with great risk of making a 46.�h4 �b2 47.�c4+ ebb5 mistake. 48.�cl �b4 49.h4 29.c4± After some preparation, White's queenside pawns be­ White'sh-pawn advances and'the gin advancing and Black's prob­ fightis quickly over. lems become even greater. 49 ...c5 50.�c8 ttJc7 51.h5

33 Chapter 1 ttJe652 .h6 ge4? 14".YlYc8 15.gfel ge8 This is a blunder in a hopeless 1S ...cS? ! 16.dS! position. 16.i.e5! ttJd7 53.h7. In view of S3 ... E1xh7 After 16 ...cS, White has the S4.ttJd6+- Black resigned. idea of 17.dS! exdS 18.cxdS and it would be bad for Black to re­ 3 Kasparov Pereiro ply with 18 ...tt:JxdS? because of Cordoba (simul), 1992 19.E1xdS! hdS 20.�d3+- and l.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.ttJd2dxe4 White wins, while after 18 ...i.d6 4.ttJxe4 i.e7 5.ttJf3 ttJf6 6.i.d3 19.�c4t his passed d-pawn be­ b6?! 7.ttJxf6+ hf6 8.i.e4 c6 comes tremendously powerful. 9.0 0 i.b7 10.YlYe2 ttJd7 11.i.f4 However, if we continue this last o 0 12.gadl i.e7 13.c4 ttJf6 variation with 19 ...�d8, Black can 14.i.c2 still offerresistance, while the way the game continues he never gets another chance to carry out this key pawn-break. 17.�e4 ttJf8 18.�g4 f6 19.i.g3±

Black has played this game in the Rubinstein variation rather slowly. The middlegame has al­ ready begun and he has still not made the thematic pawn-break c6-cS, which is vital for him to White improves his position, obtain an acceptable position; move by move, while Black re­ otherwise he risks remaining mains inactive. cramped inside his own camp. 19 ...�d8 Under the circumstances, White Here, again after19 ...cS, White should play in such a way as to be has the powerful riposte 20.dS! able to answer c6-c5 with d4-dS; and then if 20... exd S?! 21.�xc8 alternatively he might try to pre­ E1axc8 22.cxdS+- his d-pawn is vent the freeing move c6-cS alto­ unstoppable, but even after gether by placing his own pawn Black's only move 20 ...eS± his po­ on cS. All these ideas motivate the sition is hopeless. actions of both sides in the next 20.h4 i.d6 21.h5 hg3 few moves. 22.�xg3 �b8 23.�h4 YlYc7

34 3.liJd2 dxe4 4.ttJxe4

Black's last chance of offer­ eS 4S.i.e4+ i.e6 49.gxf8+ ing any significant resistance was Black resigned. 23 ...c5 !? White would be clearly better even then, but Black's piec­ es would be slightly more active. 4 Lastin Agasieva 24.eS! Baku 2008 1.e4 e6 2.d4 dS 3.ttJd2 dxe4 4.tlJxe4 tlJf6 S.tlJxf6+ gxf6?! In this game, White demon­ strated the drawbacks of Black's last move quite convincingly. 6.tlJ£l b6 7.i.bS+ e6 S.i.d3 �e7 9.�e2 i.b7 10.a4!

As oftenhappens when the op­ ponents are of differentstrengths, one of the sides usually succeeds in realising all his ideas almost effortlessly. Once White has im­ peded Black's pawn-break c6-c5 the rest of the game turnsinto an execution. In this pawn-structure, Black's 24 .. J;adS 2S.b4 i.eS king will be safe neither in the cen­ Here Black should have tried tre nor on the kingside, so White 25 ...h6. shows his readiness to "welcome" 26.h6 <;t>hS 27.hxg7+ �xg7 it to the queenside, if necessary...

2S.ge4 ge7 29 .gg4 �f730 .gg3 10 .••tlJd7 tlJd7 31.ge1 ggS 32.gxgS+ Black cannot expect anything �xgS 33.dS! exdS 34.e6+- positive from the variation 1O ...a6 This is the beginning of the 11. 0-0 ttJd7 12.a5 b5 13.c4 0-0-0 end. 14.i.d2t, followed by 15.:1Uc1. 34 ...tlJf8 3S.�xf6+ �g7 36. 1l.aS i.d6 �f4 gf7 37.�e3 �b2 3S.tlJeS White maintains a clear edge gg7 39.�f4 <;t>gS 40.i.d3 �e3 after11.. .c5 12.0-0 i.d6 13.i.e4± 41.ge3 �e1+ 42.<;t>h2 �d2 12.a6! i.eS 13.0-0 tlJf8 14. 43.bS e4 i.d7 1S.i.e3 tlJg616.g 3 0-0 White was winning immedi­ 17.h4± ately with 43.ttJg4+- (diagram)

43 •.•d4 44.g£l �xf4+ 4S. Black was fo rced to castle gxf4 ggS 46.ttJ£l ghS+ 47.<;t>g3 kingside and thus admit that the

35 Chapter 1

4.tDxe4 tDf6 5.tDxf6 + �xf6 6.tDf3 h6 7.i.d3 i.d6 8.0-0 tDc6 9.c3 i.d7?! Black's decision to castle queenside is too optimistic. Cas­ tling kings ide would be much safer. 10.�e2 0-0-0 1l.b4 tDe7 plan begun with his 5th move was wrong. It is obvious that his king will not be safe there either.

17••. wh8 18.h5 tDe7 19.c5 bxc5 20.dxc5

12.b5! White has numerous attrac­ tive possibilities here: 1Vt:leS!? or 12.c4!?, but it seems to me that the move in the game is his most convincing response to Black's 20... .b:g3? opening set-up, which is not quite Of course, Black's position is correct. White's b-pawn advanc­ very difficult, but after 20 ...ieS es, depriving Black's bishop of the 21.id2 ggS± he could have still c6-square and paving the way for resisted. The piece-sacrificeis not its neighbour - the c-pawn - to correct and he loses quickly. advance as well, if Black tries to 21.fxg3 �xg3+ 22.�g2+­ transfer his knight to dS, as he has �c7 23.i.d4�f4 24.�h2 �g4+ planned.

25.Wf2 e5 26.gg1 �e6 27.gae1 12 •.•tD d5?! �d5 28.�h4 �e6 29.tDxe5 Black does not even try to pre­

tDf530 • .b:f5 �xf5+ 31.tDf3h6 vent White fromcarrying out his 32.i.xf6+ wh7 33.gg7+ wh8 plan, but his position was difficult 34.gxt7+ Wg8 35.�g3+. Black anyway. It is hard to suggest any­ resigned. thing better, for example: 12 ...gS 13.lLleS±; or 12 .. .';!/bS 13.c4 lLlg6 5 Ortel Nagy Dani 14.ie4± Hungary 2001 13.c4 tDf4 14.i.xf4 i.xf4 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.tDd2dxe4 15.a4

36 3.lt:Jd2 dxe44. lt:Jxe4

It is also verygood for Whiteto 22.. • ti'c3 23 . .ie4f5 24 . .ixf5 play 15.g3 �d6 16.c5 �e7 17.c6-+ .ic6 2S.ti'e7+ gd6 26.gxd6 with a powerful attack, but after .ixd6 27.ti'xa7+

1S••• c5 16.aS .id6 17.a6+­ 32.ti'd7.icS . Black resigned, and .ib8? this was not at all premature. It would be more resilient for him to play 17 ...wb8. 18.ti'e4 6 Tiviakov Kadziela Warsaw (rapid) 2009 l.e4 e6 2.d4 dS 3.�d2 dxe4 4.�xe4 �f6 S.�xf6 + ti'xf6

6.�f3 h6 7• .id3 �d7 8.0-0

.id6 9.ti'e2 b6 10 • .ie4 gb8

1l.b3 0-0 12 •.ib2!

White'sattack is crushing, but it looks as if he wishes to empha­ size his patience; otherwise, he could have mated his opponent much earlier.

18••• bxa6 19.bxa6

37 Chapter 1

1S.dxeS WJe7t; or immediately 21 •••.ib4 22.gxeS+ gxeS 12 ...WJe7t 23.lLld4g6 24.�f1 .id6 25.lLlc6

13.c4 .ib7 14 • .b:b7 gxb7 a6 26.b4 �f8 27• .id4 lLle5 2S. 15.gfe1 gbbS 16.gad1 gfeS .b:e5.b:e5 29.c5 17.g3 ffg4 lS.�g2 gbdS 19. "i!!fc2

29 •••.if6 ? Black loses quickly after this You can now see the conse­ move. quences of Black's 12th move. His He had to first insert the queen is endangered and he can exchange of pawns: 29 ...bxcS hardly evacuate it from the ene­ 30.bxcS .if6±, preserving some my camp without making conces­ chances of survival, because in sions. It is difficultto recommend reply to 31.d6, he would have the moves like 19 .. .fS?!, while the possibility of 31...cxd6 32.cxd6 exchange of queens would con­ 1"lc8. siderably weaken Black's pawn­ 30.d6 cxd6 31.cxb6+­ structure. White'sb-pawn is unstoppable

19 •••"i!!ff5 20."i!!fxf5 ext'5 now. 31 •••.idS 32 .b7 .ic733.ge1 21.d5± gxe1+ 34.�xe1 �eS 35.bS"i!!f+ The arising endgame is very .b:bS 36.lLlxbS �dS 37.lLlxa6. difficultfor Black. Black resigned.

38 Chapter 2 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.tLld2 dxe4 4.tLlxe4 .id7

Quick Repertoire

and then lbgf6. With this order of moves, in contrast to the classical variation with 4 ...lbd7, Black solves right at the very beginning of the game one of his main prob­ lems - the development of his light-squared bishop. However, this set-up has its drawbacks too - the bishop on c6 blocks the c­ pawn for the break c7-c5 and also the bishop can become a target In this chapter we shall ana­ for White's knight on e5, so Black lyze one of the two main lines of must usually acquiesce to its the Rubinstein variation - the exchange. As a result, White move 4 ....id7, which was played often obtains the bishop-pair for the first time in the game Cor­ and a stable positional advantage, m - Capablanca, Havana 1902 but Black's position has no real and retains its popularity even weaknesses and is difficult to today. The Russian grandmaster breach. Alexander Rustemov is one of the 5.lbf3.tc6 6 . .td3 lbd7 7. 0 -0 main exponents of this system lbgf6 and he plays it quite successfully. There are some other players who have this variation as a part of their opening repertoire, such as Mikhailo Stojanovic, Konstantin Chernishov, Eduardas Rozentalis, Boris Gelfand, etc. The idea of Black's last move is to develop his bishop early to c6, followed by the preparation of an exchanging operation with lbd7

39 Chapter 2

S.c!iJeg5!? This interesting and aggressive move was played several times, and quite successfully at that (3 wins out of 3 games), by Viorel Bologan. It has also been tried by Victor Korchnoi, Emil Sutovsky, Michael Roiz and various other famous players. Black's position is cramped, so simplifications are not in White's favour. He avoids the exchange so Black's reply was practically and his knight eyes the e6 and fl­ forced. squares. 1l.ti'xf3 c6 12.c!iJf4 0-0 13.

S •••.id6 c!iJh5 geS 14.c!iJxf6 + c!iJxf6 15. Black must play very care­ .id2 e5 16.dxe5 he5 17.g3 fullyand accurately; otherwise he 'I!!1fd5 IS.'I!!1fxd5 c!iJxd5 19.9abl might come under a crushing at­ .id4 20.c 3 .ib6 21.gbdU tack right away. The provocative move S ...h6? ! could have tragic consequences for Black after9.tLlx e6! If S ...i.e7, White has the re­ source 9.tLlxfl!with the initiative. You can see all this in detail in the section Step by Step. 9J��el h6 (diagram) 10.c!iJh3 White has various possible sac­ rificesat his disposal, but they do The arising position is quite not work, for example: 1OJ'�xe6?! typical for the variation with 4 ... mfS! with a rather unclear posi­ id7 in general. Despite the nu­ tion, so his knight retreats, ready merous exchanges, White has a to be transferred to f4 . stable advantage in this endgame,

10••• .ix£J thanks to his bishop-pair, and re­ White was threatening 1l.tLle5, tains serious winning chances.

40 Chapter 2 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.tl)d2 dxe4 4.tl)xe4 .id7 5.tl)f3

Step by Step

ing the safety of his king: 7.ttJxf6 + gxf6 (it would be even worse for him to play 7 .. :*Yxf6?, which would lead to material loss after 8.�gS bf3 9.'?Nd2! bg2 1O.bf6 bh1 11.�eS± - Black's compensation for the queen is clearly insuffi­ cient, Gajsin - Dettmann, Kosza­ lin 1997; while the move 9 .. :*Yxd4? loses immediately: 10.�bS+ and Black resigned, Kotkov - G.Ako­ 5 ...J.c6 pian, Krasnodar 1966) 8.0-0 The alternatives for Black have no independent theoretical im­ portance: S ...ttJf6 6.ttJxf6+ gxf6 7.g3 - see Chapter 1; S ...�e7 6.�d3 �c6 - see 5 ... �c6 6.�d3 �e7; 6 ... ttJf6 7.ttJxf6+ bf6 8.0-0 0-0 9.c3 �c6 1O.�f4 ttJd7, or 8 ...�c6 9.c3 0-0 1O.�f4 ttJd7, or 9 ...ttJd7 10.�f4 0-0 - see S ...�c6 6.�d3 �e7 7.0-0 ttJf6 and here: 8.ttJxf6+ .bf6. 8 ...'?Nd S?! - this move only 6.J.d3 ttJd7 helps White to open the position It is rather dubious for Black advantageously with c2-c4 fol­ to play 6 ...ttJf 6?! Just as in some lowed by d4-dS. 9.c4 '?NhS 10.dS! other lines of the Rubinstein vari­ exdS 11.:8:e1+ wd8 12.ttJgS! �xd1 ation, (for example variation A in 13. ttJxi7+ Wc8 14 .:8:xd1 :8:g8 1S.cxdS Chapter 1), this voluntary weak­ �e8 16.�fS + �d7 17.�e6!+- with ening of the pawn-structure only a winning position, Akopian - complicates Black's task of ensur- Karatorossian, Linares 2001;

41 Chapter 2

8. ...id6 9.l"1e1 ttJd7 10.c4 ,ixf3 18 . .ie3 b6 19 . .ic6+ 1-0 Nisipeanu 11.�xf3 c6 12 . .ih6 �c7 13.�hS± - - Torres, Naujac 2000. Black's king is obviously uncom­ 6 ...,ixe4 7.,ixe4 c6 8.c3 ttJf6 fortable in the centre and it will be 9 . .ic2. Later, Black can choose very difficult for him to prepare between several possible set-ups, queenside castling owing to the basically depending on where he vulnerability of the f7-pa wn, Alar­ develops his bishop - to e7, d6, con - Morales, Peru 1996; or g7. He will deploy his queen's 8 ...ttJd7 9.c4 ,ixf3 1O.�xf3 c6 knight on d7 in any case, so 1l . .if4 �aS 12.a3 eS (White is sooner or later it will amount to a also better after 12 ... 0-0-0 13. transposition of moves - see 6 ... b4 �a4 14.�hS! and Black's f7- ttJd77.0-0 ,ixe4 8.,ixe4 c6 9.c3 pawn is indefensible.) 13.l"1fe1 ttJf6 1O . .ic2, variation A. 0-0-0 14.dxeS fxeS 1S.b4 �c7 6 ....ie7 7.0-0 ttJf6 16 . .igS f6 17.,ixf6 ttJxf6 18.�xf6 .ig7 19. �e6+ wb8 20.l"1adl± - Black has lost a pawn without any compensation whatsoever, Fur­ hoff - J.Mortensen, Copenhagen 1998; after 8 ....ie7 9.l"1e1 ttJd7, Yu­ renok - Varley, Aberdeen 1994, White should play 10.c4!t, pre­ paring 1l.dS with a powerful ini­ tiative; 8.ttJxf6+. In general, White 8 ...,ixf3 9.�xf3 c6 1O . .id2 .ie7 avoids the exchange of this knight 11.l"1ad1 ttJd7 (It was maybe worth in the majority of the variations, the risk of accepting the sacrifice: because he has a space advantage 11...�xd4!?, but after 12 . .ic3 �h4 and exchanges are not favourable 13.l"1fe1� White obtains powerful for him. In this particular case, compensation, becauseif13 ...ttJd 7, this transformation of the position he has the counter-strike 14 . .ia6!) is justifiedbecause Black ends up 12.l"1fe 1 �c7 13.�hS (White at­ with a bishop on f6 instead of a tacks the f7-pawn and prevents knight, and it is not so well placed his opponent from queenside cas­ there. 8 ...,ixf6 9.c3 ttJd7 10 . .if4 tling.) 13 ...ttJf8 14.dS! (This pawn­ 0-0 1l.l"1e1 break is decisive!) 14 ...eS (Black (diagram) loses after 14 ...cxdS 1S . .ibS+ ttJd7 We can try to assess the results 16.l"1xe6+-; as well as following of the opening at this moment. 14 ...exdS 1S . .ib4 ttJg6 16.,ixg6 Black has practically completed fxg6 17.�h6 cS 18.�g7+-) 1S.dxc6 his development and has obtained �xc6 16 . .ie4 �c8 17.�f3 l"1b8 a very solid but somewhat passive

42 3.liJd2 dxe4 4.liJxe4 �d7 S.liJgj3 �c6 6.�d3 liJd77.0-0

Yfff8 21.Yffc1 l"1ad822 .hSt Medvegy - Poulsen, Budapest 2004, game 7; it would be a bit more logical for Black to choose 11 ...b6 12.Yffe2 �b7 13.l"1ad1 l"1c8, Ivanovic - Raicevic, Budva 2002. His last move was played with the idea of developing the queen to e7, so he needed to protect the c7-pawn. Here howev­ position, which is rather typical er, White can exploit the tempo­ for the entire Rubinstein varia­ rary weakening of his opponent's tion in general. His minor pieces, queenside and play 14.�a6!?;!;; however, are not placed so well. with an advantage, for example: If his bishops were on b7 and e7 14 ...ha6 1S.Yffxa6 c6 16.Yffxa7 l"1a8 and his knight on f6, then the po­ 17.Yffb7 l"1xa2 18.liJeSt) 12.Yffxf3 c6 sition on the board could be con­ 13.Yffg3 l"1e8,Pelikian - Segal, Sao sidered as almost equal. Black can Paulo 1998. tryto redeploy his pieces to these squares, but that takes time and meanwhile White will consider­ ably improve the placement of his own pieces. White's plan in the near future is very simple: Yffe2, l"1ad1and then liJeS. 11 ...hf3 (Black did not play so well in the following game­ fragment: 11 ...l"1e8 12.l"1e3 liJf8?! 13.liJeS heS 14.heS f6 1S.�g3± It would be very useful for and White's advantage was over­ White to try to breach his op­ whelming in the game Gligoric - ponent's position with a march Barcza, Stockholm 1962; Black's of his h-pawn, so he should play attempt to organize counter­ here 14.�c7!? Yffc8 1S.h4!;!;;, main­ play on the queenside with 11 ... taining the initiative. as 12.Yffe2 l"1e8 13.l"1ad1 a4, was 7. 0-0 not really in the spirit of the po­ (diagram) sition, since it enabled White to Black has three possibilities in effortlessly increase his pressure the diagram position: on the other side of the board as well as in the centre: 14.liJeS heS A) 7 ...he4

1S.dxeS Yffh4 16.�g3 YffgS 17.�c2 B) 7 •••1ie7 liJb6 18.h4 Yffe7 19.YffhS g6 20.Yffh6 C) 7 •••tLlgf6

43 Chapter 2

A) 7 ...he4 in practice very frequently; never­ This move has been played theless we shall not analyze very numerous times (and he even many games with it. The point is continues to play it ...) by the emi­ that both players usually follow nent grandmaster from Lithuania set schemes and the ensuing de­ Eduardas Rozentalis. velopments are slow and adhere We have already mentioned to a well known script. White re­ earlier that Black often trades his lies on his bishop-pair in order to light-squared bishop for White's develop his initiative (mostly on knight in this variation. You may the kingside), while Black wishes consider this exchange to be a po­ to complete the mobilization of sitional concession, but that does his forces, advance c6-cS and not bother Black at all. In general, gradually exchange pieces, sim­ having played 4 ....id7, he should plifying thepositio n. Accordingly, be ready to exchange his bishop I shall give here only a few, very for the knight anyway. In this typical, examples. case, however, he is doing this Black must now choose where voluntarily and a bit too early and to develop his bishop - to d6, e7 White obtains a very comfortable or g7. game. Still, Black's position, just lO •••.id6 as in the majority of the cases in This is the most natural this variation, is passive but very square. solid and White cannot breach it lO... g6. This method of devel­ at all easily. opment has been played many 8.he4 c6 9.c3 times by the Danish grandmaster White prepares the c2-square Lars Bo Hansen and of course it is for the retreat of his bishop. possible, but it is the least logical 9 ... c!lJgf6 10 . .ic2 in this situation. The deployment (diagram) of the bishop on the f8-a3 diago­ We will mention here that the nal seems more natural. lUl:el diagram position is encountered .ig7 12 . .igS h6 (Black only creates

44 3.lUd2 dxe4 4.lUxe4 i.d75.lUgf3i.c6 6.i.d3 lUd77.0-0 a target for his opponent for the 12 ... 0-0 further development of his ini­ 12... 0-0-0?! This move is tiative on the kingside. He should not in harmony with the spirit have preferred here 12 ... 0-0 of this variation, since Black usu­ 13.�d2� with only a slight edge ally plays prudently and straight­ for White) 13.if4! 0-0 14.�d2 forwardly in order to equalize. Wh7 IS.1!adl1!e8 16.�cU and the 13.lUeS1!hf8 14.h3 Wb8 IS.b4 h6 placement of Black's king has be­ 16.1!bl (his king is seriously come much less secure, so White endangered) 16 ...heS 17.dxeS has excellent prospects for the lUdS 18.id2 CiJe7 19.f4 g6 20.a4 future, Perez Candelario - Her­ hS 21.�f2 lUb6 22.ie3 CiJec8 23. nando Rodrigo, Montcada 2009 bS--t files are opened now and (game S). Black is in trouble, Reiner Gon­ 1O ... ie711.1!el 0-0 12.�d3 1!e8 zalez - Cruz Lima, Las Tunas (Black would not change much 1996. with 12... cS 13.id2�) 13.id2 �c7 12... if4 14.1!adl 1!ad8 IS.lUgS lUf8 (IS ... h6 16.lUf3�) 16.�f3 id6 17.g3 h6 18.lUe4 lUxe4 19.1!xe4 cS 20.dS! exdS 21.1!xe8 1!xe8 22.'�xdS 1!eS 23.�f3�. White has increased the scope of his bishops. In particu­ lar the a2-g8 diagonal has been opened and his light-squared bishop will occupy it sooner or later, Adams - Bacrot, Moscow (blitz) 2007. The consequences of this move 1U�e1�c7 require an exact evaluation, be­ For 11 ...0-0 12.lUeS �c7 cause 12 ...if4 deprives White of 13.�e2 - see 11...�c7. his only long-term advantage - 12.ti'e2 the bishop-pair. Accordingly, White must rely now entirely on dynamic factors - his lead in de­ velopment and the misplacement of Black's queen. 13.hf4 �xf4 14.lUeS CiJxeS (14 ...0-0, Belkhodja - Wegerle, Germany 200S, IS.g3 �h6 16.lUc4!� - White's knight is ready to attack the enemy queen­ side from the d6- or as-squares, while Black's queen is isolated from the action.) IS.dxeS CiJdS (af-

4S Chapter 2 ter 15 ...tLld7 16J'!ad1, Black must castle queenside, but his king will hardly be safe there, for example: 16 ...0-0-0 17J:'ld4 \Wg5 lSJ:'lg4 \Wh6 19.93;!;; or 16 ...\Wg5, Levush­ kina - Egger, Munich 2007, 17J'!d4 withvery similar play) 16. !'lad1 0-0-0 (after 16 ...0-0, Black's problems are even great­ er: 17.g3 \Wg5 lS.c4 tLlb6- or IS ... tLlb4 19.!'ld7± - 19.!'ld6±, for ex­ ample: 19 ...!'ladS 20.f4 \We7 21. 14 ...h6 \Wd3g6 22.!'ld1and White's pres­ It is obviously dubious for sure is tremendously powerful) Black to opt for 14 ...he5? !, since 17.!'ld4 \Wg5 lS.!'lg4! \Wh6 19.93 g6 that would only help White to de­ 20.i.e4 velop his initiative on the kingside 15.dxe5 tLld5 16.!'lad1 �fS 17. h4 tLle7 18.h5 h6 19.i.f6 ! gxf6 20.exf6 1Wf4 21.fxe7 !'lxe7 22.!'ld4 \wf6 23. \Wd3 !'leeS24 .!'le3 (Black no longer has any defence.) 24 ...!'ledS 25. !'lg4+ 'it>hS26. !'leg3! !'lxd3 27.!'lgS+ 'it>h72S.hd3+ \Wg6 29.!'lxfS! and Black resigned, Beliavsky - Jensen, Copenhagen 2004. 14 ...i.fS 15.!'lad1 g6 16.!'ld3!? 20 ...tLlc 7? (This is a very bad (White's rook is ready to be trans­ decision for Black. He had to play ferred to the kingside) 16 ...tLlx e5 20 ...1Wg7, which White probably (Black was obviously frightened intended to counter with 21.hd5 by White's manoeuvre on the !'lxd5 22.c4 !'ld7 23.\We3 'it>bS 24. previous move, so he was in a !'ld4 !'lhdS 25.!'ledU, maintaining hurry to carry out this exchange. some edge) 21.!'lf4 !'ld7 22.\wf3 Instead he could have played the \Wg7 23.hc6! bxc6 24.\Wxc6 and natural move 16 ...i.g7, which in view of the threat of 25.!'la4 would be countered by White White's attack should be impossi­ most probably with 17.!'lf3!?) 17. ble to parry,Oratovsky - Belezky, dxe5 tLld5 lS.h4 i.e7 19.i.d2!? Albacete 2002. (White is playing enterprisingly 13.�e5 gfe8 and very aggressively.) 19 ...!'ladS For 13 ... c5 14.i.g5 !'lfeS - see (19 ...hh 4?! 20.c4 �b6 21.!'lh3 13 ...!'lf eS. i.e7? 22.!'lxh7! 'it>xh7 23.\Wh5+ 14. .ig5 'it>g7 24.\Wh6+ 'it>gS 25.hg6 fxg6

46 3/iJd2 dxe4 4JDxe4 �d7 5JiJgj3 �c66.�d3 fiJd7 7. 0-0

26.�xg6+ mh8 27.E1e4+-) 20.hS �f8 21.E1h3i Palkovi - Herndl, Werfen 1989 (game 9). 14 ...cS 1S.E1ad1 cxd4 16.cxd4 �b4 17.E1f1 �aS 18.�b3 h6 19.�h4 M8 20.f4i. The position is quite open now and White's light­ squared bishop has been deployed perfectly and has no opponent. His kingside initiative is very dangerous, Chandler - Malich, Germany 1992. In this double-edged position l5.�h4 White is still slightly better, Ka­ This bishop becomes a bit legin - Voloshin, Ufa 1993. isolated on the kingside later, so

White could have considered here B) 7 •••�e7 the move 1S.�d2!?;!;, planning to re­ deploy his queen later to g3 or h3.

l5 .••c!lJd 5 l6.E1adl

Black is not in a hurry to de­ velop his king's knight to f6 and makes instead another useful de­

l6 •••f'5!? veloping move. It is difficult to This is an interesting attempt tell what the advantages of this by Black to exploit the vulnerable move-order are, because it usu­ position of the enemy bishop. ally amounts to a transposition l7.c4 c!lJf4 l8.Wie3 c!lJxe5 19. in the majority of the variations. dxe5 �b4 20.�xf4 Maybe Black wishes to avoid the The variation 20.E1f1 fiJg6 can tactical tricks arising in the fol­ only be in Black's favour. lowing variation: 7 ...fiJgf6 8.fiJegS

20 •••hel 2U:�xel g5 22. and here after 8 ...�e7, White has hg5 hxg5 23.Wixg5+ Wig7 the tactical blow 9.c!lJxf7! - see 24.Wif4t variation C.

47 Chapter 2

8.�e2 compensates for the sacrificed It is not so good for White to material in the ensuing complica­ try to transpose to the variation tions. we have just analyzed with 6 ....ie7 9 ...hf3 7.0-0 ttlf6B.ttlx f6+ hf69. c3 and This decision is practically B.c3 ttlgf6 9.ttlxf6 +, because of forced. 9 ... ttlxf6! (after 9 ...hf6 1O . .if4± It would be too risky for Black White achieves what he was to opt for 9 ...h6? ! 1O.ttlxe6! fxe6 after) 10.ttle5 �d5 11.ttlxc6 (11. 11..ig6+ wfB 12.c4! (it is essential f3 .ib5!=) 11 ... �xc6 and White's to deprive the enemy knight of the advantage is only symbolic. The d5-square; it is weaker for White position is quite simplified and to continue with 12.1�xe6?! .id5+ Black's minor pieces are perfectly Mozer - Csorba, Hungary 2003) placed. 12 ....id6 (after 12 ...ttlb6, with the

8 •.•ttlgf6 9. ttl eg5!? idea 13 ....ieB, Noskov - Lyrberg, Cappelle la Grande 1995, White develops a very powerful attack with 13.d5! 13 ...exd5 14.ttld4-+ or 13 ....ieB 14.ttld4 �d7 15. ttlxe6+ WgB 16. .if5-+) 13.�xe6 �e7

This interesting move has been tried by such outstanding attack­ ing players as Emil Sutovsky and Luke McShane. White's knight This was how the game Antal avoids the exchange and comes - Z.Varga, Budapest 2000 devel­ closer to the enemy king, attack­ oped. White regains his piece by ing the key-squares e6 and f7,or - going into an endgame: 14.�xe7+! if Black castles kingside - the h7- he7 (after14 ... Wxe7, it would not square as well. It is worth men­ work for him to play 15.d5? ttlfB=t tioning that with his last move and Black saves his bishop; but White is prepared to sacrifice his after 15.c5 ttlxc5 16.dxc5 hc5 knight (in fact, Black can even 17J''!elt White restores the ma­ force his opponent to do so - see terial balance and maintains a for example the variation with 9 ... powerful initiative) 15.d5 ttlxd5 h6) and his initiative more than 16.cxd5 hd5 17. .if4 c6 IB.l"1fel

4B 3liJ d2 dxe4 4.luxe4 id75.ttJgj3 i.c6 6.id3 ttJd77.0-0

,if6 19.9ad1t - Black has big He will also have great prob­ problems bringing his rook on h8 lems after 11 ...0-0? ! 12.�h3 into play and White has a great advantage. It is not advisable for Black to play 9 ...0-0 1O.ttJe5 h6 (not 10 ... ttJxe5? 11.dxe5 �d5 12.f4 h6, Bos Swiecik - Garcia Menchon, Sitges 1993, 13.ic4! �a5. Black must pre­ servethe possibility of an interme­ diate check with the bishop from the c5-square - after 13 ...�d4+ 14.ie3 �xb2 15.exf6, he loses a Black loses immediately after piece - 14.exf6 ic5+ 15.wh1 hxg5 12 ...h6? 13.ttJxe6! �a5, Richard - 16.fxg7 wxg7 17.fxg5+- - White Aljelda, Antalya 2009 (13 ...fxe6 has an extra pawn and a crush­ 14.�xe6+ gV 15.ig6 �f8 16. ing attack.) 11.ttJxc6 bxc6 12.ttJf3 hf7+ �xV 17.�xe7+-) White c5 13.c3;!; - White has a stable can win in several ways here and advantage thanks to his powerful his most convincing is: 14.b4! bishop-pair and Black's weakened hb4 (14 ...�b4 15.c3+-) 15.ttJxg7! pawn-structure, Schetchikov - he1 16.hh6+- with a crushing Lafaurie, Paris 1998. attack in view of the threat of 10.�xf3 c6 1U�el 17.ttJf5. It is preferable for Black to continue with 12 ...g6 13.ic4! (bad is 13.ttJxe6? fxe6 14.�xe6+ gm and White's bishop has no access to the g6-square, Mar - Rosic, Oropesa del Mar 1999) 13 ...�a5 14.c3 (Now Black must consider the possible sacrifices on e6 and V.) 14 ...�f5 (This is practically the only move for Black. It would be a disaster for him to opt for 14 ...gf e8? 15.ttJxV wxV 16.he6+ 11 ...�a5 ! wg7 17.hd7 ttJxd7 18.�xd7+­ This is an important interme­ Guex - Sparacino, Switzerland diate move and you will see its 1994; it is also tremendously risky idea a bit later. White's queen for him to choose 14 ...wh8 15. will go to the h3-square, so Black �h6----., and he is almost defence­ should not play 11 ...h6 at the mo­ less against the transfer of White's ment because of 12.�h3! rook to h3 along the route e3-h3.)

49 Chapter 2 lS.g4!? "lWxg4+ 16."lWxg4 ttJxg4 17. 13.�h3 ttJxe6 1"!fcS (17 ...1"!feS lS.ttJc7+-) White would maintain some 18.ttJgS .bgS 19 . .bgS;!;. White's edge after 13."lWg3 g6 14."lWh3 1"!feS advantage of having two bishops lS . .td2 .tfS;!; Watson - Hodgson, against two knights in this almost London 1990, but in similar posi­ open position is quite obvious. tions it would be almost automat­ 12.c3 ic for Black to advance g7-g6, so White does not need to lose time to provoke it. 13 ...h6 After 13 ...g6, White at least wins a tempo in comparison to the game Watson - Hodgson.

12 ... 0-0 12 ...h6?! Playing like this against Emil Sutovsky is equal to pulling the tail of a tiger. 13.ttJxe6! (it is also very good for White to play 13."lWh3!?, but the sacrifice is much more convincing) 13 ...fxe6 14.c!lJt3! ;!; 14.1"!xe6. White's attack is deci­ At this particular moment, the sive. 14 ..."lWdS (14.. .'ilt7 lS . .tc4�) sacrifice on e6 leads only to an lS . .tg6+ mfB 16."lWe2. White is at­ unclear position: 14.ttJxe6?! fxe6 tacking the enemy bishop on e7 lS."lWxe6+ mhS! (but not lS ...1"!t7? and preventing Black's king from 16 . .tc4 1"!afS 17."lWxe7+-). Here, retreating to gS. White's rook White loses after 16."lWxe7? 1"!aeS will inevitably come soon to the - this tactical possibility is the es­ e1-square, which will crown his sence of Black's idea of sending offensive victoriously. 16 ... ttJdS his queen to the as-square on 17.c4 ttJc7 lS.tf4 . ! ttJf6 19.1"!e1 .th4 move 11; after 16."lWh3 .td6 17. 20 . .bc7+-- Black cannot cap­ .bh6 "lWhS lS."lWxhS ttJxhSoo, or 16. ture on c7 because of the mate .txh6 gxh6 17."lWxe7 1"!aeS lS. on eS, so he can already resign, "lWd6oo, there arise double-edged Sutovsky - D'Costa, Reykjavik positions in which only Black can 2006. be better. so 3.tiJd2 dxe4 4.tiJxe4 id7 5.tiJgj3 ic6 6.id3 tiJd77.0-0

the most popular move for Black in this position. 8.�eg5!? Black's position is cramped, so White should avoid simplifica­ tion. His knight eyes the e6- and t7-squares. The other principled moves B.tiJg3 and B.tiJed2 lead to much calmer positions. 8 ...i.d6 White has the initiative. For This is the safest move for example, after 14... id 6, Whitehas Black. the powerful resource 15.Ei:xe6! It would be tremendously fxe6 16.'i;I!xe6+ and then if 16 ... risky for him to opt for B ...h6?! Ei:t7 17.ig6± he ends up with ex­ 9.tiJxe6! fxe6 1O.ig6+ cJ;e7 1l.c4 tra material, while if 17 .. .'>t>hB he (it is also good for White to play maintains the advantage with the 1l.Ei:e1, again with a powerful at­ simple move 17.�xd6±, but he tack, Solodovnichenko - Sand­ can also consider 17.tiJh4!?�. Af­ eep, New Delhi 2009) ter 14 ... Ei:adB 15.tiJe5 Black must seriously consider the possible sacrifice 16.hh6!, while in the variation 14 ...�h5 15.�g3, his queen will be very uncomfortable on the h5-square.

C) 7 ••• �gf6

1l ...ie4 (after ll ...hf3 12.�xf3 tiJb6, Golubev - Sher, Geneva 1993, White's simplest response would be 13.b3�, preserving nu­ merous threats: 14.Ei:e1; 14.d5; 14.�xb7) 12.he4 tiJxe4 13.Ei:e1 tiJef6, Klima - Kukla, Strmilov 2005 (The position is very bad for Black after 13 ...tiJdf 6 14.tiJe5± Teske - Wachovius, Reckling­ hausen 2003). White can contin- This is the most natural and ue with 14.d5!t and he maintains

51 Chapter 2 a powerfulinitiative, for example: lLlSh7 17.lLlxh7 lLlxh7 IS.d5 cxd5 14 ...e5 15.lLlxe5 lLlxe5 16.f4! 'i!7f7 19.cxd5 e5 (19 ...lLlfS 20.i.d4 �gS 17.fxe5 i.c5+ IS.i.e3etc. 21.i.f5+-) 20.i.f5 �e7 21.f4 e4 White obtains a very comfort­ (21...0-0 22.fxe5ixe5 23.d6! �f6 able game after S ...ixf 3?! 9.�xf3 24.�fl lLlg5 25.�g2 g6 26.i.cS!+-) c6 1O.�el i.e7 (we have reached a 22 . .b:e4 lLlf6 23.i.bl 0-0 24.g4! position from variation B: 7 ...i.e7 �feS 25.g5 i.c5 26.'i!7hl! .b:e3 27. 8.�e2 lLlgf6 9.lLleg5 .b:f3 1O.�xf3 gxf6 �c5 28.�g3 g5 29.�h3 i.d4 c6 11.�el with an extra tempo for 30.�xh6 and Black resigned, Hel­ White, since it is his move now) lers - Andersson, Eksjo 1993. 11.�h3 After S ...i.e7, it is very inter­ esting for White

Here, for example, Black loses immediately after 1l ...c5? , Pila­ to continue with 9.lLlxf7!(after vov - V.Kiselev, Ukraine 2010, 9.�e2, he can transpose to the because of the spectacular tacti­ very advantageous variation B, cal strike 12.i.g6!! fxg6 13.�xe6 but the piece-sacrifice is even �fS 14.d5+- with the unavoid­ more promising) 9 ...'i!7xf7 1O.lLlg5+ able threat of 15.d6. Black's only 'i!7gS 1l.lLlxe6 �cS 12.�el i.d6 chance of avoiding immediate 13.i.f5 (it is worse for White to loss is the move 1l ...lLlf S, but in continue with 13.c4?! lLlfS 14.i.f5 that case he has no counterplay i.d7+ with numerous exchanges, whatsoever and his king will re­ which are very advantageous for main stranded in the centre for Black, Moen - Thorstensen, Nor­ a long time, while White can pa­ way 2002) 13 ...i.d5, Winsnes - tiently prepare the decisive open­ Bus, Gothenburg 1993, 14.�d3!t. ing of the game. Here is a game Now, in view of the threat of 15. in which even such an outstand­ c4, Whitehas the initiative. ing player and superb defender 9J'�el h6 as Ulf Andersson was Black, This is the right moment for but even he failed to withstand Black to push the rather unpleas­ White'soff ensive: 12.c3 �c7 13.g3 ant enemy knight back. i.d6 14.c4 �d7 15.i.e3 h6 16.�adl lO.lLlh3

52 3.liJd2dxe4 4.liJxe4 id7 5.liJgj3 ic6 6.id3 liJd77.0-0

(13 ...�cB 14.�f3;!;) 14.hb7 �xb7 15.�f3 �cB 16.�g3t - White has excellent attacking prospects, Golubev - Epishin, Geneva 1993 (game 10). 11.'tS'x£J c6 12.�f4

10... hfJ Here, in view of the threat of 1l.liJe5, Black's decision is practi­ cally forced. The alternatives are weaker. It is bad for him to play 10 ... g5?! because of 1l.liJe5± Jukic - Zecevic, Porec 1994. 12 ... 0-0 He cannot be happy either Black's alternative here is 12 ... with the line: 1O ...0-0?! 11.liJe5 �a5!? 13.c3 h6 12.liJxc6 bxc6 13.liJe4;!; with a very pleasant position for White, Strzemiecki - Karbowiak, Poland 2006. It would be too slow for him to opt for 10 ...b6? ! 1l.liJe5 ib7.

and now: It would be too dangerous for him to choose 13 ...0-0-0?! 14.b4 �c7 15.b5 c5 16.h3 (White not only avoids the attack against this pawn, but impedes the advance It is simple to calculate that of Black's infantry on the king­ Black's bishop has come to the b7- side) 16 ... wbB 17.id2 h5 (Black square in four (!) moves. He will is preparing 1B ...g5; after the im­ have to accept the punishment mediate 17... g5 1B.liJe2;!; he would fo r that: 12.ib5 0-0 13.ic6 �bB have great problems advancing

53 Chapter 2 his pawns further) 18.ltJe2! h4 The situation would be almost 19.a4 e5 20.�g5 (20.a5!?) 20 ... the same after 13 ...ltJxh5 14.�xh5 �de8 21.hf6 ltJxf6 22.dxe5 �xe5 ltJf6 15.�h3 �e8 16.�d2 e5 17.�f5 23.a5t. Afterb5-b 6, Black cannot �c8 (after 17 ...ex d4, White has avoid opening of filesor the hl-a8 the line: 18.�xe8+ �xe8 19.hh6!) diagonal as a result of a5-a6, so 18.dxe5 �xf5 19.hf5 he5 20.c3;t his king will be in great trouble, with an endgame which is abso­ Bologan - M.Ivanov, Dresden lute identical to the one arising in 2006 (game 11); the main line, Kryakvin - Cherny­ It is safer for him to continue shov, Belgorod 2010. with 13 ... 0-0 (after the inclusion 14.lbxf6 + lbxf6 15• .id2 e5 of the moves �d8-a5 and c2-c3, 16.dxe5 .ixe5 17.g3 �d5 18. White's knight cannot go to h5, ti'xd5 lbxd5 19.gab1 .id4 20.c3 but that would not change the .ib6 21.gbdU character of the fight much) 14.�d2 �fe8 15.�h3 e5 16.ltJe2 �f8 17.a3 �ad8 18.�adl exd4 19.1tJxd4;t with a slight advantage for White, Bologan - O.Foisor, Bastia 1998. 13.ltJh5

This position is quite typical for the variation with 4 ...�d7 in general. White has the two-bish­ op advantage and so maintains a stable edge in this endgame, with quite real winning chances, Bologan - Bauer, Germany 1998 (game 12).

54 Chapter 2 1.e4 e6 2.d4 dS 3.tlJd2 dxe4 4.tlJxe4 .id7 S.tlJt3

Complete Games

7 Z.Medvegy Poulsen This operation by Black to seize Budapest 2004 additional space on the queenside 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c!lJd2dxe4 seems sensible, but is not quite in 4.c!lJxe4 .id7 5.c!lJf3 .ic6 6 . .id3 the spirit of the position, because c!lJd7 7. 0-0 .ie7 8.c3 c!lJgf6 White can effortlesslyincrease his 9.c!lJxf6 + .ixf6 10. .if4 0-0 pressure on the kingside and in 11.geU the centre. It seems more natural for Black to play 11...b6, or 1l ....hf3 12.'19xf3 c6. 12. '1ge2 ge8 13.gad1 a4 14.c!lJe5 .ixe5 As a result, he is forced to give up his more important bishop for the enemy knight. 15.dxe5 \Wh4 16 . .ig3 \Wg5 17. .ic2 c!lJb6 18.h4 \We7 White's prospects are slightly better, because Black's minor pieces are a bit misplaced. If his bishops were on b7 and e7 and his knight on f6, then we could con­ sider the position on the board as equal. Black can try to redeploy his pieces to these squares, but that takes time and White can use these tempi to considerably im­ prove the placement of his own 19.\Wh5 fo rces. His plan is very simple in It also seems good for Whiteto the next few moves: '1ge2, �adl play 19.h5!? with the initiative. and then ttJe5. 19 ...g6 20.\wh6 \WfS 21.\Wc1

11 •••a5 gad8 22.h5 gxd1 23.gxd1 gd8

55 Chapter 2

24 . .ih4 gxdl+ 25.�xdl lLld7 31.�d8+ �g7 32.fld4+

26 • .ixa4 lLlxe5 27 • .if6 lLld7 flxd4 33.cxd4

28 • .ixc6 lLlxf6 29 • .ixb7 lLlxh5± White has reached the desired endgame. Black will be forced to give up his knight for the enemy a-pawn, but things are far from simple.

33 ••• lLlf4 34.�f1 lLld3 35.a4 lLlxb2 36.a5 lLlc4 37.a6 �f6 38.�e2 lLlb639.�e3 �e7 40.a7

�d6 41.a8fl lLlxa842 • .ixa8 c5 43.dxc5+ �xc5

The position has changed con­ siderably during the last ten moves. There were numerous ex­ changes, White has lost his two­ bishop advantage and Black has ended up with the powerful tan­ dem of "queen and knight" against his enemy's "queen and bishop". Still, White's outside passed a-pawn is so powerfulthat It is not easy to tell whether the position is clearly better for this endgame is winning for White him. without a thorough analysis.

30.t!fd7?! 44• .ie4 White not only attacks the c7- Here White could consider square, but creates the threat of 44.f4!? It>d6 45.lt>d4, occupying 31.\1!I!c8. His desire to exchange the important d4-square with his queens is justified, but his most king. precise technical decision would 44••. h6 45 . .ic2 �d6 46 . .ia4 be 30.a4 \1!I!b8 31.\1!I!f3 \1!I!a732 .i.c6! f547 . .ie8g5 48 . .ih5�e5 49.f3

and his a- and b-pawns would be �d5 50 • .ie8 �e5 51.g3 �d5 practically unstoppable. 52 • .if7�e5 53 • .ih5 �d5 54• .ie8

30 •.•flc5 �e5 55 • .ig6 �f6 56 • .ih5 �e5 Here Black could have consid­ 57.f4+ gxf4 + 58.gxf4 + �d5 ered 30 ...\1!I!h6 !? 31.\1!I!d8+ (after 59 • .if3+ 31.\1!I!xc7? \1!I!cl+ 32.<;t>h2 \1!I!xb2'the (diagram) would even be better) 31...lt>g7 59 ••• �c4? 32.\1!I!dl(White is forced to retreat) Black misses a draw, which he 32 ...\1!I!g5 33.a 4 llJf6 34.b4 \1!I!e535. could have achieved with the \1!I!d2c5 ! with good counterplay. move 59 ... 1t>c5! Here, after60 .i.dl

56 3JiJd2dxe4 4JiJxe4 i.d7 5JiJgj3 i.c6 6.i.d3 CiJd77.0-0

S Can. Perez - R.Hernando Spain 2009 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.CiJd2 dxe4 4.lLlxe4 �d7 5.lLlf3 �c6 6.�d3 he4 7.he4 c6 S.c3 lLlf6 9.�c2 lLlbd7 10.0-0 g6 1U!el �g7 12.�g5

'it>c4! there arises a position of mutual zugzwang. White's bishop must control the b3 and h5- squares (so that after the retreat of Black's king to c5 or d5 he can play �b3) and his king must control the d4-square, so White has no waiting moves. After 60.

'it>d3,Black has the response 60 ... 12 •••h6? ! h5! Here, after 61.,bh5, he has This move is the main reason the reply 61...e5! 62.fxe5 'it>d5=, for Black's subsequent difficul­ while if White waits, for example ties. with king's moves to c3, or d3, His position is a bit passive, then Black will advance his pawn but quite solid. He should try to to h2 and retreat with his king to exchange pieces and avoid creat­ e7. After that, White would not ing unnecessaryweaknesses in his obtain much with the transfer of camp. In particular, Black should his knight to the e5-square, be­ not place pawns on squares of cause his bishop would not be the same colour as his bishop. It able to attack the enemy e6- is safer for him to play 12 ...0-0 pawn. 13.\Wd2;!; with a slight edge fo r 60.i.dl! White. Now the the mutual-zugzwang 13.�f4 ! 0-0 14.\Wd2 �h7 position has been reached with 15.l'!adl geS 16.W1cu Black to move!

60 •••'it>d5 61.i.b3+ 'it>d6 62. �d4 h5 63.i.c4 h4 64.i.fl!+­ White's bishop has managed to stop the enemy pawn just in time and he wins.

64••. 'it>e7 65. �e5 �t766 .�c4 h3 67.he6+ �e7 6S.hf5. Black resigned.

57 Chapter 2

Black's h6-pawn has become a good target for the development of White's initiative. Now, he will tryto destroy his opponent's king­ shelter by advancing his rook's pawnto h5, or withthe help of the transfer of his rook to h3.

l6 •...!LlhS l7 • .id6 .it'S lS . .ieS �e7 19.9d3! gadS 20.h4! .ig7

2l• .ic7! gcS 22 . .ih2 White has managed to point These manoeuvres of White's his pieces at his opponent's king­ bishop back and forth are con­ side. Black cannot play 30 ...�h7? nected with the necessity of because of 31.h5, when he loses avoiding exchanges. White does his h6-pawn and his position not improve his position, but in­ crumbles. troduces disharmony and havoc 30 ••• .!LlxeS in Black's set-up. It is not good for Black to opt 22 .. .'i!?gS 23.a3 fo r 30 ...c5 31.tt:lxd7 tt:lxd7(not 31... �xd7 32.dxc5 Ei:xc5 33.,bh6+-) and here White's most convinc­ ing move is 32.d5!± with an over­ whelming advantage.

3l.dxeS+- gcdS 32 • .ixh6 gdS 33.hS f5 34.gg3 gxhS It is hopeless for Black to play 34 .. .f4 35.,bf4 �f7 36.i.e3 ,be5 37.hxg6+-; or 34 ...,bh 6 35.�xh6 �g7 36.�xg7+ �xg7 37.gxf5+-,

23 •••�t'S ?! with two extra pawnsfor White in Black had to keep pressure both variations. on the h4-pawn in order to pre­ 3S.gxhS gt7 36 . .igS �d7 vent the activation of White's f3 - 37.h6 .ihS 3S . .if6 + @h7 39. knight . �gS. Black resigned. He had to play 23 ...Ei:c d8.

24 • .!LleS�e7 9 Palkovi Herndl After 24... tt:lxe5? 25.dxe5, Werfen 1989

Black's knight on h5 would be in l.e4 e6 2.d4 dS 3 • .!Llc3 dxe4 trouble in view of the threat of 4 • .!Llxe4 .id7 S • .!LlfJ .ic6 6 . .id3 26.g4. he4 7.he4 c6 S.c3 .!Llf6

2S • .!Llc4! gedS 26.gfJ! .!Llb6 9 . .ic2 .id6 l0.0-0 0-0 H.gel

27• .!LleS gt'S 2S.g4 .!Llf6 • 29 .if4 .!Llbd7l2 • .!LleS�c7 l3.�e2 gfeS .!Llfd7 30.gh3---+ l4 . .igS .it'S lS.gadl g6

58 3,tiJd2 dxe4 4. {iJxe4 i.d75.{iJgj3 i.c6 6.i.d3 {iJd7 7.0-0

21••• gd7 22 . .1g5'Wb6 23 . .1b3 'Wc5 24.'We4b5 25.'Wh4 White's kingside pressure in­ creases effortlessly and Black has nothing to counter it with, because he has failed to organize any meaningful counterplay.

25 •••gb S 26 • .1c2'Wc4 27 .ge4 'Wxa2 2S.gd4+-

16.gd3!? lbxe5?! Black should not have hur­ ried with this exchange, because White's initiative now increases. He should have chosen the natu­ ral move 16 ...i.g7;!; 17.dxe5 lbd5 IS.h4 .1e7

19 • .1d2! gadS It would be tremendously dangerous for him to capture Black is helpless against the the pawn: 19 ...i.xh 4?! 20.c4 {iJb6 crushing bishop-sacrifice on g6. 2Ulh3 and now, for example, White could have placed his rook Black loses after 21...i.e7 be­ immediately on g4 with 28Jlg4. cause of 22J'!xh7! <;!(xh7 23.1Mfh5+ 2S.•. 'Wxb2 29.hxg6 fxg6

<;!(g7 24.1Mfh6+ <;!(g8 25.i.xg6 fxg6 30• .1xg6 gbb7 26.1Mfxg6+ <;!(h8 27Jle4+-, with a Black could not avoid be­ mating attack for White. ing checkmated after 30 ...hxg6 20.h5 .1£8 21.gh3t 31.'Wh8+ <;!(f732Jl f3 +- 31.gg4 White's rook has finally come to the desired square and this es­ sentially ends the fight.

31 ••• <;!(hS 32.hh7! gxh7 33 . .1f6+. After 33 ...lbxf6 34. 1Mfxf6+i.g7 35.'1!;lfd8+ White check­ mates, so Black resigned.

10 Golubev Epishin As a result of Black's uncon­ Geneva 1993 vincing 16th move, White has ob­ l.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.lbc3 dxe4 tained a promising attacking po­ 4.lbxe4 .1d7 5.lbf3 .1c6 6 • .1d3 sition. lbd7 7. 0-0 lbgf6 S.lbeg5 .1d6

59 Chapter 2

9.ge1 h6 10 .lLIh3

20... cxd4? 10 ...b6 The precise move 20 ...lLlgS ! This manoeuvre is too slow. would have enabled Black to par­ Black has already invested two ry the enemy attack. It is possible tempi to develop this bishop and that after 21.lLle4, both players now he uses another to move it to had overlooked the defence 21... a safe place. He is doing all this heS (this move and Black's next, before completing the mobiliza­ are absolutely the only moves for tion of his forces. He could have him) 22.dxeS lLlxeS! 23.lLld6lLlg6 safely defended against the threat 24.'We4 �c7 2S.lLlxb7 lLlf6 26.�f3 of H.lLIeS with the move 10 ... 1::1bS. White'sknight is trapped and hf3. after27.lLlx cS �xcS+ Black is even H.lLIeSj,b7 12.j,bS 0-0 13. better. Or 21.1::1g3 21...lLlxeS! (The j,c6gb8 14.hb7 lhb7 1S.'Wf3 position is very unclear after 21... 'Wc8 16.'Wg3 h7 17.'Wh4!? heS 22.dxeS hS, for example: Black's forces are not well de­ 23.lLlh7!? lLlxeS! - but not 23 ... ployed and are too far from his mxh7? 24.�g4 and White wins king, so White exploits this, plan­ - 24.lLlxfS �xfS 2S.�e4 �bS't) ning to end the fightwith a direct 22.lLle4+ (after 22.dxeS heS-+ attack. This is an interesting de­ Black's bishop protects all the cision, but in fact things are far key squares and White's knight­ from clear after this. sorties are ineffective.) 22 ...lLlg6 It was very good for him to 23.lLlxd6 �c6 24.lLlxb7 �xb7 play calmly: 17.�f4 lLldS lSJ:1adU, 2S.dxcS bxcS't - a double-edged with an advantage. position has arisen, one which 17 ...cS 18.hh6?! can only be better for Black. This sacrifice is not quite cor­ 21.gg3 rect but it is the continuation of White's threats are decisive the operation begun with White's now. last move. 21 ...heS 22.lLIxe6+ h8 18 ...gxh6 19.1LIgS+ g7 White mates immediately af­ 20.ge3 ter 22 ...mh7 23.1::1g7+.

60 3JiJd2 dxe4 4JiJxe4 �d7 5.CiJgj3 .ic6 6 . .id3 CiJd77.0-0

23.%Vxh6+ llJh7 24.gh3 in the section Step by Step that exc2 2S.llJxf8+- this is a very risky decision for Black. It would be much safer for him to castle kingside. 14.b4 %Vc7 IS.bS cS 16.h3

mbS 17• .id2 hS He is preparing 18 ...g5. After the immediate 17... g5 18.CiJe2;!; he will have problems advancing his pawns further. For example, after 18 ...:gdg8 , with the idea of 19 ...h5, White has the The forcing play is over. It is reply 19.b6! axb6 20 . .ib5! and it bad for Black to play here 25 ... turns out that Black's knights on ttJdf6 26.CiJxh7 CiJxh7 27.'�f8#, so d7 and f6 are unstable. he loses his knight and the game. IS.llJe2!

2S ••• mgS 26.llJxh7 gc7 27. White is eyeing the enemy g­ llJf6+! This is a beautiful final pawn. tactical blow. In view of the vari­ IS ...h4 19.a4 eS 20 . .igS ation 27 ...hf6 28.:gg3+, Black White intends to get rid of resigned. some of the unnecessary pieces before advancing his queens ide pawns.After 20 .a5!? White prob­ 11 Bologan M.Ivanov ably disliked the possible response Dresden 2006 20 ...:ghe 8, threatening 21...e4.

l.e4 e6 2.d4 dS 3.llJc3dxe4 20... gdeS 21• .ixf6 llJxf6 4.llJxe4 .id7 S.llJf3 .ic6 6 . .id3 22.dxeS gxeS 23.aSt llJd7 7.0-0 llJgf6 S.llJegS .id6 9.gel h6 10.llJh3 .ixf3 11.exf3 c6 12.llJf4 %VaS 13.c3

Black's king is in great trouble, because after White's possible move a5-a6, he cannot avoid the

13••• 0-0-0 opening of files afterb5-b 6, or of We have already pointed out the hl-a8 diagonal.

61 Chapter 2

23 ••.ti'e7 In the endgame, White's a6- If 23 ...c4, White has the pow­ pawn would be tremendously erfulriposte 24.b6! axb6 25.axb6 dangerous of course, but with �xb6 26.!!eb1 �c7 27.hc4± with queens on the board it is even an overwhelming advantage. stronger, so Black's most tena­ 24.gedl ge8 25.a6 b6 cious defence here would be 29 ... Now the weak b7-square �f6: 30.�xf6 gxf6 31.Wfl WcRt makes Black's defence extremely with some counterplay, for exam­ difficult. ple: 32.tLJg1!!c 4!? 26.ga2 30.llJxg3± ti'g5 White is planning 27.!!ad2. It is equally hopeless for Black

26••• llJe4 27.he4 gxe4 28. to opt here for 30 ...hg3 31.�xg3+ gad2 .ie7 Wc8 32.�xg7± 31.ti'xt7

29.g4!

This pawn-advance is forced, 31 ••.ti'f4 ? but it has been prepared in ad­ This is a blunder in a very dif­ vance and is tremendously im­ ficult position. portant. First, White gives his 32.ti'd5 king an escape-square and frees White could have ended the his knight on e2 (in particular, he game, using the same mating can now prepare c3-c4, followed idea, with the more beautiful by tLJc3).Secondly, he is no longer move 32.!!d8+! afraid of his opponent's threats 32 •••gel+ 33. g2. Black re­ along the h2-b8 diagonal. signed.

29 •••hxg3 ? This move leads to the activa­ tion of White's knight and Black's 12 Bologan Bauer quick demise. Germany 1998 It would be useless for him to l.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.llJc3 dxe4 play 29 ...�e5 30J:!d5! 4.llJxe4 .id7 5.llJf3 .ie6 6 • .id3 After 29 .. .f5, White has the llJd7 7. 0 -0 llJgf6 8.llJeg5 .id6 simple reply 30.gxf5! 9.gel h6 10 .llJh3 .ixf3 11.ti'xf3 3.tud2 dxe4 4.tuxe4 i.d7 S. tugj3 i.c6 6.i.d3 liJd77.0-0 c6 12.lLlf4 0-0 13.llJhS ge8 14.lLlxf6 + lLlxf6 lS • .1d2 eS 16. dxeS .1xeS 17.g3'lWdS 18.'lWxdS �xdS 19.9ab1 .1d4 20.c3 .1b6 21.gbdU

White's advantage has in­ creased a little. He has succeeded in advancing his queenside pawns and his king can be easily central­ ized. Although Black's knight has gained access to the wonderful The ansmg position is quite d4-square, this is not very help­ typical for the variation with 4 ... ful to him, for example: 33 ...liJeS i.d7 in general. White has the 34.'i!?e2 liJc6 3S.'i!?d3 liJd4 36.i.dl bishop-pair and maintains an and White's king is ready to con­ advantage in the endgame, with tinue its way along the route e4- good winning chances. In the dS, etc. game we are analyzing, Viorel 33 •••cxb4 ?! 34.axb4 .1e7 Bologan with White showed ex­ 3S.cS as 36.c6! bxc6 37. emplary technique. Admittedly bxaS± his opponent helps him a little, Black's desire to exchange as but this often happens in games many pawns as possible has only between opponents of different helped White to create an outside class, particularly in technical po­ passed pawn.

sitions with an advantage fo r the 37 •••.1cS 38 • .1a4 �b4 39. stronger player. h4!

21 •••llJf6 22.'i!?g2 gxe1 23. This is an example of the clas­ he1 ge8 24.'i!?f1 'i!?f8 2S.,ie2 sical principle of the two weak­ llJe4 26.c4 gd8 nesses in action. White's a-pawn Black had to try to stop his will not promote, but it will de­ opponent's pawns with the move flectsome of the opponent's forc­ 26 ...aS !? es to fight against it. Meanwhile, 27.gxd8+ hd8 28.t'3 lLlcS White will create weaknesses on 29.b4 llJa4?! the other side of the board.

It was more precise for Black 39 •••'i!?e7 to play here 29 ...liJe6. It is rather unpleasant for

30• .1d1 llJb2 31• .1b3 lLld3 Black to allow the enemy pawn to

32 • .1d2 cS 33.a3 hS, but after 39 ...hS, he must con-

63 Chapter 2 sider the possibility of 40.g4!? In him any more, because after44 ... general, the side fighting against c!LJb4+ 45.We4 White's kingwould an enemy bishop-pair faces a penetrate into the enemy camp great problem - how to arrange with decisive effect. his pawns, since they can come 45 • .ia6! under attack on squares of both White prevents the enemy colours. king from approaching his passed 40.h5 �d7 41.�e2 �c7 pawn.

42 • .ib3f6 43 . .ic4 45 ....id6 46.g4 c5 47 • .ic4 �c6

It is a well-known fact that two bishops are also strong because 48.a6! one of them can be exchanged We have already mentioned advantageously at any moment. that White will be willing to ex­ Here, after White has fixed the change his light-squared bishop enemy kingside pawns on dark fo r the enemy knight. The only squares, he is happy to enter an nuance here is that after the ex­ endgame with bishops of the change, White's king must oc­ same colour, which means that cupy the c4-square; therefore, it he is prepared to exchange his would be less precise for him to light-squared bishop for Black's play 48.i.c1 lLlb5. The move in knight. the game does not allow Black's 43 ...c!LJc 2?! knight to come to the b5-square.

Maybe Black should remain 48 ... �b6 49 • .ic1. passive with: 43 ...wb7 44.g4 Wc7, After49 ... lLlxc4 50. �xc4 Wxa6 etc. 51.Wd5 i.e5 52.i.a3! Black's king­ 44.�d3 c!LJa3 side pawns are doomed, so Black There was no way back for resigned.

64 Chapter 3 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.ttJd2 dxe4 4.ttJxe4 ttJd7

Quick Repertoire

ation forms the basis, or part of the basis, of their repertoire: these include Georg Meyer, Yury Droz­ dovskij, Yannik Pelletier, Dragan Kosic and several others. These are all the main exponents of new ideas for Black in the contempo­ rarytheory of this system. 5.�fJ �gf6 6.i.d3

We shall begin our analysis of the classical lines of the Rubin­ stein variation. There are more than ten thousand games with the diagram position in the Mega Database 2011. We have already mentioned in the Quick Reper­ toire section of Chapter 1 that most of the players who regu­ larly include the French Defence in their opening repertoire also The Rubinstein variation is play the Rubinstein variation. For very popular at present and it is example, some outstanding spe­ a difficult task for White to obtain cialists in this opening in general, a meaningfuladvantage, although such as Victor Korchnoi, Rafael there are several principled ways Vaganian and Evgeny Bareev, use for him to strive for this. The it quite regularly. There are other scheme which we are suggesting players who, for variety, use many is just one of the possible ways for other interesting schemes in the White to achieve an advantage. French Defence, but for whom He wishes to develop his forces nevertheless the Rubinstein vari- as quickly as possible and is ready

65 Chapter 3 to present his opponent with the castles queenside and firmly seiz­ advantage of the bishop pair if es the initiative. necessary or, if Black is too slow with his attack against the cen­ tre, White is prepared to castle queenside. Some young Russian grandmasters like Evgeny Ale­ kseev and Sergey Karjakin have had wonderful results as White in this variation. I should like to mention that the order of moves which we are studying, despite the similarity, is not the same as the other popu­ lar variation with 6.tLJxf6+ tLJxf6 7. 0-0 7.�d3 and, in the context of the It is too risky for White to cas­ ideas we analyze here, these two tle queenside in this move order, variations hardly ever transpose for example: 7.tLJxf6+ tLJxf68. dxcS into each other, as you will see hcS 9.�e2 0-0 10.�gS h6 1l.h4 shortly. �aS+ 12.�d2 �b6 13.0-0-0 eS! 6 ...c5 ! 14.tLJxeS �e8 and Black has very This is Black's most fashion­ dangerous counterplay. able and best reply. The move is 7 ...liJx e4 8 . .ixe4 quite natural (attacking the op­ ponent's centre) and involves a very important nuance. It is most principled for Black to accom­ plish this absolutely essential un­ dermining move with his bishop still on f8, so as, in the event of a subsequent exchange on cS, to be able to recapture in one move, saving a tempo in comparison to schemes in which Black plays c7- c5 after he has already developed his bishop to e7. 8 •••lLlf6 The following possible varia­ This is the most precise move tions illustrate some important order for Black. Before exchang­ ideas which we have discussed ing on d4, he wishes to provoke above: 6 ...tLJxe4 7.he4 tLJf68. �gS! his opponent into playing �gS. and here, for example after 8 ... After 8 ...cxd4 9.tLJxd4 tLJf6 10. �e7 9.�xf6 �xf6 1O.�d3! White �f3 �e7 11.�f4! (White's dark-

66 3Jud2dxe4 4Juxe4 ltJd7 S. ltJj3 ltJgf6 6.�d3 squared bishop is best placed on White needs his bishop pre­ this square under the circum­ cisely on the long h1-a8 diagonal. stances.) 11...0-0 12.c3, White 11 ... 0-0 12.Wid3 Wic7 13. exerts powerful pressure. Later �Ue1gdS 14.gad1 a6 we quote a very convincing exam­ ple of this - the game Alekseev - Mamedyarov, Moscow 2008. 9 . .ig5 cxd4 Black must exchange here in order to continue with his devel­ opment. After 9 ...�e7? ! 1O.hf6 hf6, White can capture on cS. 10.tLlxd4

15.\We3! White has completed the mo­ bilization of his forces and Black is also very close to achieving this, so the last critical aspect of the open­ ing conflictis the development of his bishop on c8. Black will try to accomplish this and White will strive to prevent it. With his last 10 ....ie7 move, White is preparing to coun­ It would be tremendously risky ter 1S ...�d7 with 16.�f4 , followed fo r Black to try to exchange the by 17.Wib3. enemy bishop at this moment: 15 ...h6 16 . .if4 .id6 17. 1O ...h6? ! 11..ixf6 Wixf6 12.Wid3! a6 tLlb3!? 13J''!ad1 �e7 14.ltJc6! with a pow­ Black succeeds in equalizing erful initiative for White. Black after 17.hd6 l'!xd6 18.l'!d3 �d7 was crushed spectacularly in only 19.WieS ltJe8 20.l'!ed1 l'!d8 21.h4 17 moves in the famous game Svi­ �c8 22.�e2 l'!6d7= dler - Bareev, Wijk aan Zee 2004. 17... .ixf4 lS.gxdS+ \WxdS It happens only very rarely that a 19.Wixf4 §'b6 player of Bareev's class gets wiped With the idea of 20 ...�d7. out so swiftly, and moreover in (diagram) his favourite opening (for the de­ 20.§'e3! Wic7! tails, see the Step by Step sec­ Black is again just a step away tion). from achieving complete equal­ 1l. .if3 ity.

67 Chapter 3

26.gal �c2 27.a4:t

21.�c5! '9'xc5 22.lOxc5 �f8! After 22 .. J"�b8, White has the The forcing play has ended. powerful resource 23.l"!dl. White has an edge and good 23.lOxb7hb7 winning chances in the arising 23... l"!b8 ? 24.lOd6 endgame, thanks to his outside 24.hb7 gb8 25.ha6 gxb2 passed a-pawn.

68 Chapter 3 1.e4 e6 2.d4 dS 3.tL'ld2 dxe4 4.tL'lxe4 tL'ld7 S.tL'lfJ

Step by Step

5 ••• lOgf6 Black has a multiple choice in It is not easy to understand the the diagram position: idea behind developing the other black knight to f6 - 5 ...llJdf6, but A) 6 •..b6 this rarely played move has been B) 6 ....ie7 tried several times by some good C) 6 ...lO xe4 players, such as Vladimir Baklan, D) 6 ••• cS Viktor Laznicka and Varuzhan Akobian (unless there was a mis­ The alternatives hardly de­ print in the text of these games... ). serveany serious attention. Black does not achieve anything The move 6 ...h6? ! has been with this move except a reduction tried in several games, but in fact in his own possibilities. After 6. it is a loss of time. White castles i.d3 llJxe47.i.xe4 llJf6 8 . .ig5there queenside and creates great prob­ arises a transposition - see varia­ lems for his opponent: 7.We2 c5 tionC. 8.llJxf6+ llJxf6 9.i.e3 llJd5 10.0- It is more or less the same af­ 0-0 a6 1l.h4 i.e7 12.g4 WaS 13. ter 5 ...i.e7: 6.i.d3 llJgf6 - see 5 ... <;!;>b1i.d7 14.llJe5± (Black's king is llJgf6 6. i.d3i.e7 (variation B). in danger.) 14 ...i.c6 15.i.d2 Wc7 6 . .id3 16.c4 llJf6 17.llJxc6bxc6 18.g5 llJd7

69 Chapter 3

19.dS!+-. After opening the cen­ tre White's initiative becomes de­ cisive, Li Chao - Wan Yunguo, Shandong 2007. The move 6 ... a6 is a bit more useful for Black, but it is also too slow: 7oV!fe2 cS 8.igS ie7 9. 0-0-0 cxd4 10.tUxd4 tUxe4 11. he7 Wixe7 12.he4 0-0 13.f4 tUcs 14.if3 Wic7 1S.Wie3id7 16.h4 gac8 17.hS gfd8 (17 ...h6 18.g4t LlI9.gS) 18.h6 ia4 19.9d2 g6 20.ghdU turing with the queen leaves with a clear advantage to White, Black's queenside defenceless: Eriksson - Jaderberg, Sweden 1O ...Wixf 6?! 11.ie4 0-0-0 12. 2002. hb7+ 'tt>xb7 13.a4t with position­ al pressure for White, for exam­

A) 6 .•.b6 ple: 13 ...aS 14.Wie4+ gdS IS.tUeS WifS 16.WixfS exfS 17.0-0-0!± and Black loses his V-pawn, or the ex­ change in the variation 17 ...id6 18.c4.) 11.0-0-0 Wid6 12.ia6 0-0-0 13.ghel c6 14.'tt>bl ig7 15. hb7+ 'tt>xb7 16.c4 fS 17.dS! cxdS 18.cxdS exdS 19.Wie7+ Wic7 20. tUh4tWhite obtained a slight edge in the endgame, Short - Korchnoi, Tilburg 1991. 10.0-0-0

The queen's fianchetto is on Black's agenda, but at this partic­ ular moment it is too slow. His kingside is not developed yet, while White dominates the cen­ tre, so he can deploy his forces very aggressively and develop a powerful initiative.

7.�xf6+ �xf6 8.Wie2.ib7 9 • .ig5 (diagram) 9 ....ie7 10 ... 0-0 After9 ...h6 1O.hf6 gxf6 (Cap- There were interesting devel-

70 3.0,d2 dxe4 4.0,xe4 0,d7 5. 0,j3 0,gf6 6.i.d3

opments in the following game: There might follow: 13 ...cS (or 1 O ...0,d 7!? 1l.h4! hf3 (Whitewill 13 ...0,dS 14.h4! cS 1S.i.c2t) 14. counter 11...h6 with 12.i.d2 and it i.f4 ! �dS 1S.c4 �xd4 (Black comes would then be too dangerous fo r under a decisive attack after 15 ... Black to castle.) 12.�xf3 hgS+ �xg2 16.8:hg1 �h3 17.dS! exdS 13.hxgS �xgS+ 14.'it>b1 8:dB. Here, 1B.8:g3 �e6 19.8:dg1 0,eB20. �hS in reply to 1S.dS!?, Sutovsky - fS 21.8:h3+-; it is also very bad for Akopian, Moscow (rapid) 2002, him to opt for 1B ...�hS 19.8:dg1g6 Black could have even captured a 20.0,xg6!) 16.i.g3!± and White second pawn: 1S ...�xdS !? with not only preserves the possibility the following sample variation of 17.i.xh7+, but he has the even 16.�g3 �eS 17.f4 �f6 1B.i.bS a6! more unpleasant threat of 17.i.c2, (but not 1B ...'it>e7 19.i.xd7 8:xd7 and after 16 ...i.e4 , he can play 20.�a3+ !) 19.i.c6 'it>e7 20.�a3+ 17.f3. tLlcS 21.b4 8:xd1+ 22.8:xd1 8:bB! After 1O ... h6, intending to 23.�f3 and the position is com­ clarify the situation of his oppo­ pletely unclear. Therefore White nent's bishop prior to castling, it should calmly play 1S.�c6 h6 16. would be interesting for White to �xc7 0-0 17.g3t, maintaining a continue with 11.hf6 !? hf6 12. slight edge. dS! After 1O ...�d6 1l.0,eS 0-0 12. 'it>b1 8:adB, White preserves the advantage with the move 13.c3t, fo rtifying his centre and covering the b4-square (the position is rather unclear after the risky line: 13.c4 h6 14.i.f4 �xd4! 1S.i.h7+ 'it>xh7 16.8:xd4 8:xd4oo Topalov - Vaganian, Novgorod 1995; after GM Dolmatov's recommendation 13.i.f4 0,dS 14.i.g3, it would be Here, afterthe rather indiffer­ very good for Black to play 14 ... ent move 12 ...0-0? White simply �b4! threatening 1S... 0,c3) . ended up with an extra pawn: 13.dxe6 �e7 14.i.c4 fxe6 1S.�xe6+ 'it>hB 16.�xe7 he7 17.i.dS± Sul­ skis - Sarakauskas, Kaunas 200B. Black should have taken the val­ iant pawn with 12 ...hdS ! and it becomes clear that White cannot win a piece, despite the pin on the enemy bishop: 13.i.bS+ (13.i.e4?! 0-0 14.c4 i.gS+ ! 1S.'it>b1he4+ !)

71 Chapter 3

13 .. .'it>fS 14.c4 a6 IS.cxdS (Black has sufficient compensation for the queen after IS.i.c6 i.xc6 16. Ei:xdS+ Ei:xdSoo; while if IS.i.a4 he can save the day by means of the line: IS ...�d 6! 16.cxdS �f4+, or 16.'it>bl �f4.) IS ...axbS 16.dxe6 �eS! (From here Black's queen protects the bS-pawn and eyes the g6-square; it would be weaker for him to opt for 16 ... �e7 17.\t>bl fxe6 18.ttJeS±, with a clear advan­ Johannsson - Besser, Halle 1967, tage for White.) 17.\t>blfxe6 (The White develops a powerful initia­ endgame is clearly worse for Black tive with 13.dS!t and the position in the variation 17... �xe6 18.�xe6 is difficult for Black after 13 ... fxe6 19.Ei:d7±) IS.�c2!;!; (after ttJxd3 14.dxe6!; as well as after IS.ttJeS heS 19.�xeS �g6+ 20. 13 ...hdS 14.i.e4) 13.i.c1 \t>al \t>gSoo, followed by 21...\t>h7, Black has solved his opening problems quite well).

Black's pawn on h6 is a juicy target and it will enable White to open files advantageously on the White deprives the enemy kingside. Black's situation is even queen of the g6-square as well as more difficult owing to the fact the enemy king of the h7-square, that he has no counterplay. 13 ... and thus he does not allow Black �d6 14.ttJeS ttJb4 IS.i.c4 i.dS to coordinate his forces and main­ 16.hdS ttJxdS (16 ...�xdS 17.c4 tains the advantage. After 18. .. cS, �b7 18.Ei:h3-+) 17.g4 c5 IS.c4 ttJb4 White has the resource 19.Ei:d6! 19.dxc5 �xcS 20.a3 ttJa6 21. ll.\t>bl ttJd7+- and White's advantage (diagram) was decisive in the game Ivanchuk 1l ...c5 - Drozdovskij, Odessa 2006. 1l ... ttJdS 12.h4 h6 (if 12 ... ttJb4, 12.dxc5 �c7 3.tiJd2 dxe4 4.tiJxe4 li:Jd7 S. li:JfJ li:Jgf6 6.id3

White's play was far from per­ fect in the following game: 17. 1Mfg4+ @fB IB.1Mfh4 @e7 (Black's king is safe here.) 19.ie4?! (it is better for White to play 19.f3, but after 19 ...h5 !? the position re­ mains rather unclear) 19 ...�x dl+ 20.�xdl �dB! and Black seized the initiative, Vachier Lagrave - Fer­ ry,Val d' Isere 2002.

17••• f5 13.ll:leS! After I7 ...@ fB IB.1Mfxh7± Black's But not 13.cxb6?! axb6� king has not yet reached the safe

13••• bxcS e7-square, while White has gob­ Black's alternatives lead to an bled up a pawn. overwhelming advantage for 18.1MfgS+ 'if;lf8 White: 13 ..J� fdB? 14.c6 .ixc6 15. It is not good for Black to opt li:Jxc6 1Mfxc6 16 . .ixf6 .ixf6 17. for IB ...@hB 19.1Mff6+ @gB 20. ie4+- Galego - Santos, Maceira �del!� and White's attack is very 1997; 13 ...�adB 14.cxb6 axb6 15. powerful in view of the threats f4± of �e3-g3 and 21..ixf5! gxf5 22. 14.hf6 hf6 lS.ll:ld7! gfd8 �e7. Black's position would be 19.1Mfh6+ 'if;le7 hopeless with an exchange down: 19 ...@eB 20.1Mfxh7± 15 ...id4? 16.li:JxfB �xfB 17.c3 if6 19 ...@ gB 20.�hgl� Ll21.g4. IB.ie4+- De Firmian - Jacobi, 20.ghel� USA 19B9. 16.ll:lxf6 + gxf6

Black's king is unsafe and White's prospects are clearly pref­ 17.1MfhS! erable.

73 Chapter 3

B) 6 •••.i e7 explain all this in detail after the move order 6 ...ttJxe4 7 . .ixe4 fie7 8.�e2 ttJf6? 9 . .ixb7! - see varia­ tion C1.

This developing move looks quite natural, but it has an obvi­ ous drawback. After Black makes the thematic and absolutely nec­ B1) 7 .•. cS essary pawn-break c7-c5, he will B2) 7 ... 0-0 have to recapture with the bishop, losing a tempo in comparison There is a transposition of with the immediate 6 ...c5 ! moves after7 ...ttJxe4 S.fixe4- see 7.We2! 6 ...ttJxe4 7 . .ixe4 fie7 S.�e2 (vari­ This is a multi-purpose move ation C1). for White. The slow move 7 ... a6?! can We have already mentioned in only be an illustration of the fact the Quick Repertoire section that that Black ignores the dynamics after Black's most precise reaction of the position. He has not com­ 6 ...c5, it would be too risky for pleted his development yet, while White to castle queenside. Now White dominates in the centre however, afterBl ack has lost valu­ and his pieces are so active that able time, it is not only possible such prophylactic measures are for White but quite justifiable to clearly inappropriate: S.ttJeg5 prepare the evacuation of his king 0-0 (after S ...c5? 9.ttJxf7! White's to the queenside. Instead, if he attack becomes decisive rather castles kingside at the moment, quickly: 9 ...@xf7 1O.ttJg5+ @eS 11. then after 7.0-0 0-0 S.�e2 b6, ttJxe6 �b6 12.ttJxg7+ @dS 13. Black practically equalizes. The ttJe6+ @eS 14.fif4+- and Black other idea behind White's last can resign, Zeleic - Jagstaidt, Ge­ move is that he prevents the neve 1995) 9.ttJe5 ttJb6 1O.c3 c5 standard exchange operation 7 ... (after 1O ...h6, White has the re­ ttJxe4 S . .ixe4 ttJf6?, since he has source l1.h4!) l1.dxc5 ttJa4?, Ku­ the tactical shot 9 . .ixb7! We will drin - Stancil, Reno 2006. Here,

74 3.tiJd2 dxe4 4.tiJxe4 0,d75.0,./3 0,gf6 6.�d3

White wins apiece with the rather evils for Black is 8 ...0-0 9.0,c6 simple double attack 12.'��c2+- "!ge8 1O.0,xe7+ "!9xe7 11.�g5 �b7 7 ...b6? ! - this move seems too 12.0-0;1;but White still maintains optimistic when Black has not yet a comfortable advantage, Mihai­ castled. 8.0,e5 lidis - Mihotas, Heraklio 2005; 12.0-0-0!? is also good.

B1) 7 ...c5

and now: following 8 ...�b7? 9.0,xf7!the game is almost over, just as in the variation we analyzed above (7... a6?! 8.0,eg5 c5? 9.0,xf7!)9 ...i>xf7 1O.0,g5+ i>e8 1l.0,xe6 "!9c8 12. 8.0,xc5! 0,xg7+ i>d8 (We cannot resist White immediately seizes the showing you a game in which the chance to win a tempo - see our fightwas ended with a verybeau­ notes to the move 6 ...�e7. tiful and economical mate: 12 ... I believe that it is not as good i>f7 13."!ge6+i>xg7 14."!9xe7+ i>g8 for him to capture on f6 with the 15.�c4+ �d5 16.bd5+ 0,xd5 17. same idea - 8.0,xf6+, because of "!ge6+ i>g7 18.�h6#! Kudrin - 8 ...hf 6!? (8 ... 0,xf6 9.dxc5 hc5 Cherniack, Sturbridge 2007) 13. - see 8.0,xc5 0,xc5 9.dxc5 hc5) 0,e6+ i>e8 14.�f4+- and White's 9.d5 0,b6 1O.�b5+ i>f8 1l.dxe6 position was completely winning, be6 12.0-0 h600with good coun­ Cvek - M.Babula, Czech Republic terplay for Black - this variation 2006; was tested several times in the 8 ... 0,xe59.d xe5 0,xe4(White's games ofYasser Seirawan. initiative is very powerful after 8 ....ixc5 9 ... 0,d7 1O.�f4 �b7 11.0-0-0± Here, the most course for Dostal - Libura, Nachod 1998) Black is to part with his bishop. 1O.be4 1!b8 1l."!9g4 g6 12.�h6± He will face much more seri­ Black's king is stranded in the ous problems after 8 ...0,xc5 9. centre and is in serious danger, dxc5 bc5 (It is even more dan­ Badev - Stanoev, Sofia 2005; gerous for Black to opt for 9 ... it looks as though the least of "!9a5+10 .�d2 "!9xc5 11.0-0-0 0-0

75 Chapter 3

12.g4 b6 13.g5 lLld5, Rublevsky - 1O ...�a5+ (With this, Black is Wang Hao, Ningbo 2010. After trying to prevent his opponent 14.�e4 g6 15.h4 ib7 16.h5� from castling queenside.) 11.c3 White's attack is very powerful. ie7 12.0-0 (It is interesting that Or 11 ...id7 12.lLle5 ic6 13.f4 0-0 the move 12.0-0-0!? has not 14.'it>b1 �ac8 15.�hf1 �fd8 16.g4t been tested in practice yet, since and White has positional pres­ after: 12 ...�xa2 13.ib5+ 'it>f8 14. sure, Wolff - G.Orlov, Philadel­ lLle5iii White has good compensa­ phia 1991.) 1O.ig5 tion. But he has an excellent posi­ tion in any case ...) 12 ... 0-0 13. lLle5 �c7 14.�ad1 lLld5 15.ixe7 �xe7, Zahariev - Makka, Ano Li­ osia 2001, 16.�e4 f5 (16... lLlf6 17. �h4±; 16 ...g6 17.ic4±) 17.�f3± Black has great problems with the development of his bishop on c8, so Whitehas a clear advantage. 9.dxc5 lOxc5

and now: it would be too riskyfor Black to choose here 10 ... 0-0 11.0-0-0 �c7 12.'it>b1 ie7 13.lLle5 b6 14.h4 ib7 15.�h3 �fd8 16.�e1! (White should be on the alert even in a very promising position like this, since Black was threatening the powerful counter-blow 16 ...lLle 4!) 16... �ac8 17.�g3� with a crushing attack for White, Heimann - Al­ badri, Dresden 2008; lO . .ic4 Black cannot be happy with White's wish to preserve the his position after 10... �c7 11. two bishops is understandable, 0-0-0 a6 12.�he1 b5 13.lLle5t. but he can also trythe quite inter­ Here, he loses immediately after esting line 1O.0-0!? lOxd3 (This the careless reply 13 ...0-0? (after move only helps Whiteto develop Black's correct reaction 13 ...ie7 his pieces to very active positions, 14.f4t he is still much worse) 14 . but if Black does not hurry with .bf6gxf6 15.hh7+ 'it>xh7 16.�h5+ this exchange, White can continue 'it>g7 17.�g4+ and in view of the to develop effortlessly: 10 ...0-0 unavoidable mate Black resigned, 11.�d1 �c7 1VtJe5; or 1O ... �c7 11. Palac - Runic, Bled 2002; �d1 a6 1 Vt:Je5) 11.�d1 id7 (if

76 3.lDd2 dxe4 4.lDxe4 CiJd75.CiJj3 CiJgf6 6.id3

11 ...0 -0 12J!xd3 �c7 13.CiJeSt lS.ih6;1;, although White's posi­ A14J!g3, White's initiative devel­ tion is again preferable.) 17.�xg4 ops quite easily, for example: 13 ... CiJxg4 lS.ixg7 1:'!gS 19.ic3;1; and CiJdS14.c 4 CiJb4lSJ! g3 f6 16.if4! White maintains a stable advan­ fxeS 17.heS �f7 lSJ!xg7+ �xg7 tage in this endgame.

19.ixg7 'it>xg7 20.�eS+ 'it>gS 21. 10 •••l'lc7 �gS+ 'it>f7- Black loses immedi­ 1O ...a6 l1.�eS! CiJce412 .ie3 bS ately after 21...'it>hS? 22.�e7 - 13.1:'!d1�aS+ 14.c3 0-0 lS.b4 �a3 22J!d1 CiJc6 23J�d3+- with deci­ 16.ib3 �b2 17.id4 as lS.bxaS (It sive threats for White) 12J':!xd3 is even stronger for White to play �c7 13.CiJeS ibS (13 ...ic6 14. here 18.0-0!, having in mind the M4±) 14.c4! variation lS ...a4? 19.c4! �a3 20. ic2±) lS ...1:'!xaS 19.0-0;1; - after the small tactical skirmish White maintained all the pluses of his position, moreover his bishops became tremendously active in the game Godena - Peric, Arco 1997. 11.0-0 a6 12.a4 b6 13.l'le5 l'lxe5 14.�xe5 lLb715 .lLe3 �c8 16.�fd1 'it>e7 14 ...hc4 ! This is an interest­ ing possibility. (In the game Ro­ manovsky - Zagoriansky, Mos­ cow 1945, Black played 14 ...ic6 ?, but White could have then ob­ tained a great advantage with: 15. if4 0-0. This is relatively the best for Black; otherwise, he might not manage to castle at all. 16.CiJg6eS 17.�xeS �xeS lS.CiJxeS± with a solid extra pawn for White.) 15. CiJxc4 �xc4 16.ih6! (The idea of Black's 14th move becomes clear in 17.b4!? the variation 16J':!dS+? 1:'!xdS 17. It appears that White main­ 'iWxc4 1:'!d1+ 18.�fl 1:'!xf1+ 19.'it>xfl tains some positional pressure 'it>e7+)... 16 �g4 (Black loses after with this move, ejecting the ene­ 16 ...0-0? 17.hg7! 'it>xg7 IS. my knight from its active posi­ 1:'!g3+-; it is also very bad for him tion. to play 16 ...gx h6? 17.1:'!dS+!±; but After 17.1:'!d4 as lS.ibS CiJdS= he could try16 ...CiJdS 17.hg7 1:'!gS Black succeeded in equalizing,

77 Chapter 3

Fedorowicz - Yermolinsky, Los afterB ...lLJxe 4?! 9.\!,!Ixe4 g6 1O.h4-+ Angeles199 1. Neikirkh - Stanchev, Sofia 194B. 17.. )bcd7 18.tbxd7tbxd7 19. Black loses a tempo with B ... .tb3 ghd8 20.gd2;t - White's E1eB?!, although his position is al­ advantage of the two bishops ready very difficult: 9.h4 h6 10. guarantees him the better pros­ lLJxf6+ lLJxf6 1l.i.xf6 i.xf6 12.0- pects in the coming fight. 0-0-+ Tomnikova - Bauer, Her­ ceg Novi 200B and he is helpless against the advance of White's g­

B2) 7 ••• 0-0 pawn, for example: 12 ...c5 13.dxcS \!,!laS 14.g4! \!,!Ixa2 lS.c3. Black has great problems after his alternatives as well. B ...h6 9.lLJxf6+ lLJxf6(it is obvi­ ously worse for him to play 9 ... i.xf6?! 10.\!,!Ie4! E1eB1l .\!,!Ih7+ 'it>fB 12.i.d2-+Nazarevskiy - Logozin­ sky,Ma riupol 2003)

8 . .tg5! This is the best move. White prepares queenside cas­ tling and prevents for the moment Black's important developing move B ...b6 (the alternatives for White promise less: B.i.d2 b6 10.h4 lLJdS (a transposition of 9.0-0-0 i.b7, or 8.0-0 b6). moves arises after 10 ...c5 1l.dxcS

8 •••c5 \!,!IaS+ 12.c3 \!,!IxcS 13.0-0-0 - see Black should undermine his B ...cS 9.dxcS lLJxcS 1O.lLJxcS \!,!IaS+ opponent's centre right away; 1l.c3 \!,!IxcS 12.0-0-0 h6 13.h4) otherwise it might be too late. 1l.i.d2! lLJf6 (Black should prefer White's intentions are perfect­ 1l ...cS here, but after12.d xcS i.xcS ly obvious, but players with Black 13.0-0-0 \!,!Ic7 14. 'it>b1, with the have several times overlooked the idea of g4-gS, he has great diffi­ simple trap: B ...b6? 9.lLJxf6+ gxf6 culties anyway, for example: 14 ... 1O.\!,!Ie4 fS 1l.\!,!IxaB i.xgS 12.lLJxgS lLJf4 lS.i.xf4 \!,!Ixf4 16.g3 \!,!Ic7 17. \!,!IxgS 13.\!,!If3+- Papp - Lajos, Bu­ g4t) 12.0-0-0 \!,!IdS 13.'it>b1 b6 dapest 200S. 14.lLJeS i.b7 lS.c4 \!,!IdB 16.E1h3 White's attack is even stronger 'it>hB 17.i.c3-+ and White's attack

7B 3.4:Jd2 dxe4 4.4:Jxe4 4:Jd7 5. 4:Jj3 4:Jgf6 6.id3 is overwhelming, Aagaard - It is weaker for Black to play McGowan, Oban 200S. 1O ...hcS 11.0-0-0 - see 7 ...cS S ... 4:JdS 9.0-0-0! (I believe S.4:JxcS 4:JxcS 9.dxcS hcS 1O . .igS that the routine move 9.h4 is not 0-0 11.0-0-0 (variation B1). so good fo r White in this situa­ 1l.c3 �xc5 12.0-0-0 tion: 9 ...cS 1O.4:JxcS 4:JxcS 11.dxcS �aS+ 12.c3 �xcS 13.he7 �xe7 14.0-0-0 �c7 lS . .ic2 .id7 and Black's position is quite accepta­ ble, Nikolenko - A. Rychagov, Moscow 1995.)

Since White is ahead in devel­ opment, he is well placed to ex­ ploit such a position withopposite sides castling. His forces have all 9 ...hgS + (He only creates ad­ been mobilized and are poised to ditional weaknesses in his posi­ attack his opponent's king posi­ tion after9 .. .f6 10 . .id2±Justin - tion, while Black still needs to Golja, Ljubljana 1995; while after complete his development, and 9 ...eS 1O . .ic4 c6 11.dxeS 4:JxeS 12. attend to his bishop on cS in par­ hdS cxdS 13.he7 �xe7 14.4:Jc3 ticular. 4:Jc6 lS.�xe7 4:Jxe716. 4:JxdS 4:JxdS 12 ...�c7 17J�xdS± White won a pawn in Black's queen takes control the game Gligoric - Planas Gar­ over the dS and d7-squares, with cia, Havana 19S2.) 10.4:JexgS 4:J7f6 the idea of helping to complete his (1O ...h6? 11.4:Jxe6+-) 11.4:JeS as development without material 12.h4 4:Jf4 13.�f3 4:Jxd3+ 14.�xd3 loss. b6 lS.4:Jg4! g6 16.4:JeS!± and The necessity of this can be Black's position is tremendously seen from the following varia­ difficult, since he is helpless tions: 12 .. .1''ldS 13.hf6 hf6 14. against his opponent's decisive hh7+! 'it>fS (itis weaker for Black pawn advance h4-hS, Pirrot - to opt fo r 14 ...'it>xh7 1SJ�xdS hdS Amling, St Ingbert 19S5. 16.�d3± Ju.Polgar - Rayo Gutier­ 9.dxc5 lbxc5 10.lbxc5 rez, San Sebastian 1991) lS.l"lxdS+ �a5+ hdS 16 . .ic2.if6 17.l"ld1bS

79 Chapter 3

rook is very active on the seventh rank and together these factors are quite sufficient for victory, Andreikin - Salgado Lopez, Her­ aklio 2004. Black's main problem is not so much the possible attack against his king, but his quite passive light-squared bishop. The diagram position was Neither exchanges nor the lat­ reached in the game Tolnai - eral development of his queen's Bischoff, Budapest 1991. Black's rook would ease his defence: 12 .. . two bishops provide him with lLlg4 13.he7 �xe7 14.�e4 f5 (14 ... some compensation for the pawn, lLlf6 15.�h4 M6.hh7!) 15.�e2 therefore before Black has com­ .id7 16.h3 lLlh6 17.1"i:he1 1"i:ae8 18. pleted his development White lLle5± with an obvious advantage must neutralize his activity in a for White, Ma.Tseitlin - Kataev, radical fashion: 18.lLld2! b4 (18 ... Israel 1996; .ib7 19. .ie4±) 19.1Lle4�e5 20.�f3 12 ... lLld5 13.h4 h6 14.he7 1"i:b8 (in the variations 20... .ie7? �xe7 15.lLle5 lLlf4 16.�e4 lLlxd3+ 21.lLld6!+-, or 20 ....ib7? 21. 17.1"i:xd3 1"i:d8 18.1"i:hd1 1"i:xd3 19. lLlxf6!+- White wins. The second �xd3± and Black can hardly com­ variation is really spectacular: plete his development without even after 21...�g5+ 22.Wb1, material loss, Kogan - Quenette, Black's queen cannot avoid Metz 1996; White's double attack with the or 12 ... a5 13.h4 a4 14.a3 1"i:a5 knight) 21.lLlxf6± and afterWhite 15.1"i:he1�c7 16 . .ic2 1"i:d817.1"i:xd8+ has exchanged one of the enemy hd8 18.lLle5 .ie7 19.f4 h6 20.hf6 bishops, he can calmly realise his .ixf6 21.�e4 Wf8 22.ha4 hh4 material advantage. 23.1"i:dl± Both sides have made The consequences are more many moves and there has been or less the same after 12 ....id7: plenty of action on the board, but 13 ..ixf6 hf6 14.hh7+ Wxh7 Black's bishop on c8 is still out of 15.1"i:xd7 b5 16.lLld2 ! 1"i:ad8 17.lLle4 play, Sermek - Slekys, Olomouc �f5 18.1"i:hd1! White neutralizes 1996. Black's active attempts with a It is interesting for Black to opt series of precise moves and for 12 ... h6, which is connected preempts his possible counterplay mostly with the idea of avoiding by simplifying the position. 18 ... any blow against the h7-pawn: .ig5+ 19.1Llxg5+ �xg5+ 20.�d2 13.h4 1"i:d8 (after13 ... lLlg4 14 . .ixe7 �xd2+ 21.1"i:1xd2+-. White not �xe7 15.lLle5 lLlxe5 16.�xe5 .id7 only has an extra pawn, but his 17.�e4 f5 18.�xb7± Black's com-

80 3.ttJd2dxe4 4.ttJxe4 ttJd7 S. ttJj3 ttJgf6 6.�d3 pensation for the sacrificed mate­ well as the advance of his g- and rial is insufficient, Pedersen - h- pawns. Nilsson, Denmark 1996; after 13 ... id7, Panchapagesan - Hassabis, London 1993, it seems very good for White to continue with 14. g4!?, planning to open fileson the kingside with lS.�xf6 followed by 16.gS, or else lS.�e3 Ll16.gS) 14. ttJeSb6 lS.f4 �b7

14.�b1 This move is usually very use­ ful and here it has a concrete jus­ tification. White mustdeprive his opponent of the possible check with the queen from the f4 - 16.E1he1 (threatening the blow square. ttJxf7! at an opportune moment) White failed to obtain an edge 16 ...�dS 17.\t>b1 bS 1B.g4 E1d6, with the move 14.h4: 14 ...�b7 lS. Persitz - Rosenberg, Israel 19SB �xf6 hf6 16.ttJd7 ,&f4+! 17.'&d2 and here, White could have ob­ (after 17.\t>b1, besides the equal­ tained a crushing attack by 19. izing move 17 ...E1f dB, Black can hh6! gxh6 20.gS-+ also try 17 ...hg2 !?) 17 ...'&x d2+ 13.ttJe5b6 1B.E1xd2 E1fdB 19.ttJxf6+ gxf6 20. If 13 ...E1dB, White should con­ E1hd1fS 21.�f1 E1xd2 22.E1xd2 �c6= tinue to prevent the development with an equal endgame, Van of Black's bishop on cB with 14. Riemsdijk - Braga, Sao Paulo �c2!, intending to counter 14 ... 1979. �d7?! with lS.hh7+! \t>xh7 16. Only Black can be happy after �6, winning a pawn, since it the variation 14.hf6?! hf6 lS. would be a disaster for Black to '&e4?! g6 16.'&xaB �b7 17.'&xa7 continue here with 16 ...�xf6? E1aB,after which he seizes the ini­ (16 ...�e B±) 17.'&hS+ \t>gB lB. tiative. '&xf7+ \t>h719.ttJx d7+- with a de­ But with 14.�b1 White main­ cisive advantage for White. tains his pressure, because after

After 13 ...h6 14.�xf6 �xf6 lS. 14 .••oib7 he has the resource f4t White plans the rather un­ 15 • .ixf6 .ixf6 16.ttJd7! gfd8 17. pleasant queen-sortie 16.'&e4, as �xf6+ gxf6 18. �h5t

B1 Chapter 3

C) 6 ...�x e4 7.he4 8 ... lLlf6, since castling queenside is no longer so good for White. This is not so easy to explain with logical arguments. Tournament practice has confirmed this, how­ ever - if White succeeds in devel­ oping his bishop to gS then he can castle queenside; otherwise, it is better for him to castle kingside. I will give you below several exam­ ples illustrating this - see the lines: 9.�e3 in variation Cla as well as 9.�e3 and 9.�d2 in varia­ Black has the following possi­ tion Clb. bilities in the diagram position: Cla) 8 ...c5 Cl) 7 ...�e7 Clb) 8 ... 0-0

C2) 7 ••• �f6 There is a simple but not so Here 7 ...cS 8.0-0 amounts to obvious trap after8 ...lLlf6? 9 . .b:b7! a transposition, see 6 ...cS 7.0-0 and many masters have fallen fo r lLlxe4 8 . .b:e4(variation D3). it, including GM Konstantin Cher­ nishov: 9 ....b:b7 10.\&bS+ '&d7 11.'&xb7 0-0 12.'&a6 cS 13.dxcS Cl) 7 ...�e7 8.Wfe2! �xcS 14.0-0 E1ab8 1S.'&e2 E1fe8 16.b3 eS 17.�e3± and Black had no compensation for the pawn in the game Mahjoob - Chernyshov, Abu Dhabi 2004. After 8 ...a6 (preparing 9 ... lLlf6), White should ensure a bet­ ter square for the retreat of his bishop than d3 and this will be the c2-square, where it will nei­ ther impede the coordination of his own pieces, nor close the d-file fo r his rooks: 9.c3 cS lO.0-0 cxd4 Just as in variation B, in reply 1l.lLlxd4 '&c7 12.E1e1 0-0 13.�c2 to the development of the bishop �f6 14.'&e4g6 1S.�h6 E1e8 16.E1ad1 to e7, White reacts with this �g7 17.'&h4;l; with an edge fo r queen-move. Its main idea at the White,Godena - Nicevski, Cattol­ moment is to prevent the move ica 1994.

82 3.Ci.Jd2 dxe4 4. Ci.Jxe4 Ci.Jd75.Ci.Jj3 Ci.Jgf6 6.�d3

CIa) 8 •••c5 es are much more active than their black counterparts) 1l.Ci.Jxd4 Ci.Jxe4 12.'?9xe4 0-0 13.�f4 '?9b6

9.0-0 14.a4! �d7 (after 14 ...'?9xb2 Castling queenside leads to a 15.�e5� White has excellent com­ very complicated situation, for ex­ pensation for the pawn,for exam­ ample: 9.�e3 Ci.Jf6 1O.�d3 '?9c7 1l. ple: 15 ...'?9b6 16J'!ab1 '?9a6 17.Ci.Jb5t dxc5 0-0 12.0-0-0 Ci.Jd5! 13.�d4 with serious threats, or 15 ...'?9b4 Ci.Jf4 14.'?ge4 Ci.Jxd3+ 15J'!xd3 f6 ! 16J'!ab1and it would be a disaster with chances for both sides, Vo­ for Black to choose 16 ...'?9xa4? lokitin - Roiz, Beersheba 2005. 17.hg7!± mxg7? 18.Ci.Jxe6+) 15.a5 9 ... 0-0 '?9a6 16.c4! '?9xc4 (This is a very It is not precise for Black to re­ risky decision, but otherwise, af­ ply here with 9 ...Ci.Jf 6, owing to ter 17.b3, Black's queen will be 1O.dxc5! hc5 (after 1O... Ci.Jx e4 completely cut off from the ac­ 1l.'?9xe4hc5 , White has the pow­ tion.) 17.'?9xb7 '?9c8 18.a6± White erfulresource 12.'?ge5! �f8. This is has a great advantage thanks to the only move for Black. 13J'!e1 his powerful a6-pawn and his ac­ '?9d6 14.'?9b5+ '?9d7 15.'?9h5 '?9c7 tive pieces, Anand - Milov, Bastia 16.Ci.Jd4 with a powerful initiative (rapid) 2005. for White, Tseshkovsky - Doro­ 10 .l'!dl Y!lc7 1l.c3 shkievich, Novorossijsk 1995) 11. '?9b5+ �d7 (following 11...Ci.Jd7 12. �f4;!; Black's pieces turn out to be misplaced) 12.'?9xc5 Ci.Jxe4 13.'?ge5 Ci.Jf6 14J'!du and White exertspo­ sitional pressure. 9 ...cxd4 lOJ'!d1 Ci.Jc5 (but not 10 ...e5? ! because of 11.c3! dxc3 12.Ci.Jxe5t and Black is in grave danger, while after 11 ...0-0 12. cxd4 exd4 13.Ci.Jxd4± White's piec-

83 Chapter 3

1l ..•lLlf 6 This is an interesting idea. It is also possible for Black to Whitedoes not avoid the exchange opt here for 1l ... cxd4 12.ll'lxd4 (It and he relies on quick develop­ is interesting for White to recap­ ment. This is in harmony with the ture with the pawn: 12.cxd4!? lLlf6 concept of the entire variation 13.�gS �d7 14.�ac1 Wlb6. Now, (see the notes to White's move 6 after lS.lLleS �bS 16.Wlf3 �ad8! in the Quick Repertoire section). Black obtained excellent counter­ However, 12.�c2 is also good play in the game Kudrin - Chris­ and would transpose to the game tiansen, Salt Lake 1999; it is much Laznicka - Jirovsky, which we stronger for White to play the analyze below - see 8 ... 0-0 9.c3 pawn-break lS.dS! recommended c5 10.0-0 lLlf6 11.�c2 Wlc712.� d1, by the Israeli GM Alexander Fin­ variation Clb. kel, after which White maintains 12 •••lLlxe4 some initiative.) 12 ...lLlf6 13.�c2 This decision, in connection (White would like to preserve his with Black's next move, was also bishop on the long diagonal, but recommended by Finkel. after 13.�f3 , Black equalizes im­ It is less precise for Black to mediately with: 13 ...a6, with the play here 12 ...h6? !, since White idea of 14 ...eS, 14.�gS lLlg4!=) 13 ... can counter this with: 13.hf6! �d7 (If Black delays this develop­ hf6 14.Wlc4! �e7 lS.b4! fS (This ment of the bishop, then later he is the only move for Black, since may face the rather unpleasant he must unpin his b7-pawn.) 16. tactical blow lLld4-fS: 13 ...a6 14. �d3 bS (16 ... b6 17.dxcS bxcS 18. �gS;!; �d7 lS.lLlfS!; 13 ...�d8 14. lLld4!±) 17.WlxbS cxb4 18.cxb4 �b8 �gS;!; �d7 lS.lLlfS!) 14.g3!?;!; and 19.WlaS WlxaS 20.bxaS �f6 21. after White developshis bishop to �abl± and the endgame is clearly f4 he will maintain a slight advan­ better for White, Yermolinsky - tage. Seirawan, Merrillville1997 (game 13). A transposition of moves aris­ es after 12 ...cxd4 !? 13.cxd4 - see 1l ...cxd4 12.cxd4 lLlf6 13.i.gS, the game Kudrin - Christiansen. 13.Wlxe4 (diagram)

13 •..i.d6 (Black is also worse after 13 ...f6 14.�f4;!;) 14.dxcS hcS (14 ...WlxcS lS.�d2;!;) IS.i.f4 Wlb6 16.b4 i.e7 17.lLleS;!; White maintains powerful positional 12.i.gS!? pressure.

84 3.llJ d2 dxe4 4.llJxe4 llJd7 S. llJj3 llJgf6 6 . .id3

9 •••c5 For 9 ...llJf6 1O . .ic2 c5 - see 9 ... cS. 10.0-0 ttJf6 After 1O ...Vff c7 lU�dl, there arises a position from variation CIa. It would be imprecise for Black to choose 1O ...cxd4 ?! 1l.llJxd4 llJf6, because this would enable White to keep his bishop on the more important hl-a8 diagonal:

Clb) 8 ... 0-0 12 . .if3 ! a6 13.:gel! (13 ..if4 �d6) 13 ...Vff c7 14.g3! .ic5 (14 ....id6 15.�g5t) 15 . .if4 Vffb6 16.:gadlt Godena - Depyl, France 2001.

1l • .ic2

9.c3 Black is already planning to at­ tack the bishop with the move 9 ... llJf6, so White prepares the c2- square for its retreat. 1l ...cxd4 Anattempt to castle queenside After 11...b6, White should provides Black with good counter clarify the pawn-structure in the chances in this variation too: 9. centre himself: 12.dxc5! bxc5 .ie3 llJf6 1O ..id3 c5 1l.dxc5 Vffc7 - (capturing with the bishop also see 8 ...cS 9 . .ie3 llJf6 1O. .id3 Vffc7 has its drawbacks: 12 ...hc5 13 . 1l.dxc5 0-0, variation CIa. .ig5 .ib7 14.:gadland here, for ex­ Or 9 . .id2 c5 10.0-0-0 cxd4 ample, Black loses after 14 ...Vff e7? 1l.llJxd4 llJc5! 12 . .ic3 Vffc7 (12 ... 15.b4! .id6 16.hf6 gxf6 17. Vffb6!?) 13.wbl .id7 with quite suf­ Vffd3+-; Black must retreat with ficient counterplay for equality, his queen to the other side - 14, .. Markidis - Ivanovic, Nea Makri Vffc7, but after 15. .ixf6 gxf6 16. 1990. .ie4t White is slightly better) 13.

85 Chapter 3

ltJeS �b7 14J':id1 '?fic7 lS.c4 1':ifdS on d7, so his decision to part with 16.�d2! (transferring the bishop it and to improve the coordina­ to the wonderful c3-square) 16 ... tion of the rest of his pieces is 1':id4 17.�c3 1':ixd1+ lS.1':ixd1 1':idS quite reasonable. 19.1':ixdS+ '?fixdS 20.a3;!; and de­ If 13 ... 1':ieS 14.1':iad1'?fib6 lS.�eS spite the numerous exchanges 1':iadS 16.1':id3!t White obtains ex­ White's position is preferable in cellent attacking prospects and this endgame with many pieces, after 16 ... ltJdS?! 17.1':ih3 g6 IS. thanks to his superior pawn­ 1':ixh7! �f6 (this is Black's only structure and more active pieces, move) 19.1':ih3, he ended up with Gavrilov - Totsky,Pardubice 1999 an extra pawn in the game Ziegler (game 14). - Remmel, Stockholm 1991. 11...'?fic7 12.1':id1 b6 (12 ...cxd4 The game developed in similar 13.ltJxd4 - see variation CIa, the fashion after 13 ... ltJdS, Von Her­ line 11...cxd4) 13.ltJeS 1':idS 14.�f4 man - Gaerths, Berlin 2004: 14. cxd4 (this is imprecise, and Black �eS '?fib6 lS.1':iadU should have played 14 ...�b7 here) 14.lLlxc6 bxc6 15.ie5 'Wb6 lS.cxd4 �b7 16.1':iac1 '?fibS 17.�g3 16.gadl gfd8 17.c4;!; �d6 lS.�h4 heS 19.dxeS 1':ixd1+ 20.1':ixd1 ltJdS 21.'?fid3 g6 22.'?fig3;!; - White plans to redeploy his pieces with �b3, �gS, followed by h4-hS, maintaining the initiative, Laznicka - Jirovsky, Brno 2006. 12.lLlxd4id7 For 12 ...'?fic7 13.1':id1 - see vari­ ation CIa, in the line 1l ...cxd4. 13.if4

White has an edge, Fedorow­ icz - Lein, USA 19S6.

C2) 7 ••• lLlf6 8.ig5 (diagram)

C2a) 8 .••h6

C2b) 8 •..ie7 C2c) 8 ...'Wd6

For S ...cS 9.0-0 - see 6 ...cS

13 •••ic6 7.0-0 ltJxe4 S.he4 ltJf6 9.�gS, Black's bishop is very passive variation D3.

S6 3.�d2 dxe4 4.�xe4 �d7S.�j3 �gf6 6.�d3

can transfer his knight to a better square with 13.�d2 0-0-0 14. �c4 \Wc7IS.g 3;tand he maintains an edge. 10.ti'e2 White is again threatening 11. �xb7! and the queen check on bS may also be very unpleasant for Black.

10 •.•a6 1O ...�d6 11.�bS+ (White car­ C2a) 8 ...h6? ! ries out his secondarythreat. The This move forces White to give following variation is now less up his bishop, but the arising po­ clear 11.hb7 i..xb7 12.\WbS+ 'it>e7 sitions are by no means good for 13.\Wxb7 �ab8 with chances for Black. both sides, Savon - Mochalov, 9.hf6 Ore1 1988) 11...id7 (It is safer for Black to play here 11... 'it>e7 12.0-0 c6 13.\WaS �d8 14.�eS 'it>f8 IS.f4 'it>g8 16.�adU, but even then White has a verycomfortable po­ sition in which Black has no coun­ terplay whatsoever.

9 .•.ti'xf6 9 ...gxf6 1O.\We2 (White is threatening the tactical blow 11. hb7!) 1O ... c6 (Black should cas­ tle queenside here, so he will have This is a veryinter esting posi­ to play this move. Kingside cas­ tion and when you look at it you tling would be very dangerous: can hardly tell that Black has cas­ 10 ... \Wd6 11.0-0-0 �g7 12.'it>bl tled artificially.) 12.\Wxb7 0-0 13. 0-0 13.h4 fS I4.�d3 c5 1S.c3 cxd4 0-0 �fb8 (He would not change 16.�xd4 a6 17.g4� Landre - much with 13 ...�ab8 14.\Wxa7 Tetenkina, France 2003) 11.0- �xb2 IS.�abl±) 14.\Wa6 �b6 IS. 0-0 \WaS 12.'it>bl�d7, Guseinov ­ \We2 �d8 16.b3± and White has a D.Petrosian, Lahijan 200S. White solid extra pawn.

87 Chapter 3

1O ...c6 l1.lLleS .id7 (White is threatening 12.lLlxc6, but Black's defence against that seems rather awkward after 1l .. J:'!b8?!: 12.f4! .ib4+ 13.c3 .id6 14.We3 We7 1S.0- 0-0 .id716.g 4± and the future of Black's king is somewhat unclear, Sutovsky - Shachar, Tel Aviv 2002; it would be dubious for him to opt for 12 ...Wxf4? 13.g3 WgS 14J!f1t with a crushing initiative 18.dxeS with an obvious advan­ for White) 12.0-0-0 (It is also tage, for example if 18 ....ie6, he verygood for White to castle king­ can capture the pawn: 19.hb7 side: 12.0-0!? .id6 13.f4;1; Linde­ �ab8 20 . .idS±; while after 18 ...c6 mann - Cawi, Germany 1982.) 19 . .ib3±White's rook obtains the 12 ....id6 13.wb1 0-0-0 excellent d6-outpost) lS ....id7 16.gS! hS 17.�he1 g6 (Black thus allows the enemy pawn to dS, but permitting its colleague to ad­ vance to the g6-square would be even worse: 17... �ae8 18.g6! �f6 19.1LleS heS 20.WxhS+- and Black must give up a rook to avoid being mated) 18.dS eS (Black would not save the day with 18 ... �ae8, because after 19.dxe6 he 14.f4 .ie8 lS.h4 We7 (IS ... cannot recapture on e6: 19 ... Wxf4? 16J'!dfl+-) 16.g3;1;- Black's he6? 20.Wxe6! Wxe6 21.�xe6 position has no real weaknesses, �xe6 22 . .ic4+�'with heavy mate­ but it is very passive, Timofeev - rial losses for Black.) 19.1LlxeS A.Rychagov, Sochi 2006. �fe8 20.f4+- White has an extra 11.0-0-0 .id6 12.wbl 0-0 pawn and an overwhelming posi­ 13.h4 gb8 tional advantage, Short - Zhu In the following game Black Chen, Gibraltar 2006. succeeded in avoiding the mating 14.g4 .id7 attack, but came under terrible (diagram) positional pressure: 13 ...We7 14. The diagram position arose in g4 fS the game Alekseev - Korobov, (diagram) Oropesa del Mar 2001. White lS . .id3 (it is also reasonable could have obtained a decisive ad­ for White to play here lS.gxfS!? vantage by force with 15.�e5! exfS 16 . .idS+ wh8 17.lLleS heS .ib5 16.c4 .ia4 17.b3 .ie8(after

88 3.0,d2 dxe4 4.0,xe4 0,d7 5.0,]3 0,gf6 6.id3

17 ...i.c6 18.bc6 bxc6 19.0,d7+­ This move not only prepares Black loses the exchange) 18. queenside castling but also pre­ g5+- and since it would be vents Black from immediately very bad for Black to play 18 ..• castling kingside.

Y:rf4 19.0,d3losing his queen, he 10 •••c6 will have to acquiesce to the deci­ Let us take a brief look at the sive opening of files on the king­ alternatives for Black. side. After1O ...g6, White should not be tempted into capturing on b7: 11.bb7?! bb7 12.'�b5+ �d7 13.

C2b) 8 •••.Ae7 �xb7 0-0 14.0-0 gab8 15.�xa7 gxb2 16.c3 �c6 17.�a3, Balinov ­ Ebner, Graz 1999, 17.. Jl fb8�and Black has excellent compensa­ tion. Instead, White should follow his plan: 11.0-0-0t with the idea of 12.h4, and the game would de­ velop in similar fashion to the variation 10 ...�d6 11.0-0-0 g6 - see below. 10 ...h6 11.0-0-0 c6 (11...�d6 - see 1O ...�d6) 12.h4 �c7

Afterthis move, just as in vari­ ation C2a, Black can force his op­ ponent to give up his bishop for the knight (in this particular case, "force" is hardly the right word ...), but ends up in a verycramped po­ sition.

9 • .ixf6 .ixf6 10.Wd3! Chapter 3

13.g4! This is the most ener­ �xes? 15. :1!xd7! Wxd7 16 . .ic6+ getic option fo r White (after 13. wd6 17.:1!dl+-) 14.f4 hes ls.fxes �e3 .id714.g4 0-0-0, Black suc­ .ic6 (Black's defence is also very ceeds in completing his develop­ difficult after 15 ... 0-0-0 16.:1!hfl ment just in time: Is.gs .ie7 16. :1!hf8 17.�g3±) 16.:1!hfl :1!d8 17.:1!f4 tLles.ie8 with an acceptable posi­ he4 18.:1!xe4 0-0 19.:1!g4 wh7 tion). 13 ...�f4 + 14.�e3 �xe3+ 15. 20.:1!fl � and White's attack is be­ fxe3±. White exerts powerfulpres­ coming ever stronger, Kinder­ sure even afterthe trade of queens: mann - Duer, Austria 1998. Is ...g6 16.gs hxgs?! (it is more Possibly the most interesting precise for Black to play here 16 ... of Black's numerous options on .ig7) 17.hxgs :1!xhl 18.:1!xhl .ig7 move 10 is a move which is very 19.tLleS .id7 20.tLlg4± with a con­ rarely played - 1O ....id7! ? siderable advantage for White, So - Dableo, Manila 2008. 1O ...�d6 11.0-0-0 h6 (It is in­ ferior for Black to opt for 11...g6?! 12.h4 .ig7 13.tLles 0-0 14.hs� with a powerful attack for White, quickly leading to a winning posi­ tion: 14 .. .f6? Is.h6! .ih8 16.hg6! fxes 17.hh7+ wf7 18.�g6+ We7 19 . .ig8 .if6 20.h7+- Friedel - Yang, Berkeley 2011; in answer to 11.0-0 (matters are less clear 11 ....id7, White can cold-blooded­ after11.0-0-0 .ic6and Black has ly gobble up a pawn with 12.hb7! meaningful counterplay, King - :1!b8 13 . .ie4 c5 14.wbl We7 Is.c3 Speelman, London 1985; in an­ .ibS, Rublevsky - Lobron, Frank­ other game White played l1.hb7 furt 2000. After 16.�e3 �b6 17. :1!b8 12 . .ie4 :1!xb2 13.0-0 h6, Vo­ :1!d2± Black has no compensation caturo - Drazic, Bastia 2009, af­ at all.) 12.'1We3.id7 13.tLles ter which he could have obtained an overwhelming advantage with the line: 14.:1!fbl �b8 Is.c4 0-0 16.�a3 :1!b6 17.cs :1!bs 18.�a6±; but it is better for Black to play in­ stead 12 ...cs !? 13.0-0-0 �as 14.wbl h600 followed by 15 ...0-0 and the position is rather unclear) 11 ....ic6 (White maintains some pressure after 11 ...c6 12.tLleS h6 13.:1!adl 0-0 14.f4±) 12.hc6+ 13 ...�b6 (13 ...he s?! 14.dxes bxc6 13.:1!fel 0-0 14.tLles �ds (or

90 3.ttJd2 dxe4 4.ttJxe4 ttJd75.ttJj3 ttJgf6 6.i.d3

1S .. .'�d6 and White has the re­ 12 ...i.d7 13.ttJeS heS 14.dxeS source 16.�c3!) 1S.c4 �d6 16. 0-0-0 1S.�g3 g6 16.�f4 i.e8 17. gad1 gfd8 17.�f3 cS 18.dxcS �xcS �f6 gg8 18.g4±. Although Black 19.ttJd7 �e7 20.ge2!;!:; can play like this (I am referring to this particular case, but I have in mind his entire opening con­ cept ... ), it all seems horribly pas­ sive, Laznicka - Arkell, Fuegen 2006. 13.h4 .td714)l:leS gd8 IS.f4 �c7 16.g4 cS 17.gS .ixeS 18. dxeS hxgS 19.hxgS gxhl 20. gxhl <;t>e7 21.�a3 �b6 (21...b6 22.�f3 ±) 22 . .ixb7!± We have looked at numerous variations. In the last one, al­ though White needed to play very precisely, his advantage is beyond doubt in the resulting position. 11.0-0-0 �aS After 1l ...i.d7 12.ttJeS g6 13.f4 �e7 14.�e3 0-0-0 1S.gd3 i.e8 16.c4 �c7 17.ghdl± Black might be completely squashed inside his own camp, Galkin - Galavics, Oberwart 1999. 12.<;t>bl The position has come very close to an endgame and Black has not played a single active move from the beginning of the game. Meanwhile, White has al­ ready won a pawn. The game we are analyzing ended in a draw, but it is obvious that this had nothing to do with the outcome of the opening, Petrik - Stupak, Khanty­ Mansiysk 2010 (game IS).

C2c) 8 •••�d6 !?

12 •••h6 Black has three possible ways The character of the fight to eliminate the pin along the h4- would not be changed much after d8 diagonal and this manoeuvre

91 Chapter 3 with the queen is not the most The point is that after 9 . .bf6 popular (8 ...ie7 is played much with precise play Black can hold more often). However, it has been the balance: 9 ...gxf6 1O.c3 f5 11. played by Anand, Ni Hia, Speel­ ic2 id7! (it is weaker for him to man, Vorobiev and other famous play 11...ig7?! 12.1Mfe2!± and in players and it creates the most view of the threat of 13 . .bf5, Black problems for White to obtain an must either give up a pawnor cas­ advantage. At least this is the view tle kingside, which is fatal for him of theory at the moment. under the circumstances, Ale­ After the exchange on f6, as kseev - Ismagambetov, Khanty­ you will see in variations C2a and Mansiysk 2007) C2b, it will be much safer for Black to castle queenside and the development of his strongest piece contributes to this. In addi­ tion, he has created the threat to check from the b4-square. The drawback of this method of development for Black is that now White is not obliged to give up his dark-squared bishop. How­ ever, in order to preserveit he will 12.\We2 (or 12.lLle5 ig7 13.f4 need to sacrificea pawn. he5 14.fxe5 \Wd5 15.\Wf3 ic6 16.\Wxd5 .bd5 17.0-0 We7 18.ib3 ie4= Macieja - Anastasian, Step­ anakert 2004) 12 ... 0-0-0 13.lLle5 ie8 14.ib3 (after 14.0-0-0, Whitemust consider the possibil­ ity of 14 ...\Wd5 !) 14 ...ig7 15.f4 (GM Nikita Vitiugov points out that here White cannot obtain an advantage with the line: 15.0-0-0 he5 16.dxe5 \Wc517. E1xd8+ wxd8 18.E1dl+ wc8=) 15 ...he5 16.fxe5 \We7 17.0-0-0 ic6= - the posi­ 9.�d3!? tion is equal, Gaponenko - Ale­ This move is still not very ex­ ksandrova, Germany 2009. tensively analyzed and it leads to 9 ...\Wb4 + 10.�d2 very lively play. From the point of White has also tried 10.\Wd2!?, view of White's fight for the ad­ but Black's task of achieving a vantage in the opening it is practi­ draw becomes easier in an end­ cally forced. game.

92 3.lDd2 dxe4 4.lDxe4 lDd7 5. lDj3 lDgf6 6.�d3

10 •••ti'xb2 for him to play the aggressive It would hardly be good for 13.flf4!? �d8 14.�f3t) 13 ...fle7 him to play passively with 10 ... 14.c4 cS lS.flc2 0-0 16.�d3 g6 �b6?!, since then his previous 17.E:ad1 �c7 18.�c3� with good two moves would look senseless: compensation for White, Kasparov 11.0-0 cS 12.dxcS hcS 13.b4! fle7 - Anand, Kopavogur 2000. 14.c4 fld7 lS.�c2 �c7 16.flc3± 12 ....ie7 13.�e5 t'ld6 14. .if4 with an overwhelming advantage "tYd8 15."tYf3 0-0 for White, Brkic - Kosic, Croatia It would be too dangerous for 2010. Black to opt for lS ...�xd4 16.flbS+ 11.0-0 \tlf8 17.E:ad1 �cS 18.fld7!?� and White's piece-activity increases rather threateningly.

The diagram position has ap­ peared three times in practice. White's success rate is striking - In the game Stellwagen - Rees, three wins out of three games! Novi Sad 2009, the fight was 11 ...ti'a3 quickly over after 16.�h3 g6 17. White exerts very powerful E:ad1 E:e8 18.flh6� lDhS?! 19.94 pressure after 11 ...fle7 12.c4 cS lDf6 20.gS lDd7? 2l.lDxf7! and 13.dS! 0-0 (Naturally it would be Black resigned. His play can be too risky for Black to capture on improved however: 16 ...�xd4 !? dS.) 14J'!e1 fld7 lS.flf4 E:fe8 16.d6 (aftercastling, this capture is less fld8, Volokitin - Levin, Dagomys reckless) 17.flgS g6 18.E:ad1 �cS 2009 and here Vitiugov recom­ and it is far from clear how White, mends the following simple varia­ two pawns down, should develop tion 17.E:b1! �xa2 18.fub7 flc6 his initiative. 19.E:bl± Therefore, he should play less 12J;el!? riskily and after the simple move White can also obtain a very 16.gadl� his compensation for good position after 12.lDeS �d6 the minimal material deficit is 13.fle3 (it is in fact even stronger quite sufficient.

93 Chapter 3

D) 6 •••c5 Among the alternatives for Black, we will just brieflymention the possibility of 7 ...Wc7, for ex­ ample: S.We2 lLlxe4 9.Wxe4 lLlf6 1O.Wh4 cxd4 11.lLlxd4 a6 12.fle1 ie7 13.ig5 h6 14.c4 figS(but not 14 ...0-0?, because of the stand­ ard sacrifice 15 . .b:h6! gxh6 16. Wxh6+- and Black is unable to prevent the transfer of White's rook to the kingside along the third rank: 16 ...fldS 17.fle3 flxd4 1S.flh3 and Black should resign) This is Black's most precise re­ 15.id2 id7 16.if4 Wb6 17.ie5t sponse. His last move is quite nat­ with a slight edge for White, Sau­ ural (attacking the centre) and lin - Pushkov, Elista 1995. involves an important nuance. It is most principled for him to ac­ Dl) 7 •••li.e7 complish this essential freeing pawn-break with his bishop still on fS , because then, aftera subse­ quent exchange on c5, he can re­ capture with his bishop fromfS in one move, saving a tempo in com­ parison to the schemes in which he advances c7-c5 only after he has already developed his bishop to e7. 7. 0-0 It is too riskyfor White to cas­ tle queens ide in this situation, fo r 8.lLlxc5! example: 7.lLlxf6+ lLlxf6 8.dxc5 White again seizes the chance .b:c5 9.We2 0-0 1O.ig5 h6 11.h4 to gain a tempo. In the diagram Wa5+ 12.id2 Wb6 13.0-0-0 e5! position Black must choose how 14.lLlxe5 fleSand Black's counter­ to recapture on c5. play is tremendously dangerous, 8 ••• lLlxc5 Pelletier - Morozevich, Biel AfterS ....b:c5 9.dxc5 lLlxc5 10. 2004. ic4 (it is interesting for White to try here 1O.We2!? - see 6 ...ie7 7.

Dl) 7 •••li.e7 We2 c5 S.lLlxc5 .b:c5 9.dxc5 lLlxc5

D2) 7 •••cxd4 10.0-0, variation Bl) 10 ... 0-0

D3) 7 ••• lLlxe4 11.We2 Wc7, Strikovic - Gerber,

94 3.0,d2 dxe4 4.0,xe4 0,d7 5. 0,.13 0,gf6 6.�d3

Cannes 1996 and now White's see the detail that after 13.. .f5 most precise option would be 12. 14.�xaB �c7 15.i.e4!+- White �e5!?, freeing the e2-square in saves his queen, emerging with a order to increase the mobility of decisive material advantage. It is his light-squared bishop, for ex­ amazing that his opponent, an­ ample: 12 ...�xe5 13.0,xe5 b6 14. other outstanding GM Aseev, i.e3± with a comfortable advan­ trusted him and played 12.0,e5? tage. and so the game continued. 9.dxc5 hc5 10.�e2 0-0 11... �c7 12Jlad1 b6. Here, the 1l . .tg5 situation afterthe move 13.hf6 is not so clear in view of 13 ...gxf6 14.�e4 f5 ! 15.�xaB i.b7, with chances for both sides, Remmel - Obers, Dieren 199B. It is best for White to play 13.0,e5± Rubinstein - Sterk, Bad Pistyan 1912, with the idea of replying to 13 ...i.b7? with 14.ixf6 gxf6 15.0,d7! White is also better after 11 ... �b6 12.c3 0,d5 13.l"lad1 �c7 14. i.bUNewerovski - Feoktistov, St. Petersburg 1999. This is the key position for the An interesting tryfo r Black is correct evaluation of the entire 11 ...h6 !? 12.i.h4 i.e7(but not 12 ... line with 7 ...i.e7. On the one hand, i.d7?! 13.l"lad1�e7 14.0,e5± with a Black has managed to force his very difficult position for him, opponent to castle kingside, which Stjazhkina - Dushenok, St Peters­ is less dangerous for him than the burg 2002; White maintains some positions in which White castles pressure after 12 ...�c7 13.0,e5 queenside. On the other hand, i.e7 14.l"lad1 l"ldB 15.l"lfe1 i.d7 16. Black has lost a tempo and he will i.g3 �c5 17.�f3 �b6 1B.i.f4± have problems completing his de­ A.Horvath - Peredy, Balaguer velopment. 2005) 13.l"lad1�b6 14.c4 i.d7! 1l ....te7 We should examine Black's other possibilities here. 11 ...b6?, Aseev - Kholmov, St. Petersburg 1995. Of course, it is hard to believe that GM Ratmir Kholmov overlooked the rather obvious variation - 12.i.xf6 gxf6 13.�e4. It seems that he did not

95 Chapter 3

Now you can see the idea of 13 ...:ad8 Black's eleventh move. White is Black did not play well in the not attacking his h7-pawn. If IS. game Godena - Yeillaz, Forli 1991: liJeS ic6 16.liJxc6 bxc6!? and 13 ...g6? ! 14.liJeS b6 IS.ic4 ib7? Black's position is quite accepta­ 16.,bf6 ,bf6 17.liJd7+- and White ble. It has some drawbacks, ad­ won the exchange. mittedly, but he has the excellent The move 13 ...id7? ! loses a d4-outpost for his pieces, Pogoni­ pawn without any compensation: na - Glek, Internet (blitz) 2004. 14.,bf6 .b:f6 IS.,bh7+ <;t>xh7 16. White, for her part, should have vtid3+ g6 17.vtixd7± Michel - Fal­ advanced her c-pawn a bit more con, Buenos Aires 1945. cleverly: by continuing 14.c3 id7 14.liJe5 IS.liJeS�, she could have preserved slightly the better chances. 12.:aadl 'i!lc7 The careless move 12 ...liJdS? ! enables White to win a pawn with the help of a simple combination: 13.,be7'i!lxe7 14.,bh7+! <;t>xh7 1S. l'!xdS± G.Markovic - Minkova, Yugoslavia 1991. 12 ... 'i!lb6 13.c3 h6 14.ie3 vtic7 IS.id4 id7 16.ibl ic6 17.liJeS l'!fd8 18.l'!felif 8?! 19.vtic2ie7 20.

liJg4--+ White has played so much 14 •••h6 better than his opponent in the Black removes this pawn from last few moves that Black is al­ attack with tempo. ready in great difficulties, A.Orlov Black lost a pawn, as before, - Hobusch, Dortmund 2008. with 14 ...id7? ! IS.,bf6 ,bf6 16. 13.c3 ,bh7!± Schuette - Heinsohn, Germany 200S. White maintains the advan­ tage in the following variations: 14 ...aS IS.a4 <;t>f8 16.l'!fel id7 17. if4 vticS 18.vtic2 h6 19.1iJxd7+ l'!xd7 20.ieS l'!ad8 2l.h3� Tivia­ kov - Krudde, Netherlands 2000, as well as 14... g6 IS.l'!fel liJdS 16.,be7vtixe7 17.ie4 liJf6 18.if3::l: Rogers - Lopez Martinez, Cala Galdana 1999.

96 3.teJd2 dxe4 4.teJxe4 teJd7 S. teJj3 teJgf6 6.id3

15 . .ih4b6 15 ...id7 16.ig3 id6 17.teJg4;t Stavrev - Bochev, Pamporovo 200l. 16.gfe l!

ue with 19 ...he4? 20.teJxd8g5, as played in the game Kashdan - Tholfsen, Syracuse 1934. Here White could have obtained a deci­ sive advantage with 2l.hg5 hxg5 22.teJxe6+- Black is now prepared to de­ The variation 19 ...teJxe4 20. velop his bishop and to equalize teJxd8 hh4 2l.teJxb7 hf2+ 22. after a few quiet moves. Thus 'it>f1he1 23.'it>xeU leads to a bet­ White urgently needs to start ter endgame for White. some concrete action to prevent 20.lLlxh6+! 'i.tf8 21.�xe6 this. gxel+ 22.�xe1 gxh6 23 . .ixf6

16 •••.ib7 .ixf6 24.�e6 .ig7 25.�d6+ Black allows the following 'i.te8 combination with this move, but After 25 ... 'it>e8, White has the he has no other useful preparato­ powerful riposte 26.�d7! ry moves and he must try some­ 26.�c7 gd8 27.f3± how to complete the mobilization of his forces. 17.teJxf7! This is an attractive tactical shot, but White must calculate its consequences verycarefully.

17 •••�c6 It would be a disaster for Black to opt for 17... 'it>xf7 18.�xe6+ 'it>f8 19.hf6 .ixf6 20.ic4+- 18. .ie4! �xe4 19.�xe4 (diagram)

19 .•.gx dl! White's queen and three pawns It is weaker for him to contin- are stronger than Black's rook and

97 Chapter 3 two minor pieces. In addition a6 15.liJc3 ixb4 16.liJd5 ie7 17. Black will have to give up another 'IWg4 t. There are still a lot of pieces pawn in order to finally consoli­ on the board and the position is date his pieces: after 27... l:!d7 2S. quite open, so Black's monarch, 'lWbS+ White captures on a7. All stranded in the centre, will sooner these factors give White a clear or later come under a crushing at­ advantage, Karpov - Speelman, tack. 17 .. :�cS 1S.'lWg7l:!fS 19.'lWxh7 Reykjavik 1991. 'IW�4 20.l:!fd1 l:!cS 21.ih6+­ White's advantage is decisive, Tis­ chbierek - Meister, Bad Koenig­

D2) 7 ...cxd4 shofen 2007. The exchange on e4 enables White to preserve his bishop on the more important h1-aS diago­ nal: S ...liJxe 4?! 9.ixe4 liJf6 1O.if3 ie7 (Black fails to equalize after 1O ...ic5 11.ie3 ib6 12.c4 e5 13. liJb5 he3 14.fxe3 'lWxd1 15.l:!fxd1 rJJe7 16.liJd6 l:!bS 17.c5 l:!dS, Shi­ rov - Bareev, Monaco 2002, 1S.l:!acU) 11.if4 !

Black reduces the tension in the centre early and White has no problems obtaining an opening advantage. 8.tbxd4j.e7 It is too risky for Black to play S ...tbc 5?!, which leads to the un­ necessary weakening of his king­ side, after which his king will be Black's queenside is under in trouble: 9.liJxf6 + gxf6 (9 ...'lWxf6 powerful positional pressure and 1O.liJb5±) 1O.ib5+ id7 11.b4! he is unlikely to survive. After ixb5 (11 ...liJe 4 12.'lWf3t) 12.liJxb5 11 ...0-0 12.c3 a6 (The German liJd7 (12 ...a6 13.'lWf3! axb5 14. GM Leonid Kritz recommends bxc5±) 13.if4 e5 (The fight was here 12 ...liJd5 13.ie5 id6 14.ixd6 very quickly over in the following 'lWxd6 15.'lWb3 liJf4 16.liJb5 'lWb6, game: 13 ...l:!cS 14.'lWh5t l:!c4? 15. evaluating the position as "with l:!fe1!+- and after a few moves counterplay for Black", but after Black resigned, Yemelin - Doro­ 17.l:!fd1e5 1S.liJd6± White is clear­ shkievich, Rostov 1993.) 14.ie3 ly better.) 13.l:!e1 l:!a7. Such awk-

9S 3.t:f:Jd2 dxe4 4.!i:Jxe4 !i:Jd7 S. !i:Jj3 !i:JgJ6 6 . .td3 ward and passive moves are not which we have already analyzed: in harmony with the style of Sha­ 1O ...!i:Jx e4 11 . .txe4 !i:Jf6 12 . .tf3 �c7 khriar Mamedyarov, but he has 13.!i:JbS �b6 14.a4 a6 lS . .te3 .tcS no choice, since he has no active 16 . .txcS �xcS 17.�d6! �xd6 18. moves at all. (He can improve his !i:Jxd6 �b8 19.aS �d8 20.�ad1 c;:!if8 position neither with 13 ...�b6 2I.b4± with an overwhelming ad­ 14.�b3±, nor with 13 ...!i:JdS 14. vantage for White in the endgame, .tg3 .td6 lS.hd6 �xd6 16.!i:Jb3! Ponomariov - Akobian, Khanty­ �d8 17.c4 !i:Jf6 18.�xd8 �xd8 Mansiysk 2009. 19.�adl± A.Kovacevic - Kosic, 1l.�fJ! Kopaonik 200S.) 14.a4 .td7 IS. This is a very good move. �b3 �c8 16.aS± Black's position White exploits the right moment is verydifficult, Alekseev - Mam­ to transfer his strongest piece to edyarov, Moscow 2008 (game the kingside. 16). It has occupied the long diago­ 9.ge1 0-0 nal in the process, impeding the For 9 ...!i:Jx e4 10.he4 !i:Jf6 II. development of the enemy bishop .tf3 0-0 12.c3 - see 9 ... 0-0 10. c3 on c8. !i:Jxe4 1l . .txe4 !i:Jf6 12.tf3 . . After 1I.!i:JgS !i:JcS 12 . .tc2 h6 10.c3 13.!i:Jgf3 �c7 14.!i:JeS .td6 lS.�e2 bS 16.h3 .tb7, Black's position is at least equal, Alekseev - Tratar, Heraklio200 7.

10 ...a6 Black is carefully preparing a simplifying operation in the cen­ tre by firsttrying to make as many 1l... lLld 5 usefulmoves as he can. It is not good for Black to play Here, just as before, it is less 1l ...!i:Je S? 12.!i:Jxf6+ hf6 13.�xeS! good for him to capture on e4, heS 14.�e4+- and White wins since the character of the arising material. This is the important position would be very similar to tactical justification of his elev­ the game Alekseev - Mamedyarov enth move.

99 Chapter 3

Black came under great posi­ tional pressure after 1l ...1'!e8 12. tLlgS tLlf8 (12 ...h6? 13.tLlxf7!

14 • .ig5! 8 •••ti)f6 Afterthe exchange of the bish­ After analyzing numerous ops Black will have problems pro­ sidelines, we have finallyreached tecting the dark squares in his the most principled line for both camp. sides.

14 •••hg5 For 8 ...ie7 9.�e2! - see 6 ... It is hardly any better for him tLlxe4 7.he4 ie7 8.�e2 cS 9.0-0 to opt for 14 .. .f6 1s.if4 and it (variation CIa). would be bad for him to continue 8 ...cxd4 9.tLlxd4 - see 7 ...cxd4 then with 1S ...eS? 16.tLlfS± 8.tLlxd4 tLlxe4 9.ixe4 (variation 15.ti)xg5 ti)f6 16.ti)e4 ti)cd5 D2).

17.c4 ti)xe4 18.he4 ti)f6 19. 9 • .ig5 .i£U (diagram)

(diagram) 9 •••cxd4 White enjoys a comfortable It is weaker for Black to con­ advantage, Kritz - Tratar, Plovdiv tinue with 9 ...ie7 10.ixf6 10 ... 2008 (game 17). hf6 (the lesser of the evils for

100 3/iJ d2 dxe4 4.liJxe4 liJd7S.liJIJ !iJgf6 6.i.d3

13.i.c6± and Black loses his cas­ tling rights, Devedzic - Fucak, Zadar 200l. 10.liJxd4

him is the line: 10 ...gxf6 11.dxc5 �xd1 12.E1axd1 ixc5 13.E1fe1 0-0 14.c3 E1b8 15.b4 i.b6 16.c4;l; with only a slight edge for White, Bara­ tosi - Ristic, Belgrade 2007) 11. dxc5 �c7 (after 11... ixb2 12.E1bl± 10 ...i.e7 White will capture on b7) 12.�d6 Here again, it would be very �xd6 13.cxd6 ixb2 (after 13 ... risky for Black to opt for 1O ...h6? ! 'it>d7 14.E1fd1 E1b8 15.c3± Black has 11.ixf6 �xf6 12.�d3! a6 13J�ad1 no compensation for the pawn at i.e7 (Black's defence is no easier all, Rabiega - Krumpacnik, Graz after 13 ...i.c5 14.�c3 i.e7 15.i.c6!± 2004) 14.E1ab1 i.a3 15.E1fdl± and Zontakh - Ponkratov, Ramenskoe Black is unable to preserve the 2006) 14.liJc6! e5 (Black can avoid material equality which he had immediate loss with the line: just restored, Pap - Frank, Buda­ 14 ...0-0 15.liJxe7+ �xe7 16.�d6 pest 2002. �xd6 17J�xd6 E1e8 18.f4 'it>f8 19. Or 9 ...h6 1O.i.xf6 �xf6 (in the E1fdl±, but the arising position is variation 10 ...gxf6 1l.�e2 cxd4 just terrible for him, Ciganikova 12.E1fd1 �b6 13.!iJxd4 i.e7 14.c3 - Rakay, Slovakia 1999) 15.liJxe7 i.d7, Gullaksen - Tetenkina, �xe7 16.f4!± exf4? (16 ...0-0 17.f5 Stockholm 2003, White must f6 18.�d6±) 17.ixb7! and in the continue with 15.a4t and Black's game Svidler - Bareev, Wijk aan king will be safe neither in the Zee 2004, Black resigned in view centre, nor on either of the flanks) of the variation 17... �c5 + 18.'it>h1 1l.�d3! (Black's queenside is mo­ ixb7 19.E1fe1+ 'it>f8 20.�d8+ E1xd8 mentarily defenceless.) 11 ...a6 12. 2l.E1xd8# �b3 E1b8(it is even worse for him It is possible for Black to try to play 12 ...�e7 13.d5 e5 14.d6! 1O ...i.c5 11.liJb3 (The position is �xd6 15.liJxe5! �xe5 16.E1fe1+­ simplifiedconside rably after 1l.c3 and the game will be soon over, h6 12.i.xf6 �xf6 13.�a4+ i.d7 14. Kotsur - Jasim, Abu Dhabi 2005) �c4 ixd4 15.cxd4 E1c8 16.�b4

101 Chapter 3

.ic6 17.hc6+ bxc6 18.�b7 0-0 most important position for the 19.�xa7 E:fd8 20.E:fdl cS 21.dxcS system we are studying in this �xb2 22.h3, Svidler - Izoria, Bled chapter. 2002. Here, the players agreed to 12.Wld3!? a draw, because of the variation This quite natural move is rel­ 22 ... E:xdl 23.E:xdl �c2=) 1l ....id6 atively new. It was played for the (1l ....ie7 12.�xd8+ hd8 13 . .if3;!;) first time in the game Timofeev - 12.hf6 gxf6 13.�hS fS 14 . .if3 (but Meier, Havana 2009. not 14.hfS? exfS IS.E:fel+ .ie7 Earlier, White generally used 16.E:e3 f4 ! 17.E:e4 O-O!+ and to fightagainst the pawn-advance White's compensation for the e6-eS in a more straightforward pawn is clearly insufficient, Mo­ fashion with 12.E:el, although oth­ rozevich - Zakharevich, N ovgorod er moves have been tried here as 1997). well, for example: 12.c4 and 12. a4!? 12 ...Wlc7 After 12 ...eS ?! White has 13. lLlfS! Black's situation is not so good after 12 ...�b 6, although in fact this move might not be bad. Note, however, who is playing with White in all these games: 13.E:adl E:d8 14 . .ie3 White's prospects are slightly preferable, which can be illustrat­ ed by the following sample varia­ tion: 14 ...�c7 1S.E:adl .ieS I6.c3;!; 1l . .tf3 0-0

14 ...�aS (or 14 ...eS IS.lLlfS E:xd3 - it is weaker for Black to choose IS ...hfS 16.�xfS �xb2 17. E:bl± with a dangerous initiative for White - 16.lLlxe7+ wf8 17. hb6 E:xdI 18.E:xdl axb6 19.1Llxc8 E:xc8 20.c3;!;. The endgame is The last diagram shows the much better for him, Ivanchuk -

102 3JiJd2 dxe44JiJx e4 cud75. CUj3 cugf6 6.�d3

pelletier, Cap d'Agde rapid 2010, is also quite close to achieving game IS) lS.'lWbS 'lWc7 16.'lWb3 a6 this. Accordingly, the conflict in (16 ...�d7 17.c4 eS lS.cubS hbS the opening focuses on whether 19.cxbS e4 20.b6! White's bishops Black will manage to develop his are completely dominant on the cS-bishop. He will try to accom­ board now. Black is helpless plish this, while White will strive against them. 20 ...'lWeS 21.�e2 a6 to prevent it. 22.g3 �cS 23.hcs 'lWxcS 24,l''k1 Bearing this in mind, it does 'lWe7 2SJ'k7 �d7 26.�fcl± �adS not seem so good for White to 27.�xd7 �xd7 2S.ha6!+- with a play lS.c3: lS ...�d7 16.'lWe3 �eS winning position for White, Kar­ 17.�f4 'lWb6 lS.cub3 'lWbS= with jakin - Drozdovskij, Odessa 2010, equality, Kurnosov - Meier, Lub­ in view of the variation 2S ... bxa6 lin 2010.

29.b7 �xb7 30.�cS+) 17.cufS! �xd1 15 ..•h6 (The endgame is very difficultfor White has prevented the de­ Black after 17 ...exfS lS.�b6 'lWbS velopment of the enemy bishop to 19.�xdS �e6 20.'lWxb7 'lWxb7 21. d7 with his last move: if lS ...�d7 hb7 �xdS 22.�xdS+ hdS 23. 16.�f4 'lWb6 17.'lWb3!± ha6± ha2?! 24.b3) 18.CUxe7+ 16.i.f4 i.d6 'lWxe7 19.�xdl±. White has again obtained the advantage of the bishop pair. His dark-squared bishop is unbelievably powerful in the arising pawn-structure, Karjakin - Drozdovskij, Odessa 2010. 13.�fel gdS 14.gadl a6

17.tLlb3! Black succeeded in equalizing after 17.hd6 �xd6 lS.�d3 �d7 19.'lWeS CUeS 20.�ed1 �dS 21.h4 �cS 22.�e2 �6d7= Hillarp Persson - Pelletier, Reykjavik 2011.

17•.• hf4 IS.gxdS+ 'lWxdS 15.'lWe3! 19.'lWxf4 'lWb6! White has completed the mo­ Black is planning 20 ...�d7. bilization of his forces, but Black 20.'lWe3!

103 Chapter 3

24.hb7 !:!b825 .ha6 !:!xb2 26.!:!a1 !:!xe2 27.a4;1;

20 .••ee7! It is worse for Black to opt for 20 ...�xe3 2U'1xe3 1'!b8 22.lt:JaS b6 23.ltJc6 1'!b7 24.1'!c3 1'!c7 2S.ltJe7+ The forcing play has ended. 1'!xe7 26.1'!xc8;1; In the arising endgame, White's 21.ee5 exe5 22.c!Oxe5 �f8! outside passed pawn provides After 22 ...1'!b 8, White has the him with some advantage and powerful resource 23.1'!dl. winning chances, Akopian - Pel­ 23.c!Oxb7 hb7 letier, Aix-les-Bains 2011 (game Or 23 ...1'!b8? 24.ltJd6. 19). Chapter 3 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.lbd2 dxe4 4.lbxe4 �d7 5.�t3 �gf6 6 . .id3

Complete Games

13 Yermolinsky - Seirawan Black could hardly be happy Merillville 1997 with the outcome of the variation l.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.tDc3dxe4 16 ...b6 17.dxc5 bxc5 18.121d4± tDf6 14.tDxe4 tDd7 5.tDf3 1J.e7 6. 17.�xb5 cxb4 IB.cxb4 gbB 1J.d3 tDgf6 7.�e2 tDxe4 B.1J.xe4 19.�a5 �xa5 20.bxa5± c5 9.0-0 0-0 10.gdl �c7 11. c3 tDf6 12.1J.g5

The endgame is considerably better for White. 12 ...h6? ! 20... 1J.f6 21.gabl 1J.b7 22. It is safer for Black to play here 1J.c4 1J.d5 23.1J.xd5 exd5 24.a6? 12 ...cx d4, as we pointed out in the This is a veryhasty move. Step by Step section. First White should give his 13.1J.xf6 ! .ixf6 14.�c4! 1J.e7 king an escape square, for exam­ 15.b4! ple: 24.h4 wf7,and only then con­ Maybe I am too generous with tinue with 25.a6± my exclamation marks, but 24 ...gxbl 25.�bl gcB 26. White's entire operation between h4 moves 13-15 is just magnificent. (diagram) 15 ...f5 26 ... gc4? This is the only move for Black, It is hard to say what made because he must unpin his b7- Black refrain from capturing his pawn. opponent's most dangerous pawn: 16.1J.d3 b5 26 ..J�c 6!=, since after 27J�b5

105 Chapter 3

We shall show you how White wins if Black's kingremains on f7 a bit later.

32 •••d3 33.q;,elq;,f8 White's winis quite simple af­ ter 33 ...E:xg2 ?: 34.E:d7 E:a2 3S.a7 'tt>h7. Black's king remains quite static and its white counterpart simply goes to b8, picking up Black's d3-pawn on the way. E:xa6 28.E:xdS f4 29.E:fS E:xa2 34.l'!a8+ q;,e7 35.a7 q;,f7 36. 30.E:xf4 as, his counterplay would q;,dl have been quite sufficient for a draw. 27.l'!b7 hd4 28.lOxd4l'!xd4 29.h5 l'!a430 .l'!xa7 l'!xa2 Is it possible that Black's mis­ take on move 26 was due to his wrong evaluation of the arising rook and pawn endgame?! 31.f4+- d4 32.q;,fl

36 •••g6 ?! It looks as though Yasser Sei­ rawan decided to terminate his suffering, since he saw how he was going to lose afterpassive de­ fence. White's king picks up the d-pawn and then moves to c6 or d6. Later, he sacrifices his passed a7-pawn, freeing his rook, and White's king manages to hold then he exchanges it on c7 or d7, up his opponent's d-pawn just in entering a winning kingand pawn time. If Black now keeps his king ending, for example: 36 ...d2 37. on the h7 -square, then Whitewins 'tt>e2 E:al 38.'tt>xd2 E:a3 39.'tt>c2 in the following way: he places his E:a2+ 40.'tt>b3 E:a641. 'tt>c4 E:al42. rook on a8 and his pawn on a7 'tt>cS E:a2 43.'tt>b6 E:b2+ 44.'tt>c6 and then his king, with the help of E:c2+ (44 ...E:a2 4S.E:d8) 4S.'tt>d6 a simple zugzwang, picks up E:a2 (4S ...E:d2 + 46.'tt>eS+-) 46. Black's passed d-pawn and ad­ E:c8! (46.E:d8? E:a6+!=) 46 ... E:a6+ vances to the e6-square. Afterthat 47.E:c6 E:xa7 48.E:c7+ E:xc7 49. Black loses his fS-pawn as well. 'tt>xc7 g6 SO.'tt>d6 gxhS Sl.'tt>eS 'tt>g6

106 3.0,d2 dxe4 4.0,xe4 0,d7 5. 0,.13 0,g/6 6.i.d3

52.g3 h4 53.gxh4 wh5 54.Wxf5 16.hf6 gxf6 17.W1d3+-) 15.hf6 wxh4 55. Wg6 h5 56.f5+- gxf6 16.i.e4;t 37J!hS. Black resigned. 13.ttle5 ii.b7 14J!d1 W1c7 15. c4! White deprives his opponent's 14 Gavrilov Totsky pieces of the d5-square.

Pardubice 1999 15 •.•l!fdS 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.0,d2 ii.e7 4.c3 dxe4 5.0,xe4 0,d7 6.0,f3 ttlgf6 7.ii.d3 c5 S.W1e2 ttlxe4 9. ii.xe4 0-0 10.0-0 ttlf6 11.ii.c2 b6

16.ii.d2! He transfers his bishop to the excellent post on c3.

16 .••l!d4 17.ii.c3 l!xd1+ lS. l!xd1 l!dS 19.1!xdS+ W1xdS 20. 12.dxc5! a3;t White has chosen the right moment to reduce the tension in the centre.

12••• bxc5 This move looks quite sensible and it would be very difficult to tell at this moment that it would be the main reason for Black's fu­ ture problems. In general, in sim­ ilar pawn-structures, Black should have no problems protecting his White has played in exemplary pawn-islands on the a- and c­ fashion so far; his minor pieces files. are perfectly deployed and he is Capturing with the bishop ready to attack Black's weak would not have equalized com­ pawns. pletely either, but Black would 20 ••• W1c7 21.h3 g6 22.W1e3 have more chances of survival ttleS 23.ttlg4 ii.cS 24. W1f3f5 25. then: 12 ...i.xc5 13.i.g5 i.b7 14. ttle5 ii.b7 26.W1e3 ii.d6 27.f3 l:1adl W1c7 (14 ...W1e7? 15.b4 i.d6 W1e7 2S.ii.a4 ttlf6 29.W1g5 ttld5

107 Chapter 3

30."be7 lDxe7 31.';t>f2± fxeS<;t>xeS 42.<;t>e3

It is hard to say exactly what White winsthe king and pawn was Black's mistake in the last ten ending effortlessly. moves. (The nature of the strug­ 42 ••.aS 43.b3 f4 + 44.<;t>f3 gle turned out to be veryunpleas­ <;t>d4 ant fo r him. Even if you manage Or 44 ...wf5 45.h4 g5 46.hxg5 to pinpoint a mistake, recom­ wxg5 47.We4 wg4 4B.wd5 wg3 mending anything better would 49. we5! wg4 50. wf6+-and White be a really hard task.) Now the finallyexchanges his g2-pawn for arising endgame is tremendously the enemy f4-pawn. difficult for Black, since it is im­ 4S.wxf4 a4 possible for him to protect his nu­ It is equally hopeless for Black merous weaknesses. to continue with 45 ...wc3 46.h4 31... <;t>f8? ! wxb3 47.g4+- Black has no useful moves, so 46.bxa4 <;t>xe4 47.aS <;t>bS. it is easy to make a mistake. Black resigned, because after 32.lDd7+ <;t>gS 4B.h4 c4 49.We4, his passed c­ After 32 ...wf7 33 . .te5+- he pawn is going nowhere. loses his c5-pawn. 33.lDf6+ 1S Petrik Stupak It seems even more convincing Khanty-Mansiysk 2010 for White to play 33 . .te5!?, be­ 1.e4 e6 2.d4 dS 3.lDd2dxe4 cause he will inevitably soon pick 4.lDxe4lDd 7 S.lDf3 lDgf6 6.oid3 up his opponent's c5-pawn. The lDxe47. he4 lDf6 S.oigS oie7 9. move in the game is sufficient to .ixf6 hf6 10.\!lYd3 e6 11. win, however ... 0-0-0 \!lYaS 12.<;t>b1 h6 13.h4

33••• <;t>t7 34. lDxh7+- eS oid7 14.lDeSt It is possible that Black's last (diagram) chance was to play 34 ...lDc6 here . Black has no obvious weak­ 3S.lDgS+ <;t>f6 36.f4 lDe637. nesses, but his position is too he6 he6 3S.lDf3 hf3 39. cramped.

<;t>xf3 <;t>e6 40 .heS heS 41. 14 •••l;dS 1S.f4 \!lYe7 16.g4 eS

lOB 3.tiJd2 dxe4 4.liJxe4 liJd7 S. liJj3 liJgf6 6.id3

White has won a pawn with a simple tactical blow but, as often happens in superior positions, capturing material enables the opponent to obtain something in return. In this particular case, Black's pieces succeed in crossing the fronter for the firsttime in the game.

22••. .ib5 23 . .if.J gd4 24. 17.g5 h:e5 18.dxe5 bxg5 19. �e3 .ic6 25.a3 �b7 26.�c3! bxg5 �1 20.g xh1 q;e7 21. �b5 27 . .ie2! �b6 28.gf1? �a3 �b6 The activation of the rook with After 21... b6 22.'lWf3!±, Black's 28.1"lh8! would have provided defence remains very difficult, White with excellent winning since he has failed to exchange his chances, for example: 28 ...1"lxf 4 passive bishop and White has the (28 ... 1"ld8 29.1"lxd8 'it>xd8 30.'lWd3+ unpleasant threat of 23.g6! 'it>e8 31.g6!+-) 29.g6 fxg6 30. Black's attempt to liven up the 'lWg3+- position with the move 21...i.b5!? 28... g6;!; fails because of the line: 22.g6! 1"ld4 23.'lWg3!! 1"lxe4 24.'lWg5+ f6 (if 24 ...q;e8, the cold-blooded move 25.b3!+-, creates an escape-hole for his king and frees his rook, so White's attack becomes decisive) 25.exf6+ gxf6 26.'lWgl+- and Black is unable to cope with two threats simultaneously - the march of White's g-pawn and the penetration of his rook. Now White's pieces remain 22.h:b7!± passive and his extra pawn is al­ This is better than 22.g6 i.c6! most irrelevant. His win has be­ come highly problematic, if it is still possible at all ...

29 • .id3 a5 30.Q;a1 .ig2 31.

gd1?! c4! 32 • .ie2 fucd1+ 33. h:d1 �g1 34.�d2 Q;f8 What result is Black after?! He could have drawn immediately with the line: 34 ...i.f3 35.'lWd6+ 'it>e8 36.'lWb8=

109 Chapter 3

35.�a2 c3 36.bxc3 .id5+ 11• .if4 ! 37.c4!? This was a novelty when the 37.�b2 �b6+ 38.'it>cl �c5. game was played, and a very im­

37 •••.ixc4 + 3S.'it>b2= portant one at that. The move looks quite natural. White's bish­ op takes control over the impor­ tant h2-b8 diagonal and deprives Black's queen of the important c7- square. In 2001 Alexey Shirov played 11.tDb5 against Viswanathan Anand, while Oleg Korneev, in his game against Azer Mirzoev in 2006, tried l1.�el, but Black ob­ White has an extra pawn, but tained a quite acceptable position the position is a dead draw. Noth­ in both cases. But afterthe present ing of any interest happens now game the supporters of this move­ up to the end of the game. order for Black diminished con­

3S •••Wlb 6+ 39.'it>cl .id5 40. siderably.

Wlc3 Wlf2 41.Wld2 Wlc5 42.Wld3 11 .•. 0-0 12.c3;!; Wlf2 43.Wld2 Wlc5 44.�b2 Wlc4 Objectively speaking White 45.Wle3 .ie4 46.Wld2 Wlb5+ 47. may only be slightly better here, �c1 'it>g7 4S.Wle3 Wlc4 49.�d2 but it is very unpleasant for Black Wld5+ 50.�cl Wlc4 51.�d2 to play this position.

Wld5+ 52.�cl Wlc4 53.�d2. 12 •..a6 13.gel ga7?! Draw. This is already a mistake, but even afterthe relatively best line: 16 AJekseev - �aEnedyarov 13 ...�b6 14.�b3 �xb3 15.tDxb3 Moscow 2008 �d8 16.c4;!; (analysis by GM Leo­ l.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.lilc3 dxe4 nid Kritz) Black's position is very

4.lilxe4lild 7 5.lilf3lilgf6 6 • .id3 difficult. c5 7. 0-0 cxd4 S.lilxd4 lilxe4 14.a4 .id7 15.Wlb3 WlcS 16. 9 . .ixe4 lilf6 10 . .if3 .ie7 a5±

110 3JiJd2 dxe4 4.�xe4 �d7 5. �fJ �gf6 6 . .id3

Black's problems are increas­ gxf6 gxf6 ing. But not 28 ...�xf6? 29.:B:d6+-

16 •...icS 17J'�adl 29 • .ic7til e7? It was also good for White to This is a very serious mistake. play 17. .ieS!? :B:d8 18.:B:adl± After 29 ...:B:c8 30 . .ib6 cS! (This (Kritz). move has some drawbacks too,

17 .•. ,ixd4 18J'�xd4 .ic6 19. but it is essential for Black to de­ �b6?! prive the enemy bishop of this This move loses some of square.) 3Ulh4 (31.:B:d6'i!7e7) 31... White's advantage. GM Kritz rec­ hM and he would have good ommends here as stronger 19.c4! chances of survival. with the sample variation 19... 30.gd6 'i!7f731 • .tb6! .bf3 20.�xf3 :B:a82U'! edl± and it looks as if Black must enter an endgame similar to the one in the game, but under much less fa­ vourable circumstances with 21... �c6.

19 .• J'�a8 20.,ixc6 �xc6 21. �xc6 bxc6 22.c4!;!;

Now, suddenly it becomes clear that afterthe unpreventable move 32 . .icS, White wins one of the enemy pawns: c6 or a6.

31 •••eS 31...:B:c8 32.:B:d7cS 33.:B:a7+-

32 • .tcS tilg6 33.gxc6+- tilf4 34 . .te3 tild3 3S.b3 f5 36.gd6 White is still better, but Black's e4 37.f4 gg8+ 38.�f1 gg4. problems have been reduced a lit­ Black resigned without waiting tle. fo r his opponent's next move,

22 •. J'�fd8 23J'�edl :B:xd4 24. since after 39.:B:xa6 tilxf4 40.:B:b6 gxd4 �f8 2S.g4 �e8 White's passed a-pawn is unstop­ Now White forces the enemy pable. knight to occupy a passive posi­ tion, but Black was afraid to place another pawn on the same colour 17 Kritz Tratar as the enemy bishop, and quite Plovdiv 2008 justifiablyso : 2S ...h6 26.f3;!; l.e4 e6 2.tilc3 dS 3.d4 dxe4 26.gS tilg8 . .ieS27 f6 28. 4.tilxe4tild 7 S.tilf3tilg f6 6 . .td3

111 Chapter 3 c5 7. 0-0 cxd4 S.tiJxd4 .ie7 25 ... lDe526 .�e2 b6=

9.l'!e1 0-0 10.c3 a6 11.�f3! 26.l'!b4 tiJe527 • .ie2 l'!d7?! tiJd5 12.�g3 �c7 13.�xc7 tiJxc7 27... �dn

14 • .ig5! hg5 15.tiJxg5 tiJf6 2S.l'!xd7 hd7 29.f4 tiJg6 16.tiJe4 tiJcd5 17.c4 tiJxe4 IS. 30.c5!± he4 tiJf6 19 • .if3t

After a series of mistakes by The arising endgame is very Black, White again has a clear ad­ comfortable fo r White, although vantage. his advantage is not very large .. 30••• l'!cS 31.l'!d4 l'!xc5

19••• l'!eS 20 .l'!e3'it>f8 Black is reluctant to allow 20... e5? 2U:lael± White to obtain a powerful pro­ 21.l'!c1?! tected passed pawn and decides White has played perfectly so to give up a piece. Unfortunately far, but this is his first mistake. It for him, this only speeds up his enables Black to advance his e­ demise. pawn and it will soon become 32.l'!xd7 l'!c2 clear that White's rook has noth­ Black had more chances of ing to do on this square. survival with 32 ...lDxf4±

He should have immediately 33 • .id3 l'!xb2 34.hg6 bxg6 begun the transfer of his knight - 35.a3 21.lDb3,with the following sample White could have played 35. variation: 21...l':le7 22.l':ldl l':lc7 23. lDc6!+- immediately, but this in­ lDa5 'it>e7(23 ...l':lb8 24.l':ld8+ 'it>e7 accuracy does not change the re­ 25.l':lh8t)24 .b4t sult of the game.

21..• l'!e7 35 •••f6 36.tiJc6+- l'!b3 37. Here Black should definitely tiJd4 l'!xa3 3S.tiJxe6+ 'it>eS 39. have considered 21...e5! 22.lDb3 l'!b7l'!e3 40. f5 gxf5 41.tiJxg7+. e4 23.�e2 �g4, with counterplay. Black resigned. 22.tiJb3 l'!c7 23.tiJa5 l'!bS 24.l'!b3 IS Ivanchuk Pelletier 24.b4 �d7= Cap d'Agde (rapid) 2010

24 •••tiJd7 25.l'! d1 b5?! 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.tiJc3dxe4

112 3. tiJd2 dxe4 4.ciJxe4 tiJd7 5. tiJj3 tiJgf6 6 . .td3

4.tOxe4 tOd7 S.tOf3tOgf 6 6 . .id3 technique of the chess magician cS 7.0-0 tOxe4 8 • .ixe4 tOf6 from Lviv. 9 . .igS cxd4 10.tOxd4 .ie7 11 . 20... gc7 21.�f1 �e7 22.g3 .if3 0-0 12.§'d3 §'b6 13.gfdl tOd7 23.gdS gcS gd8 14 • .ie3 eS lS.tOfS gxd3

16.tOxe7+ �f8 17• .ixb6 gxdl+ 18.gxdl axb6 19.tOxc8 gxc8 20.c3;!;

24.g4! White stops his opponent's f­ pawn.

24 •••�e6? ! This endgame is slightly better The presence of rooks usually for White. He has a bishop against increases the advantage of the a knight, with play on both sides bishop over the knight, so Black of the board, and Black's doubled should have tried to exchange the b-pawns are weak. Objectively remaining major pieces: 24 ... speaking, Black is closer to the E1xdS! 2S.hdS tiJf6;!;, with good draw than White is to the win, but drawing chances. in this particular case the outcome 2S.gd2 gc7 26.�e2 f6 27.h4 of the game is greatly dependent g6 28• .idS+ �e7 29 • .ig8 tOf8 on the degree of skill of the oppo­ 30.�e3 gc8 31. .idS gc7 32.f4 nents. The outstanding Ukrainian exf4+ Grandmaster possesses a very 32 ... tiJd7 33.gS!? profound understanding of the 33.�xf4± game of chess and quite an origi­ nal manner of playing and deci­ sion-making. I have had problems understanding what he really wants in certain positions, even when we have thoroughly ana­ lyzed his games together over the board. Therefore from now on I shall confinemyself to short com­ ments and I shall leave the reader to enjoy the brilliant endgame White's advantage has become

113 Chapter 3

much greater in comparison to 9 • .ig5 cxd4 1 0 .�xd4 .ie7 11. the position of the last diagram. .if3 0-0 12.�d3 �c7 13.gfe 1

33 •• .l:M7 34.l:�e2+ <;t>dS 35 .

.ic4 gd6 36.g5 �d7 37 • .igS �f8 3S.a3 <;t>d7 39.<;t>g4 f5+ 40.<;t>f4 gd3 40 ...lLle6+ 41.<;t>e5 lLlc5 42 . .ic4± 41.<;t>e5 <;t>e7 42.h5 gh3 43. h6! gd3 44 ..id5 �d7+ 45. <;t>f4+

13 ..•gdS 14.gad1 a6 15.�e3

h6 16 • .if4 .id6 17.�b3 .ixf4 1S.gxdS+ �xdS 19.�xf4 �b6 20.�e3 V!fc7 21.�c5 �xc5 22.�xc5 <;t>f8 23.�xb7 .ixb7

24 • .ixb7 gbS 25 • .ixa6 gxb2 26.ga1 gxc2 27.a4±

45••• <;t>d6? ! This move loses quickly, but even after 45 ...<;t>f8 46.ixb7 lLlc5 47 . .ic6he could have hardly saved the game.

46 • .igS+- He loses his h7-pawn and with this his entire defence crumbles.

46 •••gh3 In this game, White again has 46 ...lLlf 8 47.ge8. the tandem of rook and bishop

47.ge6+ <;t>c74S • .ixh7gh4+ against rook and knight in the 49.<;t>f3 �f8 50.ge7+. Black re­ endgame. His outside passed a­ signed. pawn is an important additional plus for his position. I believe White's winning chances are at 19 Akopian Pelletier least as good as Black's prospects Aix-Ies-Bains 2011 to draw the game.

l.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.�c3 dxe4 27... gc7 2S.a5 ga7 29 • .ie2

4.�xe4 �d7 5.�f3�g f6 6 • .id3 <;t>e7 30.g3 �d7 31.f4 �c5 32. c5 7. 0-0 �xe4 S • .ixe4 �f6 ga3

114 3.tiJd2 dxe4 4.tiJxe4 tiJd7 S. tiJj3 tiJgf6 6.�d3

after 38... Wc7 39.wd4 tiJxa6 40. :i'!a2+- again we reach the above­ mentioned king and pawn end­ ing) 39.wd4 :i'!c7(White's a6-pawn is again taboo: 39... tiJxa6 40. ha6+ Wxa6 41.:i'!a2+ wb6 42. :i'!xa7 Wxa7 43.Wc5+-) 40.�e8+! Wxa6 41.hf7± and White main­ tains sufficientwinning chances.

32 •••tiJb7 36... c;t> b6 37.�c4 iM7+ 38. It was probably not good for c;t>c3 tiJe4+ 39.c;t>b4 tiJf6= Black to help his opponent's passed pawn to advance even fur­ ther: it was better to play 32 ...wd6 33. wf2 e5 but after 34. We3t he would need to fight very hard to achieve the desired result. 33.a6 tbcS 34. c;t>f2 c;t>d6 3S. c;t>e3 c;t>c6

Black has successfully re­ grouped his forces, since now his king, rather than his rook, re­ strains the enemy a-pawn, so the draw has become inevitable. 40.a7 gxa7 41.gxa7 c;t>xa7 42.c;t>cS tbg4 43.c;t>d6 tbxh2 44. c;t>e7 gS 4S.�e2 36.c;t>d4? It will again be a draw after It was better for White to play 45.c;t>xf7 gxf4 46.gxf4 e5! 47.fxe5 36.:i'!a2!, for example: 36 ...c;t>b6 (if 47.f5 tbf3 48.f6 e4= Black 37.:i'!b2+ Wc6 (after 37... Wc7 38. maintains the balance: depending c;t>d4! tiJxa6 39.:i'!a2 wb6 40.:i'!xa6+ on where White's king retreats, :i'!xa641 .ha6 Wxa6 42.Wc5+- the Black's knight will go to e5 or g5) king and pawn ending is winning) 47... tiJf 3 48.e6 tbg5=

38.�b5+! c;t>b6(if 38 ... c;t>d6,a good 4S ••• g4 46.c;t>xf7 hS 47.�d3 continuation for White is 39. tbf3 48.c;t>xe6 h4 49.gxh4 :i'!c2!±, cutting offthe enemy king; tbxh4 SO.�e4 g3. Draw.

115 Part 2

All Other Black Replies 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.ctld2

with a few basic variations which do NOT lead to positions with an isolated queen's pawn (we have devoted the third part of our book entirely to key positions in the middle game with an IQP, aris­ ing from all the principled lines of the system that we are analysing against the French Defence). Chapter 5 is a bit different from the rest of our book. Here The second part of this book is White does not employ his usual devoted to all Black's possibilities set-up and instead advances his after 3.lbd2,other than the move pawn to e5 right in the opening of 3 ...dxe4 , which we have already the game. (You can see the details analyzed. We mentioned in the of the necessity of and reasoning Introduction that in most of the behind this decision in the Quick variations which we are going to Repertoire section in Chapter 5.) study, via various move orders, After that, there arises a typical White usually deploys his pieces French Defence pawn-structure in the following way: lbgf3, id3, leading to standard middlegame c3, 0-0. This scheme comprises themes. The variations dealt with quick development of White's in Chapter 6 are fairly similar, but kings ide pieces and kingside cas­ there the advance e4-e5 comes tling, before undertaking any ac­ about eventually because Black, tive operations in the centre and like his opponent, is in no hurry to on the kingside. In this part of clarify the structure of the pawn­ the book I have tried to deal only centre.

116 Chapter 4 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3)l�d2

Quick Repertoire

White will most probably close the centre with e4-e5, so Black's eventual counter strike c7 -c5 will no longer be so effective, while the other standard undermining move f7-f6 will weaken not only the e5-square, but also the en­ tire dark-squared complex on his kingside. In addition, Black's last move invites White to advance his h-pawn: h2-h4-h5, which is In this chapter, we shall ana­ very effective in this position. In lyze some seldom played moves general, in the French Defence for Black - 3 ...g6, 3 ...b6 and 3 ... the working diagonal for Black's 0,e7. dark-squared bishop is exactly a3-fB, while the fianchetto can

A) 3 •••g6 only rarely be justified in some

B) 3 •••b6 rare cases with a closed centre. C) 3 ...0,e 7 In general, the positive sides of his last move are highly question­

A) 3 •••g6 able, while its drawbacks are evi­ Of course, this can be played, dent and White can easily obtain but such a method of develop­ a considerable advantage. ment seems illogical at least. Af­ 4 • .td3 .tg7 5.ttJgf3 ttJe7 6.c3 ter Black has built a pawn-wall in ttJd7 7.e5 c5 the centre with his last two moves (diagram) and prepared the development S.h4! of his dark-squared bishop on Besides the obvious idea to the a3-fB diagonal (immediately, destroy Black's kingside, White's or in the next few moves), sud­ last move prepares the develop­ denly he decides to fianchetto it. ment of the rook to the h4-square

117 Chapter 4

is the next possibility for Black which we shall analyze.

in order to protect the important pawn bastion on d4. 8 ... �c6 9.h5 ti'b6 lO.gh4! gxh5 It is more justifiable from the This move seems to be rather strategic point of view. His bishop awkward, since it only helps White on c8 is restricted by the pawn on to implement his plans. This is e6 and he wishes to solve the true indeed, but in the Step by problem of its development im­ Step section you will see that even mediately. In some variations, he after the more principled move may exchange on e4 transposing 1O ...g5, White obtains an over­ to lines of the Rubinstein system whelming advantage by force. and his bishop may turn out to be 1l.�fl! perfectly placed on b7. If White advances his e-pawn, or captures on d5, then Black may place his bishop on a6. This scheme has been played regularly by Boris Gulko, Jesus Nogueiras and Bar­ tosz Socko, but other famous play­ ers such as Nigel Short and Ulf Anderson have also tried it once in a while. Jan Timman and Da­ vid Bronstein tried this move in their games against computers, obviously with the idea of escaping This knight is headed for the from theory as soon as possible. h5-square and it will create great However, this scheme has problems for Black. numerous drawbacks. First, the c6-square is weakened and,

B) 3 •••b6 since Black has not castled yet, The Queen's bishop fianchetto a check with White's bishop on

118 3.ltJd2 b6 4.lDgj3 the b5-square may turn out to be very unpleasant for Black. The coordination of his pieces is dis­ rupted and he will be forced to play c7 -c6, closing the diagonal of his bishop on b7. The check with the bishop will be particularly ef­ fective if White's knight is on e5. Secondly, Black postpones the development of his kingside and castling and in a position where the central tension is unresolved 7.c4! this may be very risky, since his Black's pieces are not placed king may remain stranded in the harmoniously yet and his knight centre and come under a danger­ on d7 is misplaced at the moment, ous attack. In general, this move so this strike in the centre is quite has already lost its popularity, be­ purposeful andtimely. cause White has found convinc­ 7 ...i.b7 8.cxd5 i.xd59. i.e4! ing ways of maintaining a clear White continues his attack in advantage (we have analyzed one the centre begun with his seventh of these ways, but there may well move. be others that will do the same job 9 ...c5 10.i.xd5 exd5 11.\Wb3 just as well... ). 4.lDgt3

You can now see the conse­ quences of White's operation in Bl) 4 ...i.e7 the centre. Black has great prob­ B2) 4 ... lDf6 lems protecting his d5-pawn. B3) 4 ...dxe4 After 11...ltJf8, White has the re­ source 12.dxc5! - see the Step by Bl) 4 ...i.e7 5.i.d3 lDf6 6.e5 Step section. Black must counter­ lDfd7 attack.

119 Chapter 4

1l ..)oc6 12.'i�bd5 lOb4 13. \19b3 cxd4 14. 0-0 a5 15.lOxd4 lOxe5 16.lOf5 0-0 17.lOe4;t. White's pieces are poised threat­ eningly on Black's kingside.

B2) 4 ...lOf6

13... �f8 The simpler move 13 ... 0-0 has its drawbacks as well - see the Step by Step section.

14J:�e1 .ia6 15 • .ibl! cxd4 16.cxd4 ga7 17.lOf3 h6 18 . .id2 gc7 19.a3;!; White's kingside initiative is much more dangerous than 5.lOe5!? Black's queenside counterplay. This is an interesting idea, played for the first time by GM B3) 4 •.•dxe4 5.lOxe4.ib7 Igor Zaitsev back in 1996. White strengthens the effectof the com­ ing check on bS.

5 .••.ib7 6 • .ib5+ c6 7 . .id3 lObd7 8.lOxd7! I believe this is the most pre­ cise move for White. He volun­ tarily exchanges his powerful centralized knight, having antici­ pated perfectly the consequences of this concrete decision.

8 •••lOxd7 9.e5 c5 10.c3 a5

1l.\1ge2 \19c8 12.0-0 .ie7 6 • .ib5+! With a series of moves Black This check is very usefulin this had prepared the exchange of the variation as well. Black is forced light-squared bishops with 12 ... to obstruct his bishop. i.a6, but he changed his mind in 6 .•.c6 view of the possibility of 13.f4! This is practically his only 13.\19g4 move.

120 3.tLJd2 CiJe7 4.CiJgf3

7 • .id3 tLJd7 S.'lWe2 h6 9 • .if4 This is a very strange move. tl)df6 10.tLJg3! Black's knight blocks the diagonal This move was played in one of his bishop and is also rather of the games of GM Vitaly Tsesh­ awkwardly placed. It does not kovsky. participate effectively in the fight

IO •••.id6 11. tLJeS tLJe7 for the centre either. It is far from clear where it is ultimately headed. Of course, one may have the same objections about White's third move. However, although White's knight on d2 has slightly impeded the development of his queenside, it does not stand in the way of his kingside pieces, whereas Black, with a knight on e7, may experi­ ence problems with the develop­ ment of both his bishops and as a consequence with his communi­ 12.tLJhS! cations in general. The main idea This is an improvement in behind Black's third move will be­ comparison to the game Tsesh­ come clear a bit later. kovsky - Vaidya, Kolkata 1986, 4.tLJgf3 in which White continued with 12.0-0. He won that game quite convincingly too, but Black did not play so well. See the details in the Step by Step section.

12 ••• tLJxhS 13.'lWxhS. White's threats are very dangerous.

C) 3 ••• tLJe7

Cl) 4 ••• tLJd7

C2) 4 ••• tLJg6

CI) 4 ••• tLJd7 World champion number 9 Ti­ gran Vartanovich Petrosian played this twice. The same set­ up was tried by the Cuban GM

121 Chapter 4

Guillermo Garcia Gonzales, who reach a middlegame position with had a very impressive perfor­ an isolated pawn.

mance at the Moscow Interzonal 6 •..cxd4 7.cxd4 dxe4 8. tournament in 1982. Black plans ttJxe4 tDdS9. 0-0 .te7 10.tDc3 to undermine his opponent's centre with the move c7-cS and then see what will happen after that. Later, his knight on e7 may go to g6 or, if there are simplifi­ cations in the centre, even to the dS-square, afterwhich his bishop on f8 will have an open diagonal. If the knight on e7 does not have access to a comfortable square, then Black may develop his bish­ op to g7. Meanwhile, a similar set­ up has been tried in the Two White has almost completed Knights variation of the Caro­ his development, so it is high time Kann Defence. See for example he shattered Black's position in game 4 of the candidates match the centre.

Anand-Karpov, Brussels 1991: 1. 10 ••.tD7 f6 11.tDeS0-0 12.a3 e4 c6 2.ttJc3 dS 3.ttJf3 �g4 4.h3 .td7 13.\Wf.J .tc6 �xf3 S.'IWxf3 e6 6.d3 ttJd77.�e2 g6 8.0-0 �g7 9.�g3 �b6 10.'it>hl ttJe7etc.

S • .td3cS

14.\Wg3! This is the optimal placement for White's queen to exert pres­ sure against his opponent's king­ 6.c3 side. The threat is IS.�h6.

White is following the same 14 ..•tDxc3 lS.bxc3 .te4 16 . set-up as in the main lines (see .th6 .tg6 17.tDxg6 hxg6 18.

Chapters 6-9) and his idea is to .td2� - Black's position is very

122 3.ttJd2 ttJe74.ttJgj3 solid indeed, but White maintains White can develop his bishop on some edge. the desired diagonal. S.h4!

C2) 4 .•.lLlg 6!? This energetic move empha­ sizes the drawbacks of the place­ ment of Black's knight on g6. After the almost obligatory reply S ...hS, he will have problems com­ pleting his development, because his hS-pawn may be endangered if he castles kingside. S ...hS 6.g3 cS 7.exdS exdS 8 . .ibS+! White's bishop is comfortable on this diagonal as well.

8 ..• lLlc6 9.0-0 a6 10.ge1+ Black's knight continues .ie71l .hc6+ along its enigmatic route. This White's other interesting al­ strange manoeuvre was played ternative 1l.ie2 is analyzed in the many times by GMs such as Jesus Step by Step section. Nogueiras, Carlos Garcia Palermo 1l ... bxc6 12.dxcS 0-0 13. and the above mentioned Guiller­ lLlb3;!; mo Garcia Gonzales. The idea is to prevent the comfortable develop­ ment of White's bishop, because Black will counter s.id3 or S.ie2 with S ...ttJf4. After the almost obligatorymove g2-g3, Black will play the thematic pawn-break c7- c5 and then White's bishop on g2 will be placed slightly worse than on the fl-a6 diagonal. Black's last move however, has a definite drawback. His knight is really misplaced on the g6-square. Be­ Black's compensation for the sides, even after the move g2-g3, sacrificedpawn is insufficient. Chapter 4 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.�d2

Step by Step

3 ...ttJd7 4.ttJgf3 dxe4 (4 ...�e7 S.�d3 dxe4 6.ttJxe4 ttJgf6 - see Chapter 3) S.ttJxe4 - see 3 ...dxe4 4.ttJxe4 ttJd7S.ttJg f3 (Chapter 3). Accordingly, here we shall only deal with move-orders which lead to original positions. It is amazing, but people often play (there are scores of games in the Mega Database) the moves 3 ... c6? and 3 ...�b 4?!, which are sim­

A) 3 ••• g6 ply a waste of valuable time. B) 3 ...b6 3 ...c6? - What is Black doing?

C) 3 •••�e7 Does he wish to play the French Defence a tempo down, or the Among the rarely played moves Caro-Kann Defence with a "bad for Black, 3 ...h6 deserves some at­ French bishop" on cB, but in any tention and we shall deal with it case he presents his opponent in Chapter 6, mainly because it is with an extra move. thematically connected with the It is also bad for him to opt for variations studied there. 3 ...�b4? !, except that, in contrast We must also mention some to the previous examples, White other seldom played lines. I will cannot choose how to win a tempo tell you immediately that several and he will have to continue with of them transpose to other varia­ the useful move 4.c3: 4.c3 �e7 tions and have been analyzed in S.�d3 cS 6.dxcS! hcS 7.Wie2 ttJf6 other chapters: B.ttJgf3 ttJc6 9.0-0 0-0 W.eS ttJd7 3 ...�d7 4.ttJgf3 dxe4 S.ttJxe4 - 1l.ttJb3�e7 12.�f4;j; -similar posi­ see 3 ...dxe4 4.ttJxe4 �d7 S.ttJgf3 tions arise in the main lines too, (Chapter 2); for example: 3 ...�e7 4.c3 cS S.dxcS 3 ...ttJh6 4.ttJ gf3 ttJc6- see 3 ... hcS 6.�d3 ttJf6 7.Wie2 ttJc6B.ttJ gf3 ttJc6 4.ttJgf3 ttJh6(Ch apter S); 0-0 9.0-0 �e7 W.eS ttJd71l.ttJ b3

124 3.lLld2 f6 !? Murariu - Itkis, Romania velop his bishop on e7, since its 2001, but here the extra move is correct place is on d6 after all: 6 ... bound to tell and White's advan­ i.e77.lLle2 0-0 8.0-0 lLlc6 9.lLlf4 tage is beyond doubt, Holeksa - i.d6 lO.c4 hf4 11.hf4 i.e6 12.c5 Szwed, Pardubice 2006. lLle4 13J�e1. White has a comfort­ It is rather dubious for Black able advantage and exchanges to choose 3 ...e5? ! 4.dxe5 dxe4 would not ease Black's defence at 5.lLlxe4 vtfxd1+ 6. 't!1xd1 lLlc6 7.f4 all: 13 ...g5 14.hg5 lLlxg5 15.lLlxg5 i.f5 8.i.d3 0-0-0 9.i.d2±, and he vtfxg5 16Jl:xe6 lLlxd4 17Jl:e3 vtff6 has no real compensation for the 18.vtfh5 1'!f7 19.1'!aeU Zapata ­ sacrificed pawn, Long - Camp­ Mariotti, Thessaloniki 1988, bell, USA 1999. game 20) 7.lLle2 It also seems rather awkward for Black to continue with 3 .. .f5, although this move has been tried by masters and grandmasters too. In particular, it was played twice by a participant in the candidates tournaments, GM G.Stahlberg.

7 ... 0-0 (An attempt to ex­ change the bishops only leads to additional difficulties for Black: 7 ...c6 8.0-0 vtfc7?! 9.c4 0-0 lO.c5 i.e7 11.b4 lLle4 12.a4 lLld7 13.lLle1 f4 14.vtfc2 g5 15.f3 lLlef6 16.g3± Ginsburg - Schmittdiel, Ger­ Although Black has occupied many 2004.) 8.0-0 c6 (After the some space in the centre, this will seemingly aggressive line: 8 ... not compensate for the weakness­ lLlc69.c 4 lLlb4 lO.i.g5 i.e6?! 11.c5 es in his camp. The comparison i.e7 12.lLlf4± Black's position be­ to the relatively acceptable pawn­ came uncomfortable in the game structure arising in the Stonewall Adla - Paneque, Matanzas 1992; system of the Dutch Defence is it would be more prudent to opt not quite applicable here, because for 10 ... c6t when White pre­ the absence of pawns on the e-file serves only a slight edge.) 9.i.f4 enables White to attack effective­ hf4 lO.lLlxf4 vtfd6 1l.vtfc1 lLle4, ly the e5- and e6-squares: 4.exf5 Birnboim - Mariotti, Biel 1982, exf5 5.lLldf3 lLlf6 6.i.d3 i.d6 (It is 12.c4t. White increases his pres­ less reasonable for Black to de- sure in the centre and maintains a

125 Chapter 4

clear advantage. for White to play calmly 6 . .id3:t The move 3 ....id6 100ks strange with a stable edge.) 6 . .id3 c5 too. White has several promising possibilities, for example we can recommend 4.e5 .if8 entering a very favourable variation which usually arises after the move-or­ der 3 ...tLlf6 4.e5 tLlg8. There may follow 5.tLlgf3 c5 (5 ...b6 6.c3 \Wd7 7 . .id3 .ia6 8.ha6 tLlxa6 9.\We2 tLlb8 10.0-0 tLle7 11J!el c5 12.dxc5 bxc5 13.c4 d4 14.tLle4t Kuporosov - Zilberman, Sochi 1979) 6.dxc5 7.c4! This aggressive move hc5 7.tLlb3 .ib6 8 . .id3 tLlc6 9. emphasizes the defects of the sys­ 0-0 tLlge7 1O.E!el tLlg6 1l . .ig5 tem chosen by Black (the calmer \Wc7 12 . .ixg6 hxg6 13.E!c1 tLla5 14. move 7.c3 promises less: 7 ... tLlf6 tLlbd4;!:; with a stable advantage and he reaches an acceptable for White, Kholmov - Katalymov, position, arising as a rule after Grozny 1969. 3.tLld2tLlf6 4.e 5 tLlg8 5 .id3. c5 6.c3 3 ....id7 4.tLlgf3 tLlf6. This is a tLlc6 7.tLlgf3 .id7; for example, in risky move. (Besides the most re­ the following game, he obtained liable response 4 ...dx e4, it is also good counter-chances playing in acceptable for him to continue a very risky but quite enterpris­ with 4 ...a6 5.c3 .ib5!? This is a ingly manner: 8.0-0 cxd4 9.cxd4 very original manoeuvre at such \Wb6 1O.tLlb3 tLlb4 ll . .ibl .ia4!? an early stage of the game. 6.exd5 12.tLlg5 .ie7 13.\Wh5 g6 14.\wf3 hil 7.tLlxfl \Wxd5 8.tLle3 \Wh5 hg5 15.hg5 hb3 16. \Wxb3 9.d5 tLld7 1O.dxe6 fxeM Kruppa tLlc600 with a very promising po­ - Gofshtein, Kiev 1986; but not sition, Bellia - L.Hansen, Rome 5 ...c5 6.exd5 exd5 7.dxc5 hc5 1988). 7 ....ic6 8.0-0 dxc4 9.tLlxc4 8.tLlb3 \We7+ 9 . .ie2± Geissler - b5?! (This leads to a quick demise Ruth,Weilburg 1998) 5.e5 tLlg8?! for Black, but his position was (Itis preferable for Black to choose very bad anyway, since he could 5 ... tLle4, after which the conse­ hardly manage to develop his quences of the following forced kingside.) 10 . .ig5! \Wd7 1l.tLla5 c4 variation are not so clear 6.tLlxe4 12.tLlxc6 tLlxc6 13 . .ie4 h6 14.d5+­ dxe4 7.tLlg5 .ic6, for example: 8.f3 and White had a decisive advan­ h6! 9.tLlxe4 he4 1O.fxe4 \wh4+ tage in the game Balogh - Rajlich, 1l.g3! \Wxe4+ 12.�f2 tLlc6 13 . .ig2 Budapest 2002. \wf5+ 14.�gl 0-0-0 15.hc6 bxc6 I will also mention a quite and only Black can be better in original move which is not with­ this sharp position. It is simpler out point - 3 ...a5 ?!! (We put the

126 3.ttJd2 96 4 . .id3 second exclamation mark "a la Now White could have con­ Gufeld" - for bravery.), which was solidated his advantage with the tried in a game between two very simple line: 13.ttJf3 ttJc6 (it is rath­ talented young Russian players. er dubious for Black to continue with 13 ...ttJg 3?! 14.\'!fc3) 14 . .ie3 \'!fb6 lS.hcS+ \'!fxcS 16.\'!fd2;!;

A) 3 ...g6

4 . .id3a4 S.ttJe2!? (Black would possibly have countered the at­ tractive move S.ttJgf3 with S ...a3 !? 6.b3 .ih4.) S ...cS 6.dxcS?! (White should not facilitate his oppo­ nent's development. He could have put in doubt Black's risky strategy with 6.exdS exdS 7.c4!?, 4 . .id3.ig7 5.lDgf3 lDe7 obtaining a considerable lead in S ...ttJf6 6.eS ttJfd77.h4 ! cS B.c3 development.) 6 ....ixcS 7.exdS ttJc6 - see S ...ttJe7 6.c3 ttJd7 7.eS exdS B.O-O .ig4?! This is already cS B.h4 ttJc6. too much of a risk. (AfterWhite's 6.c3 lDd7 imprecise move six, Black could 6 ...0-0 7.h4!? have obtained a very good game 7.e5 with the help of the prosaic moves White's plan includes the ad­ B ...ttJe7, or B ...ttJf 6.) 9.h3 .ihS vance of his h-pawn, but he must 1O.'I'!1e1 �fB 1l.ttJf4 ttJf6 12.ttJxhS close the centre first. ttJxhS, Sjugirov - Nepomnia­ 7 •••c5 8.h4! chtchi, Moscow 2006. This energetic move empha­ sizes the drawbacks of Black's bishop fianchetto.

8 •••lDc 6 It was more reliable for him to opt for B ...h6, but after 9.0-0 ttJc6 1O.ge1 cxd4 11.cxd4 ttJb6 12.ttJf1 .id7 13.ttJ1h2 \'!fe7 14.ttJg4 0-0-0 lS.a3 �bB 16 . .if4 �aB 17.\'!fd2 \'!ffB 1B.gec1 gcB 19.b3;!; Black's

127 Chapter 4 position would be solid enough example: 12 ...\We7? 13.lLlxh7+­ indeed, but without any coun­ with a crush; or 12 ...cxd3 13.lLlxe6! terplay, Solak - Asik, Korinthos \Wb6 14.lLlg7+; as well as 12 ... 1999 (game 21). �e7 13.lLlxf7! Wxfl 14.\whS+ wf8 9.h5 IS.�h3 and his attack is very pow­ erful in the last two variations.) 12.lLlxcS lLlxcS 13.dxcS g4 14.lLld4 lLlxeS IS.�f4;!; - Black's pawn­ structure is so brittle that White has a clear advantage. Black has also tried in practice 9 ... 0-0 10.lLlfl cxd4 1l.cxd4 \Wb6 12.�h4 f6

9 •••ti'b6 It would be a disaster for him to choose 9 .. .f6? 1O.hxg6 fxeS 11.�xh7! �xh7 12.gxh7 e4 13 . .txe4 dxe4 14.lLlxe4 lLlf6 IS.�gS \WdS 16.lLlxf6+ .txf6 17.\Wd3+- and Black resigned, Najer - Visser, In the game Gonzalez de la Groningen 1999. Torre - Ahlers, Andorra 2002, It is also possible for him, but White did not play so well: 13. rather dangerous, to try 9 ...gS hxg6? fxeS 14.gxh7+ (it is not ad­ 10.h6! �f8 1l.lLlb3! visable for him either to continue with 14.�xh7 e4 IS.\Wd2 \Wb4!=t) 14 ... wh8 1S.�h6 .txh6 16.�xh6 e4 17.lLlh4 lLldeS!=t and Black seized the initiative. It is preferable for White to opt for 13.exf6 M6 14.hxg6! .txh4 (after 14 ... hxg6 IS.�g4, Black's monarch is vul­ nerable and White'sprospects are superior) IS.gxh7+ Wg7 16.lLlxh4 \Wxd4. He can make a draw here, 1l ...�e7 ! (Accepting the sacri­ if he so wishes: 17.�h6+!? wxh6 fice would not end well for Black 18.\Wd2+ Wg7 19.\WgS+ wfl 20. after 1l ...c4? 12.lLlxgS with very �g6+ wg7=, while if White de­ dangerous threats for White, for cides to fight for the advantage,

128 3.tLld296 4.�d3 he can play 17.tLlf3!?� with good not solve his problems: 13 ....b:eS compensation for the sacrificed 14.dxeS tLlxh4 1S.tLlxh4 tLlxeS 16. exchange. tLlf6+ �e7 17.�gS-+; or 13 ...tLlxh4 10.:Bh4! 14.tLlxg7+ �f8 1S.tLlxh4 �xg7 16. 1!fig4+ �f8 17.�h6+ �e7 18.1!fig7 B:e8-+ and White's attack is very dangerous in both cases.

10 •••gxh5 10 ...gS 1l.tLlxgS cxd4 12.cxd4 - see 1O ...cxd4 11.cxd4 gS 12.tLlxgS. It is bad for Black to opt for 14.dxc5 Wfxc5 15.�e3 WffS 1O ...cxd4 1l.cxd4 gS 12.tLlxgStLlx d4 16.hg6! bxg6 13.h6! .b:eS (in the game Ramas­ 16... fxg6 17.B:f4 1!fie7 18.tLlf6+ wamy - Bigg, Torquay 1999, he �xf6 19.exf6 1!fif7 20.tLlgS+- played 13 ...tLlxeS, but White could 17.tLlxg7+ Wfxg7 18.�6 Wfh8 have won a piece after that with 19.Wfe2± the line: 14.tLlb3!tLlxb3 1S.hxg7!+-) 14.1!fihS tLlcS (14.. J'U8 1S.tLlxh7 B:g8 16.tLlgS±) 1S.�b1 B:f8 16.tLlxh7 1!fic7 17.tLlxf8 tLlcb3 18.tLlxb3 tLlxb3 19. axb3 1!fixc1+ 20.1!fid1+- and his material advantage should be suf­ ficientto win the game, Zalkind - Sarkar, England 1999. 1l.tLlf1!tLlfS It is possibly better for Black to continue with 1l ...cxd4 12.cxd4 f6 13.tLlg3 fxeS 14.tLlxhS �f8 1S.dxeS tLldxeS 16.tLlxeS tLlxeS±, but even White's bishop is totally domi­ then his situation would be very nates the dark squares over the precarious. entire board and Black's position 12.tLlg3 tLlg613. tLlxh5 :Bg8 is nearly hopeless, Gallagher - The alternatives for Black do Zueger, Switzerland 2002.

129 Chapter 4

B) 3 ...b6 4.tl)gf3 7.c4! i.b7 7 ...c5 B.cxd5 exd5 9.0-0 .ia6 10.,ixa6 lLlxa6 1l.lLlbl lLlc7 12. lLlc3 1L1fB 13 . .ie3 1L1fe6 14.�c2 0-0 15. gadl c4 16.1L1el (White plans to advance his f-pawn) 16 .. .f5 17.exf6 gxf6 (17... ,ixf6 IB.f4;l:) IB.f4

B1) 4 ...i.e7 B2) 4 ...tl)f6

B3) 4 •••dxe4

4 ... 1L1e7 - see 3 ... 1L1e7 (varia­ tion C). In this position, White is 4 ....ib7 5 . .ib5+ c6 6 . .id3 dxe4 threatening to play 19.f5, consid­ 7.1L1xe4- see 4 .. .dxe4(variation B3). erably cramping his opponent's 4 ....ia6 5.,ixa6 lLlxa6 6.c3 c6 position. IB ... �fB!? (Black did 7.0-0 lLlc7 B.gel lLle7 9.1L1e5 f6 not play well in the game Adams 1O.lLld3 �d7 1l.a4;l: Black's posi­ - Rivas Pastor, Dos Hermanas tion does not have any serious 1993: IB ...�d6? 19.f5 gafB 20. weakness, but his pieces are ob­ gf3+- and White obtained a viously discoordinated, Reinaldo decisive advantage in view of the Castineira - Guerra, Spain 1995. variation 20 ... 1L1dB 21..if4 �d7 22.,ixc7 �xc7 23.1L1xd5, winning B1) 4 ...i.e7 5.i. d3 tl)f6 6.e5 material; neither is it good fo r tl)fd7 Black to try IB ...�d7 19.1L1f3! .id6 20.f5 lLlfB 21.1L1e5± and White has a clear edge) 19.f5 (it de­ serves attention for him to play patiently 19.93;l: followed by 20.1L1f3, gradually improving the placement of his pieces) 19 ...g6! 20.g4 gxf5 21.gxf5 lLlg7� and Black has some counter­ play. 8.cxd5 hd5 9.i.e4! c5 10. hd5 exd5 11.Wlb3

130 3.tiJd2 b6 4. CU gj3

1S. e6!?t deserved serious atten­ tion.

15 ••• lLlxe5 16.lLlfS 0-0 17. lLle4t. His pieces are threatening­ ly poised against the enemy king and this guarantees an advantage for White. His knights are partic­ ularly dangerous and the queen and the bishop are ready to sup­ port them, Mista - Nogueiras, Cappelle la Grande 2003 (game

1l •••lLlc6 22). The sacrifice of the central pawn is practically forced for

Black, because its only defence B2) 4 ••• lLlf6 with H ...CUf8 would lead to diffi­ culties for him after12 .dxcS! ixcs (12 ...bxcS ? 13.'itib7±) 13.0-0 CUe6 14.!fd1 0-0 1S.CUe4 d4 16.CUfgS 'itie7, Bojkovic - Medic, Split 1989, 17.'itid3 ltlxgS 18.CUxgS g6 19.'itih3 g6 20.e6± and White has a very powerfulinitiative. 12.ti'xd5 lLlb4 13.�b3 cxd4 14. 0-0 a5

5.�e5!? We have already mentioned in the Quick Repertoire section that GM Igor Zaitsev is the author of this interesting idea. Just as with numerous other opening analyses of the almost life-long coach and second of Anatoly Karpov, this move leads to positions abundant in intricate tactical nuances. 15.lLlxd4 5 ...i.b7 This is a quiet but very good It is quite understandable move. that Black should be reluctant to White would not achieve much capture his opponent's central with 1S.a3, in view of 1S... a4 !, but pawn, because of the line: S ...

131 Chapter 4 dxe4?! 6 . .ibS+ .id7 (6... lDbd7? ? lDbd7 13.c4! White has waited un­ 7.lDc6+-) 7.lDxd7 lDbxd7 B . .ic6± til his opponent's knight has been when White regains the material placed on d7 and his pawn on c6 and Black will have great prob­ has become vulnerable, and he lems owing to the vulnerability of opens the c-fileimmedia tely. 13 ... the complex oflight squares in his lDfB 14.:1!cl± His pressure against camp. Black's vulnerable queens ide is S ...c6 6 . .id3 considerable, Batsanin - Totsky, Russia 199B. 6 . .ib5+ c6 7 . .id3

6 ....ie7 (It would be too risky for Black to capture the pawn: 6 ... dxe4 7.lDxe4 'lWxd4?! B.lDxf6+ gxf6 9.lDxf7!:1!gB 1O.'lWhS--+and White's attack is very dangerous; after6 ... 7 ••• tlJbd7 .id6he can continue with an exqui­ This is the most reliable move, site exchange operation 7.lDxf7! but Black cannot solve all his 'i!lxf7B.e S;!; with an edge.) 7.exdS problems with it either. His alter­ exdS (If 7 ...'lWxdS, White can play natives are: simply and straightforwardly, but 7 ....id6 B.lDxf7! (I. Zaitsev) B ... also aggressively, and reap divi­ 'i!lxf79.e S;!;; dends with the line: B.lDdf3 0-0 7 ... .ie7B.e xdS exdS 9.0-0 0-0 9.0-0 c5 1O.dxcS! .ixcS 1l.c4 'lWdB 10.:1!e1 12 . .igS .ib7 13.'lWc2 h6 14 . .ixf6! 'lWxf6 1S . .ih7+ 'i!lhB .ie4 16. 'lWe7 17.:1!adl. Black has problems with the development of his queenside. 17 ...'lWc7 . .ixb71B 'lWxb7 19.:1!d3! .ie7 20.:1!fdl± All White's piec­ es are excellently placed, while Black has not completed his de­ velopment yet, Seger - Peric, Germany 1999.) B.O-O 0-0 9.:1!e1 'lWc7 1O.lDdf3 .id6 11.c3 :1!eB12 . .if4 10 ...c5 (The natural move 10 ...

132 3.tLld2b6 4.tLlgj3 tLlbd7? suddenly loses a pawn 17.tLlg5+ It>g6 18.�e6+! fxe6 19. for Black afterthe beautifultacti­ 'lWd3+-) 16.�xe7 'lWd6 17.'lWe2± (I. cal strike 11.�a6!, again recom­ Zaitsev) - The pawn-structure is mended by I.Zaitsev: 1l .. .'

8 •••tLlxd7 9.e5 c5 10.c3 a5 1l.ee2 ec8 12.0-0

15.�e7! (It is also very good for White to play here 15.'lWe2t, because Black's pieces are stuck on the queenside and lack coor­ dination, while White has firmly occupied the only open file.) 15 ... he7 (15... �fe8 16.hh7+! It>xh7

133 Chapter 4

12 .••i.e7 B3) 4 ..•dxe4 5.�xe4 i.b7 It seems more consistent for 6.i.b5+! Black to play 12 ....b6 !?, but after 13.f4;t White maintains powerful pressure,since Black canhardly stop the march of the enemy f-pawn. 13.\Wg4 It was again interesting for White to opt for 13.f4!?

6 •..c6 The alternatives for Black are weaker. He loses immediately after6 ... llJd7?? 7.llJeS he4 8.hd7+ <±>e7 9.�c6+- Misiuda - Graul, Poland 1976.

13 .••f8 It is also bad for him to opt for This decision by Black to leave 6 ...�c 6?! - his bishop is misplaced his king in the centre, which is here and White can prove this rather typical for the French De­ convincingly with energetic play: fence in general, is questionable 7.�d3 llJd7 (Black also has great in this particular case. problems after 7 ...llJf6 8.llJxf6+ However, even after the nat­ and now he loses outright after ural move 13 ... 0-0 he cannot 8 ...�xf6? 9.�gS hf3 1O.�d2!+-; solve all his problems: 14.llJf3 fS while after 8 ...gxf6 9.0-0 Black lS.�g3;t.White plans an offensive has problems finding a safe ha­ including h2-h4 and �gS, while ven for his king, for example in after lS ...�a6, Black must consid­ one game, after the inaccurate er the tactical operation 16.�h6 line: 9 ...�d S?! 1O.c4 �hS ll.dS!± �f7 17.hfS!? White quickly developed a crush­ 14.�el i.a6 15.i.bl! cxd4 16. ing attack, T.Horvath - Lovass, cxd4 ga7 17.�£J h6 18.i.d2 Budapest 1982) 8.�e2! �e7 (after gc7 19.a3;t and White has excel­ 8 ...llJgf6, White has an interest­ lent prospects of developing his ing knight-sortie at his disposal: kingside initiative, Tischbierek - 9.llJegS! with a powerful initia­ Hertneck, Altenkirchen 2001 tive for him after9 ...�d6 1O.llJeS! (game 23). heS ll.dxeS±; or with excellent

134 3. 1L1d2 b6 4.1L1gf3 compensation for the piece in 14 ...�d7 15.Elxg2 �xe6 16.Elxg7+­ the variation 9 ...h6 1O.1L1xe6! fxe6 with a completely winning posi­ 11..ig6+ �e7 12.0-0�, since Black tion for White. can hardly consolidate his forces 7.iod3 and White'spressure increases)

9.1L1eg5! lLlgf6? Black plays carelessly. He obviously under­ 7 ••• tLJd7 estimated his opponent's threats 7 ...1L1f6 8.1L1xf6+ gxf6 9.�e2 against his king. (Black was losing �c7 10 . .id2 lLld7 11.0-0-0 quickly too after 9 ...h6? 1O.1L1xe6 0-0-0 12.�bl;j; He has an excel­ fxe6, but here not 11. .ig6+? �f8 lent pawn-structure and a space 12.1!�xe6?? .ih4+! 13.c3 �e7+ advantage. White maintains a with an edge for Black, but slight but stable edge, Pogo nina - 11.�xe6!+-; his only way of avoid­ Medic, Fuegen 2006. ing the crushing attack seems to 7 ....ie7 8.0-0 lLlf6 (it is rather be 9 ...hf3 1O.�xf3! This is the dubious for Black to opt for 8 ... most precise decision for White, lLld7?! 9 . .if4 ! lLlgf6 1O.1L1d6+hd6 particularly in connection with 11.hd6±; or 9 ...1L1df 6 1O.1L1e5!?± his next move. Capturing with and he will have problems de­ the knight promises less for him. veloping his g8-knight) 9.1L1xf6+ 1O ...1L1gf6 11.�c6! 0-0 12.0-0± hf6 10 . .if4 He fixes the enemy c-pawn and this guarantees him a consider­ able advantage.) 10.1L1xf7! hf3 (it is also bad for Black to play 1O ...�xf7 11.1L1g5+ �e8 12.1L1xe6 �b8 13 . .if4-+, since White's at­ tack is very powerful) 11.�xe6 lLlf8 12.1L1xd8 lLlxe6 13.1L1xe6 hg2 14.Elg1 and in the game Kotro­ nias - Peric, Linares 2002, Black resigned in view of the variation 10 ...0 -0 (it would be too risky

135 Chapter 4 for Black to continue with 10 ... 13.0-0-0, increasing his pres­ hd4 11.ttJxd4 1!tfxd4 12.1!tff3�with sure, while Black has great prob­ excellent compensation for White, lems consolidating his forces. for example 12 ... 0-0 13J'!ad1 1!tff6 9 • .if4 tOdf6 14.1!tfg3t and his position seems 9 ...ttJgf6 10.ttJd6+ hd6 11. very threatening) 11.1!tfe2 1!tfdS hd6± Zendrowski - Majstorovic, (after 11... ttJd7 12J'!adl± Black's Canada 1994. position is cramped) 12 . .te4 1!tfhS 13.a4± White's pressure increas­ es with every move, Kasparov - Agdestein, Tilburg 1989 (game 24). 8.Wfe2h6 White has very powerful threats after8 ...ttJgf6 9.ttJegS!

10.tOg3! This good move accomplish­ es several tasks simultaneously. White has a space advantage, so in principle he should avoid ex­ changes. Secondly, his knight is 9 ...h6 (it is bad for Black to eyeing the hS-square in order to continue with 9 ....te7? 10.ttJx f7 ! support his coming offensive. wxf7 11.ttJgS+ We8 12.ttJxe6 Wfc8 10 ....id6 1l.tOe5 tOe7 12. 13.ttJxg7+- White has three tOh5! pawns for the piece and a dan­ In the game Tseshkovsky - gerous attack. His initiative is Vaidya, Kolkata 1986, there fol­ very dangerous too after 9 ....td6 lowed 12.0-0 Wfc7 (Black was 1O.ttJeS! 0-0 11. .tf4 1!tfc7 12.ttJxd7 justifiably afraid of 12 ...0-0, be­ 1!tfxd7 13 . .teS!±; Black obtained a cause of 13.ttJhS-t with an attack passive and prospectless position for White, for example: 13 ...ttJxh S after9 ...1!tfe7 1O.ttJeSttJxeS 11.d xeS 14.1!tfxhS c5 1S.dxcS.txcS 16J'!ad1t; ttJdS 12.a3 h6 13.ttJe4 0-0-0 14.c4 it is also bad for Black to opt for ttJc7 1S.ttJd6± Lorenzo de la Riva 14 ...f6 1S.ttJg6 ttJxg6 16.Wfxg6 - Vigo Allepuz, Barbera del Valles hf4 17.1!tfh7+ wf7 18 . .tg6+ We7 2009) 10.ttJxe6 fxe6 11 . .tg6+ We7 19.1!tfxg7+ wd6 20.Wfxb7±) 13 . .td2 12 . .tf4� White has excellent com­ (White retreats his bishop, avoid­ pensation for the piece. He plans ing the pin and preventing Black

136 3.lLld2 b6 4.lLlgj3 from castling queenside.) idea of 20.fS, but the evaluation of that position is rather unclear.) 14 ...lLlxhS 1S.'lWxhS cS 16 . .ixh6!? gxh6 17.'lWxh6 lLlfS 1S. .ixfS exfS 19.'lWgS+ �hS 20.'lWf6+ �gS= White's best here is possibly to take the perpetual check. 12 ...�xh5 13.�xh5

Here, instead of what was played in the game 13 ...bS? ! 14J:Ue1 hS?! (Black is already be­ yond salvation) 1S.h3 a6 16.l"lac1 c5 17.c4 b4 1S . .igS lLlegS 19.dS! 0-0-0 20.dxe6 .ixeS 21..ifS+­ with a decisive advantage for White, Black could have chosen 13 ...0-0 !? (He probably intended to evacuate his king to the queen­ Black's king remains stranded side, but since he needs to protect in the centre, because it would his f7-pawn, it would be problem­ be even more dangerous for atic to do that. It would be more him to castle: 13 ... 0-0 (13 ... difficult for him to exchange on .ixeS 14. .ixeS±; 13... g6 14.'lWf3±) eS. Still, at this moment, despite 14.hb6! gxh6 (after 14 ...lLlfS the fact that White's pieces are 1S . .ie3± White remains with an threateningly poised on his king­ extra pawn and his attack con­ side, Black does best to castle tinues) 15.�xh6 �f5 (1S ...fS kingside.) and that would lead 16 . .ic4+-) 16.ht'5 exf5 17. to a complicated fight with mu­ 0-0 -0 +-. Black cannot prevent tual chances, for example: 14.lLlhS the appearance of an enemy rook (This is the most direct method of on the g-file, for example: 17 ... attack, but it leads only to a draw. .ia6 (17... .ie7 1S.f4! Black was The other possibilities fo r White threatening 1S ....igS +. 1S ...�d6 are not so clear either: 14.lLlg4 19.�hS .if6 20.l"ld3 .ig7 21.l"lh3 ttJxg4 1S.'lWxg4 f5 16.'lWe2 l"lf6oo; 'lWh6 22.'1Wxh6 .bh6 23.l"lxh6+-) 14.l"lfe1 cS 1S.dxcS .ixcS 16.ttJg4 18J�he1 .ie7 (1S .. .f4 19.93!+-) ttJedSoo with good counterplay 19.f4 �d6 20.�h5 .if6 21.ge3 fo r Black in both cases, or 14.f4 .ig7 22.gh3 and Black must give c5 1S.c3 lLlc6 16 . .ie3 cxd4 17.cxd4 back a piece in order to avoid be­ ttJb4 1S.l"lac1'lWe7 19 . .ic4 with the ing checkmated: 22 ...�h6 23.

137 Chapter 4

'il!Ixh6hh6 24.g xh6+- and the 9.liJxe4�d5 1O.�d3 �xb3 1l.axb3 endgame is completely winning h6 12.�f4 �d8 13.�b5 liJd7 14. for White. hc6 bxc6 15.b4 f6 16.Ela5 0-0 17.0-0 liJb6 18.Elfal± McShane - Crouch, Hove 1997; 6 ...e5 - this

C) 3 ••• lbe7 4.lbgf3 move is at least purposeful. It is Black's only possibility to justify the awkward placement of his knights, but afterthe forced play, White maintains a considerable advantage: 7.exd5 �xd5 8.�c4 �d7 9.liJg5 liJd8 10.h5 liJf4 1l.g3 b5 12.gxf4 bxc4 13.fxe5± Prand­ stetter - Netusil, Czech Republic 2005) 7.e5. When the centre is closed, Black has the possibilityto prepare the undermining pawn­ moves c7-c5, or f7-f6, but his

CI) 4 ••• lbd7 knights are so misplaced that ad­

C2) 4 •.• lbg6 vancing c7 -c5 would be practically unrealistic and f7-f6would lead to For 4 ...g6 5.�d3 �g7 - see numerous weaknesses in his posi­ variation A. tion: 7 ...�d7 (7 .. .f6 8.�c2 liJce79 . We must also analyze the al­ liJb3±) 8.liJb3 f5 (8 ...�e7 9.g3 f6 ternatives for Black: 1O.�d3±) 9.exf6 �xf6 (9 ...gxf6 It is bad for him to continue 1O.�d3 liJce7 11.�e2 b6 12.�e3± with 4 ...c5? 5.dxc5 liJec6 (after5 ... M3.0-0-0) 1O.�g5 �f7 11.�d3 dxe4 6.liJxe4 �xd1+ 7.@xdl liJec6 �e7 12.he7 liJgxe7, Dancs -L. 8.�f4± he has no compensation Horvath, Zalakaros 1994, 13. for the sacrificed pawn, Auchen­ liJc5± berg - Wicker, Copenhagen 1980) 4 ...b6 5.c3 as, Salazar - Jen­ 6.exd5 �xd5 7.�c4 �xc5 8.0-0 kins, Moscow 1994 (It is also liJd79. b3 liJf6 1O.�b2 �e7 11.�e2 possible fo r Black to play 5 ...�b 7 0-0 12J�fd1 (12J�ad1!?) 12 ...Eld8 6.�d3 liJg6 7.0-0 �e7 8.Ele1 0-0 13.a3± with a clear advantage for 9.e5 c5, Morawietz - Schischke, White, Lakos - Toth, Budapest Neuss 1986. Later White should 2003. continue with 10.liJf1 �a6 11.�c2 4 ... liJbc6 5.c3 liJg6?! The set­ liJc612.a 3 Elc8 13.g3 �c7 14.liJe3i up with knights on the c6- and g6- followed by h4-h5, with a power­ squares is very unfavourable for ful initiative.). After 6.�d3 �a6 Black. 6.h4 h5 (He should refrain 7.ha6 liJxa6 8.0-0 liJg6 9.Ele1 from 6 ...�e7 7.h5 liJf8 8.�b3 dxe4 �e7 1O.e5 0-0 l1.liJf1 c5 12.g3 Elc8

138 3.ltJd2 ltJe74.ltJgj3

13.h4t, White has excellent pros­ sponse for Black. He makes a use­ pects of organizing a kingside at­ ful developing move, preventing tack. the change in the pawn-structure, which would be very advanta­ geous for White.

CO 4 •••c!Lld 7 S • .td3 After 10 ... 0-0 11.ltJxdS exdS, White's pieces are so active that he will have a long-lasting initia­ tive despite the symmetrical pawn-structure: 12.i.f4 ltJf6 (it is weaker for Black to play 12 ...c!Llb6 13.�c2 h6 14.i.c7 �d7 1SJUe1i.d6 16J''!ac1 hc7 17.�xc7 �xc7 18. l"ixc7± and White's advantage in­ creases, Stohl - Hetey, Pardubice 1996) 13.�b3! h6 (It is preferable for Black to play here 13 ... ltJhS 14. i.eS f6 lS.i.c7! �xc7. This is his

S ..•c5 best course in this situation; oth­ S ...g6 6.c3 i.g7 - see 3 ...g6 erwise, his knight may remain (variation A). stranded at the edge of the board. 6.c3 cxd4 16.�xdS+ l"it7 17.�xhS g6 18.�dS± 6 ...ltJc 6 7.0-0 i.e7 8J�e1 0-0, and White has a solid extra pawn, Charpentier - Freyre, Novi Sad Skalkotas - Kaloussis, Iraklion 1990, 9.exdS exdS 1O.dxcS ltJxcS 1983.) 14.l"iac1 i.d6 lS.i.eS ltJg4 1l.ltJb3;!; 16.hd6 �xd6 17.l"ic2 ltJf6 18.ltJeS 7.cxd4 dxe4 8.c!Llxe4 c!LldS l"ib8 19.�a4 a6 20.�aS ltJd7 (it is 9.0-0 .te7 10.c!Llc3 preferable for Black to play here 20 ...i.e6 !? and after21.l"i fc1 l"ifc8;!;, or 21.�c7 �xc7 22.l"ixc7 l"ifc8 23. l"ifc1 l"ixc7 24.l"ixc7 l"ic8;!;, White's edge is only minimal) 21.�c7 �xc7 22.l"ixc7 ltJxeS 23.dxeS i.e6 24.f4 g6 2S.l"ifcl± and Black will be faced with a long and laborious defence in an inferior endgame, Stohl - Stoll, Austria 2004. The other way for him to trade knights will also improve White's chances in the coming fight: 10 ...

10 •••c!Ll7 f6 c!Llxc3 1l.bxc3 0-0 12.�e2 ltJf6 This is the most reliable re- 13.c4. The hanging pawns are

139 Chapter 4 strong in this position rather It is correct for White to continue than a liability. White's pieces are with 14.'�g3! This move creates very active and he can prepare the threat of IS.ih6 and in reply the pawn-break d4-ds! 13 ...b6 to the exchange operation 14 ••• 14.ib2 ib7 Is.ttles l'!c8 16.l'!adl lDxc3 15.bxc3 .ie4 White now l'!c7 17.f4;tNeverov - Turner, Par­ has the resource 16 . .ih6 .ig6 (it dubice 2000 (game 25). is weaker for Black to opt for 16 ... 1l.lDe5 0-0 12.a3 .id7 ttlhS 17.�g4 hd3 18.ttlxd3 and Black's move 12 ...�b6 is his knight is dangerously isolated pointless here, but it was played at the edge of the board) 17.lDxg6 in the game Rocha - Man Yee, hxg6 18 • .id2;t. The disappear­ Sao Paulo 1992. White can ignore ance offthe board of a couple of Black's queen-sortie and simply minor pieces has partly helped complete the mobilization of his Black's plans to exchange pieces forces: 13.l'!eU. It is also good in his fight against his opponent's for White to opt for 13.ie3!? hanging pawns. On the other and the fact that Black cannot hand, White has a pair of power­ capture on b2, since he loses his ful bishops and Black's somewhat queen after 14.ttla4, proves once compromised pawn-structure on again that his last move was use­ the kings ide enables White to less. create threats against the enemy 13.'�£J .ic6 king along the h-file. In general, the position is slightly better for him.

C2) 4 •••lDg 6!?

In the game Lemmers - Diepe­ veen, Netherlands 2000, White retreated his queen to the wrong square - 14.�h3, after which Black simplified the position ad­ vantageously with 14 ...ttlxc3 15. This is an interesting manoeu­ bxc3 ie4= and he successfully vre which has been tried by some solved all his opening problems. verygood players.

140 3.ltld2 ltle7 4.ltlgj3

S.h4! just analyzed. Black is faced with White reacts immediately to a very unpleasant choice. He can his opponent's strange knight either regain his pawn and come manoeuvre and practically forces under terrible positional pres­ Black to place his pawn on hS sure after 7 ...�aS B.a3 �xcS 9.b4 where it will be vulnerable. �c7 1O.c4, or seek rather dubious

S •.•hS ! compensation in the variations The alternatives for him are 7 ...ltld7 8.b4, or 7 ...ltle c6 8.h6! much weaker: g6 9.exdS �xdS (it would be just S ....te7? 6. hS ltlfB(After 6 ...ltlf4 hopeless fo r Black to opt fo r 9 ... 7.eS, Black's knight is in a precari­ exdS 1O.ltlb3 hcS 1l.ltlxcS �aS+ ous situation and after the only 12.c3 �xcS 13 . .te3+- and the vul­ possibility 7 ...g6 B.hxg6 ltlxg6± nerability of his dark squares is his kingside remained hopelessly fatal) 1O.ltlb3. weak without any compensation 6.g3 cS 7.exdS exdS in the game Neave - Collins, Ed­ inburgh 2002.) 7.c3 ltlbd7B . .td3± Black's position is just pathetic and it is inconceivable how he will continue with his development, K.Rasmussen - Rej , Copenhagen 1993. S ...h6? 6.hS ltle7 7 . .td3 c5 8.dxc5 �aS? Black regains his pawn in this fashion, but in ad­ dition to his other difficulties, he lags considerably behind in devel­ opment (even afterthe best move 8.i.bS+! fo r him - 8 ...ltld 7, White will play White continues the opera­ 9.b4± and it will be very prob­ tion begun with his fifth move. lematic for Black to prove real He plans to attack the enemy compensation fo r the pawn). 9.a3 hS-pawn, so his bishop must be �xcS 10.b4 �b6 1l.c4± I evaluate placed on e2 and not on g2. Mean­ this position like this, but only while, he develops it with tempo because Black does not lose by and is ready to castle.

fo rce. Still, he will hardly survive 8 •••tLJc6 fo r long, Wells - Palos, Oberwart The other possibility for Black 1995. would not change the character of S ...cS ?! 6.hS ltle7, Plaskett - the fight much: 8 ....td7 9.hd7+ Taulbut, London 1979, 7.dxcS±. ltlxd7 10.0-0 .te7 1l.dxcS ltlxcS This position is almost identical 12.ltlb3 0-0 13.ltlgS;!: to the variation which we have 9.0-0 a6 10J;el+ i.e7

141 Chapter 4

example: 12.dxc5 (after 12.l2Jf1 l"1e8 13.l2Je3.te6? he cannot easily at­ tack the hS-pawn either; 13.c3!?) 12 ...hcs 13.l2Jb3 .tb6 14.l2Jfd4 (if 14.l2JgS then 14 ...�f6, while after 14 . .tgSf6 White's bishop must re- treat) 14 ...l2Jx h4! lS.gxh4 (lS.hhS l2JfS) lS ...�xh4�. Black's threats on the kingside seem to be very dangerous. After16 . .te3.tc7 17. .tf3 .tg4!? his kingside attack compen­ 1l.J.xc6+!? sates fully forthe sacrificed piece. It is also interesting for White In view of this last variation, I rec­ to attack his opponent's hS-pawn ommend to White the more pru­ consistently with 11..te2 and this dent move 11.hc6+ instead. was quite successfulin the follow­ 1l •••bxc6 12.dxcS 0-0 13. ing game: 11...c4?! (Black was re­ �b3 .!g4 14Jffd3;!; luctant to castle, being afraid of the safety of his rook-pawn, but his situation became even worse with his king stranded in the cen­ tre.) 12.l2Jf1 l2Jf8 (after 12 ... 0-0, White obtains an edge after the reliable move 13.l2J3h2±, as well as with the sharper line: 13.l2JgS f6 14.hhS l2Jxh4!? lS . .tf7+ l"1xf7 16.l2Jxf7<±>xf7 17.gxh4± and his ex­ tra exchange is more important than the somewhat weakened shelter of his king.) 13.l2JeS g6 14. Black has some compensation l2Je3 f6 lS.l2Jxc6 bxc6 16.b3 cxb3 fo r the pawn, exerting pressure 17.axb3±. White's advantage is on the light squares, but White's undoubted, because Black has too position in the centre is so solid many weaknesses in his camp, that he can rely on gradually neu­ Vachier Lagrave - Wirig, Evry tralizing Black's initiative. There

2008 (game 26). might follow: 14 .••.!f6 1S.c3 l"1e8 Black could have played better (14 ...�d7 lS . .tgS±) 16.l:�xe8+ however with the move 11 ...0-0 !' �xe8 17 . .!gS±. Pieces are ex­ Black's hS-pawn seems doomed changed and White's knights are indeed, but his pieces are activat­ ready to occupy the d4-outpost. ed and it turns out that White He has an extra pawn and a com­ cannot capture it comfortably. For pletely safe position.

142 Chapter 4 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.tLld2g6 ; 3 ...b6 ; 3 ... tLle7

Complete Games

20 Zapata Mariotti Thessaloniki 1988 l.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.tDd2 f5 4.exfS exfS 5.tDdf3 .ie7 6 . .id3 tDf6 7.tDe2 0-0 8.0-0 ttle6 9.tDf4 .id6 10.e4 .ixf4 1l . .ixf4 .ie6 12.e5 tDe4 13.gel g5 14.,ixg5 tDxg5 15.tDxg5 �xg5 16.gxe6 tDxd4 17.ge3 �f6 18-'�fh5 gt7 19.9ael gafS nesses as his centralized knight, 20.ge5 eM which is isolated from his main forces and cannot be protected by a pawn. It has no suitable squares to retreat to either. White can em­ phasize all this by transferring his king to the e3-square in order to attack the enemy knight. Accord­ ingly, Black needs to decentral­ ize his rook to save his valuable piece. Still, he could have tried some Black has no real compensa­ less radical resource, for example: tion for his pawn weaknesses and 24 ...b6 !? 25.cxb6 axb6 26.f3 �g7 his f5-pawn is particularly vulner­ 27.�f2 �f6, coming to assist the able. knight without worsening the 21.�h3 �g5 22.�e3 gg7 23. placement of his other pieces. �xg5 gxg5 24. �f1 25.h3 gh4 26.f3�g7 27.�f2 (diagram) �g6 28.ge7 gt7 29.ge8 gh5 24 ...gg4 30.f4 In the endgame, it suddenly White could have played turns out that Black's main prob­ here 30.�e3 ctJb5 31.hb5 cxb5 lem is not so much his pawn weak- 32.�d4±

143 Chapter 4

30••• l!h4 31.�g3 l!h6 32. 43.l"lf8+ �g7 44J:'lb8= l!le5 b6 33.cxb6 axb6 34.�f2 43 •••tDe6+ 44 .�f3 l!d2=t 45. l!a7 35.�e3 l!a4 36.b3 l!b4 l!c8 l!c2 46.h4 d4 47.l!e1l!c3 + 37.�d2 48.�f2 tDf4 49.l!fS+ �g7 50. It also seems purposeful l!ee8 l!c2+ 51.�f3 tDg6 52. for him to opt for 37.a3!? l"lxb3 l!g8+ �h6 (52... �m) 53.l!e6 38.Wxd4 c5+ 39.We3 c4 40.l"lxd5 wf7 41.l"lee5± with good winning chances in the rook and pawn ending. Meanwhile, even afterthe move in the game, Black's pieces are so discoordinated that his po­ sition is nearly hopeless.

37••• l!h4 38.� e3 l!xf4?! This is already desperation. One of the doomed pieces is sacri­ ficed for the sake of the salvation 53 ... �h5?? of the rest. Black overlooks a simple tacti­ cal blow. 54.l!exg6! Black resigned.

21 Solak Asik Korinthos 1999 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.tDd2 tDe7 4.tDgf3 g6 5.h4 h6 6.i.d3 i.g7 7.c3 tDd7 8.e5 c5 9.0-0 tDc6 10.l!e1 cxd4 1l.cxd4 tDb6 12.tDf1i.d713.tD1h2�e714.tDg4 39.a3?? 0-0 -0 15.a3 �b8 16.i.f4 White was obviously in time­ �a8 17.�d2 �fS 18.l!ec1 l!c8 trouble. 19.b3t i.e8 20 .l!c5 tDd721.l! c2 After39. Wxf4+-Black's knight tDb6 22.�c1 i.d7 23.i.d2 �e7 had no suitable squares and White 24.l!aa2 would have remained with an ex­ tra rook.

39 •••l!xb3 40.�xf4 l!xd3oo Now the position is approxi­ mately equal, with mutual chanc­ es. The rest of the game is full of terrible blunders by both sides. 41.l!fS �g7 42.l!a8 wf6 43.l!e3?

144 3.tLld2

White enjoys a comfortable ad­ tical blow as before. vantage in this position, because 32 ••. lLld4! 33.�g5 Black has no counterplay. White But not 33.tLlxd4? �xh4. does not need to be in a hurry to 33 •••lLlxt3 + 34.gxf3�c7 35. gain material though, since after �b2 �a4 36.gc1 �c6 37.�d4 24.tLlxh6?, Black has the spec­ �a8. The opponents agreed to a tacular counter-strike 24... tLlxd4 ! draw in this sharp position with and after 25.tLlxd4 W1xh4 26.tLlf3 an approximate dynamic balance. W1h5+ he regains his piece with interest.

24 •••a6 25Jk3 �b8 26.gac2 22 Mista Nogueiras ,itS 27.gc5 �a7 28.�e3 �d8 Cappelle la Grande 2003 l.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.lLld2 b6 4.lLlgt3 lLlf6 5.e5lLlfd76.c 4 �e7 7.�d3 �b7 8.cxd5 hd5 9.�e4 c5 10 .hd5 exd5 11.�b3 lLlc6 12.�xd5 lLlb4 13.�b3 cxd4 14. 0-0 a5 15.lLlxd4 We have already mentioned in the Step by Step section that here 15.e6!? deserves attention.

15 •••lLlxe5 16.lLlfS 0-0 17. 29.b4 lLle4 ge8 18.�f4 White has consistently im­ proved his position and this was the right moment to capture on h6: 29.tLlxh6!? ,bh6 (29... ,bc5? 30.dxc5 tLlaB31.tLl xf7+-) 30.,bh6 tLlxd4! 31.�g5 tLlxf3+32.g xf3 W1eB 33.W1e3 �aB 34.a4±, maintaining powerful pressure. Now Black succeeds in obtaining good coun­ terplay.

29 .• )ba4! 30.tLlxh6 lLlxc5 18 •••�d3 31.dxc5 �6 32.�6 Naturally, it would not work for Naturally, White has excellent Black to play IB ... tLlg6 19.E1adl±, compensation for the exchange. but possibly his best chance was There are no open files and his the line: IB ...tLled 3!? 19.E1adl �d7 powerful dark-squared bishop, 20.g4 W1e6±, preserving some together with a pawn, is not infe­ prospects of a successfuldefence . rior to a rook, but Black saves the 19.he5 �xe4 20.�g3 �g5 day with the help of the same tac- This is his only move.

145 Chapter 4

It would be hopeless for him 9.eS cS 10.c3 as 1l.\We2 \Wc8 to opt for 20... g6 21.4Jh6+ \!tf8 12.0-0 �e7 13.\Wg4 \!tf8 14J�e1 22.1�·c3!� and White's attack �a6 lS.�bl! cxd4 16.cxd4 �a7 would be crushing. 17.4Jf3h6 18.�d2 �c7 19.a3;t 21.,bg7! \Wxf522 .�h6 f6 Black could have tried here 22 ...Ele 4!? 23.\WxgS+ \WxgS 24 . .bgS Elae8 with some drawing chances. In the game however he was forced to enter an endgame under much less favourable cir­ cumstances. 23.h4 \Wd3 24.hxgS \Wxg3 2S.fxg3fxgS 26.Elf6± The situation on the board is quite typical for the French De­ fence. White develops his initia­ tive on the kingside and Black attacks on the queenside. In this particular case however Black has no real targets for his offen­ sive, while White's aggression is aimed at the enemy king. There­ fore White's prospects in the com­ Black's position is very difficult ing fight are clearly superior; his despite the exchange of queens. strategy is bound to triumph.

His king is rather unsafe and his 19 •••\We8 20.h4 �c6 21.\Wf4 pawns are vulnerable. GM Jesus \!tg822 .hS gS Nogueiras is an excellent defend­ After this move, Black's king er, but even he failed to hold this becomes even more vulnerable, position. but it would be difficultto recom­

26 .•• 4Jc2 27.Elc1 Elac8 28. mend to him anything reasonable. Elxb6 4Jb4 29.l'�f1 4Jc2 30.Elf5 His useful moves on the queen­ 4Je1 3U:!xgS+ \!tt732J:! g7+ and side have been exhausted and the in view of the unavoidable check­ rook on h8 must come into the mate Black resigned. game somehow. (diagram) 23 Tischbierek - Hertneck 23.\Wg3 Altenkirchen 2001 This is admittedly a good 1.e4 e6 2.d4 dS 3.4Jd2 b6 move. White plans to transfer his

4.4Jgf3 4Jf6 S.4JeS .ib7 6 • .ibS+ knight to g4 via the h2-square and c6 7 • .id3 4Jbd7 8.4Jxd7! 4Jxd7 to follow this with f2-f4.

146 3.tDd2

This move loses immediately. After 28 ...b5 29.tDg4 b4 30. axb4 axb4 31.tDxf6 tDxf6 32 . .id2± Black is clearly worse and for an experienced chess player with White it would not be so difficult to convert this advantage into a full point in the tournament table. Accordingly, Black's decision can Still, it was much stronger for be easily understood. him to play 23.hxg6!? fxg624.VN g4 29.dxe5 lDxe5 30• .ixe5 'i!fg7 25.tDh4.bh4 (after 25 ...tDf8 .ixe5 3U�xe5! Black cannot 26J:'le3, White's attack is even capture this rook because of the stronger) 26.VNxh4 g5 27.VNg4, checkmate, so he resigned. threatening not only the under­ mining move 28.f4, but also the tremendously dangerous transfer 24 Kasparov - Agdestein of his rook to the kingside along Tilburg 1989 the third rank after 28.a4 and 1.d4 e6 2.e4 d5 3.lDd2 b6 later l"la3. 4.lDgf3 .ib7 5 . .ib5+ c6 6 . .id3

23 •••�g7 24.lDh2 f5 25. .ie7 7. 0-0 dxe4 8.lDxe4 lDf6 exf6+ .ixf6 9.lDxf6 + .ixf6 10• .if4 0-0 Black is reluctant to defend 1l.ti'e2ti'd5 passively and is trying to prepare This attempt by Black to play e6-e5. actively backfires. Meanwhile, it He should avoid the line: 25 ... did not seem attractive to him to lDxf6 26. .ig6 VNb8 27.f4! and defend the rather passive position White will destroy Black's mon­ after1l ...tDd7 12.l"ladl± arch's residence. 12• .ie4 ti'h5

26 • .ig6 ti'b8 27.ti'h3 ti'd6 28 . .ic3!±

13.a4! White immediately attacks

28 •••e5? Black's vulnerable queenside,

147 Chapter 4 rendered even more defenceless White obtains a considerable afterthe retreat of his queen from material advantage and he only there. needs to parry Black's desperate

13 •••.!lJd7 14.a5 bxa5 tactical sorties in order to win the Additional weaknesses ap­ game. pear after this move, but Black 22 •.•l3dS did not have much choice. White 22 ....id8 23.cxbS haS 24. was threatening 1S.a6 and if 14 ... Y«xaS+- E:ac8 he would have the resource 23.Y«b4 l3acS 24.cxb5 c5 1S.axb6 followed by 16.E:a7. 25.b6!

15 • .id6 l3fcS 16.Y«d2 .idS This is the most precise and This is an awkward move for exquisite decision for White.

Black to make, but he had no al­ 25 •••l3xd6 26.bxa7 l3ddS ternative. 27.Y«a4.ie5 2S.aSY« 17. .!lJe5 .!lJxe5 lS.dxe5 .ia6 He could have deprived his op­ 19.13fe1 ponent of any chances with moves like 28.h3 or 28.g3, but White de­ cides magnanimously to allow his opponent to give him some checks before resigning.

2S ••.Y«x h2+ 29.Wf1 l3xaS 30.l3xaS. Black resigned.

25 Neverov Turner Pardubice 2000 His pieces are discoordinat­ 1.d4 .!lJf6 2.c4 e6 3 . .!lJc3d5 ed and very passive. White was 4.cxd5 .!lJxd5 5 • .!lJf3 c5 6.e3 threatening 20.E:a3, followed by .!lJxc3 7.bxc3 .ie7 S • .id3 cxd4 a transfer of his rook to the king­ 9.exd4 .!lJd7 10.0-0 0-0 side. 1l.Y«e2 .!lJf6 12.c4 b6 13 . .ib2

19 •••f5 .ib7 14 . .!lJe5 l3cS 15.l3ad1 l3c7 We could put a question mark 16.f4 g6 17. .ic2 to this move, since it loses quick­ ly, but Black would not have man­ aged to hold this position anyway. He was practically defenceless against the transfer of White's rook to the h3-square. 20.e xf6 .ixf6 20... gxf6 2U�a3+- Ll22.E:h3. 21.l3xa5 .ib5 22.c4+-

148 White plays patiently, but very consistently, purposefully and effectively. He has completed his development and having de­ ployed his pieces in the centre he begins to prepare the pawn-break d4-dS! Black is practically help­ less against this plan. The only reasonable thing that he can do is exchange pieces, but how is he source, but White regains the ex­ supposed to do this? After 17 ... change and his powerful passed tUd7, he must seriously consider d-pawn remains on the board. the immediate break 18.dS! 23.d6 .ixd324:� xd3 gd7

l7•• :�a8 l8. .ib3 ge8 Having seen what happened later, a move like 18 .. J��d8 may be recommended, placing the rook on another square. The point is, however, that the straightfor­ ward increase in control over the dS-square would not help Black to prevent the coming break­ through in the centre. For ex­ ample: 19.1'!d3 .if8 20.1'!fd1 .ig7 2S . .ia4 21.dS! exdS 22.cxdS tUxdS (after White missed a beautiful 22 ...hdS 23.�d2+- he will not forced win here: 2S.tUxf7! 1'!xf7 manage to unpin without mate­ 26.d7 1'!d8 (26... tUxd7 27.�xd7 rial losses either) 23.�f3 1'!cS (fol­ 1'!ef8 . 28.ia3+-) 27.hf7+ �xf7 lowing 23 ...,ixeS 24.heS 1'!cd7 28.�b3+ tUdS 29.1'!xdS hb2 30. 2S.�h3---+ White's attack on the 1'!d1+ �e7 31.�xb2+-, but does dark squares is very powerful) not lose his clear advantage. Its 24.fS+- Black has come under a realisation is just a matter of some deadly pin along the d-file and his more time if you have the required imminent material losses are un­ technique. GM Valery Neverov avoidable. has it, no doubt about it ...

19 J�d3 .if'S 20 J::!fdl .ig7 2S••. ged8 26. .ixd7 tUxd7 (diagram) 27.�e4 tUxeS 28.fxeS �b7 29. 2l.dS!± gel .ih6 30.ge3 bS 31.�d4 This pawn-break was unavoid­ �d7 32.ge7 �e6 33.h4 as 34. able anyway! ge7 �e4 3S. �xe4 bxe4 36.

2l ..•exdS 22.exdS .ia6 ge7 .if'S 37.gxe4 f6 38.exf6 Maybe Black relied on this re- .ixd6 39.'i!?f2 'i!?f7 40.g4 gb8

149 Chapter 4

41.,ic3 g5 42.hxg5 gb5 43.gc6 files. He can even afford to sacri­ ,if4 44.�t3 hg5 45.gc7+ fice some material to accomplish �g6 46.gg7+ �h6 47.f7 ,ie7 this and he does not need to hur­ 4S.ggS. Black resigned. ry. In fact, the rest of the game is an instructive example of the cor­ 26 Vachier Lagrave - Wirig rect method of realisation of the Evry 2008 advantage in similar positions.

l.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.li:Jd2 17••• li:Je6 IS.c4 li:Jc7 19.,id2 li:Je74.li:Jgi3 li:Jg6 5. h4 h5 6.g3 gbS 20.,ia5,ib4 21.cxd5!? c5 7.exd5 exd5 S.,ib5+ li:Jc6 It was also good for White to 9.0-0 a6 10.gel+ ,ie7 11.,ie2 choose 21..bb4 l':1xb4 22 . .bh5! c4 12.li:JfJ. li:Jf8 13.li:Je5 g6 21 ••• ha5 14.li:Je3 f6 15.li:Jxc6bxc6 16.b3 Black would not have changed cxb3 17.axb3± much with 21.. . .bel 22.1��xel 0-0 23.dxc6± 22.gxa5 li:Jxd5 23.gc5 li:Je7 24. d5 �d6 25.�c2 gxb3 26.,it3 gb5

Black's pawn-structure is so bad that his king will not have a safe shelter anywhere on the board. White only needs to pre­ serve enough pieces and to open 27.gxc6. Black resigned. Chapter 5 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.tLld2 tLlc6

Quick Repertoire

with e6-es. In the middle of the last century, this move was fre­ quently played by the Argentin­ ian GM Carlos Enrique Guimard and a bit later it became a part of the opening repertoire of GMs Rafael Vaganian, Robert Huebner and Vlatko Kovacevic. At present it is a part of the regular opening armoury of GMs Milan Drasko, Christian Bauer, Yury Kruppa and We shall devote this chapter many other strong players. to the move 3 ... ttJc6, which was 4.ttJgf.JtDf 6 S.eS played for the first time in the Now, in contrast with many game Spielmann - Nimzowitsch, other variations in this book, Berlin 1928 and is still quite White should not try to maintain popular nowadays. Black's last the tension in the centre, because move seems a bit awkward - he after s.i.d3 Black equalizes im­ blocks his own c-pawn and gives mediately with s ... ttJb4!

up the possibility of undermin­ S ••• tDd7 ing White's centre with c7-cs, but nevertheless the move is in ac­ cordance with the classical prin­ ciples of play in the opening. He attacks the centre immediately and plans to force the opponent to advance his pawn to es. Later, after Black quickly develops his pieces, he will undermine White's centre from the other side withf7- f6 and subsequently, if possible,

151 Chapter S

6 . .ie2 case Black obtains excellent com­ White has numerous moves pensation thanks to his lead in de­ at his disposal - 6.c3, 6.�d3, 6. velopment, but by playing 9.tt:Je3!. �b5 and a few others, but this See the details in the Step by Step seemingly modest development section. of his bishop, together with 6. 9.lOe3 0-0 10.0-0 "ti'g6 tt:Jb3, considered by theory as the Black frees the f6-square for most promising line at the mo­ his knight. ment. An attempt to fortify his d5- The more active move 6.�d3 pawn, for example with 10 ...tt:Jb6, allows Black to play 6 ...tt:Jb4, fol­ is not so effective,because White's lowed by 7 ... c5, while if 6.�b5 a6, knight will be always ready to go then White mustimmedi ately ex­ to g4. After 1O ...�f7 (with the idea change his bishop, which is pos­ of 1l ...tt:Jf 6), White can play 1l.c4 sible of course, but hardly to eve­ and Black fails to accomplish the ryone's liking. desired pawn-break e6-e5 in both

6 •••f6 7.exf6 "ti'xf6 S.lOfl cases. 1l.g3

White's bishop on e2 does not obstruct the d-file (in contrast White prepares the manoeu­ with its placement on d3) and he vre 12.tt:Jh4, followed by 13.f4, wishes to prevent Black's pawn­ radically solving the problem of break e6-e5 by exerting pressure his opponent's breakthrough in against the d5-pawn. This is the the centre. idea behind the transfer of the 1l •••lOf6 12.lOh4"ti'eS 13.f4 knight to the e3-square. After this move the pawn­

S .•..id6 structure in the centre is stabi­ The immediate 8 ...e5 will be lized and White obtains a long­ refuted by White, not by accept­ lasting advantage. ing the pawn-sacrifice: 9.dxe5?! 13 .••lOe 7 14.lOg4lOe 4 15.lOf3 tt:Jdxe5 1O.�xd5, because in that c5 16 •.id3 lOf5 17.c3 b6 1S."ti'e2

152 3.tl:Jd2 tLJc6 4.tLJgf3tLJf6 S.eS tLJd7 6 . .ie2 ib7 19.�ge5 a6 20. .ie3 c4 In the arising position, White's

21 • .ic2 b5 main task is to drive away or ex­ change Black's active knight on e4. If he succeeds in this opera­ tion, Whitewill be able to exploit the long-term defects of his oppo­ nent's position - the weakness on e6 and the passive bishop on b7. 22J:�aeU White plans 23 . .icl and only then 24.tLJd2,after which Black will hardly be able to main­ tain his piece or pawn in the e4- outpost. Chapter S 1.e4 e6 2.d4 dS 3.tLld2 tLlc6 4.tLlgfJ

Step by Step

(it is worse for Black to opt for 9 ... tLlf6?! 1O.eS tLlg4 1l.tLlf3 hS 12.h3 tLlh6 13.We2± and White had an obvious advantage, thanks to the awkward placement of his oppo­ nent's knight on h6, and Black's attempt to bring it immediately into action with 13 ...tLlfS? led af­ ter 14.e6+- to material losses for him in the game Fiorito - Feige, Villa Ballester 1997) 10.tLlb3 �b6

4 ...�f6 (10 ...�d6 11.�e1 dxe4 12.�xe4 This is the main line for Black. 0-0 13.�e3±) 1l.a4! as (after 11... Let us have a look at his alterna­ a6 12.aS �a7 13.We2± Black has tives: problems with the protection of 1) 4 ...�g e7 S.c3 g6 - see 4 ...g6; his a6-pawn) 12.�d2 0-0 13.Wel± S ... �g6?! - see 3 ... tLle7 (Chapter Black's as-pawn is so weak that 4); White maintains an undoubted 2) 4 ...�e7 S.c3 tLlf6 (S ... tLlh6 - advantage; see 4 ...tLlh6) 6.� d3 dxe4 7.tLlxe4- 5) 4 ...a6 S.c3 g6 (S ...�e7 6.eS see 4 ...dxe4 ; hS 7.�d3 �d7 S.tLlfl tLla7 9.h4 �bS 3) 4 ...�d7 S.c3 tLlge7 6.�d3 1O.�gS �xd3 11.Wxd3 Wd7 12.�h3 tLlg6 7.0-0 tLlce7 SJ!e1 �c6 9.eS 0-0-0 13.0-0-0 <;t>bS 14.�g3 f6 Wd7 10.a4 tLlfS 1l.b4 WcS 12.tLlb3 1S.�f4t Tzermiadianos - Troupis, �e7 13.bS �d7 14.�a3t Barua - Ano Liosia 1997) 6.�d3 �g7 Vladimirov, New Delhi 2000; 7.0-0 tLlf6 S.eS tLld7 9.tLle1 tLle7 4) 4 ...eS S.�bS exd4 (S... dxe 4?! 1O.f4 cS 1l.tLldf3 cxd4, Martinovic 6.tLlxeS±) 6.tLlxd4 �d7 7.tLlxc6 - Sahovic, Vrnjacka Banja 19S2. bxc6 S.�d3 �cS (S ...�d6 9.0-0 White can continue with 12.cxd4 tLle7 1O.tLlf3 0-0 11.b3t; 1O ... dxe4 tLlc613.tLlc2i and he has the initi­ 11.�xe4 0-0, Notter - Wittmann, ative thanks to the powerful pawn Germany 2001, 12.b3t) 9.0-0 tLle7 on eS;

154 3. tLld2 tLlc6 4. tLlgj3

6) 4 ...f5 5.exf5 exf5 6.�b5 �d6 �e2t with a dangerous initiative (it is rather dubious for Black to for him in view of White's lag in choose 6 ... tLlh6?!, since he falls development.) 1O ... dxc4 11.tLlxc4 considerably behind in develop­ �b4, Vaganian - Gusev, Mos­ ment: 7.0-0 tLlf7 8.c4 a6 9.i.a4 cow 1972. White should continue dxc4 1O.hc6+ bxc6 11.�e1 + �e7 here with 12.�e2! and after 12 ... 12.�e2 as 13.tLlxc4 �f8 14.tLlfe5± b5 13.a3 bxa4 14.axb4, Black Aparicio - Rossetto, Quilmes has numerous weaknesses in his 1980; 13 ...�a6 14.�g5 tLlxg5 15. camp and this provides White tLlxg5± Black must lose material) with some edge, for example af­ 7.0-0 tLlge7 (It is possibly best ter: 14 ...tLlxb 4?! 15.�g5 �e8 (it is for Black to play 7 ...tLlf6 8.c4 0-0 more or less the same following 9.c5 �e7 1O.hc6 bxc6 11.tLle5 �d7 15 ...tLlbd5 16.�xa4 �e8) 16.�xa4 12.�e1 tLle4 13.f3 tLlg5 14.tLlb3 tLlf7 tLlbd5 17.�ae1t he exerts powerful 15.tLld3 �f6 16.�f4 g5 17.�e5;tand pressure; White had only a slight edge in the 7) 4 ... tLlh6 5.c3 game Boleslavsky - Bondarevsky, Parnu 1947; he is a bit better in the variation 9 ... �f4 1O.hc6 bxc6 11.tLlb3 hel 12.�xcU) 8.c4 0-0 9.�e1 a6

and now: 5 ...�e7 6.�d3 0-0 (6 ...dxe4 7.tLlxe4 tLlf5 8.�f4 �d6 9.tLlxd6+ tLlxd6 1O.�e2 tLle7 11.0-0-0 f6 12.g4 0-0 13.g5 tLld5 14.�d2± 1O.�a4! (White should avoid A.lvanov - Reyes, Boston 1988; the complications after 1O.hc6 6 ...f5 7.exd5 exd5 8.tLlf1! �d6 9. tLlxc6! - it is not so precise for g3 �e6+ 10.�e2 0-0 11.�f4 �d6 Black to continue with 1O ...bxc 6?! 12.�xe6+ he6 13.hd6 cxd6 14. 11.c5 �f4 12.tLlb3 hel 13.�xc1 f4 tLlg5 �ae8 15.tLle3± Janosevic - 14.tLle5± and White has a great Savadkuhi, Biel 1981; 8 ...tLlf7 9. advantage - 11.cxd5 tLlb4 12.�b3 tLle3 f4 1O.tLlf5 .ixf5 11.hf5±; a5� and Black has good compen­ Black should avoid 9 ...g6? ! 10. sation for the pawn, for example: �b3± and he loses a pawn, Wahls 13.a3 a4 14.�c4 b5! 15.�xb5 tLlc2 - Savadkuhi, Hamburg 1993) 16.�c6 tLlxe1 17.�xa8 �e8 18.�c6 7.0-0 f5 (it would be worse for

155 Chapter S

him to play 7 ...f 6?! B.�c2 and he would have to continue with 8. . .fS anyway, losing a tempo, Milic - R.Horvath, Belgrade 194B) B.exdS exdS 9.�c2! This powerful move prevents 9 .. .f4, as well as 9 ...ttJf7 (9.!'le1 f4 ! 10.b4 ifS? Wittmann - Bednarski, Germany 19B3) 9 ... g6. This is another weakening, but Black's last move is practically Here White has a very pow­ forced. (In the game Ubach - Gal­ erful resource at his disposal: lego, Spain 1990, Black played 9 ... 1l.ttJc4!! ttJf7 (This is the only i>hB, but afterthat with the move move for Black. He loses material 10.!'le1,White could have created after 11...dxc4 12.ixc4+ followed much greater problems for his op­ by 13.igS+-) 12.ttJxd6cxd6 (12 ... ponent. Now Black cannot con­ �xd6 13.if4!±) 13.h4± with a solid tinue with 10 .. .f4 1l.ixh7±, or positional advantage for White. 1O ...ttJf7 11.ixfS±, while after 10 ... B) 4 ...g6 S.c3 ig7 6.id3 ttJh6 id6 1l.ttJf1 ttJf712. ttJe3ttJe7 13.c 4 (The other possible development dxc4 14.ttJxc4 ib4 lS.id2 ixd2 of Black's knight is 6 ... ttJge7, after 16.�xd2± his numerous pawn­ which 7.0-0 0-0 B.!'le1 follows. weaknesses provide White with Black has tried numerous lines an undoubted advantage.) 1O.b4 here, but none of them solves his a6 1l.ttJb3 ttJf7 12.!'le1 (12.a4!?) opening problems: B .. .f6 9.b3 !'lf7 12 ...id6 13.a4 �f6 14.bS axbS 15. 1O.ia3 dxe4 11.ttJxe4 ttJdS 12.�d2 axbS !'lxal 16.ttJxalttJa S (it is pref­ b6 13.!'ladll;Faibisovich - Chepu­ erable for Black to play 16 ...ttJe7 kaitis, St. Petersburg 1996; B ...aS 17.c4!t , but White has the initia­ 9.eS b6 1O.ttJf1 ia6 11.ic2 ttJbB tive anyway) 17.�a2 ttJc4 1B.ixc4 12.h4 cS 13.ttJ1h2 ttJd7 14.hS !'lcB dxc4 19.�xc4 i>g7 20.ttJb3± Kui­ lS.igS !'leB 16.ttJg4 �c7 17.!'lcl jpers - Timman, Leeuwarden ttJfS l8.�d2--+- the concentration 1969; of White's pieces on the kingside S .. .fS 6.exdS exdS 7.id3 id6 has become threatening, Jansa - (the alternatives for Black lead to L.Karlsson, Gausdal 1991; or B ... transposition of moves: 7 ...ie7? ! b6 9.eS f6 10.exf6 ixf6 11.ttJf1 ttJfS B.ttJf1!±-seeS ...ie7; 7 ...ttJf7B.0-0 12.if4 ig7 13.�d2 ttJd6 14.b3 id7 ie7 9.�c2 g6 10.b4 a6 11.!'le10-0 lS.h3! ttJf7 16.ttJ1h2 ttJe7 17.ttJg4 12.a4 - see the game Kuijpers - ttJfS 1B.ttJgeS± and White main­ Timman, which we have already tains a stable advantage thanks analyzed) B.O-O 0-0 9.!'le1 �f6 to his more active pieces and his 1O.�b3 ttJe7,Ma .Tseitlin - Mura­ dominance over the vital eS-out­ tov, USSR 1977. post, Ueter - Hecht, Germany

156 3.tZld2 tZlc6 4.tZlgf.3

1988) 7.0-0 0-0 8J'l:e1 f6 9.b4 a6 10.a4

18.l'l:xa1 l'l:xe7(it is the same after 18 ...'lWxe7 19.l'l:a7 'IWd8)19.1'l:a8 l'l:e8 20.l'l:a7 'lWd8 21.h3;t and he has a 1O ...tZlf7 (1O ...l'l:e8 1l.'lWb3 tZle7 lasting initiative, since he has oc­ 12 . .ib2 b6 13.c4 tZlf7 14.l'l:e2 'lWd7 cupied the only open file and his lS.l'l:ae1 dxc4 16.tZlxc4;t White's rook on a7 is tremendously ac­ pieces are deployed much more tive. harmoniously, Sokolsky - Korch­ 9) 4 ...dxe4 S.tZlxe4 noi, Kiev 19S4) 1l . .ia3 l'l:e8 ...(11 tZle7 12.bS c6. Black did not need to create weaknesses on the side of the board where his opponent was obviously stronger, but he could hardly continue the game without advancing pawns on the queenside. 13.'lWb3 l'l:e8 14.bxc6 bxc6 lS.aS gS 16.h3 dxe4?! - it was better for him to play 16 ...tZlg6 - 17.tZlxe4 tZldS 18.g3± Marjanovic ­ and now: Arapovic, Yugoslavia 1979. White S ...b6 6 . .ibS i.b7 (6 ...'lWdS? maintains a considerable advan­ 7.'lWe2 tZlf6 8.c4 .ib4+ 9.i>f1 and tage, since it would be too danger­ in the game Rausis - Herboth, ous for Black to capture the pawn: Baden-Baden 1993, Black had 18 ...'lWxaS 19.c4 'lWb6 20.'lWc2 tZle7 to resign, because of 9 ...'lWd7 21.tZld6tZlxd6 22. cS!t; or 20 ...tZlb4 1O.dS+-; he also loses quickly af­ 21.bb4 'lWxb4 22.tZlcS±) 12.'lWb3 ter 7 ....ib7 8.c4 .ib4+ 9.i>f1 'lWd8 ttJe7 13.bS axbS 14.axbS 'lWd7 1S.c4 1O.dS!+-) 7.tZleS 'lWdS (7... tZlg e7? dxc4 16.tZlxc4 b6 8.'lWf3 f6 9.'lWhS+-) 8.'lWe20-0-0, (diagram) Golyak - Stenzel, New York 1988, This position arose in the game 9.c4 tZlxd4 (Black loses a lot of Keres - Troianescu, Moscow material after9 ...'lWxd4 1O.tZlxt7±) 19S6. White has the possibility of 10.bdS l'l:xdS! (the queen-sacri­ OCcupying the a-file: 17.be7 l'l:xa1 fice is his best chance; after 10 ...

lS7 ChapterS ttJxe2 11.hb7+ �xb7 12.�xe2, werp (simul) 2001, the position Black loses a piece) 11.'.Wdl! 1'!xeS became very unclear following 12.f3 1'!dS 13.�e3 (The simplest 8. .. ttJxd4 9.ttJxd4 '.Wxd4 1O.'.Wxd4 solution for White is to give back exd4. Naturally, White has some some of the material in order to compensation for the pawn, but neutralize Black's initiative.) 13 ... it should hardly be sufficient for ttJb3 14.axb3 1'!xdl+ IS.1'!xdl± and more than a draw. Therefore, he White maintains his material ad­ should make a useful move fo r vantage; the time being and develop his S ...�e7 6.c3 ttJf6 7.�d3 0-0 bishop to g2 a bit later.) 7 ...'.We7 B.O-O b6 (B ... ttJxe4 9.he4 �d7 (7... ttJe7, Hay - Depasquale, Mel­ 10.'.Wc2 h6 11.�f4 1'!bB 12.1'!adl± bourne 19B7, B.g3t; it will not M.Schneider - Przybela, Germa­ work for Black to play 7 ...b6, be­ ny 1999) 9.'.Wc2 h6 (9... g6 1O.�h6 cause of B.�bS; his undermining 1'!eB 11.1'!adl �b7 12.1'!feU) 10. operation in the centre is not well ttJxf6+ hf6, Kummerow - Schork, enough prepared either: after 7 ... Recklinghausen 2002, 11.'.We2�b7 eS, White can reply with B.�bS, as 12.'.We4 1'!eB 13.'.Wh7+ �fB 14.�f4± well as B.�e3) B.�e3 �g7 (B ...�d7 Black's king is so unsafe in the 9.g3 hS 1O.�g2 �h6 11.'.Wd2 he3 centre of the board that White has 12.'.Wxe3 0-0-0 13.0-0 �bB, Ku­ an obvious advantage; laots - K.Andersson, Stockholm S ...ttJf6 6.ttJxf6+ gxf6 (6 ...'.Wxf6 1993, 14.b4t) 9.g3 �d7 10.�g2 - see Chapter 1) ttJdB?! (10 ...0-0-0 11.0-0t) 11. 0-0 �c6 12.1'!el '.Wd713.c 4± Kutu­ zovic - Zeleznik, Otocec 2006.

7.c3!? (Black plans to de­ velop according to the following scheme: b6, �b7, '.Wd7, 0-0-0 with an acceptable position. White should try to impede this way of 5.e5 development by a fianchetto of Here, in contrast with many his light-squared bishop, but af­ other chapters in this book, White ter the immediate 7.g3 eS! B.�g2, should not try to maintain the G.Kasparov - Gazet Van, Ant- tension in the centre, because af-

ISB 3.liJd2 liJc6 4.liJgj3 liJJ6 S.eS liJd7 6.i.e2 ter S.i.d3 Black equalizes imme­ square. Black should play B ... diately with S ...liJb4 ! Bondarevsky liJc6.) 9.�el i.e7 1O.liJf1 0-0 11. - Saigin, Moscow 1945. i.d3 �b6 12.liJg3 cxd4 13.cxd4 fS

5 •..liJd7 6. i.e2 14.exf6 gxf6 (He has great prob­ lems too after the other possibili­ ties: 14 ...liJxf6 IS.hg6 hxg6 16. liJeS i.b4 17.�e3±; 14 ...hf6 IS. hg6 hxg6 16.liJe2±Ll17.liJf 4) IS. hg6 hxg6 16.liJh4 i.b4 (16 ...gS 17.�hS! gxh4 18.liJfS! exfS 19. �xe7+-) 17.�g4 gS IB.hgS! fxgS 19.�xe6 i.d2 20.�g6+ �xg6 21. liJxg6+- Bednarski - Pinkas, Wroclaw 19BO; 6 ...liJa S 7.0-0 i.e7 (7 ...cS B. dxcS! This is an interesting plan We have already mentioned for White. He refrains from the in the Quick Repertoire section routine retention of the pawn­ that this quiet development of bastion on the d4-square with the bishop creates many more B.c3 and relies on quick devel­ problems for Black than White's opment and active piece-play on other active methods of develop­ the kingside, exploiting his pow­ ment such as 6.i.d3 and 6.i.bS. erful eS-pawn. B ...hcS 9.liJb3 The other move recommended by i.e7 1O.liJxaS �xaS 11.c3 0-0 12. theory here is 6.liJb3!? �el �eB 13.i.d3 h6 14.liJd4 �c7 IS.�hS i.fB 16.�e3--+ with a dan­

A) 6 .•.i.e7 gerous attack, which White will

B) 6 •.•f6 develop further with i.d2, �ael, �g3, Godena - Borgo, Milan Black's alternatives are: 1993, game 27) B.�el c5 9.c4 b6 6 ...liJcbB 7.h4 b6 B.hS cS 9.c3 (White'sini tiative is very powerful cxd4 1O.cxd4 i.a6 (lO ...h6 !? l1.liJf1 even after Black's other possibili­ i.a6 12.i.d2 he2 13.�xe2 liJc6 ties as well: 9 ...dxc4 10.liJxc4 liJxc4 14Jlcl ElcB IS.liJlh2 i.e7 16.0-0 11.hc4 cxd4 12.�xd4! liJb6 - 0-0 17.liJg4t) l1.h6 g6 12.liJf1 12 ...0-0 13.�g4!t - 13.i.bS+ i.d7 i.e7 13.i.d2 he2 14.�xe2 liJc6 14.hd7+ �xd7 IS.�g4t; 9 ...cxd4 IS.Elcl l'kB 16.liJlh2 �c7 17.0-0 10.cxdS exdS l1.e6! fxe6 12.liJxd4 0-0 IB.liJg4 �b7 19J'k3 liJcbB liJf6 13.i.bS+ 1t>t7 14.liJ2f3 liJe4 20.i.gS± Hort - Seirawan, Lone IS.i.d3t) 1O.cxdS exdS 11.dxcS Pine 1979; bxcS 12.liJf1 d4 13.b4 cxb4 14.e6 6 ... liJe7 7.0-0 cS B.c3 liJg6(Hi s fxe6 IS.liJxd4 liJf6 16.i.f3 t Vyso­ knight is misplaced on this chin - Kosikov, Kiev2000;

IS9 Chapter S

6 ...a6 llJe79.llJf 1 c5 10.c3 llJc6 1l.a3 �e7 12.�d3 - see B ...ie 7; it is weaker for Black to continue with 10 ... llJg6 1l.g3!t Llh4-h5) 9.llJf1 llJa5 1O.c3 c5 1l.i.d3 llJc612.a 3 c4

7.llJf1! In this scheme, White's knight is transferred very oftenvia d2 and f1 to e3 or g3 (after7.0-0 f6 B.exf6 Vffxf6 9.llJb3, the knight has to go to a less favourable A typical French Defence posi­ square - b3). 7 .. .f6 B.exf6 llJxf6 tion has arisen. White has seized 9.�g5 (this is the most advanta­ space on the kingside, thanks to geous set-up for him, afterwhich his e5-pawn, and Black has extra Black's centre is subjected to space on the queenside thanks maximum pressure: White's bish­ to his pawn on c4. The outcome op goes to g5 and his knight to e3, of the fight will depend on who followed by c2-c4) 9 ...i.d6 10.llJe3 will be faster in the attack on h6 (10 ...0-0 1l.llJg4 ie7 12.llJxf6+ "his side" of the board. 13.�c2 .ixf6 13 . .ixf6 Vffxf6 14.0-0 �dB (White did not play so well in 15.�e1 e5 16.dxe5 llJxe5 17.llJxe5 the game Prusikhin - Rustemov, Vffxe5 1B.�f3;t) 1l.i.h4�d7 12.0-0 Morso 2002: 13.�b1 b5 14.b4?! Vffe7, Oral - V.Kovacevic, Elista cxb3 15.Vffxb3 a6 16.Vffd1 llJb6 199B. He should continue here 17.llJ3d2 h5 1B.�e3 \!id7 19.1lJg3 with 13.c4 g5 14.�g3 0-0-0 h4 20.llJh5 g6 21.llJf4 �cB+! and 15.�cU with an advantage; the position offered chances to 6 ...b6 7.0-0 �b7 B.�e1 �e7 both sides) 13 ...b5 14.g3 as 15.h4 (B ...Vff e7 9.c3 0-0-0 1O.Vffa4 f6 h6 (15 ...llJb6 16.llJg5! h6 17.Vffh5t) 1l.i.a6 llJdbB 12.hb7+ \!ixb7 16.llJ3h2 (Ll17.Vffg4) 16 ...b4 (16 ... 13.b4;t Timoscenko - Sedina, h5 17.llJf3!) 17.Vffg4 \!ifB 1B.h5t Nova Gorica 1997; the other pos­ Llf2-f4-f5 White's initiative was sible moves for Black lead, by a much the more dangerous. transposition of moves, to the position analyzed later in the A) 6 ..•i.e7 !? game Prusikhin - Rustemov: B ... (diagram) llJa5 9.llJf1 c5 10.c3 �e7 1l.id3 Black postpones the under­ llJc6 12.a3 - see B ...�e7 ; or B ... mining move f7-f6 for a while,

160 3.tiJd2 CiJc6 4. CiJgj3 CiJf6 5.e5 CiJd7 6.�e2

waiting to see what set-up his op­ CiJf4 0-0 IS.g3 CiJc6 16.a3;!; Llh4- ponent will choose, and keeps the hS, White seizes the initiative. option to recapture later with his 7 ...CiJcbB B.CiJg3 cS 9.c3 b6 bishop or his knight. In this cur­ 10.h4 0-0 (it is more reliable for rently rather popular variation Black to play here 10 ...fi.a6 11. some new ideas have been intro­ fi.xa6 CiJxa612 .hS h6 13.0-0 0-0 duced lately. 14.CiJh2 fS IS.exf6 CiJxf6 16. CiJg4 fi.d6 17.CiJeS cxd4 IB.cxd4 fi.xeS Al)7)l�f1 19.dxeS CiJd7 20.\Wg4 \We7 21.f4 A2) 7. 0-0 l'!acB 22.fi.d2 l'!c4 23.l'!ael CiJacS 24.\Wg6 l'!cB 2S.b3;!; with only a slight edge for White, Kinder­ Al) 7.CiJf1!? mann - Klinger, Dubai 19B6) 11. White's knight is heading for fi.d3fS , Tejero Garces - Klinger, e3 or g3, depending on Black's Biel 1990 (it would be too risky further actions. This standard for Black to play 11...fi.a6 12.CiJgS manoeuvre,prior to castling, used fi.xd3 13.\Wxd3 g6 14.CiJxh7! rnxh7 to bring White good results. The IS.hS� and White's attack is very main exponent of the variation powerful). He should have con­ with 6 ...fi.e7 however, the Mon­ tinued here with 12.CiJgS! fi.xgS tenegro GM Milan Drasko, has 13.hxgS \WeB 14.\wf3 (threatening demonstrated a very important to continue his attack with CiJe2- improvement for Black. f4 , \Wh3) 14 ...fi.a6 IS.fi.xa6 CiJxa6 (diagram) 16.CiJe2 g6 17.CiJf4 CiJc7 IB.fi.e3± 7 ... 0-0 and later White plans 0-0-0, 7 ... CiJaS B.CiJg3 cS 9.c3 cxd4 l'!h6, l'!dhl with powerful pres­ 1O.cxd4 CiJb6 11.fi.d3 fi.d7, Estrada sure. Nieto - Kruppa, Cappelle la 7 ...b6 B.CiJe3 as (B ...CiJc bB Grande 1999. After 12.0-0 l'!cB 13. 9.0-0 cS 10.c3 fi.a6 11.fi.xa6 CiJxa6 CiJhsg6 (13 ... 0-0 14.fi.h6! gxh6 1S. 12.g3 CiJc7 13.h4 0-0 14.rng2;!; §'d2 fS 16.exf6 fi.xf6 17.\WxaS±) 14. Podobnik - Bilobrk, Pula 199B;

161 Chapter S

8 ...�b7 9.a3 4:Jcb8 10.c4 dxc4 8.llJg3 11.hc4 �a6 12.b3 c6 13.�c2 hc4 Here White more often plays 14.bxc4 4:Ja6 IS.0-0 0-0 16.�b2 8.4:Je3, to radically prevent the �c8 17.�a4 4:Jdb8 18.�adl �d7 pawn-break e6-eS after Black 19.�b3 �fd8 20.4:Jd2;!:; L.Milov - has advanced f7-f6. We will con­ Prusikhin, Germany 2002, game tinue our analysis of this a bit 28) 9.0-0 �a6 10.ha6 �xa6 11. further: 8 ...f6 9.exf6 4:Jxf6 (it is �e2 �a8 12.�d2 0-0 13.c4 dxc4 much weaker for Black to play 9 ... 14.�xc4 �b8 IS.�bS �c8 16.�acl M6?! 10.0-0 and there arises a 4:Jcb8 17.dS 4:JcS 18.dxe6 4:Jxe6 19. position, one which is not good 4:JfS �f8 20.4:J3d4 �d8 21o�e3;!:; for Black, from the variation 7 ... Petrienko - Monin, Pinsk 1986. f6 8.exf6 hf6 9.4:Je3 - see below) 7 ... f6 8.exf6 4:Jxf6 9.4:Jg3 0-0 10.0-0 �d6 11.c4 b6 10.0-0 - see 7 ... 0-0; 8 ...hf6 It is not so good for Black because of 9.4:Je3;!:; and White's knight will go to the g4-square. Firstly this will impede Black's thematic pawn-break e6-eS and secondly it will enable White to exchange the powerful enemy bishop at any moment he chooses. The game could continue: 9 ... 0-0 10.0-0 4:Jb611.4:Jg 4 �d7 (11...�e7 Now, after 12.b3 �b7 13.�b2 12.a4 as 13.b3 �e8 14.�bS �d7, 4:Je7fl Lobron - Drasko, Sarajevo Loncar - Balenovic, Zagreb 1993, 1984, or 12.a3 as 13.�c2 �b7fl IS.�f4±) 12.c3 h6 13.�d3 �e8 Speelman - Drasko, Moscow 14.�c2 4:Je7 1S.�el �hS I6.h3 �d6 1994, I do not like White's posi­ 17.�e2± �f7? 18.4:Jxf6+ and Black tion so much. His forces are not resigned, Lastin - Dmitriev, Vo­ harmoniously deployed with a ronezh 2007. knight on e3 and Black has suffi­ cient counterplay.

8 ...f6 The following game demon­ strates convincingly how power­ ful White's attack may become if Black delays undermining White's centre: 8 ...b6? ! 9.c3 �b7 1O.�d3 f6 l1oh4! �e8 (l1 ...fxeS 12.4:JgS! hgS 13.�xh7+! Wxh7 14.hxgS+ Wg8 IS. �hS 4:Je7 16.g6 4:Jxg6 17.�xg6�) 12.�c2 fS 13.4:Je2!

162 3.4:Jd2 4:Jc6 4.4:Jgj3 4:Jf6 S.eS 4:Jd7 6.fie2

4:JdbS14.4:Jf 4 �d7 1S.�bl! fia6 16. cuses on the all-important eS­ ic2 g6 17.g4! fxg4 IS.ixg6! idS square. 19.1"l:gl!!+- Canfell - Johansen, Black has several possibilities Melbourne 1991 and White's at­ in the diagram position. tack is crushing after 19 .. .';!ihS 1) It seems pointless for him 20.1"l:xg4,as well as after19 ...hxg6 to employ the prophylactic 11... 20.�xg6+ �g7 21.�xe6+ �f7 22. @hS?!, Grinfeld - Thoma, lich­ �xg4+ @h7 23.4:Jg6 with a quick tenstein 1997, 12.cS fie7 13.fibS;!; checkmate. 2) Giving up the centre at the 9.exf6 moment looks rather dubious 11 ... dxc4?!, since that enables White to deploy his forces comfortably and to exert pressure effortless­ ly against Black's weaknesses: 12.fixc4 h6 13.1"l:el 4:JdS 14.a3 �d7 IS.�d3 �f7 16.fia2 fid7 17.fid2 1"l:adS IS.1"l:e2 4:Jce7 19.1"l:ael a6 20. fibl 4:Jf6 21.4:JeS! fixeS 22.dxeS fibS 23.�c2 fid3 (23 ...fixe2 24. 1"l:xe2±)24. exf6 fixc2 2S.fxe7 �xe7 26.fixc2± Korneev - Bricard, Par­ is 1995. 9 ...hf6 ! 3) It seems more logical fo r White is also better after 9 ... him to choose 11...b6 - with the 4:Jxf6: 10.0-0 id6 (10... 4:Je4 11.c3 idea of keeping his bishop on d6 4:Jxg3 12.hxg3 if6 13.id3 fid7 and maintaining the tension in 14.�e2 �e7 IS.1"l:el 1"l:aeS, Kupo­ the centre: 12.1"l:el 4:Jg4 (12 ... @hS rosov - Rogers, Lazne Bohdanec 13.a3 fib7 14.cxdS exdS IS.fid3 1994, 16.fif4;!;) l1.c4 4:Je7 16.�c2. White creates the threat of 17.4:JgS. 16 ...fixg3 17. hxg3 4:Je4 IS.fif4± and Black is incapable of protecting his weak dark squares, Van der Wiel - Viss­ er, Netherlands 2006, game 29) 13.figS �d7 14.1"l:c1a6 1S.cxdS exdS 16.h3 4:Jf6 17.fid3 fixg3 IS.fxg3 4:Je4, Kharchenko - Razin, Do­ netsk 2007 (1S ...fib7 19.4:JeS 4:JxeS 20.dxeSt) 19.fixe4 dxe4 20.1"l:xe4 In the pawn-structure arising fib7 (20 ...�dS 21.�b3 �xb3 22. in the centre, typical of the French axb3±) 21.dS 4:JdS 22.1"l:e7 �xdS Defence, the strategical battle fo - 23.�xdS+ fixdS 24.1"l:cxc7 4:Je6

163 Chapter S

25.l:!cd7 ha2 (25 ...�c6 26.l:!d6 18.�d2 e5 19.dxe5 lDgxe5 20.lDxe5 .ixf3 27.l:!exe6±) 26.lDd4 lDxg5 lDxe5 21.�f5 i.g4 22.hg4 lDxg4 27J!xg7+ wh8 28.l:!xg5± White 23.Wib3 1"i:xfl+ 24.1"i:xfl 1"i:b8 has managed to obtain a consid­ 25.�c3;!;) 18. 1"i:ae1 l:!ae8 19.b4:t erable advantage. Black has deployed his forces well 4) Black reaches an accept­ and prepared the pawn-break e6- able position after 11 ...a6, cover­ e5, but White has two bishops ing the b5-square against White's and he would not mind the game bishop-sortie there and protect­ opening up. Therefore, even after ing his knight on c6 against pos­ the accomplishment of Black's sible attacks, in order to continue thematic pawn-advance, the eval­ the fight for the e5-square. Later, uation of the position as better for he plans to develop his bishop not White will not change; for exam­ to b7, as in the previousvaria tion, ple: 19 ...e5 20.�f5 Wid8 21.dxe5 but along its more usual route lDxe5 22.lDxe5 1"i:xe5 23.�d4;!; d7-e8-h5. The continuation was: 12.a3 �d7 13.c5 hg3

14.hxg3 h6 15.�f4 g5 16.�e3 10.llJh5 e5 H.dxe5 ltJdxe5 Wie7 17.Wic2 Wig7 18.l:!ad1 �e8? 12.ltJxf6 + with good counter chances for Even after White's immedi­ Black, A.Sokolov - Hug, Switzer­ ate castling, Black solves all his land 2010. problems with the same manoeu­ It looks as if White's play can vre: 12.0-0 �g4! The best for be improved: 14.fxg3! The com­ White here is to enter the varia­ ing fight will be most intense in tion 13.lDxf6+ Wixf6 14.lDxe5= see the centre and on the kingside, so 12.lDxf6+; because the line: 13.lDf4 it would be veryuseful for White Wid6 14.Wixd5+ Wixd5 15.lDxd5 to open the f-file.There might fol­ hf3 16.gxf3 lDd4 would lead to a low: 14 ...h6 (after14 ... �e8 15.�f4;!; sharp and double-edged position White consolidates his control in which Black's prospects are at over the e5-outpost) 15.�d3 �e8 least equal, Balogh - Rapport, 16.Wic2 i.h5 17.�e3 Wid7 (17 ...lDg 4 Szombathely 2011.

164 3.liJd2 tLlc6 4. tLlgj3 f6(jj S.eS tLld7 6 . .ie2

12 •..lWxf6 13. 0 - 0 draw, since after 15.lWxe2 lDxe5

Naturally, White should re­ 16 • .ie3= the drawish tendencies frain from capturing the pawn in this position are clear. with 13.lWxd5+?!, in view of 13 ... j,e6 14.lWc5 tLlxf3+ 15.ixf3 tLld4t, when his opponent would have a A2) 7. 0-0 dangerous initiative.

In this variation, the evalua­ 13 ....ig4 ! tion has changed drastically. It This is the improvement for was considered not so long ago Black, which we mentioned in that Black's position was excel­ our notes to White's 7'h move lent, but in the year 2011 the Ital­ and now the game becomes com­ ian GM Michele Godena demon­ pletely equal. Previously Black strated a way for White to fight used to play 13 ....ie6 14. tLlg5l'!adS for the advantage. It is signifi­ 15.tLlxe6 �xe6 16.b3± and despite cant that it happened in his game the powerful centralization of against GM Milan Drasko.

Black's forces, White's bishop­ 7 •..f6 pair in this open position pro­ For 7 ... 0-0 S.l'!e1 f6 9.exf6 - vides him with some advantage, see 7 ...f6. Rublevsky - Drasko, Yugoslavia 8.exf6 .ixf6 2002 (game 30). White obtains an advantage 14.lDxe5 effortlessly after Black recaptures After 14.�xd5+ <;t>hS 15 . .ie3 with his knight: S ...tLlxf6 9.l'!e1 l'!adS 16.�e4 tLlxf3+ 17.hf3 hf3 0-0, Moliboga - Dolzhikova, lS.�xf3 �xf3 19.9xf3 l'!xf3= the Kiev 2006, 1O.c3 .id611 . .id3±and position is a dead draw. the fight for the e5-square ends

14 .•..ixe 2. Here, in the up clearly in White's favour, for game Krivokapic - Drasko, Bar example, after11 ... �eS , White has 2010, the opponents agreed to a the powerful move 12.tLle5!

165 Chapter S

10.c3 e5 The subsequent developments are in White's favour, so maybe Black should consider postponing this pawn-break. Well, in the first place all his last few moves were aimed at accomplishing this as quickly as possible and secondly it is not easy for him to find an­ other useful preparatory move. For example: 10 ...'it>h8 1l.�d3! 9.gel! (ll.�bS!?) 1l ...eS 12.dxeS ttJdxeS This is the correct move-order 13.ttJxeS ttJxeS 14.l:'!xeS! heS 1S. for White. �hS± After the immediate move 1l.YlYb3 tbb6 9.c3, Black can play 9 ...eS !? Micic - M.Maric, Yugoslavia 1993. White would not achieve any­ thing much with 9.c4 0-0 1O.ttJb3 aS� Godena - Lysyj, Biel 2009. 9,..0-0 Black has not yet tried the move 9 ...ttJxd 4?! in practice, but this is not surprising, because even without a thorough analysis it is quite obvious that Black's situa­ tion is veryprecar ious. In order to clarifythe position for you, we will 12.a4! continue our analysis: 1O.ttJxd4 This is GM Godena's improve­ hd4 1l.ttJb3 �f6 12.�hS+ g6 ment! 13.l:'!xe6+ 'it>f7 14.�xdS c6! (This Previously White used to play is the best try for Black. After14 ... only 12.dxeS and after 12 ...ttJxeS 'it>g7 1S.�f3 ttJb6 16.�xd8 l:'!xd8 13.ttJxeS heS 14.ttJf3 �d6 1S.a4 17.l:'!el±White ends up with an ex­ c6, Black is not worse at all, Radu­ tra pawn.) 1S.l:'!xc6+ 'it>g7 16.l:'!d6 lov - Klinger, Graz 1987. l:'!e8! (16... gxhS 17.ttJcS+-) 17.�e3 12,..exd4 l:'!eS 18.�d2 l:'!xhS 19.ttJcS l:'!xcS It is possibly preferable for 20.hcS �c7 21.�e3± The mate­ Black to play here 12 ... aS. His rial is about equal, but Black lags position is difficult even then considerably in development and though... 13.dxeS ttJxeS 14.ttJxeS his king is so unsafe that White's heS 1S.ttJf3 �d6 (1S ...�f6 16. prospects are clearly superior. �e3±) 16.�gS! (White would not

166 3.tiJd2 lLlc6 4.lLlg.f.3 lLlf6 S.eS lLld7 6.i.e2 achieve much with 16.i.e3 c5) 16 ... i.e7 (after 16 ...'lWe8 17.i.e3!± Black suffers from the absence of his pawn on a7) 17.i.e3 c5 18.lLle5 id6 (18 ...'lWc7 19.f4 i.d6 20.i.f3 ie6, or 19 ...i.e6 20.i.f3 i.d6- see 18 ... i.d6) 19.f4 'lWc7 20.i.f3 i.e6 21.'lWb5± Black's pawns, placed on the 5th rank, are quite vulnerable. 13.a5 dxc3 14.bxc3 lLld7 15.\Wxd5+ wh8 16.lbe4 lbde5 17.lbxf6 \wxf6 18.i.g5 \WfS 19. 7.exf6 \Wxf6 ctJxe5lbx e5 It is worse for him to capture Black cannot solve his prob­ with his knight 7 ...lLlx f6, since lems with 19 ...i.e6 20.'lWc5 lLlxe5 White obtains a clear advantage 21.i.e3± then: 8.0-0 i.d6 9.c4 0-0 (9 ...b6 10.cxd5 exd5 11.i.b5 i.d7 12.1'!el+ lLle7 13.i.xd7+ 'lWxd7 14.lLle5 'lWf5 15.'lWa4+ wf8 16.lLlfl± Khalif­ man - Timman, Reykjavik 1991) lO.c5 i.f4 (lO ... i.e7 11.i.b5 i.d7 12.'lWe2 'lWc8 13.1'!el lLld8 14.i.d3 a5 15.lLle5± Boudre - Degraeve, Paris 1992) 11.i.b5

20.f4± (it is also good for White to play here 20.i.e3±) White has a considerable advan­ tage in this position, thanks to his powerful bishop pair, Godena - Drasko, Cento 2011. and here:

B) 6 .•.f6 11 ... lLle7 12.1'!el a6 13.id3 lLlc6 The immediate undermining of 14.lLlfl ixcl 15.1'!xcl lLlg4 16.ibl White's centre, followed by quick 'lWf6 17.'lWd2 lLlh6 18.lLlg3 lLlf5 19. development and the preparation lLlxf5 exf5 20.'lWf4± Hjartarson - of the pawn-break e6-e5 - this is Bergsson, Gardabaer 1991; the key idea of the variation with 1l ...e5 12.ixc6 e4 13.ib5 c6 3 ... lLlc6. 14.ie2 exf3 15.lLlxf3 lLle4 16.ixf4

167 Chapter S

Eixf4 17.ttJeS Wif6, Jurik - Skola, 20.ttJxc4 dxc4 21.hc4 Eixd4 (21... Czech Republic 1993, IB.f3! ttJgS Wixd4 22.he6+ 'it>bB 23.i.c3+-) (IB ... ttJxcS 19.93! i.h3 20.gxf4+-; 22.Wie2t 19 ...EifS 20.ttJg4+-) 19.93 ttJh3+ The move B ...eS? !, which was 20.'it>hl EifS 21.f4+- and Black verypopular during the 70s of the is not only a pawn down, but his last century, has practically dis­ pieces are terribly misplaced. appeared from tournament prac­ 1l ...ttJe4, Vallejo - Pecorelli tice. Garcia, Havana 199B. According to 1M I.Donev's recommendation, White maintains an edge after 12.ttJxe4 dxe4 13.hc6! bxc6 (13 .. . exf3 14.hf3±) 14.hf4 exf3 (14 .. . Eixf4 IS.ttJeS±) IS.g3! EibB 16.b3±; 1l... i.d7 12.Eiel WieB 13.ttJf1 ttJe4 (13 ...hc1 14.Eixcl ttJe4 IS. ttJg3 ttJxg3 16.hxg3 Eif6 17.hc6 hc6 IB.ttJeS± Zatonskih - Ar­ ribas, New Delhi 2000) 14.i.xf4 9.ttJe3! (It would be too risky Eixf4 IS.ttJg3 WifB ! 16.Eie3! EieB for White to capture the pawn 17.ttJe2Eif6 IB.ttJc3 Eif4 19.Wiel! a6 with 9.dxeS?! ttJdxeS lO.WixdS? 20.i.a4!± - White forces either the i.e6 1l.WibS a6 12.Wia4 O-O-at exchange or the retreat of Black's A.Petrosian - Panchenko, Odessa e4-knight, and thus seizes control 1973; it is better for him to play of the eS-square and consolidates 10.ttJe3=) 9 ...e4 (Black's posi­ his advantage. tion is completely hopeless af­

S . .!Llfl i.d6 ter his alternatives: 9 ... ttJxd4?, B ...b6 9.ttJe3 i.b7 10.0-0 Jaitte - Debarnot, Buenos Aires 0-0-0 (lO ...i.d6 - see B ...i.d 6; 1991, 10.ttJxd4 exd4 1l.ttJxdS WieS lO ...i.e7 1l.c3 Wif7 12.b4 i.f6 13. 12.c4 dxc3!? 13.i.f4 c2 14.Wid2! a4 a6 14.ttJg4 hS IS.ttJxf6+ gxf6 Wixb2 IS.ttJxc7+ 'it>dB 16.0-0+-; 16.ttJh4 ttJe7 17.i.a3 ttJcB IB.bS± 9 ...exd4? 10.ttJxdS Wid6 11.i.c4 Epishin - Vaganian, Reggio ttJdeS 12.ttJxeS ttJxeS 13.i.f4+-; Emilia 1991) l1.a4 gS (1l ...i.d 6, 12 ...Wix eS+ 13.'it>fl i.d7 14.i.f4+­ Lazar - Sebestyen, Hungary Garcia Carbo - Andres Gonzalez, 2006, 12.c3 hS 13.b4 gS 14.aS g4 Spain 1997; 13 ...i.e6 14.ttJxc7+ ! IS.ttJelt)12.aS! ttJxaS 13.ttJg4 Wif5 Wixc7 1S.i.xe6+- and Whitehas an 14.h3 h6 IS.i.d3 Wif7 16.ttJgeS Wig7 extra pawn and an overwhelming 17.ttJxd7 Eixd7 IB.ttJeS EidB 19.i.d2 advantage.) lO.ttJxdS Wid6 1l.i.c4 (19.Wig4!?) 19 ...ttJc4 (19 ...ttJc6 20. exf3 12.i.f4 Wig6 (White wins eas­ ttJxc6 hc6 21.Eixa7t Venevtsev ily in the other variations as well: - Pavlovskiy, Belgorod 200B) 12 ...Wie6+ 13.'it>d2i.b4 + 14.c3 'it>f8

16B 3.tiJd2 liJc6 4.liJgf.3liJf6 S.eS liJd7 6.ie2

15.I,!�hf3 liJf6 16J':1ae1 �d7 17.mc1! 9 ... 0-0 liJxd4 18.liJxf6 liJxf3 19.1iJxd7+ Black has some other possibil­ ixd7 20.gxf3+- Janssen - Wahy­ ities, but they usually amount to a uwidayat, Graz 1981; 12 ...fxg2 transposition of moves. Therefore 13.:Bg1 �e6+ 14.md2 i.d6 15.:Be1 we shall only analyze lines which tLlde5 16.dxe5 i.b4+ 17.c3 0-0 lead to original positions: 18.tLlf6+- Varlamov - Monin, 9 ...liJe7 1O.i.d3 0-0 11.0-0 - Leningrad 1979) 13.liJxc7+ md8 see 10 ...0-0; 14.�xf3 liJb6 (14 ...liJx d4 15.�d5 9 ...liJb6 10.0-0 i.d7, Pogats tLlxc2+ 16.md1 tLlxal 17.liJe6+me8 - Szily, Budapest 1962 (10 ...0-0 18.i.d3 �g4+ 19.i.e2 �h4, Ueter - see 9 ... 0-0) 11.liJg4�f5 12.tLlh4 - Landwehr, Germany 1980, �f7 13.f4! 0-0-0 14.liJf3;!;; 20.i.g5!+-) 15.i.d3 i.g4 16.�g3 9 ... h6 10.0-0 �f7, Howell - i.f5 17.�xg6 hxg6 18.liJxa8 liJxa8 Crouch, Isle of Man 1993 (10 ...0-0 19.0-0-0+- and White's materi­ - see 9 ... 0-0). White can securely al advantage should be sufficient prevent Black's thematic pawn­ to win the game, Dolmatov - Sis­ break e6-e5 with 11.liJg4! tLlf6 niega, Graz 1978. (Black's position is lost after 11 ... 9.liJe3 e5? 12.dxe5 tLldxe5 13.tLlgxe5 tLlxe5 14.tLlxe5 i.xe5 15.i.h5 g6 16.:Bel+-; after 11 ... 0-0?! 12.i.xh6! �g6 13.liJh4 �e4 14.i.e3± Black loses a pawn; it is also dubious for him to opt for 11 ...h5? ! 12.liJe3!± in view of the weakening of the g5- square) 12.tLlge5 i.xe5 13.tLlxe5 tLlxe5 14.dxe5 tLld7 15.f4 0-0 16.c4 c6 17.i.e3;!; with an advantage for White; 9 ...b6 10.0-0 i.b7 11.tLlg4 �f5 (the other retreats of Black's This is an important transfer queen are considerably weaker: of the knight. The key strategical 11 ...�g6? 12.tLlge5 tLldxe5 13.dxe5! fight in this position is centred i.c5 14.tLlg5! 0-0-0 15.i.h5 �f5 on Black's pawn-advance e6-e5. 16.i.g4 �xe5 17.liJxe6 mb8 18. If Black manages to accomplish i.f4+- Baron Rodriguez - Barre­ it, he solves all his problems in do, Gijon 1996; 11 ...�e7? ! 12.:Be1 the opening. If White succeedsin 0-0-0 13.i.g5 liJf6 14.liJge5±; preventing it, he has a guaranteed 12 ...0-0 13.i.d3 h6 14.c3±; 12 ... stable advantage. Accordingly, tLlf6 13.i.g5 h6 14.i.xf6 gxf6 15. White wishes to place his knight tLlh4± Kruszynski - Budnikov, on g4. Katowice 1992) 12.h3 (White's at-

169 Chapter S tempt to place a pawn on f4 is lO ...mhB 11.c3 Vf1g6 12.g3 tt:Jf6 strategically logical, but it does 13.tt:Jh4Vf1eB 14.f4;l; E.Rodriguez - not work: 12.tt:Jh4?! Vf1f7 13.f4?, Girolami, Buenos Aires 2003; because of the tactical strike 13 ... 10 ... Vf1e7 11.c4 tt:Jf6, Heinz - tt:Jxd4!=tDe la Paz - Pecorelli, Ma­ Meinhardt, Internet 2009, 12.a3 tanzas 1994) 12 ... 0-0-0 13J!e1 �d7 13.b4;l;; hS 14.�d3! Vf1fB lS.tt:JgeS tt:JcxeS lO ...Vf1f7 11.c4 tt:Jf6 12.g3 b6 16.dxeS �e7 17.a4 a6 18.�g6! Vf1gB 13.tt:JgS Vf1g6 14.�d3 Vf1eB lS.cxd5 19.�gS hgS 20.tt:JxgS l'!fB 21.l'!a3 exdS 16.tt:JfS hfS 17.�xfS tt:Je7 l'!h6 22.hhS l'!fS 23.l'!g3 g6 24. 18.�h3 Vf1g6 19.tt:Je6 l'!feB 20.tt:Jf4 �e2 tt:JxeS 2S.Vf1d2 l'!h4 26.�g4 �xf4 21.hf4 c6 22.l'!cUKapengut tt:Jxg427. l'!xg4±Rogic - Soln, Bled - Landenbergue, Reggio Emilia 2000. 1992 (game 31); 10.0-0 lO ...tt:Je 7 11.�d3 tt:Jg6(11 ...tt:Jf5? 12.hfS exfS 13.tt:JxdSVf1f7 14.tt:Jf4± Rogic - Pandurevic, Zagreb 1997) 12.tt:Jg4 Vf1e7(12 ...Vf1f7? 13. tt:JgSVf1eS 14.l'!e1tt:Jb6 1S.tt:Jxh7! mxh7 16.tt:Je5 heS 17.Vf1hS+ mgS lS.hg6+-; 14 ...tt:Jf6 lS.tt:Jxf6+ l'!xf6 16.tt:Jxh7! mxh7 17.Vf1hS+ mgS lS.�gS+-) 13.hg6 hxg6 14.l'!e1 Vf1eS lS.tt:Jg5 tt:Jf6 16.tt:JeS �xeS 17.l'!xeS tt:Jh7, Ostermeyer - Mednis, Mannheim 1975, lS.tt:Jxh7 mxh7 19.Vf1g4 l'!f5 20.�f4±;

10 ...�g6 lO ...tt:Jb6 11.tt:Jg4 Vf1g6 (11 ...Vf1f5 This is the main line for Black. 12.h3 �f4 13.�d3 Vf1hS 14.tt:Jfe5 His other possibilities are: Vf1gS lS.h4 Vf1dS 16.tt:Jxc6 bxc6 lO ...b6 11.c3 Vf1f7 (11... �b7 12. 17.�xf4 l'!xf4 1B.g3 l'!fS 19.tt:Je5 �d3 h6 13.tt:Jg4 Vf1e7 14.l'!e1 tt:Jf6 Vf1eS 20.c3± Kudrin - Base, Chi­ lS.tt:JgeS±) 12.tt:Jg4 tt:Jf6 13.tt:JgS cago 1996; 11...Vf1e7 12.c3 h6 13. Vf1eB 14.Vf1c2 Vf1g6 lS.Vf1xg6 hxg6 �d3 eS 14.tt:JgxeS heS lS.tt:Jxe5 16.f4± Zatonskih - Arribas, New tt:JxeS 16.dxeS Vf1xeS17.l'!e1 Vf1f6 IS. Delhi 2000; �e3 �fS 19.�d4 Vf1f7 20.�xfS Vf1xf5 lO... h6 11.tt:Jg4 Vf1e7 (11... Vf1f7? 21.l'!eS± Modr - Ivarsson, Prague 12.hh6! Vf1g6 13.tt:Jh4 Vf1e4 14. 19S0) 12.h3 eS 13.tt:JgxeS �xe5 �e3±; 11 ... Vf1g612 .h3 tt:Jf613. tt:JgeS 14.dxeS �xh3 lS.tt:Jh4 Vf1e4 16.f4 heS 14.tt:JxeS tt:JxeS IS. dxeS;l;) 12. �d7 17.�d3 Vf1d4+ lS.mh1 g6 19.c3 c4 b6 13.l'!e1�b4, B.Rasmussen - Vf1cS 20.Vf1e1 Vf1e7 21.Vf1g3;l; Dol­ Prystenski, Winnipeg 1993, 14. matov - Yurtaev, Sochi 1975 �d2±; (game 32).

170 3JiJd2 lLlc6 4.lLlgj3 lLlf6 5.e5 lLld7 6 . .ie2

1l.g3 White prepares the manoeu­ vre 12.lLlh4, followed by 13.f4. 1l ... �f6 12.�h4 �e8 12 ...�f7 13.f4 ltJe7 14.ltJf3 g6 1S.ltJeS �g7, Prandstetter - Ilic, Dortmund 1988, 16.c3 b6 17J�e1 ib7 18 . .if3t 13.f4

14 ...�e 4 14 ...cS, Bellin - Van der Weide, Wijk aan Zee 2000, 1S ..ie3 b6 (1S ...ltJxg4 16.,ixg4 ltJfS 17.,ixfS exfS 18.�f3 �c6 19.dxcS ,ixcS 20.,ixcS �xcS+ 21.�f2t) 16.ltJeS .ib7 17.c3t After14 ....id7, Larson - Barre­ do, Internet 2006, White should avoid the exchange of the light­ In this way White radically squared bishops with 1S.ltJxf6+ solves the problem of Black's �xf6 16.�e1 .ibS 17. .ig4�d7 18.b3 freeing pawn-advance e6-eS and ltJfS 19.ltJf3t maintains a slight advantage 15.�f3c5 16 . .id3 �f5 17.c3 thanks to his superior pawn­ b6 structure. 17... cxd4 18.cxd4 b6 19.�e2 13 ...�e7 .ib7 20 . .ie3t �g6?! 21.ltJfeS .ixeS The alternatives for Black do 22.ltJxeS ltJexg3? 23.�f3 ltJe2+ not change the character of the 24. r;ilh1 ltJexd4 2S.,ixd4 ltJxd4 fight much: 26.�f2 �hS 27.�xd4+- Kudrin - 13 ...b6 14.c3 ltJe4 1S . .id3 .ib7 Sarkar, Cherry Hill 2007. 16.ltJf3 ltJe717. ltJg4 c5 18 . .ie3 ltJfS 18.�e2 .ib7 19.�ge5 a6 19.�e2t Kulhanek - Krouzel, 20. .ie3c4 21 . .ic2b5 Czech Republic 2000; (diagram) 13 ....id7 14.ltJg4 ltJe4 1S.c3 ltJe7 White's main task in this posi­ 16.a4 cS 17.ltJeS cxd4 18.cxd4 ,ixeS tion is to expel or exchange Black's 19.dxeS bS 20.aS b4 21.ltJf3 ltJfS active e4-knight. IfWhite succeeds 22.r;ilg2 .ibS 23.,ixbS �xbS 24.g4 in doing this, then Black's long­ ltJe7 2S.ltJd4t Womacka - Ehrke, term weaknesses will tell; these Munich 1993 (game 33). are the e6-square and his passive 14.�g4 bishop on b7. However, White's

171 Chapter S

Janeiro 1979, or 22.liJd2heS 23. fxeS �g6 24.liJxe4 dxe4 2S . .if4 liJh4 with excellent counterplay for Black in both cases. Therefore, the manoeuvre liJf3-d2 should be carefullyprepared by White: 22.gaeU. He plans 23 . .ic1 and only then 24.liJd2, so Black will have great problems to hold on to the e4-outpost with a knight

or a pawn. After 22 ... h4 White straightforward attempts are not can play 23 . .ld2 and then he effective: 22.g4 liJe723.liJd2 liJg6 ! will have the powerful threat of Velimirovic - Vaganian, Rio de 24.liJxc4. Chapter 5 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3)iJd2 llJc6 4.11Jgf3

Complete Games

27 Godena Borgo the vital d4- and e5-squares, but Milan 2003 afterhe refrainedfrom the under­ 1.e4 e6 2.d4 dS 3.�d2 �e6 mining operation in the centre, 4.�gf3 �f6 S.eS �d7 6 . .ie2 White's kingside attack runs ef­ �aS 7. 0-0 eS fortlessly. 13 . .id3--+ h6 14.lLld4 tt'e7 1S. tt'hS.if8 16.g e3

8.dxeS! This is an interesting decision. In similar positions White often Now White plans .id2, gael, plays 8.c3 almost automatically. gg3. Black can hardly withstand In this game, GM Michele his opponent's increasing pres­ Godena, instead of the routine sure. bolstering of the pawn-bastion on 16••• ge7 d4, relies on quick piece activity He is preparing g7-g6 with this on the kingside, emphasizing the awkward move. Most probably role of his powerful pawn on e5. Black is already beyond salvation.

8 ••• .ixeS9.�b3.ie710.�xaS 17. .id2 �eS tt'xaS 1l.e3 0 -0 12.ge1 ge8 It was worth trying the imme­ Black had to play 12 ...f6 here. diate 17... g6 !? White has a choice It is understandable that he prob­ then. He can calmly retreat his ably did not like the position af­ queen: 18.\!�e2 .ig7 19.ge1 with ter 13.exf6 lLlxf6 14 . .id3;t,because an excellent position, but in that White would seize control over case the momentum of his attack

173 Chapter S

is somewhat slowed down, or he strategy. can sacrificea piece with 18.hg6! l.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.tBd2 tBc6 fxg6 19.�xg6+ i.g7 20J'!ae1!--+. 4. tBgf3tBf6 5.e5 tBd7 6 ..te2 .te7 White's attack is very powerful 7.tBf1b6 ?! S.tBe3.tb7 9.a3 then, but there is no forced win in sight. He must continue to play enterprisingly in order to score a full point. After the move in the game, White wins easily. IS . .tc2 g6 19.�h4 geS 20.gael 'tYe7 21.'tYg3 .td7 22. h4

9 ... tBcbS?! 9 ...0-0 LllO.. .f6 10.c4! dxc4 1l.hc4 .ta6 12.b3! c6 13.'tYc2 hc4?! 14. bxc4±

This is the beginning of the de­ cisive offensive. 22 ....tg7 23.h5 g5 24.f4 gxf4 25.�xf4 �hS 26.gg3 f6 . In view of the variation 27J�xg7! �xg7 28.exf6 �f8 (or 28 ...�gS 29.�f2 �xhS 30.f7+-) 29.lLlf3+- with terrible threats, Now White is completely Black resigned. dominant in the centre and Black cannot undermine it effectively, because after c6-cS White will 2S L.Milov Prusikin break advantageously with d4- Germany 2002 dS!. Black's position crumbles There is nothing much to very quickly. comment on in this game. Black 14 ... tBa6 15.0-0 0-0 16. played rather carelessly in the .tb2 gcS 17.'tYa4tBd bS IS.gadl opening and was completely out­ 'tYd7 19.'tYb3 gfdS 20.tBd2! b5 played. Still, it is quite instructive 21.cS! gfS22.tB e4 tBc723.tBd 6 to see how White convincingly gcdS 24.f4 tBba6 25.f5 exfS refuted Black's awkward opening 26.tBexf5+-

174 3.tiJd2 tiJc6 4.tiJg.fJtiJf6 5.e5 tiJd7 6 . .ie2

merous structural weaknesses and he can compensate for them only with active piece-play. After his last move, the defects of his pawn-structure remain and the dynamic activity of his pieces re­ duces considerably. In particular, his bishop on b7 becomes very passive. White exploits his powerful It was preferable fo r him to opt knight on d6 and his attack quick­ for 14 ...tiJxdS !? lS . .id3 �dn ly becomes decisive. 15.id3 �e7 16.�c2 ixg3?! 26 ... �e6 27.�f3 i,g5 2S.h4 This active attempt entails g6 29.hxg5 gxf5 30.�xf5 great positional concessions fo r �ec7 31.�e4 �d5 32.gf3 �e6 Black. He should have defended 33.gdfl gd7 34.gh3 �g6 35. against his opponent's rather un­ %Yg4 �e6 36.�f5 �ac7 37.gh6. pleasant threat of 17.tiJgS with the Black resigned. move 16 ...h6. 17.hxg3 �e4 1S . .if4± 29 Van der Wiel - Visser Netherlands 2006 l.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.�d2 �c6 4.�gf3 �f6 5.e5 �d7 6 . .ie2 ie7 7.�fl0-0 S.�g3 f69.exf6 �xf6 10.0-0 .id6 1l.c4 b6 12.gel c,t>hS 13.a3 .ib7 14.cxd5

Now the dark squares in Black's camp are very weak. IS ...tiJg6 After IB ..J'kB it is very strong for White to continue with 19.tiJgS!, therefore Black's last move was fo rced. 14 ...exd5? ! 19.�xc7! It is difficult to believe that This is the most precise move this natural move is a serious mis­ for White. It was also good fo r him take, but it is the cause of Black's to play 19 . .txc7!? �d7 20 . .ieS±, subsequent great problems. The but the transition into an end­ point is that his position has nu- game deprives his opponent of Chapter 5 any counterplay.

19 •••lLlxf 4 20.ti'xd8 gaxd8 21.gxf4 gxf4 22.gacl±

30 Rublevsky Drasko Budva 2002 This ending is very comfort­ 1.e4 e6 2.d4 dS 3.lLld2 lLlc6 able for White. 4.lLlgt3 lLlf6 S.eS lLld7 6.Ae2

22•• J'�df8 Ae77.lLlfl0-0 8.lLlg3 f69.exf6 Black's desire to create coun­ .ixf610 .lLlhS eS ll.dxeS lLldxeS terplay by all means leads to his 12.lLlxf6+ ti'xf6 13.0-0 quick demise, but he is beyond salvation anyway. He has insur­ mountable problems after 22 ... E!cS 23.E!xcS+ hcS 24.E!cl±; as well as after 22 ... \!;>gS 23.E!c7 E!t7 24.E!ec1 E!dd7 2S.E!7c2!, threaten­ ing 26.ll'leS. 23.gc7 Ac8 It would not help Black much to try 23 ...E!4t7 24. E!ecl±

24.gxa7 Ag4 2S.he4 dxe4 13 •••Ae6 26.lLleS+- We have mentioned in the Step Now White has an extra pawn by Step section that Black's best and a great positional advantage. response here is 13 ...�g4 ! and

26 •••Ae6 27.ge7! Ab3 28. White has no advantage whatso­ ge3 Ac2 29.lLld7 gd8 30.gc3 ever. Ad3 31.lLleS gdfS 32.lLld7 gd8 14.lLlgS gad8 1S.lLlxe6 ti'xe6 33.gc7 16.b3 d4! 17.f4 (diagram) GM Sergey Rublevsky anno­ The fight is practically over tated this game for the "Chess after the penetration of White's Informant" and he gave a ques­ rooks to the seventh rank. tion mark to White's last move,

33 •••e3 34.fxe3 gfl+ 3S. \!;>h2 suggesting instead 17.�a3 E!t7 h6 36.lLleS.Black resigned. 18.�d2, evaluating the position

176 as slightly better for White, but 26".c5?? then after 18... d3 ! 19.cxd3 tLld4 Black had some difficulties 20.:1'1ae1 Wff5, Black's counterplay owing to the unstable position of is sufficientfor equality. his knight on d4, but by trying to 17".d3! 18.cxd3 Wfd5 19.i.b2 solve them immediately, Black tLlxd3 20.hd3 Wfxd3= makes a blunder. After 26 ...:1'1d5 !? (Rublevsky), the position would have been ap­ proximately equal. 27.l;e5 Yl!Ixe5 28.fxe5 l;xfl 29.Yl!Ixc5+- Black's pieces are discoordi­ nated, while White's powerful passed e-pawn settles the issue. 29".l;d1 Black also loses after 29... tLlc6 Black has obtained a good 30.e6! gel 31.Wfc3 ge5 32.Wfc4 position with his active play. Of :1'1ed5 33.Wff4+- course, White's bishop is very 30.Yl!Ic4+ �h8 31.Yl!If7 l;d2 powerful, but Black's well placed 32.e6! tLlxe633 .i.e5! major pieces compensate for this. Now Black suffers decisive 21.Wfg4 Yl!Ig6 material losses. It is also good for him to opt 33".l;2d6 34.hd6 l;xd6 for 21...tLld4 22.:1'1ae1:1'1de8= Ll23 ... 35.Yl!Ixb7 �h7 36.Yl!Ixa7. Black c5. resigned. 22. Yl!Ih3Yl!IfS It is more precise for Black to continue with 22 ...:1'1d2 !? 23 . .tc3 31 Kapengut- Landenbergue :1'1d3 24.:1'1f3 tLld4!= (Rublevsky), Reggio Emilia 1992 based on the variation 25.:1'1xd3 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.tt)d2 tt)c6 tLle2+26.wh1 tLlxf4. 4.tt)grn tt)f6 5.e5 tt)d7 6.i.e2 f6 23.Yl!Ic3 l'U7 24.l;ae1 h6 25. 7.exf6 Yl!Ixf6 8.tt)fl i.d6 9.tt)e3 h3 tLld4 26.�h2 0-0 10.0-0

177 Chapter S

10 •.•Yft7 The exchange of the rooks Black fo rtifies his d5-pawn facilitates Black's defence some­ and plans to prepare e6-e5 (with what, but White's advantage re­ 1l ...CLJf6 .:l12... e5) , but White can mains considerable. easily prevent this. It was much better for him to 1l.c4 tDf6 12.g3 b6 13.tDg5 play 34 . .ic8!?+-

�g6?! 34 •••gxc8 35.hc8 tDd7 Black overlooks his opponent's reply. It was more precise for him to play 13 ...�e8. 14.i.d3! �e8 14 ...�xg5? 15.CLJxd5+- 15.cxd5 exd5 16.tDfS i.xf5 17.i.xf5 tDe7 18.i.h3 �g6 19. tDe6gf e8 20 .tDf4 i.xf4 21.hf4 c6 22.gcl±

36.hd7 White wishes to simplify the position, preventing in the proc­ ess Black's possible counterplay based on the "queen + knight" tandem. This is a pragmatic decision, but he could have postponed it a bit. White's bishop is very good White's bishops are clearly at the moment and with its pres­ superior to Black's knights in the ence on the board, Black's d5- arising open position. pawn might be rather weak. His

22 ••• tDe4 23.ge1 �f6 24.£3 knight cannot be activated easily tDg5 25.hg5 �xg5 26.ge5 �f6 either. 27.�e2 �h6 It deserved attention for White This is the only move; oth­ to play 36.'it>g2!?, since after 36... erwise, the pin along the e-file CLJf6 he has the powerful resource would become deadly for Black. 37.�e5!, while if 36 ...h6 it would 28.i.e6+ 'it>h8 29.f4 be very good for him to play pa­ Now Black manages to unpin, tiently 37.g4. but he has to pay for it with his 36 •••�xd7± 37.fS�c6 38.g4 pawn on c6. h6 39.'it>f2 �c7

29 ••• tDg6 30.ge3 tDfS 31. It was not acceptable for Black gxc6 �f6 32.i.d7gxe3 33.�xe3 to opt for 39 ...�c2 + 40.�g3 �t7 34.gc8 "\Wxb2?!, due to 4l.f6!+-

178 3.liJd2 liJc6 4.liJgf3 liJf6 S.eS liJd7 6.�e2

49.f6!?

49••• 'lWc4 50.f6! gxf6 51. 'lWxf6+ It>h7

40.YlYe5?! Centralization of the queen is in general quite correct in queen and pawn endings, but in this 52.h5?! case this is not the best moment White has achieved a lot with for it. It was preferable for White his last few moves and has im­ to continue with 40.\!Ig2. proved his position considerably,

40 ••• YlYd8?! but here he makes another seri­ This is too passive for Black. ous mistake. After 40 .. :�c2+ 41.\!Ig3 (if 41. It was more precise for him YlYe2, then Black has the strong to continue with 52.'lWe7+ \!Ig8 move 41...YlYa4)41.. :�d3+ (but not 52.'lWe3\!Ig7 53.\!Ig3.

41...'lWxb2 42.'lWxd5 'lWc3+ 43.\!If4 52 ••• 'lWd3+ 53.lt>h4YlYd2 ? 'lWd2+ 44.\!Ie5! 'lWxh2+ 45.\!Ie6 This move loses the game. and White's advantage increases) It was much stronger for Black 42.\!Ih4 'lWd2! 43.f6 'lWf2+ 44.\!Ih5 to play 53 ...YlYe 4!, since the tran­ \!Ih7! Black would have excellent sition into a king and pawn end­ drawing chances. ing would lead only to a draw: 41.\!Ig3 'lWg5 42.'lWel!? 54.YlYf5+ 'lWxf5 55.gxf5 \!Ig7=, for This is a good move for White, example: 56.\!Ig4 \!IV57.\!If 4 \!If6 preparing 43.h4 -42.h4?! 'lWc1 58.b3 a5. So White would need to was inferior, but even stronger retreat: 54. \!Ig3 'lWe3 55.'lWf3 and was 42.'lWf4 'lWe7 (42 ...'lWf6 43.h4) there would be plenty offight left. 43.f6! 54.YlYe7+ \!Ig8 55.YlYd8+ \!Ig7

42 •••\!Ih7 56.YlYc7 + 'iftg8 It would not work for Black to After 56 ...\!If6 57.'lWe5+ Black play 42 ...h5? 43.'lWe8+. loses a pawn with check. 43.h4 'lWd8 44.YlYe5\!Ih8 45. 57.YlYb8+ 'iftg7 58.YlYxa7+ It>h3 \!Ig8 46.YlYe6+ \!Ih8 47.a3 'iftf6 59.YlYb6+ 'iftf7 60.YlYc7+ b5 48.YlYe3 'iftg8 61.YlYd8+ 'iftg7 62.YlYe7+ With the idea of 49.g5. 'iftg8 63.YlYe6+ 'ifth7 64.YlYf5+

48 •.•YlYc8 49.YlYf3 'iftg7 65.YlYe5+ 'iftf8

179 Chapter S

After 6S ... c;t>h7, White will The complications created by again reply with 66.gS! hxgS+ this move are not in Black's fa­ 67.c;t>g4!+- vour, but even after some calmer 66.g5+- continuation he would be clearly worse, since White securely con­ trols the eS-square: 12 ...i.d7 13.i.d3 %VhS 14.c3 gae8 lS.geL!; etc. 13.tDgxe5! he5 14.dxe5 hh3 15.tDh4 \We4 16.f4! �d7 17.�d3 \Wd4+ IB.'ibhl g6 19.c3 \Wc5 20.\Wel\We7 21.\Wg3±

White has won a second pawn and here he accomplishes the de­ cisive break.

66 •••hxg5 + 67.c;t>g4! \Wg2+ 6B.c;t>f5 g4 69.\whB+ 'ibe7 70. \Wg7+ 'ibd6 71.\Wxg4 Wxb2 72. \Wg6+ 'ibc7 73.\Wf7+ 'ibb6 74. \Wxd5 \Wxa3 75.\Wc5+. Black re­ signed. White has a powerful centre and the two-bishop advantage; in 32 Dolmatov - Yurtaev addition Black's king shelter has Sochi 1978 been considerably weakened.

l.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.tDd2tDc6 21 •••:5aeB 22.b3 4.tDgf3 tDf6 5.e5 tDd76.�e2 f6 White prepares the develop­ 7.exf6 \wxf6 B.tDf1�d6 9.tDe3 ment of his bishop to e3; other­ 0-0 10.0-0 tDb6 1l.tDg4\Wg6 wise, afterthe immediate 22.i.e3, 12.h3 Black has the resource 22 ...tLlc4.

22 •••\Wg7 23.Wg5 This decision is a bit strange. It was simpler fo r White to play 23.i.e3.

23 •••tLldB 24.� e3 tDf725.\Wg3 tDh6 26.�c5 :5f7 27.tDf3! tDf5 2B.Wh2 \Wh6 29.Wxh6 tDxh6 30.tDg5 :5g7 (diagram) 31.c4?

12 •••e5 White has obtained a great

180 3.liJd2 liJc6 4.liJgj3 liJf6 S.eS liJd7 6.�e2

40.,ixh5 gxh5 41.f5 tLlxc4. Black resigned, because after 42.e6 White's pawns are unstop­ pable.

33 Womacka Ehrke Munich 1993 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.liJd2 liJc6 advantage with accurate play and 4.liJg£J tLlf6 5.e5 liJd7 6 . .ie2 f6 here he could have ended the fight 7.exf6 �xf6 8.tLlfl .id6 9.liJe3 with the beautiful line: 31.e6! 0-0 10.0-0 �g6 1l.g3 liJf6 ,ixe6 32.E!ae1 �d7 33.E!xe8+ .be8 12.liJh4 �e8 13.f4 .id7 14.tLlg4 34.E!e1 �c6 3S.�d4+- trapping liJe4 15.c3 tLle716.a 4 Black's rook, since 3S ...E!d7 loses White prevents the exchange to 36.E!e8!# of the light-squared bishops with Afterthe move in the game the 16 ...ibS , as well as the possible fight sharpens. sortie 16 ...ia4 .

31 •••dxc4 32.bxc4 .if5 33. 16 ...c5 .ie2 liJf7 It was preferable for Black to play 33 ...ig4 ! with some counter chances. 34.g4! liJxg5 35.gxi5 tLle4 36.f6 �d7 37. .if2 �d2 38.�ae1

tLlxf6 39 • .i£J

17.liJe5 It was slightly more precise for White to play 17.liJf3 liJfS 18.liJgeS.

17 •.•cxd4 18.cxd4 ,ixe5 19. dxe5 b5 20.a5 b4 21.liJ£J tLlf5 22.'it>g2 .ib5

39 •..liJh5? Black did not need to hurry This move loses quickly. It with this move. Worth consider­ was more resilient for Black to ing was 22 ...E!c8 !? and after23 .g4 defend with 39 ... liJfd7, although he would have the reply 23 ...Wg6. after 40 . .bb7, White's advantage 23.,ixb5 �xb5 24.g4 tLle7 would have been considerable. 25.liJd4;!;

181 Chapter S

White has occupied the key 32 .•.1!?f7 d4-square with his knight and has Now he comes into a deadly consolidated his positional ad­ pin, but his knight had no good vantage. squares to retreat to anyway.

25 .••ti'd7 Black was also losing immediately Black intends to prepare the after32 ...lLJd8? 33.d7+- exchange of the powerful enemy 33.d7 �c7 34 . .id4! knight with 26 ...lLJc6, but White This is good for White, but he easily thwarts this plan. could have won even more con­ Black should have preferred vincingly with 34.fS!, threaten­ 2S ...ti'a6 !? ing 34 . .if4, while after34 ... eS, he

26.ti'a4! ti'c8 27• .ie3 ti'c4 would have the reply 3S . .igS+-

28.ti'b5 ti'xb5 29.lbxb5 �fc8 34 ••• l!?e7 35• .ie5 I!?xd7 36. 30.�fcl± hc7 1!?xc7 The arising endgame is very The realisation of his extra ex­ unpleasant for him, since his a7- change should not be too much of and e6-pawns are very weak. a problem for him.

30••• lbc6 37.�c5 I!?d6 38.�acl �c8 Black covers his pawn-weak­ 39.a6! �c7 40.l!?g3 g6 41.�b5 nesses, but White strikes a blow h6 42.�b7 I!?d7 43.�c5 I!?d6 fromthe other side. 44.�xc7 I!?xc5 31.lbd6! lLJxd6 32.exd6 After 44 ...Wxc7 White's sim­ (diagram) plest reaction would be 4S.fS gxf5 White's brave passed pawn 46.gxfS wd6 47.f6! lLJeS48.� bS. penetrates deeply into the enemy 45.�g7 I!?c4 46.�xg6 I!?b3 camp and creates complete havoc 47.�e6 lbb8 48.g5 hxg5 among his forces. Black cannot 49.fxg5. avoid loss of material. Black resigned. Chapter 6 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.�d2 .ie7

Quick Repertoire

following ones, you will clearly see the opening concept which we suggest in this book. Beginning with his 3rd move, Black develops his forces according to the follow­ ing scheme: cS, lUc6,lUf 6, �e7. No matter what order of moves he chooses, White develops like this - lUgf3,�d3 , c3, 0-0 and this, as a rule, will lead to exchanges in the centre and the creation of a white This original move has be­ isolated queen's pawn. According­ come very popular lately, mostly ly, one rarely played move, 3 ...h6, thanks to the efforts of GM Alex­ and four very popular variations, ander Morozevich. This scheme is 3 ...a6, 3 ...�e7, 3 ...cS and 3 ...lUf6, not new and the first games in the are treated by White in more or database were played back in the less the same fashion, leading to year 1943. Black's idea is to make the same type of position, with an a useful developing move fo r the isolated pawn. This helps White time being, without defining his avoid the tremendously wide future plans, and to choose his range of middle game structures subsequent scheme of develop­ that may arise in the main lines of ment depending on White's next the French Defence. move. The drawback of 3 ...�e7 is I have already mentioned that that it is somewhat slow, because the move 3 ...�e7 is not new, but Black does not immediately attack until recently it was not analyzed his opponent's centre, and White very well and its main idea was to can choose a comfortable set-up try with Black to enter new and fo r his pieces. We have already original positions. After Alexan­ come to the most important point der Morozevich demonstrated and in this chapter, as well as the several very interesting new ide-

183 Chapter 6 as in his games during the years that White makes "his" moves 1997-1998, it became clear that and is not in a hurry to define not only is Black's last move very the pawn-structure in the centre, useful, but it also creates quite prior to castling, leaving that op­ concrete (and difficult!) problems portunity to Black. for White, and so the move be­ 7 ... 0-0 came quite popular at all levels. Here, as well as on the previous It is now an integral part of the move, Black had the possibilityof opening repertoire not only of reducing the tension in the centre. Alexander himself, but of many The positions arising in that case other very strong players. We can willbe analyzed thoroughly in the confidently assert that, together third part of our book, treating with 3 ...dxe4, 3 ...cS and 3 ...lLJf 6, the isolated pawn. this move has become one of the main theoretical lines for Black in the French Defence. I do not know the exact opinion of contempo­ rary theory, but the professional players (the author included) ca1l 3 ....te7 the Morozevich varia­ tion, and quite deservedlyat that. Meanwhile, there are some other players who have contributed considerably to the development of its theory, such as GMs 5mbat Lputian and Milan Drasko. 8.eS! 4.lDgi3 lDf6 S .id3. cS 6.c3 It is high time White clarified lDc6 the situation in the centre. We will explain to you the necessity and purpose of this decision in the Step by Step section.

8 ••• lDd7 9.gel �b6 White has a very comfortable game, since the placement of his pawn on eS provides him with excellent chances of developing his initiative on the kingside. He can transfer his pieces there very quickly. Black must therefore try to organize some counterplay and 7. 0-0 it must include exerting pressure We have already mentioned against the d4-pawn. His last ma-

184 3.l'iJd2�e7 4.l'iJgj3 l'iJJ6 S. fid3 c5 6.c3 l'iJc67. 0-0 noeuvre with the queen impedes He must remove the enemy the development of White's bish­ rook from the e-filein order to de­ op on cl as well. prive Black of the possible pawn­ 10.l'iJf1cxd4 1l.cxd4 f6 break e6-eS.

This undermining move is 17••• gfS 18.ge3! almost obligatory; otherwise White indirectly protects his White's kings ide offensive will b2-pawn in this way. Meanwhile, run effortlessly. his took can be transferred to ei­ 12.exf6 ttJxf6 ther side of the board along the third rank.

18 •••gac8 19.gacU

Now the strategical battle fo­ cuses on the all-important eS­ square for both sides. White has stabilized the posi­ 13.ttJg3 g6 tion and comfortably deployed Black is now threatening the his forces, maintaining sufficient enemy d4-pawn. control over the key eS-square.

14 • .ic2 .id6 15.h3! After 19 ... l'iJb4, White has the re­ White prevents the possible sponse 20.fibland his b2-pawnis knight sortie to the g4-square. still taboo because of 19 ...�x b2?

15 ••• .id7 16 • .ih6 gfe8 17. 20J1b3 �a2 21.�al+-. He already .ig5! has a stable advantage. Chapter 6 l.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.tDd2 fie7 4.tDgf.J

Step by Step

while if dxe4, then see Chapter l. 5.�d3 c5 For 5 ...0-0 6.0-0 c5 7.e5 tLJfd7 8.c3 tLJc69J''& e1 - see the main line (5 ...c5 6.c3 tLJc6 7.0-0 0-0 8.eS tLJd79J"�e1). 6.c3 lbc6 The position arising after 6 ... cxd4 7.cxd4 dxe4 8.tLJxe4 0-0 9.0-0 tLJc6 will be analyzed III Chapter il. 4 ...lbf6 7. 0-0 4 ...tLJh6 5.�d3 tLJc6 6.c3 - see 3 ...tLJc6 (Ch apter 5). 4 ... c5 5.c3 tLJf6 6.�d3 - see 4 ... tLJf6 5.�d3 c5 6.c3. 4 ...f5 5.exf5 exf5 6.tLJe5 tLJf6 7.�d3 0-0 8.0-0 tLJe4 (8 ...tLJc6 9.tLJdf3 �d6, Yerbury - Broomes, Buenos Aires 1978. Now White should play 1O.tLJxc6 bxc6 1l.c4±, followed by c5, tLJe5,�a4, attack­ ing the weak enemy c6-pawn.) 9.c4 c6 1O.�b3 @h8 1l.tLJdf3 dxc4 12.hc4 tLJd6 13.�d3 �b6 14.�c2 Now Black can choose whether tLJd7 15.�f4 tLJf6 16.�g5± Taulbut to play the position with a white - Fuller, Brighton 1977. pawn chain d4-e5, or to fight The other possibilities for against an isolated pawn. Black (here, or a few moves later) 7 ... 0-0 lead to positions which we have For 7 ...a6 8.dxc5! - see Chap­ analyzed earlier: when he plays ter 7, variation B2, the line: 6 ... b7-b6 - see Chapter 4 (3 ...b6), tLJf6 7.0-0 �e7 8.dxc5!

186 3. ltJd2 �e7 4.ltJgj3 ltJf6 5.�d3 c56.c 3 ltJc6 7. 0-0

The way to create a position �f4 �xf4 19.1tJxf4 l"le4 20.ltJxdS with an isolated pawn is by ex­ l"lxd421 .l"ladUThomas - Walton, changing pawns. 7 ...cxd4 8.cxd4 Edinburgh 2003. ttJb4 (Variations of the type 8 ... dxe4 9.ltJxe4 0-0, or 9 ...ltJx e4 10. be4 0-0 11.�e3, lead to posi­ tions with an isolated pawn and will be analyzed in Chapter it; 8 ... �b6 9.eS - see Chapter 9, after the move-order 3 ...ltJf6 4.�d3 c5 S.c3 ltJc66.ltJg f3 cxd4 7.cxd4 �b6 8.0-0 �e7 9.eS; 8 ... 0-0 9.eS ltJd7 lOJ�e1 - see 7 ... 0-0 8.eS ltJd7 9.l"le1 cxd4 1O.cxd4.) 9.�b1 dxe4 1O.ltJxe4 8.e5! Really attentive readers might be interested in two conundrums here. The firstis, why does White abandon the idea, previously sug­ gested in this book, of reaching a position with an isolated pawn? The second is, if advancing the pawn to eS is really so good, then why did White not push that pawn Later, the majority of the earlier? I'd like to answer both moves transpose to variation Al these questions. Chapter it: 10 ... 0-0 (1O ...�d7 First: we have already agreed 1l.ltJc3 �c6 12.ltJeS 0-0 13.l"le1) that White should adhere to the 11.ltJc3�d7 (1l ... b6 12.a3) 12.l"lel. strategy of reaching positions Original positions arise only after with an isolated pawn in the cen­ 1O ...ltJx e4: 11.be4 ltJdS 12.ltJeS tre, but he should not try to do 0-0 13.�f3! (This good move that in every single case, particu­ helps White to increase his pres­ larly if this might harm his chanc­ sure in the centre and impedes es. In fact, right now, White does the development of Black's c8- not have a usefulmove ifhe wish­ bishop.) 13 .. .fS (Black's desire to es to implement this plan (if we break the positional bind is un­ imagine the position in the last derstandable, but now new pawn diagram, including the exchange. weaknesses appear which will of pawns in the centre with cxd4 hurt him.) 14.�xdS �xdS lS.�xdS - see the position after Black's exdS 16.�d2 �d6 17.ltJd3 l"le8 18. move 9 from the Chapter it -,

187 Chapter 6

then the only moves for White, 9 •..ffb6 which deserve attention are ttJe4- White has a comfortable po­ c3, or i.cl-e3, but in this case they sition and the placement of his are impossible). pawn on eS provides him with Second:. if White had ad­ good chances of developing an vanced his e-pawn to eS on one initiative on the kingside. He can of his previous moves (which was quickly transfer his pieces there. of course quite possible and in Accordingly, Black must swiftly fact these are some of the basic try to organize counterplay and theoretical lines, but I did not the queen move exerts pressure plan to analyze them in this against the d4-pawn and thwarts book), then he would have had the development of White's bish­ to seriously consider the possibil­ op on cl. ity of Black attacking the d4- Black has tried numerous oth­ pawn with the queen-sortie to b6, er moves in the diagram position. or with the help of the pawn ad­ They do not deserve thorough vance on the flank g7-gS (for ex­ analysis, so I shall deal with them ample 7.eS ttJd7 8.0-0 gS!?). Now, briefly and I shall also mention after both sides have castled, some important key moments White can clarify the situation in which are typical for all the vari­ the centre without any problem. ations we study below. After White has advanced his First: in the next few moves pawn to eS, he does not need to be Black will have to play f7-f6 (or afraid of Black's advancing the g­ f7-fS); otherwise White'skingside pawn. After castling kingside, a offensivewill run unopposed. similar action would look too ex­ Second: White will capture travagant, to say the least. If Black on f6 and Black will recapture plays �b6, then White can re­ with a piece (most probably with group his forces advantageously his knight). with :gel,ttJf l. Third: after this, the decisive

8 ...�d7 9J3el factor for the evaluation of the po­ sitions arising will be the fightfo r the eS-square. If White succeeds in establishing secure control over eS, especially if he manages to es­ tablish his knight there, then his advantage will be considerable. If he fails to do this and the number of his attacking pieces against that key square does not surpass those of his opponent, then Black will have really good counterplay.

188 3.liJd2 �e7 4.liJgj3 CiJf6 5.�d3 cS 6.c3 CiJc6 7. 0-0

So, besides 9 ...�b6, Black has �xf6 15.gf3 �e7 16.gxf8+ �xf8 also tried in practice: 17.CiJf3�) 15.�e2 gh6 16.gh3 �e7 1) 9 ...c4? ! It is not good for (16 ...�f6 17.CiJe4! dxe4 18.bh6 Black to close the centre, because gxh6 19.�xe4+-) 17.gxh6 gxh6 this frees White's hands for ac­ 18.�h5± Kerkhof - Roofdhooft, tive operations on the kingside. Antwerpen 1997. 1O.�c2 b5 2) 9 ...ge8 10.CiJf1 CiJf8 1l.CiJg3 cxd4 12.cxd4 f5 13.exf6 bf6 14. CiJh5�e7 15.CiJe5 CiJxe516.d xe5 g6 17.�g4 <;t>h818 .�h6± Nisipeanu - Clairen, Trignac 2002. 3) 9 ...gb8 10.CiJf1b5

1l.h4!? This is a typical re­ source with a pawn on e5. If Black captures this brave pawn, then the h-file will be opened and White will have the possibility of exploit­ ing it in numerous ways. Natural­ Note the following interesting ly, Black is not forced to capture and instructive manoeuvre for this pawn, but then he will have White: 11.�c2 g6 12.�d2! cxd4 problems after its further ad­ 13.cxd4 f6 (13 ...�b4? 14.�h6 bel vance. 11...�xh4 12.CiJxh4. This is 15.CiJg5+-) 14.bg6! hxg6 15.�c2± the right way for White to devel­ and he regains his piece and main­ op his attack. (He can also try to tains a powerful initiative, thanks do this in another fashion: 12.g3 to the damage to the black king's fie7 13.<;t>g2,planning 14J''1h1with shelter, G.Kuzmin - O.Danielian, good attacking prospects, while USSR 1989 (game 34). The ex­ after 13 .. .f5, it seems reasonable amples we have analyzed show for him to continue with 14.exf6 how dangerous White's attack tUxf6 15.CiJg5.). 12 ...�xh4 13J'1e3f5 may become if Black does not play 14.exf6 (it is interesting for White the important moves f7-f6or f7-f5 to play 14J�h3!? �e7 15.�h5 g6 at the right moment. 16.�h6 �g7 17.�h4 �e7 18.�g3---+ 4) 9 ...a5 1O.dxc5 CiJxc5 11.�c2 with the idea of 19. CiJf3, againwith a4 12.CiJf1 f5 13.exf6 �xf6 14.�e3 a powerful attack) 14 ...gxf6 (14 ... b6 15.CiJg3 g6 16.�d4;!; Hausner tUxf6 15.gh3 �g4 16.f3 �f4 17.CiJe4 - Ambroz, Trnava 1982 (game Wic7 18.CiJxf6+gxf6 19.bh7±; 14 ... 35).

189 Chapter 6

5) 9 ...h6 1O.tLlf1 f5 11.exf6 tLlxf6 i.d7 15.i.c3;!; Pavasovic - Hav­ 12.tLlg3 i.d6 13.a3 cxd4 14.cxd4 licek, Graz 2001; i.d7, Smirin - Pr.Nikolic, Paris 12 ... 'i!7h8 13.a3 �c7. This move 1994. Here White should continue was tried in the game Bakhrakh - with 15.b4 �b6 16.i.b2;!;,preserv­ Driamin, St Petersburg 1996, but ing an edge. it is not very good, because later 6) 9 ...f5 (or 9 ...f6) 10.exf6 Black's queen will feel uncomfort­ tLlxf6 1l.tLlf1 cxd4 12.cxd4 - see able on the same fileas the white 9 ...cx d4. rook. A possible continuation is 7) 9 ...cxd4 10.cxd4 f5 (1O ...g6 14.b4 i.d7 15.i.b2 i.d6 16.tLle5± 1l.tLlb3 f6 12.exf6 tLlxf6 13.i.h6ge8 and White gains a considerable 14.tLle5 tLlxe5 15.dxe5 tLlh516.� g4 advantage. Black should play 13 ... i.f8 17.i.g5 i.e7 18.i.d2± Kul­ �b6 14.i.c2 i.d7 15.tLlg3;!; and we hanek - Hagarova, Czech Repub­ reach a position from the 9 ...�b6 lic 2000) 1l.exf6 tLlxf6 (the other variation - see 9 ...�b6 1O.tLlfl captures are weaker for Black: cxd4 1l.cxd4 f6 12.exf6 tLlxf6 13. 1l ...gxf6 12.tLlfl tLlf8 13.tLle3 i.b4 tLlg3 'i!7h814 .i.c2i.d7 15.a3; 14.gfl i.d6 15.tLlg4 gO 16.i.e3± 12... i.d6 13.a3 �c7 (13 ...i.d7, Nedev - Manninen, Elista 1998, Degraeve - Campello, Bethune game 36; or 1l ...i.xf6 12.gxe6 2003, 14.b4;!; �15.i.b2; 13 ...�b6 tLlb6 13.ge1 tLlxd4 14.tLlxd4 i.xd4 14.b4 a6 15.i.e3-White can follow 15.tLlf3 i.f6 16.tLle5 i.xe5 17.gxe5 the scheme with 15.i.b2!?;!;,but in �f6 18.�e2 i.g4 19.f3± Zapolskis this position the other possible de­ - Lipka, Bratislava 1992 and in velopment of this bishop is good both cases White's advantage is enough - 15 ...i.d7 16.tLlg3 �c7 considerable) 12.tLlf1 17.gc1 gae8 18.tLle5± H.Carlsen - Andersen, Oslo 2006).

and now: 12 ...�b6 13.tLlg3 - see 9 ...�b 6; We are following the game 12 ...i.b 4?! 13.i.d2i.d 6. This is Hagarova - Spik, Tatranske Zru­ a dubious manoeuvre which only by 2004. Here White should play servesto increase White's control 14.i.d2! with the idea of 15.i.c3. over the vital e5-square. 14.tLlg3 The object of this manoeuvre is

190 3.ltJd2 i.e7 4.ltJgj3ltJf6 5.i.d3 c56. c3 ltJc6 7. 0-0 analogous to the fianchetto - to develop the bishop on the long diagonal, increasing the control over the eS-square (at this mo­ ment, after the routine move 14.b4, White must consider the possibility 14 ...eS !?). White's ad­ vantage is quite obvious after14 ... eS 1S.dxeS ltJxeS 16.ltJxeS heS 17J�c1 WbS 1S.Wb3±; as well as af­ 14 . .ih6!� gxh6? 1S.Wd2+­ ter 14 ....id7 1S . .ic3;!; Calzetla - Villena Perez, Caleta lO)bf1 2005. I do not know when this tacti­ cal resource was used for the first time, but I saw it in the famous game Kasparov - Short, Zurich 2001: l.e4 e6 2.d4 dS 3.cild2 cS 4.ltJgf3 cilf6 S.eS ltJfd7 6.c3 b6 7 . .ibS .ie7 S.O-O 0-0 9.l"i:e1 as 1O.ltJf1 .ia6 1l.a4 hbS 12.axbS l"i:eS 13.ltJg3 cilfS 14.ltJhS ltJbd7 1S.g3 ltJg6 16.h4 ltJdfS 17.Wg2 Wd7

lO ...cxd4 The next game demonstrates White's excellent attacking pros­ pects if Black plays passively. I should mention that the play of both sides is very far from be­ ing perfect, but White's tactical strike on move 14 is beautiful: 1O ...l'%eS? ! 1l.ltJg3 ltJfS?! (1l ...cxd4 12.cxd4 ltJfS 13.a3 .id7 14.b4;!;; 1S . .ih6!! gxh6 19.Wd2!+- f5 13 ...aS 14.ltJe2! .id7 1S.ltJc3;!;) 12. 20.exf6 .idS 21.Wxh6 l"i:a7 22.ltJgS cilhS (12.dxcS! hcS 13.We2 as WxbS 23.f7+ l"i:xf7 24.ltJxf7 and 14.h4t) 12 ...cxd4 (12 ...g6 13.dxcS! Black resigned. WxcS 14 . .ie3 WaS 1S.ltJf6+ hf6 After 10 .. .f6 11.exf6 cilxf6 12. 16.gxf6±) 13.cxd4?! (13.ltJxg7! cilg3.id7 13.a3, Black will have to cj;>xg7 14.ltJgS� S.Soloviov) 13 ... capture on d4 sooner or later and �d7? (13... g6 14.cilf6+ .ixf6 1S.exf6 this will transpose to positions cild7 16 . .igS cilxd4oo) from the variation with 10 ...cxd4 .

191 Chapter 6

1l.cxd4 f6 1l... g6 12.�c2 f6 13.exf6 ttJxf6 14.ttJg3 - see 1l.. .f6 12.exf6 ttJxf6 13.ttJg3 g6 14.�c2. 12.exf6 �xf6 13.�g3

With this White prevents the possible sortie of Black's knight to the b4-square and prepares the pawn advance b2-b4, which is useful for gaining space on the queenside, as well as to fianchetto In the diagram position, two his dark-squared bishop. lines for Black deserve thorough 15 ...gac8 analysis, both creating a threat 15 ...�d6 16.'&d3! This is a good against the opponent's d4-pawn: decision. White must develop his queen's bishop, but firsthe must A) 13 ...c;!{h8 solve the problem of the protec­

B) 13 •..g6 tion of his b2-pawn (the move 16.b4?! does not work yet because 13 ...�d6 14.a3 �d7 15.b4 �ae8 of 16 ...a5 !). With his last move, he - see 13 ...�d7. has prepared the development of 13 ...�d7 14.a3 �ae8 (14 ...@h8 his bishop to g5 with tempo and 15.�c2 - see 13 ...@h8 ; 14 ...a5 taken the b5-square under con­ 15.b3 �ae8 16.�b2 �d6 17.�c2;t trol, so as, afterb2 -b4 and Black's - both sides have practically com­ reply a7-a5, to have the possibil­ pleted their development and the ity of b4-b5! 16 ...�ae8 17.�g5 fight for the e5-square has ended �e7 18.b4 @g8 19.b5 ttJa5 20.a4 in White's favour, Nunn - Short, ttJc4 21.ttJe5 '&c7 22.f4± White London 1978) 15.b4 �d6 16.�b2;t has taken firm control over the and here it is once again obvious e5-outpost and his advantage is that White dominates the e5- undoubted, S.Pavlov - Golovach, outpost, Thomas - Hassan, Bled Simferopol 2003. 2002. 16.gbl White protects his b2-pawn, in

A) 13 .•.C;!{h8 14 . .ic2 .id7 order to be able to develop his c1- 15.a3 bishop and prepare 17.b4 in the

192 3.ltJd2 ie7 4.ltJgj3 ltJf6 5.�d3 c56.c 3 ltJc6 7. 0-0 process. The immediate 16.b4?! is position will improve with every not good in view of 16 ...a5! move.

16 •••lLlg 4 17 ...id 6?! is in fact a very du­ bious possibility owing to 18.ltJg5. IS.lLle5! lLlxe5 19.dxe5 ti'dS

20 • .Ad3g6 21.�g4 ggS 22.lLle2

lLlc4 23.lLlf4 gc6 24• .Ad4±

17 • .Ae3 This is a necessary measure against the rather unpleasant x­ ray pressure from Black's pieces along the a7-g1 diagonal and the The position has stabilized f-file. Meanwhile, despite the fact and White has an obvious ad­ that White's last move was more vantage, Kazhgaleyev - Driamin, or less forced, it was not at all Yalta 1995. bad (he cannot play 17.b4?, be­ cause of 17... ltJxf2 ! 18. 'it>xf2 ltJxd4, and White loses material: 19.ie3 B) 13 •••g6 14• .Ac2.Ad6 gxc2+ 20.�xc2 ltJxc2 21.hb6 ltJxe1-+, with a winning position for Black).

17 •••lLl a5?! After this move White can ad­ vantageously change the position in the centre. Admittedly, Black has problems findingconstruc tive ideas anyway. It looks as if he has the initiative, but he cannot reap any dividends from this, because his active pieces will be soon re­ pelled and he will gradually lose The diagram position was the fight for the key e5-square. reached in the game De la Paz - For example: 17 ...if6 18.�d3 g6 Esquivel, Santa Clara 2004. 19.1tJh5! ie7 20.ltJf4 and White's 15.h3!

193 Chapter 6

White must defend against the 17 ...gfS 18.ge3! possible sortie of Black's knight White indirectly protects his to g4. The standard prophylactic b2-pawn. You will see later that developing move for similar po­ on this square, he will be able to sitions, lS.a3?!, would not work use his rook for other purposes as here because of lS ...ttJg 4! - Black well. is threatening 16 ... eS, which 18 ...gac8 will be played for example after It is not good for Black to play 16.Elb1, or 16.b4, while the move 18 ...Elae 8?! in view of 19.,ih6 Elt7 16.h3? would end up in a disas­ 20.Elb3! Wfc7 21.ttJgS Elfe722. Elf3±. ter for White following 16... ttJxf2 ! In this variation, White's possible 17.<;t>xf2 ttJxd4 18.,ie3 ,ixg3+ 19. rook manoeuvres along the third <;t>xg3 Wfc7-+ and he loses a lot of rank are quite useful for him (see material. the comments to the move 18. 15 ....id7 16 . .ih6gf e8 Ele3) After 16 ...Elf7 17.Ele3! Black's 19.9acH rook on f7 is rather unsafe, for example: 17 ...Ele8? 18.El b3 Wfc7 19. ttJgS Elfe7 20.Elf3± and White ob­ tains a material advantage.

White has stabilized the posi­ tion, deployed his pieces comfort­ ably and has more than sufficient control over the key eS-square. 17 . .ig5! After 19 ...ttJb4, White has the re­ White must force the enemy ply 20.,ib1, while his b2-pawn re­ rook away from the e-file, since mains taboo as before: 19 ...Wfx b2? this will deprive Black of the pos­ 20.Elb3 Wfa221 .Ela1+-.White main­ sible pawnadvance e6-eS. tains a long-lasting advantage. Chapter 6 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.tlJd2 ile7

Complete Games

34 G.Kuzmin - O.Danielian would be simply a pawn down. Voroshilovgrad 1989 For example: 1S ...'ife8 16.'1Wxc6 1.e4 e6 2.d4 dS 3.ltJd2 ltJf6 tLlxeS 17.tLlxeS fxeS 18.'�xe8 �xe8 4.eS ltJfd7 S.i.d3 c5 6.c3 ltJc6 19.dxeSt with a very unpleasant 7.ltJgf3 i.e7 S.O-O 0-0 9. endgame. His attempt to keep gel gbS 10.ltJf1 bS 11.'ifc2 the extra piece would not work: g6 1S ....ib7? 16.'�xg6+ 'itih8 17.�e3--+ with a decisive attack for White. For example, this is how the game might end: 17... 'ife8 18 .'lWh6+'itig8 19.tLlh4+- 16.dxeS f5 17.ltJd4 ltJb6 IS. i.h6 gt7 19.ltJc6 'ifc7

12.'ifd2! cxd4 13.cxd4 f6 14.hg6! hxg6 lS.'ifc2

20.gac1 White's game is tremendously easy. He makes every move with tempo, attacking something and improving the placement of his pieces. Black is condemned to

lS •••ltJcxeS defence against his opponent's After this move Black is threats.

clearly worse, but otherwise he 20 •.• gaS 21.'lWd3 .ia6 22.

195 Chapter 6 ti'g3 �h7 23.iflxe7 ti'xe7 24. 4.e5 iflfd7 5 ..id3 c5 6.c3 iflc6 .ig5± 7.iflgf3 .ie7 S.O-O 0-0 9.ge1

The dark squares around 9 ••• a5 Black's king are so weak that his The seizure of space on the position is defenceless. The pres­ queens ide is a very reasonable ence of bishops of opposite colour idea, but Black does not carry it on the board, as usual in similar out under the best circumstances. situations, just helps White, and Now White reduces the tension his win is a matter of time. in the centre at the right moment

24••• ti'f8 25.gc6 .icS26. ti'f4 and obtains a very comfortable .id7 27.gc3 �gS 2S.gh3 ti'g7 position.

29• .ih6ti'h7 10.dxc5! iflxc5 1l• .ic2 a4 12.iflfJ. f5 13.exf6 .ixf6 14 . .ie3 b6 15.iflg3 g6

30.ifld2+- As soon as this knight joins in the action the issue is settled very 16• .id 4!� quickly. White plays quietly but very 30 ...gcS 31.b3 .ieS 32.iflf3 well, improving the position of gfc7 33• .ig5. Black resigned. his pieces with every move. The number of weaknesses in Black's 35 Hausner Ambroz position increases.

Trnava 1982 16••• ti'd6 17• .ixf6 gxf6 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.ifld2 iflf6 lS.ti'd2

196 3. liJd2 ie7 4.liJgj3 liJf6 S.id3 c5 6.c3 liJc6 7. 0-0

pawn: h2-h4-h5 and the move 23 ...liJde 5?! would not work for Black, because of 24.liJxe5 liJxe5 25.�e2± and White wins the en­ emy e6-pawn. Black's best defence here is the immediate transition into an endgame: 18. .. �f4!? 19.�xf4 �xf4 20.liJe2�f8 21.liJed4 �d7t with a Now we can evaluate the con­ somewhat worse but acceptable sequences of White's 10th move. position. However, he needed to Black controls the centre and par­ anticipate what might happen in ticularly the important e5-square. order to make this decision. White does not have a pawn on 19.b4! axb3 20.axb3 d4, so he cannot win the fightfor e5, but this enables him to exploit the semi-open d-file. He exerts powerful pressure on it and can effectively attack his opponent's d5-pawn if its neighbour - the e­ pawn - is advanced. Therefore, in this particular case, Black's firm control over the e5-square cannot solve all his problems. 18 ....id7 20... lb:al I will emphasize what I just This seemingly strange choice said with the variation 18 ...e5? to give up the open a-fileis due to 19J:!adl �e6 20.liJg5± and Black the fact that Black wishes to ex­ loses material, because after 20 ... change queens. The endgame will �d8, White has the powerful ri­ be difficultfo r him, since his b6- poste 21.liJ3e4! pawn is practically doomed and Black's last bishop move has he will hardly be able to activate deprived his knight on c5 of a his pieces. It is not easy to give good square to retreat to, so as any good advice to Black here, you will see later, it will be evicted because in the middle game, his to a very passive position. Accord­ king may come under a danger­ ingly, Black could have tried here ous attack, for example: 20 ...�ff8 18 ...�b7, but that would not help 21.h4 liJb722 .h4--+.Ha ving all this him to overcome his difficulties: in mind, the position can already­ 19.h4 axb3 20.axb3 �xal 21.�xal be evaluated as very difficult for �f8 22.h4 liJd7 23.�elt. White Black. is threatening to advance his h- 2U�xal �f4

197 Chapter 6

It would not work for him to 31.l"1b8 l"1f8 32.tLle5+-. Black is choose 21...e5? 22.b4 tLlb7 23 . .ib3 absolutely stalemated: 32 .. .'it>g8 .ie6 24.tLlg5+-, since Black loses 33.g3 �g7 34.l"1c8 .ib7 35.l"1c7+ his d5-pawn. g8 36 . .ixb5. White has finally 22.gaS+ �g7 23.W1xf4 gxf4 captured the b-pawn and his 24.b4 tLlb7 2S.lLle2 gfS 26. passed pawn is ready to advance ga6± along the same file, while Black's pieces are quite static, as before. Meanwhile, after the move in the game, Black has some pos­ sibilities of activating his forces, but the realisation of White's ex­ tra outside passed pawn should not be too much of a problem for him.

31 ••• gc7 32.hc6 lLlxc6 33. h4 �f6 34.bS lLlaS 3S.gb8 White captures the b-pawn �e7 36.lLleS gc1+ 37.�h2 lLlc4 and Black fails to obtain any seri­ 3S.gb7+ �eS 39.gxh7+- ous compensation for it, because The outcome of the game is no all his pieces are verypassi ve. longer in any doubt after White

26••• bS 27.J.d3 gf7 2S.lLled4 has captured a second pawn.

He can counter 28 . .ixb5? with 39 .•• lLlxeS 40.dxeS gb1 41. 28 ...tLlx b4, but White does not gg7 gxbS 42.gxg6 �f743 .!U6+ need to hurry, since Black's pawn �e7 44.gf4 �d7 4S.g4 gb8 is not going anywhere. 46.gS �c6. Black resigned.

2S •••lLlbdS 29.gb6 lLlxd4 30 .cxd4 J.c6 36 Nedev Manninen Elista 1998 1.e4 e6 2.d4 dS 3.lLld2 lie7 4.lLlgf3 lLlf6 S.J.d3 cS 6.eS lLlfd7 7.c3 lLlc6 S.O-O 0-0 9.l"1e1 cxd4 10 .cxd4 f5 1l.exf6

31.hbS?! White overlooks the possibil­ ity of completely hemming in his opponent's pieces with the line:

198 3.!iJd2 i.e74. !iJgf.3!iJf6 5.i.d3 c56.c 3 !iJc6 7. 0-0

1l •••gxf6? ! passive bishop along the route cS­ It is more natural and better d7-eS-hS. for Black to recapture here �th 17.a3 his knight: 1l ...!iJxf6. White's last move is useful 12.!iJfl !iJf8 13.!iJe3! from the point of view of com­ White's knight is headed for mon sense, but he ignores some the g4-square in order to control concrete circumstances concern­ the key eS-square. ing this position. Having in mind

13 •••.ib4 what happened later, he had to try to prevent the transfer of the en­ emy bishop to hS, for example in the follo�ng fashion: 17.!iJgeS!? i.d7 lS.i.f4 i.eS 19.!iJxc6 Elxc6 (the other possible captures for Black would not change anything much) 20.i.xd6Wxd6 21.!iJeS;l;

17 •••.id7 18 • .ig5Wlc8 19.Wld2 .ie8 20. .if4 .ixf4 21.Wlxf4 .ih5 22.gael gf7 23J�g3 hg4 24. 14.gfl ti'xg4 gf6;l; White's other possibilities are considerably weaker in view of Black's standard exchange sacri­ fice: 14.Ele2? Elxf3 ! lS.gxf3 Wh4ii5; 14.i.d2? Elxf3 lS.gxf3! i.d6ii5 and in both cases Black has excellent compensation for the pawn.

14 •.• .id6 15.!iJg4 gf7 16 . .ie3

The position has stabilized. White is slightly better, but Black has succeeded in getting rid of his passive bishop and he has only one real weakness - his pawn on e6. White has problems finding a plan to improve his position. 25.ge3

16 •••gc 7!? Here the continuation 2S.b4!? This manoeuvre seems a bit Wc7 26.g3, preventing Black from clumsy, but in fact it is very good. fixing the pawn on b2, deserved Black is preparing to transfer his consideration.

199 Chapter 6

2S ...�c7 26.g3 as! Black fixes the pawn on b2. It will not be easy for him to exploit this, but Black will thus deflect White's forces from successfulop­ erations in the centre and on the kingside. 27.1Uelh6

Black overlooks the possibility of transferring his knight to an ac­ tive position: 36 ...ttlg 6!= �ttle7-f5. If his knight occupies the f5-out­ post, the position will be com­ pletely equal. 37.l'!b3 �c8 38.f4 White finally begins to imple­ ment an active plan - he is pre­ 28.tDeS paring the pawn-break f4-f5. The The exchange of the knights consequences of all this are rather restricts his possibilities, but unclear though. Ifhe succeeds, the otherwise, Black will have the re­ character of the fightwill change, source 2B ...�b 6, tying down his but White's position will hardly opponent's pieces not only to pro­ become any better. tect the pawn on b2, but the one 38 .•.l'!fc7 39.i>g2 �d8 40. on d4 as well, for example: 2B.h4 l'!f1 Wf6 41.l'!c3 l'!xc3 42.bxc3 �b6 29.h5 ElcB 30.i>g2 Elcn. tDd7 43.f5 eS 44.i.bS exd4 4S. White has a slight edge still, but it cxd4 is hard to work out how he should follow this up.

28 •••�b6 29.tDxc6 �xc6 30. Wdl �b6 31.i.e2 l'!c8 31...�xb2?! 32.Elb3. 32.l'!b3 Wa7 33.l'!bS b6 34. Wb3 l'!c6 3S.We3 (diagram) The last few moves have shown that White cannot find a suitable way to improve his position. May­ 4S •.. tDf8? be he cannot do much anyway and This is a serious mistake. his edge is only symbolic. Afterthe correct move 45 ...�f7

3S ..•�c7 36.i.d3 l'!f7 (with the idea ttlf6-e4) 46 . .bd7

200 3.liJ d2 Yle7 4.liJgj3 liJj65.Yld3 cS 6.c3 liJc6 7. 0-0

Elc2+ 47.\t>gl �xd7= the position would be equal. 46.ti'e5± Now, the exchange of the queens is unavoidable and this will happen under veryunfavour­ able circumstances for Black, so that his position turns immedi­ ately from equal into completely hopeless.

46 •••ti'xe5 fice: 51...gxf5 52.gxf5 liJe6!, but af­ Black cannot change anything ter 53.fxe6+ \t>xe6 54Jk6+ \t>xe5 with 46 ...Elc 2+ 47JU2. 55.a4+- White would avoid the 47.dxe5 \t>f7 48.gdl gc2+ exchange of his a-pawn, ending 49.\t>£J g6 50.g4 gxh2 51.gc1 up in a technically winning posi­ (diagram) tion. Afterthe move in the game, 51... h5 the fightis immediately over. Maybe his best practical 52.gc7+ \t>g8 53.e6. Black chance here was the knight sacri- resigned. Chapter 7 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.�d2

Quick Repertoire

In this chapter we shall ana­ fight has not been determined yet lyze the moves A) 3 ..•h6 and B) and the usefulness of the move

3 ...a6. There is a geometrical cor­ h7-h6 may turn out to be highly relation between them, but they questionable. Therefore the ef­ are connected thematically too, fect of Black's last move is mostly and you will be convinced about psychological. He is not in a hurry this afterreading our notes below. to show his intentions and plans This is the reason I have analyzed to choose his further actions de­ them both in this same chapter. pending on White's moves and to try to confuse his opponent.

A) 3 ...h6 Another drawback of Black's last (diagram) move (besides what we have al­ This is an original move which ready mentioned, i.e. that the use­ was played for the first time in fulness of h7-h6 is rather doubt­ the game Marciano - Bricard, ful)is that it is too slow. Narbonne 1997. Black postpones Meanwhile, after White ends his attack against his opponent's up with an isolated pawn in the centre and makes a waiting move, centre, Black's move h7-h6 seems which might be useful in the fu­ to be much more harmful than ture. Still, the character of the useful, because White's battery

202 3.tLld2 h6 4.tLlgj3

of queen and bishop operating It is weaker for him to play 12.0-0 on the bl-h7 diagonal may prove tLlf6, because then the bishop very unpleasant for Black. So must retreat to c2. See the details White should be happy if Black in the Step by Step section.

chooses the move 3 ... h6. Still, we 12 ••• 0-0 should not ridicule this move, not least because it has been played regularly by such an outstanding French Defence expertas GM Vya­ cheslav Eingorn. It has also been tried by Alexander Morozevich, Valery Popov, Nikolay Legky and various other famous players. 4.ti)gf3 ti)f6 5.i.d3 c5 6.c3 cxd4 7.cxd4 dxe4 8.ti)xe4

13J�cl! This is a precise move, after which White preserves chances of maintaining an opening advan­ tage. Capturing on d7 at the mo­ ment only helps Black's develop­ ment, while castling for White is impossible for now, so he makes a useful move, waiting to see what the opponent plans to do.

8 .•. ti)xe4! 13 ••• ti)xe5 14.dxe5 �b6 Black is trying to exchange as Black prepares the develop­ much material as possible, which ment of his bishop after 15 .. J"ldS, is quite logical if we have in mind followed by 16 ... .td7. that White has an isolated pawn. 15.0-0 gd8 16.�e3! The immediate S ....tb 4+ is worse, White wants to impede the because after9.tLlc 3 considerably development of his opponent's more pieces remain on the board. light-squared bishop and thus 9.he4i.b4+10 .i.d2hd2+ the development of Black's entire 11.�xd2 ti)d712. ti)e5! queenside and he is even willing to White frees the f3 -square for sacrifice a pawn to achieve this. his bishop in case Black plays 12 ... 16 ...�xb2 17.gc'Tooand White tLlf6, since his bishop must re­ has good compensation for the main on the long hI-aS diagonal. pawn.

203 Chapter 7

B) 3 •..a6 White chooses, the usefulness of the move a7-a6 is highly ques­ tionable. Black's last move is not the main line, but nevertheless it is played very often. I have more than two and a half thousand games on this theme in my data­ base. The scheme with 3 ... a6 has been played by very strong play­ ers and in particular it is a part of the opening repertoire of such famous grandmasters as Mikhail This is an interesting move Gurevich, Predrag Nikolic and which, according to my database, Vyacheslav Eingorn. was played for the firsttime in the 4.�gf3 c5 5.c3 �c6 6.i.d3 game Rossolimo - Bogoljubow, cxd4 7.cxd4 dxe4 8.�xe4 Oldenburg 1949. Its idea is more or less the same as 3 ... h6 - Black wishes to make a useful wait­ ing move. There is one impor­ tant difference, however. Besides common sense in favour of the placement of the pawn on the a6-square, Black has some quite concrete ideas up his sleeve. He plans to continue with 4 ...cS , af­ ter which White has no access to the bS-square for a check with his bishop, which is quite useful after 8 ...�b4 the immediate move 3 ...cS . Mean­ Black's most principled moves while, afterthe possible exchange in this position are B ...i.h4 + and on cS, followed by tt:Jb3, besides B ... i.e7,leading to typical schemes the traditional squares d6 and with an isolated pawn; we will b6, Black's bishop will have the deal with these moves in the third a7-square available for an even­ part of our book. tual retreat. Still, just as with the 9.i.bl i.e7 10.�e5 �f6 move 3 ... h6, Black's last move is (diagram) too slow, because it does not con­ 11.�g5!? tribute to his development and The idea behind White's last to the attack on White's centre. move is not so much to demon­ In addition, in the scheme which strate aggressive intentions (this

204 3.ciJd2 a6 4.lLlgf3

is more or less its secondary pur­ 16.lLlg5+ �g8 17.,ixg6! �f8 pose), but to tryto prevent the ex­ (This is practically the only move change of the knights. for Black. He loses immediately

11 ••• 0-0 12.0-0 g6 13. after 17... hxg6? 18.�c2+-; while lLlgfj after 17... �xd4 18.�c2--+ White's Now that White has avoided attack is very dangerous.) 18. the unnecessary exchange, his �t7+ �h8 19.,ixe8 �xe8 20. knight has nothing more to do on hf8 ti'xfS 21.geU. Although the gS-square. the material is approximately

13 •••lLlc6 equal, Black's king is vulnerable (diagram) and thus White's prospects are 14.�h6 ge8 15.lLlxf7! �xf7 superior. Chapter 7 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.ttJd2

Step by Step

The play of both sides is far from perfect in the following game, but still, it is quite indica­ tive of the difficulties that Black may encounter in this variation. His treatment of the position, however, should not be judged too harshly, since after all this was a blitz game ... : 6 ... 'Llc6 7.0-0 cxd4 8.cxd4 fie7 (or 8 ... dxe4 9.'Llxe4 fie7 1O.a3 0-0, as played

A) 3 ••. h6 in the game Petr - Seifert, Lito­ B) 3 ...a6 mysl 2009. Now it seems quite sensible for White to follow the A) 3 ...h6 4.�gt3�f 6 5.i.d3 same set-up as in the position c5 with a black pawn on a6, instead About 5 ...dxe4 6.'Llxe4 - see of h6 - see Chapter i5: 11.fie3!?, Chapter 3. he is planning 12J'k1, while the 6.c3 attractive battery of queen + bish­ op (fib1, �d3) on the b1-h7 diago­ nal may be set up a bit later) 9.E1el (9.e5!? 'Lld7 1O.'Llb3;l;; 9.a3!?) 9 ... dxe4 1O.'Llxe4 fib4?! (Black pos­ sibly refrained from immediately castling with 10 ...0-0 because he was afraid of his opponent's pres­ sure on the b1-h7 diagonal. It is not so easy for White to organize this. He needs time, but with his last move Black helps him, grant­ ing White a vital tempo.) 1l.'Llc3 6 ...cxd4 0-0 12.a3 fie7 13.fic2±

206 3.CtJd2 h6 4.CtJgj3

remain on the board: 9 ...0-0 10.0-0 b6 (it is also possible for Black to opt for 1O ...CtJc6 and af­ ter 11.a3 ie7 12.E1el b6 13.ic2 ib7, there arises a transposition of moves) l1.a3 ie7 12.E1el ib7 13.ic2 CtJc6

White's threats have already become very dangerous. 13 ...E1e8 14.'oWd3 �f8?! This is an awkward move (after14 ...b6, White has the powerful riposte 15.CtJe4,but that would be the right time for Black to reply with 15 ...�f 8). 15.if4 b6 16.E1adlib7 17.'oWd2CtJg 8 (Black is forced to play this ugly move; oth­ The diagram position is quite erwise, he has no defence against similar to the line we study in the bishop sacrifice on h6.) 18.d5 Chapter i4 (variation with 12 ... exd5 19.CtJxd5. Black cannot avoid b6), except that Black has played the loss of the exchange, so he re­ h7-h6, instead of a7-a6. Analo­ signed, Zvjaginsev - Val.Popov, gously, White should quickly set Moscow (blitz) 2004. up the queen + bishop battery: 7.cxd4 dxe4 8.CtJxe4 14.'oWd3, planning a later if4, E1adl and CtJe5-g4. His pressure on the bl-h7 diagonal would be very unpleasant for Black and the placement of his pawnon h6 only complicates his defence, because he can hardly manage without the almost obligatory move g7-g6. 9.he4 i.b4+ 10 .i.d2 hd2+ 1l.'oWxd2 c!lJd7 11 ... 0-0 12.CtJe5 CtJd7- see 11 ... CtJd7. (diagram)

8 ..•c!lJ xe4! 12.c!lJe5! White obtains an advantage White must keep his bishop on much more easily afterthe imme­ the hl-a8 diagonal, so he intends diate 8 ...ib4 + 9.CtJc3, since in that to counter CtJf6 with if3. variation many more pieces would It is weaker for him to play

207 Chapter 7

In the first game in which this variation was played, White continued rather indifferently: 13.lLlxd7 hd7 14.hb7 :Bb8 15. .1f3 '.Wb6 16.b3 .1b5 17 . .1e2 :Bfd8 18. :Bd1 he2 19.'.Wxe2 :Bxd4 20.0-0 :Bbd8 21.:Bxd4 '.Wxd4= and the position was nearly equal, ex­ cept that Black already had the right to think about more than a draw, Boskovic - Shulman, Dal­ 12.0-0 lLlf6 13 . .1c2 0-0 14.lLle5 las 2006.

'.Wb6(B lack has a good alternative 13 .•• lLlxeS here - 14 ....1d 7!?, with the idea of It would not be good for him 15 ....1c6 equalizing completely.) to play 13 ...'.Wh 4?! because of 15J�ad1 :Bd8 16.f4 .1d717.g 4 .1b5 14.'.We3:t 18.:Bf2 lLld7 19.'.We3 :Bac8 20. .1b1 The natural reaction 13 ... :Bc7+ and Black seized the ini­ lLlf6 14. .1f3 lLld515 .0-0 does not tiative in the game Nevednichy - promise Black complete equal­ Eingorn, Bad Woerishofen 2002. ity; for example: 15 ...b6 (after

12 ••• 0-0 15 ...'.Wd6 16.:Bc5! .1d7 17.hd5 exd5 18.:Bfc1 :Bac8 19.'.Wc3:t White maintains a stable advantage) 16.lLlc6 '.Wd6 17.hd5 exd5 (17 ... '.Wxd5?? 18.lLle7+-) 18.'.Wb4!? '.Wxb4 19.1Llxb4 .1e6 20.:Bc7t and the pawn-structure has become rather static, so White's knight is clearly superior to Black's bish­ op, which is restricted by its own pawn on d5. In addition, White's rooks are much more active than their black counterparts. 13.:Bcl! 14.dxeS 'ifb6 1S.0-0 gd8 This is a veryprecise move, af­ (diagram) ter which White maintains chanc­ 16.'ife3! es of obtaining an opening advan­ White does not mind sacrific­ tage. Capturing on d7 would only ing a pawn to impede the devel­ enhance Black's development and opment of the enemy bishop to d 7 castling is impossible, so White and thus hold up the development makes a useful waiting move to of Black's entire queens ide. see his opponent's reaction. The position becomes com-

208 3. ltJd2 h6 4.ltJgfJ

pletely drawish after 16.�c3 id7 White has excellent compen­ 17.�c7 ic6! 18.�xb6 axb6 19.,bc6 sation for the pawn. There might bxc6 20J'hc6 :i!xa2 21.:i!xb6 :i!d5= follow 17••• �d7 18.�c1! �xc1 and the activity of Black's rook 19.�fxc1 �b8 20.f4:t, and de­ fully compensates fo r his missing spite the extra pawn, Black's piec­ pawn: 22.f4 :i!d2. es are so passive that he must

16 •••Ybb 2! fight for the draw. Or 17 •••�xa2 It is worse fo r Black to play 18.�e7! (White must prepare the 16 ...�xe 3?! 17.fxe3, because he attack against the f7-square. He can hardly attack effectively his would not achieve much with the opponent's doubled e3- and e5- immediate 18.�f3 :i!d7.) 18 ...a5 pawns, while White dominates 19.�f4 ! �f8 20.�c1 �a3 21. the open c-file, exerts pressure �ec7. White plans to give his king against the b7-square and has ac­ an escape square and then deploy cess to the semi-open f-file. His his rook along the route cl-c3-g3, king has gained luftas well. There which would be very dangerous might follow, fo r example: 17... for Black, as you can see from the id7 18.hb7 :i!b8 19.if3!?± and variation 21 •••�b2 22.h4 a4 23. White remains a pawn up in view �lc3 a3 24.�g3+- of the variation 19 ...:i!xb2 20.:i!fdl

:i!bb8 (this is obviously Black's B) 3 •••a6 4.lbgf3 only move) 21.:i!c7. Or 17... :i!b8 18.:i!c7 id7 (it is even worse for Black to play 18 ...:i!d7? 19.:i!fc1) 19.,bb7± and he has no compen­ sation for the pawn at all After 16... id7 17.�xb6 axb6 18.,bb7! :i!xa2 19.:i!adlt Black COmes under a very unpleasant pin along the d-file. 17.�c'Too

209 Chapter 7

4 ...c5 fight for the draw, for example: The other possibilities fo r 1B ...l'!b4 19.a5 l'!xd4 20.lt>e2t) 13. Black here are: if3 0-0 14.0-0t and he will have 4 ... 'lJc6 - see 3 ...'lJc6 (Chapter problems developing his queen­ 5); side, Vescovi - Martinez, Brazil 4 ... 'lJf6 5.id3 c5 6.c3 cxd4 (6 ... 1991. 'lJc6 7.0-0 - see variation B2) 5.c3 7.cxd4 dxe4 B.'lJxe4 'lJxe4 (B ... ib4+ 9.'lJc3 0-0 10.0-0 'lJc6 - see Chapter i4) 9.ixe4

B1) 5 ..•cxd4 9 ...ib4 +. In general, it is cor­ B2) 5 ... lZlc6 rect for Black to seek simplifica­ 5 ...'lJf6 6. id3 - see 4 ...'lJf 6. tion when his opponent has an

isolated pawn, but in this par­ Bl) 5 ••• cxd4 6.cxd4 dxe4 ticular case, this is insufficient 6 ...'lJf6 7. id3 - see 4 ...'lJf 6; 6 ... for equality (9 ... 'lJd7 10.0-0 - 'lJc6 7.id3 - see variation B2. see variation Bl). 1O.id2 hd2+ 7.lZlxe4 11.�xd2 'lJd7 12.'lJe5! (White frees the f3-square for his bishop) 12 ... 'lJf6 (It would also be interesting fo r Black to try 12 ... 0-0!? analo­ gously to variation A. White can also act in similar fashion, as in the above-mentioned varia­ tion - 13.:E!:c1!? Bearing in mind the placement of Black's pawn on a6 however, White should prefer 13.'lJxd7 ixd7 14.hb7 l'!bB 15.ixa6 �b6 16.id3! �xb2

17.�xb2 l'!xb2 1B.0-0?! ia4!=. It 7 •••lZld7 is stronger for him to play 1B.a4! Black is planning B ...'lJgf6 (He and Black will still have a difficult can also prepare the development

210 3.ttJd2 a6 4.ttJgj3 of his king's knight to f6 with the the least: 11 ...hf3 12.ttJxd8 hd1 move 7 ...fie7 - we shall analyze 13.ttJxe6 <;t>d7 14.ttJxg7 fia4 1SJ':ieli this below.). The idea of his last with the initiative, for example: move is that afteran eventual and 1S ...fid6 16.figS ttJdS 17.fifS + <;t>c7 very probable exchange of the 18J::iac1 + and Black loses mate­ knights on e4 and f6, Black would rial in all variations: 18 ...<;t>b6 like to place his other knight on 19J':ie6+-; 18 ...ttJc6 19.b3±; as well f6, not allowing the enemy bishop as 18 ...fic6 19.ttJe8±) 11.ttJxgSttJf6 to occupy the powerful e4-outpost 12.fif4 fidS 13J':ie1 ttJc6 14.fieS h6 (or dislodging it from there ...). 1S.ttJh3 gS 16Jk1 �g8 17.fib1 �e7 For 7 ...ttJc6 8.fid3 - see vari­ 18.h4!?i -White has a powerful ation B2; 7 ...fih4 + 8.ttJc3 ttJf6 initiative, Stocek - Eingorn, Ber­ 9.fid3 ttJc6 10.0-0, or 9 ...0-0 lin 1998 (game 37). 10.0-0 ttJc6- see Chapter i4. 7 ... fie78. fid3 ttJf6 7 ...fid7 8.fi d3 fic6 9.0-0 fie7

9.ttJxf6+! White exploits the 1O.ttJegS!? This is a very in­ fact that his opponent's queen teresting move, which leads to knight is not on d7 and exchanges a sharp, irrational and tremen­ immediately in order to place his dously complicated game. 10 ... bishop on e4, seizing firm control hgS (Black probably refrained over the long diagonal. (It is less from the natural move 1O ...ttJf 6, precise for White to continue with because he was afraid of the quite 9.0-0, because then, after ...9 promlsmg piece-sacrifice for ttJxe4!? 1O.fixe4 ttJd7, his path to White: 11.ttJxf7! <;t>xf7 12.ttJgS+ obtaining an edge would be much <;t>g8 13.ttJxe6� with good com­ more complex - see 7 ...ttJd7 8. fid3 pensation, for example: 13... �dS ttJgf6 9.0-0 ttJxe4 1O.he4 fie7). 14.ttJf4 �f7 1SJ�e1 ttJbd7? 16J�xe7! 9 ...fixf6 10.0-0 ttJc6 (10 ... 0-0 �xe7 17.�b3+ <;t>f8 18.fid2+-, 11.fie3ttJc 6 - see 1O ... ttJc6) 11.fie3 or 1S... fid6 16.fifS fid7 17.fic2 0-0 12.fie4 ttJe7 (12 ...ttJb4 13.�b3 fibS 18J�eS!i; the transition into ttJdS - see 12 ...ttJe 7) 13.�b3 ttJdS an endgame does not diminish 14.�ac1 (White should not be in a White's attacking potential in hurry to exchange on dS: 14.fixdS

211 Chapter 7

'lWxdS 1S.'lWxdS exdS 16.E:ac1 .idB ttJdS 14.'lWb3 as!? 17.E:fe1 f6 1B . .if4 'it>f719 . .ic7 .ie7 20 . .ib6 .ie6 21..icS E:fcB 22. .ixe7 'it>xe7 23.lLld2 'it>d6= and already he must play very accurately to maintain equality, Najer - Bartel, Dresden 2007.) 14 ...'lWd6 (14 ...b6 1S.E:c6!:t) 1S.E:cS E:dB 16.E:fc1 g6 17 . .id2:t - Black, just as before, has problems completing the de­ velopment of his queenside, De la Paz - Hoffman, Havana 1999 (game 38). 8 . .id3 ttJgf6 9.0-0 lS.E:acl This is stronger than 1S.a4 E:a6 16.lLlc4 .ib4 17.E:ac1 .id7+± with good counterplay for Black, Baron Rodriguez - Del Rio Ange­ lis, Mondariz 2002.

lS..• a4 16.'lWc4:t and White's position is superior, for exam­ ple: 16 ...a3 17.b3 f6 18.ttJd3 'lWd6 19.1Uel .id7 20.ttJcS gac8

21 • .id2! b6 22 . .ixdS exdS 23.�e2 etc.

9 ...ttJxe4 !? B2) S ... ttJc6 6 . .id3 9 ....ie7 1O.lLleS! - see Chapter i6.

10 • .ixe4.ie7! After1O ...lLlf6, White must put the emphasis on his lead in de­ velopment by playing 1l . .igS! .ie7 12 . .ixf6 .ixf6 and now, for exam­ ple: 13.'lWa4+!? .id7 14.�b4:t,mak­ ing it difficult for Black to castle and attacking the b7-square. 1l.ttJeS! This precise move is White's

only chance of maintaining the 6 •••cxd4 advantage. 6 ...dxe4 7.lLlxe4 cxd4 B.cxd4 -

1l •••ttJf6 12 . .if3 0-0 13 . .ie3 6 ...cxd4 .

212 3.lLld2 a6 4.lLlgfJ

6 ...c4 ?! The situation in the tive here in 9.e5 lLld71O.lLl b3 �e7 centre is tense and Black's deci­ 1l.l:!eU �12.lLlbd4) 9 ... 0-0 (af­ sion to close the queenside seems ter 9 ...h6 1O.e5 lLld7 1l.lLlb3 �e7 rather dubious. 7.�c2 b5 8.0-0 12.lLlbd4 �c7 13.�f4 lLlc5 14.�c2 lLlge79.l:! e1 �b7 10.lLlf1 lLlg6,Adler �d7 15.�e3;j;White also obtains a - Antritter, Hockenheim 1994, very comfortable position, Khair­ 1l.exd5 �xd5 12.lLle3± White's ullin - M.Kalinin, Samara 2003) threats are very dangerous in view 1O.e5 lLld7 11.lLlb3 �e7 12.lLlbd4 of the move 13.d5. lLlc5 13.�c2;j; White's pieces are It is not advisable for Black to perfectly deployed and he has a opt fo r 6 ...�b6? !, since a manoeu­ powerful pawn on e5, so he has vre like this may only be effective excellent chances of seizing the in a position with a closed cen­ initiative on the kingside, Balinas tre. 7.exd5 exd5, Aakio - Laine, - Rey, San Francisco 1995. Vantaa 1994, 8.0-0! cxd4 (8. .. c4 7.cxd4 9.l:!e1+�e7 10.�c2 lLlf6 1l.b3 cxb3 12.axb3 0-0 13.lLlfl±) 9.l:!e1 +! (but not 9.cxd4?! �d6! and Black has chances of obtaining an accept­ able position out of the opening) 9 ...�e7 1O.lLlxd4 lLlxd4 1l.cxd4 lLlf6 (it would be too risky for him to play 1l... �xd4 ?! 12.lLlf3t and he will hardly manage to complete his development without material losses) 12.lLlf3 �e6 13.�a4+! and Black loses his castling rights after 13 ...wf8 14.�d2±, or he remains 7 ...dxe4 at least a pawn down in the vari­ Black would not achieve much ations 13 ...�c 6?! 14.�xc6+ bxc6 with the rather slow manoeuvre 15.lLle5±, or 13 ...�d7 14.�c2 l:!c8 7 ...lLlg e7 8.0-0 lLlg6. After 9.a3 15.�e2 �e6 16.lLlg5 l:!c6 17.�f5± �e7 1O.M 0-0 11.�b2 lLlf4 12.�c2 6 ...lLlf6 7.0-0 �e7?! This is not b6 13.e5 �d7 14.g3 lLlg6 15.�d3 f6 a good decision for Black at the 16.�e2 fxe5 17.dxe5 b5 18.l:!acl± moment since it enables White to White was clearly better in the reduce advantageously the ten­ game Ivanchuk - Pr.Nikolic, sion in the centre (Black should Monte Carlo (rapid) 1998. continue with 7 ...cxd4 8.cxd4 7 ...lLlf6 8.0-0 �e7. This order dxe4 9.lLlxe4 �e7 10.a3 - see of moves seems very provoca­ Chapter is; 8 ...�e7 9.e5 - see 6 ... tive indeed. White's pawn is just cxd4 7.cxd4 lLlf6). 8.dxc5! hc5 screaming to advance to e5. (It 9.�e2 (White has a good alterna- would be more prudent for Black

213 Chapter 7 to opt for 8 ...dxe4 9.ttJxe4 fie7, transposing to Chapter i5, or 8 ... ttJb4!? 9.fib1 dxe4 10.ttJxe4 fie7, as played in the game Schulz - Trella, Bad Wiessee 2007. White must continue here with 1l.ttJeS 0-0 12.ttJgS, transposing to the game Smirin - Dolmatov, Klai­ peda 1988, which we will analyze a bit later - see the variation 7 ... dxe4 8.ttJxe4 ttJb4.). 9.eS ttJd7 1O.ttJb3 as 1l.a4 ttJb4 12.fib1 b6 have problems with the safety 13J%e1 fia6 14.fid2 Ei:c8 lS.ttJc1!;l; of his king, owing to his weak­ ened kings ide pawn-structure: 10.0-0 (1O.a3!?) 1O ...ttJb4 (10 ... fie7 1l.a3 bS 12.a4 b4 13.fif4 fib7 14.Ei:c1 Ei:c8 lS.Ei:e1 hS 16.fie4 ttJa5 17.fixb7 ttJxb7. We are following the game Deviatkin - Shamugia, Moscow 2001. Black has numer­ ous weaknesses in his camp and after 18.�d3, he can hardly save his a6-pawn, for example: 18 ... Black has placed his pieces on Ei:xc1 19.Ei:xc1 fid6 20.hd6 �xd6 the queenside actively, but he can­ 21.Ei:c8+ ttJd8 22.Ei:a8±; or 19 ... not reap any real dividends from �aS 20.b3, White is threaten­ this. White is ready to activate his ing 21.fic7 and 21.Ei:c6, while fol­ queen's rook via the a3-square lowing 20 ... 0-0 21.ttJh4! Black and later it may go to e3, or even comes under a crushing attack: to the kings ide subsequently. 21...Ei:e8 22.Ei:c7 fid6 23.Ei:xf7! White's prospects are preferable, 'tt>xf7 24.�h7+ mating) 1l.fie4 f5 Varavin - Iljushin, St Petersburg (11...Ei:a7 12.fid2 ttJdS 13.Ei:c1 fie7 2000 (game 39). 14.Ei:e1. Here, it would be very 8.lbxe4 strong for White to play 14.fixd5 (diagram) exdS lS.fiaS! - 14 ...bS lS.fixd5

8 •••ttJb4 exdS 16.fiaS! This tactical strike is Black's two most principled very powerful. 16 ...�d7 17.Ei:xe7+ ! moves 8 ...fib4 + and 8 ...fie7 will 'tt>xe7 18.�c2. Black's king re­ be analyzed in detail in Chapters mains stranded in the centre and i4 and i5 respectively. comes under a crushing attack on It is weaker for him to play 8 ... the hopelessly weak dark squares. ttJf6?! 9.ttJxf6+ gxf6 and he will 18 ...�d6 19.a3 'tt>d7 20.Ei:e1 h5

214 3. ttJd2 a6 4. CfJgj3

21.h4 i'!g8 22.�b4+- Holzke - its secondary idea) as to avoid the Contin, Budapest 1993) 12.�b1 exchange of knights. E1g8. This move is too optimistic. 11 ... 0-0 12.0-0 g6 13. Black's king is awkwardly placed lbg£J in the centre of the board. (He The knight goes back, since it could have tried to prepare king­ has nothing to do on g5 now that side castling, but after 12 ...�g7, White has avoided its undesirable White has an attractive double­ exchange.

attack 13.�e1!, while if Black de­ 13 •.•lbc 6 velops his bishop, for example to d6, then he will have problems castling, because of White's pos­ sible �h6.). 13.i'!e1�e7 14.a3 ttJd5 15.ttJe5 ttJf6 (otherwise, Black must worry about the threat of 16.�h5) 16.�a2 ttJg4. This is how the game Shaginjan - Mochna, St Petersburg 2002 continued. Whitecan open the position in the centre with 17.ttJxg4 i'!xg418.d 5!± and he maintains a considerable advantage. This position was reached in 9 . .ib1 .ie7 1 0 )l�e5lbf6 the game Smirin - Dolmatov, Klaipeda 1988. White has at his disposal a very interesting tacti­ cal solution, based on the sacri­ fice of two minor pieces: 14.i.h6 �e8 15.lbxf7! �xf7 16.lbg5+

�g8 17• .ixg6! i.f8(This is prac­ tically the only move for Black. He loses immediately after 17 .. . hxg6? 18.�c2+-; while after 17 .. . �xd4 18.�c2� White's attack is

very dangerous.) 18 • .if7+ �h8

19 . .ixe8 exe8 20• .ixf8 exfS 11.lbg5!? 21.�eU. Although the material The idea of this move is not so is approximately equal, White much to demonstrate any aggres­ is clearly better, because Black's sive intentions (this is very much king is rather unsafe.

215 Chapter 7 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.lLld2 h6; 3 .••a6

Complete Games

37 Stocek Eingorn powerful riposte 19.:!:k7. 19.�e2 Berlin 1998 It was safer to play 19.a3;!; l.e4 e6 2.d4 dS 3)lJd2 a6 19 ...wfS 4.tl)gf3 cS S.c3 cxd4 6.cxd4 Here Black could have tried dxe4 7.tl)xe4 .id7 S . .id3 .ic6 capturing the pawn: 19 ...lLlx b4!? 9.0-0 .ie7 10.tl)egS!? hgS 20.�c7 �d7 with rather unclear

1l.tl)xgStl)f 6 12 •.if4 .idS 13.�el consequences. tl)c6 14 • .ieS h6 IS.tl)h3 gS 20.a3;!;

16.�cl �gS 17 • .ibl �e7 The position has stabilized a little and White is slightly better, because of the unsafe situation of Black's king. 20... tl)eS

IS.b4!? This is an interesting move. White exploits the fact that his pawn is taboo and seizes addi­ tional space on the queenside. He 21.�cdl? could have done the same by play­ 21.�h5!? ing 18.a3!? with the plan of 19.b4. 21... f6 ? IS ...�dS Both players overlooked the It is obvious that Black can­ tactical possibility 21...g4 22.lLlf4 not capture on b4 with his queen if3!f, when Black would win the without losing his knight, and if exchange.

18 ... tl)xb4?! then White has the 22• .ig3 �f723.f 4 g4 24.tl)f2

216 3.ttJd2 h6 4.ttJgj3;3 ...a6 4.ttJgj3

f5 25 • .ia2 �d6 •26 .ih4 ge8 have been in time-trouble. Af­ 27.�d3 W1h528 . .ig3 ter 31...�c7 32.�a2! �d8 33.�h4! (this is an attractive tactical blow, with the help of which White acti­ vates his bishop) 33 ... �d6 34.g3;t and White has only a slight edge. 32.W1d3 �e6 33.W1xd5 gge7? This move loses immediately, but Black was beyond salvation anyway.

28 •••�e4 Capturing the pawn with 28 ... ttJxd4?! is rather dubious, in view of 29.�e5 and White has very powerful threats, for example 29 ...ttJ4 b5 (or 29 ...ttJt7 30.�xd4 ixa2 31.ttJc5 and the unavoidable check with the knight from the d7-square would be a catastrophe fo r Black) 30.ttJc5 and, among 34.gxe4! fxe4 35.�d7+ other things, White is threatening gxd7 36.W1xh5. Black resigned. 31.�f6+and 32.ttJd7#! 29.gcl gg7 Here 29 ... ttJxd4 would not be 38 De la Paz - Hoffman disastrous for Black, but it would Havana 1999 still be very risky because of 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.�d2 a6 30.�b2! 4.�gf3�f6 5 . .id3c5 6.c 3 cxd4 30.,ixd5 exd5 31.�e5 7.cxd4 dxe4 8.�xe4 .ie7

31••• �xd4? ! 9.0-0 This loses for Black. He must We have already mentioned in

217 Chapter 7 the Step by Step section that it is �xdS±) 20.ElxdS exdS 21.�f4 Ela8 preferable fo r White to play here 22.�xdS± with a comfortable ad­ 9.tLlxf6+! hf6 10.0-0 tLlc6 11.�e3 vantage to White. 0-0 12.�e4, reaching the same 19 ...he5 20.d.xe5 h6 21. position as in the game, but with­ hd5 exd5 22.gc7 �e8 23. out presenting Black with some hh6 additional possibilities. It also looks good for White to

9 .•.tLlc6 play 23.Elel!?, preventing the acti­ It is interesting for Black to vation of Black's queen. opt here for 9 ...tLlx e4!? 1O.�xe4 23... �xe5 24.�f4 �f5 25. tLld7; that was why White should ge7 ga8 26.ge5 �h3 27.�g5 capture on f6 on his 9th move. gfS 28.�f6 �e6 10.�e3 0-0 1l.�xf6 + hf6 12.iLe4 �e7 13.�b3 �d5 14J��acl �d6 15Jk5 gd8 16.gfcl;!;

29.�d3?! White has made several inac­ curate moves; nevertheless he maintains a clear advantage, al­ Black has problems develop­ though after his last move the ing his queenside. game becomes much sharper. It is 16 ...g6 not easy to understand why he re­ Black will need to give his frained from the rather attractive king an escape hole anyway; be­ (and, I guess, even planned ... !) sides, he has no useful developing capture of the pawn: 29.�xb7!? moves at the moment. Elab8 (It is useless for Black to opt 17.�d2 gb8 18.g3 for 29 ... Elac8 30.Elxc8, because White also gives his king luft, he cannot capture the rook any­ threatening to win the exchange way: 30 ...Elxc8 ? 31.�xc8+! mat­ in the process. ing.) 30.�e7 Elfe8 (30... Elx b2? 18 ...�fS 19.�e5 31.Elxe6+-) 31.�a3 Elbc832.El cel± It was worth considering and almost the same position as 19.�xdS!? ElxdS (Black would in the game arises, except that not change much with 19 ... White has an extra pawn. exdS 20.�f4 Ela8 21.�c7 Ele8 22. 29 ...gac8 +t

218 3.ttJd2 h6 4.ttJgf3;3 ...a6 4.ttJgj3

Now the position is almost equal. 30J3eel l3c4 31.b3 l3xcl 32.l3xc1�f5 33.�d4 l3eS? Black probably decided to try to seize the initiative, or perhaps he overlooked his opponent's next move. After 33 .. J'1cS, the game would have been equal: 34.l"1el �g4 etc. Black's pieces have occupied active positions on the queenside, while White's forces seem to be a bit misplaced. Nevertheless, with his last move Black begins re­ grouping with the idea of covering all the possible entry squares for the enemy pieces and later trans­ fering the majority of his forces to the kingside.

14 • .id2 l3cS 34 . .ihS! f6 3S . .ixf6± Black cannot exploit the vul­ White is once again clearly nerability of the d3-square: 14 ... better. �d3 15.hd3 hd3 16 . .ih6!?± 3S ...�h3 36. .ieS.if5? with an advantage to White (it is 36 ...�g4± also good for him to play simply 37.l3c7+- 16.ha5±, winning a pawn imme­ White checkmates first. diately).

37..• .ie4 3S.l3g7+ mhS 39. lS.�cl!;!;�f8 l3xg6+ <;t>h7 40.l3g7+ It is safer for Black to play pru­ Black resigned, on account of dently 15 ... 0-0 and White will the variation 40 ... h6 41.�d2+ most probably counter this with and White mates on the next 16J!a3, followed by ttJe2-f4 etc. move. Black obviously had something else in mind. 39 Varavin Iljushin 16.l3a3! St Petersburg 2000 White gradually improves the placement of his pieces.

1.e4 e6 2.d4 dS 3.�d2 a6 16••• gS? ! 4.�gf3 cS S.c3 �c6 6 . .id3 This is what Black had planned cxd4 7.cxd4 �f6 S.eS �d7 when he made his previous move. 9. 0-0 .ie7 10.�b3 as 11.a4 In principle, the move with the �b4 12 . .iblb6 13.l3el.ia6 g-pawn is quite typical for the

219 Chapter 7

French Defence, although it is almost always double-edged. He usually connects this aggressive sortie with an attack on White's central d4- or e5-pawns (if its neighbour - the d4-pawn - has already disappeared from the board), or on the f3-knight. In this particular case the d4-square is not under attack yet, so the main Compare the position in the idea behind Black's last move is last diagram with the previous that White's knight on f3 has no one and you will see the differ­ useful square to retreat to. ence immediately. 17.h3 hS 18.lk3! �c4 White's strategy triumphs, Black attacks the d4-pawn. while Black's far-advanced pawns White has prepared a square for on g5 and h5 have become tar­ the retreat of his knight and the gets for attack by White's pieces. move 1B... g4 for Black is senseless. Black's plan, started with his move After 19.hxg4 hxg4 20.tLlh2, he 15 ...tLlf B, has obviously backfired. would simply lose his g4-pawn. Still, it was far from easy for him 19.tLle2 to have predicted the consequenc­ White has protected his d4- es of White'sbeautiful regrouping pawn and he is not afraidof g5-g4. of forces, carried out between his Meanwhile, hisknight on c1 istrans­ moves 16 to 22.

ferred to a more active position. 22 •..h4 23.�f3 �c6 24.tLlg4

19 •••�g8 20.�h2 �d7 21. �g7 2S.�f6+ .ixf6 26.exf6 �g8 �g3! 27.�f5!+- White continues to improve He reaps the fruit of his vic­ the placement of his pieces move torious strategy. Black's g5-pawn by move. With the last move of his falls and with this his entire king­ knight, White opened the way for side crumbles. The rest is now his rook to the g3-square, which simple. freed the c3-square for his other 27.•. g4 28.hxg4 �d8 29. knight. It was also very strong for �gS �xgS 30.ixgS �c4 31 . .ih6

him to have played the simpler tLld7 32• .if4 �c8 33.gS tLld3 34. line: 21.tLlg3!? h4 22.tLlh5±, fol­ ixd3 �xd3 3S. �hS. lowed by tLlg4. Black will soon have to lose a

21 •..�c7 22.tLlc3± lot of material, so he resigned.

220 Chapter S 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3)bd2 c5

Quick Repertoire

c7-c5 we recommend this modest pawn-advance, with which White supports his pawn-bastion on d4.

In response, Black can play actively and, if he so wishes, with Wd8-b6 he can practically force his opponent to sacrifice his d4- pawn, for which White obtains sufficientcompensa tion.

Black's third move, which we will study in this chapter, does not require any special comment. It was even played by Emanuel Lasker and Alexander Alekhine. It continues to be a critical line and is also verypopular nowadays at all levels. It forms part of the opening repertoire of almost all regular French Defence players.

The popularity of 3 ... c5 is easy to explain. It seems quite logical A) 4 .•.cxd4

and it follows the classical princi­ B) 4 ••• tlJc6 ples of opening play. White's last move does not exert sufficient pressure in the centre and Black A) 4 ...cxd4 5.cxd4 i.b4 immediately undermines it. The move 5 ...dxe4 usually 4.c3 leads to positions with an isola:t­ Readers may have already no­ ed queen's pawn and we analyze ticed that whenever Black plays these in Chapters it, i2, i3.

221 Chapter S

6.e5 tLlc6 7.tLlgfJ �b6 8.a3 .ie7

tect his d4-pawn, but in fact he does not even need to do this. He continues with his development White's d4-pawn is hanging. and obtains excellent compensa­

9 • .id3! tion for the pawn, since in posi­ Black has no option .. He must tions in which the centre is not accept the pawn-sacrifice; other­ closed the value of each tempo be­ wise, his last few moves become comes tremendously important. meaningless. 7".tLlxd4 9".tLlxd4 10.tLlxd4 �xd4 This capture is the principled 1l.tLlf3 �b6 12.0-0 .id7 reaction for Black, in order to jus­ 13.b4� tifythe move �b6.

White has very good compen­ 8.tLlxd4 �xd4 9 • .ib5+ .id7

sation for the sacrificedpawn . 10 • .ixd7+ 'it>xd7 11.0-0

B) 4".tLlc6 5.tLlgfJ cxd4 6.cxd4 �b6 Black attacks the most im­ portant and vulnerable point in White's set-up - the d4-pawn. The possible capture on e4 would lead to typical positions with an isolated pawn and we deal with these in Part 3 of our book. (diagram) 7 . .id3 White has a powerful initiative White cannot comfortably pro- fo r the sacrificedpawn . Chapter S 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.lLld2 c5 4.c3

Step by Step

move is rather dubious. 5.dxc5 dxe4 6.1t1xe4 �xd1+ 7.c;!{xd1 1t1d5, Calandri - Della Pietra, Internet 2005, 8.1t1f3 f5 (8 ...1t1d7 9.�b5±) 9.1t1d6+ hd6 1O.cxd6± Black does not have any real compensa­ tion for the pawn. 4 ...b6? ! - this move is not good in this position. 5.exd5 exd5 6.1t1gf3 ltlc6 (6 ...1t1f6 7.1t1e5 �e7 8.�b5+ �d7, Elias - Farace, Mar Black can develop his knight del Plata 1993, 9.1t1xd7 ltlbxd7 to f6 at any moment in the next 10.0-0 0-0 11.1t1f3t - and White few moves and this would lead has a stable advantage thanks to to positions from Chapter 9 (3 ... his powerful bishop-pair.) 7.�b5 ltlf6), so we shall analyze most of �d7 8.0-0 �d6 9J''!e1 + ltlge7, Hor­ the possible variations there. In nung - Klaus, Ruhrgebiet 1999. this chapter, we shall study only After 1O.dxc5 hc5 (10 ... bxc5 schemes in which Black post­ 1l.ltlc4±) 1l.ltlb3 0-0 12.1t1xc5 pones the development of his bxc5 13.�e3 �b6 14.hc6 �xc6 king's knight. 15.h4± White wins a pawn. 4 ...�d7 - this move is also not A) 4 ...cxd4 one of Black's best. 5.1t1gf3 �b6,

B) 4 ••• tLlc6 R.Schmidt - Reymuller, Germa­ ny 1988 (5 ...1t1c6 - see 4 ...1t1c6). 4 ... dxe4 5.1t1xe4 cxd4 6.cxd4 - White should continue here with see 4 ...cxd4 5.cxd4 dxe4 6.1t1xe4. 6.exd5 exd5 7.�d3t The alternatives for Black in this position do not seem con­ A) 4 ...cxd4 5.cxd4 vincing, so we shall take only a (diagram) brief look at them. Al) 5 •••1b4 4 ... 1t1e7?! - this developing A2) 5 ... dxe4

223 Chapter 8

hd2+ 10.hd2 ttJfS, Dolezal - Nosek, Prague 2001. He should continue with 11.0-0! 0-0 (11 ... ttJfxd4 12.ttJxd4 ttJxd4 13.�g4±) 12.�e3! f6 13.exf6 �xf6 14.l"Ic1 �d7 1S.�b1t, planning to pursue his initiative with �d3, g4; 4) 7 ...f6 8.�d3 fxeS, Villarreal - M.Varga, Buenos Aires 1987. Here the correct reaction for White is 9.ttJxeS! ttJf6 (9 ...ttJxe S

Al)5 •••.ib4 6.e5 l£lc6 1O.dxeS ttJe7 11.�g4 hd2+ 12. For 6 ...l£le7 7 .�d3 ttJbc6 8.ttJgf3 hd2 0-0 13.0-0;1;) 10.0-0 0-0 - see 6 ...ttJc6. 11.ttJdf3 �d6 12.b3;1;and thanks to 7.l£lgt3 his firm control over the eS­ square, he maintains the initiative and can counter the blow 12 ... ttJxd4 with 13.hh7+! 'it>xh7 14. �xd4±; S) 7 ...ttJg e7 8.�d3

7 •••%r b6 In the diagram position, Black has tried many different moves, but in the majority of the varia­ 8 ...�b6 9.0-0! ttJxd4? (it is tions White obtains an advantage preferable for Black to play here almost effortlessly: 9 ...ttJfS, see 8 ... ttJfS) 10.ttJxd4 �xd4 1) 7 ...ttJh6 8.�d3 ttJfS 9.0-0 - 11.ttJf3 �b6 12.a3 �cS 13.b4+-; see 7 ...ttJge7; 11 ...�g4 12.h3 �hS 13.�a4+ ttJc6 2) 7 ...�d7 8.�d3 l"Ic8 9.a3 �aS 14.�bS+- Craig - Lane, Mel­ 10.0-0 ttJge7 11.b4 �b6 12.ttJb3 bourne 1992; ttJg6 13.�e3 a6 14.ttJgS ttJce7 8 ...ttJf S 9.0-0 �b6 10.ttJb3 �d7 1S.ttJcS hcS 16.bxcS h6 17.ttJf3 11.�e3;1;Abend - Oepen, Germany 0-0 18.l"Ibl± H.Carlsen - Jor­ 1992; gensen, Gausdal 2000; 8 ...0-0 9.a3 �aS (9 ...�a S? 3) 7 ...a6 8.�d3 ttJge7 9.a3 1O.b4! �b6 11.hh7+! 'it>xh7 12.

224 3. ttJd2 c54.c3 ttJgS+ wgB - 12 ... Wg6 13.ttJdf3 --+ - 13.'lWhS �eB 14.'lWxt7+ whB 15. 'lWhS+ wgB 16.ttJdf3 ! ttJfS 17. W1h7+ wfB 1B.ttJh4!+-; 9 ...hd 2+ 10. ixd2 f6 1l.exf6 �xf6 12.0-0;t) 10. �b1 hd2+ 1l.i.xd2'lWb6 12.i.e3fS 13.exf6 �xf6 14. O-O;tLotz - Lj u­ jic, Darms 1995. 8.a3 1i.e7 B ...hd2 + 9.'lWxd2 ttJge7 10.b4 0-0 1l.i.e2i.d7 12 .i.b2f6 13.0-0 fxeS 14.dxeS ttJg6 lS.g3 a6 16.h4;t A2)S •••dxe4 6.ttJxe4 Ekdyshman - Chepukaitis, St Pe­ tersburg 2003 (game 40).

6 .••li.d7 The alternatives for Black lead 9.li.d3! to transpositions: This pawn-sacrifice is White's About 6 ...ttJc 6 7.ttJf3 - see vari­ best decision. ation B. It is weaker for him to play 6 ...ttJf6 7.i.d3 , or 6 ...ttJd7 7.i.d3 9.ttJb3 as!+! with good counter­ ttJgf6B.ttJc 3 - see Chapter 9. play for Black, Stein wender - Se­ 6 ...i.e7 7.ttJf3 ttJf6 B.i.d3 0-0 benik, Latschach 200!. 9.0-0 ttJc6 - see Chapter it.

9 ••• ttJxd4 10 .ttJxd4 'lWxd4 6 ...i.b 4+ 7.ttJc3 ttJf6 (7 ... ttJe7 11.�f3 'lWb6 12.0-0 Ii.d7 B.ttJf3 0-0 9.i.d3 ttJd7 10.0-0 13.b4!� �eB, Malachowski - Gramse, (diagram) Buehl 19B3, 1l.�e1 ttJf6 12.i.gS White has very goodcompen­ ttJedS 13.�cU) B.i.d3 0-0 (B ... sation, thanks to his considerable ttJc6 9.ttJgf3 0-0 10.0-0 - see lead in development; for example: Chapter i2) 9.ttJf3 b6 1O.0-0 i.b7 13 ...li.bS I4.li.e3 'lWa6 1S. li.xbS+ - see Chapter i3. Yli'xbS 16.ttJd4 'lWd7 17.W1g4t 7.ttJf3 li.c6 8.li.d3 Chapter 8

10.tLlc3 !J..e7 1U:!el It might also be interesting for White to play 11.V!1e2!? ltJd5 12. i.d2 0-0 13J'�ad1, with a rather complicated situation, Arizmendi - Taboas,Madrid 2000 (game 41).

11 ••. 0-0 12.i.c2

8 ...tLld7 It is imprecise fo r Black to con­ tinue with 8 ... ltJf6?! 9.ltJxf6+ V!1xf6?? (This is a decisive blunder and it is obviously due to miscal­ culation. After 9 ...gxf6 1O.0-0;!;, his position would have been ac­ ceptable.) 10.i.g5 hf3 11.V!1c1! (but not 11.V!1d2? i.b4! and the The diagram position arose in fightflares up again) 11...i.b4+ 12. the game Hamilton - Clark, Tel­ wfl +- and White wins the queen, ford 2004. Black' ssubsequentplay Meszaros - Sherzer, Eger 1988. was not good: 12 ...i.b 4?! 13.V!1d3 It is possible fo r Black to hf3?! 14.V!1xf3 hc3 15.bxc3 play here 8 ... i.b4+ 9.ltJc3 (White V!1c8?! 16.i.g5± and White's ad­ should refrain from 9.i.d2hd2 + vantage became overwhelming. 1O.V!1xd2 ltJf6=, when Black has no It would have been much more problems at all, De la Fuente Cle­ natural for Black to have chosen mente - Narciso Dublan, Montca­ the following sample variation: da 2009) 9 ... ltJf6 10.0-0 ltJbd7 12 .. J�c8 13.�d3 g6 14.i.h6 (10 ... 0-0 11.ltJe5!?) 1l.i.g5 0-0 ge8 15.gadl tLld5 16.!J..b3 with 12.V!1e2 Er:c8 13.Er:acU and there a complicated fight, quite typical arises a typical isolated pawn po­ fo r this pawn-structure. sition in which White exerts some

positional pressure. B) 4 ••. tLlc6 5.tLlg£J 9.0-0 tLlgf6 (diagram)

After 9 ...i.e7, it seems good for 5 •••cxd4 White to continue with 1O.i.f4!? For 5 ...V!1b6 6.i.d3cxd4 7.cxd4 ltJdf6 (1O... ltJg f6 1l.ltJd6;!;) 11.ltJc3;!; - see 5 ...cxd4 6.cxd4 V!1b67.i.d3 . and Black will have problems with 5 ...ltJg e7?! 6.dxc5 dxe4 (6 ...ltJg 6 the development of his knight on 7.b4 V!1f6 8.Er:b1!±) 7.ltJxe4 V!1xdl+ g8. 8.wxd1 ltJd5 9.i.b5 f5 10.ltJd6+

226 3.lLld2 c54. c3

.ib46.e S lLlc6 7.lLlgf3 (variationAl). Capturing on e4 leads to typi­ cal positions with an isolated pawn, which will be analyzed in the third part of our book: 6 ... dxe4 7.lLlxe4 .ib4+ (7 ... lLlf6B . .id3 - see Chapters il-i2; 7 ....ie7 B . .id3 lLlf6 9.0-0 - see Chapter il) 8.lLlc3 lLlge7 (B ...lLlf 6 9 . .id3 lLldS 1O.0-0!? - see Chapter i7; 9 ... 0-0 10.0-0 - see Chapter i2) ixd6 11.cxd6 0-0 12.ixc6 bxc6 9 . .id3 .id7(The principled move 13.c4 lLlf6 14 . .ie3± Mai Thien Kim for Black 9 ... lLldS will be dealt Ngoc - Nguyen Huong Thao, Vi­ with in Chapter i7.) 10.0-0 ixc3 etnam 2002. 11.bxc3 �aS 12 . .id2 �c7 13J�c1 S ....id7 6.exdS exdS 7.dxcS lLlg6 14.E!e1 lLlce7 1S.c4± Yurtaev ixcS B.lLlb3 �e7+ 9 . .ie2 .ie6 (If - Golovin, Simferopol 19B9. Black wished to protect his dS­ pawn, it would have been more B1) 6 ...lLlge7 7 . .id3 logical for him to play 9 ...lLlf 6, which, by the way, would not re­ ally have changed the character of the fight: 1O.lLlxcS �xcS 11.0-0 0-0 12 ..ie3 �d6 13.lLld4� and Whitewould have a stable advan­ tage. Black's best option here is the pawn-sacrifice: 9 ... .ib6!? 1O.�xdS lLlf6, butafter 11 .�d3 0-0 12.0-0, he does not have sufficient com­ pensation, fo r example: 12 .. J'&adB 13.lLlbd4.ig4 14. .ie3�and White's position is quite solid.) 1O.lLlxcS 7 ...dxe4 �xcS 11 . .ie3 �e7 12.0-0 lLlf6 13. Black deployed his pieces lLld4� Tarnowska - Czoch, Polani­ rather awkwardly in the following ca Zdroj 200B. game: 7 ....id7 B.O-O �b6 9.lLlb3 6.cxd4 g6 10.lLlcS E!dB 11.lLla4 �c7 12.eS .ig7 13 . .igS 0-0 14.E!cl± Vasquez

B1) 6 ..•lLlge7 - Regis, Manila 1997. B2) 6 .. :�b6 After7 ... �b6, Donker - Mawi­ ra, Haarlem 1994, White should 6 ...lLlf 6 7 . .id3 - see Chapter 9; sacrifice a pawn: B.O-O! lLlxd4 6 ....ih4 7.eS - see 4 ...cxd4 S.cxd4 9.lLlxd4 �xd4 1O.lLlf3 �b6 11..ie3

227 Chapter 8

\WaS (it looks even worse for Black tage, for example: 1l... c!lJxe3 (11... to play 1l ...\Wx b2?! 12.�d4 \Wa3 13. b6 12.hfS exfS 13.dS�) 12.fxe3 �bS+ �d7 14.hd7+ It>xd7 1SJ�blt .id7 (12 ...b6 13.�e4 �b7 14.lLleS and White's threats are too dan­ lLlxeS IS.hb7 �b8 16.�e4�) 13.a3 gerous for Black to parry)12 .�d2 gc8 14.gcU \Wb6 13.�c3� with excellent com­ pensation for White, thanks to his B2) 6 .. :efb6 lead in development. 7 ... lLlg6, H.Sax - Panic, Bled 1995, 8.0-0 �e7 9.exdS exdS (9 ...\WxdS 10.�e4 \Wd7 l1.lLlc4�) 1O.lLlb30-0 1l.h3� - although the pawn-structure is symmetrical, White's pieces are so active that he maintains an edge. Black has problems with the comfortable development of his bishop on c8.

8.c!lJxe4 c!lJf5 9• .ie3.ie7 His attempt to play actively with 9 ...�b4 + 1O.lLlc3 \WaS?! leads Black attacks the most vulner­ after 1l.\Wc2 lLlxe3 12.fxe3 h6 13. able point in White'sset-up - his 0-0 0-0 14.a3� to a position in d4-pawn. which White has an undoubted 7 • .id3 advantage, Gregori - Di Lazzaro, White cannot protect d4 com­ Nova Gorica 2008. Black's best fortably, but he does not even chance would be to calmly play need to. He just continues with his 10 ... 0-0 11.0-0 with only a slight development and obtains excel­ edge for White. lent compensation for the pawn, 10.0-0 0-0 1l.c!lJc3� because each tempo is immensely important in a position with an open centre.

White maintains some advan-

228 3. ttJd2 c54.c3

7 ...�xd4 16.�e4 1Wxd4 17.ttJg4t Black has tried various other 8.�xd4 'llYxd4 9.i.b5+ i.d7 possibilities in the diagram posi­ 10.hd7+ �xd7 11.0-0 tion. You will see from the analysis below that whether Black accepts the pawn-sacrifice immediately or later (for 7 ...ttJf6 8.0-0 ttJxd4 - see Chapter 9) he falls consider­ ably behind in development. This is very dangerous for him, yet if he does not accept the sacrifice his queen-sortie to b6 may turn out to be a waste of time. 7 ...dxe4 8.ttJxe4�b4 +, Aakio ­ Laakso, Vantaa 1994, 9.ttJc3 ttJf6 10.0-0 0-0 1l.�gS;!; Black loses his castling rights 7 ...�e7 8.0-0 dxe4 (8 ...ttJf6 and his king remains stranded in 9.eS ttJd7 1O.ttJb3 - see Chapter the centre indefinitely, so White 9) 9.ttJxe4 ttJf6, Grant - Holmes, can increase his positional pres­ Edinburgh 1996, 1O.ttJxf6+ hf6 sure unopposed. 1l.dS! exdS (ll ...ttJb4? 12 .�e3 1WaS 11... �f6 12.exd5 �xd5 13.�d2+-; 11...ttJe7 12.dxe6 he6 After 12... 1WxdS 13.1W e2, White's 13.ttJgSt) 12.�gS!� threats along the d-file are very 7 ...�d7 8.0-0 ttJb4(It is rather unpleasant for Black, for exam- dubious for Black to capture the ple: 13 ...�d6 14.ttJc4 1"!hc8 1S.b3� pawn with 8 ...ttJxd 4?! 9.exdS exdS If 12 ...ex dS, then 13.1Wb3 and 10.ttJxd4 1Wxd4 1l.ttJf3t; or 8 ... the only thing White must do, to dxe4 9.ttJxe4ttJx d4 1O.�e3 ttJxf3+ develop his initiative, is to avoid 11.1Wxf3t since in both cases his the an exchange of queens: 13 ... lag in development is worrying; 1Wb6 (l3... 1Wb4 14.1Wd3!) 14.1Wa4+ 8. .. �e7 9J''!e1 dxe4 10.ttJxe4 ttJf6 1Wc6 1S.1Wd1! �16.ttJf3. 1l.ttJxf6+ hf6 12.dS ttJe7 13.dxe6 13.'llY e2 i.d6,Aakio - Koistin­ ixe6 14.ttJgS id4 1S.1We2±Debray en, Finland 1988. He can con­ - Ferre, Paris 2001) 9.�b1 dxe4 tinue here with 14.'llYb5+ �c7 1O.ttJxe4 �e7 11.ttJeS �bS (1l ...ttJf6 (14 ...'it>c8 1S.tLlc4 �c7 16.�e3 12.ttJxf6+ hf6 13.1WhS g6 14.1Wf3 1Wh4 17.g3�; 14 ...'it>e7 1S.tLlc4 1WcS tLldS 1S.ttJxd7 'it>xd7 16.�e4± Grant 16.ttJxd6 1Wxd6 17.1Wxb7+ 1Wd7 - K.Shaw, Oban 1995) 12J''!e1 ttJf6 18.1Wa6;!;) 15.�c4 'llYc5 16.�xd6 13.ttJxf6+ .bf6 (13 ...gxf6 14.ttJxf7! 'llYxd6 17.i.e3� White maintains 'it>xf7 1S.1WhS+ 'it>g8 16.:1'!e3 �d6 a powerful initiative for the sacri­ 17.1Wg4--+) 14.1WhS g6 1S.1Wf3 ttJdS ficedpawn .

229 Chapter 8 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.tlJd2c5 4.c3

Complete Games

40 Ekdyshman - Chepukaitis are no suitable squares for it. So St Petersburg 2003 White should have simply played 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.li)d2 c5 17.�ac1;t;,with the aim of answer- 4.c3 cxd4 5.cxd4 i.b4 6.e5 ing 17... ltJc e7? with 18.hS. li)c6 7.li)gf3 'elb6 S.a3 hd2+ 17... i.eS 9.'elxd2 li)ge7 10.b4 0-0 11. It is preferable for Black to i.e2 i.d7 12.i.b2 f6 13. 0-0 play 17 ...aS !? immediately. fxe5 14.dxe5 li)g6 15.g3t a6 lS.ge1 a5 19.i.d4 16.h4 h6 White also maintains a slight edge with 19.hS ltJge720. ltJd4t 19 ...li)xd4 20 .'elxd4'ela6 It is more accurate for Black to play here 20 ... V9d8.

17.i.d1?! This is a rather strange move. White probably wanted to defend against the possible manoeuvre �d7-bS, with exchange of the 21.gc1?! light-squared bishops, having in White should have played mind that the more natural move 21.�e2 here, since Black cannot with the same purpose - 17J'!fel?! play 21...�bS? in view of 22.hbS - can be countered with the tac­ V9xbS 23.V9g4 V9b6 24.bxaS �xa5 tical blow 17... ltJgx eS! However, 2S.�abl±, and his queen is over­ in order to accomplish that ma­ worked. So he would need to noeuvre, Black must first retreat retreat with 21...V9a7 but after his knight from c6, but there 22.V9xa7 �xa7 23.hS ltJe7 24.ltJd4

230 3.tiJd2 c54.c3 id7 25.ig4± White's advantage vantage (41.�xc4 :gxg5=). would be obvious in this end­ 39 ...'.t>xg6 40 .�g8+ '.t>h7 41. game. �g7+ '.t>h842 .tvc3

21•.. axb4 22.axb4 llJe7+

White is threatening to check­ Now Black's position im­ mate in numerous ways, but Black proves, because his bishop is free saves the day by a miracle.

and White has problems protect­ 42 •••�bf 4! ing his pawn-weaknesses. This is absolutely the only

23 • .ie2 .ib5 24 • .ixb5 tvxb5 move. 25.tvg4tvb6 43.tvg3 tvb1+ 44.'.t>g2 �t7= It was also good for Black to He protects the g6- and g7- play 25 ...llJf 5!? immediately. squares simultaneously. 26.tvd4 tvd827.tvg4 llJfS28. 45.�g8+ '.t>h746.� g7+ '.t>h8. llJd4 h5 29.tvd1 tvb6 30.llJxfS Draw. �xf5 31.tvd2 �af8 White would still have some 41 Arizmendi Taboas problems after 31..J''1a3 32.\!ig2 Madrid 2000 :gaf3 33J''1e2 d4!?, whereas now he 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.llJd2 .ie7 manages to hold the position. 4.c3 c5 5 . .id3 cxd4 6.cxd4 32.�e2= g5?! dxe4 7.llJxe4 llJf6 8.llJc3 .id7 Black does not achieve much 9.llJt3 .ic6 10.0-0 llJbd7 11. with 32 .. J'U3 33.:gc3= but his last tve2 llJd512 . .id2 0-0 13.�ad1 move is too risky and his position tvc7 14 . .ib1 a6 15.�fe1 becomes worse again. 33.hxg5 h4 34.gxh4 �f4 35. h5 �8fS 36.�c8+ \!ig7 37.\!ifl �xb4 38.h6+ '.t>h7 39.g6+ It also looks strong for White to play 39.tvc2 :gc4 (Black has no other defence in sight against the penetration to the c7-square.) 40.:gxc4 dxc4 41.tve4± with ad-

231 Chapter 8

IS •••�7 f6 19••• .ie8 Here Black could consider Here Black cannot play 19 ... 15 ...lbxc3 !? 16.bxc3 .b4 17.�d3 .ia4because of 20.lbxf7! (17.l'k1?! .ia3) 17... g6 18 . .ic2hc2 20.ge3! 19.�xc2 b5 20.d5 lbc5 21.c4= with This standard transfer of complete equality. White's rook along the third rank 16.�eS �xc3 17. bxc3 creates numerous problems for Black.

20 •••.ifS Black should have exchanged the dangerous enemy knight as soon as possible with 20 ...lbd7! ? 21.�h4 .ig7 22.gh3 gdS?! Black should have blocked the h-filewith 22 ...h5 !, with the point that if then 23 . .ig5 (23.ge1 lbd7) he would have the possibility of

17 •••gfd8 23 ...�xe5 ! Black overlooks the possibil­ 23.gel gad8? ityof 17... .ia4 ! 18.l'k1 .ia3 19.�d3 Black defends rather care­ hc1! 20.lbg4 (it might be inter­ lessly. esting for White to try 20.hc1!? His last chance was 23 ... g6 21.�f3� with compensation) h5, with the idea of 24.c4 gxe5 20 ...lbe 4! (White possibly over­ 25.dxe5 lbg4� looked this powerful counter­ 24 • .igS+- blow) 21.�xe4 f5 22.�xe6+ mh8 Now thegame ispractically over.

23.gxc1 gae8 24.�d5 .ic6!+ After 24 •••gxeS 2S.dxeS �xeS a series of intermediate moves, Black recoups the enemy knight with a comfortable position and White is unable to organize an at­ tack along the b1-h7 diagonal. 18.�d3 g6 19.�h3

It looks as if Black placed great reliance on this counter-blow, but he will be disappointed. 26.ghe3. Black loses a piece, so he resigned.

232 Chapter 9 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.�d2 �f6

Quick Repertoire

tacks the most vulnerable point in his opponent's position - the d4- pawn.

In this Chapter we shall ana­ lyze the most popular move fo r Black in the Tarrasch system. He develops a piece and simultane­ ously attacks White's centre. 8.0-0 The firstgames with this move White cannot comfortably were played as early as the 19th protect his pawn: 8.e5 ttJd7 9.ttJb3 century. If fact, the diagram posi­ a5 1O.a4 �b4+ ll.wfl f6, with very tion was reached in the games of good counterplay for Black. Siegbert Tarrasch himself. This 8 ...i.e7 variation continues to be fashion­ Accepting the pawn-sacri­ able today. fice with 8 ...ttJx d4 9.ttJxd4 �xd4 4 . .id3 c5 5.c3 �c6 6.�gf3 1O.ttJf3 �b6 11.�e3! gives White a I will mention again that at powerful initiative. this early stage of the game White 9.e5 �d7 10.�b3 is still making "his" moves and af­ After White has castled Black ter ttJf6 he plays �d3, after c5, c3 does not have the rather unpleas­ and after �c6, ttJgf3. ant check on b4 and White can 6 ...cxd4 7 .cxd4 �b6 easily protect his pawn on d4 Just as in Chapter 8, Black at- without this being detrimental to

233 Chapter 9 his position. queenside with b6, �a6, E1c8etc. l3 . .id2 b6 l4J"!el .ia6 15 . .!Dell!e8 l6.l!a3;!;

lO ... aS Black's best chance here is to attack the enemy knight on b3, White has covered the possible forcing his opponent to play 11.a4 entrysquar es of the active enemy and thus obtaining the b4-square forces on the queens ide and plans as a base for his pieces. to transfer his pieces to the king­ 1l.a4 .!Db4 l2 . .ibl �d8 side later. His knight will take the Black defends against �g5 and route cl-e2-f4 and his rook will plans to develop his pieces on the operate along the third rank. Chapter 9 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.�d2 �f6 4 . .id3

Step by Step

(It is weaker to play S ...tDg8 6.c3. The game might continue: 6 .. .f6?! 7.�hS+ 'kt>d7 8.tDh3 tDh6 9.tDf3± Strugatsky - McCambridge, USA 1990; after 6 ...fS , Krivoshiyski - Fedukin, Teteven 1991.White should play 7.tDh3,planning tDf4, h4, g4t analogously to the varia­ tion S ... tDd7 6.c3 fS ; 6 ...b6 7.tDh3 .tb7 8.a4 �d7 9.tDb3 0-0-0 1O.aS 'kt>b8 11.�e2 f6 12.f4 tDge7

4 ...c5 13 . .te3 tDc8 14.0-0± Danilovtsev The majority of Black's alter­ - Khasanova, Omsk 1998; 6 ...�d7 natives lead to positions that we 7.tDe2b6 8.0-0 .tb79.f 4 g6 1O.g4 have already analyzed, for exam­ tDh6 1l.tDg3 tDe7 12.!1f2 0-0-0 ple: 13.tDdf1 'kt>b8 14.M .tc8 1S.tDe3± 4 ...b6 S.eS tDfd7 6.c4! .tb7 and White can develop a danger­ 7.tDgf3 .te7 (or 7 ...cS 8.cxdS hdS ous initiative on the kingside by 9 . .te4) 8.cxdS hdS 9 . .te4 cS - advancing f4 -fS, as well as on the see Chapter 4 (3 ...b6) ; queens ide with bS, a4, !1fa2, as 4 ...dxe4 S.tDxe4 tDbd76.tDf 3 - with an attack, Kindler - Engel, see Chapter 3; Ketsch 1978) 6.c3 4 ...a6 S.tDgf3 - see Chapter 7; 4 ....te7 S.tDgf3 - see Chapter 6. Original positions arise only after 4 ...tDc 6: S.eS! (In the cir­ cumstances, White cannot trans­ pose to lines which we have already studied, because after S.c3 eS!= or S.tDgf3 tDb4=, Black equalizes immediately.) S ...tDd7

23S Chapter 9

You can find almost one hun­ vides him with powerfulinitiative: dred games in the database which 7.tUdf3 ! b6 8.tUgS!i, for example: have reached the diagram posi­ 8 ...�a6 9.tUxe6! fxe6 1O.Wh5+ tion. It has been played many rJJe7 11.�gS+ tUf6 12 . .ba6 1:l:xa6 times as Black by grandmasters 13.tUf3± and masters such as I.Rogers, S) 6 ...tUe 7 7.tUe2 cS 8.f4 tUc6 S.Djuric, H.Lehtinen and others. 9.0-0 Wb6 1O.tUf3 �e7 1l.rJJh1 f6, Nevertheless, the correct evalua­ Stolz - Schmidt, Germany 2002 tion is more than obvious - White (1l.. .fS 12.b3 0-0 13.1:l:gli �14.g4). has a considerable advantage. In White has a wonderful resource contrast to the variation 3 ... tUc6 here in 12.fS! and if: 12 ...fxeS (12 ... (see Chapter S), Black is unable exfS 13.tUf4!i; 12... cxd4 13.tUexd4 to accomplish the thematic pawn­ tUxd4 14.lbxd4 tUxeS 1S.�bSi) 13. break fl-f6, so in order to avoid fxe6 lbf8 14.tUxeS tUxeS 1S.dxe5 havingeven greater difficultieshe .be6 (1S... tUxe6 16.tUg3±) 16.tUf4 must combat his opponent's pow­ 0-0-0 17.�e3i �18.b4. erful eS-pawn with the move fl­ 6) 6 ...�e7. This move has often fS.The other undermining pawn­ been played by Black in practice, move c7-cS can be prepared only but it leads to a very difficultposi ­ with the loss of two tempi, which tion for him after7.W g4! rJJf8 (7 ... is a real handicap at such an early g6?! 8.tUdf3i &4-hS; 7 ... 0-0?! stage of the game. I shall analyze 8.tUdf3 g6?! 9.h4---+ Stephenson Black's various possibilities only - Kovacs, London 1995; 8 .. .f5 briefly: 9.Wg3± &4, tUe2-f4) 8.tUdf3 b6 1) 6 .. .f6? 7.WhS+ rJJe7 8.tUdf3 9.tUe2 as, Pokorny - Kukacka, We8 9.Wh4± Chrudim 2001 (The least of the 2) 6 ...tUcb8 7.f4 g6 8.tUdf3 evils for Black here is the vari­ cS 9.tUe2 b6 1O.rJJf2 .b6, Blaess ation: 9 ...hS ! 1O.Wg3 as 11.ig5 - Lieb, Germany 1984, 11..ba6 .b6 12 . .ba6 1:l:xa6 13 .h4±). White tUxa6 12.g4 hS 13.h3 �g7 14.fS!i can obtain a decisive advan­ 3) 6 ...b6 7.tUdf3! �b7, Schmit­ tage now with 1O.tUf4 g6 (10 ... zer - Herges, Hessen 1998. After .b6 11.tUhS! g6 12.�h6+ @g8 8.tUgS! �e7 (8 ... h6? 9.WhS We7 13.�c2!---+ �tUf4, h4-hS) 11.h4 ia6 1O.tUxf7!+-) 9.Wg4i and White a (ll ...hS 12.Wg3+-) 12 . .ba6 Elxa6 powerfulin itiative. 13.hS gS 14.h6! 1:l:g8 1S.tUh3 Elg6 4) 6 ...aS, Olle - G.Varga, Hun­ 16 . .bgS+- gary 1996. This move is connected 7) 6 .. .fS. This is the best line with the idea of exchanging the for Black, but White's advantage light-squared bishops with 7 ...b6 is considerable. 7.tUh3! tUb6 (or and 8 ...�a6. Just as in the previ­ 7 ...g6, Delchev - Djuric, Forli ous variation, Whiteshould trans­ 1989 and after 8.tUf4 We7 9.h4 fer his knight to gS and this pro- tUb6 1O.g4!± Whitecan transpose

236 3. tLld2 tLlf6 4.fi.d3 c55.c3 to positions we have already ana­ 2) 7 ....id7 8.tLlc3! (It is weaker lyzed) 8.tLlf4 Wffe7 (even after8 ...g6 for White to play 8.tLlf3 tLlxe4! 9.h4 Wffe7, Klinger - Rogers, Biel 9 . .ixe4.ic6 =) 8 ....ic6 9.tLlf3 tLlbd7 1986, White should again play 10.0-0 .ie7 l1.:B:e1 - see Chapter 1O.g4!±) 9.g4 g6 1O.h4 .id7 (10 ... 8, variation A. Wfff7 1l.gxf5 gxf5 12.tLlf3±; 10 ... 3) 7 ...tLlxe4 8 . .ixe4.ib4+ 9 ..id2 .ih6 1l.g5 .ig7 12.tLlf3Wfff7 13.h5±) .ixd2+ 10.Wffxd2 tLld7 1l.tLle2 tLlf6 1l.tLlb3 0-0-0 12 . .ie3 Wfff7 13.Wffe2 12 . .if3 Wffb6 13.0-0 0-0, Pavlov - tLle714.tLlc 5 fxg415 . .ia6!± Peptan Fingerov, Kiev 2002, 14.:B:fc1 .id7 - Pihajlic, Vrnjacka Banja 1999. 15.:B:c3 :B:ab816. :B:acU White's attack is very powerful. 4) 7 ... .ie7 8.tLlf3 tLlxe4 (8 .. . After 15 ....ic 6, he can continue .id7 9.tLlc3 .ic6 10.0-0 - see 7 .. . with 16.tLlfxe6 :B:e8 17.tLlxf8 :B:hxf8 .id7; 8 ...tLlbd7 9.tLlc3 - see 7 .. . 18.Wffxg4+ tLlf5 19 . .id3± tLlbd7; 8 ... tLlc6 9.0-0 0-0 1O.tLlc3 5.c3 - see 5 ...tLlc6; 8 ... 0-0 9.0-0 tLlc6 1O.tLlc3 - see. 5 ...tLlc6) 9 . .ixe4 tLld710.0-0 tLlf6 (This is the most precise move order for Black. It is somewhat weaker for him to play 10 ...0-0 1l.tLle5! tLlf6 12 . .if3 tLld5 13.Wffb3;!; - White has regrouped his forces advantageously and maintains the advantage, De la Paz - Arribas Robaina, Santa Clara 2001.) 1l . .ic2 0-0 12.tLle5 .id7 13 . .ig5 .ic6 14.tLlxc6 bxc6 15.Wffd3 g6 16.:B:ac1 Wffd6 17.:B:fd1 :B:ab8 5 ...tLlc6 18 . .ib3 :B:b6 19.93 tLld5 20 . .id2! 5 ... cxd4 6.cxd4 dxe4 7.tLlxe4 .if6 21.:B:c4 :B:c8 22.Wfff3 .ig7 23.h4 h5 24.<;t>g2 Wffd7 25 . .ig5;!; - White has only a slight edge, but Black is still a long way from equality, Bo­ charov - Yevseev, Belgorod 2010 (game 42). 5) 7 ....ib4+ 8.tLlc3 0-0 9.tLlf3 b6 (9 ... tLld5 10.0-0 - Chapter i7) 10.0-0 .ia6 (The position af­ ter 1O ... .ib7 1l.:B:e1 tLlc6 12.a3 .ie7 will be analyzed in Chapter i2) We shall now deal with the al­ 1l . .ixa6 tLlxa612. Wffa4 Wffc8 13 . .ig5 ternatives for Black. hc3 14.bxc3 tLle4 15.c4 tLlxg5 16. 1) 7 ...tLlc6 8.tLlf 3 - see 5 ...tLlc6. tLlxg5 h6 17.tLlf3 Wffb7, Vavra -

237 Chapter 9

Koutsin, Czechia 1997, 1BJ'!ad1 There might follow 13 ... ltJbB!?, l'!fdB 19.1'!fe1 l'!acB 20.h3t. The with the idea of transferring this character of the fight in positions knight to b4 via c6; otherwise, with hanging pawns is a bit dif­ due to the vulnerability of the ferent in comparison to positions a6-pawn, Black has problems with an isolated pawn, but there bringing his queen's rook into are some similarities as well. In play. 14.i.gS ltJc6 ls.hf6!? (after particular, exchanges are usually lS.l'!ad1 ltJb4 16.i.b1ltJfdS 17.i. d2t:± in favour of the side which is play­ Black achieves what he was after ing against the hanging pawns. and the position becomes double­ In this particular case, Black has edged.) lS ...hf6 16.i.e4. White already succeeded in exchanging prepares the pawn-break d4-dS. If three pairs of minor pieces, but he Black now attempts to change the has not yet solved the main prob­ character of the fightwith the line: lem in this position. His knight 16 ... ltJxd4 17.ltJxd4 he4, the in­ on a6 is misplaced, and after 20 ... termediate tactical blow 1B.ltJxe6! ltJc7 White has the powerful re­ leads to a position with somewhat source 21.ltJeS bS 22.'�'b3; or if better prospects for White after 20 ... ltJbB 21.dS! 1B ...fxe6 19.�xe4t and here if 6) 7 ...ltJbd7 (Black is planning 19 ...i.d4 he has the possibility of 8. .. ltJxe4 9.he4 i.b4+ 10.i.d2 20.�xe6+ I!ihB 21.ltJe4; or if lB ... hd2+ l1.�xd2 ltJf6) B.ltJc3! i.e7 i.d3! 19.1tJxdB he2 20.ltJxf7!t 9.ltJf3 0-0 10.0-0 and White ends up with an extra pawnin the endgame. 1O... ltJb6 l1.l'!e1 i.d7 12.ltJeS l'!cB (It would be safer for Black to play here 12 ... ltJbdS 13.i.gS l'!cB 14.l'!c1i.c6 lS.i.b1 with a very complicated position.)

and now: after 1O ... a6 1l.ltJeS, there arises a position from the game Brodsky - Stellwagen, which we analyzein Chapter i6; 1O ... b6 l1.l'!e1 i.b7 12.�e2 a6, G.Szabo - A.Vajda, Bucharest 13.l'!e3! (This standard trans­ 2001. White should prevent the fer of White's rook along the pawn-advance b6-bS with 13.a4. third rank creates numerous

23B 3.tLld2 tLlf6 4.i.d3 c5S. c3 problems fo r his opponent.) 13 ... ter-blow 20 ...�xa2 !, because of i.c6 14J�g3� (White's threats are 21.!'1a3±) 20.tLlc3 f5 21.�e2 �xd4 very dangerous) 13 ...tLlb d5 (Black 22.!'1dl± - White has regained his would not change much with 14 ... pawn, but Black's position on the WhS 15.i.g5, when White creates kingside is in ruins and so White the threat of 16 ..bf6 , followed maintains the advantage. by 17.�h5, and if 15 ...g6 then 6.�gf3cxd4 16.�h6±, winning the exchange; For 6 ...�b6 7.0-0 cxd4 S.cxd4 it is not advisable for Black to - see 6 ...cxd4 7.cxd4 �b6 S.O-O. opt for 14 ...g6 15.�h6± since he 6 ...�e7 7.0-0 dxe4 (7 ... 0-0 must give up the exchange to S.e5 tLld7 9.!'1e1 - Chapter 6) avoid the worst, because the re­ S.tLlxe4 cxd4 9.cxd4 0-0 - see treat of the rook with 15 ..J� eS Chapter it. leads to an immediate loss after 7.cxd4 16.bg6! hxg6 17.tLlxg6 and here if 17... fxg6 1S.�d3+- or 17 ...wh7 lS.tLle5+- and White's attack is crushing.) 15.i.h6 tLleS 16.bg7! tLlxg7 17.�g4 �g5 (Black loses quickly after 17... �f6, Plaskett - Houard, Internet 2007. In this position, Black saved the day only because it was a blitz game, since if it had been played with a classi­ cal time-control GM Jim Plaskett would not have overlooked the simple win with lS.�h5! and af­ 7 .. J�·b6 ter 1S ...h6 -if lS ... !'1eS 19.bh7+ 7 ...tLlb4 S.�b1 dxe4 9.tLlxe4 and White mates immediately �e7 10.0-0 - see Chapter 6, vari­ - 19.�xh6 !'1eS 20.tLlxd5 bd5 ation 7 ...cxd4 S.cxd4 tLlb4 9.i.b1 21.tLld7!; or 20 ...exd5 21.i.f5 !'1c7 dxe4 1O.tLlxe4. 22.�h7+ WfS 23.!'1e1with a crush­ 7 ...�b4 S.e5 tLle4(S ...tLld 7 9.a3 ing attack) lS.tLlxc6 (White must i.a5 1O.b4 �b6 1l.tLlb3t Bindrich include here some intermediate - Reinhardt, Goerlitz 1999; 9 ... exchanges, since after 1S.�xg5 he �e7 1O.b4 f6 11.b5! tLla5 12.0-0 must consider lS ... �xg5 19.!'1xg5 fxe5 13.tLlxe5 tLlxe5 14.dxe5 0-0 f6) 1S ...!'1xc6 19.tLlxd5 h6 (it would 15.�h5±) 9.0-0 f5 (9 ...tLlxd2 10. be a disaster for Black to play 19 .. . bd2 �b6 11.�e3 h6 12.a3 �e7 exd5 20.�xg5±; and after 19 ... 13.b4 �d7 14.�d2 !'1cS 15.!'1ac1 a6 �xd5 20.i.e4, White wins mate­ 16.�e2 0-0 17.!'1fe1 f5 1S.exf6 bf6 rial. Black cannot save the game 19.�b1 tLle7 20.�d3 tLlf5 21.!'1c5t even after the spectacular coun- Meszaros - Molnar, Zalakaros

239 Chapter 9

1993) 1O.exf6 ttJxf6 1U'!e1 0-0 1l . .ixb4 'lWxb4+ 12.'lWd2 'lWxd2+ 12.a3 i.d6 13.ttJf1 Ei:eB. Black's last (Black fails to equalize with other move is aimed at advancing e6-eS, options: 12 ...0-0 13 . .ixc6 'lWxd2+ but that would only lead to the ap­ 14.lt>xd2 bxc6 1S.Ei:hc1 Ei:bB 16.b3 pearance of additional weakness­ i.d7 17.Ei:cS;!;; 12 ...i.d7 13.'lWxb4 es in his camp. (It would be more ttJxb4 14 . .ixb7! Ei:bB 1S.i.e4 fS natural for him to opt for 13 ... 16.i.b1 ttJc6 17.b3 Ei:b4 1B.lt>d2 i.d7 14.b4 a6 1S.i.gS;!; with some ttJxd4 19.1t>c3 ttJc6 20.Ei:e1 0-0 edge for White, who plans to con­ 21.i.d3;!;; his attempt to prevent tinue with Ei:c1, i.b1, �d3, as well White from castling would not as i.h4-g3.) 14.i.gS;!; eS?! 1S.dxeS help either - 12 ...'lWbS 13.Ei:c1!, ttJxeS 16.ttJxeS .ixeS 17. .ixf6 'lWxf6 for example: 13... 0-0 14.Ei:cS 'lWa6 (17... .ixf6 1B . .ixh7!+-; it is pref­ 1S.a3 i.d7 16.'lWc2h6 17.i.h7+It>h8 erable for Black to play 17 ...gxf6 1B.i.d3'lWb6 19.0-0 Ei:acB 20.Ei:clt) 1B.'lWhS Ei:e7 19.f4! .ixf4 20. .ixh7+ 13.lt>xd2 i.d7 14.Ei:hc1 It>e7 1S.Ei:c3 It>fB 21.i.g6±) 1B . .ixh7+- Rocha Ei:hc8 16.Ei:ac1 h6 17.lt>e3;!; and - Alcaraz Lopez, Buenos Aires White is better in this endgame 1976. thanks to his more active pieces. 7 ... dxe4 B.ttJxe4 ttJxe4 (Black's 8.0-0 most principled moves here are White cannot comfortably undoubtedly B ...i.e7 and B ...i.b4+ protect his d4-pawn: B.eS ttJd7 and both of these are very impor­ 9.ttJb3 as 10.a4 i.b4+ 11.1t>f1 f6, tant, so we shall analyze them in with good counterplay for Black, detail in Chapters it and i2 re­ Rasik - Laznicka, Nachod 2001. spectively.) 9 . .ixe4 i.b4+ (9 ....ie7 10.0-0 0-0 1l . .ie3 - see Chap­ ter it, variation B2b, 10 ...ttJxe4) 1O . .id2 'lWaS, Crawley - Kroll, Aarhus 19B9.

8 ...,ie7 If Black accepts the pawn­ sacrifice, then White's initiative

White preserves a slight edge is very powerful after B . ..ttJx d4 aftersimplifying into an endgame: 9.ttJxd4 'lWxd4 1O.ttJf3 'lWb6

240 3.lLld2lLlf6 4.1i.d3 c5S.c3

The diagram position was of 19.1Llf6+! gxf6 20.�xh6 fxe5 reached in the game Bjerke - 21.E!:c3+- and White's attack is Antipov, Marianske Lazne 200B. winning. This particular order of moves is 9.e5 �d7 l0.�b3 in fact Black's best attempt to ac­ After castling, White is no cept the pawn-sacrifice, but after longer afraid of the rather un­ precise play White succeeds in pleasant check on b4 and he can obtaining more than sufficient comfortably defend his pawn on compensation. 11 . .ie3! .ic5. This d4. is Black's most logical response. He develops a piece; furthermore, exchanges are supposed to be in his favour. (It looks very bad for him to play 11 ...�x b2?! 12. .id4t and White's threats are very pow­ erful. After ... 11 �a5 12.e5, his po­ sitional pressure increases: 12 ... lLld7 13.a3 .ie714.Ek1 0-0 15J"k3! �dB 16.�c2 h6 17.E!:c1�;; 12 ... lLle4 13.lLld4. Now, besides eve­ rything else, White is threatening to check on the b5-square. 13 ... lO ...a5 .id7 14.E!:c1 .ie7 15.�g4t) 12.,ixc5 Black's best chance here is to �xc5 13.E!:c1 �b6 14.e5 lLle4 (after try to attack the enemy knight on 14 ...lLld 7, White has the resource b3. White is practically forced to 15.�c2!t) 15.,ixe4 dxe4 16.lLlg5 reply with 11.a4, so Black obtains 0-0 17.�h5 h6 1B.lLlxe4t the b4-square for his pieces. (diagram) There arise transpositions White has regained his pawn, of moves after lO ...lLlb4 11 . .ib1 maintaining a dangerous initia­ a5 12.a4 - see 10 ...a5 11.a4 lLlb4 tive, for example, now Black has 12 . .ib1, or lO ...h6 11 . .ie3 as no time to complete his devel­ (11 ...0-0 12.E!:c1 a5 13.a4 - see Opment with 1B ....id7? because lO ...a5 11.a4 h6 12 . .ie3 0-0

241 Chapter 9

13J'k1) 12.a4 - see 10 ...aS 11.a4 is not bad, but it would have been h6 12 . .ie3. much stronger for White to play In this particular position the 16.dxcS!? Wic7 17.Wid4twith a very move 10 .. .f6 does not seem so comfortable position.) 16 ...liJx d7 justified. First, with his Bth move, 17.dxcS WibS!? (17 ...Wic6 ?! 1B.a3 Black created pressure against liJa6 19.b4± Mellado - Beitia, the d4-square but then he makes Ayamonte 2002) 1B.a3 liJc619.M a pawn-move, aimed at fighting liJdeSt- his prospects are clearly for the eS-square. In addition, he superior thanks to his powerful still has to complete his develop­ bishop-pair. ment. It would be rather difficult Castling is clearly premature for him to execute several posi­ for Black in this position. After tional ideas simultaneously, so 1O ...0-0? ! 1l.liJgS! his monarch is the subsequent actions end up seriously endangered. in White's favour: 1l.exf6 liJxf6 12.liJeS 0-0 (12 ... liJb4 13 . .ib1 as 14 . .ie3 Wic7, Rooze - Seyffer, Velden 2009, lS.Wie2 0-0 16.Ek1 liJc6 17.f4± - White has occu­ pied all the key squares and his advantage is beyond doubt. It would be even worse for Black to continue with 16 ...Wib6 17.liJcS) 13 . .ie3 He has three possible defen­ sive tries, but in all of them he has great difficulties: 1) After 1l ...h6 ?!, White in­ creases his pressure with the help of the rather attractive manoeu­ vre 12 . .ih7+! <;!;>hB 13 . .ib1 (threat­ ening 14.Wid3) 13 ... <;!;>gB 14.Wid3 fS lS.exf6 (but not lS.liJxe6?? liJb4) lS ...liJxf6 16.liJh7� with a crush­ 13 ...liJb4 (13 ...WidB 14.Ek1 ing attack for White; .id7, Jaenig - Gerhards, Dres­ 2) 1l ....ixgS 12 . .ixgS f5 (Black den 2006, lS.liJcS .ixcs 16.ElxcS± would not change much with 12 ... and White's advantage is con­ f6 13.exf6) 13.exf6 liJxf6 14.EleU:. siderable. 13 ... aS, Krah - Dreck­ White's positional advantage is mann, Bad Wildungen 2000, quite obvious and with his dark­ 14.a4 .id7 lS.ElcU �liJcS) 14 . .ib1 squared bishop absent from the .id7 lS.liJcS .ixcS 16.liJxd7 (This board Black will be unable to fight

242 3. lLld2 lLlf6 4.i.d3 c5S.c3 effectively for the strategically while Black has no counterplay important eS-outpost. Therefore, in sight, Jurcik - Ragger, Batumi while Black's attempt to radically 2006. solve his problems is position­ 1l.a4 ally justified, the ensuing tactical complications end up in White's favour: 14 ...eS ?! IS.dxeS lLlg4 16.i.e3Wic7 17.i.cS lLlcxeS! (This is Black's best chance, but it is still not good enough to obtain an ac­ ceptable game.) 18.i.xf8 lLlxd3 19.Wixd3 Wixh2+ 20.@fl Wihl+! (20... @xf8? 21.WixdS+- Odeev - N.Orlov, Moscow 1997) 21.@e2 Wixg2. Here, White does not need to enter the rather unclear compli­ cations following 22 .i.cS lLlxf2! 00; 1l ••• tLlb4 he should play simply: 22.Wif3 This is Black's most natural Wixf3+ 23.@xf3 @xf8 24.lLld4 i.d7 and consistent move and the al­ 2SJ:l:acl±. Black has seemingly ternatives are clearly worse. sufficient material equivalent - 11 ...f6 - this pawn-advance is two pawns for the exchange - but not good, just as on the previous White maintains a considerable move. 12.i.e3 0-0 13.l'l:c1 Wid8 positional advantage. (White obtains a clear advantage 3) 11 ...g6 12.Wig4 l'l:e8 (Black after 13 ...fxeS 14.lLlxeS lLldxeS 15. cannot ignore the threat of 13. dxeS± and here, Black's attempt lLlxh7, for example: 12 ... aS 13. to capture the a4-pawn ends up in lLlxh7! and here it is bad for him adisasterforhim: IS... Wib 4?! 16.f4 to play 13 ...lLlcxeS 14.dxeS lLlxeS Wixa4? 17.WihS g6 18.i.xg6 hxg6 IS.Wih3+- and White ends up with 19.Wixg6+ @h8 20.l'l:f3 +- with a a decisive material advantage, mating attack for White. It is also since it would not work for Black hopeless for Black to try 17 ...h6 to play IS ...lLlx d3 16.lLlxf8 lLlxcl in 18.Wig6+-) 14.exf6 i.xf6 (Maybe view of 17.Wih7+ @xf8 18.Wih8#, his best line would be: 14 ...lLlxf 6, while after 13... @xh7 14.WihS+ but after IS.lLleS;!;, White exerts @g7 IS.Wih6+ @g8 16.i.xg6 fxg6 powerful pressure.) IS.i.f4 lLlb4 17.Wixg6+ @h8 18.WihS+ @g8 19. 16.i.bS± - White's position is i.h6� White's attack is very pow­ clearly superior and his pieces erful.) 13.h4 lLlf8 14.hS�. White control the entire board, Borisek has obtained a dangerous attack­ - Kavcic, Rogaska Slatina 2009. ing position practically for free After the inclusion of the and his threats are very strong, moves as and a4, castling seems

243 Chapter 9 a bit more justified for Black, route to the hS-square.) IS.tLlxd7 but it is still quite risky for him: tLlxd7 19.'?tfcU - White has firmly 11 ... 0-0, Paiva - Almeida, Vito­ seized the c-file and consolidat­ ria 2009, 12.lt:lgS (12.�gS!?) 12 ... ed his advantage, M.Rytshagov h6 (if 12 ...g6, creating the threat - Radziewicz, Groningen 1997 to capture on d4, then White has (game 43). the line: 13.�bS tLldbS l4.h4t with The move 11 ... h6 looks sensi­ good attacking prospects. Black ble, but is too slow. 12.�e3 tLlb4 cannot expect anything promising (After ...12 0-0? ! 13.fi:cl, White for him in the variation 12 ...hgS deploys his pieces quite comfort­ 13.hgS f6 14.exf6 tLlxf6 IS.fi:eU) ably and his pressure increases. 13.�h7+! 'it>hS 14.�b1 tLlb4 (After He is threatening 14.�bl, fol­ the advance of White's a-pawn, lowed by '?tfd3. 13 ...fS I4.exf6 tLlxf6 although Black has obtained this IS.tLleS tLlb4, Mar - Vospernik, additional resource, it cannot Ptuj 200S, 16.�bS± and Black not solve all his problems) IS.�e3 only has numerous problems with 'it>gS16.tLlh 3!;!;LltLlf 4-hS. his pawn-structure, but must also Black can try to improve the worry about the development of placement of his pieces, ignor­ his queenside; or 14 ...�6 IS.�b1 ing White's positional threat of fi:eS 16.tLleS heS 17.dxeS '?tfdS IS. 12.�gS, but he cannot overcome f4± with an overwhelming posi­ his difficulties in this way either: tional advantage for White, How­ 11 ...tLld bS 12.�gS '?tfdS 13.he7 ell - Navrotescu, Oakham 19S5) '?tfxe7 14.fi:cl 0-0 13.�bl '?tfdS(after 13 ... 0-0, he has the resource 14.tLlfd2t with the idea of'?tfg4and f4-fS) 14.tLlfd2 b6 IS.'?tfg4�fS 16.f4 �a6, Milenkovic - Tosic, Belgrade 200S.

IS.fi:c3! (On this square, White's rook not only participates in the occupation of the c-file,but eyes the kingside as well.) IS... tLlb4 16.�b1 �d7 17. tLlcS b6 (After Here Whiteha d the possibility 17 ... �c6, White's knight can come of immediately launching a de­ closer to the enemy king: IS.tLld3 cisive offensive against the resi­ tLlSa6 19.tLlf4;!;, continuing on the dence of Black's monarch with:

244 3.4:Jd2 4:Jf6 4 . .td3 c55. c3

17.f5! hf1 1S.fxe6.td3. This is his 1S.\1;'fe2 l:'!eS 19.93 4:Jb620. b3 \1;'fd7 only defence (but not 1S ....ta6? 21.l:'!fc1 l:'!ecS 22.Wg2 \1;'feS 23.h4t. 19.exf7+ wxf7? 20:�g6+ with a Both sides have manoeuvred pa­ quick mate; or 19 ... We7 20 . .tg6-+ tiently and this has led to a posi­ and White has numerous threats, tion in which White has parried which would be very difficult for his opponent's counterplay on the Black to parry). 19.hd3 4:Jxd3 queens ide and can gradually im­ 20J"!f1! (White is following the prove his set-up on the kingside, principle that "The threat is more Adams - Vojinovic, USA 2010 powerful than its execution.") (game 44).

20 ...4:Jf6 (after 20 ...\1;'fc7 21.l:'!xf7 12 • .ihl 0-0-0 22.exd7+ l:'!xd7 23.\1;'ff5± he regains the sacrificed mate­ rial withinterest) 21.exf6 gxf6 22. exf7+ wxf7 23.4:Jf3-+ White has obtained a decisive attack for the sacrificed exchange. It seems logical, but still not good enough, for Black to opt fo r 11...\1;'fdS. He defends against 12 . .tg5 and brings his queen clos­ er to his king (castling looks safer after this), preparing a regroup­

ing of his forces on the queens ide 12 ...\1;'fd8 with 4:Jb4, 4:JbS, .td7, 4:JSc6 etc. Black defends against the All this, however, provides White threat of .tg5 and plans to de­ with sufficient time to redeploy velop his forces on the queenside his forces as well: 12 . .te3 4:Jb4 according to the scheme b6, .ta6, 13 . .tb5 0-0 l:'!cSetc. 12 ...0-0 13 . .td2\1;'fdS 14.l:'!e1b6 15.4:Jc1.ta6 16.l:'!a3 l:'!cS 17.4:Je2t - see 12 ...\1;'fdS. Mer 12 ... \1;'fa6, Hodova - Ob­ sivac, Cartak 2005, White should have carried out his positional threat of 13 . .tg5! seizing the ini­ tiative, for example: 13 .. .f6 (it is rather dubious for Black to play 13 ...hg5 14.4:Jxg5 h6 15.\1;'fh5 0-0 14.4:Jc1! (this knight is headed 16.4:Jh7 l:'!dS 17.l:'!a3!-+ with the fo r the c3-square) 14 ...4:JbS 15.4:Je2 idea of 1S.4:Jc5, followed by the td7 16.4:Jc3 hb5 17.axb5 4:Jd7 transfer of the rook to the kingside

245 Chapter 9

and White's attack would be very lyzed in Chapter 7, variation H2, powerful) 14.exf6 liJxf6 1S.liJcS the line: 7 ...liJf6 S.O-O i.e7: 9.eS �b6 16.fla3! 0-0 (it is more or liJd710. liJb3 as 1l.a4 liJb412. i.bl less the same after 16 ...ixcS b6 13.fle1i.a6 14.i.d2 flcS 1S.liJcl, 17.dxcS �xcS 1S.liJeS0-0 19.flc3!) the game Varavin - Iljushin. In 17.liJeS't. White has a dangerous this particular case, however, it is initiative, for example after 17... White to move, so he can imme­ ixcS 18.dxcS �xcS? 19.flc3! his diately carry out the next part of attack becomes decisive: 19 ... his plan �d6 (19 ...�e7 20.ixh7+! wxh7 16.�a3;t. He covers some 21.flh3+ wgS 22.liJg6+-) 20.ixf6 important squares for the pen­ flxf6 21.ixh7+! wxh7 (21...wfS etration of Black's forces on the 22.�hS+-) 22.flh3+ flh6 (22 ... queenside and plans later to grad­ wgS 23.�hS+-) 23.flxh6+! gxh6 ually transfer his pieces to the 24.�b1+- After this long-range kingside. His knight will take the check Black is defenceless! route c1-e2-f4 and the rook will be

13 • .id2 b6 redeployed along the third rank. 13 ...liJb 6?! 14.liJcS liJc6 1S.liJd3 A possible continuation is: liJd7 16.liJf4 g6 17.i.d3±White has 16 •.. 0-0 17.lDe2 lDb8 18. considerably improved his posi­ lDf4 lD8e6 19.h4 (dliJgS) 19 ... tion in the last few moves, while h6 20.lDhS--+ Black has done just the opposite ..., Schumi - Vavra, Prague 1991. 14.fle1.ia6 lS.lDe1�k8

White is preparing 21.liJh2, after which his pieces will be all over the kingside - the queen on The diagram position is ex­ g4, the rook on g3 and the knight actly the same as the one ana- along the route g4-f6.

246 Chapter 9 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3Jbd2 �f6 4 . .id3

Complete Games

42 Bocharov Yevseev 1J.g7 23.h4 h5 24.g2 �d7 25. Belgorod 2010 i.g5 l.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.�d2 1J.e7 4.1J.d3 c5 5.c3 cxd4 6.cxd4 dxe4 7.�xe4 �f6 8.lb£l �xe4 9.i.xe4 �d7 10.0-0 �f6 11. 1J.c2 0-0 12.�e5 1J.d7 13.1J.g5 i.c6 14.�xc6 bxc6 15.\1;Yd3 g6 16.gac1

25 ...�e 7?! Black's idea to transfer his knight to the fS-square is correct, but he does not implement it un­ der the best circumstances. After the preliminary 2S ... E:e8! Ll26... CUe7, he would have equalized 16 .. JNd6 completely. Black not only protects his 26.i.xe7 �xe7 27.d5!;!; weak c6-pawn, but also creates White uses a small tactical the threat of 17... �g4, which of trick and opens the a2-g8 diago­ course can be easily parried by nal for his bishop, firmly seizing White. the initiative. 17.gfd1 gab8 18.i.b3 gb6 27... exd5 28.gxd5 gfS 19.93 �d5 20.i.d2! It would be too riskyfor Black White plans to continue his to capture the b2-pawn, since his fight for the advantage and his king would be terribly endangered decision to avoid the exchange of then: 28 ....bb2 ?! 29.E:d2! ig7 30. the bishops is quite justified. ge4 Wic7 31.g4! hxg4 32.Wixg4.

20 ..• i.f6 21.gc4 gc8 22.�£l White has so many threats, in

247 Chapter 9 particular 33J''1d7 and 33.hf1+! than 38.b3 !'!b739.f 4 a5 40.!'!e7±, that Black will be unable to de­ which incidentally would also be fend against all of them, for ex­ quite advantageous for White. ample: 32 .. J''1d8 33J''lxd8+ Wxd8 38 ...a5 39.b3 a4!? 34.hf1+!+- and White wins. Black's reluctance to defend 29.gd2 c5 30.ge2 �d6 31. without trying to create counter­ gf4 �c7 32.gfe4 gf6 33.�d3 play is understandable, but may­ gf5 34.ge7 �c6+ 35.�e4 be passive defence would have �xe4+ 36.g7xe4 provided more chances for him to save the game: 39 ...!'!a8 40.!'! d7 40 ...'i!if8 4l.f 4 (A42.!'!ee7)41.. J�e8 42.!'!xe8+ 'i!ixe8 43.!'!a7 i.c3± 40.bxa4 gb4 41 . .ib3 c4 42 . .ic2 gf6 43.gc7

36... .id4 After this move, Black al­ lows his opponent to redeploy his pieces - 37.i.c4, followed by 38.b3 and a later penetration to the 7th rank - but his attempt This game was played in rapid to prevent this would not have chess and its final part was at blitz worked: 36 .. J''lb8!? 37J�e8+ !'!xe8 tempo, so we should not be too 38.!'!xe8+ 'i!ih7 39.!'!e7 i.d4 40.f4 harsh in criticizing the numerous 'i!ig7 41.i.c4± since the position mistakes of both opponents. I will would resemble what happened only add that White's game was in the game. Here, after41.. .hb2 much easier under the circum­ 42.!'!xa7+- White's passed pawn stances of a hanging flag and his settles the issue. mistakes were not so fatal after 37. .ic4± all. Black's a-pawn is tremen­ 43 ....ib6 44.gb7 �g7 45.f4 dously weak and if he loses it he .ic5 will have great problems fighting 45 ...i.a 5!? 46.!'!b5 !'!xb5 47. against White's outside passed axb5 !'!d6. pawn. 46.gb5 .ifB 37 ...gb8 38.ge7! 46 ...!'!xb5 !? 47.axb5 !'!d64 8.a4 This immediate penetration to i.b6. the seventh rank is more precise 47.ge4 gc6 48.�f3

248 3. tiJd2 liJf6 4.i.d3 c5S.c3

It is preferable for White to gc5 gxb7 66.gxh5 gc7 67.Ad3 play here 48.a3! gc3 6S.gd5 Ac7 69.g4 ga3

4S••• �k7 49.f5gxb5 70.gd7 AbS 71.g5 gxa4 72.h5 After 49 ...gxf5 , it is not so gf4+ 73.�e3 gh4 74.h6+. Black good for him to continue with resigned. 50.l'!xf5?!, because of 50 ...l'!b2 51.l'!e2 l'!c5; but much stronger is 43 M.Rytshagov- Radziewicz 50.l'!f4 ! Groningen 1997 50.axb5 gxf5 5U!e5 gd7 l.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.tiJd2 52.a4 gd2 53.ge2 lZlf6 4.e5 lZlfd7 5.c3 c5 6.Ad3 tiJc6 7.lZlgf3 cxd4 S.cxd4 'lWb6 9.0-0 Ae7 10.lZlb3 a5 1l.a4 lZldbS 12.Ag5 'lWdS 13.he7 'lWxe7 14.gcl 0-0 15.gc3 lZlb4 16.Abl Ad7 17.lZlc5 b6 lS.lZlxd7 lZlxd7 19.'lWcU

53 •••gd5 Bearing in mind Black's nu­ merous problems, maybe he should have tried 53 ...l'!xe 2 54. 't!fxe2 't!ff6 55.a5 i.b4 56.a6 i.c5, but after57.i. d1! i.d458. 't!fd2't!fg6 59.i.e2+-White should be able to White has occupied the only win easily. open fileand he maintains a slight 54.b6 Ad6 but stable advantage.

It was more resilient for Black 19 •••gfdS 20.gc7?! to defend with 54 ...i.c5 55.b7 This move is in fact a loss of i.a7. time, since he fails to reap any 55.b7 �f8 56. gel c3 57.gbl dividends out of the position of White had a more convincing his rook on the 7th rank. Three move here - 57.l'!e3! moves later he has to retreat his

57 •••AbS 5S.gb3 l'!d2? rook from there. It was better for After 58 ... l'!c5, Black could him to transfer his knight imme­ have offered further resistance. diately to the f4 -square: 20.tiJg5!? Now it is all over. h6 (if 20 ...tiJf8, Black must con­ 59.gxc3+- Aa7 60.gcS+ sider 21.l'!f3!?, as well as 21.f4!?, g7 61.i.xt'5 gb2 62.gc7 �f6 with a powerful initiative for 63.Ac2 AbS 64.gc6+ �g7 65. White in both cases) 21.tiJh3 �e8

249 Chapter 9

22.itJf4 (It might also be interest­ be so effective and Black's pres­ ing for White to abandon the c­ sure against the d4-pawn would file to his opponent, to avoid the reduce his possibilities consider­ exchange of rooks with the idea of ably. It appears that Whitehas no organizing an attack against the advantage at all in this position. enemy king: 22.E1g3!? 'i!lh8 23.t2Jf4 25.bxc3 llJc6 26.§'b3 E1b8

E1ac8 24.\1��d2 Ll2S.t2JhS) 22 ...E1ac8 27 • .id3 YffdS 2S.llJf4 Yffc7 29.g3 23.h4±, preserving a stable edge. llJe730 .E1cl§,dS�

20 •• JWeS 21.llJg5h6 22.llJh3 E1acS 23.E1c3 llJf8

In the ansmg position, the weak pawns on c3 and b6 some­ 24JWdl how balance each other out. This decision is not easy to White's only advantage is that he understand. The a4-pawn is indi­ has an active plan: he can gradu­ rectly protected and White could ally advance his kingside pawns. have played 24.t2Jf4 immediately. Black has no equivalent possi­ Maybe he wished to threaten his bility and is practically forced to opponent with the transfer of the stay put. Objectively speaking, rook to the g3-square. White has only a small edge, but

24 .••E1xc3? ! in a fight between human play­ After this exchange, the pawn­ ers even a small difference like structure in the centre is changed this, or the presence or absence in White's favour and he gains of a promising plan, can be very an advantage once again. Black important and not symbolic at should have played 24 ...E1c 4!? all. As you know, the majority of 2S.t2Jf4 E1dc8 with the following strong players hate to wait and do sample variation: 26.�d2 t2Jc6 nothing ... 27.E1xc4 dxc4 28.�e4 t2Jb4t± with 3l.llJe2 E1cS 32.E1bl E1b8 excellent counterplay. He was 33.h4 llJcS 34.'i!lg2 Yffe7 35.h5 possibly afraid of 2S.E1g3, but af­ �dS 36.f4 llJe7 37.g4 'i!lh8 ter 2S ... t2Jc6 26.E1g4 (there is noth­ 3S.Yffc2 llJc6 39.'i!lh3 ing else in sight for him) 26 ...E1b4 , White prevents the enemy White's direct attack would not queen coming to h4. Not that

2S0 3.tLld2 tLlf6 4.�d3 c55.c3 it matters much" but it would tional advantaget. seem more natural for him to play 52 ...li)c 4 53.�xe7 gxe7 54. 39.Wg3!? with the same idea. gb5± li)e3 39 .. J'!b740 .�d2 f6 It is bad for Black to play 54 ... White was planning to con­ E1e3+ 55. wf4 E1xc3 56.E1xd5 Wg8 tinue with 41.g5, which was not a 57.E1d8+ wf7 58.E1c8+- and the threat, but still useful. deadly pin along the d-file will 41.exf6 �xf6 42.<�?g3 li)e7 settle the issue. 43.�e3 �f7 44.li)gl!± 55.wf4 Black's problems increase. It is simpler for White to con­ White's knight is aimed at the e5- tinue with 55.E1xb6 tLlxf5+ 56.gxf5 square, although along a difficult E1e3+ 57. wf4 E1xc3 and in the aris­ and time-consuming route. ing rook and pawn ending he has 44 ...!k7 45 . .ic2 several promIsmg variations: White wishes to restrict his 58.We5 (also good is 58.E1a6 E1c4 opponent's counterplay as much 59.E1xa5E1xd4+ 60. We5±) 58 ... E1c4 as possible, but 45J'!xb6!? E1xc3 59.Wxd5 E1xa4 and here it would 46.tLlf3 also deserved attention .. be possible to play 60. We5±, as 45... li)c S 46.li)f3 �e7 47. well as 60.E1b8+!? Wh7 61.E1a8± E1b3 li)d6 4S . .id3 li)d7 49.t'5! and he maintains excellent win­ Black has succeeded in cover­ ning prospects in all variations. ing the most vulnerable points in 55 ...li)xf5? his position - the b6-pawn and This is the decisive mistake for the e5-square, but trouble will Black. come from the other side. His last chance was 55 ... 49 ...li)e4+ 50 . .ixe4 exf5! tLlg2+and since White would not This is a clever resource, but it achieve much with 56.wf3 tLlh4+, is still insufficient. he would have to repeat moves with: 56. wg3 tLle3 and then begin implementing the correct plan with the move 57.E1xb6, as in our notes to White's move 55. 56.wxf5+- Now he winseasily.

56 •••gc7 57.gb3 wgS 5S.We5 wf759. Wxd5 wf6? This is Black's final mistake, but his position was hopeless 51.li)e5!li)xe5 52 . .ixf5 anyway (59 ... We7). In view of White gives back the extra ma­ the coming 60.E1xb6+ Black re­ terial, but maintains a clear posi- signed.

251 Chapter 9

44 Adams Vojinovie king on d2 - then the ansmg USA 2010 endgame will be almost winning l.e4 e6 2.d4 dS 3.�d2 ,ie7 fo r White. His knight will pen­ 4.�gf3 �f6 S.eS �fd7 6.e3 etrate the enemy camp somehow eS 7.,id3 �e6 S.O-O exd4 or other, while its black counter­ 9.exd4 Yl!fb6 10.�b3 as 11.a4 part will remain out of play. Or �b4 12.,ibS Yl!fdS 13.,ie3 0-0 say White exchanges the rooks on 14.�el! �bS IS.�e2 ,id7 16. the c-file and begins to advance �c3 AxbS 17.axbS his pawns on the kingside, since he has ample space there thanks to his strong pawn on e5 and so a plan of this type will be quite justified. Then, Black's knight on b4 will once again have nothing to do. Such developments might seem quite abstract to you, but it will be interesting to see how GM Michael Adams carries out his plan patiently and methodically The position in the diagram and initiates the key actions as seems to be quite acceptable for far away as possible from Black's Black and in fact it is. Neverthe­ knight on b4. less, it has one not-so-obvious, but 17... �d 7 IS.Yl!fe2 geS 19.93 long-term drawback. His active �b6 20 .b3 Yl!fd7 21.gfel geeS knight on b4 has no moves, owing 22.�g2 Yl!feS 23.h4 �d7 24. to the specific pawn-structure. It ,id2 ge7 2S.hS h6 26.�el is static, so the knight will not be �hS 27.�dl gxel 2S.Axel going anywhere in the near future geS 29.,id2 b6 30.gel gxel and may, for all practical purpos­ 31.Axel es, be isolated from the actions fo r a long time to come. There are still many pieces on the board, but if White manages to exchange more pieces and transfers the fo­ cus of the fight to the kingside, then the isolation of the knight may seriously hurt Black. For ex­ ample, if we imagine that White trades all the pieces and only two knights remain on the board - The rooks have disappeared say the knight on c3 against the from the board and White has ad­ black knight on b4, withthe white vanced his kingside pawns a little.

252 3.ctJd2 ctJf6 4.i.d3 c5S.c3

31... �c8 32 . .tf4 �g8 33.g4 �f8 34.�fl �c7 35.�d2 �h7 36.�c3 .tg5 37. .te3 he3 38. �xe3 �g5 39.£3�h7

45.�e3! The queen is going to g3, free­ ing the knight from the protection of the h4-square, so that it can go to f3 . Now White's king will go to 45 ...�f8 46.�g3 �h7 47. the d2, to cover all the squares the �el f6 possible entry squares of Black's Now the position is opened up, queen and to free his own queen just as White intended. Black did to support the advance of the not want to wait until his oppo­ kingside pawns. Meanwhile, the nent had completed his prepara­ king takes part in the restriction tions with 48.ctJf3 and 49.g5. of the movements of Black's b4- 48.�e3 �f8 49.exf6 gxf6 knight. The following variation is quite 40.�e2! �f8 41.�d2 �e7 instructive (although not forced): 42.�g2 49 ...¥tfxf6 50.ctJf3 ctJd7 51.ctJe5 White must defend against ctJxe5 52.¥tfxe5! ¥tfxe5 53.fxe5

253 Chapter 9

of moves between 13 and 17. In ltJd7 60.f7+ �g7 61.ltJxb6! ltJxb6 general however, we may say that 62.h6+-) 59.�f4 ltJd6 60.�e5 his strategy was really aimed at ltJf7+ 61.ltJxf7�xf7 62.ltJa4 ltJd7+ some such developments. 63.�d6+-

50• .!LJf3'f!Ic7 5l.g 5! Black also loses after 53 ... White begins the decisive 'f!Ixh5 54.'f!Ig1+! 'f!Ig6 (54 ...ltJg 6 opening of the position. 55.ltJe5 �h7 56.f7 'f!Ih6+ 57.�dl

5l••• hxg5 52.fxg5 'f!Ih7!? 'f!Ih5+ 58.�c1 'f!Ih6+ 59.�b1+-) 55.'f!Ixg6+ ltJxg6 56.ltJe5! ltJxe5 57.dxe5+-. Again we have a knight and pawn ending with a static black knight on h4. In this case, however, Black can bring it back into play at the price of sac­ rificing a pawn, but this will not change the final outcome of the game: 57 ...d4 58.ltJe2.

54• .!LJe5 'f!Ixh5 55• .!LJe2 .!LJh7 Black has finally succeeded in 56. 'f!If4 'f!If5? providing employment for his un­ This is a blunder, but his posi­ fortunate knight, but it is already tion was totally hopeless anyway. too late. 53. gxf6 ! White exploits his advantage patiently and consistently.

53 ••• �h8 The most resilient defence for Black here would be 53 ...'f!Ic2 + 54.�e1 'f!Ig2, but it would not save the game for him either. 55.'f!Ig5+! 'f!Ixg5 56 . .!LJxg5 ltJc2+ 57.�f2 ltJxd4. White's far-advanced pawns are the decisive factor in this posi­ 57• .!LJf7+. After 57 ... �g8 58. tion. He needs to activate his king ltJh6+ he loses his queen, so to the meximum, ignoring the Black resigned. The technique possible sacrifices of material: of the English grandmaster was 58.�e3! ltJf5+ (58... ltJxb3 59.ltJa4 veryimpressive indeed! Part 3

The Isolated Queen's Pawn

Memorizing numerous varia­ tions of the Queen's Gambit Ac­ tions of an opening system does cepted and the Alapin variation not necessarily mean that you against the Sicilian Defence. It is have a good understanding of it. veryuseful foryou to know about It is essential for you to become these possibilities, because this familiar with the middle game enlarges your opening knowledge positions which are typical for and enables you to transform po­ this opening and to understand sitions from different openings and master the standard plans into familiar situations in the involved, as well as the strategical middle game. and tactical nuances, etc. Accord­ We have already begun a dis­ ingly, we have devoted the final cussion about different stages of part of our book to the study of the chess game, and we should the middle game and, more pre­ not forget about the possible end­ cisely, to positions with an iso­ game either. However, it should lated queen's pawn, which is what be noted here that the character White strives for in this particular of the struggle in middlegames set-up. The reader should not be with an isolated queen's pawn is surprised that we begin the study so dynamic that we might never of our theoretical material with reach an endgame or, if we do, it situations arising after nine to may have no correlation with the eleven opening moves. opening at all. In every section of It is a well known fact that an the book I have tried to mention isolated pawn in the centre for the possible connections between White occurs in numerous other the opening, the middle game and opening systems, so there are of­ the eventual endgame positions. ten transpositions to the Rubin­ It would be quite useful for read­ stein system of the Nimzo-Indian ers to remember the general prin­ Defence and the Panov Attack ciple that exchanges are usually in against the Caro-Kann Defence, favour of the side fighting against as well as to some of the varia- the isolated pawn. Chapter il 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.tbd2 tbf6 4.i.d3 c5 5.c3 tbc6 6.tbgf.J cxd4 7.cxd4 dxe4 8.tbxe4 i.e7 9. 0-0 0-0

Step by Step

nuances means a lot and I be­ lieve that a player who has read this book will have the necessary knowledge. This should be more than sufficient for the practical player too, particularly if he has tested the recommendations in this book in some tournament games. Players who enjoy serious analytical work can make good use of some completely new ideas In the diagram position we (which have never been tried in have one of the key positions in practice), based on the analyses this book. In addition, of all the (some short and some really thor­ variations suggested in this book, ough) in our book. this is one of the most difficult Meanwhile, a careful attitude, for White from the point of view combined with a reasonably criti­ of proving an opening advantage. cal (following the principle In fact, it is quite possible that the "Trust, but still check it, anyway") position is about equal and White study of this book, together with has no advantage at all. extensive practical testing, will Generally speaking, when help you to understand bettert he we study the opening, we do not positions we deal with and you need to turn this process into the may even succeed in discovering solving of an exact mathematical some ideas that we have not con­ problem. We do not have to look sidered. for a razor sharp advantage for It is always good to have some­ White, or equality fo r Black. thing in reserve in order to fight A knowledge and understand­ successfully against opponents ing of typical positions, ideas, who are well prepared (if you have plans and strategic and tactical difficulties in some of the main

256 IQP S.c3 tLlc6 6.tLlgj3 cd 7.cd de 8.tLlxe4 ioe7 9.0-0 0-0 lines, especially if you suspect that ment of his pieces and equalize your opponent is well acquainted effortlessly. with them too). So in this chapter I suggest two variations as back­ up. We shall consider as our main line: B2 (1O . .ie3 tLlb4 1l. .ib1), while, as reserve variations, we shall have A (10.tLlc3) and B1 (10 . .ie3 tLlb4 11.tLlxf6+). We shall also consider Black's possible deviations from the main line on move 9: 9 ...tLlb4 1O . .ib1 - see 7 ...cxd4 1l ...�d6 (I believe this is the 8.cxd4 tLlb4 from Chapter 6. best solution for Black, although 9 ... tLlxe4 10 . .ixe4 0-0 1l. .ie3- it is also possible for him to con­ see 9 ... 0-0 1O . .ie3 tLlxe4 1l.he4. tinue with 1l ... tLlb4, transposing to the quite acceptable varia­ A) 10.tLlc3 tion B1.) 12.�d2 (or 12.�e2 tLlb4 B) 10.ole3 13 . .ie4 tLld5 14 . .ig5 hg5 15.tLlxg5 tLlf6 16.tLlf3 1'!b8= Varga - Kallai, White does not have many Hungary, 1989; it is also logical reasonable alternatives here, be­ for White to play here 12 . .ie4, cause after Black has castled the Fossan - Dj urhuus, Sandnes d4-pawn is hanging. Therefore it 2005, but even then, after for ex­ is not good for White to choose, ample: 12 ...1'!d8 13.�c2 h6 14.1'!fd1 for example: 10.a3?! tLlxd4! and tLlb4= Black has no problems at although he has some compen­ all.) 12 ... 1'!d8 13.1'!fd1 .id7 14. .ie4 sation for the pawn, thanks to .ie8 15 . .ig5 tLlxd4 16. tLlxd4 �xd4 his lead in development, it will 17.hh7+ <;t>h8 18. �xd4 1'!xd4 be sufficient only for equality. In 19.hf6 1'!xd1+ 20.1'!xd1 <;t>xh7 the game Khandelwal - Goganov, 21.1'!d8 1'!xd8 22.hd8, draw, Hug Kerner 2007, after 1l.tLlxd4 �xd4 - Brunner, Bie1 1993. 12 . .ie3! 'lWxb2 13.1'!b1 �xa3 (13 ... The move 10.tLlg3 is playable 'lWe5!?) 14. .ic5! .ixc5 15.tLlxf6+ for White, but if he reacts precise­ gxf6 16.hh7!= White gained a ly Black obtains a very good game draw with energetic play, but with: 1O ...b6 11.a3 .ib7 12.1'!e1 1'!c8 that was the maximum he could 13 . .ic2 1'!c7 14 . .ie3 1'!d7 15.�e2 achieve in that position. �a8 16.1'!edl 1'!fd8 and although White should not be in a hurry the position is objectively equal to exchange knights: 1O.tLlxf6+ I would rather play Black, N. hf6 1l . .ie3, since this only helps Kosintseva - Lysyj, Internet his opponent improve the place- 2004.

257 Chapter il

A) IO.lLlc3 1O ... lt>h8. With this move Black threatens the enemy d4- pawn, but it seems a bit artificial. 11.�e3 lLlg4 (l1...b6!? is worth considering and after 12.a3 �b7 13.�c2 the game would continue in similar fashion to the main variation with 1O ...b6, except that Black's king would be hardly better placed on h8 than on g8.) 12.'1We2 lLlxe3 13.fxe3 b6, Ekdysh­ man - A.Borisenko, Cherepovets 2005, 14.�e4 �b7 15.lLle5 lLlxe5 So, this is our "reserve vari­ 16.�b7 l"lb8 17.�aM and thanks ation NQ I" With this manoeu­ to his superior control over the vre, White avoids exchanges (this centre, White maintains the ad­ is the real plus of this line) and vantage. prepares an attack on the kingside 1O ..:�b6 11.a3 l"ld8 12.�e3 lLlg4 or else the pawn-break d4-d5; his (12 ...Wx b2? 13.lLla4+-) 13.Wc2 ideal plan may well be to combine g6, Ekdyshman - Dyachkov, Ser­ these two ideas. The drawback of pukhov 2003, 14.M! (threaten­ his last move is that he has not ing 15.lLla4 Wc7 16.b5, winning yet completed the mobilization of material) 14 ...a6 (14 ...�d 7!? is his fo rces and he makes another interesting, after which events move with an already developed are forced: 15.lLla4 lLlxe3 16.fxe3 piece. This means that the game lLlxd4! 17.exd4 �a4 18.Wxa4 might transpose to some theo­ l"lxd4 19.1Llxd4 Wxd4+ 20.lt>h1 retical variation, but with a tempo Wxd3 21.l"ladU and although down for White. Black's material equivalent fo r the sacrificed exchange is suffi­

AI) IO •••lLlb4 cient, White's major pieces can­

A2) IO •••b6 not be prevented from penetrat­ ing to the seventh rank and thus Black's alternatives here are: White retains the better chances) 1O ...a6, Murariu - Cioara, Ro­ 15.h3 lLlxe3 16.fxe3 �d7 (after 16 ... mania 2006. This move is based e5 17.Wf2 ! White creates danger­ on the idea of an "extended fian­ ous threats on the f-file, for ex­ chetto" with 11...b5 and 12 ...�b7. ample: 17... exd4 18.lLlxd4 lLle5 In reply, White should exploit 19.�c4! Wf6 20.Wa2 Wg7 21.�d5, the weakening of the c5-square: or 17... �e6 18.d5! �xd5 19.1Llxd5 11.�e3 b5 12.a4 M 13.lLle4 �b7 l"lxd5 20.�c4 and in both cases all 14.lLlc5 �c5 15.dxc5t White's pieces are aimed at Black's

258 IQP S.c3 lLlc6 6.lLlgj3 cd 7.cd de B.lLlxe4 i.e7 9.0-0 0-0 vulnerable V-square.) 17.lLla4 Wffc7 Black's queenside is still un­ IS.lLlcS E1acS19. E1acU developed and the rook on dS is not well placed, since it can be

Al) lO .•.�b4 pinned by White's bishop on h4. The V-square is vulnerable too. White can emphasize all these drawbacks of Black's position with the move IS.Wfff3 ! and after IS ...Wff b6 (It is disastrous for him to play IS ...b6? ! 16.lLlxdS exdS 17.i.f4±; if IS ...i.d7, then 16.lLlxdS exdS 17.i.d3;!;, impeding Black's move i.bS. White plans to follow up with IS.i.f4, or i.gS and his initiative becomes even stronger.) 16.E1dl i.d7 .i.gS17 (Here things Before completing the devel­ are not so clear after 17.lLlxdS opment of his queenside, Black exdS IS.i.d3 i.bS.) 17... i.eS (17 ... forces the enemy bishop to re­ Wffxb2? IS.lLlxdS exdS 19.hf6+-) treat to bl and he thus disrupts, IS.i.a2;!;and White exerts power­ although only temporarily, the ful pressure. harmonious placement of his op­ 1l ...lLlbdS. In this variation, ponent's pieces. His knight will go White usually forces the enemy to dS later. knight to go to dS with the move ll . .iblb6 a2-a3. The placement of the pawn This is Black's most natural re­ on a3 is generally usefulfor White sponse. in this variation, so he can play White has no problems devel­ 12.a3 immediately, transposing to oping his initiative if Black choos­ other variations: 12 ...b6 (12 ...i.d7 es the set-up seen in the following 13.Wffd3 - see 11...i.d7 12.a3 lLlbdS game: 1l ...Wff c7 12.a3 lLlbdS I3.Wffd3 13.Wffd3) 13.lLleS - see 1l ...b6. E1dS 14.lLleS g6, Kovacs - Dani, 1l ...i.d7 12 .E1el(It is also good Hungary1999. fo r White to play 12.a3 lLlbdS 13.Wffd3 i.c6 14.E1elg6 IS.i.h6 E1eS 16.lLleS i.fS 17.i.gS i.g7 IS.i.a2 Wffd6 19.Wffh3;!;. He exerts the sort of positional pressure which is typical for schemes with an isolat­ ed queen's pawn and afterBlack's mistake: 19 ...lLle 7? 20.lLlxf7!+­ White obtained a decisive ad­ vantage in the game Straeter

2S9 Chapter il

- Hladik, Pardubice 2006. The bles now (after 1S... g6 16.i.h6!l:e8 developments will be more or less 17.i.c2, White has a verypromising the same after 14 .. .l''1:cB 1S.lLleSb6 position, but there is still plenty 16.i.gS g6, Doskocil - Wittmann, of fight left). 16.bxc3 i.e4 17.i.xe4 Graz 1994, 17.i.h6 !l:eB 18.�h3 lLlxe4 18.�hS lLlf6 19.�h4--+and in �d6 19.i.a2t)12 ...i.c6 13.lLleS !l:cB view ofthe threats of 20.i.gS and (Black cannot expect anything 20.lLlg4, White's attack along the promising in the variation 13 ... h-file is tremendously dangerous, lLlbdS 14.�d3 !l:cB1S.� h3--+). Plaskett - Knott, Hastings 2000 (game 45).

14.!l:e3! This is a typical ma­ noeuvre in positions with an isolated queen's pawn and you should pay close attention to it. 12.a3! The transfer of White's rook along It would be interesting to follow the 3rd rank, via e3 (d3) to h3 (g3), the game Plaskett - Short, Eng­ dramatically increases his attack­ land 2000, won by Whitein spec­ ing potential. 14 ...lLlbdS 1S. !l:h3 (It tacular style: 12.!l:e1 i.b7 13.ltJeS is even stronger to play 1S.!l:g3! ltJbdS?! 14.�d3 !l:cB 1S.�h3! ltJxc3 when it would be disastrous fo r 16.bxc3 �dS 17.i.d2 g6 18.i.c2

Black to reply with 1S ...g6? on �aS 19.�h4 !l:xc3 (after 19 . . . account of 16.i.h6 !l:eB 17.i.xg6! ltJdS 20.�h6 ltJxc3, White could fxg6 1B.lLlxg6 hxg6 19.�d3+­ have developed a crushing at­ with a crushing attack for White; tack with 21.ltJxg6! hxg6 22.hg6 after 1S ...!l:eB 16.i.h6i.fB 17.i.gS--+ fxg6 23.�xg6+ �hB 24.!l:eS--+, White has excellent attacking for example: 24 ...ltJe2+ 2S.�f1 ! prospects; after 1S ...�hB, 16.!l:h3! ltJg3+ 26.�xg3 �a6+ 27.�gl is good, after which Black has !l:f7 2B.!l:hS+ !l:h7 29.�eS+ �g8 great problems protecting his h7- 30.�xe6+- winning) 20.i.b3! square, since the almost obliga­ ltJdS 21.�h6 i.b4 22.ltJd7! l'l:d8 tory move g7-g6 will lead to the 23.i.xdS !l:xd7 24.!l:xe6! fxe6 (24 ... loss of the exchange after i.h6.) !l:cB 2S.!l:xg6+! hxg6 26.�xg6+ 1S ...lLlxc3. Black's defence crum- �hB 27.�hS+ �g7 2B.�g4+

260 IQP 5.c3 tt'lc6 6.tt'lgj3 cd 7.cd de 8.tt'lxe4 �e7 9.0-0 0-0

<;!;>h7 29.b:b7+-) 25.�xe6+ <;!;>h8 placed. After 14.a3, Black has the 26.b:c3 E1d827. \Wf4 and Black re­ same response - 14 ...tt'lc6 ! Maybe signed. after 13 ...E1c8 ,White should play I will mention that Jim Plas­ the calm move 14.�e3 with ap­ kett managed to use successfully proximate equality, but then his the same plan that we analysed last move would become sense­ earlier with a black bishop de­ less. Therefore, he should force veloped to the c6-square (the Black to immediately clarify his variation 11 ...�d7 12.E1e1 �c6 13. intentions concerning his knight tt'le5, see the game Plaskett - on b4. Knott).

Still, there are some differ­

ences with a bishop on b7, for in­ 12 ...ltJbd5 stance the c6-square is free and It is difficult to believe that available to Black's knight. Plas­ Black should retreat his knight kett himself points out in "Chess to c6 in this position, because in Informant" that Black can im­ that case the manoeuvre tt'lc6-b4- prove his play with 13 ...tt'lc 6=, or c6 turns out to be in fact a loss of 13 ... E1c8=. Things are quite clear two tempi, while the move a2-a3 with the first possibility, but the is useful fo r White. He has re­ second move requires some clari­ treated his bishop to b1, freeing fication. With his last few moves, the d3-square for his queen; even White showed that he intended though his bishop normally goes to redeploy his rook to the king­ to c2, with the same idea, and side with E1e3-g3(h3). But if after not to b1, it will be more or less 13 ... E1c8, he plays 14.E1e3, then it the same: 12 ...tt'lc6? ! 13.\Wd3 �b7 would be even stronger for Black (or 13 ...g6 14.E1e1�b7 15.�h6 E1e8 to respond with the manoeuvre 16.�a2 \Wd7 17.E1ad1 E1ed8 18.d5 14 ...tt'lc 6!+ and White cannot even exd5 19.tt'lxd5 tt'lxd5 20.b:d5 �f6 equalize, since afterthe exchange 21.tt'lg5 b:g5 22.�xg5± and again of the knights his attack is harm­ White has a great advantage, Le less and his pieces are awkwardly Blanc - Steinberg, West Berlin

261 Chapter i1

1988) 14.�el �c8?! (Black allows incapable of capturing on ds with the standard breakthrough in the anything; if 17 ...,ixds 18.1Wxa6;t centre; it would be somewhat bet­ he loses a pawn, while after 17 .. . ter for him to opt for 14 ...g6 - see exds 18.1Wh3� he comes under 13 ...g6) Is.ds! tLlas (it is also bad terrible positional pressure, be­ for Black to play here Is ...exds cause White is threatening not 16 . .igs g6 17.�xe7± and he suf­ only 19 . .ifS, followed by 20.�acl, fers heavy material losses) 16 . .igs but also the more dangerous blow �xc3 (16 ...g6 17.d6±) 17.1Wxc3 19.tLld7!) 17.1Wh3. Black must de­ ,ixdS 18.1Wd3± and Black has no fend against 18 . .ih6, followed by real compensation for the ex­ the strike on f7, so he has noth­ change, Ionescu - Itkis, Bucha­ ing better than 17... tLlx c3 18.bxc3 rest 1997. .idS, entering a position from the 13.llJeSi.b7 14.gel variation with Is ...tLlxc3 . 16.bxc3 1Wc7 17.i.d2 g6 lS.�h3 White creates the threat of 19 . .ih6 �20.tLlxf7!

lS •••i.dS

White plans to deploy his queen to the d3-square, but he must prepare this manoeuvre. It is imprecise for him to play 14.1Wd3?! immediately, because of 14 ...tLlx c3 Is.bxc3 .ie4= 19.1Wh6!

14 ••J' kS lS.1Wd3 llJxc3 White increases his pressure There is no more than a trans­ thanks to the possible manoeu­ position of moves after Is ...1Wc7 vre �e3-h3. In this particular way, 16 . .id2 g6 (Black can immediately White considerably impedes his play 16 ...tLlx c3 17.bxc3 - see 15 .. . opponent's simplifying operation tLlxc3; but he should avoid 16 ... tLlf6-d7. a6?!, which was played in the game It looks natural for White Mosconi - Torres Espallardo, to play 19 . .id3, with the idea of Mislata 2003. Now after 17.tLlxds! 20.c4, but then Black would have it suddenly turns out that Black is the powerful resource 19 ...tLld7!

262 IQP 5.c3 ltJc6 6.ltJgj3 cd 7.cd de B.ltJxe4 .ie7 9.0-0 0-0 and since White would be reluc­ 23.aS. 22 ... ltJd7 23.f4;\;). White tant to exchange pieces, he will has the initiative. Here is an in­ probably need to repeat moves structive possible continuation: with 20.ltJg4 ltJf6= 22 •.•ltJd7 23. ltJg4 ltJf6 24.ltJh6+

19 .••gfd8 �g7 25.d5! cxd5 26 • .ic3 dxc4 Here it is senseless for Black 27.i.c2 and he has very danger­ to play 19 ...ltJd 7?! because after ous threats. 20.l"1e3! his knight will have to go back.

White maintains an edge after A2) 10 .•.b6 19 ...l"1fe8 20. .id3;\;

This is the most logical move The diagram position arose in for Black. the game Mason - Spence, Bir­ 11.a3 i.b7 mingham 2001. White's pieces are White plans to develop his actively placed on the kingside, so king's rook to el in the next few he should try to improve his posi­ moves and to set up the "queen + tion in the centre: 20.i.d3 (plan­ bishop" battery along the bl-h7 ning 21.c4) 20 ••• i.b7 (Black can­ diagonal with .ic2 and �d3, fol­ not be happy aftereither 20 ....id6 lowed by the development of his 21..igS!, or 20 ... ltJd721 .ltJxf7!)21. other bishop to e3 or gS and fi­ �h3! (White renews the threat to nally the placement of the queen's sacrificeon f7,thus forcing the en­ rook to dl, afterwhich he can con­ emy rook to abandon the central sider the deployment of his pieces file.) 21 .••gfS (This is practically complete. the only move for Black: after21. .. (diagram) if8 or 21...id6 White has the re­ source 22.igS.) 22.c4i (White This move is played with about can play even more aggressively the same frequency as 12 . .ic2and With 22.a4!?, intending to destroy it usually amounts to a simple Black's queenside with the move transposition of moves.

263 Chapter i1

13.�e2, Uritzky- Greenfeld, Isra­ el 2003. White has not achieved much, but he is not worse either and we have a typical dynamic balance on the board.

Nevertheless, I recommend starting with 12.Ei:e1,because after the immediate 12.i.c2, Black can try an interesting idea 12 ...'!�k8 !?, which was first played in the game Plaskett - Mestel, Black­ pool 1988. In this fashion Black The position in the diagram is first prevents the move 13.�d3, well known to theory. It can of­ because of the reply 13 ...i.a6, and ten arise from the Nimzo-Indian secondly he prepares an attack on Defence, from the Panov Attack the enemy d4-pawn with 13 ...Ei:d8 . against the Caro-Kann Defence, White did not react well in the as well as from some other open­ above-mentioned game: 13.i.f4?! ings, but with White to move! (We (He should have played more shall deal with this in detail in our prudently - 13.i.e3 Ei:d8 14.Ei:c1 Chapter i2, where we analyze this �d7 1S.�d3 Ei:ac8 16.Ei:fe1 and particular position with White to only then planned to activate his move.). I have already mentioned pieces with 17.Ei:cd1 and 18.i.gS.) in my comments to White's 10th 13 ...Ei:d8 14.Ei:c1 �d7 1S.i.a4 move that sometimes we enter Ei:ac8't. Black's pressure against theoretical positions a tempo the d4-pawn is rather unpleasant down and that is the drawback of and after 16.ttJeS? �xd4 17.ttJxc6 this variation. However, I do not hc6 18.i.xc6 �xf4 19.�f3 �xf3 think that you should worry too 20.i.xf3 gS=t White ended up in a much about this. Although the play difficultendgame a pawn down. is quite concrete and each tempo Meanwhile, for players who matters, White has the advantage do not wish to bring about an im­ of starting the game with his first mediate conflict, I would recom­ move anyway, so this will not be mend here 12.i.e3 Ei:c8 (or 12 ... a catastrophe for him. I certainly ttJdS 13.�e2, Arencibia - Sieiro do not advise you to present your Gonzalez, Sagua la Grande 1989) opponent with a tempo at every

264 IQP S.c3 tbc6 6.tbgj3 cd 7.cd de 8.tbxe4 �e7 9.0-0 0-0 opportunity, but you do not need For 13 ...�d6 14.�d3 !'lfdB to despair if this should happen. 15.�e3 - see 12 ...�d6. Having an extra tempo may help It is also interesting for Black Black obtain equality with precise to try to prevent the deployment play, but no more ... of his opponent's queen to the d3- 12.. J� c8 square with the move 13 ...�a6, to 12 .. .'?�'d6 13.�c2 !'lfdB 14.�e3 which White should respond with !'lacB 15.'?�d3 g6 16.!'lad1 tba5 17. 14.�g5. tbe5�d5? (after 17 ...tbd5 18.�d2, the position is very lively and in­ teresting, but White maintains some initiative, for example: lB ... tbxc3 19.bxc3! �xa3?! 20.!'la1 �d6 21.�h3..... threatening 22.tbxt7! and Black has problems defend­ ing; it is possible for him to play 17 ... tbd7 1B.tbg4!? and Whitepre­ serves the tension. There might follow for example: 1B ...tbc 4 19. There might follow: tbh6+ \t>g7 20.�c1 tbf6 21.�h3f! 14 ...h6 15.�e3 tbd5, Paridar - with a very dynamic position.) Gleizerov, Kish 2005, after which 18.�f4 (Black's queen is sud­ White should play 16.�d2, creat­ denly in mortal danger.) 1B ...�c4 ing the threat of sacrificing his 19.�h3 (Black is unable to parry bishop on h6. Now, after Black's the attack on the g6-square.) 19 ... risky move 16 ...f 5?! (It would be tbh5 20.tbxg6! hxg6 (20 ...tbxf4 correct for him to continue 21.tbxf4+-) 21.bd6+- Rizouk - with 16 ...tbx e3 17.�xe3, with the Trigo Conde, Balaguer 2006. sample variation 17 ...�f6 lB. 13. .ic2 !'lad1 tbe7 19.�e4 g6 20.tbe5f! and there would be a lively fight ahead.) White's piece-sacrifice is not only possible but very ef­ fective: 17 ..bh 6! tbxc3 1B.bxc3 gxh6 19.!'lxe6� with excellent compensation, for example: 19 ... �g5 (after 19... !'lf6 20.!'lxf6 bf6 21.bi5 !'lc7 22.�xh6± White has four pawns for the piece and his attack continues) 20.!'lg6+ \t>h7 21. !'lxg5! hxg5 22.tbxg5+. Here the move 22... \t>hB? loses quickly after 23.�f4 ..... , when

265 Chapter i1

White's threats are impossible to after 14 ... �d7 - lS . .ie3. parry. Black's king must go for­ 14 .. .'�a8 15.'�d3 ward: 22... Wg6 and after 23.ttJe6 Vf1f6 24.ttJxf8 + �xf8 2S.�elt only White can fight for the advan­ tage. 14 ...ttJdS, Matsenko - Rod­ shtein, Budva 2003. Here White should play lS.h4!? with the fol­ lowing possibilities: lS ...ttJx c3!? (Another possible continuation is lS ...h6 16.ttJxdSVf1xdS 17. .ie4 Vf1d6 18.he7 ttJxe7 19.Vf1a4 .ic4 - 19 ... bS 20.Vf1b4! - 20.�ac1 .idS 21.

.ixdS ttJxdS 22.Vf1xa7 Vf1f4 23.�xc8 15 .• J''!d8 �xc8 24.Vf1a4� - Black has good A transposition of moves aris­ compensation, but White should es after lS ...�d7 16.dS! �fd8 17. feel relatively safe on account of �ad1. his extra pawn.) 16.bxc3 h6 17. It seems quite natural for .if4!? and if Black accepts the sac­ Black to continue with lS ...ttJa S?! rifice with 17 ...hh4 then White If you have a look at this position, can play 18 . .ib1, threatening 19. you will hardly believe that after Vf1c2. For example, after Black's only a few moves Black's king will reasonable response 18 ....if6 19. come under a crushing attack. Vf1c2 g6, White has a guaranteed White plays a series of aggressive draw: 20.�xe6!? ttJxd4 21.ttJxd4 moves and dramatically increases �xc3! (21.. . .ixd4? 22.�d6+-) the "attacking ratio" (This expres­ 22.Vf1xc3 hd4 (or 22 ...Vf1xd4 sion comes from Mikhail Tal...) 23.Vf1xd4 hd4 24.�e7 hal 25. and Black's monarch is in terrible hh6 �c8 26.�xa7= with an equal danger: 16 . .if4 ! endgame) 23.Vf1c2 .ixa1 24.�xg6+ fxg62S.Vf1 xg6+ .ig726.Vf1 h7+ wf7 27.Vf1g6= with perpetual check. He can also try to continue the fight, but this involves a degree of risk for White: 20.Vf1a4 ttJaS 21. hh6 �e8 22 . .id2� 14.i.e3 White prudently fortifies his d4-pawn in advance, against the possibility of �d7, but he could and now: also consider 14.Vf1d3!? and only 16 ...�cc8 17.ttJgS! g6 18.Vf1h3

266 IQP S.c3 tt'lc6 6.tt'lgj3 cd 7.cd de B.tt'lxe4 �e7 9.0-0 0-0 tt'lh5(B lack should not let the ene­ example: 21...hd6 22.�xd6 tt'le8 my queen come to the h6-square, 23.tt'lb5 a6 24.'oWg3± and White fo r example: 18 ...tt'lc 4? 19.'oWh6! ends up with an extra exchange, White creates the deadly threat while after 21...�fe8 22.f3± Black of 20.�e5!, 19 ... :il:fd8 20.tt'lce4 cannot coordinate his pieces on he4 21.he4 �f8 22.'oWh4+- and the kingside without material he wins at least the exchange, be­ loss. cause besides 22 ...�d5, Black has It is clear that Black has in­ no other move in sight. Black's surmountable problems, so he other attempts to prevent the pen­ may try to sacrifice the exchange etration of the enemy queen to h6 with: 16 ...�xf3 17.hc7 hg2, would not solve the problem ei­ but the arising complications ther: 18 ... wg7 19.�e5 �h8 - Black turn out to be in White's favour: must play this awkward move, 18.b4! tt'lc6 (Black should avoid since it would be a disaster for him 18 ...�c8 19.�e5 tt'lc4 20.hf6 to play 19 ...h6? 20.tt'lxe6+! fxe6 �xf6 21.'oWxh7+ wf8 22.�e4 he4 21.'oWg3 g5 22.'oWd3+- and White's 23.tt'lxe4 we7 24.tt'lxf6 gxf6 25.'oWe4 attack is crushing - 20.tt'lge4 �g8+ 26.whl± with an obvious tt'lc4 21.�xf6+ hf6 22.tt'lxf6 wxf6 advantage fo r White.) 19 .d5! hd5 23.'oWh6. He restricts the enemy 20.tt'lxd5 exd5 21.�acl± White has king and plans to organize a eliminated his opponent's dan­ fierce attack: 23 ...tt'lxb2 24.tt'le4+ gerous light-squared bishop and he4 25.�xe4 'oWb8 26.d5! with a has a clear advantage. crush.) 19.94! �xg5 20.hg5 tt'lg7 21.�e7! (White intends to deploy his bishop to the powerful at­ tacking square f6 but in order to prevent its eviction from there by the enemy knight on e8, he first forces Black's rook to occupy that square.) 21...�fe8 22.�f6 h5 23.�e5!+- White's attack is deci­ sive, Plaskett - Castineira, Mond­ ariz 2000 (game 46). The other possible retreat of Black's rook also entails great 16.d5! problems for him: 16 ...�d7 17.tt'le5 This timely breakthrough is �dd8 18.b4! tt'lc6 19.d5! White's very powerful. pressure along the b1-h7 diagonal 16 ..J! cd7 is unbearable for Black and after After 16 ...exd5 17.�g5 tt'le4 the forced line 19 ...tt'lxe5 20.�xe5 (17 ...g6 18.�xe7!) 18.tt'lxd5! tt'lxg5 g6 21.d6 he loses material, fo r 19.tt'lxg5 g6 20.tt'lxc7+-, or 16 ...

267 Chapter il

g6 17.dxc6! �xd3 18.cxb7 '

er, the immediate capture 10 ... lDxe4 considerably increases the activity of White's pieces, there­ fore Black does not plan to ex­ change the knights in the next few moves. White, in turn, can ex­ change on f6 if he so wishes (vari­ ation B1).

10 ••• tbb4 18.dxc6! gxd3 19.cxb7 In this way Black prepares to gxd1 fianchetto his queen's bishop on 19 ...'

268 IQP 5.c3 ltlc6 6.ltlgf3cd 7.cd de 8. ltlxe4 .ie7 9.0-0 0-0 tinue here with lS.'8'xe3;!;, plan­ 18 ... '8'd6 19.i.f4 '8'e7 (19 ... '8'b4? ning i.c2and '8'e4. 20.ltld7) 20.a3 �fd8 21.h3;!; with The immediate 10 ...b6 leads some advantage for Whitein both to the loss of a pawn for Black: cases. 11.ltlxf6+ i.xf6 It is not so good for Black to play lO ...'8'aS. His queenside is not developed yet and he fails to organize effectivepressure against the enemy d4-pawn, while his bishop on c8 cannot enter play any time soon: 1l.a3 �d8 (Black's last move would not combine well with 1l ...a6? !: 12.b4 '8'dS 13.'8'c2 h6 14.ltlxf6+ .b:f6, Wueest - Er­ meni, Switzerland 2003, lS.i.h7+ 12 . .b:h7+ (it is worse for White i'h8 16.i.e4 '8'hS 17. .b:c6 bxc6 to play 12.'8'c2 ltlb4 13 . .b:h7+ 18.'8'xc6 �b8 19.'8'cS± and Black i'h8 14.'8'b3 i'xh7 lS.'8'xb4 i.b7 has no compensation for the 16.ltleS '8'dS) ...12 i'xh7 13.'8'c2+ pawn, or 16 ...'8'd6 17.�ad1 - i'g8 14.'8'xc6 i.a6, Kan - Saigin, threatening 18.dS! - 17... ltle7 18. Moscow 1945. Naturally, Black's '8'cS± with a clear advantage to bishop-pair and in particular his White, for example: 18 ... �d8 19. light-squared bishop, which has '8'hS i'g8 20. ltleSg6 21.'8'f3 ltldS no opponent, compensate for the 22. .b:h6 etc.) 12.b4 '8'hS, Teller - sacrificed pawn to a certain de­ Walter, Bmo 1928. gree, but this is not sufficient for equality: lSJ�fc1 �c8 16.'8'e4 i.c4 (White is slightly better after 16... '8'e7 17.ltleS i.b7 18.'8'f4;!;) 17.ltleS i.dS18 .'8'g4!;!;.If Black tries to re­ gain his pawn with 18 ...�xc1 +?! 19.�xc1 .b:a2, White seizes the initiative with 20.h4! i.dS (but not 20 ....b:h4? 21.ltlc6fS 22.'8'hS '8'f6 23.g3+- and White wins a piece) 21.hSt and then for exam­ 13.�c1 (creating the rather un­ ple if 21...'8'e7 22.h6 g6 23.'8'f4. pleasant threat of lS.ltlxf6+ i.xf6 His threat of 24.ltlg4,followed by 16.�cS) 13 ...ltlx e4 14 . .b:e4 as! �c7, is very unpleasant for Black. (this is Black's best chance) 15. Therefore, his most reasonable ltleS! '8'xdl 16.�fxd1 ltlxeS17. dxe5 decision would be the calm line: �xd1+ (it will be more or less the 18 ...'8'e7 19.a3 �fd8 20.h3;!;; or same after 17... axb4 18.�xd8+

269 Chapter il

.ixd8 19.axb4) 18Jlxdl axb4 19.axb4 fS (19 .. .f6 20.exf6 amounts to the same thing) 20.exf6 gxf6 21.bS±. The position has been considerably simplified, but Black still has serious prob­ lems with the development of his c8-bishop, for example: 21...fS 22.�f3 wf7 23Jkl Wg6 24.g3 and White has an advantage in this Black's manoeuvres seem endgame. rather awkward, but White We must consider Black's pos­ should remain on the alert. Now sibilities 1O ...�d7 and 1O ...tLldS Black plans to reorganize his much more seriously, though ... forces with �d6, tLlce7 and b6, 1O ...�d7 (Black intends to followed by the development of simplify the position with the his queen's bishop. White must manoeuvre 1l ... tLlb4 12.�bl tLlxe4 not waste any time: IS.\Wb3! (In 13 . .ixe4 �c6 and White must the following game White failed prevent this.) l1.a3 tLldS (11... to counter Black's strategy ef­ E1c8 12.E1cl tLldS 13.tLlcS and here, fectively and after IS.\We2 �d6 Black has two possibilities: 13 ... 16.�bl tLlce7 17.tLle4 b6 18.\Wc2 b6 14.tLlxd7 \Wxd7 IS.�bS \Wb7 fS 19.tLlxd6 \Wxd6 20.E1fel �b7t! 16.\Wd3 tLlb8 17.�c4± White exerts Black obtained a very good posi­ powerful pressure against Black's tion, Melia - Graf, Kavala 2010.) position on the weakened light IS... E1b8 (B lack only creates addi­ squares; or 13 ....ixcS, Martine - tional weaknesses with IS ...b6? ! : S.Savchenko, Paris 1998, 14.dxcS 16.tLla4 �b7 17.�e4 tLlxe3 18.\Wxe3 tLlxe3 IS.fxe3. White plans to - 18.fxe3? tLlxd4! - 18 ...E1c8 support his cS-pawn with b2-b4 19.E1fdl±. After the unavoidable and after that his pawn-chain on breakthrough 20.dS! the vulner­ the queenside will become a very ability of Black's b6-pawn may be powerful force: IS ...\We7 16.b4 catastrophic for him.) 16.�b1 �d6 eS 17.tLld2±, his knight will pen­ 17.\Wd3 fS 18.�a2 tLlce719 .\We2 b6 etrate to the d6-outpost. Or IS ... 20.tLld3�a6 21.�d2 \Wd722.E1 feU as 16.\Wb3! White's queen will be and White's pressure along the e­ transferred to c3, eyeing the ene­ file is very unpleasant for Black. my bS-pawn in the process, while 1O ...tLldS 1l.E1 cl after 16 ...\Wc7? ! he has the pow­ (diagram) erful resource 17.tLlgS± and his and now: knight comes with tempo closer 1l ...�d7 12.a3 - see 1O ...�d 7; to the coveted d6-outpost.) 12.E1c1 White should counter 11... as 13.tLlcS �c8 14.\Wc2 h6 tLlcb4 with 12.�c4! (it is weaker for

270 IQP S.c3 lLlc6 6.lLlgj3 cd 7.cd de B. lLlxe4 �e7 9.0-0 0-0

Black's weaknesses along the e­ file are vulnerable; or 14 .. .f4 15 . .id2 lLlxd4 16.lLle4 �dS 17.lLlxf6+ �xf6 lS . .ic4�with excellent com­ pensation for the sacrificedpawn , since Black's position is in ruins. For example, capturing the sec­ ond pawn would lead to a catas­ trophe for him: lS ...lLlxf3+ 19. him to continue with the natural �xf3 �xb2?! 20.�d3t �f6 21. line: 12 . .ib1 lLlxe3 13.fxe3 b6 14.a3 .ixdS exdS 22.gc7+- and the g7- lLldS lS.�d3 fS , Didi - Walach, square is defenceless - White is Karvina 2006 and Black obtains threatening both 23 . .ic3 and 23. a very good position after for ex­ gee7. After lS ....id7 19.1LleS, ample: 16.lLlc3 .ib7 17 . .ia2 �d6=) White's initiative is very power­ 12 ... lLlxe3 (12 ... b6?! 13 . .id2! - ful.) 13 . .ibS lLlcb4 (after 13 ...g4 now Black's knight on b4 is iso­ 14 ..ixc6 gxf3 lS ..ixdS �xdS 16. lated from the action: 13 ....ib7 �xf3 �xf3 17.gxf3 b6 18.lLld3 .ia6 14.a3 lLlc6 lS . .ibS 2'kS 16.�a4t 19.9fd1 gfcS 20.lLleS� White main­ with powerfulpressure for White) tains some advantage, since he 13.fxe3 b6 14.lLleS f6 (14 ....ib7? has an extra pawn) lS.gxf7!+-) lS.lLld3 lLldS 16.ge1 .ib717.� b3� - he plans both lS. lLlc3 and lS.lLlecS and his posi­ tional pressure is powerful; 11 .. .fS 12.lLlcS gS!? This is a veryrisky move for Black; the idea is to force White's minor pieces to retreat to passive positions by ad­ vancing the g- and f-pawns. (If Black plays routinely, White maintains a stable advantage: 12 ... 14.�b3 (He should not waste .if6 13.ge1 f4 14. .id2 lLlxd4 15. time on the move 14.a3 because lLlxd4 .ixd4 16.lLlxe6 .ixe6 17. gxe6 Black's knight is heading for dS f3lS.g 3 �d7 19.ge4� and although anyway: 14 ...lLlx e3 lS.fxe3 lLldS Black's pieces are active, White's 16.�d3, Khamrakulov - Bartel, bishop-pair is much more impor­ Heraklio200 7, 16 ...b6 and now it tant in this open position; 13 ... seems to me that Black equalizes, �d6 14. .ibS. White attacks the for example: 17.lLlb3 .ib7 lS . .ic6 enemy knight on c6 and impedes .ixc6 19.9xc6 .id6=; if 17 . .ic6; the preparation of b7-b6. 14 ... White must consider 17 ...bxcS !? lLlce7 lS. .igS b6 16.lLld3� and lS . .ixaS lLlc7 19. .ic6 .ia6?; it

271 Chapter il

looks attractive for White to leave "Reserve variation NQ 2" the d3-square for the knight after I have already mentioned that b7-b6 and with that idea play 16. White, having an isolated pawn �d2, but then he must consider in the centre, should be reluctant the possibility of 16 ...g4 17.ttleS to exchange pieces unless this i.gS+±) 14... b6 (it is more or less improves his pawn-structure, or the same after 14 ...a6 : lS.i.c4 b6 gains some other concrete advan­ 16.ttld3 ttlxd3 17.bd3 i.b7 18. tage. Therefore his last move is E!feU; while after14 ...ttlxe3, White somewhat questionable, although has the powerful intermediate quite playable. The exchange on move lS.ttlxe6!) lS.ttld3ttlxd3 16. move 11 was an attempt to fightfor bd3 i.b7 17. E!feU. White has tempi and to improve the place­ comfortably deployed his forces ment of his pieces, so he is relying and plans to methodically attack on dynamic factors. Tournament Black's weaknesses alongthe e-file. practice shows convincingly that whenever the position is simpli­ fied the importance of any dy­ namic factors diminishes consid­ erably. At this particular moment, White leads in development and his pieces are more active. He must try to turn these dynamic pluses into some long-term ad­ vantages, while Black is complet­ ing the development of his queen­ side; otherwise White's advantage would disappear. Therefore he B1) 11.�xf6+ must act veryenergetically in this B2) 1l . .ib1 variation (however, this principle is true in almost all positions with B1) 11.�xf6+ .ixf6 12 . .ie4 an isolated queen's pawn). 12 ...�d5 12 ...�d6, Egin - Villamayor,

Kolkata 2001, 13.�b3 �dS (13 . . . i.d7 14.ttleS i.c6 lS.ttlxc6 bxc6 16. E!ac1 E!ab8 17.E!c4 E!b6 18.�a4;j; - White is attacking his opponent's vulnerable a- and c-pawns and Black cannot deploy his pieces harmoniously.) 14.E!ac1 b6 lS.i.g5 i.xgS 16.ttlxgS h6 17.bdS �xd5 (I believe that if Black keeps the

272 IQP 5.c3 lLlc6 6.lLlgj3cd 7.cd de 8.lLlxe4 ioe7 9.0-0 0-0 queens on the board with 17... 20.:§:d2 :§:fcS 21.:§:xc2 :§:xc2 22.:§:cl exd5 this will be much in favour :§:xcl+ 23.hc1 of White, because afterthe possi­ ble and veryprobable exchange of all the rooks along the open c- and e-files, Whitewill end up with the more promising tandem of "queen + knight" against Black's "queen + bishop".) IS.�xd5 exd5 19.1Llf3

In the diagram position we have the same endgame we are studying, except with colours re­ versed. Enjoy the play of World Champion Number 11: 23 ...lLld7 (it was slightly more precise for Black to play 23 ...h5 !? immedi­ The position seems approxi­ ately, with the idea of <;!{h7-g6-f5) mately equal, but White still has 24.<;!{fl lLlfS 25.<;!{e2 lLle6 26.<;!{d3 some chances of fighting for a h5 27. .ie3 <;!{h7 2S.f3 <;!{g6 29.a4 win. The presence of the pawns <;!{f5 30.<;!{e2g5 31.<;!{f2 lLldS32 . .id2 on d4 and d5 makes the play rath­ <;!{g633. <;!{e3 lLle6 34.<;!{d3 <;!{f5 35. er static and his knight might turn .ie3 f6 36.<;!{e2 <;!{g6 37.<;!{d3 f5 out to be stronger than Black's 3S.<;!{e2f4 39 . .if2 lLlg7 40.h3 lLlf5 bishop, restricted by its own d5- 41.<;!{d3 g4 42.hxg4 hxg4 43.fxg4 pawn. Later, White should try to lLlh6 44 . .iel lLlxg4 45 . .id2 <;!{f5 exchange all the rooks and then 46 . .iel lLlf6 47 . .ih4 lLlh5 48..iel there may arise an endgame in <;!{g4 49.<;!{e2? lLlg3+ 50.<;!{d3 lLlf5 which Robert Fischer demon­ 51..if2 lLlh4 52.a5 lLlxg2 53.<;!{c3 strated how to fightwith a knight <;!{f3 54 . .igl <;!{e2 55 . .ih2 f3 56 . .ig3 against a bishop in this pawn­ lLle3 and White resigned. Natu­ structure: rally, the exploitation of Black's Saidy - Fischer, New York minimal advantage was helped by 1964: l.c4 c5 2.lLlf3 lLlc6 3.d4 cxd4 Fischer's brilliant technique and 4.lLlxd4 lLlf65.lLlc 3 e6 6.lLldb5 .ib4 White's mistakes, but this gives 7.a3 hc3+ S.lLlxc3 d5 9.e3 0-0 you an idea of what to strive for. 1O.cxd5 exd5 11..ie2 .if5 12.lLlb5 13.�d3 h6 �b6 13.0-0 a6 14.lLld4 lLlxd4 15. Black can defend in another �xd4 �xd4 16.exd4 :§:acS 17 . .idl fashion with 13 ...g6, allowing �c2 IS . .ie3 hdl 19.:§:fxdl :§:c2 14 . .ih6(Bl ack has no problems af-

273 Chapter il

ter 14.Wlb3 b6 lS.�h6 !'!eB 16.lUeS not work for him to try, for exam­ �b7 17.Wlf3 Wle7= Khairullin - ple, 20 ...�b7? 21.hS+- and White Dolmatov, Moscow 2004). has the deadly threat of 22.h6!, 21...h6 22.hh6+! and he wins.) 21.�xdS (but not 21.!'!c1 h6! 22. �xf6+ lUxf6) 21...exdS 22.!'!el± White's advantage is obvious. It is more reliable for Black to play 14 ...�g7 lS.hg7 @xg7, Estrada Degrandi - Roux Ca­ bral, Montevideo 1962 and after 16.lUeS f6 (it is possibly best fo r him to continue here with 15 ... Here, in response to 14 ...!'!eB ?! b6, but I would recommend that White develops a powerful initia­ White plays 16.Wlg3 �b7 17.h4?, tive after lS.lUeS b6 16.Wlf3 �b7 planning to disrupt his oppo­ 17.�gS! @g7 1B.!'!ac1! He is threat­ nent's kingside by advancing his ening to penetrate with his rook h-pawn) 17.lUc4 b6 1B.!'!ac1! �b7 to c7, after the numerous ex­ (White is slightly better afterlB ... changes (it is purposeful but a bit �a6 19.Wla3!;!;) 19.Wlg3;!; - White's slow for White to play 1B.h4 Wle7, knight is ready to penetrate to and Black managed to consolidate the d6-outpost and he maintains his position in the game Melia - some pressure. Abrahamyan, Khanty-Mansiysk 14.�e5 2010, game 47). 1B ...!'!cB (but not 1B ...Wle7? 19.�xf6+ Wlxf6 20. Wlxf6+ @xf6 21.�xdS �xdS 22. !'!c7+- and no matter how Black defends the f7-square, he loses material: 22 ...!'!fB 23.lUd7+; or 22 ...!'!e7 23.lUg4+-; Black would not change much with 21...exdS 22.!'!c7+- and White's advantage is decisive, because after 22... !'!e7 he wins with 23.lUg4+ @e6 24. !'!e1)19.!'! xcB hcB 20.h4 Wle7(the move 20 ...!'!fB leads to almost the 14 ...b6 same consequences: 21.�xdS exdS If 14 ...�d7 White should re­ 22.Wlg3±�23.!,!c1; the alternatives ply with lS.!'!ac1 (but not lS.�d2 for Black are clearly worse, since �c6= with equality, N.Kosintseva he must protect the f7-square in - Zhukova, Elista 2004) and then order to free his pieces: it would play might continue lS ... !'!cB (af-

274 IQP 5.c3 ttJc6 6.ttJgj3cd 7.cd de B. ttJxe4 �e7 9.0-0 0-0 ter 15 ...�c6 16.ttJxc6 bxc6 17. 1'!c4 1'!d7= T.Kosintseva - Shkliar, Sa­ 'lWb6 18.b3 1'!fd8 19.1'!fc1 1'!ac8 20. mara 2002. g3;l;, White's position is slight­ 18... �h8 19. .ib4 ly preferable, since Black has one more weak pawn.) 16.1'!xc8 'lWxc8 (After 16 ...hc8 17.'lWa3 a6 18.�d2;l;, White maintains the pressure, fo r example it would not be good fo r Black to play 18 ... �d7?! in view of 19.ttJxd7 'lWxd7 20.�h7+! and White wins the exchange.) 17.1'!c1 'lWd8 18.hd5 exd5 19.'lWa3 a6 20.'lWb3 �c8 2l.h3 1'!e8 22.�f4. Although the pawn­ structure is symmetrical, White's pieces are more active. Black will From the diagram position need to work hard to reach com­ play might continue: plete equality. 19 ...�e8 15 . .id2 .ib716.�acl The move 19 ...a5 !? leads to White would not achieve much almost the same consequences: with 16.'lWg3 �h4. 20.'lWxd8 1'!fxd8 2l.he7 1'!d7 22. 16 ....ixe5 17.dxe5 �e7 �b1 1'!xe7 23.1'!fd 1 �d5 24.f3 1'!d8 25.�f2 1'!ed7 26.�e3;l; with a slightly preferable endgame for White, thanks to his more active king. 19 ...'lWxd3 20.hd3 1'!fd8 2l. 1'!fd1 lOd5(21... ttJf5 22.hf5!? exf5 23.1'!d6 1'!ac8 24.1'!cd1 1'!xd6 25. exd6;l;) 22.�d6 1'!ac8 23.g3;l;with a minimal edge in the endgame. It is possible for Black to play 19 ...�d5 !? followed by 20.�e4 he4 (after the immediate 20 ... 18 . .ih7+!? 1'!e8, White has the resource 2l. This is an attempt to improve f3 !?, with the idea of 21...he4 White's play. He worsens the 22.'lWxd8 1'!axd8 23.fxe4;l;with the placement of the enemy king in better game) 2l.'lWxe4 1'!e8 and anticipation of the approaching now White can try 22.'lWf3!? wg8 endgame. 23.�d6 ttJd5 24.1'!c4 1'!c8 25.1'!g4!?, The position is completely with a very lively gamey. equal after18 .'lWxd8 1'!axd8 19.�b4 20.�xd8 �axd8

275 Chapter il

20 ..J'!exd8 21..b:e7 E!d7 22. We have finally come to the i.b1 E!xe7 23.E!fd1 i.d5 24.f3 E!d8 main line.

25.'it>f2 E!ed726. 'it>e3::t 1l •..b6 2Uk7 It seems rather dubious for Black to play 1l... 1!;lfd5? !, Efler - Kopicka, Czech Republic 2002, because White can counter this with 12.i.g5!? 1!;lfd8(It is not pleas­ ant for Black to retreat, but the more consistent move 12 ...E!d8 , leads to a clearly inferior position for him after 13.a3 tUc6 14.tUxf6 + gxf6 15.1!;lfd3::t) 13.tUxf6+ hi6 14 . .b:f6 1!;lfxf6 15.i.e4::t with powerful pressure for White. If 1l ...tUx e4 12 . .b:e4i.f6, Visti­

21 •••.ixg2 !? (After 21...tUd5 sen - Laursen, Copenhagen 1999, 22.E!xb7 'it>xh7 23.i.d6::t White there arises a position which we wins a pawn.) 22.i>xg2 �d5 analyzed after the move-order

23.gxt7 i>xh7 24• .id6. White 1l.tUxf6+ hi6 12.i.e4 (variation has the initiative thanks to his B1), except with an extra tempo powerful rook on the 7th rank, for for White, since now it is his move! example: 24 ...a5 25. i>f3 gc8 He can exploit this circumstance 26.gg1 gg8 27.h4! gc2 (27 ... quite purposefully, for example: h5!? 28.E!g5!?) 28.h5! (White 13.tUe5 tUd5 14.1!;lfd3 h6 (14 ...g6 still cannot play 28.i.f8??, owing 15.i.h6i.g7 16 . .b:g7'it>xg7 17.E!fel to 28 ... E!c7! 29J'!xc7 E!xf8-+) and b6 18.1!;lfg3 i.b7 19.h4::t) 15.1!;lfd2 here after 28 •..gxb2 he can con­ (�16 . .b:h6!) 15 ...E!e8 16.i.c2t with

tinue with 29 • .ifSt the idea of 17.1!;lfd3, and the battery "queen + bishop" along the b1-h7 B2) 1l . .ib1 diagonal spells trouble for Black. 1l ...tUbd5 12 .tUg3 b6 13.a3 ib7 14.1!;lfd3 - see 11...b6. It is possible to play 1l ... id7, to which White should reply with 12.tUe5 (the set-up from the game Kosintseva - Matveeva - see 11... b6 - would not work for him here: 12.tUg3 i.c6 13.a3 tUbd5 14.1!;lfd3 and now Black has the powerful resource 14 ...1!;lfb6 !) with the fol­ lowing sample variation 12 ... ic6

276 IQP S.c3 tbc6 6.tbgf3cd 7.cd de 8.tbxe4 �e7 9.0-0 0-0

l3.tbc3 gcS 14.a3 tbbd5 l5.�d3 14 ••.�d6 �b6 l6.�e2f!,with a very compli­ It is possible for Black to play cated struggle ahead. 14 ...gcS l5.�g5 (15.tbe5?! tbxe3 l6.fxe3 g6 l7.�a2 �d6+) l5 ...g6 l6 . .ih6 geS l7.�a2 �d6 lS.tbe5 tbd719. 9felf!with a complicated position with chances for both sides.

15.lLle5 g6 16 • .Ah6 gfeS 17.

h4 .Af8 IS • .Ag5 .Ag7 lS ...tbd7 l9.gelf! 19.h5 ge7 20.ge1 gaeS

12.tbg3 White avoids the exchange of knights and plans to deploy his pieces according to the scheme: a3, �d3, tbe5, gel, �a2, gadl and eventually .ig5-h6. In general, White would like to keep his knight closer to the cen­ tre, but then the above-mentioned set-up would not work: l2.tbc3(?!) 21.h6!? �b7 l3.a3 tbbd5 14.�d3 (14.tbe5 This move is slightly stronger gcS l5.�d3 tbxc3 l6.bxc3 .ie4'+) than 21..ia2, N.Kosintseva - l4 ...tbx c3 l5.bxc3 �e4+ Matveeva, Elista 2002 (game

12 .••.Ab7 13.a3 lLlbd5 14.�d3 4S).

21••• .AhS Black suddenly loses after 21.. . .ifS? 22.�f3+-, because his knight cannot retreat: 22 ...tbeS 23.tbe4 and Black loses his queen inside his own camp! 22.h2f! Both sides have completed the mobilization of their forces. A tough fight in a complicated mid­ dle game lies ahead.

277 Chapter it 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.tDd2 tDf6 4 . .id3 c5 5.c3 tDc6 6.tDgf3 cxd4 7.cxd4 dxe4 8.tDxe4 .ie7 9.0-0 0-0

Complete Games

45 Plaskett Knott under great positional pressure

Hastings 2000 along the h-file. After 15 . ..g6 l.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.lLld2 lLlf6 16.�h6 l:!e8 17.�c2�, the position 4.id3 c5 5.c3 lLlc6 6.lLlg£l would have offered chances to cxd4 7.cxd4 lLlb4 8.ibl dxe4 both sides. 9.lLlxe4 ie7 10.0-0 0-0 16.bxc3 ie4 17.he4 lLlxe4 lU�elid7 12.lLlc3 ic6 13.lLle5 18.flh5 lLlf6 19.flh4--. gc8 14.ge3 lLlbd5

Black's pawncannot go to h6 in 15.gh3 view of the bishop-sacrifice there, We have already pointed out so White's pressure along the h­ in the theoretical section that it file is tremendously unpleasant. is more precise for White to play He is threatening 20.�g5 now, as here 15.l:!g3. well as 20.lLlg4.

15 •••lLlxc3? ! 19 .•.fla5?

Black, in turn, does not react Black had to play here 19 ...h5 !, in the best possible way. White defending against 20.ttJg4, trying has demonstrated his attacking to radically solve the problem of intentions, so Black's wish to ex­ defence on the h-file. Naturally, change as many pieces as possible he would have to suffer a lot af­ is understandable, but he comes ter this too, but he cannot avoid

278 IQP S.c3 tDc6 6.tDgj3 cd 7.cd de B.tDxe4 i.e7 9.0-0 0-0 suffering anyway, so he had to White's other interesting pos­ take that chance: 20.i.gS g6 sibility is the risky move 20 . .ih6!? 21.�g3 �c7. Black has protected and if 20 ...�xc3 (but not 20 ... his bishop on e7 and prepares to gxh6? 21.�g3+ wh8 22.Wixh6+­ move his knight from f6, simpli­ and White's attack is mating) 21. fying the position, so his difficul­ WigStDhS ! (It is inferior for Black ties will be more or less over, for to play 21...tDe8 22.Wixe7 �xh3 example: 22.�el (22.h3 tDdS)22 ... and now, after23. tDd7,he has the tDg4!? (22 ...tDdS 23.tDxg6!? hxg6 resource 23 ...Wia 3!, but after the 24.�xe6�) 23.he7 Wixe724.Wi xe7 intermediate move 23 . .id2! White �xe7 2S.tDxg4 hxg4 26.�xg4 �cn wins: if 23 ...Wia3 24 . .ib4+; or 23 ... and the realisation of the extra Wixd2 24.tDd7+-) 22.Wid2 �a3 23. pawn in this endgame with four �xhS f6 and the forced play con­ rooks on the board will be very tinues, although the outcome is problematic: 27.�g3 �fc8 28.�ee3 very difficult to predict: 24.Wic2 �c4 29.h4 wf8 etc. Wia4! (24 ...fxeS? 2S.hg7! �fS 26. �xfS exfS 27. .ixeS+-) 2S.Wibl (The following variation is rather un­ clear as well: 2S.Wie4 �xa2 26.�f1 �al 27. .icl fxeS 28.Wixh7+ wf7) 2s ...Wib4 etc. Accordingly, the forcing lines cannot guarantee any definite advantage for White, so the calm move played in the game pre­ servesfor him all the pluses of his 20. .id2! position and is objectively strong­ White has two attractive pos­ er. sibilities here. The first is to win 20 .. J!fb5 material with 20.tDd7, but after Black, when playing his previ­ 20 ...WifS ! (it is weaker for Black ous move, was probably planning to play 20 ...�fd8 21.tDxf6+ hf6 20 ...�f d8, but after 21.�g3! (with 22.Wixh7+ wf8 23.Wid3± and the powerful threat of 22.�xg7+! White is attacking with an extra Wxg7 23 . .ih6+ wh8 24.WigS!) 21... pawn to boot) 21.tDxf8 .bf8� the Wic7(B lack must cover the vulner­ evaluation of this position is rath­ able f7-square; instead, 21...g6 er unclear. Maybe White should fails to 22. .igS+-) 22.�xg7 +! Wxg7 not be worse, having an extra ex­ 23 . .ih6+ wh8 24.WigS .if8 2S . .ixf8 change, but his major pieces are �xf8 26.Wixf6+ Wg8 27.tDg4 �fd8 isolated on the kingside and his 28.tDh6+ wf8 29.�el+- and, in hanging pawns in the centre are viewof the terrible threat 30.tDfS, VUlnerable. White wins.

279 Chapter il

21.�gS? 24 ...tDgS This was the right time for him Black can save the day neither to play 21..th6!: 21...�b2 22J�f1 with 24... Elxc3 2S.fJ.xf6 gxf6 (25 ... Elxc3 23.Elxc3 �xc3 24.�gS tt'lhS hf6 26.tt'lxf6 gxf6 27.�xf6+-) 2S.�xe7 gxh6 26.�h4 tt'lg7 27. tt'ld7 26.�xh7 Elxh3 27.gxh3

280 IQP 5.c3 lDc6 6.lDgf3cd 7.cd de 8.lDxe4 .te7 9.0-0 0-0

bringing as many pieces as possi­ ble closer to Black's king.

23 ••. lDc4 24.gxh5? White's play was very impres­ sive and inspired in the first part of this game (particularly the series of moves between 16 and 23) and here Jim Plaskett had the possibility to finishoff his at­ Note how, injust a few moves, tack spectacularly with 24.E\xhS! White'sattack becomes decisive. lDxhS (24 ...gxhS 2S.\Wd3 .te4

16 • .if4 ! 26.lDxe4+-) 2S.gxhS. Black los­ White activates his bishop es immediately now after 2S ... with tempo, freeing the third rank lDd2 26.lDe4! i.xe4 27.hxg6 and for the queen. White's king runs away from the

16 ••• gcc8 17)bg5! g6 18. checks: 27... lDf 3+ 28. \tIfl lDd2+ �h3 29.\tIe2 .tf3 + 30.\tIe1+-. Black White is threatening 19.\Wh6. must give up his bishop and en­ 18 ...lDh5 19.94! hg5 20. ter a hopeless endgame: 2S ....tg2 hg5 lDg7 21..ie7! gfe8 22. .if6 26.\Wxg2 \Wxg2+ 27.\tIxg2 lDxb2 h5 28.dS+- Unfortunately he missed this possibility and lost the game liter­ ally in two moves.

24 ••• lDxe5

23.ge5! It was also good for him to play the prosaic move 23.\We3 \tIh7and then, for example: 24 . .txg7 \tIxg7 2S.gxhS lDc4 26.\WgS� Black has 25.hxg6? great problems parrying his op­ After 2S.i.xeS lDxhS 26.E\e1� ponent's attack. The energetic the position would have remained move in the game is even strong­ completely unclear.

er, moreover it contributes more 25 •••lDfJ+ 26.\tIfl .ia6+ 27. effectively to White's plan of \tIg2 lDg5+. White resigned.

281 Chapteril

47 Melia - Abrahamyan This pawn will play an impor­ Khanty-Mansiysk 2010 tant role in the game.

21.•• gedS 22.gfe1 ge7 23. 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.lLld2 �e7 gad1 �f4 24.hd5 �xg4 25. 4.lLlgf3 lLlf6 5.�d3 c5 6.e3 lLlxg4 hd5 26.h6+! �f8 27. exd4 7.exd4 dxe4 S.lLlxe4 gel lLle6 9.0-0 0-0 10.�e3 lLlb4 1l.lLlxf6 + �6 12.�e4 lLld5 13.�d3 g6 14.�h6

27 •••gb7 The white pawn on h6 creates some problems for Black. In par­ 14 .. J�eS ticular, he must give up the c-file, We have recommended in the because it would be bad for him to theoretical section that the move continue with 27... gdc8 ? 28.gxc7 14 ....ig7 would be more precise gxc7 29.lLlf6. for Black. 2S.a3 �e7 29.ge3 g5?! 15.lLle5 b6 16.�f3 �b7 17. It is preferable for Black to play �g5! �g7 1S.h4 here 29 ...fS 30.lLleS wf6 31.gec1 This is not bad, but White (3l.f4 gS) 31...wgS 32.gc7 gdb8 should prefer 18J'%ac1! here 33.lLlf7+whS ;

1S .••�e7 19.�6+ �xf6 20. or 29 .. .f6 30.gec1 (30.f3 wf7 �g4 gaeS 31.gec1 ge7 32.gc7 gde8) 30 ... After 20 ...hS !? 21.�g3 EJ:ac8, .ie4! 31.gc7+ gd7 32.gc8 .ifS ! and Black has no problems at all. he should be able to survive. 21.h5 30.gee1 �e4 31.f3

282 IQP S.c3 tLlc6 6.tLlgj3 cd 7.cd de 8.tLlxe4 1i.e7 9.0-0 0-0

31••• i.dS? and pawn endgame loses for This mistake is already deci­ Black: 49 ...:1'i:xh7 SO.:1'i:xh7 '.!;>xh7 sive. Black's last chance was 31... S1.'it>e4 f6 S2.'.!;>fS 'it>g7S3 .gS hxgS 1i.g6 32J'fc7+ C32.tLleS '.!;>f6) 32 ... S4.'it>xgS+- :1'i:xc7 33.:1'i:xc7+ :1'i:d7. SO.'it>e4 a6 SI.ghl 'it>gS 32.ge7+ gd7 33.geS+­ S2.gh2 'it>g6 S3.ghS. Black is in White is threatening 34.tLleS zugzwang, so he resigned. as well as 34.:1'i:hS.

33 ••• i.b3 34.tiJeS '.!;>f6 3S. 4S N .Kosintseva - Matveeva tiJxd7 + gxd7 Elista 2002 l.e4 e6 2.d4 dS 3.tiJd2i.e7 4.tiJgf3 tiJf6 S.i.d3 c5 6.e3 exd4 7.exd4 dxe4 S.tiJxe4 tiJe6 9.0-0 0-0 10.i.e3 tiJb4 H.i.blb6

Whitehas no problems in real­ ising the extra exchange. 36.ghS gxd4 Black decided to refrain from 36 ...'.!;>g6, most probably because of 37.:1'i:gS+ '.!;>xh6 3S.'.!;>f2 :1'i:xd4 12.tiJg3 i.b713 .a3 tiJbdS 14. 39.:1'i:hl+ :1'i:h4 40.:1'i:xh4+ gxh4 t'ld3 'l;Yd6 IS.tiJeS g6 16.i.h6 41.:1'i:aS as 42.:1'i:bS+- and White gfeS 17.h4 i.f8 IS.i.gS i.g7 wins easily. 19.hS ge7 20.gel gaeS 37.gxh7 gdS 3S.ge7 eS 39. gg7 gaS 40.'it>f2 i.e6 41.'it>e3 i.dS 42.b4 i.e6 43.a4 i.b3 44. ge6+ i.e6 4S.gxe6+!? This is an interesting and well calculated decision.

4S •.•'it>xe6 It would be completely hope­ less for Black to opt for 4S ...fxe6 46.:1'i:b7+-, followed by 47.h7. 46.gxgS ghS 47.ghS 'it>f6 21.i.a2 4S.h7 'it>g6 49.g4 f6 It is slightly better for White The transition into a king to play here 21.h6!? 1i.hS22 .1i.a2 -

2S3 Chapter i1 see the theoretical section. 2S.gael ttgS 26.gxe7 gxe7

21••• ttfS ! 27.ttg3 ,if6 2S.ttxgS+ <1lxgS Black thus defends against the 29.,idl h4 30.,ih5 ,ig7 31.gel advance of the enemy pawn to h6 f6 32.lLlf3 and is ready to capture on h5 at an opportune moment. 22.,ib3 It is safer for White to opt for 22.hxg6!? hxg6 23.i.b3+! with mutual chances.

22••• lLlxhS !? 23.lLlxhSgxhS

32 ••.h3? ! He did not need to give up his extra pawn so easily, despite its being doubled and weak. After 32 ...l'l:x c1+ 33 . .b:cl 'itif8't White would still need to fight hard for a draw, since it would not 24.,id2?! be good for him to play 34.lUxh4?! White defends against 24... (after 34.'itih2 'itie7 35.'itih3 'itid6 f6, but overlooks the possibility 36.'itixh4 lUe7+ Black has a slight to immediately regain his pawn: edge) 34 .. .f5 35.lUf3?lUf 6-+ 24.�h3! i.h6 25.�xh5 .b:g5 26. 33.gxh3= �xg5+ �g7 27.�xg7+ 'itixg7 28. Now the position on the board g3= with an equal endgame. The is completely equal, so nothing weakness of the d4-pawn is weak­ interesting happens to the end of ened for by Black's compromised the game. kingside. In addition, Black can­ 33 •••gxel + 34• .ixc1 <1lfS 35. not benefitfrom his control of the <1lfl lLle7 36.<1le2 ,idS 37.,if4 c-file, since White has securely lUfS 3S.<1ld3 <1le7 39.lUd2 lLld6 covered all the possible entry­ 40.,if3 .ixf3 41.lLlxf3 b5 42. squares. ,id2 <1ld7 43.b3 <1le6 44.lLlel

24 ••. <1lhS lLleS 4S.lLle2 ,ifS 46.,ib4 bb4 It was also interesting for 47.lLlxb4+ <1ld6 4S.lLla2a6 49. Black to try 24 ...i.h6 !?, not letting lLle3 fS 50.a4 bxa4 51.lLlxa4a5 the enemy rook on to the c-file. S2.lLleS <1ldS. Draw.

284 Chapter i2 l.e4 e6 2.d4 dS 3Jbd2 lDf6 4 . .id3 cS S.c3 lDc6 6.lDg£J cxd4 7.cxd4 dxe4 8.lDxe4 .ib4+ 9.lDc3 0-0 10.0-0 b6 11.a3 .ie712J:� el .ib7 Step by Step

7.0-0 cxd4 8.cxd4 �e7 9.lDc3 �d8 1O. a3 0-0 11. �d3 b6 l2.gel �b7. The position is identical to one we have already analyzed in Chapter it, arising after 8 ... �e7 9.0-0 0-0 1O.lDc3 b6 11.a3 �b7 l2.gel, except that here White has an extra tempo, because now it is him to move. As a result, this position is much more favourable The diagram position is very for White than the one in the pre­ interesting and it can arise not vious chapter. only from the French Defence, but I should also mention that also (most often) from the Nim­ Black's voluntary retreat of the zo-Indian Defence, for exam­ bishop on move ten, 1O ...�e7, ple after: l.d4 lDf6 2.c4 e6 3.lDc3 would lead to a transposition of �b4 4.e3 0-0 5.�d3 d5 6.lDf3 c5 moves after 11.a3 b6. 7.0-0 cxd4 8.exd4 dxc4 9.,bc4 13.J.c2 b6 lOJ�el �b7 ll.�d3 lDc6 l2.a3 White plans to exert pressure �e7, or fromthe Caro-Kann De­ against his opponent's kingside fe nce afterl.e 4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 with l4.�d3 and soon he will have cxd5 4.c4 lDf6 5.lDc3e6 6.lDf3 �e7 the central breakthrough d4-d5! (or 6 ...�b4 7.�d3 dxc4 8.,bc4 on his agenda. 0-0 9.0-0 b6 lO.gel �b7 ll.�d3 In practice Black has tried nu­ lDc6 l2.a3 �e7) 7.cxd5 lDxd5 8. merous different moves here, of �c4 0-0 9.0-0 lDc6 1O.gel lDf6 which the most principled are: ll.a3 b6 l2.�d3 �b7, or some­ (diagram) times even from the Sicilian De­ A) 13 ..•'t1fd6 fe nce: l.e4 c5 2.lDf3 e6 3.c3 d5 B) 13••• ti)a 5

4.exd5 �xd5 5.d4 lDf6 6.�e2 lDc6 C) 13 .•• �k8

285 Chapter i2

Paragua - Bologan, Tripoli 2004. Here White could have devel­ oped a dangerous initiative with 1S . .ib3!t, for example: 1S ...lLlx c3 (1S ...lLla S 19.1LleS �c7 20.lLlxdS hd5 21..ia4±) 19.�xc3 (threat­ ening 20.dS!) 19 ....if6 20.lLleS�c 7 (20 ...�d6 21.�f3!±) 21..ia4 �cS (Black's tactical shot 21...�xd4 can be refuted beautifully with the line: 22.lLlg4!! .ihS 23.�xd4 The other possibilities are hd4 24.lLlf6+ whS 2S . .ig7+! clearly weaker. wxg7 26.lLlxeS+-, with a decisive It is obviously bad for Black to material advantage for White.) play 13 ...h6? - bearing in mind 22.lLlxc6 hc6 23.�c1+- that White will be setting up a It is a little better for Black to battery along the b1-h7 diagonal, play 13 ...�eS, but that is in fact a Black will hardly be able to do prophylactic move and looks less without playing g7-g6 at some useful to Black than the main point, but afterhis last move this lines. 14.�d3 g6 (14 ...�c S?! 15. would lead to a terrible weakening dS!± - see 13 ...�cS) 1S.h4 �d6 of his entire kingside. 14.�d3 �cS (the game T.Georgadze - Makari­ 15.lLle4 lLlxe4 (15 ... �eS± is better) chev, Vilnius 19S0 continued with 16.�xe4 g6 17.hh6 �eS 18.�g4 1S ... �cS 16 . .igS lLldS17.�ad1 hg5 wh7 19.�xe6+- T.Kosintseva - 1S.lLlxg5 lLlxc3 19.bxc3 lLlaS 20. Koch, RimavskaSobota 1996. �h3 �f6 and in this position Black's queen is not well placed White should have continued his on d7: 13 ...�d7 14.�d3 �adS (14 ... attack with 21.�e3!?-+ 6.�g3, hS) �fdS 15.d5!? This is a very inter­ 16. .igS �adS 17.�ad1 �bS 1S . .ib3 esting decision fo r White. 15 ... a6 19.dS! lLlaS (19 ...exdS 20. exd5 16 . .ig5 g6 17. .ia4. Black has �xe7!+-; 19 ... lLlxdS20 .hdS hg5 come under numerous very un­ 21.lLlxgS exd5 22.lLlxdS-+) 20. pleasant pins. 17... lLle4 1S.lLlxe4 dxe6!! lLlxb3 (20... �xd3 21.exf7+ dxe4 19.�xe4 hg5 20.lLlxgS h6? wg7 22.fxeS� �xeS 23.�xd3 21..ib3! - with the deadly threat of lLlxb3 24.�de3 wf7 2S.hf6 wxf6 22.�xg6! - 21...wg7 22.lLlxf7 �eS 26.�e6+ wf7 27.lLlgS+ wfS 28. 23.�f4 +- Emma - Stuart, Sko­ lLlxh7+-) 21.exf7+ wxf7 22.�c4+ pje 1972) 1S . .ie3 (White should wg7 23. lLleS!-+ - White's offen­ consider quite seriously here sive is very dangerous for Black, 1S.dS!? exdS 16 . .igS g6 17 . .ia4t) Yusupov - Lobron, Nussloch 1996 1S ...g6 16.�ad1 lLld5 17. .ih6 �feS, (game 49).

2S6 IQP 9.eijc30-0 10.0-0 b6 11.a3 �e7 12.'8e1 �b713.�c2

A) 13 •••'lfId6 14. 'lfId3 idea of 20 . .ia4 - 19 ...a6 20 . .ib3t) 17. .ih6 '8feB 1B.tDe4 �bB (lB ... �c7 19.'8ac1 a6 20. .ib3t) 19.�a4t maintaining some pressure. lS . .igS gfd8 16.gad1 lbhS

14 ...g6 White's possible pawn-break 15.d5! is on the cards, so it would be bad for Black to play 14 ... '8fdB?!, Greger - Ost Hansen, 17.dS!? Denmark 1994, 15.d5! V9c7 (after In the game Yusupov - Hueb­ 15 ...exd5 16 . .ig5g6 17.tDb5,White ner, Dortmund 1997, White de­ again obtains a material advan­ cided to repeat the moves: 17 . .ic1 tage: 17... V9d7 1B.'8xe7! V9xe7 19. .ifB 1B . .ig5 .ie7 19 . .ic1 .ifB 20. '8e1+-; or 17 ... .ia6 1B.tDxd6 hd3 .ig5, with a draw, but I believe 19.hd3 '8xd6 20. .ib5 and Black is that the resources to continue the lost, since all his pieces are hang­ fight have not been fullyexhaust­ ing: 20 ...tDe4 21.hc6+-; 20... .ifB ed. 21..if4±) 16 . .ig5 g6 17.tDb5 �cB 17 ... hgS 18.lbxgS exdS (he would not change much with 19.1bxdS lbeS 17 ...�bB 1B.dxc6 '8xd3 19.cxb7±) It might be interesting fo r 1B.dxc6 '8xd3 (after 1B ...hc6 Black to try 19 ...tDd 4!?, but in that 19.tDbd4, White retains the ex­ case after 20.V9xd4 V9xd5 21.�g4 tra piece, since after 19 ...hf3 tDf6 (21...V9a2 22.�b4 Ll23. .ib3) 20.V9xf3+- too many of Black's 22.�g3 V9c6 23 . .ib3t, White pieces are under attack) 19.cxb7 maintains some initiative despite �xb7 20. .ixd3± the numerous exchanges. The move 14 ... '8adB is possible: 20.'lfIc3 hdS 15 ..ie3 (now the consequences of After ...20 '8acB , White has a 15.d5 �bB!oo are rather unclear) surprising and powerful tacti­ 15 ... g6, Emms - Poulton, Esb­ cal shot 21.tDc7! and in reply to jerg 1996. White must continue Black's only move 21...V9c6 .;... with 16.h3 tDd5 (16 ...'8feB 17.'8ad1 22.'8xdB+ '8xdB 23.V9xc6 tDxc6 tDd5 1B.tDe4�c7 19.'8c1 - with the 23 . .ib3± White ends up with an

2B7 Chapter i2 advantage in the endgame. 14 . .ig5! 2U�xe5 This is also a concrete reaction by White. He ignores the threat against his d4-pawn and aims at the quickest possible develop­ ment. The natural move 14.�e5 leads after 14 ...ttJc 6!? to an un­ pleasant choice for White, from the point of view of the fight for the advantage in the opening. He must acquiesce to a repetition of moves after 15.ttJf3 ttJa5; enter an equal and rather dull endgame 21.. JMc8 after 15 . .te3 ttJxe5 16.dxe5 �xdl! If 21...!'!ac8? Black loses a 17.!'!exd1 ttJd5=; or reach equality piece: 22.!'!exd5 !'!xc3 23.!'!xd6 aftera short battle: 15.ttJxc6 hc6 !'!xd6 24.bxc3+- (White's possibilities are consid­ 22.�d4 gxc2 23.gxd5 �f6 erably reduced if he exchanges 24.g4 �xd4 25.g1xd4 �f6 knights without any immediate 26.gd6t. Many pieces have been benefits, or without changing exchanged, but Whitestill has the the pawn-structure.) 16.�d3 g6 initiative. 17. .tb3 �d6 18.�h3 !'!fe8 19 . .tg5 ttJh5 20.he7 !'!xe7 21.!'!ad1 !'!d8 B) 13 ...�a 5!? 22.�h4 !'!ed723.d5 exd5 24.ttJxd5 hd5 25.!'!xd5 �c7 26.!'!xd7 !'!xd7 27.g3 �c5= with complete equal­ ity, Tarjan - Reshevsky, Skopje 1976.

Black is trying to exploit the fact that White has not completed the mobilization of his forces and he creates an immediate threat against the d4-pawn. We shall analyze two main

288 IQP 9.liJc30-0 10.0-0 b6 11.a3 SJ.e712.'8el SJ.b713.�c2 possibilities for Black in the dia­ the 4th rank with tempo (Black gram position: would save the day after 18.�f6 .txf6 19.�xh5 �h4!). 18 ...'8ad8

Bl) 14 ••.hf3 (18 ...liJx e4 19.'8xe4 �c5 20.i.xe7 B2) 14 ...h6 �xe7 21.�xh5� Ll22.'8h4) 19.i.xf6 After 14 ... liJd5 15.�d3 g6, Co- i.xf6 20.�xh5 and now, after 20... ronel - Segura, Las Piedras 2000, '8fe8 21.�h7+ Iti>f8 22.liJd5!+-, as White should continue with 16. well as after 20 ...g6 21.i.xg6! fxg6 �h6 '8e817.liJe 5t and he has the 22.�xg6+ i.g723.liJd 5!!� White's initiative. threats are impossible to parry; 17... g6 18.i.d3 �c5 (after 18 ...

Bl) 14 ...hf3 �c7 19.�h4 Iti>g7 20.i.h6± Black Accepting the sacrifice is no loses the exchange) 19-,Wh4 liJd5 doubt Black's most principled de­ 20.liJe4 �c7 (it is a disaster for cision, but it is very risky. Black to play 20... �g5 ? 21.liJxg5 15. �xf3 �xd4 16J�!adl h5 22.b4+- and White wins a piece) 21.�e7 �xe7 (after 21... liJxe7, White has numerous at­ tractive tactical possibilities, for example: 22.liJg5 h5 23.�g6!?�) 22.liJg5h5 (22 ... liJf6 23.liJxh7!+-) 23.�g6! fxg6 24.'8xe6 �g7 25. '8xd5+- White has extra material and a decisive attack. 17.'�g3 White creates the threat of 18.b4 and in addition he has the bishop-sortie 18.i.h6 up his 16 ...�c5 sleeve. He must attack the enemy 17 ...'8fc8 bishop. Black's position would be It would not work for Black very bad after 16 ...�c4? 17.�h3 to play 17 ... liJc4? 18.�h4 h6 and now: 19.1iJe4!+- and Black must lose after 17 ... h6 White's stand­ material. ard sacrifice 18.�h6 practi­ After17 ... '8ac8 18.i.h6 liJh519. cally finishes the fight: 18 ...gxh6 �g4, his pieces will be hanging 19.�xh6+- and Black cannot pre­ awkwardly - White is threatening vent the transfer of one of White's 20.i.e3. rooks to the g-file, for example: It seems safer for Black to 19 ... '8ad8 20.'8xd8 '8xd8 21.'8e5; play 17 ...liJh5, but after 18.�d3 g6 it is also bad for Black to opt 19.i.h6 '8fd8 20.�f3� his pieces for 17 ...h5 18.i.e4! White covers lack coordination and White has

289 Chapter i2 excellent compensation for the to play 15.i.h4?!, since Black cap­ pawn. tures a pawn with tempo in that 18 . .ie4 tbc6 case: 15 ...bf3 16.Wixf3 Wixd4 - It is not good for Black to play White's bishop on h4 is under at­ 18 ... lLlxe4, owing to 19.1Llxe4 Wic7 tack and the ensuing variations 20 ..be7 Wixe7 21.:1'i:d7! are less favourable for him than 19 . .if3� those after14 ...i.xf3 .

lS ..•tbc 4 16.tbeS! This is again a good decision, losing no time ..

Black's pieces have come un­ der numerous pins and his queen is endangered in the centre of the

board, so White has a lasting ini­ 16 •••lLld6 tiative, which is more than suffi­ It would be too risky for Black cient to compensate for the sacri­ to play 16 ...lLlxb2 17.Wid2�, be­ ficed pawn. cause his knight remains strand­ ed in White's camp and White B2) 14 ...h6 is threatening 18.i.b3 as well as 18.i.xh6. After16 ... lLlxe5 17.be5 White plans 18.Wid3,while after17 ...i.d 6 White has the resource 18.lLlb5!t 17.Wid3tbfS 18.l'�a dl tbdS The game is sharp and con­ crete. In fact, both sides cannot afford to waste any tempi on rou­ tine moves.

For example, after 18 ... :1'i:c8,

White can play 19.94! lLlh4 (19 ... lLld6 20.h4--t) 20.f3±, threaten­

lS • .if4 ing 21..ig3 (but not immediately It is obviously weaker for him 20. .ig3?, because of 20 ...:1'i:xc3 !

290 IQP 9. LUc30-0 10.0-0 b6 11.a3 :ie712. 'iJ,e1 :ib713.:ic2

21.bxc3 �d5). Black's knight on 14 •••g6 h4 is isolated and his attempt to White was threatening 15.d5!, bring it back into play with 20 ... so Black has to react very pre­ 'iJ,xc3 21.bxc3 �d5 would not work cisely. because of 22.'iJ,fl . Nevertheless, many famous 19.tLlxd5 �xd5 20.�h3 players have been falling into the White defends and attacks at same beautiful trap for over 30 the same time: he is threatening years: 14 ... 'iJ,e8? 15.d5! 21.:ib3 and 21.:ie4.

20 •••tLlxd4 21• .hh6!± But not 21.:ie4?? LUe2+! and Black wins.

Its first victims were Yury Balashov, Arturo Pomar and Ana­ toly Karpov, but all this happened back in 1974-75, since at that time this nowadays typical resource was not so familiar. Even today, some The ensuing complications quite decent players have quite are definitely in White's favour, often become co-authors of mini­ Kornev - Gleizerov, Kaluga 2003 atures in this variation. The latest (game 50). example I know on this theme is the game B.Lalic - T.Kononenko, Sevilla 2007. I should like to

C) 13 •••gc8 14.\Wd3 mention that the only player to survive after this tactical strike was the World Champion Karpov in his game against L.Portisch. 15 ...exd5 (15 ...LUb8 16.dxe6 - it is weaker for White to play here 16.:ig5 :ia6! - 16 ...fxe6 17.LUg5±; 15 ...LUa 5 16.:ig5! 'iJ,xc3 17.�xc3 LUxd5 18.:ixe7 �xe7 19.�d3± Konguvel - Soman, Calcutta. 1997) 16.:ig5 LUe4(16 ... g6 17.'iJ,xe7 �xe7 18.LUxd5+-) 17.LUxe4 dxe4

291 Chapter i2

18.�xe4 g6 19.�h4! �c7 (Black �d6? 15.d5! exd5 16 . .ig5 g6 17. would not save the day with 19 ... E1xe7! lLlxe718. lLlb5�e6 (it is only h5 20. .ib3! and he suffers in all slightly better for Black to play variations: 20 ...�c7 2l.�e4 �g7 18 ...�c5 19 . .ixf6 �xc2 20.�xc2 22.hf7! �xf7 23 . .ih6! with a E1xc2 2l..ixe7 E1fc8 22. .ig5! E1xb2 decisive attack for White; 20... 23.lLld6E1c7 24. E1el±)19.1Llf d4 �e5 .ixg5 2l.lLlxg5 E1c7 22.�f4 E1xe1+ 20.f4 �e4 2l..ixf6± N.Kosintseva 23.E1xe1 �d5 24.lLle4+- with nu­ - Vysochin, Internet 2004. merous threats, which are tre­ It is slightly more accurate for mendously difficult to parry; Black to continue with 14 ...E1c7

20 ••• E1c72l .E1ad1E1d7 22 .�e4 E1d6 and after 15 . .ig5 (now the game 23.�f 4+- and Black is faced with is not so clear after 15.d5 E1d7oo) heavy material losses, Kaloskam­ 15 ...g6 16.E1ad1 �c8, Ovsejevitsch bis - Skalkotas, Greece 1976) - Khurtsidze, Ukraine 1999 (it is not advisable for Black to play 16 ...lLld 5?! 17.lLlxd5 �xd5 18 . .ib3 �a5 19.d5± Van Beek - Bitalza­ deh, Netherlands 2007; after16 ... E1d7, Benmesbah - Olaizola Or­ tega, France 2006, White should play 17. .ia4±, preserving a slight edge). After17 . .ib3E1d8 18 .�e3 he maintains the initiative, for exam­ ple: 18 ...lLla5 19 . .ia2 lLld5 20 . .ixd5 20 . .ib3! h5 (20 ....if8 2l. .ixd5 (20 ....ixg5 2l..ixb7!) 2l. .if4!+-; 20 ....id6 2l..if6+- and in .ixe7 E1xe7 22.lLle5 lLlc4 23.�g5 both cases White's knight comes �b7 24.lLlg4! etc. to the g5-square with decisive ef­ 15.j.h6 E1e8 16.gadl fect.) 2l.�e4 �g7 22 . .ixf7! �xf7 23 . .ih6!+- (Black's king has been ejected from its shelter and comes under a decisive attack.) 23 ... �d6 (23 ....id6 24.lLlg5+ �f6 25.lLlh7!+- Garcia Martinez - Pomar, San Feliu 1975) 24.�c4+ �f6 25.E1ad1+- T.Petrosian - Balashov, USSR 1974. Black has similar difficulties after 14 ...�d7? 15.d5! exd5 16 . .ig5 g6 17.E1xe7 lLlxe7 18 . .ixf6±

N.Kosintseva - Izmailova, Chal­ 16 .•• ttJd5 kidiki 2000; as well as after 14 ... Black has tried numerous

292 IQP 9.liJc30-0 10.0-0 b6 11.a3 i.e7 12.'f'l.e1 i.b713.i.c2 other possibilities in the diagram 19.dS.) 18.�e2 a6? (Black defends position. against the secondary threats and It is not so good for him to play overlooks the main threat; af­ 16 ...liJg4? ! After17. i.f4he needs to ter lS ...liJa S 19.1iJeS, or lS ...liJd S keep a careful eye on White's pos­ 19.1iJe4, there would be plenty sible pawn-break d4-dS! 17 ...a6 of fight left.) 19.dS! liJaS (19 ... (Maybe Black's most prudent de­ exdS 20. .b:c6+-) 20.dxe6 �xe6 cision here is 17 ...liJf 6, but it is not 21.�xe6 fxe6 22.'f'l.xe6±White has so easy for him to admit to hav­ an extra pawn and the initiative, ing made a mistake.) lS.i.b3 liJaS Hebden - Ciuksyte, Liverpool 19.i.a2 i.d6, Sitnikov - Nureev, 2006. Kolontaevo 1997 (the move 19 ... 16... a6 17.i.b3 �c7 (17... liJaS liJf6 would not save him from the lS.i.a2 liJdS, Hecht - Ribli, Mu­ pawn-break: 20.b4 .b:f3 21.gxf3 ! nich 19S5. White obtains a slight liJc6 22.dSt). White should now but stable edge after 19.1iJxdS carry out his main idea: 20 . .b:d6 exdS 20.liJeS:t; while after 19 ... �xd6 21.dS±, afterwhich Black is .b:dS20 . .b:dS�xdS 21.�xa6! liJc4 faced with serious difficulties, for 22.'f'l.c1! bS 23.'f'l.eS! liJxeS 24.'f'l.xcS example: 21...exdS 22.'f'l.xeS+ 'f'l.xeS liJxf3+ 2S.gxf3± White's extra 23.�d4! liJf6 24.b4 liJc62S .�xb6. pawn provides him with good 16 ...�c7 17.h3 (White must winning chances.) lS.dS! liJaS (it be careful about the possible would be a disaster for Black to sortie of the black knight to the play lS ...'f'l.cdS 19.dxe6!+-; after g4-square. After the inaccurate lS ...'f'l.edS 19.�e2 exdS 20.liJxdS reply 17.i.b3?! liJaS lS.i.a2 liJg4+ liJxdS 21..b:dSt White's piece­ Black seizes the initiative, Genba activity guarantees him the bet­ - Galkin, Perm 1997.) 17 ...'f'l.edS ter prospect. His initiative de­ lS.�e2 liJaS 19.1iJeS i.fS 20.i.gS velops unopposed after lS ... i.g7,Nikcevic - S.Pavlovic, Budva exdS 19.1iJxdS liJxdS 20.�xdS i.fS 2003 and now, after theactive re­ 21.'f'l.xeS 'f'l.xeS 22 . .b:fS WxfS 23. sponse 21.i.e4!:tWhite maintains �d2 wgS 24.�h6 �e7 2S.h4t Gli­ the advantage. goric - Panno, Palma de Mallorca 16 ...�d6 17.i.a4 (Here, as in the 1970, game 51) previous variation, White should consider 17.h3!? 'f'l.edS lS.�e2 but, with the black queen placed on d6, it is attractive for Whiteto try to break through as quickly as possible with d4-dS.) 17 ... 'f'l.edS (It is not good for Black to go for the line: 17 ...liJg4 lS.i.c1 and he must again consider the possible break

293 Chapter i2

19.dxe6! (GM Svetozar Gli­ goric recommended in the "Chess Informant" the variation 19.1LlbS axbS 20.dxe6 lLlxb3 21.exf7+ 'it>xf7 22.\1;Vxb3+ winning, but Black can defend with 20 ...lLlc 4!) 19 ... lLlxb3 20.exf7+ 'it>xf7 21.lLlbS! \1;Vc2 22J=1xe7+! (This is the essence of White's idea; otherwise his attack comes to a dead end.) 22 .. J=1xe7 (Some very beautiful variations

arise after 22 ...'it>xe7 23J=1e1+ 'it>f7 17... a6 24.lLld6+ 'it>g8 2S.lLlxe8! \1;Vxd3 17 ...�f6 18.lLle4 �g7 19.�gS f6 26.lLlxf6+ 'it>f7 - it is weaker for 20.�h4 a6 21.�g3 �f8 22.b4 \1;Vd7 Black to opt for 26 ...'it>h8 27.lLleS 23.E1c1 E1ed8 24.�b3 \1;Vf7 2S.\1;Ve2± and White regains his queen, and of course Black's knight is while Black's king remains endan­ perfectly placed on dS, but it is gered - 27.lLleS+ 'it>xf6 28.lLlxd3± incapable of compensating for all and White ends up with an extra the numerous weaknesses in his pawn in the endgame, having re­ position, Sax - Haag, Budapest gained his queen in the process.) 1976. 23.lLld6+'it>e6 (23 ... 'it>g8 24.lLlxc8 17 ...lLlx c3 18.bxc3 \1;Vxc8 2S.\1;Vxb3±) 24.lLlxc8 \1;Vxd3 2S.E1xd3 hc8 26.E1xb3± and just as in the majority of the variations in this line, the complications end up in an endgame with an extra pawn for White. 16 ...�f8 17.�gS �e7 18.�a4 a6 (18 ...lLld S 19.h4! - see 16... lLldS 17.�a4 �f8 18.�gS �e7 19.h4) 19. b4 (This is White's best move, but some very interesting develop­ 18 ...ha3 (Capturing the pawn ments arise after 19.�xf6!? hf6 seems very risky for Black, but 20.dSooTarjan - Browne, Mentor otherwise he will have to suffer 1977, game 52) 19 ...lLldS 20. lLlxdS for nothing in return: 18 ...�f6 \1;VxdS21 .�b3 \1;Vd8 22.\1;Ve3::!;and in 19.c4 E1e7 20.dS exdS 21.cxdst viewof the threat of 23.dS Black's - White's passed d-pawn is defence would be tremendously tremendously dangerous and complicated, Korneev - Bautista Black's attempt to block it led Sanchez, Solsones 2004. to defeat - 21...E1xe1+?! 22.E1xel

17. .ia4 \1;Vd6? 23.hc6 hc6 24.\1;Va6, Zhu-

294 IQP 9.liJc3 0-0 10.0-0 b6 11.a3 ile712.'gel ilb713.ilc2 kova - Ciuksyte, Heraklio 2007 tad, Espoo 19S9, game 54. This and he had to resign in view of was a very sensible decision, but the variation 24 ...ild7 25.,,*"xcS+ White could also consider 21. iJ.xcS 26.'geS+with a checkmate. b4!?±: not letting the enemy Black had great difficulties in the knight reach the c4-square, keep­ line: lS ...,,*"d6 19.c4 'gedS 20.d5 ing the tension in the position and exd5 21.cxd5 ttJa5 22.1We3 ilf6 preserving considerable pres­ 23.ttJg5 ttJc4 24.1Wf3 ttJe5 25."*"g3 sure.) 21.ilb3 ,,*"f5 22.,,*"xf5 gxf5 iJ.xg5 26.iJ.xg5 f6 27.ilxf6 1Wxf6 23.d5 ttJa5 24.ila2 iJ.xd5 25.ilxd5 2S.'gxe5+- Khamrakulov - Car­ (The tactical operation 25.'gxd5!? rasco Martinez, Seville 2006.) iJ.xg5 26.'gxa5bxa5 27.hxg5 led to 19.c4 ilfS 20.,,*"e3 b5. Black's at­ a material balance of two pieces tempt to disrupt the coordination fo r a rook for White, but after27 ... of White's pieces (after 20 ...,,*"e7 'gc2? Black obtained good coun­ 21.d5 exd5 22.cxd5 ,,*"xe3 23.iJ.xe3 terplay, Payen - Keskinen, Jyvas­ ttJe5 24.ilxeS ttJxf3+ 25.gxf3 kyla2000.) 25 ...iJ.xg5 26 .iJ.xe6'gxe6 'gxeS 26.d6± White has excellent 27.'gxe6 fxe6 2S.hxg5± - White's chances of winning this endgame, pieces are at least as active as their Maiwald - Zhuravliov, Germany black counterparts, but White is 1994, game 53). 21.iJ.xb5 ilxh6 clearly better, because Black's 22.,,*"xh6 ,,*"f6, Moskalenko - Ha­ king is rather unsafe. tanbaatar, Moscow 1996. Here 18.tiJxd5 1Wxd5 White should continue with In the game A.Kovacevic - 23.ttJg5 (things are not so clear af­ Golubovic, Neum 2004, Black ter 23.d5: the variation 23 ...exd5 captured on d5 with his pawn: 24.'gxeS+ 'gxeS 25.cxd5 'gdS, il­ lS ...ex d5, but White should have lustrates the idea behind Black's replied with 19.b4± obtaining 20th move - the rook on d1 is some advantage. not protected) 23 ... "*"g7 24.,,*"h4± 19.1We3! and White has numerous threats (in particular 25.d5 and 25.ttJe4) which would be very difficult for Black to parry. 17 ...ilfS lS.ilg5 ile7 19.h4 a6 20.ttJxd5 ,,*"xd5 (After 20 ...ex d5, White decided to simplify thepo­ sition: 21.ilxc6 'gxc622 .ilxe7'gxe7 23.h5±, ending up with a "good" knight against a "bad" bishop and the possibility of increasing his pressure against Black's kingside in the game Mortensen - Ostens- From this square White's

295 Chapter i2 queen protects the bishop on h6 20 ... �d7 and attacks the b6-pawn, while This is the best square for the eventually creating a pin along retreat of his queen. the e-file. Accordingly, his threat It is bad for Black to play 20 ... to break in the centre with 20 . .tb3 �hS?! 21.dS± tLld8 22.d6 !!cS and 21.dS becomes quite real. 23.d7 !!e7 24.�f4 .tg7 2S.�b8+­

19 •••.tf6 and he must resign, Smyslov - The alternatives for Black are Karpov, Leningrad 1971. no better ... Black did not suffer for long White ends up with an extra after 20 ...�d8 21.tLleS! .txeS pawn in the variations 19 .. .!kd8 (White is threatening to capture 20 . .tb3 �hS 21.dS exdS 22.�xb6 on 0, so it is bad for Black to try �xh6 23.�xb7 tLlaS 24.�b6 tLlxb3 21...tLlaS 22.tLlxf7!; no better is 2SJ�xe7! !!xe7 26.�xd8+ �f8 27. 21...�e7 22.tLlg4 and White's �xdS± Utemov - Lastin, Moscow thematic pawn-break 23.dS! be­ 1996; and 19 ...!!ed8 20 . .tb3 �fS comes deadly for Black, for exam­ 21.dS exdS 22.�xb6 .ta8 23.�xa6 ple: 22 ...tLla S 23.dS! tLlxb3 24.d6 d4 24. �d3± I.Smirnov - Shkuran, �d8 2S.d7+-; or 22 ... .th8 23 . .tgS Ukraine 2002 (game 55). �d7 24 . .tf6+-) 22.dxeS �c7 23. Immediately retreating his !!cl �b8 (it would not work for queen does not achieve much: him to choose 23 ...�xeS 24.�xeS 19 ...�hS, Tancik - Andrijevic, tLlxeS 2S.!!xeS, since White's rook Senta 2009, 20.dS exdS 21.�xb6±; on cl is protected) 24.�xb6+­ while the intermediate move 20... and the game was over in four .tcS? (this was probably the idea more moves, Adams - Doettling, of his 19th move) leads to even France 2002. more disastrous consequences for 21.d5 him: 21.�f4 exdS 22.!!xe8+ !!xe8 Here the move 21.tLleS?!is less 23.g4 �h3 24.tLlgS+- and Black effective, because of 21...tLlxeS! suffersheavy material losses. 22.dxeS �c6! and Black's position

20 • .tb3 is quite acceptable.

21 ••.exd5 22JlYxb6 l'!xe1+

23.l'!xel .ixb2 24• .ixd5 .tg7 25 . .ixg7 g"xg7 This was how the game Belia­ vsky - Karpov, Moscow 1986 continued and after 26.\Wb2+ g"g8 27 . .ta2± White maintained the initiative, thanks to his pres­ sure on the a2-g8 diagonal and the possible advance of his h­ pawn.

296 Chapter i2 1.e4 e6 2.d4 dS 3)lJd2 lbf6 4 . .id3 cS S.c3 lbc6 6.lbgf3 cxd4 7.cxd4 dxe4 8.lbxe4 .ib4+ 9.lbc3 0-0 10.0-0 b6 11.a3 .ie7 12J:tel .ib7 13 . .ic2

COMPLETE GAMES

49 Yusupov Lobron 18 ... a6? Nussloch 1996 Black obviously underesti­ l.d4 �f6 2.c4 e6 3.�c3 mates the danger of his oppo­ .ib4 4.e3 0-0 S . .id3 dS 6.�f3 nent's imminent breakthrough cS 7. 0 -0 cxd4 8.exd4 dxc4 in the centre. It was bad for him

9 • .ixc4 b6 1 0 .�el .ib7 1l . .id3 to play lS ... ttJaS?! 19.he6! (af­ �c6 12.a3 .ie7 13 . .ic2 ter 19 . .ia2 ttJdS, or 19 . .ia4 .ic6, Black succeeds in organizing his defence) 19 ... fxe6 20.:Bxe6 with a powerful initiative for White in all variations, for example: 20 ...wg7 21.:Bdel±; or 20 ... Wf7 21.ttJeS+! wg7 (after 21. .. Wxe6 22.'�h3+- he checkmates very quickly) 22.hS-+; 20 ...:Bd6. This is the most tenacious defence for Black, but White's pressure is still 13 ... �e8 14.'lWd3 g6 IS.h4!? considerable: 21..if4 :Bxe6 (21... 'lWd6 16 . .igS �ad8 17.�adl 'lWb8 ttJhS?! 22.hd6 .ixd6 23.:Bxg6+! 18 . .ib3 hxg6 24.'&xg6+ ttJg7 2S.ttJgS+-) 22.hbS :BxbS 23.b4 .ixf3 (This is the only move for Black. He loses immediately after 23 ... ttJc6 24.ttJgS :Bd6 2S.'&c4++-) 24.'&xf3 ttJb7 (after 24 ...ttJc4 2S.ttJbSt his pieces are dangerously hanging along the a2-gS diagonal) 2S. ttJbSt. Although the material is approximately equal, Black's forc-

297 Chapter i2 es are so unharmoniously placed �de3 <;t>t7 2S . .ixf6 <;t>xf6 26.�e6+ that defending against the threats <;t>t7 27.lLlgS+ <;t>f8 28.lLlxh7+ <;t>t7 from White's active pieces is tre­ 29.lLlgS+ <;t>f8 30.�xe7+- Black mendously difficult. ends up two pawns down in an In fact, Black's only acceptable endgame. decision would be to radically 21.ext7+ <;t>xt7 22.W:fc4+ solve the problem of the central <;t>g7 breakthrough by playing 18 ... lLldS. Nevertheless, after 19.1LlxdS exdS 20 . .ia4! .bgS 21.hxgS;t, a static position arises which is un­ favourable for Black, who lacks counterplay. 19.d5! lLla5 Black loses after 19 ...exdS 20.�xe7!+- His position is equally hopeless after 19 ...lLlxdS 20 . .ixdS .ixgS (it 23.lbe5! amounts to more or less the same This is a very powerful inter­ after 20 ...exdS 21.lLlxdS .ixgS 22. mediate move. �xe8+ �xe8 23.lLlxgS) 21.lLlxgS After 23.W:fxb3 .ixf3 24.gxf3± exdS 22.�xe8+ �xe8 23.lLlxdS White is better, but the fight is W:feS 24.W:ff3 fS (24 ...�f8 2S.lLlf6+ still raging, while after the move <;t>g7 26.lLld7+-) 2S.W:fb3+- in the game Black has great prob­ lems coping with his opponent's pressure.

23 ••. lbg8 After 23 ...�f8, White's most convincing way to victory seems to be 24.lLld7!?+- His win is quite simple in the variation 23 ... �xd1 24.W:ft7+ <;t>h8 2S . .ixf6+ .ixf6 26.W:fxf6+ <;t>g8 27.W:ft7+ <;t>h8 28.�xd1 W:fxeS 20.dxe6!! 29.�d7+- This is a very beautiful idea. Black could have tried 23 ... White leaves his bishop under at­ lLldS!? here, forcing his opponent tack and sacrifices his queen, but to play very inventively. White his attack is crushing. has several ways of obtaining a

20 •.•lbxb3 decisive advantage, but the most After 20 ... �xd3 21.ext7+ <;t>g7 spectacular seems to be: 24 . .ih6+ ! 22.fxe8W:fW:fxe8 23.�xd3 lLlxb3 24. <;t>xh6 2S.lLlxdS! (this is stronger

298 IQP 9.CtJc3 0-0 10.0-0 b6 11.a3 fie712.'il,el fib713.i.c2 than 25.CtJf7+ r;k;g7 26.CtJxdB CtJa5 27.�d4+ CtJf6) 25 ...r;k;g7 (Black gets mated rather quickly after 25 ...hd5 26.CtJg4+ r;k;g7 27.�c3+ r;k;fB 2B.�hB+ �gB 29.CtJh6; or 25 ...'il,xd5 26.'il,xd5 hd5 27.CtJg4+ r;k;g7 2B.�c3+) 26.CtJf6!! .bf6 (26 ...'il,fB 27.CtJed7+-) 27.�f7+ r;k;hB2B. �xf6+ r;k;gB29.CtJf7+- 24.gxd8 exd8 13 ...�a 5!? Black loses immediately after This is a concrete decision by 24 ...'il,x dB25.�f7+ r;k;hB26.CtJxg6+! Black. He is trying to exploit the hxg6 27.'il,xe7! CtJxe728.� f6# fact that White has not completed 25.et7+ I!;>h8 26.exb3 ed4 the mobilization of his forces and 27.ge3!+- he creates an immediate threat against the d4-pawn. 14.i.g5! h6 For the consequences of cap­ turing the pawn: 14 ...hf3 15.�xf3 �xd4 16.'il,adl - consult the theo­ retical section of this chapter. 15.i.f4 It is considerably weaker for White to play 15.�h4?! hf3 16.�xf3 �xd4 and his bishop on White has covered the f2- h4 is under attack.

square against the threat of 27 ... 15 •••�c 4 16.�e5! �d6 17. �c5 and has created a deadly pin ed3 �f5 18.gad1 �d5 19.�xd5 for his opponent along the e-file. exd5 20.eh3

27••• gf8 27 ...�c5 2B.CtJe2�d5 29.�xd5 hd5 30.CtJxg6+- 28.he7. Black resigned.

50 Kornev Gleizerov Kaluga 2003 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.�d2 �f6 4.i.d3 c5 5.c3 �c6 6.�gf.J

cxd4 7.cxd4 dxe4 8.�xe4 20.•• �xd 4?! i.b4+ 9.�c3 0-0 10.0-0 i.e7 This is a consistent decision 1l.a3 b6 12J�e1 i.b7 13.i.c2 by Black, but the complications

299 Chapter i2 after this move end up in White's Black to continue with 24 ... �xc2? favour. Bearing in mind what 25.lt>xg2 It>xg7 26.�g4+ and it happens later, we can advise becomes clear that his king has Black to play 20 .. J:'iad8!? 21.�e4 no comfortable squares to re­ (here it is interesting for White treat to. It is also bad to play to play 21.�b3!? �b5 22.lLlxf7! 26 ...lt>f6 27.lLld7+ It>f5 28.�g7 or �xf7 23.he6, but after 23 ...�c8 ! 26 ... lt>h7 27.�e3; while after 24.�e5 �xb2 25.hf7+ It>xf7 26. 26 ...lt>f8 27.lLld7+ It>e8 28.�g8+ �xf5+ It>g8CXl the position holds Whitewins the exchange) 25.�e4! chances for both sides) 21...�xe4 he4 (Black should avoid 25 ... 22.�xe4 he4;!; with good com­ It>xg7 26.hd5 exd5 27.�g4+-) pensation for the queen. 26.�exe4 f5 ! (here once again af­ 21.,ixh6! ter 26 ...lt>xg7 27.�g4+- his king But not 21.�e4?? lLle2!-+ comes under a crushing attack) 27.�d7! �e8 28.�a4 It>xg7 29. �axa7 �xa7 30.�xa7 It>h6±and in the ensuing endgame, White's chances of winning and Black's prospects of drawing are approxi­ mately equal.

22.gxd4! ti'xd423 • .ig5?! White overlooks the possibil­ ity of 23.�h5! �f8 24.�h7+! (here 24.�e3? fails to 24 ...�h 4!; it is 21... gf d8?! less precise to play 24.�xg7 �h4!) It would not work for Black to 24... lt>h8 25.�e4!+- with a deci­ play now 21...gxh6 22.�g4+ �g5 sive advantage.

23.�xd4 �a5 24.M �xa3 25.h4 23 •.•,ixg5 24.ti'h7+ \t>f8 25. �c3 and here, for example: 26.�e3 �h8+ \t>e726. ti'xg7 ti'xe5 �xc2 27.hxg5 �bl+ 28.lt>h2 h5 This is Black's only defence 29.�xh5 �h7 30.�xh7+ It>xh7 against his opponent's numerous 31.g6!+- with a winning endgame threats. for White. 27.ti'xe5± Black's most resilient defence would be 21...�fc8 !? 22.hg7 (it is possible for White to play now 22.�xd4 �xd4 23.�h5, but after 23 ...�xe5 24.�xe5 �f6 25.�e2 gxh6± realising his advantage would not be very easy) 22 ... �xg2+ 23.�xg2 hg2 24.�xd4 �d5 (it is considerably weaker for

300 IQP 9. liJc3 0-0 10.0-0 b6 11.a3 .ie7 12. 'i'!.el .ib713 . .ic2

White's material advantage 13 •••gc8 14. �d3 g6 IS . .ih6 should be sufficient to win the ge8 16.gadl a6 17• .ib3 game, but its realisation will run into some technical difficulties. White's subsequent play is far from flawless, but he succeeds in bringing home the fullpoint.

27.•• .if6 28.�f4 gd4 29. �c7+ gd7 30.�c4 gd4 31.�b3 gc8 32.a4 gcS 33 • .id3 .idS

34.�a3 as 3S • .ibS gd2 36.�g3 gcc2 37.�a3+ gcS 38.h3 gxb2

39.�g3 gcc2 40.�a3+ gb4 41. 17••• �c7 �d3 gcS 42.�g3 gc8 43.gdl GM Svetozar Gligoric points gd4 44.gxd4 hd4 4S.�h4+ out in the "Chess Informant" the .if6 46.�f4 eS 47.�e3 e4 48. variation 17 ... liJaS 1B . .ia2 .ixf3!=. �f4 gc2 49.�b8 gd2 SO.�e8+ We should like to continue it a lit­ 'it>d6 SI.�d7+ 'it>eS S2.g4 .ih4 tle way fo r clarification: 19.'.Wxf3 S3.�c7+ 'it>d4 S4.�xb6+ 'it>c3 liJc4 20.dS liJxdS 21.liJxdS exdS. SS.�cS+ 'it>b2 S6 . .ie2 .igS S7. Now after 22.'i'!.xdS .ifB!= it is in­ �xaS e3 S8.�b4+ 'it>c2 S9. deed only equal (We believe that �cS+ 'it>b3 60 .fxe3 'it>xa4 61. the highly respected grandmaster �bS+ 'it>a3 62.�aS+. Black re­ had that particular tactical trick signed. in mind.) because Whitewill have to part with his two-bishop ad­ vantage, since if 23.'i'!.fl (it is safer SI Gligoric Panno to continue with 23.'i'!.xeB '.WxeB Palma de Mallorca 1970 24 . .ixc4 'i'!.xc4 2S.'.Wd1 'i'!.cB=) 23 ...

l.d4 .!Df6 2.c4 e6 3 • .!Dc3 '.We7 24. .igS?! '.We2+. However, it

.ib4 4.e3 cS S • .id3 0 -0 6 • .!Df3 is better to first make luft for the dS 7. 0-0 dxc4 8.hc4 .!Dc6 white king: 22.h3! and after 22 ...

9 • .id3 cxd4 10 .exd4 .ie7 11.a3 .ifB 23.'i'!.xeB '.WxeB 24. .ixfB '.WxfB b6 12.gel .ib7 13 • .ic2 (or 24 ...'it>xfB 2S.'i'!.xdS±, and here it would be bad for Black to play 2S ...liJx b2? 26.'.Wf6+-) 2S.'i'!.xdS liJxb2 26.'.Wf6! '.Wg7 27.'.Wxb6t White maintains the initiative. 18.dS! exdS But not 1B ...'i'!.cdB? 19.d xe6! White exerts powerful pres'" sure after 1B ... 'i'!.edB 19.'.We2 exdS 20. .ixdS!±

301 Chapter i2

Some very interesting lines arise after: 18. .. ttla5: 19.dxe6! ttlxb3 20.exi7+ 'it>xt7 21.ttlb5 "fic2 22 J'!xe7+! and then both in the variation 22 .. J!xe7 23.ttld6+ 'it>e6(23 ... 'it>g824. ttlxc8 "fixc8 25. "fixb3±) 24.ttlxc8 "fixd3 25.Ei:xd3 .bc8 26.Ei:xb3±, and after 22 ... 'it>xe7 23.Ei:el+ 'it>t724.ttld6+ 'it>g8 25.ttlxe8! "fixd3 26.ttlxf6 + 'it>t7 (it Not only is White threaten­ is weaker for Black to play 26 ... ing to capture on b6, he also has 'it>h827.ttle5+- and White regains 28.ttlg5 up his sleeve, so Black is his queen, while Black's king re­ forced to give up a pawn.

mains cut off in the endgame) 27••. tDaS 28.Wxb6 tDxb3 29. 27.ttle5+ 'it>xf6 28.ttlxd3± White Wxb7± tDeS 30.We7 Wxe7 31. ends up with an extra pawn in the gxe7 gd1+ 32.'it>h2 endgame. It is more precise for White to 19. tDxdStDxdS 20. WxdS .ifS play 32.Ei:el!, preventing the acti­

21.gxe8 gxe8 22 • .ixf8 �xf8 vation of Black's pieces.

After 22 ...Ei:xf8, White has the 32••• tDd3 33.ge2 resource 23."fid7± To avoid falling into a passive position, White can play 33.ttlg5!? here, but in general he does not need to strive for complications.

33 •••�g7 34.�g3 as! 3S.tDeS a4 36.tDe4 gel 37.tDb6 tDcS 38.�£3 hS 39.g3 gd1 40.ge2 gd3+ 41.�e2 gb3 42.tDc4 gb8 43.gd2 ge8+ 44.�£3 ge4 4S.tDe3f5! 46.tDdS

23.Wd2! �g8 It is bad for Black to play 23 ... 'it>g7 24."fic3t 24.Wh6 We7 2S.h4 gd8 After 25... "fif8 26.'�xf8+ Ei:xf8 27.ttlg5± White develops a power­ ful initiative in the endgame. However, things are far from clear in the variation 27.Ei:d7

ttla5. 46 •.•ge6? 26.ge1 WfS 27.We3! Black nullifiesthe effect of his

302 IQP 9.liJc30-0 10.0-0 b6 11.a3 i.e7 12.'Sel i.b7 13.i.c2 resilient defence up to now. He 9.,ixc4 b6 10.ge1 ib7 1l.id3 had to play 46 ...'Sc4 ! 47.liJc3 liJe4! tt)c6 12.ic2 ie7 13.a3 (GM Gligoric) with some drawing chances. 47.tt)c3 @t748.g d4+­ White manages to redeploy his pieces for an attack against the enemy a4-pawn and now he not only has an extra pawn but more actively placed pieces as well.

48 •..ga6 49.gd5 gc6 50. @e3 @e6 51.gd4 ga6 52.f3 ga8 53.tt)d5 @t7 54.gc4 ge8+ 13 •••gc8 14.'t!ld3 g6 15.ih6 55.@d4 tt)b3+ 56.@c3 ge8 16.gad1 if8 17.ig5 ie7 18.ia4 a6

56••• ge1? Black could have offered fur­ 19.,ixf6!? ther resistance with 56 ...'Se5 , This is a very attractive con­ but after 57.liJf4 'Se3+ 5S.'it>b4 crete decision by White, but if 'Sxf3 59.'Sc3! (Gligoric) 59 ...'Sxc3 Black had reacted appropriately 60.bxc3 liJd261.'it> xa4 liJe462.'it> b4 it could have led to rather unclear liJxg3 63.a4, White should winthe consequences. game anyway. The issue is settled 19 •••ixf6 20.d5 exd5?! immediately afterthe move in the It is much stronger for Black game. to play here 20 ...i.xc3 ! 21.dxc6 57.gxa4. Black resigned. 1Wxd3 22.'Sxd3 i.xe1 23.cxb7 'ScI 24.'Sdl(The material balance will soon be bishop and knight against 52 Tarjan Browne rook and two pawns, so White USA l977 should keep more pieces on the 1.d4 tt)f6 2.c4 e6 3.tt)c3 board. Still, he can hardly be hap­ ib4 4.tt)f3 c5 5.e3 0-0 6.id3 py with thevariation 24.i.dl i.a5 d5 7. 0-0 cxd4 8.exd4 dxc4 25.b4 i.xb4 26.axb4 'SbS 27.g3

303 Chapter i2 l'gxb7 2S.mg2 as+ with an obvious ib3! (it was also good to play advantage for Black.) 24 ...l'gxdl 24.h4!? with the same idea) 24 ... 2S.,bdl,bf2 +! (this is better than bS 2S.ia2 and if 2S ...llJa S, then 2S ...,bS 26.llJeS! and now, after 26.llJeSt with some pressure.

26 ...l'gbS 27.if3 bS 2S.llJd7 ic7 23 .•.'WfS 29.llJxbS=, as well as after 26 ...bS Black, in turn, should have 27.llJd7 ic7 2S.llJf6+ mfS 29.llJxeS made use of White's imprecise mxeS= the issue will be settled in play with: 23 ...bS ! 24.l'gel (but a drawish position with bishops not 24.ib3 llJeS!) 24 ...�fS 2S.ib3 of opposite colour) 26.mxf2 l'gbS llJaS 26.ia2 llJc4f± 27.ie2 bS 2S.a4 l'gxb7 29.axbS 24.lLlgS axbS 30.b4!f±.White fixesthe en­ Again White could have pre­ emy weakness on bS and creates vented the enemy knight from counterplay. Still, it is only Black going to c4: 24.ib3!? bS 2S.ia2t, who can play fo r a win in the aris­ with the idea of 2S ... llJaS 26.llJeS; ing endgame. or else 24.h4!?t

2U�xe8+ 'Wxe8 22.lLlxdSt 24 •••bS 2S • .ib3 lLlaS 26.i.a2 lLlc4f± After Black's knight occupies the c4-outpost, his counterplay is sufficientto maintain equality. 27.lLle3!?

As a result of his opponent's mistake on move 20, White has seized the initiative.

22 •••i.d8 It would be terrible for Black to play 22 ...,bb 2? 23.�bl ig7 27••• h6? 24.�xb6+- and he cannot avoid White has played aggressively losing material: 24 ...l'gbS (or 24 ... and inventively in the tactical iaS 2S.�xa6 with numerous struggle that arose and now his threats) 2S.,bc6 ,bc6 26.�xc6! opponent succumbs to the ten­ �xc6 27.llJe7+. SIon. 23.h4 Black had to accept the sacri­ White should have prevented fice: 27 ...,bgS ! 2S.hxgS llJxb2!? the transfer of the enemy knight (after 2S... llJxe3 29.�xe3 l'gdS to the c4-square: 23.l'gel! �fS 24. 30.l'gxdS �xdS 31.�eS;t;, White

304 IQP 9. liJc30-0 10.0-0 b6 11.a3 .te712.'8el .tb713 . .tc2 maintains a slight edge in the White after 30... �f7 31.�xf7+ endgame) 29.�d7 liJxd1 30.liJg4. 'it>xf732 .hc4+ bxc4 33.'8d7+- The PC program "Rybka" suggests 31.hc4 bxc4 32.'8d7+­ here the unbelievably cold-blood­ Now Black is forced to enter a ed reply 30 ...h5 !?, but that can lost endgame. hardly be a human move. Moreo­ 32 •.•YlYf6 33.YlYxf6 + ixf6 ver, after 31..ixf7+! (it is weaker 34J!xb7 hh4 35.'8b6 .ig5 36. for White to play 31.liJh6+? 'it>hS '8xa6he3 37.fxe3c,t?g7 32.liJxf7+ 'it>h7 and after any Black would have more hope knight-move Black plays 33 ... left after37 ... '8bS. �g7, while if 33.�xb7 Black wins with 33 ... '8c1) 31... 'it>hS 32.liJe5 .ie4 33.�d4 �c5! 34.liJxg6+ 'it>h7 35.liJfS+! �xfS 36.�xe4+ 'it>hS 37.�f3 �d6 3S . .ib3 and despite Black having extra rook, there is still some fight left. It looks like a more human decision for Black to play 30 ...liJc 3 3l.liJh6+ 'it>g7 32.�d4+ f6 33.�d7+ 'it>hS 34.liJf7=with perpetual check. 38.a4! This is White's most precise decision. 38 ...l!b8 39.l!c6 l!xb2 40. l!xc4 l!a2 4l.c,t?h2 l!a3 42.l!e4 c,t?f6 43.'it>g3 l!al 44.l!b4 'it>f5 45.c,t?f2 c,t?g5 46.c,t?f3 l!f1+ 47. c,t?g3 h5 48.l!b5+ c,t?h6 49.l!b8 l!f5 50.l!b6+. In view ofthe vari­ ation 50 ... 'it>g7 51.'8b5, losing a third pawn, Black resigned. 28.liJe6! This tactical shot is decisive.

28 .•.fxe6 53 Maiwald - Zhuravliov Black loses after 2S ...liJx b2 Germany 1994 29.�b1 fxe6 30.�xg6+ 'it>hS(30 ... 1.liJf3 d5 2.d4 liJf6 3.c4 e6 �g7 31.�eS+ �fS 32.he6+ 'it>g7 4.liJc3 c5 5.cxd5 liJxd5 6.e3

33.'8d7+-) 31.'8d7.i e7 32.'8xb7+- liJc6 7 • .id3 .ie7 8.0-0 cxd4

29.tYxg6+ YlYg7 30.YlYxe6+ 9.exd4 0-0 lO.a3 liJf6 1l • .ic2

c,t?f8 b6 l2.YlYd3 .ib7 l3 • .ig5 ·g6

The endgame is winning for l4 • .ih6 l!e8 l5.l!fel

305 Chapter i2

25.gx£Jgxe 8± 26.d6 gd8

15,..gc8 16.gad1 tlJd5 17 . .ia4 tlJxc3 18.bxc3 ha3 19.c4 27. .if4 .it'S 2 0 .'�e3 Here White could consider 27.d7!? .ic6 28J'kl! hd7 29J''!edl .ie7 30oEk7 .ie6 3U'!xd8+ .ixd8 32.1'!xa7 and soon he will also cap­ ture the enemy b6-pawn.

White enjoys excellent com­ pensation for the sacrificedpawn . He can organize the pawn-break d4-dS, or increase his pressure on the kings ide. It would be difficult to tell 20 .. .'�e7 whether the ensuing endgame Black sacrifices the exchange, with pawns on only one side of immediately entering an inferior the board is winning fo r endgame in the hope of drawing White. it. 27 .•.f6 It might be an interesting idea Black should avoid the line: to make a similar sacrifice with 27 ...hf3 ? 28.d7! .ic6 (28 ...hd l 20 ...lLla S!? 21..be8 'lWxe8, trying 29J'!e8! 1'!xd7 30 . .ih6+-) 29.1'!e8! to seize the initiative, but if White 1'!xe8 30.dxe8'IW .ixe8 3U!d8+­ reacts precisely with 22.dS! lLlxc4 and White wins a piece. 23.'lWf4;l; his chances would still be 28.d7 .ic6 29.gc1 .ic5 30. preferable. .ie3gxd7 31.hc5 bxc5 32.ge6 21.d5 exd5 22.cxd5 �xe3 hf3 33.gxf6 .ib7 34.gf4 gd5 23.he3 tlJe5 24.he8 tlJxf3+ 35.h4±

306 IQP 9.ltJc30-0 10.0-0 b6 11.a3 i.e712.'8el i.b7 13.ic2

S4 Mortensen - Ostenstad Espoo 1989

1.e4 c6 2.c4 dS 3.exdS cxdS 4.d4 �f6 S.�c3 e6 6.�fJ i.e7 7.cxdS �xdS S.i.d3 0-0 9.0-0 �f6 10.ge1 �c6 11.a3 b6 12.�gS i.b7 13.i.c2 gcS 14. W1d3g6 lS.gad1 You might have the feeling that Black has good drawing chanc­ es here. In fact, his queenside pawns are weak and are doomed to gradual annihilation, while he has no reasonable plan at all. White will patiently improve his position. Theoretically speaking, Black might manage to hold, but in practice it would be very diffi­ cult for him to achieve this .. lS ••.�d S 16.�h6 geS 17.

3S••• ghS 36.ge1 i.dS �a4 i.f8 lS.i.gS i.e7 19.h4 a6 36 ...g5? ! 37.'8e5 20.�xdS exdS 37.ge7 c4 3S.gxa7 geS 39. <;!;>flgeS 40 .gd4 i.e6 41.gc7 h6 42.<;!;>g2 gS 43.<;!;>g3 <;!;>f8 44.f4 gxh4+ Black can hardly save the day with 44 ...'8e7 45.'8c6! (it is in­ ferior for White to play 45.'8xe7 gxh4+! 46.<;!;>xh4 <;!;>xe7)45 ...gxf4 + 46.'8xf4+ <;!;>g7 47.'8e4 <;!tf748. <;!tf4 and White should win the game. 4S. <;!;>xh4 ge7 46.gc6 <;!;>g7 21.i.xc6 47.ge4 <;!;>t7 4S.geS <;!;>f6 49. We have already pointed out <;!;>g3 geS SO.<;!;>fJ <;!;>t7 Sl.<;!;>e4 in our theoretical section that hS S2.f5 i.d7 S3.gxc4+- gaS here White should consider the S4. gdS ga7 SS.<;!;>eS i.a4 S6. possibility of 21ob4!?, not letting gdcS ge7+ S7.<;!;>f4 i.d7 SS.geS the enemy knight reach the c4- h4 S9.gxe7+ <;!;>xe7 60.<;!;>eS h3 square (preventing the maneuver 61. gh4 �bS 62.gxh3 i.c4 63. ltJa5-c4), maintaining the tension gh7+ <;!;>eS 64. <;!;>f6 i.d3 6S. in the position and exerting con­ ge7 +. Black resigned. siderable pressure.

307 Chapteri2

21 ..•gxc6 22.he7 gxe7 White is threatening to trans­ 23.hS:t fer his rook decisively to the h-file White now has a "good" knight with 32.g4 and 33.Elh3, and his against a "bad" bishop and since opponent is helpless against this he also retains the possibility of plan. increasing his pressure on the 31 •..gc7 32.g4 c.flgS 33.gf6 kingside he obtains a very com­ �e7 34.llJxg6 fxg6 3S.gxg6+. fortable advantage. Black resigned.

23 ..•gce6 White plans to deploy his knight to the eS-outpost, from SS Smirnov Shkuran where it would be practically Dnipropetrovsk 2002 impossible for Black to evict it, 1.e4 c6 2.d4 dS 3.exdS so Black can hardly derive any real cxdS 4.c4 llJf6 S.llJc3 e6 6.llJf3 benefitfrom his occupation of the .te7 7.cxdS llJxdS S •.td3 0-0 e-file. His correct defensive plan 9. 0-0 llJf6 10.ge1 llJc6 11.a3 is to keep the rook on the c-fileand b6 12 • .tgS .tb7 13 • .tc2 gcS 14. transfer the bishop to the working �d3 g6 lS.gad1 llJdS 16 • .th6 diagonal c8-h3. After the logical geS 17. .ta4 move 23 ...�c 8!?, White's edge would be only minimal. 24.geS gxeS 2S.llJxeS ge6 2S ...Elc7! ? Mc8. 26.hxg6 hxg6 27J�c1± White's pressure increases with every move.

27•.. c.flg7 This was the last moment in the game where Black could have reverted to the correct defensive 17... a6 lS.llJxdS �xdS 19. plan with: 27 ...Ele 7!? t::.Elc7,�c8 . �e3 gedS 20 . .tb3 �f5 21.dS 2S.�g3 �d6 29.l'k3! ge7 exdS 22.�xb6 .taS 23.�xa6 30.gf3.tcS 31.�gS+- d4 24.�d3 �xd3 2S.gxd3± .tf6 26. .tgS c.flg7. 27 .ixf6 + c.flxf6 2S. .ta4 llJaS! This is a very clever resource for Black in a difficult position. He takes advantage of the cir­ cumstance that his d4-pawn is in­ directly protected and findsa way to activate his pieces, consider­ ably complicating his opponent's

308 IQP 9.lLlc30-0 10.0-0 b6 J1.a3 �e7 12. 'il.el �b7 13.�c2 task of realising his material ad­ his advantage. vantage. 38.gd6 Ae8 39.h4 h5?! 29.ll)d2 In this endgame with same­ After 29.b4 lLlc4 30.�b5!?± coloured bishops Black should White preserves excellent win­ not place his pawns unnecessarily ning chances. on squares of the same colour as 29 ...ll)e4 30.ll)xe4 gxe4 his bishop. It was more accurate 31.Ab3?! to play 39 ...h6. After the move in It was much stronger to con­ the game, White once again ob­ tinue with 31.b4!? 'il.c3 32.'il.xc3 tains some winning chances. dxc3 33.l:!e3 l:!c8 34.�c2±, fol­ 40 .mh2 mf8 41.mg3 mg7 42. lowed by the transfer of his king gd3 Aa4 43.ge3 gb7 44.mf4 to the queenside. mf6 45.me4 31 ...ge5 32.f3 gb8! 45.g4! 45 ...gd7

Now, after the unavoidable exchange of the pawns on d4 and 46.ge2? b2, White begins to have serious This is a serious mistake. After technical difficulties. 46.�d5, followed by 47.l:!c3, White 33.gedl mg7 34.gld2 geb5 would have quite real chances 35.Ae4 gxb2 36.gxb2 gxb2 of exploiting his extra pawn. But 37.gxd4 Ae6 now, after 46 ...�c6 + 47.me3 l:!a7 Black's pieces are veryactively 48.l:!a2 l:!a4 49.md3 �d7 (threat­ placed and White's outside passed ening 50 ...l:!xc4 !) 50.l:!al (50. a-pawn is not supported by the �b3 l:!xh4 51.a4 l:!b4=) 50 ... �e6 rest of his pieces and is almost 51.he6 'it>xe6 52.g3 f6 = �g5 useless. It will be difficult, if not Black's counterplay is sufficient impossible, for White to realise to save the game. Draw. Chapter i3 l.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.�d2 c5 4.c3 cxd4 5.cxd4 dxe4 6.�xe4 .ib4+ 7.�c3 �f6 8 . .id3 0-0 9.�fJ b6 10.0-0 .ib7 11 J!!e 1 Step by Step

Karpov. Black is preparing to counter the pin along the h4-d8 diagonal, without obstructing the c-file, while his bishop on b4 will probably be exchanged later for White's knight on c3. After this, the pawn-structure in the cen­ tre will be changed and instead of an isolated pawn there will be hanging pawns. Compared with positions with an isolated pawn, The diagram position is more where the fight becomes rather typical of a variation of the Nim­ sharper and more concrete, here zo-Indian Defence which has the struggle will be of a manoeu­ been popular for decades. It can vring type, although complica­ arise, for example afterthe follow­ tions might arise here as well. Af­ ing moves: l.d4 tLlf6 2.c4 e6 3.tLlc3 ter 11...tLlc6 12.a3 �e7 13.�c2 we �b4 4.e3 0-0 5.�d3 d5 6.tLlf3 c5 have a transposition to positions 7.0-0 dxc4 8.hc4 cxd4 9.exd4 analyzed in the previous Chapter. b6 10J'1el �b7 11.�d3. Many 12 . .ig5 games have been played with this line, at different levels of chess, including some of the world elite; so we shall deal with this position thoroughly. Now Black can choose where to develop his queen's knight - to d7 or to c6.

1l •••tLlbd7 This way of development has been frequently used by Anatoly

310 IQP 7. ttJc3ttJf6 B . .id3 0-0 9.ttJfJ b6 10.0-0 .ib7 l1.ll,el

We shall see later that in most - Magem Badals, Barbera del variations Black will strive to ex­ Valles 1994, 1S.ll,ac1! ttJdS (1S ...h6 change on c3, so in contrast with 16 . .if4±) 16.ttJxdS .ixgS (after 16... the analogous position with a .ixdS 17. .if4 .ib4 18.ll,fU White black knight on c6, White's move exerts powerful pressure on his 12.a3 will be unnecessary. opponent's queenside) 17.ttJxgS 'ifixgS 18.ttJe3 Wlf4 (Black's a6-

A) 12 ••.oie7 pawn is vulnerable, so he cannot

B) 12 ••.,ixc3 play ll,c8: 18... ll,ec8 19.1l,xc8 .ixc8? C) 12 ...ll,c8 20.'ific2±) 19.ttJc4 ll,ec8 (19 ... 'ifixd4? 20.ll,edl±) 20.Wle3± and

A) 12 .•..ie7 White's position is preferable. Black gets rid of the unpleas­ ant pin and prepares to simplify the position in a standard man­ ner with the manoeuvre ttJf6-dS. If he succeeds in accomplishing this operation then White's edge might quickly evaporate, so White must act energetically. 13.Wle2ll,e8 Black continues to prepare the knight-sortie to the dS square. It is impossible for him to do this immediately: 13 ...ttJdS? 14.Wle4 14.'f],acl! g6 1S . .ixe7 'ifixe7 16.ttJxdS .ixdS It is impossible for White to 17.'ifixdS+- prevent Black's manoeuvre 14 ... The move 13 ...a6 has its merits ttJdS,so he intends to occupy the as well as drawbacks. Black de­ c-file in anticipation of the forth­ fends against his opponent's ma­ coming exchanges. noeuvre .id3-a6, but he must pro­ 14 ••.g6 tect his a6 pawn, so his queen's Making luftfor the king is very rook will be stuck with carrying usefulfor Black in general, but still out that task. Accordingly, it will it is not easy to understand why not be able to join in the fight for he did not carry out the simplify­ the c-file anytime soon. ing operation prepared with his 14.a4!? (White should prevent last few moves: 14 ...ttJdS 1S . .ixe7 the move 14 ... bS, which would en­ Wlxe7 (1S ... ttJxe7? 16.ttJbS±; 1S ... able Black to occupy additional ll,xe7 16.ttJxdS .ixdS 17.l"k3±) 16. space on the queenside and pre­ ttJxdS .ixdS 17.l"k3!±. This little pare the transfer of his knight to tactical trick prevents Black from dS via b6.) 14 ...ll,e8, MLPavlovic playing 17 ...ll,ac8 for the time be-

311 Chapter i3 ing in view of 1B.hh7+!, and Black plans to avoid the pin White occupies the c-file, but his along the h4-dB diagonal by first edge is only minimal because of developing his queen to c7. In this the numerous exchanges. case, the exchange on c3 becomes necessary. 13.bxc3 §'c714.l'kl

15.�a6! White implements a very sel­ dom played plan for positions 14... lUe8 with an isolated pawn in the cen­ His other natural move 14 ... tre - he exerts pressure against l'!acBleads after 15.ih4 to a posi­ his opponent's queenside. In this tion which will be dealt withlater, particular case it is quite justi­ afterthe order of moves: 12 ...l'!acB fied, because White's pieces are 13.l'!c1hc3 14.bxc3 Wic7 15.ih4. eyeing this flank. Accordingly the Anatoly Karpov once played exchange of the bishops is quite in the following way: 14 ...Wid6 logical. 15.ih4 l'!fcB. He managed to pre­ 15 ....ixa6 16.§'xaM B.Lalic ­ vail in that game, but his idea did Hulak, Hrvatska 1995 (game 56) not attract any followers, which was hardly surprising; the out­ B) 12 ....ixc3 come of the game was not a con­ sequence of the opening battle: 16.ig3 Wia3?! (considering that Black declines to gobble the enemy a2-pawn afterall , it would have been preferable to play 16 ... WifBt) 17.c4 ttJfB (it would be too risky for him to play 17 ...Wix a2? 1B.l'!a1 Wib2 19.id6 hf3 20.gxf3± and his queen on b2 would be se­ riously endangered) 1B.ttJe5 ttJg6 (here, once again, it will be too

312 IQP 7.liJc3 liJj6 8.�d3 0-0 9.liJf,3 b6 1 O.0-0 i.b7 l1.'iJ.el perilous for Black to play IS ... squares hurts Black. \Wxa2?!, because GM Rustem Dau­ lS ...\Wc6 16.�f1 'iJ.acS 17.c4 tov points out the variation 19.'iJ.a1 h6 lS.\Wb3 �aS 19.'iJ.cd1 liJhS 20. \Wb2 20.�h4!?'t and White has \We3 \Wc7 21.liJeS liJhf6. This was the initiative, for example: 20 ... how the game L.Christiansen liJSd7 21.liJxd7 liJxd7 22.�e7 and - Winants, Antwerp 1993 de­ again Black's queen is in trouble.) veloped. It is quite obvious that 19.'iJ.e3\wfS (now, capturing on a2 White's strategy has triumphed. leads to the immediate loss of his After 22.f4± (L.Christiansen) he queen: 19 ...\Wxa 2? 20.hg6 hxg6 could have consolidated his ad­ 21.'iJ.a1 \Wb2 22.'iJ.b3+-) 20.f4!? vantage. \WdS 21.�b1 liJe7 22.�h4 liJg6 lS ...\Wd6 16.�g3 \Wa3 23.�gS!± and as a result Black's pieces remained inactive, while White succeeded in activating his forces, Gelfand - Karpov, Linares 1994. 15.i.h4 White is transferring his bish­ op to g3.

17.liJd2! This is an excellent move, because White's knight is headed for the d6-square, prac­ tically forcing Black to exchange his second bishop as well. 17 ... �a6 lS.liJc4 hc4 19.hc4 a6 20. \Wb3 \WaS 21.a4 'iJ.ecS 22.�fl;!; and White's two bishops are much more powerful than Black's knights, Babula - Zelcic, Batumi 15 ...i.c6 1999. The move lS ... liJhS wastried in lS ...\wf4 16.�g3 \Wh6. This is a the game Lukacs - Ornstein, typical transfer of Black's queen Pamporovo 19S1. White should for this position and it was played have played here 16.liJgS g6 (it in the game Gara - Eperjesi, Bu­ would be senseless for Black to re­ dapest 1995. White could have en­ treat: 16 ...liJhf 6 17.�g3 \Wc6 IS. tered a slightly superior endgame f3±, since White's advantage with: 17.\Wd2 \Wxd2 lS.liJxd2 'iJ.acS would be even greater) 17.liJe4;!; 19.f3 'iJ.edS 20.�fl;!;. I recommend and the vulnerability of the dark that you study a game played on

313 Chapter i3 that same theme - R.Sherbakov - 21.,bdS !'lxdS± Black has no real Macieja, where an identical posi­ compensation for the exchange, tion was reached; we shall quote A.Mastrovasilis - Papaioannou, this game a bit later. Aspropyrgos 2003. 16.ti)e5 17.ti)xc6 'lWxc6 18.'lWe2 'lWd5 19.i.b5 ged8 20.h3;!;

16 .. .'�b7 Black must acquiesce to the White's bishops are considera­ exchange of his second bishop for bly superior to Black's knights, but the enemy knight. it is not easy for White to breach After 16 ...lLlx eS? 17.dxeS lLld7 Black's position, because it has no IS.'lWhS lLlfS 19.!'le3-+ White or­ obvious weakness, Speelman - ganizes a very dangerous attack: Karpov, Roquebrune 1992. 19 ... lLlg6 (Black lost immediately in one of the games played with C) 12 ••• gc8 this line: 19 ...'lWb7? 20.�f6!+­ This is the main line for Black. ,bg2 21.,bh7+! lLlxh7 22.!'lg3 13.gcl and in view of the unavoidable mate in a few moves, Black was forced to resign, Acs - Vadasz, Budapest 1997.) 20.�gS !'ladS. Black gives up material but radi­ cally solves the problem of his king's safety (White was threaten­ ing the tremendously unpleasant move 21.!'lh3, while after 20 ...h6 21.,bh6gxh 6 22.!'lg3 !'le723., bg6 fxg624 .'lWxg6+ !'lg72S .'lWxe6+ 'it>h7 26.!'lxg7+ 'it>xg7 27.!'ldl±�2S .!'ld6, he would have three pawns for the Black has three basic possibili­ piece with a continuing attack.). ties in the diagram position.

314 IQP 7JiJc3 0,f6 8.�d3 0-0 9.0,13 b6 10.0-0 �b7 ll.'il,el

Cl) 13 .•.i.e7 dously dangerous. IS.�d2 (IS.�h4

C2) 13 ...h:c3 0,hS!= ) IS ...0,dS 16.�b1 0,xc3 C3) 13 .. .l'�e8 17.bxc3 0,f6 18.0,eS\WdS I9.f3 �d6 20.\wf2 �a3 21.'il,cdl \Wd8 22.\Wh4 Cl) 13 ...i.e7 0,d7 23.\Wg3 'it>h8 24. \Wh3+- - This move prepares the sim­ the sacrifice on h6 is unavoidable plifyingoperation 0,f6-dS, just as now and White's attack becomes in variation A. decisive, Rozentalis - Taylor, 14.�e2 Montreal 1995. It would not be so convincing for Black to try here 14 ... 'il,e8, be­ cause after White's powerful ri­ poste IS.�bS! Black will have great difficulties: IS ...0,dS 16. 0,xdS .bdS (after 16 ... .bgS 17. 'il,xc8 .bc8 18.0,xgS \WxgS 19.0,c7, it would be a disaster for Black to continue with 19 ...'il,e7? 20.dS+-; while after the other retreats of his rook, White wins material an­ yway: 19 ...'il,f8 20.0,xe6!±; or 19 ... 14 ...0,d5 'il,d8 20.0,xe6! fxe6 21.\Wxe6+ This move seems to be the 'it>f8? 22.�c4+-; 21...'it>h8 22 . .bd7 most logical and consistent for .bd7 23.\Wxd7+-) 17.�f4! (White Black; moreover it is tactically is threatening 18.0,eS) 17... 'il,xc1 justified (see the notes to White's 18.'il,xc1gS I9.�g3 'il,f8 20.'il,c7 0,b8 move 16.). 21.'il,xa7± - White has won a pawn The alternatives for Black are while preserving his superior clearly inferior. piece-activity, Gagunashvili - Pa­ His attempt to exchange pieces ntsulaia, Tbilisi 2002 (game 57). with 14 ...0,hS, Bjerke - Ogaard, 15.ti'e4g6 Gausdal l982, fails, because White can counter this with IS.�e3! and after Black's prudent retreat IS ... 0,hf6, White can continue with 16.�a6!;!;,increasing the pressure. It is too risky for Black to opt for 14 ...h6, since he weakens the bl-h7 diagonal considerably, and moreover in such pawn-structures White's threat to sacrifice a bish­ op on the h6-square is tremen-

31S Chapteri3

16 . .ih6!? 19.ib5 and 19.ia6. The placement of the rooks along the c-file prevents White C2) 13 ... .ixc3 14.bxc3 ti'c7 from carrying out the tactical op­ 15 • .ih4 eration: 16.,be7 Wixe7 17.tt:lxd5 hd5 1B.Wixd5? exd5-+ White does not achieve any­ thing much with 16.Wih4 hg5 17.tt:lxg5 tt:l7f6f! Gligoric - Polu­ gaevsky,Plovdiv 19B3. 16 ...g e8 The intermediate move for Black 16 ...tt:l7 f6 would enable White, after 17.Wie2 :1!eB, to con­ tinue with the effective tactical operation 1B.ib5!?, followed by

1B ...ic6 (1B ...tt:lx c3 19.:1!xc3!) 19. 15 ••.ti'f4 hc6 :1!xc6 20.tt:le5 and since it Now we shall analyze some of would be bad for Black to play the alternatives for Black which 20 ...:1!ccB ?! 21.tt:lxf7!, he will have are often tried in practice. to misplace his rook: 20 ...tt:lxc3 He should avoid 15 ...:1!f dB?! 21.bxc3 :1!d6 22.Wif3 WiaB 23.Wif4± because in reply to 16.tt:ld2 he with powerful pressure for White. failed to findanything better than The simplifying combination losing a tempo: 16 ... :1!eB and af­ 16 ...tt:lb4 17.Wixb7 tt:lxd3 would ter 17 . .ig3 Wic6 1B.f3 tt:lfB 19.tt:lc4 lead to the loss of a pawn for :1!edB 20.tt:le5 WieB 21..ih4± his Black: 1B.hfB hfB 19.Wixa7;l; position turned out to be verydif­ 17.tiJxd5.ixd5 18.�f4± ficult, L.Portisch - Pinter, Buda­ pest 19B1. Black has two more acceptable moves besides the queen-sortie to the f4-square: 15 ...Wid6 and 15 ... :1!feB. 15... Wid6 16.ig3 Wid5 (16 ...Wia 3 17.c4 :1!fdB 1B.:1!e3 Wia5 19.tt:ld2 tt:lfB 20.ih4 tt:lg6 21.tt:lb3 Wib4 22.ig5± Aleksandrov - Kohlwey­ er, Germany 2006, game 58) 17.c4 Wia5 (17 ...Wih5 1B.tt:ld2Wixd1 19.:1!exdU Dautov) 1B.tt:ld2!? The White maintains the initiative transfer of the knight to the b3- owing to the positional threats of square is necessary for White to

316 IQP 7.ttJc3 ttJf6 8.�d3 0-0 9.ttJ/3 b6 10.0-0 fib711.'gel fortifythe d4-pawn, since it needs protection (it would be inferior for him to opt for 1S.ttJe5 'gfdS= H.Olafsson - Thorhalsson, Rey­ kj avik 1996, for example, 19.�e2 ttJxe5 20.he5 ttJd7 21.�g3 ttJf6 and the vulnerability of the d4- pawn would be hurting White). 1S ...'gfdS 19.ttJb3 (after 19.'ge3 he could have exactly repeated the position from the game that we have already analyzed - Aleksan­ ttJc6, G.Flear - Tatai, Graz 19S4. drov - Kohlweyer - and although Here it would be purposeful for White's play in that game was ex­ White to continue with 20.�e2 emplary, I do not believe that it 'gfdS21 .�e3 e5 22.dxe5 'gxd1+ 23. should be uncritically repeated) 'gxd1ttJxe5 24.c 5:t(Lukacs, Hazai). 19 ...�a4 20.�h4:t - White's pres­ Or 16 ...�h6 17.c4 'gfdS, Gligo­ sure is quite real. ric - Ivanovic, Niksic 1975, 18.h3! 15 ...'gfeS 16.�g3 �c6 (It seems (this move is played to prevent a bit strange for Black to retreat the exchange of the bishop on g3) his queen to its initial position, 1S ...ttJh5 19.�h2 ttJf4 (White keeps but that would hardly affect the an edge in the variation 19 ...ttJd f6 outcome of the fight: 16 ...�dS 20.�fU, after which it would not 17.ttJe5 ttJxe5 1S.'gxe5 ttJd7 19.'ge3 be good for Black to play 20 ... ttJfS20.� f1 ttJg6 21.c4 'ge7 22.'gc2 hi3?! 21.�xf3 'gxd4 22.�b7± and 'gd723.'g d2:t- White has fortified owing to the fact that his queen his centre, preserving his two­ is too far from the focus of the bishop advantage, and he has a fight, he will lose both his queen­ slight edge, Dolmatov - Douven, side pawns; while after 20 ...ttJf4, Graz 19S1, game 59) 17.c4 'gcdS threatening 21...ttJxh3, White has 1S.�f1 �cS 19.�h4 �aS 20.ttJe5 the powerful riposte 21.'gc3!) 20. ttJxe5 21.'gxe5:t and White main­ �e4:twith a clear advantage, since tains the advantage, Speelman Black's queen is isolated at the - Kumaran, Dublin 1993 (game edge of the board. 60). 17.fie2 16.fig3 Here White could consider (diagram) 17.ttJd2!? �xd1 1S.'gexd1 'gfdS

16 •••'lMg4 19.ttJc4 ttJeS 20.ttJe3 ttJdf6 21.f3:t The transition into an end­ with a slight edge in the end­ game would hardly solve all game.

Black's problems: 16 ...hf3 17. 17••• �f5 18.tLld2 lUd8 19. �xf4 hd1 1S.'gexd1 ttJbS 19.c4 tLlc4 tLle8

317 Chapter i3

tion after the move-order 13 ... ,bc3 14.bxc3 'JJfc7 15.i.h4 l:!feB 16. i.g3) , but in this particular case it would not be so good in view of 14 ...i.e7 15.lLle5 lLlxe5 16.dxe5 lLld5 17.,be7 'JJfxe7= Aleksandrov - Nisipeanu, Ohrid 2001.

14 •••hc3 It is high time Black defined the situation in the centre. For 14 ...i.e7 15.i.b5! - see 13 ...i.e7 This position was reached in 14.'JJfe2 l:!eB 15.i.b5! (line C1). the game Dvoretsky - Vasiukov, 15.bxc3 �c7 16.J.h4 Frunze 19B3. White could have continued with 20.lLl e3 �a5 21.�b3;!;, maintaining a signifi­ cant advantage.

C3) 13 ...ge8 This is the most flexible re­ sponse for Black. He makes a use­ fulmove, without being in a hurry to get rid of the pin, and he waits to see what plan White is going to choose to mobilize his forces.

16 •••1L1h5 This is Black's most popular move in this position. He is trying to provoke a crisis on the board and to radically change the char­ acter of the struggle. If Black plays quietly, White's prospects are preferable: If 16 ...'JJf f4 17.i.g3 'JJfg4 lB. lLld2 'JJfxe2 19.,be2 l:!edB 20.f3 lLlbB21. i.f1 h6 22.i.f2 i.a6 23.c4;!; with a better endgame for White, 14.�e2 R.Sherbakov - Macieja, Polanica The standard manoeuvre Zdroj 1996 (game 61); 14.i.h4 would be justified after or 16... 'JJf d6 17.i.g3 'JJfa3 1B.c4 14 ...,bc3 15.bxc3 'JJfc7 16.i.g3 (we i.a6 (it would be too risky for have already analyzed this posi- Black to play 1B ...,bf 3?! 19.'JJfxf3

31B IQP 7. ltJc3 ltJj6 B.id3 0 -0 9.ltJj3 b6 1 0.0-0 1i.b7 1l.'8el

'lWxa2 20.'8a1'lWb2 21.'lWe3iand his 17.�g5! queen would be seriously endan­ White accepts the challenge gered, moreover his a7-pawn and is ready to enter forcing tacti­ would be hanging; it would be cal play. more principled for Black to con­ The rather indifferent line: tinue with lS ...ltJh S!?, with the 17.'lWe3ltJdf6 led to equality in the idea of exchanging his opponent's game L.Portisch - Andersson, powerful dark-squared bishop, Buenos Aires 1975. but White can counter this with 17... g6 19.1tJgS g6 20.'lWe3! - threatening Very interesting tactical com­ 21.ixg6! - 20 ...'lWe7 21.h3 ltJxg3 plications, concluding in White's 22.'lWxg3;l; and thanks to the activ­ favour, arise after 17 ...ltJf 4 ity of his pieces, as well as the vul­ lS.ixh7+ mhS (lS ...mfS 19.'lWbS nerability of the dark-squares in ltJxg2 20.'lWb4± Psakhis) 19.'lWc2 his opponent's camp, White main­ fS 20.ig3 ltJfS 21.f3! (it would be tains some pressure; in particular worse for White to play 21.'lWd2? he is planning 23.dS or 23.'lWh4; if 'lWc6! 22.f3 ltJhS+': Black has got now 22 ...eS, White has the power­ rid of the pin and White will be ful riposte 23.cS! bxcS 24.ic4 unable to save his bishop on h7 with a dangerous initiative, while 21...ltJxh7 22.ltJxe6 '8xe6 (or 22 ... after 22 ...h6 White plays 23.ltJxf7! ltJh3+!? 23.gxh3 'lWf7 24.'lWb3! - 'lWxf7 24.ixg6 'lWg7 2S.ixeS 'lWxg3 better than 24.ltJf4 ltJgS+t, when 26.hxg3 '8xeS 27.'8e3±, with con­ Black will have dangerous coun­ siderable advantage in the end­ terplay - 24 ...ixf3 ? 2S.ltJdS!!+-; game) 19.'lWc2!? (White is prepar­ 24... 'lWd7 2S.'8 eS! ixf3 26.'8ce1 ie4 ing 20.ltJeS; it would be weaker 27.dS;l;- White keeps a slight ma­ for him to play immediately 19. terial advantage, as well as some ltJeS ltJxeS 20.ixeS ltJd721 .'lWf3 ?! initiative) 23.'8xe6 'lWd7 24.'8eS g6 22.if4 eS!+tYagupov - Lastin, ltJdS 2S.'lWxfS (the exchanges are Moscow 1997) 19 ...h6 20.'lWb3;l; and in White's favour, but he should Whitepreserves a stable advantage. seriously consider 2S.c4 f4 26.if2 ltJhf6 27.'lWd2;l;) 2S ...'lWxfS 26.'8xfS ltJxc3 27.'8c2 ltJf6 2S.ie1 ltJcdS 29.'8xcS+ ixcS 30.'8eS± and the endgame is better for White. (diagram) 18J��d2 lS.ltJh3!? At first it appears that we should take this move as our main line, because it was played in a veryrecent game, and moreover one played at the top

319 Chapteri3

tre, but unfortunately for him the conflictends up in White's favour. It would be interesting to know what Anand had in mind after 20... ttJh f6!?

level - in the World Champion­ ship match between Viswanathan Anand and Veselin Topalov. On the other hand, in the game that I decided to take as our main This natural move gets rid line White played perfectly up of the pin and creates the threat to a certain point. You should of capturing on d4. There might also bear in mind that the open­ follow: 21.�b2 - it would be bad ing fightbetween top world-class for White to play 21.i.g3? gxc3!=t players (particularly in matches - 21...e4! 22.i.g3 �f8 23.fxe4 for the World Championship) and ttJxe4+±with excellent counterplay its outcome often depend on nu­ for Black, since he will succeed in merous subtle details, as well as exchanging his knight for one of on computer analyses, so even the enemy bishops, because after for grandmasters (unless they 24.i.h4he has the move 24 ...�h 6, belong to the team of one of the while 24.i.f4?! would not be good participants) plenty of details can for White in view ofthe reply 24 ... remain quite difficult to under­ ttJxc3!) 21.�xe8+ gxe8 22.gxe8+ stand. Accordingly, I feel I ought ttJf8 23.cxd4 ttJf6 24.geel ttJe6 to quote this famous game, but 25. i.c4 i.d5 26.i.g3 �b4 27.i.e5! on the other hand I should not ttJd7 like to tryto explain to you some­ thing I am not sure I understand correctly myself... 18 ...e5 (This breakthrough in the centre seems natural and strong, but White is ready for this.) 19.f3 �d6 20.i.f2 (here it is a little more precise for him to play 20.�b2!?�) 20 ... exd4 (Black's last move radically clarifies the situation in the cen-

320 IQP 7.CiJc3 CiJf6 B . .id3 0-0 9.CiJfJ b6 1O.0-0 i.b7 11.'i1el

28.a3! This intermediate move exchange of his dark-squared is necessary in order to parry the bishop for the enemy knight and attack against the rook on e1 (af­ this will provide him with a sta­ ter the immediate 28 . .ixd5 CiJxe5 ble advantage, for example: 20 ... 29 . .ixe6, White has to consider h6 21.CiJe4 ixe4 22.'i1xe4 CiJd5 23. the move 29 ...CiJd 3!). 28... �a4 c4 g5 24 . .ig3 CiJ7f6 25.'i1ee1 CiJf4 29 . .ixd5 CiJxe5 . 30.ixe6 �xd4+ 26.f3;1;etc. (here, after 30 ...CiJd3, White has 19.f3 i.e4 the resource 31.'i1c4! followed by 31...�xa3 32 . .txf7+ 'iflxt733.CiJg5+ 'iflf6 34.CiJe4;1; and the position remains very sharp and dou­ ble-edged, but it is clear that he risks less) 31.'iflh1 fxe6 32.CiJg5t - White's position is preferable, since Black's monarch is seriously endangered, Anand - Topalov, Sofia2010 (game 62).

This is how the game Psakhis - Hillarp Persson, Torshavn 2000 developed. White should con­ tinue here with 20 .he4! 'lWxe4 21.CiJe4 'i1e6 22.g4 CiJg7 23.'lWb6 gee8 (Black must defend against 24.CiJf6+, so he needs to free a square for the retreat of his knight on g7.) 24.i.e7 CiJe8 (this is his only defence against the threats of

18 .••i.d5 25.CiJg5and 25.CiJd6) 25.b4� Black has an interesting com­ Black has managed, though bination here - 18 ....ix g2? 19. not without some effort, to parry 'iflxg2 �f4, but White can refute it his opponent's first wave of at­ with 20.'i1e2! �xh4 21.'i1e4+- tack, but now another one begins. If 18 ...e5, the pin with 19 . .ib5 White is planning to advance his would be very annoying for Black, rook-pawn to open the h-file and since he cannot play 19 ....ic6? in then to redeploy one of his rooks view of 20 . .ic4! to the h-filealong the second rank. After 18 ...�f4 19.�xf4 CiJxf4 Black will be faced with great dif­ 20 . .if1, in the arising endgame ficultiesto counter this veryeffec­ White will be able to avoid the tive plan.

321 Chapter i3 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.ti::Jd2 c5 4.c3 cxd4 5.cxd4 dxe4 6.�xe4 .ib4+ 7.�c3 �f6 8 . .id3 0-0 9.�f3 b6 10.0-0 .ib7 11J�el

COMPLETE GAMES

56 B.Lalic Hulak only minimal - see our theoreti­ Slavonski Brod 1995 cal section. 15.�a6! l.d4 tLlf6 2.c4 e6 3.tLlc3 �b4 4.e3 c5 5.�d3 d5 6.tLlf3 0-0 7. 0-0 cxd4 8.exd4 dxc4 9.hc4 b6 10.�g5 �b7 11.�d3 tLlbd7 12J�el

Black's manoeuvres are some­ what slow, so White takes the op­ portunity of seizing the initiative on the queenside. 15 ...ha6 16. �xa6 ci>g7 12 ...�e7 13.�e2 ge8 Black should have dislodged Black is preparing the ex­ the enemy queen from its active change operation 14 ...ltJdS. The position: 16 ...�c8 !? 17.�d3 �b7 immediate move 13 ...ltJdS? fails to with an acceptable game. 14.�e4 g6 IS.be7 �xe7 16.ltJxdS 17.gedl �b8 bdS 17.�xdS+- Again he could have played 14.gac1 g6 17 ...�c8 here. It would be preferable fo r 18.g3 �d6?! Black to play 14 ... ltJdS IS.be7 It was still not too late for �xe7 16.ltJxdS bdS 17.l:k3!t and Black to play 18 ...�c8 when, de­ White's edge would have been spite the loss of several tempi, his

322 IQP 7. tUc3tU f6 B.id3 0-0 9.tUj3 b6 1O.0-0 iJ.b7l1.'iJ.el position would have remained dominance is even more impres­ quite playable. His last moves sive thanks to his complete con­ show convincingly that Black has trol of the open c-file. underestimated his opponent's 20••• tOdS 21.a3 gd8 22.gc6 followingpositional operation. tOe723.g c4 h6 24.gdc1 gS Black's last move creates ad­ ditional weaknesses, but he had serious problems finding useful moves anyway. 2S.tOd2 tOdS 26.tOe4.i e7

19.hf6+! White exploits the fact that he can occupy the light squares on the queenside and he immediately exchanges his bishop, which is not needed, for an enemy piece which 27.tOec3!± stands in the way of his planned White exchanges his oppo­ light-squared offensive. nent's only active piece - the

19 •••tOxf 6 20.tObS;!; knight on dS - and increases his pressure.

27••• tOxc3 28.g1xc3 eS Black's attempt to free his po­ sition is already in vain. However, he had no other promising lines in any case; moreover White was threatening 29.tUc7.

As a result of what has hap­ pened, White's forces are com­ pletely dominant on the queens ide and he can increase the pressure there patiently and unopposed. His queen on a6 and knight on bS are perfectly deployed on block­ ading squares and his strategic 29.dS! e4!

323 Chapter i3

This is Black's best practical for Black to have defended with chance, but it is already too late 46 ...<±>d7, but after 47Jk4 �e2+ for him to save the day. 48.<±>d3 �eS 49.�c7+ <±>e8 SO.a4 But not 29 .. J:1xdS? 30Jk8+- �xfS S1.�b7+- White should win 30.gxe4! the game anyway. This is White's most accurate 47.tDc7! continuation. His passed d-pawn is abso­ After 30.ttJc7?! i.cS 31.ttJxa8 lutely unstoppable. e3! 32.fxe3 �xdS! Black would 47..• ge2 + 48.�d3 ha3 49. have created significant counter­ �xe2. In view of the variation play. 49 ...,ixb4 SO.ttJdS+ <±>xfS S1.d7.

30•.• J.f6 31.gd3 hb2 32. Black resigned. d6 ge8 33.gde3 gxe4 34.gxe4 e'c8 35.e'xc8 �c8 36.tDxa7 57 Gagunashvili - Pantsulaia gel+ 37.�g2 gdl Tbilisi 2002 After 37... ha3 38.�d4+­ l.d4 tDf6 2.tDf.J e6 3.c4 c5 Black has to give up his bishop 4.e3 cxd4 5.exd4 d5 6.tDc3 for the enemy d-pawn. J.b4 7.J.d3 0-0 8.0-0 dxc4 38.tDb5+- 9.hc4 b6 10.J.g5 J.b7 ll.gcl tDbd7 12.gel gc8 13.J.d3

White has a powerful passed

d6-pawn, perfectly supported by 13 •.•J.e7 14.e'e2ge8 his excellent knight on bS. In ad­ dition, he is a pawn up and his im­ minent win is a matter of simple technique.

38..• �f6 39.gc4 gel 40. gb4 40.�c7!? 40 ...J.e5 41.f 4 gxf4 42.gxf4 gc2+ 43.�f.J J.b2 44.h4 gd2 45.�e4 �e6 46.f5+ �f6 It would be more resilient 15.J.b5!

324 IQP 7'ciJc3 CiJj6 B.id3 0-0 9'ciJfJ b6 1O.0-0 fJ..b711.'fl,el

The pin along the a4-e8 di­ 21••• lOe6 22 • .ixe6 .ixe6 23. agonal will be very unpleasant for c!LleS.idS 24.lOg4 Black. White is beginning an offen­

lS •••lOdS 16.lOxdS .ixdS sive against the enemy king.

17 • .if4± 24 .•. Wg7 White is threatening 18.ttJeS. Black should refrainfrom 24 ...

17••• gxel 18.!'bel f6 2S.h4--+

2S • .ieS+ f6

18 •••gS? This move only creates addi­ 26.lOxf6 ! tional weaknesses in Black's camp, This is an exquisite move. but his position was difficultany­ 26 ...gxf 6 27.�hS+­ way. His best chance would be White's attack is crushing. 18 .. .1':If8!? with some possibilities 27... h6 28.i.xf6+ wxf6 29. of offering resistance, for exam­ �xh6+ wf5 ple: 19.'fl,c7 ttJf6 20J':Ixa7 hi3 and Black's position is hopeless Black will regain his pawn, be­ after 29 ...Wf7 30.�h7+ wf6 31.h4 cause after21. �xf3 �xd4 22J':Ixe7 gxh4 32.�xh4+ wf733 .�h7+ wf6 he has the double attack 22 ...�cS, 34.g4!+- followed by 3S.gS. regaining his piece. However, 30.�g7 �e8 31.�t7+ .if6 White has other promising possi­ 32.�h7+ wf4 33.g3+ wf3 34. bilities, for example: 19.ic7 �c8 ga3+. Black resigned in view of 20.'fl,c2! Ll21 . .bb6. the unavoidable checkmate in a

19 • .ig3 gfS 20.ge7 lOb8 few moves. Black is forced now to retreat his knight to a passive position, S8 Aleksandrov- Kohlweyer since going back to the f6-square Germany 2006 is already impossible: 20... ttJf6 1.d4 lOf6 2.e4 e6 3.lOe3

21.ttJxgS. .ib4 4.e3 0-0 S • .id3 eS 6.lOf3 21.gxa7 dS 7. 0-0 exd4 8.exd4 dxe4

White has won a pawn, pre­ 9 • .ixe4b6 1 0 • .igS .ixe311.bxe3 serving all the advantages of his lObd7 12.gc1 fie7 13 • .id3 .ib7 position. 14.gel

32S Chapteri3

14 ..J'!ac8 15 . .ih4 �d6 16. pawn, to increase the effectof the .ig3 �a3 17.c4 gfd8 exchange. 22 ...a5 23.h4! a4 24.�al gxd4?! The threat of 2S.hS is veryun­ pleasant for Black; therefore his wish to change the character of the struggle is easily understand­ able. Unfortunately for him, how­ ever, this operation should end in a win for White. Meanwhile, even after24 ... �d6 2S.ltJc2 (Here, 18.ge3! Whitewould not achieve anything White begins a very favourable much with 2S.hS?! ltJf4.) Black regrouping of his forces. has great difficulties. White can 18 ...�a5 19.�d2 plan active operations on both White's d4-pawn is vulnera­ sides of the board, for example ble and its defender - the knight with 26J:1bl or 26.gg3, with the on f3 - is under the permanent idea of 27.hS, while Black's at­ threat of being exchanged by tempt to sharpen the game can Black's bishop on b7; so White the countered effectivelyby White transfers it to the safer b3- after 2S ... ltJf4 (or 2S ...eS 26.dS bS square. 27.gbl±) 26.i.fl h6 27.hf6 gxf6 19 ...�f8 20. .ih4 �g6 28.dS! exdS 29.ltJd4t with a very 20 .. J�xd4? 21.ltJb3. powerful initiative, since Black's 21.�b3 �b4 king is endangered and his pawn­ (diagram) structure is totally compromised. 22 . .ig5! 25.�c2 gdxc4 It seems more natural to play Black should avoid the vari­ 22.i.xf6 with some advantage, ation 2S ... gxd3 26.ltJxb4 gxdl + but White is still in no hurry to 27.gxdl± and Black loses after exchange, since he plans, after 27... gxc4? 28.gd8+ ltJf8 29.hf6 the preliminary advance of his h- gxf6 30.gg3+.

326 IQP 7.liJc3liJf6 B.id3 0-0 9.liJj3 b6 1O.0-0 i.b7 11.'l1el

�xc4 28.'l1d3 'l1f8°o with a rather unclear position. 27.l:!xc2 l:!xc2 28.,ixc2 lilt'S

29 • .ixf6 gxf6 30.l:!g3+ wh8 31.�d8. Black resigned.

S9 Dolmatov Douven Graz 1981 26.hS? 1.e4 c6 2.d4 dS 3.exdS If White accepts the exchange­ cxdS 4.c4 lilf6 S.lilc3 e6 6.lilf3 sacrifice the position remains i.b4 7.i.d3 dxc4 8.,ixc4 0 -0 with chances for both sides, but 9.0-0 b6 10.i.gS i.b7 H.l:!e1 he overlooks the possibility of lilbd7 12.l:!c1l:!c8 13 .i.d3 winning immediately with the help of the spectacular tactical shot 26.'l1e4!! (he protects his rook on c1 with tempo, attacking the enemy queen in the process) 26 ... 'l1xe4 (Black would not save the day with 26 .. :�b5 27J'!xc4 'l1xc4 28.i.xc4 �xc4 29.liJe3+- and White's pieces are tremendously active.) 27.liJxb4 'l1xc1 28.�xc1

'l1xb4. Black's material equivalent 13 •••,ixc3 14.bxc3 Yffc7 lS. for the queen seems sufficient, i.h4 l:!fe8 16.i.g3 Yffd8 17.lileS but his pieces are so discoordinat­ lilxeS18.l:! xeS lild719. 1:!e3 lilt'S ed that he cannot offer any sig­ 20.i.f1 lilg6 21.c4 l:!e7 22.l:!c2 nificant resistance: 29.�c7 id5 l:!d7 23.l:!d2;!; 30.h5! liJf8 31.ixf6 gxf6 32.�g3+­ and he will have to give up his knight after 32 ... liJg6, since the move 32 ...wh8 would lead to mate after33.h6 liJg634.� b8+.

26•.. l:!xc2 ? This move loses immediately. It looks as ifboth opponents over­ looked the possible tactical blow 26 ...liJx h5! 27.i.xc4 (it is even worse for White to play 27.�xh5? Whitehas an edge thanks to his 'l1xc228 .i.xc2'l1xc2 29.'l1xc2 �b1+, powerful centre and bishop-pair, with advantage to Black) 27... but it will be far from easy for him

327 Chapter i3 to breach his opponent's position, 53.a5t b5? since it has no real weaknesses. This is another bad mistake 23 •••ti'g5 24S�a3 .iaS 25. and this time it is decisive. Black's f3 h5 26• .if2 h4 27• .ie3 ti'e7 miscalculation is obviouslya con­ 2S.gc3 ti'f6 29.h3 tLlf4 30.ti'c1 sequence of his previous move, gcdS 31.gdl g5 32.gc2 ti'f5 33. but his position was probably be­ gcd2 .ic6 34.ti'a3 ti'f6 35.ti'c3 yond salvation anyway. ti'f5 36.ti'a3ti'f6 37• .if2ti'f5 3S. gel ti'f6 39.ti'c3 c;t>h7 40.gal .ia4 41.ti'b4 .ic6 42.gadl ti'f5 43.a4 c;t>h6 44.gal gb7 45.ti'c3 gbbS 46.gb2 gdcS 47.ti'e3 geS

4S • .iel gedS 49 • .ic3 geS 50. gd2 gbdS 51• .ib2 gd6 52.ti'c3

54.d5! exd5 55.cxb5 hb5 56.ti'c7. Black resigned, since he loses at least a piece.

60 Speelman - Kumaran Dublin 1993 l.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 Nothing important has hap­ cxd5 4.c4 tLlf6 5.tLlc3 e6 6.tLlf3 pened on the board in the last .ib4 7 • .id3 dxc4 S.hc4 0 - 0 thirty moves. Black had nothing 9.0-0 b6 10 . .ig5 .ib7 1l.E&el

much to do anyway, while White hc3 12.bxc3 tLlbd7 13 • .id3 had problems finding a sensible plan of improving his position. With his last few moves, however, White has managed to set up a battery along the a1-h8 diagonal and Black needs to keep a careful watch on the possible pawn-break d4-d5!

52 •••gbS? This is a serious mistake. Mat­

ters would have been rather un­ 13 •••ti'c7 14.gcl gfeS I5• .ih4

clear after52 ... E&ed8,with the idea gacS 16 • .ig3 ti'c6 17.c4 gcdB

of 53.a5 b5 54.d5 bxc4!oo IB • .ifl ti'cS 19 . .ih4;!;

328 IQP 7. liJc3 liJj6 B.id3 0-0 9.liJj3 b6 1O.0-0 iJ.b7 11.'Sel

of the dS-square to his opponent without any necessity. He has his reasons, of course, for instance his major pieces are very active and he has the bishop-pair in an open position, so he preserves excel­ lent dynamic possibilities. For ex­ ample, he is threatening 2S.i.bS, which would be very effective in

19 •.•Wla8 response to 24 ... 'SdS.

Jonathan Speelman points 22 •••gxf6 23.Wlg4+ ig6?! out that it would be preferable for Here Black should play 23 ... Black to continue with 19 ...Wlb S. I mfS 24.�xe4 fxeS 2S.�xeS. Speel­ believe, in response, Whiteshould man evaluates this position as avoid entering the rather un­ much better for White,but I think clear complications after 20.liJeS the best he can rely on is "having liJxeS 21.'SxeS WlxeS 22.dxeS 'Sxdl acceptable compensation for the 23.'Sxdl liJe4 by playing simply sacrificed material". For exam­ 20.h3 Wlf4 21.i.g3 WlfS 22.'Se3;l;, ple: 2S ...WlbS 26.�f6 Wld6 27.'Sdl with a slight but stable advantage. eS 2S.WlhS+ me7 29.�xh7 �g6 For example, he can counter 22 ... 30.�h4+ �f6 and it is really dif­ �aS with 23.'Scc3!? ficult to predict what might hap­ 20.tl)eS tl)xeS 2U�xeS ie4 pen later. 24J::�eel Now White is planning 2S.cS! 24... eS !? 2S.dxeS fxeS 26. h4! Wle8 27.Wlg3 Wlf5 28.eS bxeS 29.'SxeS

22.hf6?! A very double-edged position could have arisen afterthis move. The PC program "Rybka" sug­ gests here the line: 22.f3 i.g6

23.cS!? bxcS 24.'SexcS±. Howev­ 29 •••Wlf 4!? er, it is hard to understand, from This pawn-sacrifice is Black's a purely human point of view, best chance. why White surrenders the control It would be considerably weak-

329 Chapter i3 er for him to play 29 ...f6 30J1c7 retreat. whS 31.�e3t and White has pow­ 33.gaS hfl 34.wxf1 gd7 erfulthreats (Speelman). White should win this posi­ 30.!:!cxeS gxeS 31.gxeS tion, thanks to his extra pawn and The position would be drawish more active rook. after31. �xf4 �xel 32.hS �ddl= 3S. We2 wg7 36.g4 gb7 Black's rook is not so well placed on this square, because he will not be able to give a check along the third rank at the mo­ ment when White's king begins its forward march. Black would not have changed much with 36 ... h6 37.gS, but it was preferable to play 36 ...�c7. 37.gS f6 31 ...�xg3? ! Black's attempt to penetrate This transition into an end­ with his king among the enemy game is not good fo r Black. pawnsfails after:37 ... wg6 3S.wf3 He should continue with 31... whS 39.g3 �c7?! (39... wg6) �c1! (Speelman) 32.�e3 (the 40.�a6 �c3+ 41. wg2 wg4 42.�a4+ position is rather unclear after whS 43.�xa7+- 32.hS �dl 33.�eS+ wg7 34.�eS+ 38.gxf6 + wxf6 39.Wf3 gc7 wh6! 3S.hxg6 �xf1+ 36.wh2 fxg6! 40.�g4 37.�e7 �xf2 !) 32 ...�dl ! 33.�xcl �xcl and Black has good chances of survival, for example: 34.�e3 (or 34.�dS f6 3S.f3 �al) 34 .. .f6 3S.f3 if7etc. 32.fxg3± In this endgame White's win­ ning prospects are more substan­ tial than Black's chances for a draw. 32 ....td3 40 ...�g7? The exchange of the bishops is This is the decisive mistake. It a very sensible decision, although is equally bad for him to play 40 ... it does not ease Black's defence �g7+ 41.�gS! �b7 42.whS+- very much. He would not have In fact, Black's last chance is to achieved anything real by pen­ try 40 ... wg6 41.�a6+ wg7 and for etrating with his rook: 32 ...�dl White to win the game he must 33.wf2 �d2+ 34.�e2 and he must strive for a position with a king on

330 IQP 7.liJc3 liJj6 B.id3 0-0 9.liJj3 b6 1 O.0-0 �b71l.'fl,el h5 and a pawn on g4, but it would bxc3 tyc7 16..ih4 tyf4 17 . .ig3 not be easy for him to achieve tyg4 18.�d2 tyxe2 19.he2;!; this. So White must still play very inventively to turn his advantage into a fullpoint. 41.h5!+- h6 Passive defence would not help Black either: 41...'fl,d7 42.g4 'fl,c7 43.g5 'fl,d744.'fl, b5 and later White will advance his pawn all the way up to the a6-square, followed by '8b7 and Black has no adequate defence against this plan. Whitehas a slight edge in this 42.g4 '8b743 .a4 endgame too, because of his pow­ Whiteimproves his position as erful bishop-pair and well forti­ much as possible prior to deploy­ fiedcentre . ing his rook on a6. 19 •••'8ed8

43 •••'8c7 44.'8a6 '8c5+ 45.g5 After 19 ...e5 20.ib5, Black hxg5 46.'8xa7+. After ...46 g;,f6 comes under a very unpleasant 47.'8a6+ g7 48.hxg5+- White pin. will remain with two extra pawns 20.£3 �b8 21..ifl h6 22. and an easily winning position, so .if2 Black resigned. It was possibly worth transfer­ ring the knight to a better position 61 R.Sherbakov - Macieja 22.liJc4!? liJe8 23.liJe3;!;

Polanica Zdroj 1996 22 ••• .ia6 23.c4 �e8 24.a4 l.d4 �f6 2.c4 e6 3.�c3 �c6 25.�b3 �d6

.ib4 4.e3 0-0 5 • .id3 c5 6.�£3 Black plans to increase the d5 7. 0 -0 cxd4 8.exd4 dxc4 pressure against his opponent's

9.hc4 b6 10 • .ig5 .ib7 1l.'8el hanging pawns with 26 ...liJf5.

�bd7 12.'8cl'8c8 13 • .id3

26.d5

13 •••'8e8 14.tye2 hc3 15. This attractive breakthrough

331 Chapter i3 leads only to equality after precise 32.gc6! ltJb733.d 6± play from Black. Maybe White did White's d-pawn has turned not need to force the issue so ear­ into very powerfulfo rce. ly: 26J:'1edl!?, but following 26 ... 33 ...ltJa c5 34.gc7 ltJd8 35. tLlfS 27.g4 tLlfe7 it would remain ltJb5 a6 36.ltJc3 ltJde6 37. rather unclear how he was sup­ ltJd5!? posed to breach his opponent's This is an exquisite move, since position. White's rook is taboo. Still, he 26 ...exd5 27.cxd5 ltJb4 28. could have made use of the same .ixa6 ltJxa6 29.ltJd4 gxc1 30. circumstance in an even more ef­ gxc1 gd7 31. .1g3 fective fashion - 37.aS! - under­ White would not achieve much mining the support of the enemy with 31.tLlc6 f6 : Black plans 32 ... knight on cS, settling the issue al­ wf7fo llowed by tLlfS or tLlc8, at­ most immediately: 37... bxaS (37 ... tacking the enemy dS-pawn. bS 38.tLle4+-) 38.tLla4!+- tLlxc7 White's piece-activity is sufficient 39.tLlxcS. for a draw, but not more. 37••• b5 38.a5! This is a very accurate move, since now Black will have to wor­ ry about another weakness - his a6-pawn.

38 ••• f6 39.wfl gd8 Black possibly thought that he would be able to create the threat of capturing the enemy rook in this way. He would not have saved the game by trying to bring his

31.•. wh7? king a bit closer: 39 ...Wg6 40. Black has defended very pa­ tLlf4+-; or 39 ... Wg8 40.tLlb4 l"1d8 tiently and has practically equal­ 41.l"1a7+- ized, but now he nullifies all the fruits of his previous hard work. It is almost inconceivable why he refrained from the most natural move - 31...tLlcS - which after 32.aS (after32 . .bd6 l"1xd6 33.tLlfS l"1d7 34.aS g6= drawing the game should not be too difficult either) 32 ...tLlc 8 33.tLlc6!? l"1xdS 34.tLlxa7 tLlxa7 3S.axb6 tLlc6 36.b7 tLlxb7 37.l"1xc6= would lead to a dead 40.ltJxf6+! wg6 41.ltJd5+­ drawn position. White's rook is taboo, just as

332 IQP 7. liJc3 liJj6 8.�d3 0-0 9.liJj3 b6 1 0.0-0 1i.b711.'Sel before. Meanwhile, he has won a We have already pointed out pawn, while preserving all the in the theoretical section of this pluses of his position. His oppo­ chapter that it is more precise for nent is already beyond salvation. Whiteto play here 20.�b2!?t

41••• liJb3 42.liJe7+ <;!;>f6 43. 20••• exd4?!

liJe6 gf8 44• .ie5 + <;!;>g6 45.ge7 White's advantage is beyond liJbe5 46.liJd4 liJxd4 47.ixd4. doubt after this move, although Black resigned. Black still has some counterplay. It remains unclear what White had in mind after 20 ... liJhf6!? 62 Anand Topalov 21.'.Wb2 (21.�g3? 'Sxc3!+) 21...e4 Sofia2010 22.�g3 �f8 23.fxe4 liJxe4�, with mutual chances. l.d4 liJf6 2.e4 e6 3.liJc3 21.'.WxeS+ gxeS 22.gxeS+

.ib4 4.e3 0-0 5 •.id3 e5 6.liJfJ liJf8 23.exd4t liJf6 24.geel d5 7. 0-0 exd4 S.exd4 dxe4 liJe6 25• .ie4 .id5 26• .ig3 '.Wb4

9.ixe4 b6 10• .ig5 .ib7 ll.gel 27• .ie5 ! liJd7 liJbd712 .gc1 geS 13 . .id3

2S.a3!

13 •••geS 14.'.We2 ixe3 15. White forces his opponent's bxe3 '.We716 • .ih4 liJh5 17.liJg5 queen to abandon the attack g6 IS.liJh3e5 19.fJ'.Wd6 against either the rook on el, or the pawn on d4. Matters would be less clear after the immediate 28.hdS liJxeS 29.he6 liJd3!

2S •••ti'a4 29.i xd5 liJxe530. ixe6 '.Wxd4+ Now White can counter 30 ... liJd3with 31.'Sc4! and after 31... �xa3 32.hf7+ <;!;>xf7 33.liJgS+ <;!;>f6 34.liJe4+ he risks much less in this double-edged position.

20• .if2 31.<;!;>hl fxe632. liJg5t

333 Chapter i3

40 ...b4 (it would be even riskier for Black to play 40 ...aS 41.tLlxe6 b4 42.�c7!) 41.�h2 b3 42.�xa7 b2, but it could have been stopped by exploiting the misplacement of the enemy king with the line: 43.�b7 'lWcI 44.�a4! (it would be weaker for White to play imme­ diately 44.�eb4 tLld3) 44 ...'lWaI (or The material is approximately 44 ...tLld7 4S.�ab4) 4S.�ab4 'lWeI equal, but White has succeeded 46.�xb2 'lWxh4+ 47.ttJh3±, with in consolidating his forces, while good winning chances. Black's king is very unsafe; there­ 40 ...�d7 41.gh7+ �c6 42. fo re, White's prospects are con­ ge4 b4 43.tLlxe6 �b6 44.tLlf4 siderably superior, despite the 'Wa1+ 45.�h2 a5 existing tension on the board.

32 •• .'lfd6 33.tLle4 'Wxa3 34. l:k3 'Wb2 35.h4 b5 36.l:kS+ �g7 37.gc7+ �f8 3S.tLlg5 �eS 39.gxh7 'Wc3

After Black's king has been evacuated from the danger zone, the position has become much sharper. Naturally, White has at least a draw, so he risks less, but it 40.ghS+? would need a lot of effort for him This is a hasty decision by to win the game. White, probably due to the ne­ 46.h5 gxh5 47.gxh5 tLlc6 cessity to make the last move be­ 4S.tLld5+�b7 49.gh7+ �a6 5 O. fore the time-control. He allows ge6 �b5 51.gh5 tLld452.tLl b6+ the enemy king to leave the back �a6 53.gd6 �b7 54.tLlc4 rank, thus losing most of his ad­ tLlxf3+ 55.gxf3 'Wa2+ 56.tLld2 vantage. �c7 57.ghd5 b3 5S.gd7+ �cS After the natural move 40. 59.gdS+ �c7 60.gSd7+ �cS �e4±, White was probably afraid of 61.gg7 a4 62.gc5+ �bS 63.gd5 the advance of the enemy b-pawn: �cS

334 IQP 7. lOc3 lOf6 B.i.d3 0-0 9.lOfJ b6 10.0-0 i.b7l1.'8el

�c2 6S.i>g3; 64... �b2 6S.i>h3; 64 ...b2? 6S.'8de7 i>d8 66.'8a7+ -) 6S.i>g3�a1 66.'8c7+etc.

64 •••�al != Now the draw is unavoidable, because Black's queen gains space fo r manoeuvring and active oper­ ations, just at the right moment. 65J�g4 b2 66.gc4+ i>b7 67. 64.i>g3? i>f2 blYlY 68.c!lJxbl YlYxbl 69. White makes a mistake that gdd4 YlYa2+ 70.i>g3 a3 71.gc3 loses practically all his winning YlYal72 .gb4+ i>a673 .ga4+ i>b5 chances, which he could have pre­ 74.gcxa3 �gl+ 75.i>f4 �cl+ servedwith the move 64.'8dd7,co­ 76.i>f5YlYc5+ 77.i>e4 �c2+ 78. ordinating his rooks and planning i>e3 YlYcl+ 79.i>f2 YlYd2+ 80. to continue on the next move with i>g3�e l+ 81.i>f4 YlYc1+ 82.i>g3 6S. i>g3,for example: 64 ...a3 (64 ... YlYgl+ 83.i>f4. Draw. Chapter i4 1.e4 e6 2.d4 dS 3.�d2 a6 4.�gf3 cS S.c3 �c6 6 . .id3 cxd4 7.cxd4 dxe4 8.�xe4 .ib4+ 9.�c3 �f6 10.0-0 0-0 ll.a3 .ie7 Step by Step

open c-file. We will deal in detail with such positions in Chapter i3. Here, after 12.bxc3, the evalua­ tion of the position is quite clear. White is much better; he plans c4 and �b2, followed by the prepara­ tion of the pawn-break d4-dS, while after 12 ...bS, he has the re­ source 13.a4! b4 14.c4. In addi­ tion, in this variation Black's knight on c6 not only obstructs The diagram position often the c-filefor his own rooks, but it arises from the Queen's Gambit can come under attack with tem­ Accepted after the move-order po from White's mobile central l.d4 dS 2.c4 dxc4 3.ttJf3 ttJf6 4.e3 pawns. e6 S . .txc4 cS 6.0-0 a6 7.�d3 ttJc6 12.gel 8.ttJc3 cxd4 9.exd4 �e7 1O.a3 White develops his king's rook 0-0. to a good position and plans in I should mention that Black the next few moves to create the has never played 11.. . .txc3?!, battery of "queen + bishop" along which is not at all surprising. The the bl-h7 diagonal with �c2 and drawbacks of this move are quite Wd3 and then to increase his pres­ obvious - Black parts with his sure on the kingside. White's bishop and improves his oppo­ dark-squared bishop will go to g5 nent's pawn-structure. In general, or, if Black plays g7-g6, to h6; the an exchange of this type is possi­ queen's rook will be placed on dl, ble, but only when Black's queen­ the knight on eS and afterthat the knight is on d7. In that case, he queen might be redeployed to the relies on compensating for the h3-square, etc. White will then above-mentioned drawbacks by have in reservethe pawn-break in exerting pressure along the semi- the centre d4-dS, because in simi-

336 IQP 7... de 8JiJxe4 ib4 9.ltJc3ltJf 61O.0-0 0-0 11.a3 ie7 lar positions, he often combines ib1 bS 19.1=l:c1 l=l:c8 20.ia2t Vaga­ the plan of kingside attack with nian - D.Bronstein, Tbilisi 1973, the central pawn-break. Black, in game 63) 14.�d3 g6 lS.ih6 l=l:e8 tum, triesto organize counterplay 16.l=l:ad1 l=l:c8 17.ib3 ltJaS 18.ia2 on the queenside with: bS, ib7, ltJdS (18 ...bS 19.1tJeS ltJdS 20.ltJe4 l=l:c8 and later, either ltJaS-c4, or ltJc6 21.ltJg4 ltJb8 22.ltJcS ia8 the undermining pawn-break bS­ 23.h3 ltJd7 24.b4 ltJ7f6 2S.ltJeSt b4. Dao Thien Hai - Zhou Jianchao, Visakhpatnam 2008) 19.1tJeS if8 (19 ...ltJxc3? 20.ltJxi7! c;t>xt7 21. ixe6+ c;t>f6 22.dS+-) 20.ixf8 l=l:xf8 21.ltJxdS exdSt Emms ­ Ka.Mueller, Germany 2001 (game 64). White maintained the initiative in all these games. Black's task of developing his queenside is urgent, so with this in mind the move 12 ...ltJd S seems a little strange at this moment. Nevertheless, it was played by the It is interesting to note that famous Chinese GM Wang Hao, this position differs fromthe one so we should analyze this move analyzed in our Chapter i2 only in more carefully. This is how the that, instead of b7-b6, Black has game continued: 13.ic2 l=l:e8 14. played the move a7-a6. In whose �d3 g6 1S.h4 ltJxc3, Zhou Jinchao favour is this difference? On the - Wang Hao, Cebu City 2007. one hand, White gains some time, Here White should have played since Black's light-squared bishop 16.bxc3 ixh4 17.ltJxh4 �xh4 18. will be developed a move later. On l=l:e4� with compensation for the the other hand, Black will have pawn, thanks to the pressure additional possibilities to organ­ against the weakened dark ize counterplay. Accordingly, the squares on Black's kingside, for pluses and minuses of these ways example: 18 ...�d8 (18 ...�f6 19. of development balance each oth­ �g3 eS 20.igS �g7 21.dS�) 19. er out. �g3 eS 20.l=l:h4 exd4 21.igSt

12 ..•b5 13 . .ic2 This is the most logical, natu­ (diagram) ral and best move for Black. 13 ....ib7 He cannot equalize after the Before advancing bS-b4, Black more prudent reply 12 ...b6 13.ic2 should complete his development ib7 (13 ...l=l:a7 14.�d3 l=l:d7 lS.ie3 and ensure the safety of his king­ ib7 16.l=l:ad1 g6 17.�e2 �c7 18. side. Even though this pawn-

337 Chapter i4

break is a part of his plans, if he White is threatening lS.dS! plays it immediately, then White exdS 16.�gS with a very strong turns out to be much better pre­ initiative, so Black must take some pared for it: 13 ...b4 14.ttJe4 bxa3 measures against this. Therefore lS.bxa3 �b7 16.2�&b1! ttJaS 17.ttJxf6+ it would not work for him to play bf6 18.ttJeS :B:c8 19.�d2 �a8 "common sense" developing 20.:B:e3! (20.�b4!? is also interest­ moves such as 14 ... :B:c8? 14.dS! ing here, when 20 ...:B:e8? loses to exdS lS.�gS ttJe4 (1S... g6 16.:B:xe7 21.bh7+! wxh7 22.1,whS+ Wg8 'lWxe7 17.ttJxdS±) 16.ttJxe4dxe4 17. 23.'1Wxf7+ Wh7 24.�xaS 'lWxaS 2S. 'lWxe4 g6 18.:B:adl'lWc7 19.'lWh4:B:ce8 :B:e3+-, while if 20 ... �e7, White 20.�b3i and White's pressure be­ has the resource 21.�d3!n, win­ comes decisive, Lukacs - Flesch, ning the enemy a6-pawn.) 20 ...g6 Szolnok 1975. (An attempt by Black to simplify Just as on the previous move, the position with 20 ...�xeS 21. Black's advance of the b-pawn is dxeS ttJc4 fails to 22.bh7+! wxh7 in White's favour: 14 ...b4 lS.ttJe4 23.'lWhS+ wg8 24.:B:h3 f6 2S.'lWh7+ g6 16.�h6 :B:e8 17.�a4 'lWdS 18. wf7 26.:B:g3+- and White's attack ttJegS �f8 19.bf8 :B:xf8 20.:B:ac1 is decisive, for example: 26 ...:B:g8 :B:ad8 21.�xc6 bc6 22.axb4± Ko­ 27.'lWg6+ We7 28.�b4+ with a zul - G.Horvath, Fuegen 2006. crush.) 21.baS 'lWxaS 22.ttJdn White could even have captured White wins the exchange and al­ another pawn: 22.'lWxa6!? �b7 though Black has some compen­ 23.'lWb6 bxa3 24.bxa3±, again with sation, it is clearly insufficientfor the better chances. equality, Koneru - Korbut, Ka­ llithea 2008 (game 65).

14.\Wd3 A) 14 ••.g6 (diagram) Black solves the problem of his opponent's pressure along the b1-

A) 14 •••g6 h7 diagonal in a radical fashion.

B) 14 •.•ttJa 5 15.i.h6 �e8 16.�adl

338 IQP 7... de 8JiJxe4 i.b4 9.ltJc3 ltJj61O.0-0 0-0 11.a3 .ie7

In practice Black has also tried 16 ...b4 17.ltJa4 (17.ltJe4 is a little weaker here, since Black can play: 17 ...ltJxe4 18.\W xe4 bxa3. Then, af­ ter 19.bxa3?! ltJb4! 20.\Wxb7 ltJxc2 21.!'le2 ltJxa3 22.d5 ltJb5+ White even ended up slightly worse in the game Arizmendi Martinez - Mancebo Ibanez, Alikante 1997. He should have played instead 19 . .ia4! \Wd5 20.\Wxd5 exd5 21.

16 .•.gc8 bxa3 ha3 22.!'lxe8+ !'lxe8 23. Black can try to develop his ltJe5, regaining his pawn. White queen to d6, which seems natural cannot hope for more than equal­ in similar positions, but is not so ity anyway, for example in the advisable in this particular situa­ variation 23 ...!'le6 24.hc6 i.xc6 tion, because to 16 ...\Wd6? ! White 25.!'la1 .ib2 26.!'lxa6 .ie8 27.!'lxe6 has the powerful response 17.b4!, fxe6 28.i.e3= the opponents can preventing his opponent's pawn­ agree to a draw.) 17... bxa3 18.bxa3 break b5-b4, as well as the trans­ \Wc7 19.h3 (White must prevent fer of his knight to c4, so that the enemy knight-sortie to the g4- Black suddenly has great prob­ square, for example: 19.i.b3?! lems organizing counterplay. 17... ltJg4 20.i.d2!'lad8 and Black is al­ !'lac8 18.i.b3 (White prepares the ready threatening to capture on pawn-break d4-d5.) 18 ...a5? Black d4.) 19... !'lad8 loses quickly after this move. (He could have prolonged the fight with 18 ... ltJg4, but after 19.i.d2;!; White's threat to break through in the centre remains and the inter­ esting piece-sacrifice 19 ...ltJxb4 !? would not provide Black with suf­ ficient compensation. After 20. axb4 i.xf3 21.\Wxf3 \Wxh2+ 22.'i!ifl, White is better.). 19.d5! exd5 20. ltJxd5 ltJxd5 21.i.xd5+- (Black's Here, in the game Peralta - position is hopeless, because he Bellon Lopez, Tarragona 2007, has no satisfactory defence against White played 20.i.b3?! In princi­ the threat of 22.i.xf7+!) 21...ltJd8 ple, this is a purposeful move, be­ 22.\Wd4 .if8 23.!'lxe8 ltJe624. !'lxf8 cause he improves the placement and Black resigned, H.Olafsson - of his pieces and fightsfor the im­ Thorhallsson, Reykjavik1995. portant d5-square, but here Black

339 Chapter i4

can capture a pawn in response: sation for the queen is sufficient 20 ...ha 3!? 21.�g5 �e7+ and fo r equality.). 22 ...tLlxa3 23.�d3�. White's compensation seems in­ Wllite's hopes fo r the develop­ sufficient. It is preferable to play ment of his initiative rest on the 20 . .tg5!? and, thanks to the pin, undermining move h2-h4, for ex­ White indirectly neutralizes the ample: 23 ...b4 24.tLla4 tLlb5 25. pressure against his a3-pawn and h4!t prepares the deployment of his 18)be4 knight to the c5-outpost. The White's knight can and should game might continue: 20 ...tLld5 (!) be centralized, because with 21.he7 tLlcxe7 22.tLlc5 tLlf4 23. the inclusion of the moves gc8 �e3 tLled5 24.�b3 with a very in­ and .tb1 the tactical blow tLlc6-b4 teresting and dynamic fight withthe white queen on e4 would ahead. not work for Black, in contrast to 17. .ibl the Arizmendi - Mancebo game - see 16 ...b4 17.tLle4?! It is worse for White to play 18.tLla4bxa3 19.bxa3 tLla5 20.tLle5 �d5 21.tLlc5 tLlc6!?, with good counterplay fo r Black, Van der Wiel - Kuligowski, Wijk aan Zee 1983. 18 ... tLlxe4 19.Ybe4 bxa3 20.bxa3 .if6 After 20 ...ha3 21.tLlg5!� White's threats on the kingside are tremendously dangerous.

17 •••b4 21.�f4 .ig7 The transfer of Black's knight to c4 is less effectivethan at move 14 (see variation B), although it is still possible: 17... tLla 5 18.tLle5tLlc 4 19.�e2 �f8 20 . .tg5 h6 21..th4 g5 22.�g3!? (This is stronger for White than 22.tLlxc4 gxc4 23 . .tg3, as played in the game Drozdovskij - Sakalauskas, Warsaw 2007. Black could have captured a pawn: 23 ...gxd4 !? 24 . .te5 gxd1 25.gxd1 �e7 26.�d3 �g7CXl with a rather unclear position, or 26.�d6 �xd6 22.tLlg5! 27.gxd6 hd6= and his compen- This elegant tactical shot was

340 IQP 7... de 8.l1:Jxe4 ib4 9.l1:Jc3CfJf 61O.0-0 0-0 11.a3 !i.e? recommended by Sergey Soloviov White was threatening 24.l1:Jf6+, and its idea will become clear a among other things, and naturally little later. Black could not be at all happy This is much stronger than the with the variation 23 ....ixh6 ?! 24. premature exchange of the bish­ Wfxh6 Wfe7 25.l1:Jg5.) 24 . .ixf4. ops. After 22.hg7 <;i!xg7 23.CfJg5 White's knight penetrates to the Wfc7 24.Wfh4 h6 25.l1:Je4 Wfe7 26. d6-outpost with decisive effect Wfg3 :ged8 27.ia2 ia8 28.h4 and Black cannot avoid material Wfc7= Black succeeds in neutral­ loss. For example: 24 ...:ged8 25. izing White's pressure, Gofshtein CfJd6 :gb8 26.CfJxb7 :gxb7 27. .te4 - Volzhin, Lausanne 2000. :gc8 28.:gc1 :gb6 29.d5 exd5 30.

22 •••Wfe7 .txd5±, when his position is very This is practically the only difficult, because he is pinned move for Black but his queen is along the c-file,while White has a walking right into White's pawn­ pair of powerful bishops. Black break d4-d5. can try to sacrifice the exchange Black should refrainfrom 22 ... for the enemy d4-pawn, but that :ge7?! 23.l1:Je4± and his dark would not solve his problems: squares are tremendously vulner­ 25 ...:gxd6 26 .hd6 CfJxd427 . .te4±, able. finally if 25 ... CfJxd4 26.CfJxc8 :gxc8 Under the circumstances, he is 27. .te4±; White's advantage is incapable of defending with tem­ clear in both variations. po against the threat of 23.Wfxf7+: 23.hg7 <;i!xg7 24.d5 e5 thus if 22 ...Wfc7? !

23.CfJe4! (This move is the es­ sence of the manoeuvre 22.CfJg5! In the diagram position, White without the exchange of the dark­ has a very pleasant choice. He can squared bishops - White's queen enter a slightly better endgame is protected and thanks to this, with 25.Wfxf7+ Wfxf726. CfJxf7<;i!xf7 his knight penetrates Black's 27.dxc6 bxc6 28 . .td3t,preserving camp.) 23 ...Wfxf4 (There is noth­ an edge, since Black has too many ing else in sight for Black, since weaknesses (two pawn-islands

341 Chapter i4 against only one for White), and Black's last move also has a draw­ maintaining the initiative. Here back, since now White does not are some variations to confirm need to consider the possibilityof this evaluation: 28. .. i.b7 29.l'!b1 b5-b4 on every move. l'!c7 30.l'!b6, or 2B... a5 29.i.a6! 15.j,g5 g6 (White disrupts the coordination of Black's pieces.) 29 ...l'!bB (after 29 ...l'!cB 30.l'!c1, the pin is very unpleasant for Black) 30.i.c4+ wg7 31.l'!d6. However, it is even stronger for White to play here

25.W1e3!? and then 25 .••�a 5 26.d6 W1d7 27.j,a2 �c4 28. W1e2, or 25 ... �d4 26.f4! with an initiative for White in both cases.

B) 14 ...�a5! 16.�e5! This is White's best move-or­ der. In the most important game on this theme - Cvitan - Doet­ tling, Charleville 2000 - the op­ ponents reached this position af­ ter 16.i.h6 l'!eB 17.ttle5 l'!cB 1B.'8'h3 - see 16.ttle5 l'!cB 17.i.h6 l'!eB lB. '8'h3. In this move-order, howev­ er, Black has the possibility of equalizing with 17 ...ttlc6! and if 1B.l'!ad1, then 1B ...ttlx e5 19.dxe5 I believe this is Black's most '8'xd3 20.i.xd3 ttld5=. We have serious response to his opponent's mentioned numerous times in plan. He defends against the this book that fo r the side, pawn-break 15.d5, frees the diag­ which has an isolated pawn onal for his bishop on b7, trans­ in the centre, piece exchang­ fers his knight to c4 and tries not es are unfavourable, unless to waste time on the move g7-g6. they advantageously change Naturally White will force his op­ the pawn-structure or obtain ponent to advance the g-pawn some other immediate bene­ sooner or later by playing his fit. So I am not going to analyze bishop to g5, but subsequently the variation 1B.ttlxc6?! i.xc6, be­ this bishop will go to h6, so White cause only Black can fightfor ad­ will lose a tempo. However, vantage in the arising position.

342 IQP 7... de 8Ji:Jxe4 ib4 9. lbc3 lbf610.0-0 0-0 11.a3 i.e7

16 ...gc8 f7-square, while after 20 ...lbxe5 Here it is important that after (It is dubious for Black to play 16 ...lbc6 17.Elad1 20 ...lbxd4 ?! owing to 21.lbxf7! with an attack for White, since Black cannot capture the knight: 21...Wxf7? 22.Elxd4!+-; also after 20 ...�d6 21.ie4;!;: White exerts some pressure.) White can play 21.ie4 with the sample variation: 21...�d7 21.dxe5 �c7 23.Elc1 �b8 24.�f3 he4 25.�xe4;!;:and White maintains the advantage, thanks to his more active pieces. Black cannot exchange the 17.J.b6 queens: 17 ...lbxe5 18.dxe5 �xd3?, It is weaker for White to play because he would lose a piece, in the natural move 17.Elad1, because view of the variation 19.Elxd3! of 17... lbc4 18.lbxc4 bxc4 19.�h3 lbd5 20.he7 lbxe7 21.Eld7+-. In­ lbd5+! withchances for both sides, stead of 18 ... �xd3?, he should I.Sokolov - C.Hansen, Malmo play 18 ...lbd5, but even then White 1998. maintains the advantage after 17 ...ge8 18.�b3! 19.ixe7 lbxe7 (after 19 ...�xe7 White redeploys his queen to 20.lbe4;!;: his knight has excellent the kingsideand plans the tactical prospects and Black's attempt to shot 19.1bxf7! exchange it immediately leads to material loss: 20 ...lbf 4?! 21.�e3 he4 22.he4±) 20.�e3 �c7 21.Elc1 and now White plans to disrupt the black king's shelter with the help of the advance of his h-pawn, for example: 21...Elac8 22.h4 �b8 23. h5 lbd5 24.lbxd5 hd5 25.�g5;!;:with powerful pres­ sure for White on the kingside. Another possibility for Black was tried in the game Alonso Fernan­ dez - Gimeno Higueras, Cullera Black has several possibilities 2006: 17 ...lbd5 18.ih6 Ele8 18. in the diagram position. They can lbxd5 �xd5. White should con­ be divided into two groups. The tinue here with 19.�h3! with the "reliable" moves will be classified initiative: he is threatening 20. in the first group: 18 ...if8, 18 ... ib3, followed by a sacrificeon the �d6 and 18 ...�b6 - Black defends

343 Chapteri4

against the strike against the f7- addition, Black's king is very un­ square by fortifyingthe e6-square. safe and White's virtually unpre­ The "risky"possibilities belong to ventable pawn-break d4-d5! will the second group - 18 ... W1xd4 and highlight this; for example: 26 ... 18 ...lLlc 4 - it looks as if Black is ig­ �c7 27.d5!, or 26... lLlx b2 27.�g3 noring his opponent's threat and �c7 28.d5!) 24.W1xb7±. White has relying on the power of his coun­ a material and positional advan­ ter attack. We have to tell you tage, but after 24 ...lLlx b2, the that, despite the fact that the forced play continues, because threat of 19.1Llxf7 is very serious, several of White'spieces are hang­ the "risky" moves for Black create ing. I shall continue this variation more difficulties forWhite - B1) until it can be evaluated with cer­

18 .•• W1xd4!? and B2) 18 .•. tainty: 25.hg6 �e7 (it would be a c!lJc4!? disaster for Black to play 25 ... Among the meaningful alter­ �c7? 26.W1f3 and after 26... lLlx d1, natives for Black, the move 18 ... White's most precise reaction .if8 deserves least attention. After would be 27. lLle4!+- with a deci­ 19 . .ig5, Black has hardly anything sive advantage) 26.W1f3 \!Ig7 (26 ... better than 19 ....ie7 and such a �g7 27. .ih5 lLlxdl 28.lLlxdl \!Ig8 loss of tempo cannot go unpun­ 29 . .ig4±) 27. lLle4 hd428.�xd4! ished in this rather concrete posi­ W1xd4 29.W1g3± White's powerful tion: 20.�ad1 and White's pres­ threats are difficult for Black to sure increases. parry, for example: 29 ...\!Ig8 30 . .if7+! \!Ixf731.lLld 6+. The move chosen by Black in the above-mentioned game (see the note to 16.lLle5): 18 ...W1d6 was not very good either. His queen is misplaced here, since it comes under attack by White's pieces.

In particular, after 20... lLlc 4, White already has the shot 21. lLlxf7!, followed by 21...\!Ixf7 22. i.xf6 .ixf6 23.W1xh7+ \!If8 (Black is clearly worse after 23 ... .ig7 24. hg6+ \!If8 25.he8 W1xe8 26. �d3±. Whitehas a slight material advantage with a rook and three There followed 19.�ad1 lLlc4 pawns for two minor pieces. In 20 . .ib3!t. Black cannot capture

344 IQP 7... de BJiJxe4 ib4 9.ltJc3ltJf 61O.0-0 0-0 11.a3 ie7 on b2: 20 ...ltJx b2? 21.ltJxf7!+-,so arise after 21...ltJd722 .i.xe7 E:xe7 White finnly seized the initiative, 23.E:adlltJc5 Cvitan - Doettling, Charleville 2000 (game 66). It is a slight improvement for Black to play 18 ...�b6 and after 19.i.gS (White cannot continue as in the previous variation: 19. E:adl?! ltJc4 20.i.b3 ltJxb2! and af­ ter 21.ltJxf7,Black has the resource 21...ltJxdl!.making use of the cir­ cumstance that his queen is not under attack, in contrast to its 24.i.d5!;\;.With the help of this placement on d6 in the previous nice tactical shot, based on the in­ variation) 19 ...ltJc 4 20.i.b3! (but sufficient protection of Black's not 20.ltJxf7? wxf7 21.i.xf6 i.xf6 rook on c8, White manages to ex­ 22.�xh7+ wf8 23.i.xg6 E:e7+ and change his bishop, restricted by Black easily parries the attack). Black's pawn, for its more active opponent and afterthis he has ex­ cellent chances of exploiting the vulnerability of Black's kingside.) 22.i.xd5 i.xg5 23.i.xb7 �xb7 24. ltJe4 i.e72S.� h6 (It is weaker for White to play immediately 25. ltJf6+ i.xf6 26.exf6 hS 27.�e3 wh7 and his queen fails reach to the h6-square.) 2S ... wh8 26.E:adl i.f8 (Black has no other acceptable re­ White maintains the initiative, ply here. He loses immediately for example: 20 ... ltJxeS (It would after 26 ...E:c d8? 27.ltJf6 i.xf6 28. not work for Black to play 20 ... exf6 E:g8 29.E:xd8+-; also insuffi­ ltJxb2? 21.ltJxf7!with an attack; if cient is 26 ...E:ed8 27.ltJf6 i.xf6 20 ...ltJhS, White can increase his 28.exf6 E:g8 29.E:d3 gS pressure with 21.i.xe7 E:xe7 22. �h4 f6 23.ltJd3ltJxb2 24.ltJcS ltJc4 25.a4t and his initiative is suffi­ cient to compensate for the sacri­ ficed pawn; or 22 ...E:ee8 23.i.xc4 bxc4 24.ltJa4;\;and White's knights penetrate inside Black's camp with great effect.) 21.dxeS ltJd5 (An interesting variation might

345 Chapteri4

Now, fortunately for Black, he can parry the seemingly deadly attack 30.1"1h3 with the spectacu­ lar counterstrike 30 ...�e 4!; but after the calm move 30.1"1ed3± White has a clear advantage) 27. �h4 i.e7 28.�f4± and White's pressure is very unpleasant for Black.

B1) 18 ...�xd4 !? Capturing the pawn deserves 22.1"1xc7�xc7 23.tDxf7!)22.� xh5!! the most serious attention. gxh5 23.1"1xf7 and strangely enough, the only defence against mate is the line: 23 ...Wh8 24. 1"1xh7+ Wg8 25.1"1f7=with a repeti­ tion of moves. 21.. J3xe7 22.�h4 ti'c7 Black must cover the d7-square against the attack by White's knight. After 22 ... 1"1ee8? 23.g4 tDf424. tDd7± Black is in great trouble. 23.i.e4 f5 This is Black's only move, since White must play very precisely he cannot allow White's knight to and aggressively in order to create the e4-square, where it has excel­ problems for his opponent: lent prospects, fo r example: 23 ... 19.1"1ad1 tDc4 24.tDxc4 bxc4 25.hb7 �xb7 It is weaker for him to play 19. 26.tDe4t tDxf7 �g4! 24.hb7 �xb7 19 ...�b6 20.i.g5! tlJh5 White was threatening to cap­ ture on f7, so Black should not ignore this: 20 ... tDc4 21.tDxf7!--+ Wxf7? 22.hf6 hf6 23.�xh7+ Wf8 24.1"1d71"1e7 25. 1"1xe7he7 26. hg6+- with unavoidable mate. (diagram) 21.he7 There arises a mind-boggling draw after21 .1"1d7!? hg5 (21...1"1c7

346 IQP 7... de B.fiJxe4 i.b4 9.liJc3 CiJf610.0-0 0-0 11.a3 i.e7

White's pieces are very active B2) 18 ... tDc4!? and Black has numerous weak­ Of the numerous possibilities nesses in his camp to worryabout. here, this move is probably his However, White is a pawn down best. and Black is threatening 25 ...ltlc4, exchanging White's powerful e5- knight and thus reducing the pressure, so tremendously active and precise play is required from White at this point. 25.a4! The main idea of this move is to exchange the pawn on b5 or fo rce it to advance in order to de­ prive Black's knight on c4 of its outpost.

25 ...b4 19 • .ib3! After 25 ...ltlc 4 26.axb5 axb5 White increases his pressure, 27.ltlxb5±, White regains his pawn according to the principle that the and preserves all the advantages threat is more powerful that its of his position, while after 25 ... execution. Strangely enough, the bxa4 26.ltlxa4� he has excellent attractive strike which he had pre­ compensation for the minimal pared with his previous move material deficit. would not be so effectivehere : 19. 26.tDe2 ltlxfl \Wxd4CXl with an absolutely White is threatening 27.ltld4. unclear position, in which I be­ 26 ... tDb3 27.tDd4 tDxd4 28. lieve Black's prospects are at least gxd4 a5 29.h3� equal, for example: 20J'!adl?! \Wg4+; or 20.ltlg5?! ltlg4+ and in both cases Black seizes the initia­ tive. The move 20.\Wxe6?? loses for White on the spot, because of 20 ...i. c5-+ 19 ...\Wxd4 Naturally, it would not work for Black to play 18 ...ltlx b2??, since White could win after thisin several ways, of which the most effective seems to be 19.\Wxe6!+- 20.gadl White has an excellent game It is too early for White to strike for the sacrificedpawn . the blow on fl: 20.ltlxfl?! ltlg4+

347 Chapter i4

20 ••J�b6 thanks to the weaknesses on After 20.. '\'*'cS? !, the combina­ Black's kingside) 25.gdS+ �g7 tion - 21.ttJxf7! works perfectly. 26.gxeS gxeS 27.�xe4 ti'dS

21• .ixe4bxe4 22 • .ig5� 2S.ti'xdS gxdS 29.gdl= with an approximately equal endgame.

Or 22 •••gedS 23.ti'h4 gxdl (it is weaker for Black to play 23 ...Wix b2? 24.,bf6 Wixc3 and owing to the powerful intermedi­ ate move 2SJ�cl! he loses ma­ terial: 2S ...Wid4 26.,be7±) 24. �xdl (if 24.E!xdl Black can now capture on b2: 24 ...Wixb 2 2S.,bf6 Wixc3 26.�g4 .bf6 27.�xf6+ �g7 and White must give perpetual check: 28.ttJhS+ gxhS 29.WigS+

For the sacrificed pawn White �f8 30. E!d8+ with a draw) 24 •.. has good compensation, which is ti'dS 25.�e3 White can hardly sufficient for equality at least. improve his position, but Black Now he plans 23.'�h4, increasing has difficulties getting rid of the the pressure along the h4-d8 di­ pin along the h4-d8 diagonal, be­ agonal and attacking the c4-pawn. cause after25 •••�d 5?! White has There might follow: the tactical strike 26.�xf7!, while

22 •••�h5 23• .ixe7 gxe7 24. after 25 ••• �g7 he has a guaran­ ti'h4 gee7 (after 24 .. .f6 2S.�xc4 teed draw: 26. ti'h6+ �gS Wic6 26.ttJe3;!; White is better, 27.ti'h4 Chapter i4 l.e4 e6 2.d4 dS 3.�d2 a6 4.�gt3 cS S.c3 �c6 6 . .id3 cxd4 7.cxd4 dxe4 8.�xe4 .ib4+ 9.�c3 �f6 10.0-0 0-0 11.a3 .ie7

COMPLETE GAMES

63 Vaganian - Bronstein their development and are ready Tbilisi 1973 to begin active operations. The 1.lLlf3 lLlf6 2.c4 c5 3.lLlc3 position seems nearly equal, al­ lLlc64.e 3 e6 5.d4 d5 6.a3 dxc4 though this is a typical dynamic 7 . .txc4 a6 8 . .id3 cxd4 9.exd4 balance. The situation is very

.ie7 10.0-0 0-0 1l • .ic2 b6 complicated and the real fight is 12.ge1 just starting. It is interesting to witness how young Rafael Vaga­ nian gradually outplays his emi­ nent opponent.

16.�e2 �c7 17• .ib1 White's bishop is going to a2.

17••• b5 18.gel This move is played to counter the pawn-advance bS-b4: it is weaker for White to play immedi­

ately 18 . .b2 b4.

12 ...ga7 13.�d3 gd7 14 . .ie3 18 •••gc8 19 • .ia2 .ib7 15.gad1 g6

19 •..�b8 Both sides have completed Black should avoid for the mo-

349 Chapter i4 ment 19 ...b4 20.axb4 and here, be he should consider playing this after the capture with the bishop right away: 19 ...�d6 !? 20.�edl 20 ...i.xb4 White has the resource lLla5 (20 ...b4? ! 21.d5!) 2l.lLle5 2l.�edl, with the positional threat �dc7? with some counterplay. of 22.d5, while capturing with the knight looks very risky indeed. I will quote for you an attractive variation which refutes it: ...20 lLlxb4?! 2l.lLle5! (The position af­ ter the move 2l.lLld5 is not so clear, since Black can sacrifice his queen: 21...i.xd5!? 22.�xc7 �dxc7 23.i.xd5 lLlfxd5� with good com­ pensation.) 21...�dd8 22.lLlxf7! (This is stronger than 22.lLld5 20.ig5? lLlfxd5 23.�xc7 �xcn) 22 .. .'i!;>xt7 This is a serious mistake, but it 23.ih6!� White's attack is crush­ is the only one White made in this ing and Black is helpless against game. it. It is interesting that there seem He should have prevented to be numerous attractive moves Black's knight-sortie to the g4- with tempo of White's knight on square with the move 20.h3!?±, c3, but in the end it does not even planning to follow up with 2l. come to this. That is just how it is ig5. when the threat is more powerful The move 20.�cdl!?;!; also than its execution. The presence looks good for White. of this threat, however, prevents 20... �d6? Black from organizing any accept­ Black misses a chance to seize able defence. Now, in particular, the initiative: 20 ...lLlg4 ! (with the he cannot move his bishop to d5. terrible threat of 21...lLlxd4!) 2l. The game could end in the follow­ g3 (this is the only move) 21... ing way: 23 ... lLlxa2 (or 23 ...�d6 lLlxd4! (in spite of everything!) 24.i.xe6+ \!fe8 25.if4 ! �xf4 26. 22.lLlxd4 i.xg5 22.�xg4 (here 22. i.xc8+-and Whitecollects Black's �cdl, hoping after the retreat of bishop on b7 too, since it is bad Black's knight on g4 to strike the for Black to continue with 26 ... tactical blow 23.lLlxe6, is no im­ �c7? 27.lLlb5) 24.�xe6+ \!fe8 provement, because Black has at 25.lLlb5! lLlxc1 (25 ...�d7 26. his disposal a verypowerful tacti­ �xf6+-) 26.lLlxc7+ �xc7 27.�xf6 cal resource: 22 ...lLle5! 23. �xe5 lLld3 28.�f8+ \!fd7 29.�xe7+­ �xe5 24.�xe5 if6 25.�xe6 i.xd4+=) etc. 22 ...i.xcl 23.�xcl �e5+= and al­ Bearing in mind that Black though the material is about plays �d6 on his next move, may- equal, Black's bishop on b7 exerts

350 IQP 7... d e 8.tiJxe4 :ib4 9.l'iJc3l'iJf 610.0-0 0-0 ll.a3 :ie7 powerful pressure along the long other knight will go to c5 on the diagonal and his rooks are very next move and his pressure will active, while White has problems increase. findinga safe square for his knight 27.hSt liJf6 on d4. Thus Black has a clear ad­ This is probably not the best vantage, for example after 24. move for Black. It is not so easy to l'iJxe6 he has the resource 24... suggest an improvement for him, �eS!, while if 24.l'iJf3 it is good for though... His position is already Black to play 24 .. :&f6! very difficult. "Rybka" recom­ 2U'kdl liJdS mends 27 ...gxhS and maybe that The move 21...l'iJaS presents would be his best decision, but it White with differenttactical pos­ is hard for a human player to sibilities, fo r example: 22.l'iJeS (it choose a move like that. is also interesting to try here 28.liJegS 22.dS!? exdS 23.l'iJeS �dc7 24. Black is helpless against the Wf3t) 22 ...�dc7 23.l'iJxf7!? i>xf7 threats to capture on e6, for ex­ 24.:!xe6+ i>g7 2S.:ixcS :!xcS 26. ample: 2S ...Wd6 29.hxg6 hxg6 Wf3 :ib727 .dSt withthe threat of 30.:ixe6! fxe6 31.l'iJxe6+ i>gS 32. 2S.:if4 . Wh6--+ with a decisive attack for 22.liJe4 White. White had a good alternative 28 ...liJxhS - 22.l'iJxdS!? exdS 23.h4;!; 22 ... Yge7 23.he7 gxe7 24. g3 i>g72S .Wd2 Wd8 26.h4

29.he6! Black loses material.

29 ••.'&f 6

26 .••gee7 Black must give up the ex­ Black cannot be happy with change, since if the rook retreats the appearance of White's pawn White has the tactical shot 30. on hS, but after 26 ...hS, Black :ixf7!+- probably did not like the weaken­ 30.he8 gxe8 ing of the gS-square, which could White's position is wimiing be comfortably occupied by and its realisation is not a prob­ White's knight 27.l'iJfgS. White's lem at all.

3S1 Chapter i4

31.dS �e7 32.d6 �dS 33. b4!;!;, not letting his opponent's �d4 gd8 34.�e4 �xd4 3S. knight reach the c4-square. He gxd4 �b6 36.�eS f6 37.�c5! was probably not afraid of this fxeS 38.�e6+ �f6 39.�xd8 knight-manoeuvre, because Black exd4 40.�xb7 �g7 41.�cS. would need to support his knight Black resigned. there with the move b6-b5, after which White would be able to ex­ ploit the weakness of the c5-out­ 64 Emms Mueller post. The course of this game Germany 2001 shows that White's hopes in this l.e4 e6 2.d4 dS 3.�d2 a6 respect were in vain. 4.�gt3c5 S.c3 �c6 6 . .id3cxd4 22 ... bS 23.gdel �c4 24. 7.cxd4 dxe4 8.�xe4 .ib4+ 9. �g3 �d6 2S.�f4 gc7 26.h4 hS �c3 �f6 10.0-0 0-0 11.a3 27.g3 �g7 28.�d3 �f6 29. .ie712 . .ic2b6 13.gel �xf6+ �xf6 3 0 .�c5

13 ....ib7 14.�d3 g6 IS . .ih6 30 ... �c4?! ge8 16.gadl gc8 17. .ib3 �aS After this move White regains 18 . .ia2 �dS 19.�eS .it'S 20. the advantage . .ixf8 gxt'S 21.�xdS exdS Afterthe correct response 30 ... tLlf5! Black would have either ex­ changed his opponent's powerful knight on c5, or forced it to re­ treat, since White's attempt to protect his pawn on d4 with either of his rooks would fail, because of 31...tLlxd4! After 31.tLlb3 tc8=, or 31.tLlxb7 l'!xb7 32.hd5 l'!d7= the position becomes completely equal. 22.ge2 31..ibl.ic8 32. �g2 as 33.£3 White could have maintained gd8 34. �f2 .ifS 3S.ht"5 �xf5 the advantage with the move 22. 36.ge7 gxe7 37.gxe7 �f6 38.

352 IQP 7... de BliJ xe4 ib4 9.ltJc3 ltJJ61O.0-0 0-0 11.a3 i.e7 gb7 tDxb2 39.gb6+ �e7 40. gxb5

are numerous mistakes from both sides, so we should not be too crit­ ical towards the participants in

40 •••tDc 4?! this dramatic encounter. Here, unlike the computer, a 47.ga7+ �e6 48.tDxf7 normal human player (moreover 48.ltJd3!? probably in some time-trouble) 48••. tDxg3 49.tDg5+ �d5 findsit very difficultto see the bi­ 50.gd7+ �c4 51.d5 ge2+ zarre manoeuvre: 40 ...ltJd l+! and 51...<;t>d3!?; 51...ltJf5!? 52.d6 Black somehow manages to attack <;t>d5. the d4-pawn: 41.<;t>gl (or 41.<;t>el 52.�dl �d3 53. �cl ga2 ltJe3! 42.:B:xa5 ltJc2=) 41...ltJc3 42. 54.�bl gxa4 55.d6 tDe2? :B:xa5 ltJe2+ 43.<;t>f2 ltJxd4= with 55... ltJf5 equality. 56.tDe4? 41.a4± gd6 42.tDd3 After 56.:B:b7!+- White suc­ White is threatening 43.ltJf4, cessfully defends his king and so Black loses one of his pawns, Black will need to give up a knight on as or d5. for White'spassed d-pawn, for ex­

42 ..•gb6 !? ample: 56 ...:B:d4 57.d7 ltJf4 58.ltJf7 The immediate activation of ltJe659.:B: b6 etc. the rook is his best chance. 56 ••• tDc3+ 57.tDxc3 �xc3 43.gxd5 gb3 44.tDe5 gb2+ 58.gc7+ �b3= 45.�el tDe346.g xa5 tDf5+t The arising rook and pawn (diagram) ending is drawish. Black has sacrificedtwo pawns 59.gb7+ �c3 60.gc7+ �b3 and organized counterplay, so he 61.d7 gd4 62.�c1 gd6 63.f4 has some chances of saving the gd5 64.gb7+ �c3 65.gc7+ �b3 day. The rest of the game is very 66.gc6 gxd7 67.gxg6 gf7 68. difficult to annotate. The fight is gg5 gxf4 69.gxh5 �c3 70. very sharp, with mutual threats gc5+ �b4 71.gc8 gxh4 72. and wild knight-sorties and there �d2. Draw.

353 Chapter i4

65 Koneru Korbut a3-pawn: 23 . .ie4 he4 24.!'!xe4 Kallithea 2008 Wxa3;!; and Black has great draw­ l.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.lilf3 ing chances.

lilf6 4.e3 a6 5.i.xc4 e6 6.0-0 23 •••�c7 c5 7 .i.d3 lilc68.a 3 cxd4 9.exd4 This is the correct decision. i.e7 10.lilc 3 0 -0 lU�el b5 White's d4-pawn is going no­ 12.i.c2 where, while Black should avoid the exchange of the major pieces. 24.i.e4 hd4 25.!'!f3 e5

12 .••b4 13.lile4 bxa3 14. bxa3 i.b7 15.!,!bl lila5 16.lilxf6 + i.xf6 17.lile5 !'!c8 18.i.d2 i.a8 26.g3?! 19.!'!e3 g6 20.ha5 �xa5 21. Control of the long diagonal lild7 c.!lg722.lil xfS !'!xfS;!; hl-a8 is the most important factor for the evaluation of this position. White'sback rank is weak, so it is not good for him to play 26 . .ixa8 �xa8 27.We4 �b8, therefore he must create luft for his king, but how exactly? He should have cho­ sen 26.h4! (threatening 27.h5!) 26 ...h5. (Such moves are usually played almost automatically in games between human players, White has won the exchange, but computers are not so sure but its realisation entails great about this ... Still, in this case it technical difficulties. Black's bish­ looks as if the move with the h­ ops are active, while White's pawn is the right decision for pawns on d4 and a3 are very Black, since it would be too risky weak. for him to play 26 .. .f5 27.ha8 23.�el! �xa8 28.�tb3t, when the vulner­ Naturally White wishes to ex­ ability of his 7th rank would be change the light-squared bishops, hurting him. If he plays analo­ but not at the price of losing his gously to the game: 26 ...Wa7, then

354 IQP 7. .. de 8.tiJxe4 ib4 9. ltJc3ltJf 610.0-0 0-0 11.a3 �e7

White has the resource 27.h5!t) 34.�g2! 27.ha8 E1xa8 28.'tlfe4;l: and he White's idea of exchanging the still preserves some winning queens is quite appropriate (see chances. the note to White's 29th move). 26 ..•�a7! 27.ha8 �xa8 28.gtb3�d5 =

34... �xg2 +?! Black should keep the queens Black's queen has taken con­ on the board, for example: 34 ... trol of the hl-a8 diagonal and \We6!? 35.\Wa8 E1xa3 36.E1b8 E1al+ White has no advantage whatso­ 37.'i!ig2 \Wc4+ and the computer ever. It looks as if Black is about considers that Black has more to seize the initiative, so White chance of mating his opponent in must play accurately in order not the resulting position. Well, this to lose the game, although the po­ is a typical computer decision and sition is still approximately equal. not every strong playeris capable 29.�e2?! of confidently playing in similar He should exchange pieces, so style. the exchange of rooks eliminates From the purely human point a certain degree of risk: 29.E1b8!=, of view, I should like to recom­ for example: 29.. .:1'1x b8 30.:1'1xb8 mend 34 ...\Wc 5!? 35.�e4 (it is bad \Wa2 31.'i!ig2 \Wxa3 32.\Wb4 with for White to play 35.a4? E1c1+ 36. complete equality. Maybe White E1dl E1c2 37.E1f1 e4+ and he is was still hoping to fight for the forced to defend purely passively. . WIn.... ? White's attempt to occupy the 8th

29••• gc8 ! 30.gd3 rank with his major pieces fails af­ 30.\Wxa6? hf2!-+ ter: 35.�a8? E1cl+ 36.E1dl hf2+)

30 •••gc4 35 ...a4 36.E1b7 E1xa3 37.E1c2 E1c3+ Black plans to regroup his and he must fight hard for the pieces: \Wc6fo llowed by E1c2. draw. 31.gd2 �c6 32.�dl a5 35.'i!ixg2 gxa3= 33.�f1 gc3+ The position is about equal af­ Black is already slightly bet- ter the exchange of the queens. ter. 36.gc2 ga4

355 Chapter i4

If 36 ...a4 , then 37.�b4! (White We have already pointed out forces the enemy rook to protect in the theoretical section that the the passed pawn. It is inferior for position arising after White's 1'Jlh him to choose 37.�b7? �b3+ and move should be reached via the Black's a-pawn becomes verydan­ more precise move-order: 1S.ltJeS gerous.) 37... gS 38.g4 and this po­ �c8 (1S ... ltJc6 16.�ad1!) 16.i.h6 sition is almost the same as the �e8 17.�h3. one which arises in the game after lS ••• ge8 16.ttJeSgc8 a few moves. 16... ltJc 6! 37.gbS= 17.ti'h3 Now, the situation on the board is quite drawish. Nothing important happens to the end of this encounter.

37 •••gS 38.g4 hS 39.h3 h4 40.gdS <;!;>f6 41.gd6+ <;!;>e7 42. ga6 <;!;>d743. gf6 <;!;>e744.gfS f6 4S.gc6 e4 46.gdS gb4 47.gcd6 .tb6 48.gd7+ <;!;>e6 49.gSd6+ <;!;>eS SO.gdS+ <;!;>e6 Sl.gSd6+

<;!;>eSS2.g dS+. Draw. 17.•• �d6 18.gad1 ttJc4 19 . .tb3! .tdS 19 ...ltJx b2? 20.ltJxf7!+- 66 Cvitan Doettling 20.hc4 hc4?! Charleville 2000 Black's 17th move was not the 1.d4 dS 2.c4 dxc4 3.e3 ttJf6 best and only enabled his oppo­ 4.hc4 e6 S.ttJf3 cS 6.0-0 a6 nent to seize the initiative. Now,

7 • .tb3 cxd4 8.exd4 ttJc6 9.ttJc3 after this mistake, he begins to

.te7 10.ge1 0-0 1l • .tgS bS have very serious problems. It

12.�d3 .tb7 13.a3 ttJaS 14 • .tc2 was essential for Black to keep g6 control of the e4-square with his bishop, so he had to play 20 ... bxc4!, to be able to reply to 21.i.gS with 21...ltJhS!.

21• .tgS .idS Now if 21...ltJhS White has the resource 22.ltJe4, for example: 22 ...�d8 23.i.xe7 �xe7 24.g4!? ltJf4 (24... ltJf6 2S.ltJgS�f8 26.�h4 �27.ltJxh7!) 2S.�h6 ltJdS 26.ltJcS and in view of the threat of 27.b3 lS.-'.h6 White wins the enemy a6-pawn:

3S6 IQP 7... de 8.l"iJxe4 ib4 9.lLlc3lLlf6 10.0-0 0-0 11.a3 !i.e7

26 ...lLlf 6 27.lLlxa6 lLld728 .lLlb4;t 'lWxd5 29.'lWxe7 'IWhl+ 30.rne2 �c2+ 22.Y!rh4 31.�d2 �cl 32. rnd3! and White wins. 23.Y!rf4! First White creates the direct threat of 24.ixf6+ ixf6 25.lLlxg6! Secondly, White immobilizes the f6-knight, which needs to prevent White's access to the f7-square, and now he plans the transfer of the rook �d3-h3 with a dangerous attack.

22 •••mg7 23 •••Y!rdS 24.gd3 .ib7 25.

After this rather tentative gh3 h5 26 • .ih6+ mgS move, Black comes under a strong attack. His attempt to provoke a crisis with 22 ... lLlh5 would be very risky: 23.ixe7 �xe7 (or 23 .. .'�Vxe7 24.'lWxe7 �xe7 25.lLlxg6! hxg6 26. lLlxd5 and White wins a pawn) 24.g4! (now it is already weaker for White to play 24.lLlxg6?! hxg6 25.lLlxd5 'lWxd5! 26.'lWxe7 lLlf4 27. f3 �c2 with dangerous counter­ play for Black) 24... lLlf4 (after 24 ... 27.gxh5!+- lLlg7, it is again very good for White begins the decisive of­ White to continue with 25.lLlxg6! fensive. Black cannot capture the hxg6 26.lLlxd5+-) 25.'lWf6! lLlh3+ rook, because of the mate.

26.rnfl+-. Black's knight on h3 is 27••• gc4 2S.gh4 gc7 29 • stranded in White's camp. White .ig5 is threatening, for example, 27. This move is played with the �e3. In addition, Black's queen is idea of 30.�h8+! Instead, White overburdened with defensive could have won beautifully with functions. White might play lLlxd5 29.ig7!, mating in a few moves, at some moment, fo r example af­ but the move in the game also ter 26 ...h6 27.�e3 (it is still too leads to a quick victory. early for 27.lLlxd5? 'lWxd5 28.'lWxe7 29 •••gfS 30.Y!rg3 geS 31. 'lWhl+ 29.rne2 'lWe4+ with a per­ ghS+. Black resigned, since he petual check) 27 ... lLlg5 28.lLlxd5 loses his queen.

357 Chapter is 1.e4 e6 2.d4 dS 3)hd2 a6 4.ll)g£J c5 S.c3 ll)c6 6.i.d3 cxd4 7.cxd4 dxe4 8.ll)xe4 .ie7 9. 0-0 ll)f6

Step by Step

same position, but without the in­ clusion of the moves a2-a3 and a7-a6, in Chapter ii, variation B. The comparison between these positions is definitely in White's favour, because in this particular case Black cannot accomplish the important manoeuvre ttJc6- b4-dS, while the placement of his pawn on a6 is not particularly useful. 10.a3 1l ...lOd5 White needs to deprive his The game develops calmly and opponent of the possibility of unhurriedly after11 ...�d7 (In gen­ ttJb4-dS, even before completing eral, if Black wishes to place his the development of his queen­ bishop on d7, it is better for him side. to exchange on e4 immediately: 10 ... 0-0 11.�e3 1l ...ttJxe4 12.he4 �d7) 12.Elc1(12. ttJcS!?) 12 ... ElcB (after 12 ... ttJxe4 13.he4 �f6 14.Elc3E:cB lS.�b1 g6 16.Elfc1 �g7 17.g3 'it>hB 1B.b4;!; Black's position is terribly cramped, Djuric - G.Orlov, New York 1990) 13.�e2 (it is even bet­ ter for White to play here 13. ttJcS!?, since after 13 ...hcS, he has the choice of how to recapture on c5) 13 ...ttJx e4 14.he4 �f6 lS. Elfd1 �e7 16.b4 :gfdB 17.h3 �eB 18.�d3 g6 19.�b1 �fB 20.dS exdS We have already analyzed the 21.hdS;!; - White has prepared

3SB IQP 6.i,d3 cd 7.cd de 8.liJxe4 i,e7 9.0-0 0,f6 1O.a3 0-0 11.ie3

and accomplished the opening of noeuvre f7-f5,fo llowed by i,e7-f6, the centre at the appropriate mo­ so he prudently evacuates his king ment and has obtained a clear ad­ to a safer place, so that after the vantage, thanks to the greater ac­ possible pin along the a2-g8 di­ tivity of his pieces, Brodsky - agonal his f5 -pawn will not be Skorchenko, Krasnodar 2002 hanging. (game 67). If we bear in mind what hap­ 12J:�c1 pened in the next game, such prophylactic measures do not seem unreasonable: 12 .. .l"1e8 13. i,b1 0,xe3 14.fxe3 f5 15.0,c5 i,f6 16.\Wb3 0,a5 17.\Wa2 b6 18.0,d3 i,b7? (18 ...\Wd6) 19.0,f4 i,d5 (oth­ erwise, Black cannot protect his pawns on e6 and f5 ) 20.0,xd5 \Wxd5 21.b4 0,b7 22.E1c7 0,d6 23. E1fcl± - Black has managed to avoid any immediate material loss, but he has numerous weak­ nesses, while White's pieces are I should like to mention here tremendously active, Felber - that, based on my own tourna­ Chipkin, Nassau 1999. ment experience, the diagram po­ Black can attempt to provoke sition is a rare case when the side an immediate crisis in the centre, with an isolated queen's pawn, but this cannot solve all Black's can carryout a veryeffective plan problems: 12 ...e5 13.0,xe5 0,xe3 to develop an initiative on the 14.fxe3 0,xe5 (in the game Nadyr­ queenside. In general, much more hanov - Skorchenko, Krasnodar often it is the side playing against 2002, Black played 14 ...0,xd 4?!, the isolated pawn who organizes but White could have obtained a active play there. In this particu­ great advantage with 15.i,c4 0,e6 lar case, it is because White will 16.\Wb3± and in view of White's soon have a very powerful knight powerful pressure along the a2- in the c5-outpost. Meanwhile, as g8 diagonal, Black cannot avoid you will see in the game Short - losing materiaL) 15.dxe5 \Wb6 16. Kiriakov, White can also gradually \We1i,e6 (it is too risky to play 16 ... prepare an effective kingside at­ \Wxb2, owing to 17.11Jf6+!, for ex­ tack under the cover of this mighty ample: 17 ...gxf6 18.\Wg3+ wh8 19. outpost. \Wh4 f5 20.\Wxe7 E1g8 21.E1c2±) 17.

12 ••• c;t>h8 \Wg3 (here, 17.0,f6+? does not This move looks a little strange. work, because of 17 ...gxf6 18. In fact, Black is preparing the ma- \Wg3+ wh8 19.Wh4 \Wxe3-+; if 18.

359 Chapter is exf6, Black has the defensive re­ so that he can advance later with source IB ...�d6) 17 ...whB IB.b4 19.a4) IB ...E1cB 19.a4 �c6 20.�d2. as 19.1LlcS;!; Now, he is planning to advance his h-pawn, exerting pressure against his opponent's kingside, for example: 20 ...�b7 21.h4 �dB 22.hS;!; 13 . .ibl f5 14.ttJc5 .if6 15. �el

White is better. His pieces are active, his c-pawn is admittedly doubled, but it is an extra pawn and Black's attempt to regain his material with 19 ...axb4 20.axb4 �xb4, can be countered with 21. lLlxe6fxe6 22 .�h3! and White has the initiative. Black played consistently but a Both sides are consistently im­ little passively in the following proving the placement of their game: 12 ...�b6 13.�c2 h6 14.lLlcS pieces. E1dB IS.b4 �d7 16.�c4 �fB 17.�e4 15 ... ttJxe3 16.fxe3 �d6 lLlce7 18.lLleS �bS 19.E1fel hc4 Here, Black intends to evict 20.lLlxc4 �a7 21.lLleSt - White's the powerful enemy knight from initiative is increasing and will its wonderful cS-square with the soon turn into a dangerous attack help of the move 17 ...b6, so first against the enemy king, Short - he protects his knight on c6. Kiriakov, Port Erin 1999 (game It is obvious that the immedi­ 68). ate 16 ...b6? would not work be­ 12 ...�d7 13.lLlcS hcS 14.E1xcS cause of the attack against the e6- lLlce7, An.Sokolov - Bauer, France square. 2007. White should continue here 17.ti'b3 �b8 18.�edl b6 19. with IS.�b3 and if then IS ...b6 ttJd3 ttJe7 16.E1cc1�eB (Black plans 17... �bS; We are following the game De otherwise, due to the vulnerability la Paz - B.Socko, Santo Domingo of his a6-pawn, he will hardly be 2003. Black has finally prepared able to develop his queen's rook.) the development of his bishop on 17.E1fel �bS IB.�c2 (this is the b7 and White needs to prevent right square for White's bishop, this.

360 IQP 6.i.d3 cd 7.cd de BJiJxe4 i.e7 9.0-0 0,f6 10.a3 0-0 11.i.e3

develop in more or less the same way after 24 ...aS 2S.gxcB+ gxcB 26.gxcB+ hcB 27.�c2 �e6 2B. 0,eSheS . (Black can hardly tol­ erate this knight for long; after 2B ...g6 29.�c7;!;White preserves a stable advantage.) 29.dxeS wgB 30.�c7;!;; or 24 ...gaB 2S.gxcB+ gxcB 26.gxcB+ hcB 27.�c2 �e6 (Black can tryto keep the enemy queen out of his camp: 27 ...�d 7!? 20.0,f4 ! 2B.0,eS heS 29.dxeS g6 30.�c3±, White attacks the e6-pawn. but that would not solve his prob­ 20... ti)d5 lems.) 2B.0,eS heS 29.dxeS WgB After this move, the pawn­ 30.�c7;!; structure is changed, becoming If Black surrenders the c-fileto more static, which favours White, his opponent this only increases since he is fightingagainst his op­ White's advantage: 24 ...gxc 3?! ponent's bishop-pair. 2S.�xc3 as (2S... bS 26.�c6!) 26. Black's alternative attempts to �c7 �xc7 27.gxc7 gcB 2B.gb7! neutralize the knight on f4 are .idB 29.wf2± and Black's bishops weaker: 20 ...0,g6? ! 21.0,xg6+ remain terribly passive. hxg6 22.e4!±; or 20 ...gS 21.0,hS± 25.gxc8+ gxc8 26.gxc8+ 21.ti)xd5 exd5 22.gc3 i.e6 hc8 27.�c2 �e6 28.ti)e5 g6 23.gdcl gfc8 24.i.d3! (Black would not change much with the line: 2B ...heS 29.dxeS wgB 30.�c7;!;) 29.�c7;!;

24 ...b5 Black can protect the a6-pawn in other ways too, but this would Thanks to the greater activity not change the character of the of his pieces, White maintains a struggle much. The game would stable advantage.

361 Chapter i5 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.lLId2 a6 4.lLIgfJ c5 5.c3 lLIc6 6 . .id3 cxd4 7.cxd4 dxe4 8.lLIxe4 .ie7 9.0-0 lLIf6 10.a3 0-0 1l . .ie3

COMPLETE GAMES

67 Brodsky - Skorchenko 13.�e2 Krasnodar 2002 Here again White could have l.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.�d2 a6 played 13.lt:lc5!? and after 13 ... 4.�gf3c5 5.c3 �c6 6.i.d3 cxd4 hc5 White would have a choice 7.cxd4 dxe4 8.�xe4 i.e7 9. of recaptures on c5. It would be a 0-0 �f6 10.a3 0-0 1l.i.e3 very pleasant choice for him to i.d7 make. Both captures are good, but 11 ...�xe4 !? 12.he4 id7. I should prefer taking with the 12.gc1 pawn. It would be interesting for 13 ... �xe4 14.he4 i.f6 15. White to try 12.lt:lc5!? here, with gfdl �e7 16.b4 gfd8 17.h3 i.e8 the following sample variation: 18.�d3 g6 19.�h1 �f8 20.d5 12 ...hc5 13.dxc5 e5 14.lt:lg5t with exd5 21.hd5;t an edge to White. However, White is also slightly better after the move in the game. In addition, his play is quite simple and straight­ forward. 12 ...gc8 12 ...lt:lxe4 !? 13.ixe4 !!c8.

White has opened the position at an opportune moment and he is clearly better thanks to the greater activity of his pieces. His advantage may not be very sub­ stantial but is very comfortable.

362 IQP 6.id3 cd 7.cd de 8.ciJxe4 ie79.0-0 tiJf6 1O.a3 0-0 11.ie3

He can patiently improve his po­ positive ideas anyway, but mark­ sition, while Black has no accept­ ing time, for example with 30... able plan in sight. In principle, l"1:a8 or something similar) was Black should try to exchange some not to his liking either. pieces, but in this particular case 31.W1f4 +- this strategic concept is much eas­ Black cannot avoid loss of ma­ ier to recommend than to imple­ terial. ment. As a result, as often hap­ 31 ... g5 32.hxg5 hxg5 33. pens in similar situations, Black W1g3 J.c6 ended up in a lost position with­ out making any obvious mis­ takes.

21 ... W1g7 22.W1b3 !M7 23 • .ib6 White keeps the enemy rook on c8 out of action. 23 ...gb8 24.gel ge7 25.gxe7 .ixe7 After 25 ...tiJxe7 26.ic7± Black loses at least a pawn. 34.hf7+! 26.gel .if6 27.W1e3 h6 This is a simple but very effec­ tive tactical shot. Black loses a pawn, to add to his numerous other difficulties. Black's king po­ sition is weakened and the game is quickly over. 34 ...W1xf7 35.tDxe5 W1fS 36. tDxc6bxc6 37. .ic5 W1d838.ti' f.3 gc8. In view of 39 .l"1:d1with the loss of a bishop, Black resigned. 28.W1f4 Here White could have played 28.ic7 l"1:c8 29.�b6+-, obtaining 68 Short Kiriakov a decisive advantage. However, Port Erin 1999 his mistake only prolongs Black's l.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.tDd2 a6 suffering. 4.c3 c5 5.tDgf.3tDc6 6 • .id3 cxd4 28 ... gc8 29.W1g4 gb8 30.h4 7.cxd4 dxe4 8.tDxe4 .ie7 9. tDe5? 0-0 tDf6 10.a3 0-0 1l • .ie3 Black's position becomes ter­ tDd5 12.gcl W1b6 13.ti'c2 h6 rible after this move. He had no 14.tDc5�

363 Chapter is

White's pieces are very active fl-e6 comes under an attack, and the knight on cS is so power­ which he is unable to parry. ful that he maintains a stable ad­ After19 ...tt:lfS, he was probably vantage. Black's position is pas­ afraid of 20.i.b3;l; and White sive but solid and has no real would maintain the tension in the weaknesses. Therefore, if Black position, but that was exactly how manages to simplify, White's ad­ Black should have played. vantage might gradually evapo­ 20.tOxc4 �a7 21.tOe5 rate. Accordingly, while Black completes his development and consolidates, White must find a dynamic plan which will enable him to turn his temporary pluses into permanent gains. This is what the oncoming fight focuses on. 14 .. J3d8 15.b4 Ad7 16.Ac4 White begins to concentrate his forces on the kingside. 21 ...b6? !

16••• AfS 17.�e4 tOce7 18. Black could have come under a tOe5Ab5 19.�Ue1 crushing attack after this move. White prepares to retreat his It was also bad for him to play c4-bishop in order to avoid its ex­ 21...l'!ac8, because of a variation change. pointed out by GM Lev Psakhis White was planning 19.�f3, 22.Wf3 tt:lfS (after... 22 tt:lf6 23. but that was not so good at the Wxb7±; or 22 .. .f6 23.tt:lxe6 fxeS moment owing to 19 ...tt:lfS. 24.tt:lxd8 l'!xd8 2S.dxeS tt:lxe3 26. (diagram) l'!xe3± White's advantage is more 19 ...hc4? ! than obvious) 23.tt:lx fl ! 'tt>xfl 24. This move leads to difficulties tt:lxe6! 'tt>xe6 2S.i.gS+- and White for Black. His queen is forced to would win. abandon the protection of the Black's relatively best decision pawnon e6 and the pawn-barrier here is probably to retreat the

364 IQP 6.id3 cd 7.cd de B.tiJxe4 1a.e79.0-0 euj6 10.a3 0-0 11.iJ.e3 queen with 21...�b6!? and after to defend.) 26.ds!--+, and despite 22.�f3 eufs (but not 22 ...f 6? since the two extra pieces, Black will after 23.euc4 he loses his e6-pawn hardly survive against White's and his position crumbles: 23 ... pressure. Besides the obvious �c6 24.euas) 23.euxf7 <;!{xf7 24.g4 move 27.d6, White is also threat­ g6 2s.gxfs exfst he is under terri­ ening 27.�g6+ <;!{d7 2SJ'!xe7+! ble positional pressure, but still mating. For example: 26 .. J�acS has some chance of offering re­ 27J�cdl! and in view of the threat sistance. of 2S.d6, Black can resign. 22 ...f6 Accepting the sacrifice with 22 ...bxcs provides White with a crushing attack: 23.�xf7+ <;!{h7 24.hh6!, for example: 24 ...<;!{ xh6 2sJ�e4 euf626J' k3!+- 23Jbxe6 gd6 After 23 ...fxes 24.euxdS gxdS 2s.dxes �d7;!; White's prospects are preferable. 22.e'f3 24.e'g4 White begins an operation It is weaker for White to play which leads to success in the end, 24.euxfS? fxes 2s.dxes gxfS 26. but, objectively speaking, he loses �xfS+ (this is the only move) 26 ... his advantage with this move. <;!{xfS 27.exd6 eufs 2S.gcS+ <;!{f7 It was much stronger to play 29.hb6!? �b7+ and the position 22.euxf7! <;!{xf7 23.�xe6+ <;!{eS 24. is tremendously sharp, but only 1a.gs!!, threatening mate with 25. Black can fightfor the advantage. �g6#! Either this beautiful tacti­ cal motif was overlooked by Nigel Short, or else he failed to evaluate its consequences correctly, since in the main line, Whitewins with quiet moves despite being two pieces down: 24 ...bxcs 2s.he7 euxe7 (Black loses after 2s ...he7 26.�gS+ <;!{d7 27.�xds+-; after 2s ...�xe7 26.�g6+ <;!{d7 27J�xe7+ he7 28.�xg7 cxb4 29.�g4± the 24 ...f5?! material balance is satisfactory It was correct for him to con­ for Black, but there is no harmony tinue here with 24 ...fxes 2s.dxes or coordination between his piec­ gc6 (it is also possible to try 25 .. . es and his position is very difficult euxe3 26.gxe3, but now not 26 ...

365 Chapter is

Eld7? because of 27.Elf3! g6 2B. tion.is verydifficult to defend

\Wc4--+ with dangerous threats for 30 .••\Wd7 31.ge5 \Wd6 32. White, but 26... hS! 27.\Wh3 ElcB!oo YlYf3gg7 33.h4 �f6?! and the position offers chances to It is far from easy for a human both sides) 26.hh6 \Wd7oo with a player to remain cold-blooded in rather unclear situation, for ex­ a situation like this. After 33 ... ample: 27.Elxc6 ttJxc62B.El e4 (This \Wc6!? his position would still have is practically the only move. White been acceptable. must protect his queen in order to 34.YlYb3+ wh7 35.�d3 free his knight on e6 from the pin, White could have gobbled since Black was threatening 2B... another pawn: 3S.Ele6 \WdS 36. EleB.) 2B... EleB 29.ttJxfB \Wxg4 30. \WxdS ttJfxdS 37 ..be7 Elxe7 3B. Elxg4 wxfB 31.Elxg7 ElxeS 32.wfl Eld6±, but he wanted to keep the and in this double-edged end­ queens on the board, and not game it is very hard to determine without good reason. which side has more grounds for 35 .•• wgS playingfor a win. Black should play 3S ...ttJfdS 25.\Wh5 g6 here. 2S... Elxe 6? 26.\Wf7+- 36.g3 �e4?! 26.�xg6 gxe6 27.�xf8Elxi8 After this mistake he loses his 2S.,txh6 gxel+ 29.gxel gt7 important fS-pawn and his posi­

30 • .ig5;!; tion becomes lost. After 36 ...bS 37.\Wb3+ wh7 3B.Ele6 \WdS 39. \WxdS ttJfxdS 40.Elxa6± Black would still have some possibilities of offering resistance. 37.be7 gxe7 3S.Elxf5+­ YlYc6 39.'il1ff3 'il1fc1+ 40.Wg2 'il1fh6 41.d5 mg7 42.gf4! �d6 42 ...ttJf6 43.d6 Elf744.d7! Elxd7 4S.Elxf6 \Wxf6 46.\Wg4+- 43.gg4+ mhS 44.gg5 gh7 Even though the material is 44 ...Elf7 4S.ElhS Elxf3 46.Elxh6+ approximately equal, Black's king Wg7 47.Elxd6+- is unsafe and this is the decisive 45.\wf4 . In view of the varia­ factor for the correct evaluation of tion 4S ...Elg7 (4S ...bS 46.\WeS+ Elg7 the position. Black might not 47.ElhS+-) 46.\wfB+ wh7 47. stand much worse, but from the Elxg7+ \Wxg7 4B.\Wxd6+- Black practical point of view his posi- resigned.

366 Chapter i6 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.�d2 a6 4.�g£J c5 5.c3 cxd4 6.cxd4 dxe4 7.�xe4 �d7 8.i.d3 �gf6 9. 0-0 i.e7

Step by Step

agonal), but after the exchange it should be on the long diagonal hl­ aB. I should like to emphasize once again that we are discussing the exchange of the knights without changingthe pawn-structure. It is worth mentioning that Black could have exchanged on e4 on his last move and we analyze this possibility in Chapter 7, vari­ ation Bl. White needs to impede the de­ 10.lbe5! velopment of the enemy bishop White prevents the advance of on cB with his next few moves. It the enemy b-pawn and thwarts will also be useful for himto avoid the development of the bishop on the exchange of the knights on e4 cB, in the process vacating the f3 - and f6, but if this is not possible square for the retreat of his bishop then afterthe exchange of knights if the knights are exchanged. He he should try to maintain his should not change the move-or­ bishop on the hl-aB diagonal. der: if 1O.tLlc3 bS! I shall tryto clarify foryou some 10 ... 0-0 of these finer points. In general, Exchanging on e4 would trans­ in similar positions, White tries to pose to Chapter 7. develop his initiative on the king­ 1l.lbc3! side. However, afterthe exchange White finally prevents the ex­ of a pair of knights his attacking change on e4, which would not be potential is diminished, so he favourable for him. should focus on the other side of 1l ... lbxe5 the board. Therefore, prior to the It is too riskyfor Black to play exchange of the knights, his light­ here 1l ...bS ?! 12.tLlc6 \WeB 13.\wf3! squared bishop should be on the tLlb6 14 . .tgS±, with powerfulpres­ bl-h7 diagonal (or the a2-gB di- sure for White.

367 Chapter i6

Here Black could have tried to 12.1"!el (It looks more natural develop his bishop in another way, to develop White's bishop to gS, starting with the move 1l... lLlb6. but after the immediate 12.�gS, Black can play 12 ...lLlf dS! - I should like to remind you again that White should avoid exchang­ es, if possible. Thus White should wait for Black's other knight to go to the dS-square before he deploys his bishop on gS. I should also mention that besides developing the rook to a good position and making a usefulmove while wait­ I should like to focus the atten­ ing for Black to play lLlbdS,White's tion of my readers on the diagram last move is connected with a con­ position; firstlybecause it is quite crete idea: to transfer his rook to typical for positions with an iso­ the kings ide via the e3-square.) lated queen's pawn, and secondly 12 ...lLlbdS (This move is practi­ I should like to explain an impor­ cally forced for Black, since it tant strategic detail. White has would be too risky for him to let managed to considerably impede White's rook move to the e3- the fianchetto of the enemy light­ square. Here is a variation, which squared bishop and thus hold up although not forced is still quite the development of Black's entire instructive: 12 ...�d7 13.1"!e3 �c6 queens ide. However, Black can 14.1"!g3 g6 lS.�6 1"!e8 16.\Wc2+­ develop his queen's bishop in an­ and White's position is already other way - via d7-c6. This will be winning, since Black cannot de­ good if his queen's knight is de­ fend against the deadly tactical veloped to d7 (Black sometimes strikes against the g6- and f7- plays like this with a knight on c6, squares.). 13.�gS �d7 14.\wf3! but in that case his bishop cannot occupy the c6-square and on d7 it is somewhat misplaced. Thus, as a rule, this way of development does not create any problems for White in obtaining an advantage.) Black's knight moves along the route b6-dS, making way for the bishop to move to c6 via the d7- square. White must take this ma­ noeuvre seriously and now we shall White wants to place his queen see how he should react to it. on h3, afterwhich his concentra-

368 IQP 6.cd de 7JiJxe4 0,d7 B.i.d3 0,9f6 9.0-0 i.e710.0,e5 0-0 ll.0,c3 tion of forces on the kingside will .te4 �c7 17.�d3±) with the very become really threatening. Black unpleasant threat of 17.�ac1, or already faces great difficulties, for 14 ...�d8 15.�d1 g6 16. .tf4 �a5 17. example after 14 ....tc6? ! 15.�h3 .te4! �xd1+ 18.�xd1 �xa2 19.�c2, he has no adequate defence threatening to penetrate to the c7- against the threat of mate on h7. square; it is also possible to play In the variation 15 ... h6 16 . .txh6 19 . .th6!? �a5 20 . .tf3 �c7 21.�d2! gxh6 17.�xh6+- White's attack is a5 22 . .tg5�, or 21...f6 22.exf6 i.xf6 impossible to parry, while if 15 ... 23 . .tg5� with powerful pressure g6 16 . .th6 Black loses the ex­ for the pawn in both cases) 19 ... change, since his rook cannot �a5 20.g3� leave f8 because of the attack White is planning to advance against the f7-square. Maybe his h-pawn in order to destroy his Black's best defence is 14 ...0,b 4!?, opponent's kingside, while Black's but then White can win a pawn: light-squared bishop has not yet 15.Wxb7 �b8 16.Wf3 0,xd3 17. come into play and it is far from 0,xd3;!;.Although Black has man­ clear when it will manage to do so. aged to exchange his opponent's 13.i.f4 tLlc514.i. c2 b5 very important attacking bishop, Black cannot solve his prob­ his compensation for the sacri­ lems by exchanging queens: 14 ... ficedpawn is insufficient. �xd1 15.�fxd1 b5 16.�ac1± .tb7? 12.dxe5 17.h4+- 15.�g4 g6 16.1Ud1 �b6 17. h4t

12 •.• 0,d7 After 12 ...0,d5 13.0,xd5 �xd5 14.�e2;!;White maintains the ad­ Black has finally succeeded in vantage, because, just as before, developing his queens ide, but in Black has problems bringing his the meantime White exerts pow­ bishop on c8 into play: 14 ....td7 erful pressure on the opposite side 15.�d1 �c6 16 . .te3 (it is also good of the board, Brodsky - Stellwa­ for White to win a pawn with 16. gen, Wijk aanZee 20 01 (game 69).

369 Chapter i6 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.�d2 a6 4.�gf3 c5 5.c3 cxd4 6.cxd4 dxe4 7.�xe4 �d7 8.J.d3 �gf6 9.0-0 J.e7 10.�e5 0-0 11.�c3

COMPLETE GAMES

69 Brodsky - Stellwagen Wijk aan Zee 2001 l.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.tfld2 tflf6 4.�d3 c5 5.c3 cxd4 6.cxd4 dxe4 7.tflxe4 tflbd7 8.tflc3! This is a very good decision for White. He avoids the exchange and Black's knight on d7 is left awkwardly placed.

8 •••�e7 9.tflf3 0-0 10.0-0 a6 1l.tfle5! 17 •••b4 Otherwise White will play b2- b4! himself. 18.tfle2 f5 This move is practically forced, because after 18 ...�b7 19.h5� White's threats would be very dangerous. 19.§'g3 �b7

1l .•• tflxe5 12.dxe5 tfld7 13. �f4 tflc5 14.�c2 b5 15.§'g4 g6 16.gfdl §'b6 17.h4± (diagram) While Black was busy solving the problem of the development of his queens ide, White organized powerful pressure on the king­ side. 20.�e3!

370 IQP 6.cd de 7.ciJxe4 CiJd7 B.id3 CiJgf6 9.0-0 ie710.CiJe5 0-0 ll.CiJc3

This is an excellent multi-pur­ pose move. Firstly, White creates an annoying pin along the gl-a7 diagonal and forces his opponent to consider the possibilities of )"gacl and ib3. Secondly, his bish­ op has freed the excellent f4- square for his knight.

20 ... �f7 21.CiJf4 gad8 22 • .ib3 .ic8 23.gdc1!+-

(diagram) 25 ••.gde8 White's threats are just like an After 25 ...ie7 26.Wlh6+­ avalanche. It is even difficult to Black's position is equally de­

count them. 23 •••Wlb5 24.hc5 fenceless. hc5 25. Wlg5 26.h5. Black resigned. Chapter i7 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.�d2 c5 4.c3 �c6 5.�gf.J cxd4 6.cxd4 dxe4 7.�xe4 .ib4+ 8.�c3 �ge7 9 . .id3 �d5

Step by Step

10.0-0 White obtains excellent compen­ The moves 1O.�d2 and 1O.�c2 sation in both cases. Therefore lead to familiar positions, which Black should consider abandon­ usually arise from the Panov at­ ing the most radical replies in fa­ tack in the Caro-Kann Defence vour of quieter lines. In the game after l.e4 c6 2.d4 dS 3.exdS cxdS Nikolenko - AI.Kharitonov, Mos­ 4.c4 lLlf6 S.lLlc3 e6 6.lLlf3 ib4 7. cow 2010, Black tried 10 ...h6. I cxdS lLlxdS 8.�c2 (8.�d2) lLlc6 believe White can obtain an ad­ 9.�d3, but in the move-order we vantage in the following way: are analyzing, White has another 1l.lLlxdS!? �xdS (after 1l ...exdS interesting possibility, involving a 12.a3 �e7 13J�e1 0-0 14.�c2't pawn-sacrifice. ��d3, the vulnerability of the b1- (diagram) h7 diagonal hurts Black) 12.�f4 Black's most principled re­ 0-0 (Or 12 ...�d6 13.�d2 ixf4 14. sponse to it in the diagram posi­ �xf4 0-0 1SJ'Udl. White plans to tion is to accept the sacrifice: break through in the centre with 16.�e4, followed by d4-dS. 1S ...

A) 10 •••lLlxc3 lLlb4- 1S. ..�d8 16.lLleS!'t- 16.�e4 B) 10 ...hc3 �bS 17.lLleS lLldS 18.�d2;j;, main­ However, as we shall see later, taining some pressure.) 13.�e2 (�

372 IQP 6.cd de 7.l'iJxe4 i-b4 B.ltJc3 ltJge7 9.iJ.d3 ltJd5J O.O-O

1:Ud1, iJ.e4, dS) 13... ltJxd4 (13 ... And now: ltJe7?! 14.a3 iJ.aS lS.gacl±) 14. it would be too early for Black ltJxd4 �xd4 to switch to defence: ll ...ltJf 6?! 12.�d3 !J.e7 13.a3 g6 14.ge1 b6 IS. iJ.h6 ge8 16.gad1 iJ.b717.!J. b3 iJ.f8 18.iJ.gS h6 19.!J.h4t with powerful pressure for White, Van den Brande - G.Adams, Brasschaat 2002; it would not be good for Black to opt for ll ...ltJc e7?!, since in that case his bishop on b4 would be misplaced: 12.�d3 g6 13.iJ.b3 lS.iJ.c7!�. With the help of this ltJxc3 (after the naturalmove 13 ... attractive manoeuvre White de­ b6, Whitehas the powerfulriposte prives Black's queen of the b6- 14.!J.h6 ge8 lS.ltJeSt, threatening square, considerably restricting 16.iJ.a4) 14.bxc3 iJ.d6 lS.c4 ltJfS its mobility, and plans to develop 16.!J.b2 and he has a powerful his initiative later with gfd1 and breakthrough up his sleeve - d4- gacl. If Black's queen retreats, dS! - 16 ...ltJh4 17.cS iJ.e7 18.gad1 abandoning the control over the ltJxf3+ 19.�xf3 iJ.f6 20.iJ.c1 iJ.g7 e4-square, then White can con­ 2l.dSt Graf - Papaioannou, Cha­ tinue with �e4. He has a consid­ nia 1999, game 70; erable lead in development and it is possible for Black to play Black will have problems bringing here ll ...!J.e7 12.ge1 ge8 13.a3 a6 his light-squared bishop into 14.�d3 g6 lS.h4 reaching a posi­ play. tion fromthe game Zhou Jinchao Black's most logical move, if - Wang Hao, Cebu City 2007, he decides not to accept the sacri­ which we have analyzed in Chap­ fice, is 10 ... 0-0 and then White ter i4, line 12 ...ltJdS; or 12 ...ltJx c3 can play: ll.i-c2!?, trying not to 13.bxc3 b6 14.�d3 g6 lS.!J.h6 ge8 lose time protecting the knight on 16.h4 !J.b7 17.hS �dS 18.hxg6 hxg6 c3. 19.�e3t with some positional pressure for White, Bernei - Bokros, Hungary2002 ; ll .. ge8 12.�d3 g6 13.!J.b3 !J.e7 14.a3 (14.ge1!?) 14 ...ltJx c3 lS.bxc3 iJ.f6 16.�c2 (Black was threaten­ ing 16 ...eS) 16 ...b6 (here, after 16 ...eS, White has the resource 17.�a2!) 17.gd1 ltJaS 18.!J.a4 id7 19 . .txd7 �xd7 20.iJ.gS? Bocharov

373 Chapter i7

- Riazantsev,Ir kutsk 2010 (game �xd4 (In the variation 13 ...hd4 71). 14.i.a3t White can keep the ene­ my king stranded in the centre A) 10 ... tDxc3 1l.bxc3 .ixc3 and the position is so open that he 12.gb1 can quickly organize a very pow­ erful attack: 14 ...i.b6 lS.ge1 fS - he wins immediately and beauti­ fully after lS ...i.d7 16.gxe6+! - 16J"l:bS! 'i!lf7 17.gxfS+! exfS 18. �b3+ 'i!lg6 19.E1e6+ he6 20. �xe6+ �f6 21.ixfS+ 'i!lhS22 .g4+ 'i!lgS 23.i.e7+-, regaining the sac­ rificed material and continuing the offensive)

12 •••.ib4 Black cannot be happy with the variation 12 ...0-0? ! Monso - Castro, Guimaraes 2002, 13. ixh7+ 'i!lxh7 14.tDgS+! 'i!lg6 (he loses by force after 14 ...'i!l g8 IS. �hS ge8 16.�xf7+ 'i!lh8 17.�hS+ 'i!lg8 18.�h7+ 'i!lf8 19.�h8+ 'i!le7 14.�c2! (it is also interesting 20.�xg7+ 'i!ld6 21.tDf7+-) IS. for White to play here 14.i.a3t) �d3+ fS 16.�xc3 and White has a 14 ...i.d7 (Black cannot castle, be­ powerful attack in a position with cause after 14 ... 0-0 lS.gb3! i.b4 equal material, for example: 16 ... 16.ixh7+ 'i!lh8 17.gh3+- White �xd4 17.�h3-+, or 16... tDxd4 17. wins; it is also bad for Black to play ge1-+ 14 ...a6 lS.�c2) lS.i.e3 �eS 16. It is very dangerous for Black gxb7t. Now the black king cannot to capture the second pawn. escape from the centre without White'sadvantage is easy to prove considerable material loss for if Black takes on d4 with the bish­ Black, for example: 16 ...gc8 17. op: 12 ...hd 4?! 13.tDxd4 tDxd4 gel i.c6 18.E1b3 i.d4 19.hd4 �xd4 (13 ...�xd4 14.i.b2t) 14.i.a3t 20.i.bS+- and White wins a White's task is a bit more dif­ piece. ficult if Black captures with his 13.�c2 .ie7 knight. If White plays well, how­ If we bear in mind what hap­ ever, his initiative then is no less pens later, maybe Black should dangerous: 12 ...tDxd 4?! 13.tDxd4 have castled atthis point: 13 ... 0-0,

374 IQP 6.cd de 7.tiJxe4 �b4 B.4Jc3 4Jge7 9.�d3 4Jd51O.0-0 but after 14.�xh7+ whB lS.�e4± �e4 l"!cB 19.�f4 f5 20.�f3 cS his position still remains tremen- 21.�a6 �f6 22.l"!xd7! �xd7 23.l"!b7 dously difficult. �d4 24.�xe6+ wdB 2S.�c7+! and 14.4JeS! 4Jxd4 in view of the unavoidable mate It is bad for Black to castle, Black resignedin the game Lu­ both immediately: 14 ...0-0 IS. kov - Kelecevic, Tuzla 1990. 4Jxc6 bxc6 16.hh7+ whB 17. l"!b3--+;and also afterthe exchange of knights: 14 ...4Jx eS lS.dxeS 0-0 B) 10 ....ixc3 1l.bxc3 4Jxc3

(lS ...h6 16.�bS+ wfB 17.l"!d1 �b6 12.�b3 4JdS 13 • .ia3 1B.�a4 �a6 19.�a3 !+-) 16.hh7+ whB 17.l"!b3!+- IS.�a4+ 4Jc6 Black had to continue here with lS ...wfB and after 16.�e3 f6 17.�xd4! �xd4 1B.hd4 fxeS 19. heS wf7 20.l"!fc1 l"!dB 21.hh7± he would have to defend a consid­ erably worse endgame, since it would not work for him to play: 21...g6? 22.l"!b3!

13 ... f6 Black cannot cope with the difficulties after 13 ...4Jc e7 14. �bS+ �d7 ls.hd7 + �xd7 16. 4JeSt; or 13 ...�b6 14.�bS �d7 lS.�cS �c7 16.l"!fe1 0-0-0, Jo­ hansson - Polak, Olomouc 2003, 17.hc6 hc6 (17... bxc6 1B.l"!ab1--+) 1B.4JeSwbB 19J�eclt with a pow­ erful initiative for White in both cases. White could have finished the After13 ...4Jde7 14.4JeS0-0 IS. fight immediately with 16.ie4! �fd1�, it looks as though Black's and Black suffers heavy material king is out of the danger zone, but losses: 16 ... 0 -0 (it is even worse White's pieces are so active that for him to play 16 ...�d7 17.4Jxd7 Black will have great problems �xd7 1B.l"!xb7!+-) 17.4Jxc6 bxc6 completing his development. 18.�xc6+-. But even after 16. Black could consider 13 ...aS!? 4Jxc6 bxc6 17.l"!d1,the fightwould 14.4JeS 4Jdb4 lS.hb4 axb4 (1S ... hardly last for long: 17... �d7 lB. 4Jxb4 16.�bS+�) 16.4Jxc6 bxc6

37S Chapter i7

17.'lWxb4:t and after White has re­ 'i!?xe7 26 . .ic4+- with a decisive gained his pawn he maintains a material advantage. slight edge thanks to his lead in 15.gfel 0-0 development and the passed a­ pawn. 14.gac1! This is a very precise move. Besides the obvious idea to devel­ op a rook on the open file, White has in mind something else. He plans to counter 14 ...'lWb6 with lS.'lWc4, after which Black will be deprived of the possibility of mov­ ing his queen to the a6-square. However, White could consid­ er playing more straightfor­ 16.,ixe7 �xe7 17.gxeS! wardly 14J§:fe1!? 'i!?f7 (14 ...lLJc e7 �xeS lS.i.e4t) lSJ§:acl't with more or It would not work for Black to less similar ideas. play 17... 'lWxc8? 18.)§:xe6+-, be­ 14 ...�e e7 cause White wins a piece. Black prepares kingside cas­ After 17... )§:xc8 18.'lWxe6+ )§:f7 tling. 19.hh7+! 'i!?f8 ...(19 'i!?xh7 20. After 14 ...'i!?f7 lSJ§:fel't he has 'lWxf7±) 20.i.e4t, he obtains excel­ problems finding a useful move, lent compensation for the ex­ for example, if lS .. J§:e8White has change in view of the threats of the resource 16.hh7! g6 17.'lWd3 21.dS and 21.'lWh3. fS 18J§:xc6! bxc6 19.lLJeS+ 'i!?g720. lS.Ybe6+ 'i!?hS hg6-+with strong attack, or 15 ... After 18 ...)§:f7 19.hh7+ 'i!?f8 g6 16.h4 'i!?g7 17.hSt and he in­ 20.dS lLJd6 21.lLJd4 'lWe7 22.i.g6± creases his pressure. there arises an endgame with an 14 ...'lWb6 lS.'lWc4 i.d7 16.i.e4 extra pawn for White. 'lWaS 17.'lWb3 b6 (17... 0-0-0 18. 19.'lWh3 g6 20.,ixg6 'lWe7 )§:cSt) 18.)§:fe1 'i!?f7 19.i.cS! bxcS 21.d5� - White frees the impor­ (19 ...lLJf4 20.dS!-+) 20.hdS )§:he8 tant d4-square for manoeuvring 21.)§:xcS 'lWa6(21.. .'lWb6 22.hc6+­ his knight. White's pieces are very and Black resigned, Solak - Tuk­ active and the possibility of trans­ makov, Biel 2001) 22.)§:xc6! hc6 fering his knight to e6 via d4, as 23.he6+ 'i!?f8 (after 23 ...)§:xe6 24. well as the rather unsafe enemy 'lWxe6+ 'i!?f8 2S.lLJeS! fxeS26.)§: xeS king, provide White with a long­ g6 27.'lWf6+ 'i!?g8 28.)§:e7+- White lasting initiative as compensation mates) 24.'lWb4+ )§:e7 2S.'lWxe7+! for the minimal material deficit.

376 Chapter i7 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3Jl�d2 c5 4.c3 ctlc6 5.ctlgf3 cxd4 6.cxd4 dxe4 7.ctlxe4 i.b4+ 8.ctlc3 ctlge7 9.i.d3 ctld5 10.0-0

COMPLETE GAMES

70 Graf - Papaioannoll After 12 ... �d7, White has the Chania 1999 powerful resource 13.�h6 ge8 1.d4 lLlf6 2.c4 e6 3.lLlc3 .ib4 14.lLleS,with the initiative.

4.e3 cS S • .id3 0-0 6.lLlf3cxd4 13.bxc3 .id6 14.c4 lLlfS lS. 7.exd4 dS 8.cxdS lLlxdS9. 0-0 .ib2 lLlc6 10• .ic2 Black is faced with the rather unpleasant threat of White's pawn-breakthrough d4-dS. lS ... lLlh4 16.cS! Black planned to counter 16. dS with 16 ... lLlxf3 + 17.�xf3 eS. 16 ....ie7 17.gad1 lLlxf3+ 18. ti'xf3 .if6 19 . .iel

10 ...lLlc e7?! We have already mentioned in the theoretical section of this chapter that Black should refrain from this move, because his bish­ op on b4 turns out to be mis­ placed.

1l.\1!1fd3g6 12 • .ib3 lLlxc3 19 ....ig7? ! Black is now forced to make Black's position in the game this unfavourable exchange, since later becomes so terrible that it is not good for him to play 12 ... maybe he had to try 19 ...hd 4!? b6 13. .ih6 ge8 14.lLleS, threaten­ here. After 20 . .ie3 eS 21..ih6, ing lS.�a4. White wins the exchange, but

377 Chapter i7

Black obtains some compensation Afterthis breakthrough in the after 21...�e7 (Immediately re­ centre White obtains a clear ad­ leasing his bishop from protecting vantage, thanks to his much more the b7-pawn with 21...1'!b8? fails active pieces. to 22.l!xd4! exd4 23.�f4 +- and 20... exd5 21.hd5 'ffc7 22. White wins, since he is threaten­ �fel ing not only 24.�xb8, but also 24.�e5.) 22.hf8 �xf8 23.l!fel l!b8

22... .te6 Afterthis move, White creates a passed c-pawn which decides You might have the impres­ the outcome of the game, but sion that Black's position is quite Black had no alternative anyway. acceptable. In fact, after 24.g3 It was bad to play 22 ...�xc5? i.e6 (he cannot play 24... i.d7? 25. 23.i.a3; or 22 ... l!b8? 23.i.f4 . l!xe5!; while the variation 24 ... i.f5 Meanwhile, White was already 25.g4 i.e6 26.he6 fxe627. �xf8+ threatening 23.i.g5. l!xf8 28.l!e2 leads to almost the 23.hb7 �ad8 24.c6 .te5 same consequences as 24 ...i.e6) 25.g3 ha2 26 . .th6+- �xdl 25.he6 fxe6 26.�xf8+ l!xf8 27. Black's position is hopeless: l!e2±White has very goodchanc­ 26 ...i.g7 27.i.f4+-; or 26 .. .1'!fe8 es of realising his extra exchange, 27J'!xd8 �xd8 (28... l!xd8 29. for example: 27... l!c8 28.@g2! �e2+-) 28.�a3 i.c4 (28 ...i.d5 l!xc5 29.f4 etc. 29.c7+-) 29.�a4+- and in view 20.d5± of the threat of 30.c7, he suffers heavy material losses. 27.'ffxdl .te6 Black gives up the exchange and prolongs his resistance; he would have lost quickly with 27 ... l!e8 28.�d7+-, or 27... l!d8 28. �e2+- 28 . .ixf8 �xf8 29.'ffa4 a5 30 . .ta6 .tc3?!

378 IQP 6.cd de 7.ltJxe4 fJ.b4 B. liJc3 liJge7 9.fJ.d3 liJd5 1O.0-0

This is a blunder in a lost posi­ tion.

ly develop his initiative on the other side of the board. 19 ....1g7 20.lLle5 ed6 21. 3U:�xe6! White strikes a lLlg4 lLlc422 .ec1 f5 beautiful final blow. After 31... Otherwise White will have the fxe6 32.�f4 + �xf4 33.gxf4, his c­ powerful resource 23.fJ.f6. pawn promotes, so Black re­ 23.lLlf6+ .ixf6 24.hf6 gac8 signed. 25.eg5 em 26.gd3 lLld6 27. .1e5 lLlf728. ef6 lLlxe5 29.exe5 eg7 30.ee2 ec7 71 Bocharov - Riazantsev Here Black could consider Irkutsk 2010 30... e5 !? 31.l"i:e3 e4 32.f3 �d7 1.d4 lLlf6 2.c4 e6 3.lLlc3.1b4 33.l"i:e1 �c6 with approximate

4.e3 0-0 5 • .1d3c5 6.lLlfJ cxd4 equality. 7.exd4 d5 8.cxd5 lLlxd59. 0-0 31.ge1 ed6 32.ge3 gc6

lLlc610 • .1c2 33.h4!

10 ...ge8 11.'l«d3 g6 12 • .1b3 Numerous pieces have disap­ .1e7 13.a3 lLlxc3 14.bxc3 .1f6 peared offthe board, but the ten­

15.ec2 b6 16.gd1 lLla5 17• .1a4 sion remains. Just as before, Black

.1d718 .hd7 exd7 19 • .1g5+± attacks his opponent's weakened (diagram) queenside, while White continues White's queenside pawns are with his offensive on the king­ vulnerable, so he decides to quick- side.

379 Chapter i7

33 ...fixa3 34.dS gd6 3S.hS but also creates the tremendously After 35.dxe 6 Black plays 35... unpleasant threat of 38.Wal!, af­ 1'!e 7. ter which Black is faced with great

3S••• Wg7? ! problems, for example: 37... 1'!e 7 This is a careless move, be­ 38 .Wal+ 'it>g8 39.hxg 6 hxg 6 40. cause his king is in danger on the Wf 6 etc. long diagonal. 37••• fic3 38.gxe6 gdxe6 It was safer for Black to play 39.dxe6 ge7 here 35 ...Wc5 . 36.c4 1fb4

Both players have made nu­ merous mistakes in this game and 37.geS?! now it ends relatively calmly in a White overlooks the possibility draw. 40.hxg6 hxg6 41.fidl of punishing his opponent for the 1ff6 42.fid6 ge8 43.cS bxc5 mistake on move 35 : 37.Wa2 ! and 44.1fxcS �e6 4S.fixa7+ wh6 he not only attacks the a7-pawn 46.�e6. Draw. Index of Variations

Part 1. The Rubinstein Variation ...... 13

Chapter 1 l.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.�d2 dxe4 4.�xe4

Quick Repertoire ...... 14 Step by Step 16 various ...... 16 A) 4 ...ltJf6 5.�xf6 gxf6...... 20 B) 5.ltlxf6 \Wxf6 ...... 23 Complete Games ...... 31

Chapter 2 l.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.�d2 dxe4 4.�xe4 Ad7 5.�f3

Quick Repertoire ...... 39 Step by Step . . . 41 5 ...�c6 6.�d3 various ...... 41 A) 6.�d3 ltld77. 0-0 he4 ...... 44 B) 7. 0-0 �e7 ...... 47 C) 7. 0-0 ltlgf6 ...... 51 Complete Games ...... 55

Chapter 3 l.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.�d2 dxe44. �xe4 �d7 5.�f3 �gf6 6.Ad3

Quick Repertoire ...... 65 Step by Step . 69 A) 6 ...b6 70 B) 6 ...�e7 7.\We2 various ...... 74 Bl) 7.\We2 c5 ...... 75 B2) 7.\We2 0-0 ...... 78 C) 6 ...ltlxe4 7.he4 �e7 8.\We2 various ...... 82 CIa) 8.\W e2 c5 83 Clb) 8.\We2 0-0 85 C2a) 7.�xe4 ltlf6 8.�g5 h6 . 87 C2b) 8.�g5 �e7 89 C2c) 8.�g5 \Wd6 91 Complete Games ...... 105

381 Index of Va riations

Part 2. All Other Black Replies •••••••••••••••••••• 116

Chapter 4 l.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.�d2 Quick Repertoire ...... 117 Step by Step . 124 various ...... 124

A) 3 ...g6 ...... 127 B) 3 ... b6 4.lt:lgf3 various ...... 130

Bl) 4.lt:lgf3 :fJ.e7 ...••••••.....•••••...... •••••... 130 B2) 4.lt:lgf3 It:lf6 ...... 131 B3) 4.lt:lgf3 dxe4 ...... 134 C) 3 ... lt:le7 4.lt:lgf3 various ...... 138 Cl) 4.lt:lgf3 It:ld7...... 139 C2) 4.lt:lgf3 It:lg6 ...... 140 Complete Games ...... 143

Chapter 5 l.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.lt:ld2�c 6 4.�gf.J Quick Repertoire ...... 151 Step by Step 154 various ...... 154 4 ...lt:lf 6 5.e5 lt:ld76.:fJ. e2 various ...... 159

A) 6.:fJ.e2 :fJ.e7 •.•..•.•..•.•..•.••.•.•• 160 Al) 7.lt:lfl . 161 A2) 7.0-0 ...... 165 B) 6.:fJ.e2 f6 . 167 Complete Games ...... 173

Chapter 6 l.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.�d2 :li.e74.�g£J

Quick Repertoire ...... 183 Step by Step . 186 various ...... 186 4 ...lt:lf 6 5.:fJ.d3 c5 6.c3 lt:lc6 7.0-0 186 Complete Games ...... 195

Chapter 7 l.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.�d2 Quick Repertoire ...... 2 0 2 Step by Step . . 206

382 Index of Variations

A) 3 ...b6 ...... 206 B) 3 ...a6 4.tLlgf3 various ...... 210 Bl) 4.tLlgf3c5 5.c3 cxd4 ...... 210 B2) 5.c3 tLlc6 ...... 212 Complete Games ...... 21 6

Chapter 8 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.�d2 c5 4.c3

Quick Repertoire ...... 221 Step by Step 223 various . . .. . 223 A) 4 ...cxd4 5.cxd4 ...... 223 Al) 5.cxd4 1Lb4 ...... 224 A2) 5.cxd4 dxe4 ...... 225 B) 4 ...tLlc 6 5.tLlgf3 various ...... 226 Bl) 5.tLlgf3 cxd4 6.cxd4 tLlge7...... 227 B2) 6.cxd4 �b6...... 228 Complete Games ...... 230

Chapter 9 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.�d2 �f6 4.id3

Quick Repertoire ...... 233 Step by Step 235 various . . 235

4 ... c5 5.c3 ...... 237 Complete Games ...... 24 7

Part 3. The Isolated Queen's Pawn ...... ••. ••..... 255

Chapter it 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.�d2 �f6 4 . .id3 c5 5.c3 �c6 6. �gfJcxd4 7.cxd4 dxe4 8.�xe4 .ie7 9. 0-0 0-0 various . . 256 A) 10.tLlc3variuos ...... 258 Al) 10 ... tLlb4 ...... 25 9 A2) 10 ...b6 ...... 26 3 B) 10.1Le3variuos ...... 268 Bl) 1O ... tLlb4 11.tLlxf6 ...... 27 2 B2) 1O... tLlb4 11.1Lb1 ...... 276 Complete Games ...... 27 8

383 Index oj Variations

Chapter i2 l.e4 e6 2.d4 dS 3.lLld2 lLlf6 4.,id3 c5 S.c3 lLlc6 6. lLlgf3 cxd4 7.cxd4 dxe4 8.lLlxe4 ,ib4+ 9.lLlc3 0-0 10.0-0 b6 1l.a3 ,ie712 .gel ,ib7 13.,ic2 various . . . 286

A) 13 ...§'d6 ...... 287 B) 13 ...ltla 5 ...... 288 C) 13 ...fle8 ...... 291 Complete Games . 297

Chapter i3 l.e4 e6 2.d4 dS 3.lLld2 cS 4.c3 cxd4 S.cxd4 dxe4 6. lLlxe4,ib 4+ 7.lLlc3 lLlf6 8.,id3 0-0 9.lLlfJb6 10.0-0 ,ib7 11.gel lLlbd 7 12.,igS A) 12 ...i1.e7 ...... 311 B) 12 ...he3 ...... 312 C) 12 ... fle8 ...... 31 4 Complete Games . . . . 322

Chapter i4 l.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.lLld2a6 4.lLlgfJ cS S.c3 lLlc66. ,id3 cxd4 7.cxd4 dxe4 8.lLlxe4,ib 4+ 9.lLlc3 lLlf6 10.0-0 0-0 1l.a3 ,ie7 12.gel various .337 12 ...b5 13.i1.e2 i1.b7 14.§'d3 various ...... 338 A) 14.§'d3 g6 . 338 B) 14.§'d3 ltla5 . . . . . 342 Complete Games ...349

Chapter is l.e4 e6 2.d4 dS 3.lLld2 a6 4.lLlgfJcS S.c3 lLlc6 6.i.d3 cxd4 7.cxd4 dxe48.lLl xe4 ,ie79. 0-0 lLlf6 10.a3 Step by Step . . 358 Complete Games . . ..362

Chapter i6 l.e4 e6 2.d4 dS 3.lLld2 a6 4.lLlgfJ cS S.c3 cxd4 6. cxd4dxe4 7.lLlxe4 lLld78.,i d3 lLlgf6 9.0-0 ,ie7 10.lLleS Step by Step . . 367 Complete Games . 370

Chapter i7 l.e4 e6 2.d4 dS 3.lLld2 cS 4.c3 lLlc6S.lLlgfJ cxd4 6. cxd4 dxe4 7.lLlxe4i.b 4+ 8.lLlc3 lLlge79.i.d3 lLldS l0.0-0 Step by Step . . 372 Complete Games . . 377

384