Technical Editor: IM Sergey Soloviov

Cover design by: Kalo jan N achev

Translation by: G M Evgeny Ermenkov

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

Copyright © Konstantin Sakaev 2011

Printed in Bulgaria by "Chess Stars " Ltd. - Sofia IS B N13: 978 954 8782 84-5

Konstantin Sakaev

The Petroff: an Expert Repertoire

for Black

Chess Stars

Other CHESS STARS Books

Repertoire books:

Opening for White Ace. to Kramnik 1.ttl£J 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...cS), English (four knights), 2011

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

Opening for Black According to Karpov by Khalifman

Current theory and practice series:

An Expert's Guide to the 7.Bc4 Gruenfeld by Sakaev, 2006 The Sharpest Sicilian by Kiril Georgiev and At. Kolev, 2007 The Safest Sicilian by Delchev and Semkov, 2nd rev.ed. 2008 The Queen's Gambit Accepted by Sakaev and Semkov, 3rd. 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 King's Indian. A Complete Black Repertoire by Victor Bologan, 2009 The Scotch Game for White by Vladimir Barsky, 2009 The Modern Philidor Defence by Vladimir Barsky, 2010 The Moscow & Anti-Moscow Variations by Alexey Dreev, 2010 Squeezing the Gambits by Kiril Georgiev, 2010 The French Defence. A Complete Black Repertoire by Nikita Vitiugov, 2010 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 Fighting the French: a New Concept by Denis Yevseev, 2011

More details at www.chess-stars.com

4

Contents

Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Part 1. All White Replies wfo 2.�f3

1 Sel dom Playe d Moves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 2 Vienna Game. 2.lt:Jc3 �f6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 3 King's Gambit. 2.f4 exf4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 4 Bishop's Opening. 2.�c4 �f6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Part 2. All White Replies wfo 3.d4 and 3.�xe5 l.e4 e5 2.�f3 �f6

5 Three Knights Game. 3. �c3 �b4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 6 Belgra de Gambit. Scotch Four Knights. 3.tt:Jc3 lt:Jc6 4. d4 e d . . . . . 56 7 Glek Variation. 3. lt:Jc3 lt:Jc6 4.g3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 8 Four Knights Game. 3. lt:Jc3 lt:Jc6 4.�b5 lt:Jd4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Part 3. Petroff Defence 3.d4 l.e4 e5 2 .�f3 �f6 3.d4 �xe4

9 4. dxe5 d5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 10 4.� d3 d5 5. dxe5 �e7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 11 4.� d3 d5 5. lt:Jxe5 lt:Jd7 6. lt:Jc3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 12 4.� d3 d5 5. lt:Jxe5 lt:Jd7 6.0-0 lt:Jxe5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 13 4.� d3 d5 5. lt:Jxe5 lt:Jd7 6. lt:Jx d7 �d7 7.0-0 � d6 8.�h5 �f6 . . . . 101 14 4.� d3 d5 5. lt:Jxe5 lt:Jd7 6. lt:Jx d7 �d7 7.0-0 � d6 8. lt:Jc3 lt:Jxc3 .... 105 15 4.� d3 d5 5. lt:Jxe5 lt:Jd7 6. lt:Jx d7 �d7 7.0-0 � d6 8.c4 c6 . . . . . 108

Part 4. Petroff Defence 3.lt:Jxe5 l.e4 e5 2.lbf3 �f6 3.lbxe5 d6

16 4. lt:Jxf7 cj;lxf7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116 17 4. lt:Jc4 lt:Jxe4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120 18 4. lt:Jf3 lt:Jxe4 5.c4; 5.�e2; 5.� d3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 9

5

1 9 4.tt::lf3 tt::lxe4 5. d4 d5 6 . .i d3 tt::lc6 7.0-0 .ie7 8.l"le1 .ig4 9.c3 f5 . . . . 136 20 4.tt::lf3 tt::lxe4 5. d4 d5 6 . .i d3 tt::lc6 7.0-0 .ie7 8.l"le1 .ig4 9.c4 tt::lf6 . . 145 21 4.tt::lf3 tt::lxe4 5. d4 d5 6 . .i d3 tt::lc6 7.0-0 .ie7 8.tt::lc3 tt::lxc3 . . . . . . . . 157 22 4.tt::lf3 tt::lxe4 5. d4 d56 . .i d3 tt::lc6 7.0-0 .ie7 8. c4 tt::lb4

9.cx d5; 9.l"le1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168 23 4.tt::lf3 tt::lxe4 5. d4 d5 6 . .i d3 tt::lc6 7.0-0 ie7 8.c4 tt::lb4 9.ie2 0-0

10.a3 tt::lc6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176 24 4.tt::lf3 tt::lxe4 5. d4 d5 6.i d3 tt::lc6 7.0-0 ie7 8.c4 tt::lb4 9.ie2 0-0

10.tt::lc3 if5 l l.a3 tt::lxc3 12.bxc3 tt::lc6 13.l"le1 l"le8 14.if4 de . . . . 180 25 4.tt::lf3 tt::lxe4 5. d4 d56.i d3 tt::lc6 7.0-0 ie7 8.c4 tt::lb4 9.ie2 0-0

10.tt::lc3 if5 l l.a3 tt::lxc3 12.bxc3 tt::lc6 13.l"le1 l"le8 14.cx d �x d5 15. i.f4 l"lac8 16.�a4; 16.g3; 16.i d3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185

26 4.tt::lf3 tt::lxe4 5. d4 d56 . .i d3 tt::lc6 7.0-0 ie7 8.c4 tt::lb4 9. �e2 0-0 10.tt::lc3 .if5 1 l.a3 tt::lxc3 12.bxc3 tt::lc6 13.l"le1 l"le8 14.cx d �x d5 1 5 . �f4 l"lac8 16.h3 ie4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 98

27 4.tt::lf3 tt::lxe4 5. d4 d56 . .i d3 tt::lc6 7.0-0 �e7 8.c4 tt::lb4 9. i.e2 0-0 10.tt::lc3 �f5 l l.a3 tt::lx c3 12.bxc3 tt::lc6 13.l"le1 l"le8 14.cx d �x d5 15. i.f4 l"lac8 16.h3 h6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 06

28 4.tt::lf3 tt::lxe4 5.tt::l c3 lt:lxc3 6. dx c3 i.e7 7. i.f4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216 29 4.tt::lf3 tt::lxe4 5.tt::l c3 tt::lxc3 6. dxc3 �e7 7. i.e3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 9

Complete Games . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246

6

PREFACE

The Petroff Defence is an exceptionally reliable an d almost in destruct­ible opening, an d a har d nut to crack, even for the strongest an d most meticulously prepare d gran dmasters theoretically. It is no acci dent that the Petroff Defence, name d after its inventor an d also know as the Russian Game, has for many years been the main opening weapon of Vla dimir Kramnik an d Boris Gelfan d an d has also been playe d regular­ly by Vishy Anan d an d Alexey Shirov. Nowa days there are also several very young an d talente d gran dmasters who play it, such as Wesley So an d Anish Giri. Anatoly Karpov an d Artur Yusupov have been using it as a part of their opening armoury throughout their chess careers ... The list coul d go on an d on.

The Petroff Defence is characterise d by the fact that on his secon d move Black does not protect his e5-pawn, but instea d counter attack s with 2 ... lt:lf6, proposing to the opponent the imme diate exchange of a

pair of pawns, thus slightly simplifying the position an d quickly defin­ing the future pawn-structure.

What are the pluses an d minuses of an opening repertoire base d on the Petroff Defence, such as we are recommen ding in this book? I think I can see only one drawback. If White is an experience d player with a

goo d grasp of theory, an d he is in the moo d to draw, then he shoul d be able to share the point without too much problem. Still, the same can also be sai d about almost every other opening, because in contempo­rary chess it is tremen dously difficult to win with Black unless White makes a serious mistake. On the other han d, there is a great a dvantage to consi der: you will not obtain ba d positions from the opening. The Petroff Defence is particularly suitable for players with a positional

style, since in a calm, quiet contest you can easily win the game if the opponent takes too many risks. You can see this illustrate d in the Com­plete Games section.

I have en deavoure d to present an d explain to you all the finer points of this opening, as I un derstan d them. In general, the critical positions have been treate d thoroughly an d I have also suggeste d an d analyze d a great many new i deas in this book. Some variations which have amasse d consi derable tournament practice, but which, in my view, are

7

less prin cip le d, have been covere d on ly brie fly. Other wise, the book woul d have become too big, losing its essential purpose. Unfortunate­ly, too many authors write chess books in that way; they offer no o rigi­

na l ana lysis an d often quote out date d games, some of which are very weakly p laye d an d almost use less.

I hope that you , the rea de r, wi ll en joy stu dyin g this book , an d I wish you won der ful tournament results with this opening !

8

Konstantin Sakaev, Saint Petersburg 2011

Partl

l.e4 e5

All White Replies without 2)Df3

I have discussed numerous times and I know, from my own experience, how difficult it is for White to combat the Petroff De­

fence. Whenever you are prepar­ing at home against the possibility of facing this opening in a tour­nament game, even if you are a very strong player you have great problems.

In Chapter One of our book, we shall first analyse some very rarely played attempts for White to avoid the Petroff and .ilack's reaction to all of them is fairly simple.

Later, we deal with the Vienna Game, in which White plays "incorrectly " on the king-

side and Black should respond with a classical counter-attack in the centre, ending up with an ex­cellent position.

As for the King's Gambit, this is a very complex opening with a long and rich history, but readers will find very reliable ways to combat this too.

Finally, the Bishop's Open­ing is a direct attempt to avoid

the Petroff and to introduce themes which are similar to those of the Italian Game. White's plans are destined to fail, however, be­cause after 2 .. .ll:\f6 3.d3 c6, there arises an immediate con flict in the centre, which is quite ad­vantageous for Black.

9

Chapter 1 l.e4 e5

Seldom Played Moves

2.d4 It is difficult to take the move

2.\WhS seriously. Black has many attractive options an d I shall show you just one of these: 2 ... tt:lc6 3. .tc4 g6 4.Wf3 tt:lf6 5.tt:le2 .tg7

6.tt:lbc3 d6 7. d3, Nakamura - Sa­sikiran, Copenhagen 2005. Here, I believe Black's most logical

move is 7 ... tt:la5 +, exchanging White's light-s quare d bishop for the knight an d en ding up with a slight e dge for Black.

We shall brie fly deal with the move 2. d3. We have no intention here of analyzing plans base d on some passive set-up for White with a bishop or a queen on the e2-s quare, or with a knight on d2. In all these cases Black shoul d de-

10

velop his knights on c6 an d f6 an d a dvance d7- d5, seizing space an d ensuring a very comfortable posi­tion. We shall limit ourselves to examining White's active possi­bility of trying to a dvance with f2-f4. It is quite obvious that this pawn a dvance is very risky, since it exposes White's king, especially in connection with the fact that his light-s quare d bishop will be restricte d to the e2-s quare. 2 ... tt:lf6 ( Black is preparing d7- d5. It is safer for him to play 2 ... tt:lc6 an d here 3.f4 seems to be too a d­venturous for White owing to 3 ... d5!) 3.f4 ( A better move for White

is 3.tt:lf3, but Black can answer this with 3 ... tt:lc6, followe d by d7 -d5. It is also goo d to play symmet­

rically with 3 ... d6, followe d by fi­anchettoing the bishop on g7. The position is close d an d White's ex­tra tempo is irrelevant, so the game is e qual.)

( diagram) an d now: 3 ... tt:lc6 4. fxe5 tt:lxe5 5. d4

tt:lxe4!? ( This is an interesting move. It is simpler for Black to opt for 5 ... tt:lc6 6.e5 tt:le4 7.tt:lf3 d5

8 . .id3 .ie7 9.0-0 0-0 10.'Llc3 .ifS 11. Ele l f6=, with e quality.) 6.'�e2 dS 7.dxe5 '&h4 8.g3 tt:lxg3 9.hxg3 '&xh1 10 . .ie3 '&e4 11 . .ig2 '&xeS ( The game is rather unclear after

1 l... '&g6!? 12. '&f2 c6 13.'Llc3oo) 12. 'Llf3 '&e6 13.'Lld4 '&eS 14.'Llf3 '&e6= and after a repetition of

moves the result will be a draw; 3 ... exf4 4.hf4 ( 4.e5? 'LldS+)

4 ... tt:lc6 5 . .ie2! (S.tt:lf3 dS 6.e5 tt:lhS 7 . .id2 h6!+, followed by g7-g5!) S ... .icS (5 ... .id6!? 6.hd6 cxd6 7. c4 0-0 8.'Llc3 a6 9.'Llf3 bS�) 6. tt:lc3 0-0 (6 ... d5 7.e5 tt:lg4 8.hg4 Wl'h4 9 . .ig3 '&xg4 l O.tt:lxdS Wl'd7

11.c4 tLl b4 � - Black has good com­pensation for the pawn, sufficient for e quality.) 7.e5 'Lle8 8.'Llf3 d6 (8 .. .f6 9.d4 fxeS l O.dxeS Elxf4 11. '&d5±; 8 ... tt:ld4!? 9.'Lle4 'Lle6oo) 9. .ig5 '&d7 10.d4 .ib6 11.'Lld5 h6oo­Black's position is fine apa rt from

the knight on e8, making the posi­tion difficult to evaluate.

2 ..• exd4 (diagram)

First of all, we shall look at White's possible de viations from the Centre Game:

A) 3.c3, B) 3.c!L\:f3 and then at the Centre Game itself: C) 3.\l!bd4.

l .e4 e5

It is simply bad for White to play 3.f4? 'Llc6 4. 'Llf3 .ic5+ - he will not regain his d4-pawn and has no compensation whatsoever.

The line 3 . .ic4 tt:lf6 transposes to the Bishop's Opening.

A) 3.c3 With this move White is offer­

ing the sharp Danish Gambit. However, Black is not force d to

accept the sacrifice and he has a simple and reliable way of obtain­ing an excellent position.

3 . . . d5 4.exd5 After 4. WI'xd4 the best White

can hope for is e quality. His c3-pawn deprives his knight of that s quare and does not enhance his position. After 4 ... dxe4 5. '&xe4 .ie7 6 . .ig5 tt:ld7 7.'Llf3 tt:lgf6 8. '&c2

0-0 9 . .ie2 h6 10 . .ih4 Ele8 11.0-0 tt:lh5 + Black has an excellent posi­tion, Tomas Batet - Korneev, Malaga 2002.

4 . . . '&xd5 5.cxd4 The move 5.'Llf3 makes little

sense at this point, because White will have to capture on d4 with his pawn anyway.

11

Chapter 1

5 . . .c!t:lc6 6.c!tlf3 .ig4

7.c!tlc3 For 7.�e2 �b4 8. l2Jc3 - see 7.

l2Jc3. 7 . . . .ib4 8 . .ie2 .ix£3 9 . .ixf3

�c4 1 0 .�b3 The en dgame is e qual after

10.hc6 bxc6 11.�e2 �xe2 12. lt>xe2=

1 0 •.. �xb3 11.ax:b3 c!tlge7 12 . .ie3 0 - 0 - 0 13. 0 - 0

13 ..• a5! This move is better than 13 ...

a6, which has been playe d much more often.

14.gfdl, D. Mastrovasilis -Skembris, Greece 2001. Black shoul d continue to play in the

12

centre with 14 .•. ghe8! = an d he solves all his opening prob­lems.

B) 3.c!tlf3 With this move White is trying

to transpose to the Scotch Game, which arises if Black replies with 3 ... l2Jc6. He is not oblige d to do this however an d has a very goo d alternative in

3 . . . .ib4+

Now White can reply with: Bl) 4.c3 or B2) 4 . .id2.

Bl) 4.c3 dxc3 5.c!tlxc3 After 5.bxc3, Black's safest

move is 5 ... �e7. The bishop is place d on a protecte d s quare an d prevents the possible sortie of his opponent's knight to g5 ( Even after 5 ... �c5 6.�c4 d6 7.

0-0 l2Jc6 White can har dly prove sufficient compensation for the pawn.). 6.�c4 d5! 7.ex d5 l2Jf6 8. 0-0 0-0 9.�a3 (after 9.�b3, Black has the resource 9 ... l2Ja6,

with the i dea of l2Ja6-c5) 9 ... l2Jb d7 10.�b3 ha3 11. l2Jxa3 l2Jc5+ an d he is even slightly better, Zvia-

ginsev - Motylev, Ube da 2000. 5 . . . .b:c3 If Black plays the imme diate

5 ... ct:Je7, then White can reply with 6. '&d4 .bc3 7. '&xc3 0-0 8.b4!? d5 9. i.b2 f6 10. i. d3 �, reaching a

complicate d position in which White has enough compensation for the pawn, Zviaginsev - Beliav­sky, Portoroz 1 9 9 9.

6.bxc3<tle7 7.e5 Or 7. i.c4 0-0 8.0-0 ct:Jbc6

9.e5 d5 10.ex d6 Wx d6 l l.Wx d6 cx d6 + an d White must play pre­cisely in or der to fight for a draw, Velimiro vic - Motylev, Herceg Novi 2000.

7 . . . d5! 8.exd6 'ffxd6 After 8 ... cx d6 9. i.a3 ct:Jbc6 10.

'&x d6 '&x d6 1 l..b d6 0-0= there is a transposition to the same en d­game as in the main line.

9.'&xd6 cxd6 1 0 .i.a3<tlbc6 The priority in this position is

quick development! If Black hol ds on to the extra pawn, then after 10 ... d5 11.0-0-0 ct:Jbc6 12. i.b5 ie6 13.:!"i:he l t he runs into diffi­culties, Zezulkin - Karpov, Bastia 2002.

l .e4 e5

ll . .b:d6 0 - 0 After 11...ie6 White can play

12.ct:Jg5 0-0-0 13.ia3 ct:J d5 14. ct:Jxe6±, so Black is reluctant to give up his secon d bishop for a knight.

12. 0 - 0 - 0 i.e6 13.®b2 An attempt to play aggres­

sively woul d not work for White: 13.ct:Jg5 ha2 14.@b2 h6! 15. @xa2 hxg5 16 . .be7 (otherwise White will be a pawn down without any compensation what­soever) 16 ... ct:Jxe7 17.:!"i: d7 ct:Jg6 18. :!"i:xb7 :!"i:f d8= - Black's rook is rea dy to go to d2 an d he is in no danger.

13 . . .lUd8=

White cannot profit from the a dvantage of the bishop pair, since his pieces lack coor dination, while Black has easy play on the light s quares. He has the possibil­ity of deploying his knight along the route e7- d5-b6 an d later to a4 or c4, accor ding to circum­stances. White can har dly save his light-s quare d bishop from be­ing exchange d, so the game is e qual.

13

Chapter 1

B2) 4.i.d2

4 ..• h:d2 5.li:'lbxd2 The position is completely

e qual after 5. '&xd2 c5 ( If Black wishes to enter a more complicat­ed struggle he can choose 5 .. :�e7 6. '&xd4 l2Jf6 7. l2Jc3 l2Jc6 8. Wfe3 0-0 9. i.d3 d6 t, but White main­tains a slight edge, thanks to his space advantage.) 6.c3 l2Jf6 7.e5 l2Je4 8. Wff4 d5 9.exd6 l2Jxd6 10.

cxd4 cxd4= 5 .• .li:'lc6 6.l2Jb3 After 6. i.b5, Black replies with

6 ... a6! 7. i.xc6 (if 7. i.a4, then 7 ... l2Jge7 and White is unable to play l2Jd2-b3, without which he cannot

regain his d4-pawn) 7 ... dxc6 8. l2Jb3 b6! 9. Wfxd4 Wfxd4 10. l2J fxd4

c5!=. Black has deployed his queenside pawns on dark s quares

and the endgame is excellent for him. On his next move he can continue with f7-f5!, liberating his bishop after an exchange of pawns, or obtaining the excellent blockading s quare e6 if White's e­pawn advances.

6 ••• �{6 7.i.d3 0 - 0 8. 0 - 0 ges

14

Here it appears to be almost e qually strong for Black to play the immediate 8 ... d5!?

9.gel

9 •.. d5 It is a bit passive for him to opt

for 9 ... d6 10. l2J fxd4 i.d7 11. l2Jxc6 i.xc6 12.f3 '&en and although Black does not have any weak­

nesses or any bad pieces, White is still slightly better thanks to his space advantage, B.Savchenko -Chadaev, Olginka 2011.

1 0 .e5 �d7! This is the most precise route

to e quality for Black. His alterna­tives are less convincing, for ex­ample: 10 ... l2Jg4 11.h3 l2Jgxe5 12. l2Jxe5 l2Jxe5 13. i.xh7 'it>xh7 14. Wfh5 'it>g8 15J'\xe5 l"lxe5 16. Wfxe5 f6 17. Wff4 b6 18. l2Jxd4 c5 1 9. l2Jb5 a6

20. l2Jd6 Wfe7 2 l.b4!t There is also a way to reach a

more complex but still approxi­mately e qual position: 10 ... l2Je4!? l l. l2Jbxd4 l2Jxd4 12. l2Jxd4 c5 13. l2Jb5 i.d7=

ll.lilbxd4 ll:\xd4 12.lilxd4 ll:\xe5 13.h:h7 'it>xh7 14.Wfh5 'it>g8 15.gxe5 c5 16.gxd5

16.tt'lf3 Ei:xe5 17.\1�xe5 f6= 16 . . . �f6 17.tl:lf3 �bx2 18.�fl

�xc2 19.�xc5 �e2 = Black's king is a bit expose d, but White cannot exploit this effectively, so the po­sition is e qual.

C) 3.�xd4 ll:lc6

4.�e3 The main i dea of the Centre

Game is to transfer the white queen to g3, exerting powerful

pressure against the g7 -s quare. Accor dingly, retreating White's queen to a4 or d1 makes little

sense. Black simply develops his knight on f6 an d bishop on c5, ob­taining a lea d in development an d seizing the initiative. After 4.� d3, the best that White can hope for is to transpose to the main line: 4 ... tt'lf6 5.tt'lc3 .ib4 ( Black has anoth­er very promising alternative here in 5 ... .ic5!?) 6 . .i d2 0-0 7.0-0-0 Ei:e8 8.�g3.

4 . . . ll:lf6 5.ltlc3 It is very important for White

to continue with his development. After 5.e5? li:lg4 6.�e2 (or 6.�e4 �h4 followe d by �h5 - White

l .e4 e5

loses his e5-pawn) 6 ... d6 7.h3 li:lh6 (the piece-sacrifice 7 ... li:lxe5!? looks very attractive too)

8.ex d6 .ie6 Black has a po we rful initiative for Black.

After 5 . .i d2?! Black's simplest reply is 5 ... .ie7 ( Naturally he can also play 5 ... .ib4 an d if White does not transpose to the main

line with 6. li:lc3, the game is e qual.) 6. li:lc3 d5! an d after the ex­change of the central pa wns, Black's position seems more ac­

tive. It looks useless for White to

play S. li:lf3?!, because he bars the way of his queen to the g3-s quare. After 5 ... .ib4 6.c3 (it is even worse for White to play 6 . .i d2 0-0 an d Black is threatening Ei:e8) 6 ... .ia5

7 . .i d3 0-0 8.0-0 dS!+ Black is fighting for the initiative.

5 . . . .ib4 6 . .id2 0 - 0 7. 0 - 0 - 0 �e8 8.�g3

Or 8 . .ic4 d6 9.f3 li:le5 10 . .ib3 c6 + an d White has no active pros­pects on the kingsi de, while Black is rea dy to with draw his bishop to c5 with tempo an d then begin an offensive with b7-b5 an d a7-a5.

15

Chapter 1

It woul d be disastrous for White to opt for 8.f3? dS+ an d his queen on e3 is expose d, becoming

an easy target for Black's pieces.

s . . .c!l)xe4 White does not have full com­

pensation for the pawn after 8 ... l'l:xe4, but the game becomes

sharper an d much more complex. A possible continuation is 9.a3 i.aS ( 9 ... l'l:g4!?) 10.f3 l'l:e8 11.tt:lge2 d6 12.h4, Shabalov - Martinovs ky Chicago 1 9 96. Black must play

very precisely to neutralize White's kingsi de initiative, for ex­

ample: 12 ... c;t>hS (12 ... tt:le7!?) 13. hS h6 14.tt:lf4 i.fS 1S.W!h4 (White must try to a dvance his g-pawn; since he has no other reasonable plan) 1S ... tt:leS 16. i.e2 Wfd7. Now, owing to some tactical nuances, it is ba d for White to play 17.g4 hc3 18.hc3 hc2! 1 9. l'l:d2 i.h7 20.gS WffS-+. White might have some other interesting i deas, but if Black plays well he shoul d be able

to hol d his own in all lines. 9.lbxe4 �xe4 1 0 .c3

10.hb4 tt:lxb4 (here it is also goo d for Black to play 10 ...

16

�xb4!?+) l l.a3 tt:lc6 12. i. d3 l'l:e8 13.tt:lf3 d6 14. l'l:he1 h6 1S.l'l:xe8 Wfxe8 16. l'l:e1 Wif8+ an d now Black just nee ds to play i.c8- d7 an d l'l:a8-e8. White's initiative is insuf­

ficient to compensate for the sac­rifice d pawn.

1 0 . . . .ie7! ll.f4 11.tt:lf3 d6 12.h3 tt:leS 13.tt:lxeS

l'l:xeS 14.f4 l'l:aS+ Black's rook is well place d on aS an d it cannot cause any serious problems for him. Or l l. i. d3 i.h4 12.Wif3 l'l:e8+ with the threat of tt:lc6-eS.

ll . . . d5 12 . .id3 12.tt:lf3 i.fS ( In this or der of

moves, Black has another very in­teresting possibility in 12 ... l'l:a4!? 13. i. d3 l'l:xa2 14.c;t>b1 l'l:aS 1S. l'l:he1 d4+, with very active play an d

some a dvantage.) 13. i. d3 Wfd7 14. he4 i.xe4 - see 12. i. d3.

12 . . . .if5! This is the right time to give

back the extra material an d seize the initiative!

More cautious play is less ef­fective , for examp le: 12 ... i.h4 13. Wff3 l'l:e8 14.g4 1e7 1S.tt:le2 aS!+,

with the i dea of aS-a4, continuing

the attack on the queensi de. The ensuing play will be rather sharp an d White's compensation for the pawn will probably be insuffi­cient.

13.he4 he4 14.ll:\£J ti'd7+

l .e4 e5

White has a minimal material a d­vantage, but Black's bishop on e4 is as goo d as a rook! There is no doubt that Black has a very pow­

erful initiative, Ru dd - Avrukh, Lon don 2010 (game 1).

Conclusion

White moves pawns at the beginning of the game and develops his queen before his minor pieces, so he can hardly expect any advantage and must even think about equalizing. I believe that in all the rarely played lines analyzed in this chapter the best White can hope for is that his opponent is not well prepared to combat them. However, with solid, common-sense play in the centre, Black should be able to obtain excellent positions without any problems whatsoever.

17

Chapter 2 l.e4 e5 2)i)c3 ttlf6

Vienna Game

We shall analyze here A) 3.i.c4, B) 3.g3 and C) 3.f4.

A) 3 . .ic4 tt:\xe4

4.�h5 It is weaker for White to play

4 . .bf7+ mxfl S. tt:Jxe4 dS+; Black occupies the centre and later he

18

can castle artificially, since he has more than sufficient time for this.

White can continue his devel­opment, ignoring Black's knight for the time being, but that would only be sufficient for e quality and no more: 4. tt:Jf3 tt:Jxc3 ( The other reliable way for Black here is: 4 ... tt:Jf6 S.lLlxeS dS 6 . .ib3 c6= White's

bishop on b3 and the knight on c3 are severely restricted by Black's pawn-chain c6-d5, so Black has no opening problems whatsoev­er.) S.dxc3

S ... c6 ( Black often plays here S ... f6, with the idea of holding on to the pawn. I do not like this move at all from the aesthetic point of view and would never play like this. Black falls behind in development and loses his right

to castle comfortably; neverthe­less, I have faile d to fin d a direct refutation of it. Black wants to play d7- d6, followe d by c7-c6 an d d6- d5, while White can try to de­

velop his initiative in various ways. He can play for example: 6.�e3, keeping the option of � d1-e2 an d 0-0-0, although he can also consi der the simple possibil­ity of 6.0-0 d6 7.lLlh4 g6 8.�e3, followe d by f2-f4gg White has the initiative, but Black has consi der­able defensive resources.) 6.lLlxe5 d5 7.0-0 � d6 8.l"le1 0-0 9.� d3

lLl d7 10.�f4 �f6 l l.lLlx d7 h d7 12. h d6 �x d6=. The position is al­most symmetrical an d absolutely e qual.

4 . . .lbd6 5.i.b3 A rather dull en dgame arises

after 5.�xe5 �e7 6.�xe7 he7 7. �b3 lLlf5 8.lLlf3 (8.lLl d5 � d8 9.lLlf3 c6 10.lLle3 d5=) 8 ... c6=, followe d by d7- d5.

5 . . . i.e7 6.lbf3 lLlc6 7.lbxe5 g6 8.�e2

8 . . . 0 - 0 The game is more complex

an d approximately e qual after 8 ...

l .e4 e5 2.lLl c3 lLlf6

lLl d4 9.� d3 lLlxb3 10.axb3 lLlf5 11.0-0 d6 12.lLlf3 c6= Anan d- Iv­anchuk, Monaco (rapi d) 1 9 92.

9. 0 - 0 i.f6 1 0 .lbxc6 Black has an excellent position

after 10.lLlf3 l"le8 1 l.� d1 b6 + 1 o . . . dxc6 ll.d3 ges 12JWf3

a5 13.a4 i.e6 14.i.xe6 gxe6+ an d Black's position is even slightly preferable.

B) 3.g3 This move is not at all ambi­

tious.

3 . . . i.c5 I think this is Black's most log­

ical reaction. The line: 3 ... d5 4.ex d5 lLlx d5

5.�g2 lLlxc3 6.bxc3 � d6 7.lLlf3 0-0 8.0-0 lLlc6 lea ds to the Glek variation (2.lLlf3 lLlf6 3.lLlc3 lLlf6 4.g3). Black has an alternative on his last move, which lea ds to orig­inal positions - 8 ... lLl d7. His knight is more flexibly place d on d7, but it restricts the mobility of

his own light-s quare d bishop. Af­ter 9. d4 h6 10.l"le1 ex d4 1 l.cx d4 lLlb6 12.� d3!± Zviaginsev A vrukh, Ohri d 200 9, depen ding

1 9

Chapter 2

on circumstances, White can s queeze his opponent's position by a dvancing his a- or c- pawns. He also has the possibility of in­

creasing his piece-pressure with the move tt::lf3-e5 an d Black's play is not at all easy (it is weaker for White to opt for 12.tt::le5 c6 13.c3 .ie6=, with e quality, Leko -Kramnik, Bu dapest 2001).

4 . .ig2 0 - 0 Black shoul d not be in a hurry

to play 4 ... d6, since then his bish­op has no retreat an d White may soon try to exchange it by tt::lc3-a4.

5.ll:)ge2 The move 5.tt::lf3 is simply ba d

here, owing to 5 ... d5!+ an d Black seizes the initiative.

5 . . )l:)c6 It woul d be premature for

Black to imme diately attack his opponent's centre with his knight still on b8: 5 ... c6 6.0-0 d5 7.ex d5 cx d5 8. d4 ex d4 9.tt::lx d4 .ig4 10. 1Mfd3 tt::lc6, Stevie - G danski, Rije­

ka 2010. Here the move l l.tt::lb3! enables White to win his oppo­nent's central pawn an d Black's compensation will be insufficient.

20

6. 0 - 0 �e8 7.d3 After 7.h3, Black continues

with the same plan: 7 ... tt::l d4 8. i>h2 c6 9.f4 d5!, with the a dvan­tage.

7 . . . h6! With this prophylactic move

Black ensures long-term security of his knight on f6.

8.h3 ll:\d4 After completing his prophy­

lactic measures on the kingsi de Black is rea dy to open the centre.

It is also possible for him to play patiently with 8 ... a6 9.i>h2 d6 10.f4 tt::l d4= when all his pieces

are poise d in the centre an d Black is rea dy to follow up with b7-b5 an d .ic8-b7. White has no pros­pects of developing an initiative on the kingsi de an d in dee d his own king is vulnerable.

9.ll:\a4 If 9.i>h2 then 9 ... c6! 10.f4 d5!+

an d Black's acti vity in the centre is much more effective than White's play on the flanks, all in accor dance with classic princi­ples!

9 . . . .if8 1 0 .f4

White can prevent the pawn­break d7- d5 by means of the somewhat artificial move 10 .c4, but Black can counter this effec­tively with the line: 10 . . . c6 11 . li:Jac3 ic5 12 .�h2 a6=, preparing

b7-b5 . 1 0 .. .c!i)xe2 11.�xe2 d5 12.

fxe5 gxe5 13.i.f4

13 .. . ges ( It is also interesting for Black to try 13 . . J'l:e6!? an d in several va riations Black's rook goes to the queensi de, attacking White's pawns an d pieces .) 14.e5 i.d7 15.tl:\c3 d4 16. tl:\d5 tl:\xd5 17.hd5 i.e6= . Black has

achieve d safe e quality .

C) 3.f4 d5

l.e4 e5 2. liJc3 liJf6 3f4 d5

We shall now deal with the moves C1) 4.exd5 an d C2) 4.fxe5.

Cl) 4.exd5 This move only helps Black's

development, so it cannot be goo d.

4 .•. tl:\xd5 5.fxe5 tl:\xc3 6. bxc3 �h4 7.�e2 i.g4 8.tl:\f3 tl:\c6 9.'%l/e1 '%l/h5

White's king is in front of his army, so he cannot even e qualize, despite having an extra pawn .

1 0 .�d1 After 10 .d4 0-0-0 l l .�f2 f6!

the f-file is opene d an d White has some problems . 12 .ib5 fxe5 13 .i.xc6 bxc6 14 .�xe5 �g6 15 .ge l i d6 16 .�g5 (after 16 .�e4, Black can again play 16 . . . l"l df8!, with the i dea of increasing his pressure along the f-file with the move l"lf8-f5!) 16 . . . !'1df8! 17 J'!e2 l"lf5 18.�xg6 hxg6+. Black regains his pawn, maintaining the initiative in the process .

1 0 . . . h£3 ll.gx£3 �xf3 12 . .ie2 '%l/d5

21

Chapter 2

13.c4 White cannot achieve any­

thing with 13J'lf l 0-0-0 14.Wf2 (after 14.�f3 Wxe5 15. �c6 Wxe l

16.i>xe l bxc6 17 J�xf7 � d6+ he will have difficulty sa ving the game) 14 ... i>b8 15.Wxf7Wxe5 +. Black ex­erts powe rful pressure on the cen­tral files, while White's pieces are very passive an d he has no coun­terplay along the b-file.

13 •.• Wxe5 14.l'�bl 0 - 0 - 0 15.�g4 f5

The position is double-e dge d after 15 ... i>b8!? 16.�f3 Wf6 17J''lfl �c5�. Black has an extra pawn an d active pieces while, as com­pensation, White exerts powerful pressure on the b-file an d on the long diagonal.

16.Wxe5 lL\xe5 17.� i> b8 18 . .ie6 .ic5 19.d3 1'!he8 2 0 . .ig5 l'! d6 21..id5 c6 2 2 . .ie4 h6 23 • .if4 l'! f6 24 . .ig3 i> c7+

( diagram) Black's next move will be �c5-

f2, exchanging the enemy bishop on g3 an d neutralizing the possi­ble danger. White must play very precisely to salvage a draw, be­cause his pawn-structure is infe-

22

rior. If he plays 25.i>e2, then Black can reply with 25 ... � d6,

with the powerful threat Ci:le5xc4.

C2) 4.fxe5lL\xe4

5.lL\f3 It woul d be just crazy for White

to play 5.Wf3, ignoring the princi­ples of quick development, devel­oping his queen in the centre ahea d of his minor pieces. After 5 ... lL\c6! ( Black can obtain a very goo d position with the simple move 5 ... Ci:lxc3, but he is striving for more an d quite justifiably so.) 6.�b5 Ci:lxc3 7.bxc3 Wh4 (7 ... �e7 8. d4 0-0 9.� d3 (after 9.Ci:le2 f6

10.exf6 hf6 l l.tt.'lf4 tt.le7+ Black is also slightly better) 9 ... f6 10.Wh5 g6 l l.hg6 hxg6 12.Wxg6 'it>h8 13.Wh6 'it>g8= it all en ds in a draw by perpetual check) 8.g3 We4 9.Wxe4 dxe4 10.hc6 bxc6 l l.tt.'le2

l':\b8+. Black has a strong bishop­pair an d an a dvantage in the en d­game.

Although Black's knight on e4 is very strong, attac king it with 5. d3 is too passive. White's bishop will remain on f l an d the pawn on e5 will be deprive d of support. 5 ... tt.lxc3 6.bxc3

6 ... d4! Black destroys his op­ponent's pawn-chain with this move. 7.tt.lf3 tt.lc6 8.�e2 (it is no better for White to play here 8. cx d4 �b4 9.� d2 h d2 10.Wx d2 tt.lx d4+; his pawns are a sorry sight, while Black will soon castle, establishing a consi derable lea d in development in the process.) 8 ... �c5 9.0-0 dxc3 10.'\t>h l 0-0 l l.We l. Black alrea dy has an extra

pawn an d White can har dly create any meaningful threats on the kingsi de. Black has many goo d moves to choose from an d I be­lieve his best possibility is: 11 ... ctJd4!

l .e4 e5 2.tt.l c3 tt.lf6 3j4 d5

an d now: 12.� dl l':\e8! 13.Wxc3 tt.lxf3 14.

Wxc5 l':\xe5 15. Wfc3 ( White loses af­ter 15.Wif2 W! d4 16.Wxf3 l':\f5-+) 15 ... tt.l d4 16.�f4 l':\e7+. White's compensation is far from suffi­cient;

12.Wxc3 - This attempt by White to restore the material bal­ance is completely ineffective. 12 ... �b6 (12 ... b6!?) 13.Wi d2 tt.lxf3 14.hf3 � d4 15.l':\b l he5 16.l':\b5 � d4 ( A very cautious player with Black, fearing the transfer of White's rook to the kingsi de, coul d choose 16 ... l':\e8 17.� d5 �f6 18.�xb7 l':\b8 1 9.�c6 l':\xb5 20. �xb5 � d7+, with a slight e dge for Black.) 17.c3 (White cannot re­

gain his sacrifice d pawn, since af­ter 17.�xb7 hb7 18.l':\xb7 �b6 his rook on b7 is trappe d.) 17 ... �b6+. Black has an extra pawn, while

White cannot create any real threats on the kingsi de.

5 ... i.e7 If 5 ... tt.lc6 White can develop

his bishop to an active position with the move 6. i.b5, preparing to castle.

6.We2 It is just a loss of a tempo for

him to play 6. d3 tt.lxc3 7.bxc3 0-0

23

Chapter 2

8. d4 (here it is too passive for White to play 8 . .ie2 c5 9.0-0 tt:lc6 10. d4 �aS 1 l. .id2 c4 + an d Black follows this up by un dermining White's centre with f7-f6) 8 .. .f6 9 . .i d3 fxe5 10.tt:lxe5 tt:ld7 11.tt:lf3 ( l l.�h5 tt:lf6 12.�e2 c5 13.0-0 c4

14 . .if5 hf5 15. E1xf5 �b6 +. Black's queen will go to e6 an d his knight

to e4) 1 l...c5 12.0-0 c4 13 . .ie2 �c7 + an d later he will deploy his bishop on d6 an d the knight on f6, with very promising play.

Compare d with 6. d3, it is more logical for White to continue with 6. d4, but even then after 6 ... c5 7. .i d3 tt:lxc3 8.bxc3 tt:lc6 9.0-0 0-0 10 . .ie3 c4 1 l. .ie2 b5= Black has excellent prospects on the queen­si de an d his chances are by no means worse.

6 . . . £5! A double-e dge d position arises

after 6 ... tt:lxc3 7. dxc3 0-0 8 . .if4 c5 9.0 -0-0 tt:lc6 10.c4 d4 1 l.�e4 oo Janose vic - Gligoric, Belgra de 1 964.

7.d3 Naturally, White cannot be

happy with 7.e xf6 tt:lxf6+, because

24

all his pieces will be awkwar dly place d.

7 . . .ll:lxc3 8.bxc3 0 - 0 9.g3 This creates another attractive

target for Black to attack, but it cannot be goo d for White to play 9. d4. After 9 ... c5 10.g3 tt:lc6 11. .ig2 .ie6 12.0-0 h6!+ Black has an excellent blocka ding bishop on e6 an d goo d prospects on the c­file.

9 . . . c5 1 0 .i.g2 tl:lc6 11. 0 - 0 It woul d be senseless for White

to play 1 l.h4, with the i dea of se­curing the g5-s quare for a knight­sortie. Black can simply counter it with 1 l...h6, since this move is an integral part of his plan in any case.

n . . . .ie6 12J!bl gbs 13.<;t>hl I t is difficult to suggest any­

thing more active for White. Black has excellent control of all the s quares in his half of the boar d, while the move 13. d4 will only create another target for Black, as we pointe d out earlier.

13 .•. h6! 14 . .id2 b5+ White's pawn on e5 is perfectly blocka de d an d Black has excellent prospects

for a pawn-offensive on the queensi de, as well as on the king-

l .e4 e5 2.l1Jc3 l1Jf6 3f4 d5

si de by means of g7-g5!?, Meister - Timoschenko , Barnaul 1 988.

Conclusion The Vienna Game is an ancient opening which is more or less ig­

nored by contemporary grandmasters. This is easily understandable. Black has demonstrated reliable ways of obtaining an excellent game and they are simple and easy to implement. It seems to me that White's most promising line is: 2.l1Jc3 l1Jf6 3.g3, but Black should not have any problem countering that either.

25

Chapter3 l.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4

King's Gambit

Of course, there are enor­mously complex and well-studied possibilities for both sides in this opening, since the King's Gambit possesses a tremendously rich history. But instead of analyzing the entire theory of this sharp opening I shall just try to show you one very good defence for Black,

We will deal here with A) 3.lbc3? ! , B) 3.�c4 and the most

important move for White - C) 3.l!Jf3.

A) 3.l!Jc3?! I believe that to place the king

in front of the bishop can never be good, "period " ...

3 •. .'\1�'h4+ 4. �e2 g5 The move 4 ... d5 is more popu-

26

lar, since it liberates the light­s quared bishop, but it leads to an unclear position.

5.l!Jf3 �h5 6.d4 l!Je7 This is Black's most useful

move. He develops his kingside, depri ving White's knight of the d5-s quare in the process.

7.�f2 d6 It is also good for Black to play

7 ... g4, forcing White to make an unpleasant decision. He must ei­ther sacrifice his knight on f3, or retreat it to a bad s quare. Still, Black does not need to sharpen

the game so early, because he has a very goo d position anyway.

White has no compensation for the pawn and his king has no safe shelter, so Black has good

chances of soon organizing an at­tack against it.

B) 3 . .ic4

3 ..• d5! ? Black shoul d refrain from de­

priving his opponent of the right to castle, since after 3 ... '\Wh4+ 4. �f1, White's knight will be devel­ope d to f3 with tempo an d his king's rook will later join in the action by means of the move h2-h4, un dermining his opponent's pawn on gS.

Black can e qualize safely an d reliably by playing 3 ... ttJf6 4. ttJc3 c6 S . .ib3 dS 6.ex d5 cx dS

an d then: the move 7. ttJf3 allows 7 ... d4!

8. ttJe2 (8. '\We2 .ie7 9. ttJe4 0-0 10.

l .e4 e5 2f4 exf4

d3 ttJc6 1 l. .ixf4 ttJdS 12 . .i d2 ttJaS 13.0-0 ttJxb3 14.axb3 fS 15. ttJf2 .if6 +) 8 ... ttJc6 (the position be­

comes very interesting after 8 ... d3, but Black does not nee d to

sharpen the game so much) 9.d3 ttJdS! 10 . .ix d5 (but not 10. ttJxf4 .ib4+ an d White loses his castling

rights) 10 ... '\Wx dS l l. ttJxf4 '\WcS 12. 0-0 .ie7 +;

7. d4 .ib4 (the struggle is very complicate d after 7 ... .i d6 8. ttJf3 0-0 9.0-0oo) 8 . .ixf4 (if 8. ltJf3, Black has a very strong continua­

tion in 8 ... a5! 9.a4 We ?! 10. ttJe5 ttJc6 1 l. .ixf4 0-0 12.0-0 ttJx d4 13. ttJx dS ttJx dS 14 . .ix d5 .ie6 +) 8 ... ttJe4 (the position offers chances

for both si des after 8 ... 0-0 9. ttJf3 Ele8 10. ttJe5oo) 9. ttJge2 0-0 10. 0-0 .ixc3 ( Black is inten ding an offensive on the light s quares, so he gives up this bishop.) l l. ttJxc3 ttJxc3 12.bxc3 .ie6 13. '\Wf3 ttJc6

14.Elae1 '\Wd7= Ovetchkin - Sa­kaev, Serpukhov 2007.

4.h:d5 Or 4.ex d5 '\Wh4 S.�f l .i d6

6. ttJf3 'IWhS 7. ttJc3 ttJe7 8. d4 0-0 9.�f2 ttJd7 10.Ele1 ttJb6 1 l. .ib3 ttJex dS 12. ttJx d5 ttJx dS 13.c4 ttJe3

14 . .ixe3 fxe3 15J�xe3, Ju. Polgar­Topalov, Mexico 2010. In this po­sition, Black coul d have struck a powerful strategical blow on the dark s quares with the move 15 ...

cS!, transforming the enemy bish­op on b3 into a "big pawn ". After 16. d5 gS! 17.h3 fS!+, followe d by g5-g4, Black's attack is crushing.

4 . . . ttJf6 5.ttJc3 ttJxd5! Black must capture this bishop

27

Chapter 3

as soon as possible. It is inferior to play 5 ... i.b4 6.tt:lf3 0-0 7.0-0 l"le8 8. i.b3 :t and White has the edge.

6.lL:lxd5 g5 In principle, all developing

moves are good for Black here, for example: 6 ... tt:lc6, or 6 ... i.d6.

7.h4 c6 8.lL:lc3 l"lgS+

The position is quite sharp, but Black has very good pros ­pects.

C) 3.�f3 Here, just as on the pre vious

move, I shall ignore all Black's possibilities apart from the most promising one.

3 ••• g5!

28

White has numerous alterna­tives here: Cl) 4.d4, C2) 4 . .ic4, C3) 4.tt:lc3 and C4) 4.h4.

Cl) 4.d4 This is a very dubious move. 4 ••• g4! In this precise position the

knight-sacrifice on f3 is not as good for White as it is in many other lines. Black quickly attacks the d4-s quare and does not allow his opponent to obtain a big lead in development.

After 4 ... i.g7, an interesting try for White is the rarely played move 5.tt:lc3!?, since it is not as good for Black to win a piece with 5 ... g4 as it was on the previous move, because it is better for him to have developed his knight on c6 rather than his bishop on g7.

5 . .ixf4 gxf3 6.�xf3

6 •• .lL:lc6! After 6 ... d6 7.tt:lc3 tt:lc6 8.

0-0-0oo White's compensation for the piece might still be insuf­ficient, but the position remains extremely sharp.

7 . .ic4

The move 7. d5 exposes the dark s quares in general an d the

b2-pawn in particular. Black can exploit this imme diately with 7 ... \Wf6 8. dxc6 \Wxb2 an d White loses material, since the line 9.ic4 \Wxa1 10. ixf7 md8 11.0-0 \Wg7- + does not work an d the attack

comes to a dea d en d. 7 . . . d5 8.hd5 ll:lxd4 9.

.ixf7 + 'i!?xf7 1 o. Whs <±>g7 n.

0 - 0

Now Black shoul d not be gree dy an d try to hol d on to the extra material. Instea d he shoul d be rea dy to return some of it in or­der to block the f-file.

ll . . . .if5! The position remains quite

unclear after ll ... ie7 12.'t:lc3 ll:lf6 13.\Wh6 mf714.ie5oo

12 • .ie5+ ll:lf6 13.ll:lc3 .ig6 14.�h4

After 14.\W d1 ie7 15.ix d4 c6 16.e5 lt:le8 17. lt:le2 Elf8 18. Elxf8 ixf8 1 9. lt:lf4 ifS+ White's initia­tive is insufficient to compensate for the sac rifice d piece.

Or 14.\WgS ie7 15. lt:l d5 Elf8 an d here 16.ix d4 loses to 16 ... c6- +

l .e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3. lt:lj3 g5

14 ..• ll:lf3+ ! 15.Elxf3 .ic5+ 16. mh1 .td4 17 . .tf4 h6 1S.E�g3

After 18. Eld1 Black can simply bolster his bishop with the move 18 ... c5+

18 ..• h5 19.i.g5 Black was threatening lt:lf6-g4. 19 •.. �e8 2 0 .Eld1 .ie5 21..if4

.txf4 22.�xf4 Elf8+ Black's extra piece will be much more impor­tant than White's scattere d extra pawns.

C2) 4 . .ic4

4 ..• ig7 The line: 4 ... g4 5.0-0 gxf3

6. \Wxf3oo lea ds to a very sharp po­sition; Black does not nee d to en­ter such complications.

5.d4 Or 5.h4 h6 6. d4 d6 7.c3 lt:lc6

an d the main line is reache d by transposition.

5 .•• d6 6.h4 If White does not break the

pawn-chain g5-f4 he will have great problems, since the simple completion of his development is not very promising, for example: 6.0-0 lt:lc6 7.c3 h6

2 9

Chapter 3

an d now: for 8.h4 g4 - see 6.h4; 8.g3 �h3 9.gxf4 ( 9 J'lf2 tt'lf6 10.

gxf4 tt'lxe4+ an d Black later sup­ports his knight with the move d6- d5) 9 ... h f1 10.�x fl g4 11.�g2 gxf3 12.�xg7 �f6 13.�xf6 tt'lxf6 14. tt'l d2 l"lg8 15. Wfl, Kleinschroth -Scherer, Zell 1 9 93 an d now Black coul d have obtaine d a great a d­vantage with 15 ... l"lg4 16.e5 tt'lh5+;

after 8.�b3, it is very strong for Black to continue with 8 ... � d7!+,

creating the threat of tt'lc6-a5; 8.�a4 � d7 9.�b3 tt'la5! 10.

hf7 Wf8 11.�a3 Wxf7 12.�xa5 c5+ Zvjaginsev - Akopian, Rijeka (rapi d) 2010.

6 ••• h6 7.c3 ltlc6 8. 0 - 0 g4 9.lt)el

Here it is very promising for

30

Black to expose the enemy king with the move

9 . . . £3! The game Nakamura - lvan­

chuk, Cap d' Ag de 2010, contin­ue d with 9 ... �xh4 10.hf4 tt'lf6 11. e5 dxe5 12. dxe5 g3 13.hg3 �xg3 14.exf6 �f8 15.tt'l d3 � d6 an d White ha d the chance to enter a slightly better en dgame with 16.�e1 (in­stea d, in the game he playe d the risky line: 16.�h5 �g4 17.hf7 an d here Black coul d have won with 17 ... W d8! 18.� d5 �e2- + an d White woul d suffer decisive mate­rial loss) 16 ... Wf8 17.�xg3 hg3 18. tt'l d2 l"lg8 1 9.tt'le4 tt'le5 20.tt'lxe5 he5 21.l"la dl t, which, if Black defen ds correctly, shoul d en d in a draw.

1 0 .gxf3 It is not correct for White to

continue with 10.tt'lxf3? gxf3 11. �xf3 tt'lf6+, because he cannot do anything wo rthwhile along the f­file an d without that his attack comes to a dea d en d.

1 0 . . . �xh4 After 10 ... g3 11.tt'lg2 tt'lf6oo,

White's centre is beautiful, but his king is potentially vulnerable.

lt.lLig2 Wfh3 12.fxg4 ltlf6+

White's knight is awkwardly placed on g2 and destroys the harmony of his pieces, while Black has an excellent position.

C3) 4.ll:lc3

G M Vadim Zvjaginsev tried re­cently to resurrect this ancient move. In some variations White's knight is ready to go to d5, but the serious drawback of the place­ment of the knight on c3 is that his d4-pawn is insufficiently pro­tected.

4 •• )LJC6 It is less good for Black to play

4 ... g4 5.tt'le5 tt'lc6 (a very compli­cated endgame arises after 5 ... Wh4 6.g3 fxg3 7.Wxg4 Wxg4 8. tt:lxg4) 6.tt'lxg4 Wh4 7.tt'lf2 .tc5 8.

d4 hd4 (White's initiative is very dangerous after 8 ... tt:lxd4?! 9.b4! .tb6 10.tt'ld5t) 9.Wf3co with a dou­

ble-edged position. (diagram)

5.g3! This is the essence of G M Va­

dim Zvjaginsev's idea. White does not allow his opponent to capture

l.e4 eS 2j4 exf4 3.tt'lj3 gS

the knight with the move g5-g4 and destroys the pawn-wedge g5-f4 without having to make heavy sacrifices. Additionally he wishes to quickly develop his queenside pieces with the idea of eventually castling on the queenside.

Unfortunately for romantic players the ancient gambits are unsound:

5.d4 g4 6.tt'le5 (6 . .tc4 gxf3 7.0-0 leads by transposition to the position arising after 5 . .tc4 g4 6.0-0 gxf3 7.d4) 6 ... tt:lxe5 7.dxe5 Wh4 8.�e2 .tc5+

After 5.ic4, Black has the res­olute response 5 ... g4! and White is forced to sacrifice his knight, but in many variations the fact that he has delayed the develop­ment of his kingside with his fourth move becomes important. 6.0-0 (6.d4 gxf3 7.Wxf3 Wh4 8.g3 tt:lxd4 9.Wf2 Wf6 10.tt'ld5 We5 11.

0-0 ic5 12.hf4 tt'lf3 13.�g2 hf2 14.he5 tt:lxe5 15.tt'lxc7 �d8 16. tt:lxa8 .tc5-+ - White's knight on

aS is trapped and Black must win) 6 ... gxf3 7.Wxf3 (7.d4 tt:lxd4 8. Wxd4 Wg5 9J'l:f2 .tc5 10 . .txf4 Wxg2 ll.Elxg2 hd4 12.Elf2 c6+ -

31

Chapter 3

White's pieces are very active but nevertheless, the position can be evaluated in Black's favour, thanks to his considerable mate­rial advantage in this endgame.) 7 ... \Wh4! 8.tLld5 ! This is White's best chance. (Other wise, his posi­tion would be terrible: 8.g3 ic5 9.�g2 \Wh6 10.d3 d6 11.hf4 ih3

12.�h1 \Wg6-+ - White is a piece down and his attack has been par­ried. No doubt, he cannot be hap­

PY with the immediate transition into an endgame in the following sample variation: 8.d3 tLle5 9. \Wxf4 '!tfxf4 10.1xf4 tLlxc4 l l.dxc4 d6 12.tLld5 �d7 13J!ad1 c6 14. tLle3 We8 15.hd6 hd6 16.l"lxd6 ie6-+ and his chances of salva­tion are very problematic.) 8 ... ic5 9.�h1 tLle5 10.1ltfe2 (White loses immediately after 10.\Wc3 tLlg4 l l.h3 tLlf2 12.�h2 c6-+) 10 ... f3 11.gxf3 ib6+ He has some posi­tional pressure, but it cannot compensate fully for the missing piece, so Black is clearly better.

5 . . . g4! Black should play this move !

He does not win the enemy knight, but he ensures a powerful pawn-wedge on f3.

He can also play more solidly, emphasizing development: 5 ... d6 6.d4 ig7 7.d5 tLle5 8.gxf4 gxf4 9. hf4 ig4 10.ib5 �f8 l l.ie2 hf3 12.hf3 \Wf6 13 . .be5 \Wxe5= the game is double-edged and ap­proximately equal, Zvjaginsev -P.Smirnov, Novokuznetsk 2008.

6.�h4 f3 The position becomes com-

32

pletely irrational after 6 ... tLld4 7. tLld5 fxg3 8.hxg3 tLlf6 9.c3 id6 10.1!tla4! hg3 11.�d1 c5 12.cxd4 hh4 13.dxc5 tLlxd5 14.exd5 h5 15.d6 1!tlf6oo, but Black does not need to engage in such adventur­ous experiments.

7.d4

Now, under the cover of the bastion on f3, Black can strike a blow against the enemy centre:

7 . . . .ib4! After 7 ... ie7, White should

simply fortify his centre with the move 8.ie3 ! and it will be bad for Black to give up his bishop even

for the sake of winning a second pawn.

8 . .ic4 d5! It is rather passive and too

slow for Black to continue with 8 ... d6 9.0-0 tLlxd4 10.tLld5 ic5 11.b4 tLle2 12.�h1 id4 13.c3 ie5 14.he2 fxe2 15.\Wxe2 c6 16.tLle3t and White has a powerful initia­tive.

9 . .ixd5 �f6! 1 0 . .ixc6 bxc6 ll.�d3 c5!

1 l...l"lb8 12.ih6oo 12.dxc5 �xd3 13.cxd3 �d7

14.@f2 Other wise Black will comfort­

ably pick up the enemy c5-pawn. It is not good for White to play

here 14.d4 lLlf6+ since his light squares are tremendously vulner­able.

14 . . . tLlxc5 15.ll:ld5 lLlxd3 16. @e3 c6 17.ll'lf6 @e7 18.�xg4 hg4 19.@xd3 f2 ! + and White must think about salvation.

C4) 4.h4

4 . . . g4 5.tLle5 It is bad for White to play

5.lLlg5? h6 6.lLlxf7 'it>xf7 7 . .ic4 d5 8 . .ixd5 'it>e8+ and his compensa­tion for the piece is insufficient.

5 •.. d6 6.�xg4 �f6

l .e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.lLlj3 g5

White has two possibilities here: C4a) 7.�f2?! and C4b) 7.tLlxf6.

C4a) 7.tLlf2? ! It cannot be good for White to

withdraw the knight to a defen­sive position, losing a tempo in the process.

7 . . J�g8 8.d4 i.h6 9.ll'lc3 lLlc6

l O .tLld5 After 10 . .ib5, Black has nu­

merous promising possibilities: 10 ... a6, 10 ... .id7, but his most at­tractive is 10 ... l'!xg2 ! l l.d5 a6 12. .ia4 (12.if l l'!xf2 13.dxc6 l'!xf114. 'it>xfl bxc6+ and he obtains several

pawns and an attack for the ex-

33

Chapter 3

change.) 12 ... b5 13.'Llxb5 axb5 14.hb5 �d7 15.hc6 (or 15.dxc6 �g4+ and Black's initiative is crushing) 15 ... hc6 16.dxc6 �e7+. White is undeveloped and his de­fence will be tremendously diffi­cult.

1 0 . . . ttlxd5 ll.exd5 �e7 12. .ie2 ttlb4 13.c4 �f5 14.�a4 @f8 15.�xb4 ges 16.�d2 gxg2 17. @fl gg3 18.�d1 �e4 19.gh2 f5-+ and White is helpless

against the threat of �e7-g7, so Black wins, Fedorov - Shirov, Po­lanica Zdroj 2000.

C4b) 7.ttlxf6 �xf6 8.ttlc3 ttlc6

9.ttld5 After 9.�b5, Black's best reply

is 9 ... @d8!, after which White must give up his bishop (other­wise Black will play 'Llc6-d4) and Black's king will be completely

safe on d8. So 10.hc6 bxc6 11.d3 (there is merely a transposition of

moves after 1 l.�f3 Ei:g8 12.d3 �h6) 11...Ei:g8 12.�f3 �h6 13.�f2 Ei:b8 14.'Lle2 Ei:xb2 (the position is

34

e qual after 14 .. .f3 15.�xf3 �xf3 16.gxf3 .be l 17.Ei:xc1 Ei:xb2=) 15. hb2 �xb2 16.0-0 �xc2 17.tt:lxf4 �xf2 18.Ei:xf2 �g7 1 9.Ei:c l �d4 20. Ei:xc6 Ei:g4 (Black has a good alter­native here in the move 20 .. .f5, immediately getting rid of one of his isolated pawns. His bishop is superior to White's knight in a struggle on both sides of the board, so Black is even slightly better. The material left on the board however, has been reduced considerably, so his winning chances are only minimal.) 21. 'Lld5 �b7 22.Ei:c4 �xf2 23.@xf2 Ei:xh4 24.tt:lxc7 Ei:h5= Fier - Leitao, Guarulhos 2006.

9 . . . �g6 1 0 .d3 �g3U.@d2

This position has been en­countered in practice numerous times and Black has so many pos­sibilities that an extensive analy­sis is just impossible. I think his best way of solving his problems is:

ll . . . ttlb4! Both kings carry out rather

strange sorties in the variation 11...'Lld4 12.c3 c6 13.'Llf6 @e7 14.

cxd4 c;t>xf6 15. c;t>c2 c;t>e7 16.�e2±, but subse quently White will soon deploy his bishop on f3 and gain an edge.

It would be interesting for Black to try the move 11...ih6!?

However, he cannot solve his problems with the line: 11...ti:le7 12.'�e1 ti:lxd5 13.exd5 ie7 14.'�xg3 fxg3, Fedorov - Anand, Wijk aan Zee 2001, since White can con­

tinue here with 15.c;t>c3! (in the above-mentioned game, he played 15.ie2 Ei:g8 16.c;t>d1 ig4=, with e quality) 15 ... Elg8 16.d4!±, with the idea of ifl-b5! and Black will have some complicated problems to solve.

12.�f3 It would be too risky for White

to try here 12.ti:lxb4 'Mie3 13.c;t>c3 ig7 14.c;t>b31Mib6 15.hf4 (it would be even worse for him to opt for 15.c3 as� and he immediately

l .e4 e5 2f4 exf4 3.ti:Jf3 g5

comes under a crushing attack, Beck - Heimann, Pforzheim

2005) 15 ... a5 16.a3 c5 17.id2 id7�; Black has created the threat of id7-a4! and White has no comfortable defence against this.

12 . . . �xf3 13.gxf3 lt:lxd5 14. exd5 l:'!g8 15.c;t>c3 �h6 16.id2 .if5 17.l:'!el 'it>d7=

Black has a very good position in this endgame.

Conclusion The King 's Gambit is a very interesting opening with a rich and

exciting history. We must admit that it contains numerous possibili­ties which have not been extensively analyzed at all. Some of the posi­tions are so sharp and non-standard that often even the best com­puter programs fail to evaluate them correctly. Still, I believe that the lines for Black that I have suggested are quite reliable and our thor­ough analysis should help Black to play them with confidence.

35

Chapter4 l.e4 e5 2 . .ic4

Bishop's Opening

The Bishop's Opening is being played more and more often, just with the aim of avoiding the Petroff Defence. White hopes to

transpose to the Italian Game, in which he can rely on a long posi­tional battle, maintaining a mini­mal edge.

2 . . . tLlf6 We will analyze now A) 3.d4

and B) 3.d3. The move 3. tt:lc3 leads to the

Vienna game 2. tt:lc3 tLlf6 3.�c4. After 3.f4 - the Greco Gambit,

Black obtains a good game with the reply 3 ... d5.

A) 3.d4 exd4 4.tLlf3 The Urusov Gambit arises af­

ter this move.

36

Black can counter 4.e5? with the typical response 4 ... d5 ! with advantage.

4 . . . tLlxe4 After 4 ... tt:lc6, there arises a

well-known theoretical position, favourable for Black, but it is also good to capture the pawn.

5.�xd4 tLlf6 6.tLlc3 After 6.�g5, Black can solve all

his problems with 6 ... tt:lc6 ! ( It is inferior for him to play instead 6 ... �e7, because after 7. tt:lc3 c6 8.0-0-0 dS 9.Elhe l �e6 10.�h4 tt:lbd7 l l. tt:ld4, unnecessary com­

plications arise.) 7.�e3 (after 7. �h4, Black has the resource 7 ... d5 and White does not have any compensation for the pawn.) 7 ...

Wffe7 8 . .b:f6 gxf6 9.t2Jc3 'Wxe3 10. fxe3 �b4+ and White must fight

for a draw in a clearly worse end­game.

6 ••• t2Jc6 It is too risky for Black to opt

for 6 ... c6 7.�g5 d5 8.0-0-0 �e7 9.Elhe1 ( 9.'Wh4!? Avrukh - Skrip­

chenko, Linares 2001) 9 ... �e6 10.Wh4 t2Jbd7 1l.t2Jd4 with com­plications.

7J'Mh4

7 ..• i.b4 After 7 ... �e7 8.�g5 d5 9.0-0-0

�e6 10.t2Jxd5 t2Jxd5 ll . .b:d5 .b:d5 12.c4± White seizes the initiative.

8.i.g5 8.0-0 .b:c3 9.bxc3 0-0 10.

�d3 d5 11.Ele1 (but not 1 l.�g5? h6 12.Elfe1? hxg5 13.t2Jxg5 g6-+) 11 ... t2Je4 12.'Wf4 �e6 13.Elb1 Elb8 14.c4 l2Jc5 15.Eld1 t2Jxd3 16.Elxd3 d4 17.

t2Jxd4 t2Jxd4 18.Elxd4 Wxd4 1 9. Wxd4 Elbd8 20.Wd3 Elxd3 2 l.cxd3 b6= with a draw, although Black still has a symbolic edge.

8.�d2 We7 ! 9.i>d1 d5 ! 10.t2Jxd5 t2Jxd5 11..b:d5 'Wxh4 12 . .b:c6 bxc6 13.t2Jxh4 i.c5+ and Black's posi­tion is preferable.

l.e4 e5 2.�c4 tLlf6

8 . . . hc3 Here 8 ... 'We7 !? is interesting; a

possible continuation is 9.i>d1 .b:c3 10.bxc3 d6 1l.t2Jd4 l2Je5 12. Ele1 c5 13.f4 cxd4 14. fxe5 dxe5 15.cxd4 �e6 16.Elxe5 0-0-0= with a very complicated and ap­

proximately e qual position. 9.bxc3 0 - 0 1 0 .0 - 0 - 0 h6

ll . .txh6! gxh6 12.'Wxh6 d5! Black loses after the passive

move 12 ... d6 13.g4 ! �e6 14.�d3 Ele8 15.Elhg1! t2Jd7 16.�h7 i>h8 17.g5!+-, with the deadly threat of g5-g6.

13.i.d3 After 13.g4, Black has the re­

source 13 ... Wd6! White can force a draw imme­

diately with the line: 13.Elxd5 t2Jxd5 14.�d3 f5 15.Wg6 i>h8 16. Wh6=

13 •.• Wd6 Black has created the threat of

t2Jf6-e4, so White must take a draw by a perpetual check.

14.Wg5 The move 14.t2Jg5? can be

countered with 14 ... �f5 15 . .b:f5 'Wf4-+

37

Chapter 4

14 . . . 'i!;>h8 15.�h6 'i!;>g8= -

Draw n b y perpetual check .

B) 3.d3

3 . . . c6 Black wishes to create a com ­

plex struggle with this move . White's development at the mo ­

ment is not in harmon y with the classical principles (it is accepted that knights should be developed before bishops), so Black is t rying to seize the centre with his pawns . There is a good alternative in 3 . . . ic5, transposing to a t ype of Ital ­ian Game under ver y favourable circumstances, because Black's knight has not been developed to c6 yet and can be placed on d7, which is sometimes even more harmonious . 4 .lt:Jf3 0-0

38

5 .0-0 (White has tried to ex ­change Black's bishop for his knight, but in the game McShane - Kramnik, London 200 9 (game 2) this did not bring him an y ben ­

efits: 5 .lt:Jc3 d6 6 .lt:Ja4 ib6 7 .c3 ie6 8 .ib3 hb3 9 .axb3 lt:Jbd7=, with e qualit y. The pin of the f6-knight is not dangerous for Black either, since it can be supported b y the other knight on d7: 5 .ig5 d6 6 .lt:Jbd2 ie6 7 .c3 lt:Jbd7 = and the position is approximatel y e qual, Tiviakov - lvanchuk, Me ­rida 2004 .) 5 . . . d6 6 .c3 ib6 7 .ib3 lt:Jbd7 8 .lt:Jbd2 c6 9 J''le l l'le8 10 .lt:Jf l lt:Jf8 l l .lt:Jg3 lt:Jg6 12 .h3 h6

Now the position is completel y s ymmetrical . Both sides have de ­plo yed their forces harmoniousl y and White's opening advantage is practicall y nullified . Black can be quite happ y with the results of the

opening . The game Alekseev -Gelfand, Astrak han 2010, contin ­

ued with: 13 .d4 id7 14 .ic2 c5 15 .dxe5 dxe5 16 .lt:Jf5 ie6 17 .�e2 �c7 18 .lt:Jh2 c4 1 9 .lt:Jg4 lt:Jxg4 20 . Wxg4 �d8 2 l .l'ld l �f6 22 .�f3 lt:Jh4 23 .�g4 lt:Jg6 24 .�f3 lt:Jh4

25 .�g4 and the pla yers agreed to a draw .

l .e4 e5 2.�c4 0,f6 3.d3 c6 4. 0,j3 d5 5.�b3 �d6

The line: 3 .. . 0,c 6 4. 0,f3 trans­poses to the classical Italian Game (We should also mention that

White has the attractive move 4. 0,c3, with the idea of developing

the other knight to the e2-s quare .) .

4)ljf3 d5 5.�b3 After S.exdS cxdS 6.�b3, Black

has the interesting check - 6 ... �b4 +! He is able to complete his development in this wa y, while maintaining his pawn-centre . 7 . c3 . This s quare is important for the development of White's knight but now it has been occu­pied b y a pawn, so Black's bishop retreats . 7 . . . �d 6 8.0-0 0-0 9 .�g5 �e 6= and Black has obtained a good game .

5 . . . .id6 Here Black tries to be tric ky

sometimes with a check S . . . �b4 +, aimed at preventing the develop­ment of White's knight on c3, or he pla ys s . .. as, tr ying to make trouble for the enem y bishop. However, we shall anal yze Black's

most solid and, I believe, best move .

Now White can maintain the tension with the move Bl) 6.l!Jc3, or he can give up the centre with B2) 6.exd5, in order to complete

his development while attacking the enem y centre .

Bl) 6.0,c3 dxe4 The move 6 . .. d4!? has been

pla yed onl y rarel y. It looks a bit risk y, but shows fighting spirit . 7. 0,e2 0,a 6 ( He has a reasonable alternative here in fortifying his centre with 7 . .. c5!? 8 .0,g3 0,c 6) 8.a3 0,c5 9 .�a2 0-0 (after 9 .. . �e 6, White has the resource 10. b4!, doubling the enem y pawns on the e- file) 10.0-0 h 6± . White is slightl y better, but Black has his trumps as well . He has seized space and White will find it diffi­cult to advance with f2 -f4 .

7.0,g5 It is senseless for White to

leave his knight on c3. After 7. dxe4 0,a 6+ Black's knight will go to the cS-s quare and he will even have the edge.

After the harmless-loo king move 7. 0,xe4 things are not at all

3 9

Chapter 4

simple and Black mu st play very p reci sely: 7 ... tt:lxe4 8.dxe4

8 ... �g4! 9.h3 (White would not obtain much with 9.�g5 f6 10.�e3 tt:la6 11.�e2 �e 7 12.0-0-0 tt:lc5=) 9 ... �h5 10.�g5 f6 11.�e3 tt:la6 12.�e2 �e 7 13.0-0-0 tt:lc5 14. hc5 hc5=, with e quality, Rog­e rs- T se shkov sky, V rsac 1 98 7.

If Black doe s not play 8 ... �g4 he will have problem s:

8 ... h6 9.�e3t and later White develop s his queen on d2 and cas­tle s queenside with tempo;

After Black's natural move 8 ... 0-0, White again has the chance to develop hi s piece s with tempo: 9.�g5! �c7 10.�d2 �g4 11.0-0-0 �e7 12.�xe 7 �xe 7 13. �d6 �xd6 14 J''lxd6± and hi s lead in development i s con siderable, Hou Yifan - Bu Xiangzhi, China

2010; 8 ... �b4 9.�d2! (White doe s

not achieve much with 9.c3 �xd1 10. <i>xd1 �d6, fo r example: 11. ci>c2 ci>e 7 12.�e3 f6 13. i"lad1 tt:la6=; o r

11.�e3 tt:la6 12. <i>e2 f6 13. i"lad1 ci>e 7=; o r l l. <i>e2 f6 12. i"ld1 ci>e 7 13.

tt:ld2 - after 13. '2Jh4, Black ha s the cold-blooded reply 13 ... g6 - 13 ... '2Ja6 14.a4 tt:lc5 15.�c4 a5 16.b 3

40

i"ld8 1 7.f3, draw, Sho rt - We ster ­inen, Brighton 1 98 2) 9 ... hd2 10.tt:lxd2 0-0 11.tt:lc4 ± and White maintain s an edge thank s to the vulne rable d6- squa re in the ene­

my camp. 7 • • • 0 - 0 8 . .!Llgxe4 A tran spo sition of move s a ri s­

e s after 8.tt:lcxe4 tt:lxe4 9.tt:lxe4 �f5=

8 • • • .!Llxe4 9 • .!Llxe4 .if5

1 0 .�£3 The position i s e qual afte r

10.0-0 tt:la6 11.tt:lxd6 (11.�f3 �xe4 12.dxe4 l2Jc5 - see 10.�f3 �xe4 11.dxe4 tt:ld 7 12.0-0 tt:lc5) 11 ... �xd6 12.�f3 �e6= Anand -Kramnik, Frankfurt (rapid) 1 9 98.

1 0 • • • i.xe4 ll.dxe4 .!Lld7

l .e4 eS 2. ic4 ti:Jj6 3.d3 c6 4. ti:Jj3 dS S. ib3 id6

12. a3 White has tried some other

moves here with the idea of pre­ser ving his light-s quared bishop from exchange.

In the game Movsesian - Bu Xiangzhi , China 2010 (game 3) White tried to place his bishop on c2 , but after 12.c3 a5 13.0-0 a4 14.ic2 'We7 15.l"ld1 l"lfd8 16.h4 h6 17.g3 b5= he failed to obtain any advantage.

12.0-0 ti:Jc5 13.ic4 b5 14.ie2 'We7 (the move 14 ... Wh4 was test­ed in the game Tiviakov - Rozen­talis, Kallithea 200 9 and after 15. ie3 , it became clear that the e4-pawn was taboo, so Black had simply lost a tempo by not devel­oping his queen to e7 immediately (it would be bad for him to play

15 ... Wxe4 16.l"lfd1 ie7 17.ixc5 'Wxf3 18.ixf3 ixc5 1 9.ixc6 since he would lose a pawn) 15.l"ld1 l"lfd8 16.'Wg4 ti:Je6 17.c3 a5=

12 . . . ti:Jc5 13 . .ia2 'We7 14 . .ie3 ti:Ja4 15 . .ib3 0,c5 16 . .ia2 0,a4 17 . .ib3 0,c5 18 • .ia2, draw, Rublevs ky - Sakaev , Sochi 2008.

B2) 6.exd5

6 . . . 0,xd5 It is interesting , but very ris ky,

for Black to opt for 6 ... cxd5!? 7. ig5 ( It is too slow for White to continue with 7.0-0 ti:Jc6 8 . .ig5 ie6 9. ti:Jc3 ic7 10. ti:Jb5 ib6 l l.l"le1 a6 12. ti:Jc3 Wd6 13.ih4 0-0 14. ixf6 gxf6 15.Wd2 Wg7+ and in the game Kams ky - Gelfand , Bazna 200 9 , Black obtained a very good position. White cannot achieve anything much with the line: 7. ti:Jc3 d4 8. ti:Jg5 0-0 9. ti:Jce4 ib4 10.c3 ti:Jxe4 1l. ti:Jxe4 ie7=) 7 ... ie6 (it would be careless for Black to

opt for 7 ... ti:Jc6 in view of 8. ti:Jc3 and after 8 ... ie6, White has the tactical blow 9.ixd5!) 8. ti:Jc3

8 ... Wa5! (here, if 8 ... ic7 , White has the resource 9.d4! e4 10. ti:Jd2 0-0 (after 10 ... ti:Jc6 , White can play 1l.ixf6 gxf6 12. ti:Jdxe4 ±, while if 10 ... .ia5 1l.f3 !±

and the opening of the game seems to be in White's favour) 11. ixf6 gxf6 12.'Wh5 .ia5 13. ti:Jxd5 ixd2 14. Wxd2 f5 15. ti:Jf4 Wxd4 16. Wcl ±; Black's k ing is vulnerable

and he is clearly worse) 9.0-0 ti:Jc6 10.'We1 ( The position is very

difficult to evaluate after 10.a3 h6 !? 1l.ih4 g5 12.ig3 g4 13. ti:Jd2

41

Chapter 4

0-0-0 14 .ih4 ie7co) l O .. .'�cS! (after 10 . . . d4 , White has the re­

markable resource 11 .ixe6 ! dxc3 12 .b4! tt'lxb4 13 .ib3 ± and his of­fensive on the light s quares is tre­mendously dangerous for Black) .

It looks like the best for White here is the prophylactic move 11 . a3 !? ( l l .hf6 gxf6 12 .d4 exd4 13 . tt'lxdS 0-0-0 14 .tt'lxf6 hb3 15 . cxb3 �f5 16 .tt'le4 if4 17 .tt'lg3 'Wg6 � - Black's passed d-pawn is very powerful , so he has excellent compensation for the pawn). The b4-s quare is very important for his queen in numerous variations , since it does not have too many s quares to go to . Meanwhile , in some lines , White retreats his bishop from b3 and his b-pawn can go forward . So it appears that if Black does not wish to defend an inferior position (which hap­pens in all the variations in which he plays d5-d4 and his pawns are doubled on the e-file), then he must play 11 . . .0-0-0 !?co. Posi­tions with opposite sides castling are often sharp and double-edged and this is no exception , so there great complications will arise , with unpredictable conse quences .

42

7. 0 - 0 0 - 0 8.13el

We shall now analyze the risky pawn-sacrifice B2a) 8 . . . i.g4, as well as the solid positional move B2b) 8 . . .lt:ld7! , forti fying the

centre . It is not good for Black to opt

for 8 . . . 13e8 , due to 9 .tt'lg5! h 6 ( 9 . . . Ele7 10 .tt'lc3 i) 10 .tt'lxf7! (in a game

between junior players , the move 10 .tt'le4 was played , but that made White's previous knight-move senseless) 10 . . . mxf7 l l .c4 ib4 12 . Ele4 tt'lf6 13 .c5 Wf8 14 .Elxb4 tt'la6

15 .Elc4 ifS (it is even worse for Black to play here 15 . . . ie6 16 .Elc3

tt'ldS 17 .hd5 'WxdS 18 .ie3 ± and White has a solid extra pawn) 16 . il.e3 'Wxd3 17 .tt'ld2 Elad8 18 .'Wf3 ie6 1 9 .ic2 'WdS 20 .'Wg3± with an advantage to White .

B2a) 8 . . . i.g4 9.h3 i.h5 1 0 . g4 i.g6 ll.c!Llxe5 he5 12.13xe5 c!Lld7 13.13el 'Wh4 14.'Wf3

(diagram) 14 . . . 13ae8 It is not an improvement for

Black to continue with 14 . . . Elfe8 15 .id2 tt'leS 16 .'Wg2 tt'lf4 17 .ixf4 tt'lf3 18 .'Wxf3 Elxe1 1 9 .Wg2 'Wf6

l .e4 e5 2. i.c4 li'Jf6 3.d3 c6 4. liJ.f3 d5 5. i.b3 i.d6

20. Wfg 3! Wxb2 2 l. i.d2 Wxa l 22. he l Wfxb l 2 3. i.c3 E!e8 (it i s even wor se for him to choo se 2 3 ... mh8 24. h4+-: W hite will soon capture t he bi shop on g6, ending up in a te chnically winning po sition) 24. Wc7 - Black lo se s all hi s queen­side paw ns and White' s pawns be­

come un stoppable. It i s al so im­po rtant t hat Bla ck' s bi shop on g6 i s completely out of play.

15 . .id2 ! In t he game Alek seev - S hirov,

Germany 2007, t here followed 15. l=lf l h5 (it wa s stronger for Bla ck to play 15 ... li'Jc5!t, pre se rv­

ing some compen sation for t he pawn) 16. li'Jc 3 li'Jx c3 17.bxc 3 mh7 and here after 18 . . b3 E!h8 1 9. mg2 ± W hite would maintain a

great advantage. 15 . . .ltle5

15 ... E!xe l 16. i.xe l h5 (16 ... li'Je5 17.Wg 3 Wf6 18. li'Jc 3 li'Jf 3 1 9. mf1 ±) 17.hd5 cxd5 18. i.c3 E!e8 1 9. li'Jd2 E!e6 20.Wg2 hxg4 2 l. hxg4 ±;

W hite' s k nig ht will come to f 3 and Bla ck will have no compen sation

for t he pawn. 16.'1l!Yg2

16 . . . Wf6 T he alternative s are inferior:

16 ... h5 17. li'Jc3 hxg4 18. hxg4 li'Jx c3 1 9.hc 3 li'Jxg4 20.f 3+-;

16 ... li'Jf4 17.hf4 li'Jf 3 18.�xf 3 E!xe l 1 9. mg2 Wff6 20.Wg 3 Wxb2 (an attempt by Black to pre serve

by all mean s t he pin along t he fir st rank would not work: 20 ... E!fe8 2 l. i.d2 h5 (21... h6 22.he l E!xe l 2 3.f4 Wfe7 24.f5 hf5 25.gxf5

We2 26.Wf2 Wfe5 27. li'Jc 3 E!xa l 28. li'Je4 +-; 21... E!le2 22. li'Jc 3 E!xd2

2 3. E!e l E!f8 24. Wfe 3+-; 21... E!d l 22. c3+-) 22. i.c 3 Wg5 2 3.he l E!xe l 24.f4 We7 25.f5 hf5 26.gxf5 Wfe2 27. Wff2 Wfe5 28. li'Jc 3 E!xa l

2 9. li'Je4+-) 2 l. i.d2 Wxa l (21... E!fe8 22.he l! Wxa l 2 3. i.c 3 Wxb l

24. h4+-) 22.he l Wxb l 2 3. i.c 3 E!e8 24. h4+- hi s bi shop on g6 i s

trapped and Black lo se s. 17.hd5 cxd5 18.f4 ltlc4 19.

dxc4 gxel 2 0 .bel �xb2 21. i.c3 �cl 22.mh2 �xf4 23.�g3 �xc4 24.ltld2 We2 25.mgl ges 26.ltlb3 �xc2 27.gel± - Bla ck' s

pawn s are harmle ss and W hite ha s excellent c han ce s of exploit­

ing hi s extra piece.

4 3

Chapter 4

B2h) 8 •• .ll:\d7! This move has only one draw­

bac k: Blac k bloc ks his light­s quared bishop, but he can solve this problem later.

We shall now analyze the im­mediate opening of the centre B2bl) 9.d4 as well as the calm

completion of White's develop­ment B2b2) 9.tLlbd2.

B2hl) 9.d4 exd4 It is just a loss of time for Blac k

to play 9 ... lLJ5f6, because after l O.tLlc3 exd4 11.�xd4, White gains

a lead in development. A possible continuation is l l ... tLlc5 12. 1g5 h6 13.ih4 gS

14 J'!ad l hh2 15. Wxh2 �xd4

44

16.Elxd4 gxh4 17.Elxh4 Wg7 18. 1c4 ie6 1 9. 1xe6 (it is also good for White to continue here with 1 9.tLle5 ±- Blac k's king is v ulner­able and White's advantage is overwhelming, Tivia kov - Hera, Budva 200 9) 1 9 ... tLlxe6 20. tLle2!,

transferring the knight to the fS­s quare: 20 ... Elad8 21.tLlg3 Wh7 (21...Eld5 ? 22.c4 ElaS 23.b4 +-)

22.Elxe6 fxe6 23.tLlg5 Wg6 24. tLlxe6 Elh8 25.tLlxd8 Elxd8 26.tLlfl ± - White has an extra pawn and excellent winning chances.

1 0 .hd5 cxd5 11. �xd4

ll . . . .ic5! This is the right move for

Blac k, because he must play ac­ti vely ! He should be ready to sac­ri fice a pawn in order to bring his pieces up to the firing line. After l l. .. tLlb6 12.a4 !;!; (if 12.if4 .ifS? Blac k has co unte rplay) Blac k's

position is unpromising and White's permanent threat of a4-a5 dooms Blac k to completely passi ve defence. 12 ... ie7 (it is e ven worse for him to opt for 12 ... ifS 13.a5 tLlc8 14.tLlc3!±) 13.if4 ie6 (after 13 ... if5, White should

l .e4 e5 2.�c4 liJf6 3.d3 c6 4. liJ.f3 dS 5.�b3 �d6

play 14. liJc3, just as before) 14. liJc3 ± and Black is faced with a

long and laborious defence. 12.�d3 If White accepts the pawn-sac­

rifice Black obtains full compen­sation thanks to his bishop-pair and more active pieces: 1 2.1Wxd5 \1!ltb6 13 J'!e2 liJf6 14. \1!ltb3 \1!lta6

15. liJc3 �e6 16. \1!lta4 \1!ltb6 17.�h4, Tiviakov - Stefanova, Wijk aan Zee 2004.

A possible continuation is 17 .. J!fe8 ( Black can also hold the position in the variation 17 ... �g4 18. liJa4 \1!lta6 1 9 J'!e5 �d6 20. �gS hS 21. liJc3 ! �fe8 22.�e3 .b£'3

23.gxf3 �e5=, but the main line of our variation is much more re­liable; after 20 ... .bf3 21. �xg7 <;!?h8 22.gxf3 �g8 23. �g3 hg3

24.hxg3, Black's dark squares are seriously endangered) 18.h3 (it amounts to more or less the

same after 18.b3 �g4 1 9. liJa4 �c6 20. �xe8 �xe8 21. liJxc5 hf3 22. gxf3 �x eS 23.�b2 �xc2 24. hf6 Wg6 25.�g5 h6=) 18 ... liJd5 1 9. liJa4 WbS 20. �e1 �b4 21.c4 �xa4

22.cxd5 hdS 23.�d2 hf3 24. Wxb4 Wxb4 25. hb4 �c6=, with a

draw.

12 . . . �b6 ! This is Black's most active

move. He cannot solve his problems

with 12 ... �e8 13. �xe8 \1!ltxe8 14. �f4! (14. Wxd5? We2-+; 14.�e3 he3 15. \1!ltxe3 \1!ltxe3 16. fxe3 liJb6=;

14. liJc3 liJe5 15. liJxe5 WxeS=) 14 ... �e4 15.�d2

15 ... liJf6 (15 ... �b4 16. liJc3 hc3 17.bxc3 liJb6 18. �e1 \1!lta4 1 9.�e3 t) 16. liJc3 �b4 17.�e5 �fS (17 ... liJe4 18. liJxe4 dxe4 1 9.�d8 �f8 20. liJg5 e3 21. fxe3 We7 22. Wxe7 he7 23. liJf3 t; 20 ... h6 21. �c3 \1!ltc4 22. liJh7 <;!?xh7 23.�xf8 f6 24. �d1 '<Wxa2

25. hf6 ! gxf6 26.b3 �g4 27.�xa8 hd1 28.�xb7 - White pick s up

the enemy bishop on d1 with checks and wins. There is also a very attractive twin-variation:

45

Chapter 4

24 ... e3 25. fxe3 '&e2 26. E\e1 '&xc2 27.� xf6 ±, but here White must still work hard to realise his ad­vantage in a position with bishops of opposite colours) 18. E!f1 (here it might be interesting for White to try 18.hf6 !? g xf6 1 9. '&xd5 '&xb2 20. E\e1 '&xc3 2 l. '&xf5 :t; Black's king is vulnerable, so White has the edge) 18 ... tt:Jd7 1 9.�d4 ::!: White has consolidated his position and is ready to start attacking his op ­ponent's d5-pawn. Unfortunately for Black the move 1 9 ... '&xb2 is refuted with a simple but very ef­fective series of moves: 20. tt:Ja4! '&a3 2 l. ctJxc5 tt:Jxc5 22. '&g5 �g6

23. '&xd5 E\c8 24.Ei:e1 b6 25.h4! -t and Black has suddenly come un­der an at tack out of nowhere.

13J'!e2 �f6 14.�c3

14 •.• �d7! It is essential to deprive

White's knight of the possibility of going to the a4-s quare with tem­po.

In the game Morozevich - Gel­fand, Biel 200 9, Black allowed this and after 14 ... �g4 15. tt:Ja4 '&c6 16. tt:Jxc5 '&xeS 17.�e3 '&c4 18.

46

Ei:d2 !::1: he was forced to defend a slightly inferior position, a task which he failed to cope with.

15.�e3 After 15. tt:Je5, Black follows

with 15 ... �g4! 16. tt:Jxg4 tt:Jxg4 17. '&f3 tt:Jxf2 ! 18. E\xf2 E\ae8 -t with an

a ttack ! 15 •.. he3 16.'&xe3

Or 16. E\xe3 E!fe8 17. E!xe8 E\xe8 18.b3 '&c5, and Black has suffi­cient counterplay along the c-file.

16 . . . '&xb2 17J:�bl '&a3 18. tt:Jxd5 '&xa2

He can also play here 18 ... '&xe3 1 9. tt:Jxf6 g xf6 20. E\xe3 b6=

19.tt:Je7 lt>h8 2 0 J!xb7 �Ub8 21.�xb8 �xb8 22.h3= , and Black has no problems at all.

B2h2) 9.ll:lbd2

9 •.• �c7 After 9 ... E\e8, White has the

powerful resource 10. tt:Je4! CZJ7f6 (his pieces are also much more

active after 10 ... �f8 l l.d4 e xd4 12. '&xd4 ::!:) 1 l.�g5 (here White could consider 1 l. ctJxd6 '&xd6 and no w an interesting try is 12.c4!?

l .e4 e5 2.�c4 !1Jf6 3.d3 c6 4. !1Jf3 d5 5.�b3 �d6

!1Jb4 13.d4, as is the immediate 12.d4!?) l l ... �f5 12.h3 �g6 13. !1Jh4 �e 7 14. !1Jxg6 hxg6 15. 1Wf3 ±;

White enjoys the advantage of a powerful bishop-pair.

The move 10. !1Jc4 (after 9 ... :t!e8) would not be corre ct, be­cause Bla ck's e5-pawn is suffi­ciently prote cted and White

should con centrate his for ces on the kingside. After 10 ... � c7 l l. c3, in the game Va chier- Lagrave -Gelfand, Khanty- Mans yisk 200 9, Bla ck de cided to oust the enemy

knight from the c4-s quare, but weakened his queenside in the pro cess: l l ... b5 (it was corre ct for him to play 11 ... f6 != and Bla ck would have no problems) 12. !1Je3 !1J7f6 13. !1Jxd5 ( Naturally it would

be premature for White to play 13.a4, be cause of 13 ... !1Jf4 t) 13 ... !1Jxd5. Now White should choose

14. c4 (the move 14.a4 allows the unpleasant pin 14 ... �g4; in the game White played rather impul­sively 14.d4? and after 14 ... e4 15. !1Jg5 �f5+ Bla ck obtained an ad­

vantage) 14 ... !1Jf6 15. cxb5 cxb5 16. !1Jg5 ± and after Bla ck prote cts his pawn with the rook, White can continue with 1 7. !1Je4, tr ying to

rea ch an almost symmetri cal pawn-stru cture with a minimal positional plus.

1 0 .c!ile4 (diagram)

1 0 . . . h6 It would again be premature

for Bla ck to move his rook to e8: 10 ... :t!e8 11.�g5! ( l l.h3 h6 12.�d2 !1Jf8 (12 ... !1J7f6=) 13. !1Jh2 f5?!

(13 ... a5 14.a3 !1Je6=) 14. 1Wh5t Nevedni chy - Beliavsky, Plovdiv

2008) l l .. .f6 12. c4 !1Je 7 13.�d2 !1Jf8 (13 ... c5 14.�a4 !1Jc6 15.h3 and Bla ck will have problems freeing

his knights from the pin; 13 ... b6 14.d4 ±) 14.d4 exd4 15. c5 !1Jd5 16. !1Jxd 4± with a slight edge for White.

ll.i.d2 We should consider the alter-

natives for White: 11. c4 CiJ5f6 12. !1Jxf6 1Wxf6=; 11. !1Jg3 :t!e8=; after 11.h3, Bla ck can play 11 ...

:t!e8, fortifying his e5-pawn and preparing to transfer his knight on d 7 to f8 or f6 (the game Ne­vedni chy - Fridman, Plovdiv 2008, continued with l l ... <i>h8?! 12.�d2 a5 13.a3 - 13. c4± - 13 ... f5?! 14. !1Jc3 !1Jx c3 15.h c3 1Wf6 16. :t!e3 ± and White maintained a considerable advantage, sin ce Bla ck had diffi culty completing

his development); 11.d4 !1J5f6 12. !1Jxf6 1Wxf6 13. c3

exd4 14. !1Jxd4 (or 14. 1Wxd4 1Wxd4 15. !1Jxd4 !1Jf6=, leading to com­plete s ymmetry and e quality) 14 ... !1Je5 15.f4

4 7

Chapter 4

and here Black has two e qually good possibilities:

15 ... tt:lg6 16.g3 cS 17. tt:lc2 (the endgame arising after 17. tt:lb5 .ib6 18 . .ie3 Ele8 1 9 . .bf7+ 'Wxf7 20. tt:ld6 'Wf8 21. tt:lxe8 'Wxe8 22.'Wd6

'We6 23.'Wxe6 he6+ seems more pleasant for Black; or 1 9.\Wd2 .ih3t with ideas of capturing on e3, followed by c5-c4, as well as possible knight-sorties to f4 or h4, accodring to different circum­stances) 17 ... b5 18 . .id5 Elb8=, and the position is approximately e qual;

15 ... tt:lg4!? - this seemingly reckless knight-move turns out to be correct. 16.h3 'Wh4 17.hxg4 (17.Ele2 tt:lf6 18.\Wd3 .id7 1 9 . .id2

Elad8=) 17 ... hg4 18.'Wd2 .bf4 1 9. 'Wxf4 'Wxe1 20. mh2 (20.'Wf l 'Wxf1 2 l. mxf1 Elfe8 22 . .if4 gS 23 . .ig3 cS, followed by Ela8-d8) 20 ... 'Wh4=, with a draw by a perpetual check.

(diagram) ll . . . a5! This is a very clever move with

the idea of ... tak ing control of the b4-s quare!

Black has many other natural moves at hi s di sposa l:

White is better after 11 ...

48

tt:l7f6?! 12. tt:lxf6 ! (12. tt:lg3 Ele8 13. h3 aS 14.a3 a4 1S . .ia2 .id7 16. tt:lh4? - 16.c3= - 16 ... e4 17. tt:lhf5, Efimenko - Paehtz, Dresden

2007, 17 ... exd3+) 12 ... 'Wxf6 13. d4

13 ... e4. This is an intere sting attempt by Black to seize the ini­tiative, in the spirit of the Mar­shall Attack, but it is unsound (13 ... .ig4 14.c4 tt:le7 15.dxe5 .beS

16.Elxe5 .ixf3 17.'We1 tt:lfS 18.Elxf5 'WxfS 1 9.gxf3 Elfe8 20 . .ie3 'Wxf3 2 l.'Wd1 Wh3 22. mh1 Elad s 23. 'We2 ;t; 13 ... exd4 14.hd5 cxdS 1S . .ib4 ±) 14 J:l:xe4 .ifS 15.Ele1 Elae8 (15 ... Elfe8 16.c4 tt:lf4 17 . .ixf4 .bf4

18 . .ic2) 16.c4 (16. tt:le5 heS 17.dxe5 ElxeS 18.c4) 16 ... tt:lf4 17 . .ixf4 .bf4 18 . .ic2 Elxe1 1 9. tt:lxe1 .ie6 20.'Wd3 g6 21.h3 ;t;

l .e4 e5 2. il..c4 liJf6 3.d3 c6 4. liJ.f3 d5 5. il..b3 �d6

After l l ... �h8, White can con- hd4 2 0. \Wxf 6 gxf 6 2 l. .bd4 centrate on the target on h 6 with exd4= although he should man­

the mo ve 12. \Wc1 ! (it i s inferior to age to sa ve thi s endgame) play 12. liJg3 aS 13.a3 fS, with a double-edged po sition, Kobalia -Motyle v, So chi 2 007). No w it i s

not good for Bla ck to play 12 .. .f5, be cau se of 13. liJc3 ± and he will ha ve problem s with the prote c­tion of hi s eS-pa wn. Therefore, he mu st continue with 12 ... �h 7 but after 13. c4 liJf4 14. �c2t White seize s the initiati ve, be cau se he

exe rts po werful pie ce-pre ssure again st the central squares and ha s the undermining pa wn-break d3-d4 up hi s slee ve.

Ho we ver, Bla ck ha s a reliable alternati ve in l l .. J'!e8 12.h3 liJ7f 6 13. liJg3 �d 7 14.a3= with a compli­cated middlegame and approxi­

mately e qual chan ce s. It would le ss con vin cing for Bla ck to opt for 12 ... liJf8 (in stead of 12 ... liJ7f 6) 13. c4 (13.d4 fS 14. liJg3 e4oo or 14. liJc3 e4= with a compli cated and

approximately balan ced po sition) 13 ... liJf 6! (the mo ve 13 ... liJe 7 al­lo ws the line 14 . .bh 6! gxh 6 15. liJf 6 �g 7 1 6. liJxe8 \Wxe8 1 7. liJxe5t ;

14 .. .f5 15. c5 �e 6 1 6. liJd 6t White ha s a dangerou s initiati ve ; 13 ... liJf4 14 . .bf4 exf4 15.d4 �fS 1 6. �c2 t White i s slightly better, be­cau se Bla ck will need time to

bring hi s knight on f8 into play) 14. \We2 (14. c5 �fS 15. \Wc2 liJdS=) 14 ... liJe 6 15. liJxf 6 \Wxf 6 1 6. \We3 liJd4 (here it would be too ri sky

for Bla ck to play 1 6 ... liJf4 1 7. \Wxf4 exf4 18 J''i:xe8 �h 7 1 9 J�lae l t) 1 7. liJxd4 �b 6 18. �c3 �d 7 1 9. \Wf3

12.c4 If no w 12.a3, B la ck can con ­

tinue bra vely with 12 ... liJ7f 6, mak­ing u se of the cir cum stan ce that in the variation 13. liJxf 6 (after calm de velopment s along the

line s of 13.h3 a4 14. �a2 1"!e8 Bla ck will ha ve no problem s what soe v­er) 13 ... \Wxf 6 14.d4 exd4 15 . .bd5 cxdS, White will not ha ve a cce ss

to the b4- square for hi s bi shop. Thi s i s where you can see the ef­fe ct of the mo ve 1 l...a5 !

After 12. c3 it would be inter­e sting for Bla ck to play 12 .. .f5 !? (12 ... liJ7f 6= would be suffi cient

for e quality) 13. liJg3 liJcS 14. �c2 f4 15. liJe4 liJxe4 1 6.d xe4 liJf 6=, with an a cti ve po sition.

12 . . . liJf4 It i s le ss pre ci se for Bla ck to

play here 12 ... liJb4, be cau se of 13. �c3 ! ( White' s alternati ve s cannot create any problem s for Bla ck :

13 . .bb4 axb4 14. c5 liJf 6 15. liJxf 6 \Wxf 6=; 13. c5 liJxd3 14. �g5 hxgS

15. \Wxd3 liJf 6 1 6. \Wxd8 1"!xd8 and

4 9

Chapter 4

after every capture of the gS­pawn, Black blocks White's bish­op with the move 1 7 ... LtJdS) 13 .. .f5 (13 ... c5 14. LtJg3 Wff6 1S.ia4 i) 14.

cS (the play is very interesting af­ter 14. LtJg3 !? LtJcS 1S.d4 exd4 16. ixd4 :t) 14 ... LtJd5 ( It is inferior for Black to play 14 ... Wh8

15. LtJd6 LtJxcS 16. LtJf7 Elxf7 1 7. ixf7 LtJbxd3 18. LtJxe5! LtJxe1 1 9. Wfxe1 Wh 7 20. ig6 Wg8 21. ltJf7 Wff8 22. Wfd1 ! if4 ( The idea of White's last move can best be seen

in the variation 22 ... ie6 23. LtJxh6 gxh6 24. Wfd4+- and Black gets mated.) 23. Wff3 ie6 24. Wfxf4 ixf7

2S.ixf5 ± and White's bishop on c3 is so powerful that he has an overwhelming advantage.) 15. LtJd6 LtJxcS 16.hd5 cxdS 1 7. LtJxc8

Elxc8 18.ixe5 :t White prese rves a slight edge thanks to his domina ­tion of the eS-s quare.

13.hf4 exf4 14.d4 .!Llf6=

White would have had some advantage with a pawn on c3 in­stead of c4. Now the weakness on d4 and his passive bishop make his position not at all attractive and the game is e qual.

Conclusion In playing the Bishop's Opening White is usually hoping to deviate

from the well-known theoretical lines. He wishes to obtain a calm po­sition with a slight edge, in the spirit of the Italian Game, and some­times the game even transposes to that opening. However, if Black replies with 3 .. . c6 the game is quite different from the usual develop­ments in the Italian Game. Our analysis shows convincingly that there is not a single variation in which White can obtain even a mini­mal edge and Black has an excellent position in all lines.

so

Part 2

l.e4 e5 2.lljf3 �f6

All White Replies without 3.d4 and 3 . �xe5

I n the second part of our book we anal yse some rarel y pla yed possibilities for White on move 3.

After 3. 4'lc 3, Black can repl y with 3 ... i.b4, ac quiescing to a slightl y worse, but ver y solid, po­sition.

The s ymmetrical move 3 ... 4Jc6 is also simple and quite reliable.

Of course, pla yers with Black will need to memorize the main lines of the variations arising after 4. i.b5 4Jd4.

The move 4.d4 leads to a harmless version of the Scotch Game, while a fter 4.g 3, Black ob­

tains approximatel y e qual chanc­es in fighting positions of a non­forcing nature.

51

ChapterS l.e4 e5 2.�f3 �f6

3.lbc3 The "amateur " variation 3. i.c4

lbxe4 4. lbc3, is covere d in Chap­ter 2 on the Vienna Game with 2. lbc3 lbf 6 3. i.c4 lbxe4 4. lbf3.

White cannot obtain any a d­vantage in the opening wit h the passive line : 3. d3 d6 (here 3 ... lbc 6, followe d by d7- d5, is also

goo d for Black) 4. i.e2 g 6 5. 0- 0 i.g 7 6. lbc3 0- 0 7. i.g5 h 6 8. i.e3 lbc 6 9.h3 d5 1 0.ex d5 lbx d5 11. lbx d5 Wi'x d5 12. !!e l !!e8 13.c3 b6=

Se dlak - Sakaev, Vrn jacka Ban ja 2 01 0.

3 . . . .ib4 This bishop -sortie is a reliable

option for Black, although it is a bit passive. He presents his oppo­nent with the a dvantage of the

52

bishop-pair, but develops quickly, while keeping the position close d.

It is more ambitious an d pop­ular to continue with 3 ... lbc 6, which presents White with a wide c hoice of systems (none of t hem very promising, however ... ) an d we sh all analyze these in the fol ­lowing chapters.

4.lbxe5 Th e position is equal a fter 4.

ic4 0-0 5. 0-0 d6 6. d3 hc3 7. bxc3 i.e 6.

4 . . . 0 - 0 5 . .ie2 :aes 6.lbd3 .ixc3 7 .dxc3 ti::lxe4

Now White can only create some problems for his opponent by making the most natural move in the position - castling.

8. 0 - 0 ! Theory considers 8. �f4 as the

main line, but I think that this move, closing the diagonal of White's o wn bishop, loses the minimal e dge that he has alrea dy acquire d. 8 ... d6 9.0-0 �c6 ! (this is more active than the more pop­ular choice for Black here: 9 ... �d 7) 10.a4!? This is an original wa y for Whi te to bring his a l-rook in to ac tion. (He woul d not achieve much with the natural line: 10.c4 h6 l l . .ie 3 if5 12. E:e l �f6 and Black has no problems at all.).

10 ... h6 l l.a5 a6 12.c4 if5 1 3. E:a 3 �f6 14. E:g 3 �e4 15. E:e 3 �f6, Su­

tovsk y - Sakaev, Serbia 200 9 (game 4). White's most prudent decision here would be to repeat

moves. 8 . . . d5 ! Black mus t pla y activel y if his

opponent lets him. He has ex­change d his dark -square d bishop, so it woul d be positionall y justi­fie d to buil d his pa wn-chain on the dar k squares, keeping the po­sition close d. In this pa rticular case, ho wever, there is a concrete reason wh y the move 8 ... d6 is not

l.e4 e5 2. �f3 �f6 3. �c3 ib4

good. White has the opportuni ty of seizing additional space and then pinning the enem y knight on f6 with 9.f 3 ! �f6 10.ig5 �bd7 l l. E:e l b6 12.a4 (it also look s at­

tractive to begin an offensive on the light squares with 12. �b4!? ib 7 1 3.c4 h6 14.ih4 aS 15. �d5 g5 16.if2 �xd5 1 7.cxd5 �f6 18.b3 :t) 12 ... a5 1 3. �f2 h6 14.ih4 �c5 (14 ... �f8 15. �e4 g5 16. �xf6 �xf6

1 7.if2 :t. White maintains a slight edge, since Black's king is vulner­able, Ho well - Giri, Wi jk aan Zee 200 9).

No w it is ver y goo d for White to continue with 15.f4!, prevent­ing g 7 -g5 and thus maintaining the unpleasant pin on Black's f6-knight (it is inferior for W hite to pla y 15.b4: after 15 ... axb4 16.cxb4 E:xa4 1 7.ixf6 �xf6 18. E:b l �b 7

1 9.ib5 E:xe l 20.�xe l E:a8 21.�e8 <±>h 7 22.id 3 g6 2 3. �e4 �d4 24. <±>f l <±>g 7 25.�c6 d5 26. �c 3 �e5

2 7. �xd5 E:a l 28. E:xa l �xa l 2 9. <±>e2 �e5 30. <±>d2 tt:Jd8 31.�c 3

�xc 3 32. <±>xc 3 �e6 33.ic4 ib7 34. �e 3 tt:Jd8 35.id5 ic8 36. <±>d4 <±>f6= Black should be able to hold

this position) 15 ... if5 16.g4! .id7 1 7 . .if 3 E:xe1 18.�xe l E:b8 1 9. b 3:t

5 3

Chapter S

White's space advantage promis­es him a slight edge and Black is faced with a long defence.

9.tDf4

14.f 3 ih 7 15. 1Wd2 'Lle5 16. 1Wf2 1Wd6 1 7.'Lld 3:t; 16 ... c6 1 7.'Lld 3 'Llfd 7 18. 'LlxeS 'LlxeS 1 9.h 3:t; White has the edge, since he can advance his pawn with tempo from f 3 to fS,

9 ••• tDf6 ! forcing the enemy bishop out of Black's knight on e4 is only play on h 7)

pseudo -active, since it blocks the e-file and impedes Black's other pieces from occupying their best squares.

He usually continues with 9 ... c6 here, but after 10.c4! d4 11. �e U there arises an open position

in which White's bishop-pair is very powerful.

1 0 .i.e3 White cannot create problems

for his opponent with 10.if 3 c6=. Black's bishop goes to fS and his

knight on b8 is transferred effort­lessly to eS via the d 7 -square.

1 0 . . . i.f5!N After 10 ... 'Llc6 l l.if 3 ie6 12.

�e U Black has difficulties. ll.g4 i.e4!

(diagram) 12.g5

White can sacrifice a pawn with 12. �e1 'Llc6 (it is weaker for Black to opt for 12 ... h6 1 3.if1 'Llc6

54

1 3.f 3 hc2 14. 1Wd2, but after 14 ... h6 15.if2 ih 7 16. �ad1= White's compensation is only enough for equality.

Or 1 3.g5 'Lld 7 14.'Llxd5 (after 14.'Llh5 'Llb6 15.'Llg 3 ig6 16. 1Wd2 'Llc4 1 7. hc4 dxc4+ Black's posi­tion is even slightly preferable) 14 ... �e5 (he can also solve his problems with 14 ... 'Llde5 15.c4 'Llxc4! 16. hc4 'Lle5 1 7.ie2 hdS=) 15.c4 �xgS 16. hg5 WxgS 1 7.ig4 hc2 18. 1Wxc2 Wxg4= with a draw

by perpetual check.

12 ••. ttJfd7 13.ttJxd5 1%e5 14. c4 1%xg5 15.hg5 '!Wxg5 16.i.g4 hd5 17.h4

17 . . . '1Wf4! After all Black' s other option s

hi s initiative i s gradually neutral­ized and White' s extra exchange should tell, for example: 17 ... '!Wxh4 18.cxd5 ti:Jf6 1 9. i.f3 ti:Jbd7

20.d6 !±, and the opening of the central file s i s in hi s favour, or 17 ... Wg6 18.h5 '!Wg5 1 9.f4 Wh4 20. cxd5 ti:Jf6 21. i.f3 Wg3 (21...Wxf4 22. i.g2 We3 23. l'i:f2 ti:Jbd7 24. Wf3 ±) 22. i.g2 li:Jg4 23. l'i:f3 Wh2

l .e4 eS 2. liJ.f3 liJf6 3. tiJc3 i.b4

24. \t>f l Wh4 25. i.h3 ti:Jh2 26. \t>g2 li:Jxf3 27.Wxf3 ±; material e quality

ha s been re stored, but White' s piece s are much more active.

18.cxd5 ltJe5 19.i.e2 tiJbd7 2 0 .'1Wcl '!Wxh4 21.'1We3

21. •• £5! Black' s pawn i s ready to join in

the attack. 22.'1Wg3 '!Wf6 23.f4 ttJf'Too. One

of hi s knight s will occupy the blockading square d6 and hi s oth­er knight i s headed for e4, so Black ha s excellent compen sation

for the exchange.

Conclusion The move 3 ... i.b4 is not very popular but is reliable. Black obtains

a solid position and avoids having to study long theoretical varia­tions. The drawbacks are that the variation is a bit passive for Black and his opponent is presented with the advantage of the bishop-pair. Overall, the line is playable, of course, but I suspect that it will not be to everyone's taste, so in the following chapters we shall examine Black's more ambitious alternative: 3 .. . liJc6.

55

Chapter6 l.e4 e5 2.ti:Jf3 tt:Jf6 3.tt:Jc3 tt:Jc6

Scotch Four Knights Belgrade Gambit

With his last move 3 ... li:lc6 Black maintains the symmetry,

but he still has good chances of avoiding a dull position with dra wish tendencies. Instead, he can obtain a lively position with more than sufficient counter chances.

4.d4 With the white knight already

developed to c3, the Scotch Game is not at all dangerous for Black.

White's other, more interest­ing alternatives wil l be analyzed in the following chapters.

4 . . . exd4 (diagram)

5)L\xd4 The Belgrade Gambit is

reached after the move 5. li:ld5. What does Black need to know

56

about it ? The following variations are quite sufficient : 5 ... i.e7 ! 6. i.f4 (6. li:lxd4 li:lxd5 7.exd5 li:lxd4 8.

\Wxd4 0 -0= ; 6. i.c4 0 -0 7.0 -0 d6 8. li:lxd4 li:lxd4 9.\Wxd4 li:lxd5 10. \Wxd5 i.e6 11.\Wd3 \Wd7=) 6 ... d6 7. li:lxd4 0 -0 8. li:lb5 li:lxd5 9.exd5 li:le5=

5 . . . i.b4 6.li:lxc6 bxc6 7.i.d3 d5

l.e4 e5 2. ltJ.f3 ltJf6 3. ltJc3 ltJ c6 4.d4 exd4

8.exd5 After 8.0-0 .b:c 3 9.bxc 3 dxe4+

White has nothing to brag about. 8 . . . cxd5 9. 0 - 0 0 - 0 1 0 .

J\g5 c6 11. �f3 If White plays 11.lLla4, he can

end up in an inferior position, for example: ll ... h6 12.�h4 l"i:e8 1 3.c4 �d6 14.cxd5 cxd5 15. ltJc 3 ( Black's game seems better too after 15. l"i:c1 l"i:b8 16.b 3 �f4 17. l"i:c6 �e5.)

15 ... l"i:b8+ and Black is better.

ll . . . h6 If Black wishes to reach a posi­

tion with more fighting possibili­ties, he should try 11.. .�d6, with the idea of l"i:a8-b8 and eventually l"i:b8-b4.

12 . .ixf6 �xf6 13.�xf6 gxf6 14.c!l::le2 .id6 15.tt:ld4 c5 16.tt:lf5 .ix£5 17 . .ix£5 =

Here, the opponents can agree to a draw, as was done in numer­ous games.

Conclusion White has developed his knight too early (in comparison with the

Scotch Game) to the c3-square and he cannot claim any advantage whatsoever. Usually after 4.d4 the position quickly becomes simpli­fied and the game is equal, so lately White players have more or less stopped playing this line.

57

Chapter7 l.e4 e5 2.li�£J �f6 3.�c3 �c6 4.g3 ! ?

Glek Variation

White sometimes plays this with the aim of reaching positions that have not been extensively analysed .

G M Igor Glek has contributed considerably to the development of this variation and has played numerous games with it .

4 . . . i.c5 The position is about e qual but

much more open after 4 . . . d5 5 . exd5 tt'lxd5 6 .i.g2 tt'lxc3 7 .bxc3 i.d6 8 .0- 0 0- 0. A reasonable continuation is 9 .Ei:b1 Ei:b8 1 0 .d4 Ei:e8

(diagram) and here White has two main

possibilities: 1 l .tt'lg5 - this is the main theo­

retical line . After , for example ,

58

1 l . . .i.f5 12 .i.d5 (it is harmless for White to play 12 .Ei:xb7 Ei:xb7 13 . hc6 Ei:b1 14 .he8 '<Wxe8 �; Black has excellent compensation for the pawn) 12 . . . i.g6 13 .h4 i.e ? 14 . i.xc6 (14 .dxe5 tt'lxe5 15 .Ei:e1 i.f6

16 .h5 i.f5 17 .i.f4 i.xg5 18 .i.xe5 i.f6 1 9 .'<Wd4 c6 2 0.hf6 '<Wxf6+

there arises an endgame in which Black is at no risk) 14 . . . bxc6 15 .

Ei:xb8 '<Wxb8 16 .dxe5 hg5 ( Black can try to seize the initiative here with 16 . . . h6 !? 17 .tt'lf3 c5 �, with sufficient compensation for the pawn) 17 .hxg5 Ei:xe5 18 .i.f4 Ei:e6= the position is completely e qual;

1 l .i.g5 !?- This is the only way for White to try to create any seri­ous problems for Black . l l . . .f6 ! ( The move 1 l . . .'<Wd7 blocks the

bishop's diagonal and thus after

l.e4 e5 2. lLJj3 lLJf6 3 . lL'lc3 lLJc6 4.g3 i. c5

1 2 .i.e3 exd4 13 .cxd4 b6 14 .c4± White ends up with a slight ad­

vantage .) 1 2 .i.e3 b6 ! 13 .'&d3 i.b7 ! (after 13 . . . e4, White is slightly

better: 14 .'&c4 <i>h8 15 .lLJg5 fxg5 16 .'&xc6±) 14 .lL'ld 2 ( Black's posi­tion is quite acceptable after 14 .lL'lh4 lL'la5 15 .d5 '&d 7 16 .lL'lf5 Elbd8=, followed by i.d6-f8, exe rt­

ing pressure against White's cen­tre .) 14 . . . '&d7 15 .Elfd1 lL'la5 16 .hb7 lLJxb7 17 .Wa6 lL'la5 18 .lL'lb3 exd4

1 9 .cxd4 lL'lc6=, with e quality . 5 . .ig2 d6 6.d3 a6

7. 0 - 0 The move 7 .i.e3 !? was tried

in one game by G M Vadim Zvja­ginsev - a very inventive player who has made numerous opening discoveries . After 7 . . . he3 8 .fxe3, the player with Black, G M Ev­geniy Najer, played 8 . . . lLJe7 . ( Af­ter the automatic reply 8 . . . 0-0, Evgeny was possibly afraid of 9 .'&d 2!?, with the idea of castling queenside, when a very non­

standard position would arise!) 9 .lL'lh4 c6 10 .'&d 2 lL'lg6 11 .lL'lf5 hf5

1 2 .exf5 lL'lf8 (it seems about e qual­ly strong for Black to play here

1 2 . . . lLJe7=) 13 .0-0-0 d5= Zvja­ginsev - Najer, Ohrid 200 9 (game 5). In the subse quent

complex manoeuvring struggle, the chances of both sides are ap­proximately balanced, although in the game Black had the initia­tive .

7 . . . 0 - 0 8 . .ie3 White can begin with the pro­

phylactic move 8 .h3, but that would not change the evaluation of the position . After for example: 8 . . . i.e6 9 .<i>h 2 h6 10 .i.e3 he3 1l .fxe3 d5 1 2 .exd5 lLJxd5 13 .'&e1 Wd7 14 .Eld1 Elad8 15 .a3 lLJxc3 16 . '&xc3 f6= the game is e qual, Vo­

robiov - Sakaev, Novokuznetsk 2008 .

8 . . . he3 9.fxe3 ll:\e7 1 0 . ll:\h4

1 0 . . . c6 An interesting position arises

after 10 . . . i.g4 1l .'&d 2 '&d7 (diagram)

This move emphasizes the fact that White has not played h 2-h3, restricting the mobility of Black's light-s quared bishop .

White has no constructive ideas

5 9

Chapter 7

except for 12.d4 2"1ad8 13. 2"1xf 6!? gxf 6 14. 2"1f1 c 6 15.�f2!?� - there are no forcing lines, but White has sufficient compensation for the exchange.

ll.d4

ll . . )!)g6 The move ll ... ltJg4 has a solid

posi ti ona l basis too. B lac k rules out the pos sible exchange sacri­

fice on f 6 and i s read y to bar ri cade the f-fi le with the move f7-f 6. Still, thi s plan slo ws d own hi s deve lop­ment an d White c an ex ploit thi s

circu mst ance b y energetic pl ay: 1 2. �d3! (In the g ame Sha ke d -Leko, Til burg 1 997 White pl ayed

1 2. �d2, but Bl ac k was ab le t o c ar­ry out all his plan s and g ain the

advantage : 1 2 ... 4Jh 6 13. 2"1ad1 �g4 14. i.f3 i.e 6 15. �e2 b5 1 6.b 3 �a5

60

1 7.�d2 �c7 18. Wh1 2"1ad8 1 9. i.g2 f 6+) 12 ... 4Jh 6 13. 4Jf5 4Jexf5 14. exf5 f 6 15.dxe5! (this is stronger than the often-played move 15. h3=) 15 ... dxe5 1 6. i.e4 �xd3 17. hd3±. Blac k's position is cramped and his b 6-s quare is wea k (White's knight is headed there), so the endgame is difficult for him.

12.4Jf5 �e8 With his last move Blac k gives

additional su pport to his e5-pa wn, but he has an interesting alternative here: 12 ... hf5!? 13. exf5 4Je 7oo. He lac ks s pace but can counter the advance of White's g­pa wn with active o perations on the centra l files and the dar k s quares. The chances are a bout equal.

13.ti'd2

13 . . . .ixf5!? The move 13 ... d5 is su fficient

f or eq ualit y, but Bl ac k d oe s not h ave t o pla y thi s. After 14. 2"1ae1 (the positi on i s also bal anced af­

ter 14.exd5 cxd5 15.dxe5 2"1xe5 1 6. ltJd4 i. d7=) 14 ... dxe4 15. 4Jxe4 4Jxe4 1 6. he4 4Je 7 1 7. 4Jxe 7 �xe 7,

l .e4 e5 2. l0j3 l0f6 3. l0c3 l0c6 4.g3 � c5

the position is considerably sim­plified and the result should be a draw.

14.exf5 c!lJe7 15J::�adl Y9c7

16.c!lJe4 c!lJed5 = . Black will re­place one blockading piece on f6 with another, so the prospects are approximately e qual.

Conclusion There was a time when you could surprise your opponent with a

move like 4 .g3 but those days are long gone. This variation has now even been tried a few times at top level, so sufficient material for anal­yses and conclusions has been amassed. Players who prefer more open positions can play 4 . . . d5, but I prefer the move 4 ... �c5. I believe this line to be more justified positionally and quite logical too, because it guarantees a strong Black presence in the centre and good pros­pects on the dark squares.

61

Chapter 8 l.e4 e5 2.lbf3 lbf6 3.lbc3 lbc6 4.i.b5

Four Knights Game

The Four Knights Game is, I believe, an opening taught in the first lessons of all children's chess classes. I am not planning to deal with this opening thoroughly. I

shall just show you the basic theo­retical lines which the player with Black should focus on.

4 . . .ll)d4 There is a mountain of theory

on the symmetrical move 4 ... �b4, and we shall ignore all of it. I will only mention that, according to the contemporary evaluation of this variation, White can claim a slight advantage.

White now has two possible bishop retreats: A) 5.i.c4 and B) 5.�a4.

It is a well-known draw after

62

5. li)xd4 e xd4 6.e5 d xc3 7.exf6 "!fixf6 (but not 7 ... c xd2? 8.hd2 "!fixf6 9.0-0 and Black is danger­

ously behind in development) 8. dxc3 "!fie5 9. "!fie2 "!fixe2 10.he2 d5 ll.�f4 c6=

A) 5.i.c4 It may seem strange now, but

this retreat of the bishop was the cause of great problems for Black for a long time.

5 . . . .ic5! This move is the correct solu­

tion of all the problems in this po­sition. It is inconceivable now how White can create any difficul­ties for his opponent.

l .e4 e5 2. tiJj3 ti'Jf6 3. tiJc3 ti'Jc6 4.� b5 ti'Jd4

It is too ris ky for Black to opt for 5 ... ti'Jxf3?! in view of 6.gxf3 ! �c5 7. l'!gl ± and White has a dan­gerous initiative along the g-file. However , the game is complicat­

ed but quite acceptable for Black a fter 5 ... d6 6. ti'Jxd4 exd4 7. ti'Jd5 ti'Jd7 8.0-0 g6oo

6 . .!Llxe5 The position is e qual a fter 6.d3

d6 7. ti'Jxd4 �xd4 8.0-0 �e6 9.�b3 0-0= Franzoni - Anand , Biel 1 988.

6 . . . �e7

7 . .!Llf3 It is rather dubious for White

to play here 7. ti'Jxf7?! , because of 7 ... d5! 8. ti'Jxh8 dxc4+

Black obtains an excellent position a fter 7. ti'Jd3 d5 8. ti'Jxd5 �xe4 9. ti'Je3 �d6 10.f3 �h4 ll. ti'Jf2 0-0 i

7 . . . d5 8.i.xd5 White's position remains very

passive a fter 8. ti'Jxd5 �xe4 9. ti'Je3 �g410.�e2 ti'Jxe2 11.�xe2 o-o-m:

8 . . . �g4 9.d3 (diagram)

9 . . . . 0 - 0 - 0 ! 1 0 .�e3 If 10.�g5 , Sutovs ky - Kram-

nik , Baku (rapid) 2010 (game 6), then besides the move that was played in the game - 10 ... �h5!? -Black could have tried 10 ... h6 and

a fter 11.�e3 ti'Jxd5 12. ti'Jxd5 l'!xd5 13.exd5 l'!e8 14.0-0 hf3 15.gxf3 �d6 16.f4 �h4 there would be a transposition to the variation be­ginning with the move 10.�e3 , but with a pawn on h6 instead of h7. This cannot be harmful for Black at all.

1 0 . . . .!Llxd5 ll.lilxd5

ll . . . �xd5! 12.exd5 �e8 13. 0 - 0

Ob jectively speaking , White's most prudent move here is 13.c3 , but it leads to a draw by force: 13 ... tt:Jxf3 14.gxf3 �h4 15. \t>d2

63

Chapter 8

l"lxe3 1 6. fxe3 Vfif2 17. \t>cl .be3 18. <i>bl .bf3 1 9. Vfiel .bhl 20. Vfixhl Vfie2 2 l.a4 Vfixd3 22. <i>a2 Vfic4= with perpetual che ck.

13 . . . hf3 14.gxf3 �d6

15.f4 Or 15. \t>g2 Vfie5 1 6. l"lhl li:Jf5 17.

c3 Vfixd5 18. Vfia4 l"le 6 1 9.�g5 h 6 20. c4 Vfixd3 2l. l"lhe1 li:Jd4 22. Vfid1 Vfix c4 23. l"lxe 6 li:Jxe 6 24.b3 Vfib5

25.�e3 Vfie5+ - Now, in order to prote ct his h2-s quare White must make a rather awkward move with his queen to gl or h1, when Bla ck can patiently prepare the

advan ce of his pawns, both on the kingside and on the queenside. White is doomed to a long and la­

borious defen ce. 15 . . .'�h4 16.<i>hl Here it is safer to play 1 6. c3,

with the continuation 1 6 ... g5 17. cxd4 (17. 'it>h1 Vfih3 18. l"lg1 li:Jf3

1 9. l"lg2 gxf4 20. Vfia4 c6 transposes to the main line of our analysis ) 17 ... gxf4 18. Vfif3 fxe3 1 9.h3 Vfixd4 20. fxe3 Vfixb2 2 l. Vfif2 Vfig7 22. <i>h1 Vfih6 23. Vfif5 'it>b8=, and altho ugh Bla ck has some initiati ve, White

should be able to hold.

64

16 . . . �h3 17J�gl tt:l£3 18.gg2

18 . . . g5! White has come under a dan­

gerous atta ck. He will be happy if it all ends in perpet ual che ck, but he mi ght even get mated.

19.c4 The following variation is

clearly in Bla ck's favour: 1 9. c3 gxf4 20. Vfia4 c6! 2 l.dx c6 fxe3 22. cxb7 'it>d8- +

19 . . . gxf4 2 0 .�a4

2 0 . . . \t>dS It is wo rth conside rin g the

move 20 ... c6!? and after 2l. dx c6 fxe3 22. cxb7 'it>d8 23. c5 .bh2 24. �g4 �xg4 25. l"lxg4 e2 2 6. 'it>g2

e l=Vfi27. l"lxe l li:Jxe1 28. \t>x h2 'it> c7 +

l .e4 e5 2. 0J3 t/Jf6 3. t/J c3 t/Jc6 4. f.l.b5 t/Jd4

there arises an endgame in which White must fight for a draw.

21.c5 c!Llh4 22.�agl .ie5 23 . .ixf4 c!Llxg2 24.�xg2 �f3, Moty­

lev - Radjabov, Khanty- Mansyisk 2010.

White can continue here with 25 . .ig3! .ixg3 26.hxg3 �xd5 27.�c4= and White has good

chances o f saving the game.

B) 5 . .ia4

5 . . . .ic5 It is too passive for Bla ck to

play 5 ... ti'Jx f3 6. �x f3 c 6 7.0 -0 d 6 8.d 3 fi.e 7 9. ti'Jd5 ;t. White is slightly better, J. Po lgar - Hammer, Kris­tiansund 2 010.

An interesting position arises after 5 ... c 6!?

and now: the move 6.d 3 enables Black to

exchange his knight for the bish­op and after 6 ... b5 7. f.l.b 3 ti'Jxb 3 8. axb 3 d 6= he obtains a very good

game, since White takes two moves to advance his pawn to d4;

after 6. 0-0, Black has a good reply in 6 ... \WaS, preventing the possible exchange on d4. There might follow: 7.d 3 d 6 8.h 3 b5 (8 ... f.l.e7 can be answered with 9. f.l.e 3, forcing the exchange o f the knight

on d4 under circumstances very favourable to White.) 9. f.l.b 3 ti'Jxb 3

10.cxb 3 b4 ( Black is not obliged to hurry with the advance o f this pawn, since after 10 ... f.l.e 7 l l.d4 b4 12. lt:la4 exd4 1 3. lt:lxd4 f.l.d 7, al­though it might seem at first sight that White is better, his knight on a4 is away from the centre and Black has more than sufficient

counter-chan ces.) l l. c!Llb1 f.l.e 7 12. ti'Jbd2 0 -0 1 3. ti'Jc4 �c 7= -the po­

sition is approximately equal; 6. lt:lxe5 d5 7.d 3 f.l.d 6 8. ti'Jf3 f.l.g4

9. f.l.e 3 dxe4 ( 9 ... lt:lx f3 10.gx f3 f.l.h5 l l.exd5 -although Black has nu­

merous atta cking possibilities

65

Chapter S

here, it was not so eas y for him to prove their effe ctiveness in a pra cti cal competitive game , lvan­chuk - Caruana, Biel 200 9)

10 .dxe4 (10 .1Llxe4 1Llxe4 11 .!xd4 'WaS 12 .c3 IL:lgS 13 .!e3 hf3 14 .

gxf3 'WfS+ - Bla ck's initiative is ver y powe rful , Shanava - Khen­kin , Drezden 200 7; 10 .hd4 exf3 l l .gxf3 'We 7�) 10 . . . 1Llxf3 l l .gxf3 !hS 12 .'We2 !eS 13 .!b3oo

6.tl:lxe5 If White does not capture this

pawn he will not a chieve an ything spe cial out of the opening . Cap­turing after castling b y both sides is simpl y bad: 6 .0-0 0-0 7.1LlxeS? ( 7.d3 d6 8 .1Llxd4 !xd4=) 7 . . . d6

8 .1Lld3 !g4 9 .'We1 1Llf3 10 .gxf3 !xf3 11 .h3 (after l l .ILlx cS, Bla ck wins on ce again with the move 11 . . .1Llg4-+) 11 . . . 1Llg4 12 .1Llf4 'Wh4 13 .1Llce2 gS14 .!d 7 hS-+, mating . .

6 . . . 0 - 0 7.tt:ld3 The move 7.d3 deprives

White's knight of an important s quare and Bla ck can obtain a ver y good position in the follow­ing manner: 7 . . . d6 (here 7 . . . c6 !?, followed b y d 7-dS, is also good)

66

8 .1Llf3 !g4 9 .!e3 c6 10 .hd4 (af­ter 10 .0-0 Bla ck has the powe rful continuation 10 . . . !xf3 ! l l .gxf3 ILlhS, followed b y 'Wd8-f6+ and

ver y good pla y on the dark s quares; l O . . . bS 11 .!xd4 hd4 12 . !b3 aS 13 .a4 b4 14 .1Lle2 hb2 1S. �b1 hf3 16 .gxf3 !a3oo with a

double-edged position . Bla ck's pawn-stru cture is superior, but his dark-s quared bishop is out of pla y for the moment .) 10 . . . hd4 11 .0-0 'WaS 12 .!b3 h c3 13 .bx c3 'Wx c3 14 .h3 !xf3 1S.'Wxf3 �fe8= Bla ck will soon manage to ad­

van ce with d6-dS, solving all his problems .

7 . . . .ib6

White has two possibilities here to clarify the situation in the centre: Bl) 8.tt:lf4 and B2) 8.e5.

Bl) 8.tt:lf4 c6 It is also possible for Bla ck to

pla y immediatel y 8 . . . dS (diagram)

and now: 9 .d3 dxe4 ( 9 . . . c6 is also good,

transposing to the variation with 8 . . . c6 9 .d3 dS) 10 .dxe4 c6 11 .0-0

l.e4 e5 2Ji'Jf3 ti'Jf6 3. ti'Jc3 ti'Jc6 4.�b5 ti'J d4

1 0 . 0 - 0

E!e8 12.�e3 ti'Jxe4 13. ti'Jxe4 E!xe4 14.c3 ti'Je6=;

9. ti'Jcxd5 g5!? 10. ti'Jxf6 �xf6 1l. ti'Jd3 �e7 12.0-0 �xe4 13. illh1 ti'Je2 14. b4 a5 15. E!b1 ti'Jxc1 16.�xc1

�fS� Black's compensation for the pawn is quite sufficient;

9. ti'Jfxd5 ti'Jxe4 ( An interesting option here is 9 ... ti'Jxd5!? 10. ti'Jxd5 �h4 1l. ti'Je3 f5, Navara - Shirov, Prague 20 04. White should con­

tinue with 12.c3!, when Black has to find some very creative ideas in order to prove that his com­pensation is sufficient.) 10. ti'Jx b6 ax b6 1 l. ti'Jxe4 fua4 12.0-0 ti'Jb3 13. cx b3 (it is worse for White to play 13. E!b1 ti'Jxc1 14. ti'Jc3 E!d4 15.�xc1 E!xd2 16. E!d1 E!xd1 17.�xd1 �f5+

and Black is even be tter) 13 ... E!xe4 14.d3 E!d4 15.�e3 E!xd3 16.�f3=

9.d3 d5

Or 10.�e3 d xe4 1l.dxe4 ti'Jg4 12 .'Mfd2 ti'Jxe3 13. fxe3 ti'Je6+ and Black has a clear advantage.

1 0 . . . �g4 11.�d2 dxe4 12. dxe4

After 12. ti'Jxe4, Black plays 12 ... ti'Jxe4 13.dxe4 �h4! 14.�d3 (oth­

erwise Black has the move 14 ... ti'Jf3) 14 ... E!ad8 15.�g3 �xg3 16.

hxg3 g5!+

12 . . . i.f3 ! It is less convincing for Black

to play here 12 ... �e7 13. E!e1 E!ad8 14. ti'Jd3 �e6 �, with compens ation for the pawn.

13J''!e1 ge8 14.e5 The tactical justification of

Black 's idea is the variation 14. �d3 he4 15. ti'Jxe4 ti'Jxe4

67

Chapter S

16 J'lxe4 (16.�e3 �g5 17.hd4 lLlxf2 18.hf2 hf2 1 9. \t>xf2 �xf4 20. \t>g1 �xa4 21.�d7 l"led8 22. �xb7 �xc2+) 16 ... l"lxe4 17.�xe4 lLlb3 !+, winning the exchange.

14 ••• lLlh5 The alternative is 14 ... lLlg4 15.

lLld3 �h4 16.�f4 lLlxc2 (16 ... l"le6 17.�g3 lLlf5 18.�xh4 lLlxh4 1 9. gxf3 lLlxf3 20. lt>g2 lLlxe1 21.lLlxe1= and there arises an approximately e qual but double-edged endgame, in which White's play is easier and more pleasant) 17.hc2 hf2 18. 1t>h1 he1 1 9.gxf3 lL'lf2 20.lLlxf2 �xf2 21.�e3 �xc2 22.l"lxe1 �xb2 23.�d4 c5 24.l"lb1 �c2 25.l"lc1 �b2=, with a repetition of moves.

15.e6 15.lLlxh5 hh5 16.�f4 �c7 -

White loses his e5-pawn and Blac k's pieces are much more ac­

tive. Or 15.lLld3 l"le6 and White will

not su rvive this attac k once Blac k's roo k joins in .

15 ••• �g5 16.exf7 lt>xf7 17. .ib3 lt>f8

A fantastic position a rises af-

68

ter 17 ... �d5 18.lLlcxd5 ! (the line: 18.hd5 cxd5 1 9.l"lxe8 l"lxe8 20. lt>fl lt>g8 21. lL'lcxd5 �f5 22.lLlxb6

lLlxc2+ is advantageous to Blac k) 18 ... lLlf3 1 9. 1t>h1 lLlxd2 20.hd2

20 ... cxd5 21.hd5 lt>f6 22.�c3 lt>f5 23. lLle6 l"lxe6 24.l"lxe6 ( White

has an excellent position, even though Blac k has an extra queen!) 24 ... �c7 25.l"lae1 l"ld8 26.l"l1e5 he5 27.l"lxe5 lt>g6 28.l"lxg5 lt>xg5 2 9.h4 lt>xh4 30.g3± - It is only White who might have winning chances.

18.gfl .ixg2 19.tLJe6 lLlxe6 2 0 .�xg5 tt'lxg5 21.<;!;>xg2 tt'le4 22.tt'lxe4 gxe4=

It is li kely that the re will soon a rise an e qual position with bish­ops of opposite colou rs.

l .e4 e5 2. 0,.f3 0,f6 3. 0,c3 0,c6 4. i.b5 0, d4

B2) 8.e5

8 •• .tt:le8 9.0,d5 d6! After 9 ... c6, Black is only try­

ing to equalize and cannot hope for more. 10. 0,e3 d5 11.c3 0,f5 12.0-0 f6 13. i.b3 !? White might advance c3-c4 at some point, de­stro ying Black's solid pawn-struc­ture. ( It looks more natural for White to continue with 13.ic2 ic7 14.f4 0,xe3 15.dxe3 i.f5, Mo­tylev - Shomoev, Tol jatti 2003. After 16. i.d2 �d3 17. �d3 fxe5 18.c4 exf4 1 9.exf4 0,f6 20. "Wc2 ;t, White would retain a slight edge.).

Black has two possibilities here, but neither of them is suffi­cient to equalize:

after 13 ... 1!/hS, White has the resource 14. "Wh5! This surprising

queen-sortie creates serious prob­lems for Black. 14 ... 0,h6, Valle jo Pons - Leko, Monaco 2005 (the

move 14 ... g6 weakens the dark squar es and after 15. "We2 "We7 16. f4 ± White is clearly better) 15. i.c2 ( In the game White tried the

strange retreat 15. 0,e1, after which Black obtained excellent compensation for the pawn.) 15 ... d4 16. 0,c4 ic7 17 J'!e1 b5 18.e6 i.xe6 1 9. !"1xe6 bxc4 20. 0,c5 ± and White is better;

13 ... fxe5 14. 0,xe5 0,xe3 15. fxe3 ( It is almost equally good for White to continue with 15.dxe3 0,d6 16.f4 ;t and he has the edge.)

15 ... 0,f6 16.d4 i.e6 ;t

White's extra pawn, despite its being bac kward on e3, is quite use­ful. Black must fight for equality.

1 0 .lt:l e3 After 10.c3, Black has 10 ...

"Wg5 ! 11. 0,e3 (it is not good for White to play 11.cxd4 Wxg2 12. 0,e7 l!i'h8 13. 2"1f l ig4 14.f3 ih3

15. "We2 "Wg5 16. 0,d5 ix£1 17. 1!/xf1 �d4� and he comes under a dangerous a ttack) 11 ... 0,f5 12.0-0 dxe5 13. "Wf3 0,xe3 14.dxe3 0,d6 15.e4 "We7 + and Black has a sli ght e dge.

6 9

Chapter 8

After 10.tt:le3 Black has a pleas­ant choice between the calm and safe move B2a) 1 0 . . . c6 and the sharp B2b) 1 0 . . . c5 !?

However, we cannot recom­mend to Black the line: 10 ... dxe5 l l.tt:lxe5 �g5 in v iew of 12.tt:l5c4! (better than 12.tt:ld7 .bd7 13 . . bd7

f5 14.c3 tt:lf6+) 12 .. .f5 13.h4! �f6 (13 ... �e7 14.c3 tt:lc6 15.�b3 Wh8

16.f4 ±) 14.f4 tt:ld6 15.c3 tt:lxc4 (15 ... �g6 16. Wf l tt:le6 17.tt:lxd6

cxd6 18.tt:ld5 ± White consolidates his position, preserving his extra pawn) 16.tt:lxc4 �g6 17. Wf1 �e6 (here 17 ... tt:lc6 ± is a sl ight im­

provement, keeping some mini­mal compensation) 18.tt:le5 �g3 1 9.cxd4+-. White has parried the a ttack and should win this posi­tion, Motylev - Shirov, Moscow 2001.

B2a) 1 0 . . . c6 ll.c3 11.0-0 d xe5 (the same posi­

tion arises after l l ... �c7 12.f4 dxe5 13.tt:lxe5 f6; while 12.c3 tt:lf5 transposes to the main line - 10 ... c6 11.c3 tt:lf5 12.0-0 �c7) 12.tt:lxe5 �c7 13.f4 f6 14.tt:l5g4 (14.tt:ld3 b5 15.�b3 Wh8 � and White's knight

70

on d3 impedes the completion of his development) 14 ... b5 15.�b3 tt:lxb3 16.axb3 tt:ld6 17.d3 l"le8 � Black has obtained excellent com­

pensation for the pawn. ll . . . tt:lf5 12. 0 - 0

12 . . . .tc7! Black increases the pressure

against the e5-pawn, forcing White either to allow Black's knight to go to the d6-s quare with tempo, or to give back the extra pawn. It is weaker for Black to continue with 12 ... tt:lxe3 13.dxe3 �f5 14.�c2 �e7 15.exd6 !? This is a very important decision, but it is the only way for White to fight for the initiative (it would be harm­less for Black for Wh ite to try here 15.e4 .be4 16. l"le1 d5= ). 15 ... tt:lxd6 16. Wh U; White wants to play f2 -f3 and then e3-e4, when it would be very difficult for Black to prove that the activity of his pieces com­pensates for the sacrificed pawn.

13J�e1 Or 13.�e2 tt:lxe3 14.dxe3 dxe5

15.e4 �e7 16.�e3 tt:ld6 17.f3 tt:lc4 18.�f2 �b6= and the position is e qual.

l.e4 e5 2. Ci:Jf3 Ci:Jf6 3. Ci:Jc3 Ci:Jc6 4. fib5 Ci:Jd4

After 13.f4 Ci:Jxe3 14.d xe3 fifS 1S. fic2 (1S. Ci:Jf2 d xeS 16.e4 fie6 17.fS fic4 +; Black has a slight edge, Adhiban - Aleksandrov, Kolkata 200 9) 1S ... d xeS 16. Ci:JxeS fixc2 17.� xc2 fixeS 18. fxeS �e7=

13 ••• dxe5 14.Ci:Jxf5 �xd3 15.Ci:Je7

1S. fic2 �d8= 15 •.. \!>hS 16.§ic2 �d6 17.

Ci:Jxc8 :!!xeS=

White has the bishop-pair, but Black has more space, so the game

is e qual.

B2b) 1 0 ••• c5!?

Now in some variations White

must consider the possibility of Black advancing his b- and c­

pawns. ll.c3 Black's idea can be best seen in

the variation 11.0-0 dxeS12. Ci:JxeS fic7 13.f4 bS 14. fib3 c4 1S.c3

and now: a calm and safe continuation

for Black is to play 1S ... fixeS 16. fxeS c xb3 17.c xd4 � xd4 18.� xb3 ( The natural move 18. axb3, open­

ing the file for the rook with tem­po, is weaker for White. After 18 ... � xeS 1 9.d4 �e4!+ Black's queen on e4 is tremendously powerful.) 18 ... � xeS 1 9.�dS � xdS 20. Ci:JxdS fie6 and the endgame looks like a dead draw;

it might be interesting for Black to try 1S ... c xb3!? 16.c xd4 Ci:Jf6 ! (after 16 ... b xa2, White has

the reply 17.�f3 ± and Black will have problems with his rook on a8) 17.� xb3 � xd4 18.�c3 �d6 � Black has e xcellent compensation

for the pawn. ll . . . Ci:Jf5 12.fib3

12.0-0 Ci:Jxe3 13.d xe3 c4 14. Ci:Jb4 d xeS 1S.�hS, Sulskis - Neu­

bauer, Vienna 2008, (1S.� xd8 fixd8=) 1S ... Ci:Jf6 16.� xeS fie6 �

71

Chapter S

12.exd6 �xd6 13.�c2 l2Jf6 14. 0-0 �c7 15.g3. Now the best move for Blac k is the patient reply 15 ... 1"le8 ! (or 15 ... l2Jxe3 16.dxe3 �c6

17.f3 c4 18. l2Jf2 ± and White is well-prepared now for e3-e4; 15 ... b5 16. l2Jf4 l2Jh4 17.d4 �b7 18.d5 1"lad8, Acs - Khalifman, Hooge­

veen 2002, 1 9. l2Jh5 ! l2Jxd5 20. �g4 l2Jf3 21.�xf3 l2Jxe3 22.� xe3 �d5 23. l2Jf6 g xf6 24.f3 :t; Blac k's doubled pawns are a definite wea kness in his set-up.) 16.�f3 l2Jxe3 17.d xe3 �g4 18.�xb7 �e2

1 9. l2Jf4 (1 9. 1"le1 1"lab8 (here an in­teresting try is 1 9 ... hd3 !? 20. hd3 �xd3 21.� xc7 l2Je4+ with quite promising play on the light

s quares) 20.�xb8 1"lxb8 21. 1"lxe2 �d5+ Blac k's centralized queen is so powerful that White is faced with a difficult defence.) 1 9 ... hf l 20.@ xf1 1"lab8 2 l.� f3 1"lbd8 - Blac k's

initiative is very dangerous. 12 . . . li)xe3 13.dxe3 dxe5

14.li)xe5 �g5

15.li)f3 After 15. l2Jd7 hd7 16.�xd7

�xg2 17.�d5 �g6+ White fails to complete the development of his queenside.

15 . . . �xg2 16.l'�gl �h3 17. �g3 �h5 18.�g5 �h3 19.�g3= - Drawn by repetition of moves.

Conclusion I believe that in the system with 4 . . . lLJd4! in the Four Knights Game

White cannot expect any advantage. This is because his bishop on c4 or a4 often remains cut off from the action by Black's strong pawn­barrier c6-d5. Furthermore, in several lines Black obtains excellent play on the dark squares, although sometimes he needs to sacrifice a pawn to achieve this.

72

Part 3

l.e4 e5 2 .ltJ f3 ttJf6 3.d4

Petroff Defence 3.d4

The variation with 3.d4 has been anal yzed extensivel y.

If pla y follows the main theo ­retical line: 3 . . . ttlxe4 4.i.d3 d5 5.ttlxe5 ttld7 6.ttlxd7 hd7 7. 0 - 0 i.d6, the drawish tenden ­

cies are quite clear in most of the positions reached.

As for the other lines after 3.d4, it seems to me that Black alwa ys obtains ver y good posi­tions and in the popular variation

5.dxe5 i.e7 6. 0 - 0 ttlc5 he even has excellent chances of seizing the initiative, because White's e5-pawn turns out to be cut off from the rest of his forces.

It is more or less the same after 4.dxe5 d5 5.ttld2 -the e5-pawn

is too far awa y from White's camp and Black can either exchange on d2, or retreat with the knight to c5 and in both cases he ends up with a very good game.

7 3

Chapter9 l.e4 e5 2.�£3 �f6 3.d4

With this move White is tr ying to open some lines and develop rapidly. He plans to capture the e5-pawn one move later, with ei­ther his knight or his pawn.

3 •• .ll:Jxe4 The move 3 ... exd4 is well­

known to theory. After 4.e5 ct'le4 5.'�xd4 d5 6.exd6 ct'lxd6 7. ct'lc3±, despite the symmetrical pawn­structure, White maintains the

initiative thanks to his more ac­tive piece s.

4.dxe5 We shall deal with the more

popular move 4.id3 in the Chapters 10-15.

The line: 4. ct'lxe5 d6 5.tt'lf3 d5 transposes to the variation 3. ct'lxe5 d6 4. ct'lf3 ct'lxe4 5.d4 d5 (see Chapter 1 9).

74

4 . . . d5 5.ttJbd2 This move has been played

many time s with White by G M Jan Nepomniachtchi.

5.id3 transposes to the varia­tion 3.d4 ct'lxe4 4.id3 d5 5.dxe5 (see Chapter 10).

Black has two possibilities here and they both deserve atten­tion: A) 5 ••. ttJc5, the knight is headed for the wonderful block­ading s quare at e6, and B) 5 . . . lDxd2, with the idea of not wast­

ing any time on manoeuvring.

A) 5 •.• ttJc5 6.ct'lb3 White has also tried some less

ambitious moves here: 6.ie2 ie7 7.0-0 0-0 8. ct'lb3

l .e4 e5 2. !i:Jf3 !i:Jf6 3.d4 !i:Jxe4 4.dxe5 d5 5. !i:J bd2

!i:Jxb3 9.axb3 c5 1 0.c3 !i:Jc6 1l.if4 if5 12.id3 \Wd7= Negi - Giri, Wijk aan Zee 2 01 0;

6.a3 aS ( It is also good for Black to pla y 6 ... ie7 7.b4 !i:Je6 8.

c4 0- 0 9.cxd5 \Wxd5 1 0.ic4 \Wc6= and Black's knight is headed for the f4-s quare with great effect, while his rook is read y to go to d8, occup ying the open file.) 7.ie2 ie7 8. 0- 0 0- 0 9 J'l:e1

9 ... !i:Jc6 ( The position will be almost identical after 9 .. .f6 1 0. exf6 hf6= with very active pla y for Black, Shabalov - Mot ylev, Moscow 2 01 0.) 1 0. !i:Jf1 f6 ( Here

1 0 ... if5 l l. !i:Jg3 ig6 12.ie3± is le ss preci se; White maintains a slight edge thanks to his control of the b5- square, Short - Kram­nik, Wijk aan Zee 2 01 0.) 1l.exf6 hf6 12. !i:Jg3 g6 13.ie3 \Wd6=

6 . . . !i:Je6 Here 6 ... !i:Jxb3± has been

pla yed man y times and is b y no means bad, but it improves White's pawn-structure, so it seems to me to be less logical.

(diagram) 7.!i:Jbd4

We should examine White's alternative s:

7.h4 c5 8.c4 dxc4 9.Wxd8 !i:Jxd8 1 0. !i:Jbd2 !i:Jbc6 11. !i:Jxc4 !i:Je6

12.id2 !i:Jed4 13. !i:Jxd4 !i:Jxd4 14. l'l:c1 ie6 15.id3 0- 0- 0= Bauer -Giri, France 2 01 0;

7.c4 d xc4 8.hc4 Wxd1 9.@xd1 !i:Jd7 1 0.he6 fxe6 1 l. !i:Jbd4 !i:Jb6

12. !i:Jg5 @e7 13.b3 !i:Jd5 14.ia3 @e8 15.ib2 @e7 16.ia3 @e8 17. ib2 @e7, draw, Vachier- Lagrave

Gelfand, Khant y- Man syisk 2 009;

7.g3 c5 8.ig2 !i:Jc6 9. 0- 0 ie7 1 0.c3 0- 0 1l.h4? (or ll.ie3 b6=, with e qualit y) 1 l...c4 12. !i:Jbd4 !i:Jexd4 13.cxd4 ig4 14.\Wd2 f6 �

and White comes under a danger­ous attack, J. Polgar - Gelfand, Khant y- Mans yisk 2 009.

7 •.. !i:Jxd4 8.!i:Jxd4 White has also tried 8.\Wxd4

h6 9.id2 ie6 1 0.h4 ( This is not an attacking move; it i s proph y­la xis against the possibilit y of g7-g5.) 1 0 ... c5 11.\Wf4 !i:Jc6 12.h5 Wd7 ( Black's queen is uncomfortable

on the d-file, so the move 12 ... \Wb6 is clearl y better.) 13.c4?! (it is more prudent for White to con­tinue here with 13. 0- 0- 0=) 13 ... 0- 0- 0 ( Here it is at least as

75

Chapter 9

good for Black to play 13 ... �e 7+, followed by castling kingside.) 14.0-0-0 �e 7 15. �c3 d4 16. �d2 f6 1 7.exf6 hf6 18. �d3 Eihf8 1 9. Eide1 �e 7 20.�g3 �d6 21.�h4 �e 7 ( Black could have continued the

fight here , for example with 21... �g4 22. �e4 Eide8+) 22.�g3 , draw, Nepomniachtchi - Alekseev, Ha­

vana 2010. 8 . . . i.e7 It is rather dubious to play 8 ...

c5?! 9. �b5! tt:Jd 7 10.e6 cxd4 11. exd 7 hd 7 12.hd 7 �xd 7 13.�xd4 �e 7 14.�xg 7 �e6 15. <±>d1 �f6 16.

�g3 0-0-0 1 7. l"ie1 �b6, Jako­venko -Wang Yue, Nan jing 200 9. White could have created prob­

lems for his opponent with : 18. �b3! �c6 1 9. �f4!±

9.i.d3 9. �f4 c5 10. l2Jf3 tt:Jc6 1 l.c3 �e6

(instead, 11...g5! 12. �g3 g4 13. tt:Jd2 �f5 t would be very strong)

12. �d3 h6 13.h3 �d 7 14.�d2 0-0-0 15.0-0-0 d4! 16.c4. Here, in the game Ga shimov - Li Chao, Khanty- Mansyi sk 200 9, the play­

ers agreed to a draw, although af­ter 16 ... tt:Jb4 1 7.b3 g5 18. �g3 tt:Jxd3

76

1 9.�xd3 �f5+ Black would have an edge.

9 . . . 0 - 0 ! It is inferior to continue with

9 ... c5 10. tt:Jf5 hf5 11.hf5 tt:Jc6 12.f4± and, thanks to the bishop­pair, White has the edge. In the game Gashimov - Gelfand, Lugo 200 9, Black suddenly blundered with 10 ... 0-0? and after l l. l2Jxg 7! ®xg 7? ( He could have defended

more resiliently with 11...c4 12. tt:Jf5 ®h8 13. tt:Jxe 7 �xe 7 14. �e2

�xeS±) 12.�h5+- White's attack proved to be decisive.

1 0 . 0 - 0 c5 11.tt:Jf5 c4 12. tt:Jxe7 �xe7 13.i.e2 �d8+

Black' s bishop will go to f5 and hi s knight to c6, after which he will be ready to advance with d5-

d4, with an excellent position.

B) 5 . . .ll:lxd2 6.i.xd2 c5 It is le ss precise for him to play

6 ... �e 7, in view of 7.c4! 0-0 8. �c2!±. White is ready to castle queenside, after which he will ex­

ert pressure along the d-file, with a lead in development.

l .e4 e5 2.tiJj3 liJf6 3.d4 liJxe4 4.dxe5 d5 5. liJ bd2

Now, White can either try piece -play with Bl) 7 . .ig5, or un­dermine Black's centre with B2) 7.c4.

Bl) 7 • .ig5 �a5 8.c3 .ie6 9. .id3 ll:\c6 1 0 . 0 - 0 h6

ll . .id2 It woul d be too ris ky for White

to opt for ll . .ih4, since this bish­op might become a target for Black's a dvancing pawns:

(diagram) ll ... �c7 - this move is a bit too

c autiou s. 12 J'k1 .ie7 (Here it is not so goo d for Black to play 12 ... g5 13 . .ig3 0-0-0, because of 14. b4 !oo) 13 . .ig3 (the position woul d be approximately e qual after 13.

.ixe7 �xe7 14.h3 0-0 15 . .ic2 d4! 16.cx d4 Elf d8 !=) 13 ... �d7 14.b4 cxb4 15.cxb4 li'Jxb4 (15 ... .ixb4!?) 16. li'Jd4 li'Jx d3 17. Wfx d3 0-0 18.f4 f5 1 9 . .if2 l"lac8 20.l"lc d1 l"lc d8 (Here it woul d be much more in­

teresting for Black to try 20 . .. Elf d8 2 l.g4 g6+) 2 l.l"lc1 l"lc8 22.l"lc d1 l"lc d8, draw, Svi dler - Ka sim dzha­nov, Nalchik 200 9 ;

ll ... g5 ! 12 . .ig3 0-0-0 !

13.l"le1 (It woul d be incorrect for White to play 13.b4?! cxb4 14.cxb4 .ixb4 15.l"lb1 d4, since hi s knight on f3 an d bishop on g3 are

cut off from the queensi de.) 13 ... .ie 7+ an d in the impen ding sharp

fight on both flank s Black's pros­pect s are preferable.

ll . . . �c7 12.l'�el .ie7 Al so playable, but not essen­

tial, i s the aggres sive option 12 ... g5 !? 13.b4 (after 13. Wfe2 it

77

Chapter 9

is very prom 1s mg for Black to play 1 3 ... 0-0-0 !+) 1 3 ... g4! Black should fight for t he dark s quares. ( It is weaker for Black to opt for

1 3 ... c4 14.�c2 �g7 15. �e2 g4 16. 'Lld4 'Llxd4 17.cxd4 0-0-0 :t; 15. �a4 0-0 16.hc6 bxc6, Gashimov - Fridman, Mainz (rapid) 200 9. Now W hite should play 17.h4!,

developing an initiative on the dark s quares.) 14.b5 'Lla5! 15.'Llh4 'Llc4oo

13.1;c1 �d7 14.a3 0 - 0 15. b4 lUd8=

T he position is about e qual. Black can neutralize his oppo­

nent's potential threats along the b1-h7 diagonal with the move �e6-f5, while after 16 . .ie3, he has the wonde rful possibility of: 16 . . . d4! 17.cxd4 cxb4! 18. axb4 'Llxb4 19 . .ib1 j;ac8 ( The

immediate 1 9 ... a5!? is possibly even stronger for Black. ) 2 0 .�e2 j;xc1 21..ixc1 .idS+. White's

hopes are based on a possible kingside attack, since his bishops are aimed in that direction. Black's queenside pawns howev­

er, together with his excellent

78

blockade on d5, appear to be more impo rtant and so he has t he ad­vantage, Nepomn iac htchi - Bu, Sochi 200 9 (game 7) .

B2) 7.c4 'Llc6

8 . .id3 White must continue with his

development; otherwise he might end up in the worse position:

8. �b 3 d4. T his move is very good because now the white queen is isolated on the queen­

side and cannot exert any pres­sure against the centre. 9.�d 3 g6! ( 9 ... �e7 is inferior, since the bish­

op does not attack t he enemy e5-pawn in that case. After 10.0-0 0-0 l l.h 3:t White maintains a slight edge.) 10.0-0 �g7 1 l. �b5 �b6 12. l"1fe1 0-0 1 3.a4 l"1e8+ and

White cannot advance with 14.a5 because after t he exchange of queens his e5-pawn will be hang­

ing; 8. �c2 �e6 9.cxd5 ( It mig ht be

interesting, but very risky, for White to try 9.0-0-0 !?, whic h Black s hould counter with the

calm move 9 ... �e7. After that he

l .e4 e5 2. CiJ.f3 CiJf6 3.d4 CiJxe4 4.dxe5 d5 5. CiJ bd2

can choose between closing the centre with d5-d4, followed b y preparations to castle queenside, or simpl y castling kingside. In the latter case, White's king might turn out to be in danger on the queenside.) 9 ... 'Wxd5 10. i.c3

10 ... l"ld8 ! Black's concrete ac­tions are ver y effective. ( It is quite safe to calml y pla y 10 ... i.e7 11. i.d3 0-0-0 ! 12. i.e2 mb8 13.0-0 CiJb4 14.hb4 cxb4 15.b3 'WcS=, with an approximatel y e qual position; but it is inferior for Black to continue with l l ... l"lc8?! 12.0-0 CiJb4 13.

hb4 cxb4 14.'We2 0-0 15. l"lfd U Nepomniachtchi - Fridman, Nat­

an ya (rapid) 200 9). l l. i.e2 CiJd4! 12. CiJxd4 cxd4 13.'Wa4 l"ld7 14. 0-0-0 i.cS 15.hd4 0-0 16. i.f3

16 ... 'Wxd4! 17. l"lxd4 l"lxd4 18. 'WbS i.b6 1 9.hb7 l"lfd8+. Black's

rook is read y to penetrate to the seventh rank and White is unable to counter this effectivel y, so Black is clearl y better.

8 . . . .ie7

9.h3 With this move White pre­

vents Black's bishop from being developed to a comfortable posi­tion on g4.

If 9.'Wb3, then after 9 ... dxc4 10.hc4 White's bishop comes to the c4-s quare in two moves, hav­ing stopped at d3 on the wa y, and this tempo-loss should tell in the future. After 10 ... 0 -0 11.0 -0 -0 'Wb6 ( It is even stronger for Black to pla y l l ... CiJd4 12. CiJxd4 cxd4 +, with a slight advantage, because White's king is ver y uncomforta­ble on the c-file.) 12.e6 fxe6 13.he6 mh8=, the position is bal­anced, Smirin - Alterman, Israel 1 9 98.

9 . . . .ie6 It is less precise for Black to

pla y 9 ... 0 -0, since after 10.'Wc2 he will have to lose a tempo with the move 10 ... h6, in order to remove the h7-pawn from attack.

7 9

Chapter 9

1 0 .�c2 He re Black can counte r 1 0.

�b 3 wit h the standard reaction 1 0 . . . \Wb 6+ - his pieces a re bette r coo rdina ted and the possible end­games will be in his favou r.

1 0 . . . dxc4 ll . .ixc4

11 . . . 0 - 0 ! Black is able to maintain the

tension in the centre, abstaining from any has ty action .

11 . . .hc4 12 .\Wxc4 \Wd7 1 3 .\Wg4 (o r 1 3 . 0- 0- 0 \We 6! 14 .\Wxe 6 fxe 6oo with a ve ry complica ted posi tion) 1 3 . . . 0-0-0 14 .�c 3 \Wxg4 15 .hxg4 b5 1 6.b 3 h6oo wit h a double-e dged

endgame, Nepomniach tchi - Ra­khmanov, Dagomys 2 009 .

12 . .ixe6 But not 12 .0- 0 hc4 1 3.\Wxc4

�xeS!+ Black has no reason to be

afraid of 12 .�d 3 g 6 1 3.0- 0 �b4 14 .hb4 cxb4 15 J'!fd1 l'i:c8 1 6.\We2 \Wb 6=. His pieces a re quite active­ly placed and t his compensates for the minimal defect in his pa wn-structure .

12 . . . fxe6 13J;d1 �d4 14. �xd4 cxd4 15.�b3 �b6=

Black has no thing to wo rry about in this endgame .

Conclusion White's e5-pawn is separated from the rest of his forces and al­

though it cramps Black's position a little it is also a target and thus a potential liability. In addition, Black obtains the wonderful blockad­ing square at e6 and his pieces are very well coordinated on the light squares. He thus reaches good positions without any problems after both 5 . . . �c5 and 5 ... �xd2.

8 0

Chapter 1 0 l.e4 e5 2)ijf3 tiJf6 3.d4 tlJxe4 4 . .id3 d5 5.dxe5

Thi s move ha s become very fa shionable lately. At fir st, White wa s playing it ju st to reach fre sh po sition s, but soon the theory of thi s line began to develop steadi­ly. Although it lead s to intere sting po sition s, Black i s fine in all ca s­e s.

We shall analyze the move 5. tt:Jxe5 in Chapter s 11-15.

5 . . . .ie7 Here 5 ... tt:Jc5 u sually tran spo s­

e s to other variation s and only rarely lead s to independent po si­tion s. One intere sting po ssibility i s 6. tt:Jc 3 c6 7. tt:Jd4!? g6 !? (a fter 7 .. . .ie7, Black ha s to take into ac­

count both 8 . .ie2 and 8 . .if5 !?) 8.0-0 .ig7 9.f4 0-0 ( 9 ... tt:Jxd 3!? 10.1Mixd 3 0-0oo Naidit sch - Ko-

steniuk, Mo scow 200 9 ) 10 . .ie2, Ni sipeanu - Sakaev, Kallithea 2008. Black can continue here with 10 ... f6 ! 11.exf6 'Mixf6 12 . .ie3 l"\e8 1 3. tt:Jxc6 bxc6 14. hc5 tt:Ja6

15 . .if2 \Wxf4=, obtaining a good po sition.

6. 0 - 0 After 6 .tt:Jbd2, Black' s be st re­

ply i s the thematic move 6 ... tt:Jc5, leaving White' s knight on d2, where it stand s in the way of hi s dark- squared bi shop and com­pletely rule s out the po ssibility of making the undermining move c2-c4.

6 •• .tL!c5! After 6 ... 0-0 Black mu st reck­

on with the variation 7.c4 tt:Jc6 8.

81

Chapter 1 0

ti.c2 ! ttJb4 (8 ... ti.e6 9.'We2 ttJcS 10. Eld1 d4 ll. l2Jc3 ti.g4 12. l2Jd5 ±) 9.

cxdS l2Jxc2 10.'Wxc2 'WxdS 11. Eld1 'Wc6 12.'Wxc6 bxc6 13. ti.e3 cS 14. l2Jbd2 l2Jxd2 15. Elxd2 ! ( It is less

precise for White to play 15. l2Jxd2 ti.e6 16. Eldc1 Elfd8 17. l2Jb3 ti.xb3 18.axb3 EldS 1 9. f4 f6= Jakovenko - Harikrishna, Sochi 2008.) 15 ... Elb8 16. Elc1 ElbS 17. ti.g5 f6 18.ex f6

gx f6 1 9. ti.f4 Elb7 20.b3 ± and White maintains the advantage in the endgame.

Now White can try to exert piece-pressure against the centre with A) 7.l2Jc3 or avoid the ex­change o f his bishop with B) 7 . .ie2.

After any other moves by White, Black can continue with his development by castling, or (an even more promising idea) he

can immediately exchange the bishop on d3, for example: 7. ti.e3 l2Jxd3 8.'Wxd3 cS+, or 7.h3 l2Jxd3

8.'Wxd3 0-0 9.i f4 l2Ja6+, and in both cases Black has the more pleasant position, thanks to his bishop-pair and the successful blockade on the light s quares.

82

A) 7.tlJc3 tlJxd3 It is best for Black to capture

this bishop immediately. I f 7 ... c6, then 8. l2Jd4 ( It might

be more precise for White to play here 8. ti.e2 0-0 9. l2Jd4, prevent­ing the exchange o f his bishop.) 8 ... 0-0 9. ti.e2 !? - see 7.ie2 0-0 8. l2Jc3 c6 9. l2Jd4.

8.'Wxd3 c6 9.tlJd4 0 - 0

1 0 .'Wg3 l O.lLl fS h fS 11.'Wx f5 'Wd7 12.

'Wd3 l2Ja6 13. l2Je2 f6+ Berndt -Ernst, Germany 200 9.

10. ti.f4 l2Ja6 11. l2Jf5 ttJcS 12. l2Jxe7 'Wxe7 13.'Wd2 i fS+; Black

has every chance o f advancing with d5-d4, while White has no promising ideas. Black's blockade on the fS- and e6- s quares is quite secure, Parligras - Landa, Ger­many 2008.

10. f4 fS! White's kingside op­erations are completely blocked. Now, to accomplish anything,

White would need to organize a blockade o f the dark s quares b6-c5-d4, but in the game he did not manage to achieve this: 11. l2Jb3 l2Ja6 12. ti.e3 ( After 12. Eld1

l .e4 e5 2. li:Jf3 li:Jf6 3.d4 li:Jxe4 4. iJ.d3 d5 5.dxe5 iJ.e7 6. 0 - 0 li:JcS

li:Jc7 13. iJ.e3, Black should pla y, not 13 ... li:Je6?! 1 4. li:Je2 ®h8?! 15. c 4± and Black has failed to solve the problem of his c8-bishop, Hracek - Mot ylev, Dresden 2007,

but 13 ... b6! - Black should pre­pare the development of his bish­op on b7 or a6, after which he should tr y to advance with c6-c5 - 1 4. §J.f2 §J.b7 15. li:Jd 4 'Wd7+) 12 ... li:Jc7 13. li:Je2 b6 1 4. li:Jbd 4 §J.a6 15.

'Wd2 'We8 16.c3 c5 17. li:Jf3 �d8+. Black's knight will occup y the ex­

cellent blockading s quare on e6 and he has a stable advantage, Navara - Kramnik, Prague 2008 (game 8).

10 ••• �h8 It is also good to pla y 10 ... §J.h 4

ll.'Wf3 li:Jd7 ( Black's pawn-barrier completel y restricts the enem y knight on c3, so it would not be good to continue with ll ... c5 12. li:Jf5 hf5 13.'Wxf5 li:Jc6 1 4. iJ.f 4;t;, because White 's knight on

c3 would then become active.) 12. iJ.f 4 �e8 13. �ae1 li:Jf8! 14. iJ.g3 li:Jg6=. White's forces are tied up

protecting his e5-pawn and Black has a ver y good position.

l U�el

ll .. .ll:la6 Here the move 1 l...c5!? looks

good, because Black maintains firm control of the light s q uares e6 and f5. 12. li:Jf3 li:Jc6 13. li:Jb5! (White achieves nothing with 13. iJ.g5 hg5 1 4. li:Jxg5 h6 15. li:Jf3 §J.e6+) 13 ... §J.f5 1 4.c3 iJ.g6 15. iJ.g5 f6

16.exf6 gxf6 17. §J.f 4 �g8 18.'Wh3 JJ.e 4 1 9. �e3 'Wc8 ( The game is

sharp and ver y unclear after 1 9 ... �c8!? 20. �d1 Wb6 2 l.c 4 li:Jd 4co)

20.'Wxc8 �axc8=, with an approx­imatel y e qual endgame.

12 • .if4 Now it would be ver y interest­

ing for Black to continue with 12 ••• c5!? Black's most solid line would

be: 12 ... li:Jc5 13. �ad1 a5, with the idea of §J.c8-d7, b7-b5-b 4, etc. The game is about e qual.

He has an alternative in 12 ... li:Jc7 13. �ad1, but now it is not

good for Black to pla y 13 ... §J.h 4 1 4.'Wf3 li:Je6?! He is read y to ex­change knights, but this is not re­all y necessar y. 15. li:Jce2 li:Jxd 4 16. li:Jxd 4;t; Predo je vic - Mi jailo vic, Neum 2008. It is stronger for Black to pla y instead 13 ... JJ.d7!=,

with the idea of b7-b5-b 4, after which, having reduced the pres­sure against his d5-pawn, he should be able to advance c6-c5.

13.li:Jdb5 li:Jb4 14.�e2 (diagram)

14 . . . g5 !? There is a quieter option here

in 1 4 ... §J.h 4 15.'Wf3 §J.e6 16. li:Jd6 Wd7=, with a complicated and ap­proximatel y e qual position.

83

Chapter 1 0

15.i.cl .ie6! Black's king is a bit open, so he

should block the centre. It is bad to play 15 ... .if5?! 16. ttJd6 .ig6 17. a3 ! ttJxc2 18. �xc2 .b:c2 1 9. ttJxd5 h6 20.b4 --. and White is attack­ing.

16.ll:ld6 f5!oo - the position is very complicated but B lack has e xcellent prospects.

B) 7 • .ie2

7 . . . 0 - 0 7 ... ttJe6?! It is too early for

Black' s k night to ob stru ct the di­agonal of hi s l ight-s qua re d bi sh­op, since he has not yet complete d hi s development. 8.\Wd3 !? ( B lac k i s able to ca rry out hi s i dea after

84

8. t2lc3?! c6 9. ttJd4 ttJxd4 10.\W xd4 0-0 ll . .ie3 f6!= Szabo - Giri, Ri­jeka 2010. It might also be inter­esting for White to try the set-up 8.c3 !? 0-0 9. '11Mc2±. Then he can develop his rook on d1, or play .ie2-d3, provok ing g7-g6 and se­curing the h6-s quare for his dark­s quared bishop.) 8 ... 0-0 (after 8 ... ttJc5 White has the promising move 9. '11Me3±) 9. �d1 c6 10.c4 d xc4 11.\W xc4 \Wc7 12. ttJc3 ttJd 7 13.\We4 ttJdc5 14.\We3± and White has a

slight edge. 8.i.e3 White cannot achieve much

with 8. ttJc3, because this knight is restricted by the paw n-barrier c6-d5 an d is thus misplaced, so his position is prospectless: 8 ... c6 9. ttJd4 ( 9.b4 ttJe6 10. �b1, Skoberne

- Srebrnic, Maribor 2011, and now with 10 ... b5!+ Black can em­phasize the bad position of the en­emy k night on c3. He can contin­ue with a7-a5 and White will have p roblems with the protection of his b4-pawn.)

Black has two rea sonable po s­sibilities he re: the imme diate 9 ... f6 and 9 ... \Wc7 !

After 9 .. .f6 Blac k must play

l.e4 e5 2JiJf3 {jjj6 3.d4 {jjxe4 4. 1J.d3 dS 5.dxe5 1J.e7 6. 0 - 0 {jj c5

very accurately to e qualize. 10. f4 ( Black need not fear 10.exf6 1J.xf6 11. 1J.e3 {jje6 !=, with e quality, Dembo - Mamedyarova, Khanty­Mans yisk 2010) 10 ... fxe5 (10 ...

�b6 11. Wh1 fxe5 12. fxe5 Elxf l 13. �xf1 {jjbd7 14. {jjf5 1J.f8 15.�f4 {jje6 16.�g3 Wh8 17.b3 t and although Black might be able to hold this

position White obviously has the initiative) l l. fxe5 {jjbd7 12.b4 ( Af­ter 12. 1J.f4 Black should not play 12 ... �b6 13. Wh1 g5? 14. 1J.e3 ! �xb2 15.�d2� and he comes under a dangerous attack, but, 12 ... Elxf4! 13.Elxf4 {jjxe5 � and his compensa­tion for the exchange is quite suf­ficient.) 12 ... Elxf1 13. 1J.xfl {jje4 14. {jjxe4 dxe4 1S. {jjf5 (after 15. 1J.f4 Black solves his problems with

the move 15 ... {jjb6 !=) 15 ... {jjxe5 16. {jjxe7 �xe7 17.�d4 1J.f5 (17 ... {jjg4 18. 1J.c4 Wh8 1 9. 1J.b2 t) 18. 1J.b2

Ele8 1 9.�xa7 �c7 20. 1le2 (if 20. �c5 Black has the response 20 ... b6 ! 21.�c3 {jjg4 22.g3 e3 !+!, with sufficient counterplay) 20 ... 1J.g4 21. 1J.a6 1J.c8 22. 1J.e2 1J.g4=, with a draw by repetition of moves.

9 ... �c 7! It is useful to provoke the move f4 before undermining the e5-pawn.

10. 1J.f4 ( If 10.f4, then 10 .. .f6 11.exf6 1J.xf6 12. 1J.e3 {jje6 and here it is bad for White to play 13. {jjb3 d4! 14. {jjxd4 {jjxd4 15. 1J.xd4 Eld8 16. 1J.c 4 Wh8 17 .Ele1 1J.f5-+, because he loses his bishop on d4, while if 13. {jjxe6 1J.xe6 14.f5 1J.f7= Black should not be afraid of the ad­vance of White's g-pawn, because he has sufficient counterplay along the e-file.) 10 ... {jjbd7 11. {jjf3 (after l l.Ele1 {jje6 12. {jjxe6 fxe6

13. 1J.g3 aS 14. 1J.g4 {jjcS= a strategi­cally very complicated position arises, with approximately e qual chances) 11. .. {jje6 !. Black's block­ade on e6 is particularly effective when White cannot advance his f-pawn in the near future ( It is less good, but possible, for Black to play 11. .. {jje4 12. 1J.d3 {jjdc5 13. Ele1 �b6 14. 1J.xe4 d xe4 1S. {jjd2 �xb2 16. {jjd xe4 {jjxe4 17. {jjxe4 1J.f5 18. {jjd6 �xc2, draw, J. Polgar

- Gi ri, Hoogeveen 200 9.) 12. 1J.g3 {jjdc5+. Black is ready to continue

his queenside attack with b7-b5, a7-a5, 1J.c8-a6 and b5 -b4, while White's pieces are misplaced.

Now Black has a choice be-

85

Chapter 1 0

t ween the developing move Bl) 8 ... li.Jc6 and the radical solution B2) 8 ••. c6.

Bl) 8 . . . li.Jc6 Black comple tes his develop­

ment and will have a flexible pawn-structure, but his pawn on dS will not be suppo rted by its neighbour - the c-pawn. This is the reason why Black can only equalize in this variation and finds it difficult to seize the initia­tive.

9.li.Jc3 i.e6

1 0 .i.b5 We should analyze White's al­

ternatives: 10. '\Wc1 li.Jd7 ! (10 ... 1Mfc8 1 U'1d1

8:d8 12.�g5 h6 13.he7 li.Jxe7 14. li.Jd4 - 14. \M.Ie3 :t - 14 ... �g4 15.f3

�d7 16.f4 c6 17. 1Mfe3 li.Je6 18. lt'lxe6 he6 1 9.�c5 lt'lg6 20. 1Mff2 �g4 21. h3 he2 22. lt'lxe2 :t - White can try to prepare f4-f5; having an ex­tra pa wn on the flank where the kings are placed gives him a sligh t advantage, Almasi - Landa, Reg­gio Emilia 2008) 1l .�f4 f6 12.exf6

86

Now : Black cannot e qualize wi th

12 ... hf6 because of 13. lt'lg5 ! and he must give up his dark-squared bishop, guaranteeing a slight edge for Whi te: 13 ... lt'lc5 (13 ... hg5 14.hg5 lt'lf6 15. 8:e1 h6 16.�h4 \Mfd7 17. 1Mfd2 :t) 14. 1Mfe3 d4 (14 ... lt'ld4 15. 8:ad1 h6 16. lt'lxe6 lt'lcxe6

17.�g3 :t) 15. lt'lxe6 dxe3 16. lt'lxd8 exf2 17. 8:xf2 8:axd8 18. 8:ff1 gS 1 9. �e3 i.d4 20.hd4 lt'lxd4 2 l.�c4 mg7 22. 8:xf8 8:xf8 23. 8:e U;

it is correc t for Black to play 12 ... lt'lxf6 ! 13. lt'lb5 (or 13. 8:e1 �cS 14.a3 lt'lhS 15.�g5 1Mfd7 16.b4 �d6 17.b5 lt'leS 18. lt'ld4 �g4 1 9.f3 1Mff7+ and Black has the initiative) 13 ... 8:c8 14.c4 \Mfd7= - the position is

qui te complicated, but Black's prospects are no worse.

10.a3 -Whi te brings the b4-s quare under control and awaits his opponen t's reaction. Black's mos t natural response to Whi te's prophyl axis on the queenside would be to play ac tively in the cen tre: 10 ... lt'le4!? 1l. lt'lb5 (11. 1Mfd3 lt'lxc3 12. 1Mfxc3 f6=) 11...�c5 (after

11 ... \Mfd7, Black must reckon wi th 12.c4!) 12.hc5 lt'lxcS 13. lt'lbd4 lt'lxd4 14. 1Mfxd4 lt'ld7= and he is

close to equali ty. He can also try

l.e4 eS 2Jijf3 CiJf6 3.d4 CiJxe4 4. il.d3 dS 5.dxe5 il.e7 6. 0 - 0 CiJ cS

prophylaxis with 10 .. . a6 !? 1 l .'We1 'We B ( It is also good for Black to play 1 l .. .'Wc8 12. l"ld1 l"ld8= Najer - Gelfand, Odessa (rapid) 200 9) 12. CiJd4 CfJxd4 (12 ... CfJxe5!?) 13 . hd4 CiJa4 14.b3 CfJxc3 15.hc3 f5 16.exf6 hf6 17 .ild3 ilf5= and fur­ther simplification is unavoida­ble, so the game should end in a draw, Kamsky - Akopian, Jermuk 200 9.

10. CiJb5 CfJd7 (10 .. . ilg4 1 l. CiJbd4 CiJxd4 12 .CfJxd4 he2 13 .'Wxe2 t) 11. ilf4 a6 12. CiJbd4 CiJxd4 13. CiJxd4 c5

14 .CiJxe6 fxe6 15. i/.g3 c4 16 .ilg4, Shirov - Gelfand, Kallithea 2008. Here, after the game continuation

16 .. . CfJc5 17.b4! cxb3 18.axb3, White obtained some advantage . Instead, Black should have played

16 .. . 'Wb6!=, with approximately e qual chances .

10.'We1 CiJe4

1 l .CiJb5 ( After 1l .l"ld1 Black has the rather unpleasant pin 11 .. . ilb4 +. If 1 l .a3 it is possible for Black to continue with 1 l.. .f6 12 . CiJxe4 dxe4 13. l"ld1 'We8 14.exf6 ilxf6 15 .CiJd4 CiJxd4 16 .hd4, but

now not 16 ... 'Wg6 17 . Wc3 ± Salga­do - Lovik, Ke rner 200 9, but 16 ... Wc6!= and Black holds the hal-

ance . However, it is even simpler for him to play 11 ... CfJxc3! 12 .'Wxc3 f6=) 1l...'Wd7 12 .CiJbd4 ilg4 ( A very interesting position arises af­ter 12 .. .f6!? 13.exf6 hf6 14 .CiJxe6 Wxe6 15 .c3 l"lae8 16.'Wd1oo -Black's pieces are very active but

his light s quares are vulnerable. In addition, White has the bish­

op-pair, so the prospects are about e qual.) 13. CiJxc6 bxc6 14. CiJd4 he2 15. CiJxe2 f6 16 . f3 CfJg5

17 .'Wd2

17 ... CfJf7! ( It is less precise for Black to continue with the natural

line: 17 ... CfJe6 18.exf6 hf6 1 9 .CiJd4 CfJxd4 20.hd4 hd4 2 l .'Wxd4

Wd6 t; White maintains a slight edge, but his winning chances are only minimal, Balogh - Grabarc­zuk, Wroclaw 200 9.) 18 .exf6 hf6 1 9. ild4 hd4 20 .CiJxd4 (20 .'Wxd4 'Wd6=; Black advances with c6-c5, after which he will have no prob­lems whatsoever.) 20 .. . c5 2 l. CiJb3 c4! 22. CfJc5 'Wd6 23.'Wd4 CiJh6 24. l"lfd1 (White must place this rook on d1, because if 24 .l"lad1 Black plays 24 ... CfJf5 25 .'Wxd5

Wxd5 26. l"lxd5 CiJe3 - a double at­tack!) 24 ... c6 25.Wxc4 l"lxf3 !+. With this tactical shot, Black not

87

Chapter 1 0

only solves all his problems b ut even obtains the advantage.

1 0 . . . a6!?N It is too passive to contin ue

with 10 ... tt:ld7 l l.tt:lxd5 and now Black is unable to achieve com­

plete e q uality: 1 l.. . .bd5 12 .1�xd5 tt:ldxe5 13 .

. bc6 tt:lxc6 14.Wb5 ( The move a7-a6, which Black will play later with tempo, is usef ul to Black, so maybe it wo uld be better for White to play immediately 14. Wb3!?) 14 ... Wc8 15 J''lad1 �f6 16. l"lfe1 l"le8 17.�f4 l"lxe1 18. l"lxe1 a6

1 9. WI'b3 h6 20.h3 Ei:b8, Efimenko - Motylev, Wi jk aan Zee 200 9. Now White has the strong move

2 l. l"ld1!±, depriving Black's q ueen of the d7 -s q uare;

11...tt:ld xe5 12.tt:lxe7 Wxe7 13. tt:lxe5 tt:lxe5 14. WI'd4 Ei:fd8 (14 ... tt:lg4 15. Wfc5 Wf6 16.�d4 Wf4 17.g3 Wh6 18.h4 ±) 15.Wxe5 Ei:d5 16. WI'e4 Ei:xb5 17.b3 c6 18.c4 l"lh5 1 9.h3 ±; Black's rook on h5 will have problems re­t urning to the centre, so he is doomed to a rather diffic ult de­fence, Kariakin - Gelfand, Jer­m uk 200 9.

88

ll.hc6 bxc6 12.ll:ld4 .id7 13.ll:lb3

Or 13.f4 f6 14. WI'd2 fxe5 15. fxe5 Ei:b8 16.b4 tt:le6 17.a3 aS+ and White will be unable to maintain the blockade on the dark s q uares .

13 . . .ll:lxb3 14.axb3 f6 15. exf6 .txf6 16 . .ic5 ge8=

The defects in Black's pawn­str uct ure are compensated for by his bishop-pair, so the game is ap­proximately e q ual.

B2) 8 . . . c6 !

This is the most flexible move for Black. First of all he bolsters his d5-pawn. It is important that Black's undeveloped minor pieces

l .e4 e5 2. 0,_/3 !iJf6 3.d4 !iJxe4 4 . .id3 d5 5.dxe5 .ie7 6. 0 - 0 fiJcS

on the queenside can be be de­ployed straight to very harmoni­ous positions and will not require any additional manoeu vring , so that Blac k's minimal loss of time and slight lag in development should be of no consequence.

9.c4 Or 9. £iJd4 �c7 ! 10.f4 f6 11.exf6

( l l. fiJf3 fxe5 12. fiJxe5 fiJbd7+ Ba­logh - Rustemov, Germany 2006 )

1 l.. . .ixf6 12. fiJc3 fiJe6 !

13. fiJxe6 ( It is bad for White to play 13.f5? fiJxd4 14 . .ixd4 .if5 15. lt>h1 .ixd4 16.�xd4, Nisipeanu -Hand ke, Germany 2010; here Black can continue with 16 ...

�b6 !, retaining his extra pawn without any compensation for

White whatsoever. It is even more precise for Blac k to play 13 ... �e5! 14. fiJxe6 �xe3 15. 1t>h1 .ixe6 16. fxe6 �xe6+, also with an extra

pawn. Or 13. fiJb3 d4! 14.tt:lxd4 tt:lxd4 15 . .ixd4 )"1d8 16 . .ic4 lt>h8

17. )"1e1 .if5+ and White has diffi­culties getting out of the pin along the d-file. ) 13 ... .ixe6 14.f5 .if7+. Blac k's operations in the centre

are much more effective than White's pawn-offensive on the kingside.

After 9. tt:Jbd2 tt:Je6 10. tt'lb3 c5 11.c4 !? ( After 11. )"1e1 b6 12.c4 .ib7+ Blac k's pieces are very harmoni­

ously placed and his game is clearly preferable, Inar kiev - Ka­simdzhanov, Jermuk 200 9 ) 11 ... d4 12 . .ic1

12 ... tt'lc6 ( It might be interest­ing to try 12 .. .f5 !? 13.exf6, but here not 13 ... .ixf6 14 . .id3 tt'lc6 15. )"1e1 t and White has the initia­tive, Palac - Kunin, Schwarzach 2010, but 13 ... )"1xf6 ! - Blac k's bishop should go to d6, from where it will aim at White's king­side - 14 . .id3 tt'lc6oo and the posi­tion is rather unclear. ) 13 . .id3 a5 ! Black should try to undermine the

base of the enemy knight on b3. 14.a4 �c7 ! Blac k has various pos­sible set-ups, but I prefer one which forces White to protect his e5-pawn. 15. )"1e1 )"1e8!+ and now Black can use the f8-s quare for

manoeu vres with any of his minor pieces, while his knight on c6 will always be ready to go to the b4-square and his queen's roo k may come into play via the a6-square. Blac k has an excellent position.

9 . . . dxc4 It is weaker to play 9 ... .ie6 10.

8 9

Chapter 1 0

cxdS cxdS 11.lLlc3 l2Jc6 12 J'k1 l"i:c8 13.lLlb5 lLld7 14.if4 t, with a slight edge for White.

1 0 . .ixc4

1 0 . . . l2Jbd7!? Black can afford to pla y this

move in his fight for the initiative, exploiting the circumstance that White's eS-pawn lacks sufficient protection.

Black also has a simpler solu­tion available: 10 ... '\Wxd1 1 l. l"i:xd1 l2Jbd7 12. l"i:c1 (12.lLlc3 lLlb6 13.ie2 l2Jca4! 14. l2Jxa4 l2Jxa4 15. l"i:d2 l2Jb6

and thanks to the possible out­post on dS for his knight, Black solves his problems, for example: 16.ig5 hgS 17. l2Jxg5 ifS 18.g4 ie6 !=, with a ver y safe position.) 12 ... l2Ja4 13.b3 l2Jab6 14.e6 fxe6 15.he6 c;t>hS 16.lLlbd2 lLleS 17. hc8 l2Jxf3 18.lLlxf3 l"i:fxc8 1 9.ic5 l"i:e8= and the endgame is com­

pletel y e qual, Gashimov - Gel­fand, Bursa 2010.

ll.b4!? This is White's most princi­

pled option; othe rwise, Black's game is eas y and problem-free:

l l. l2Jbd2 lLlb6 12.hc5 hcS

90

13.ib3 ifS 14.ic2. This position was reached in the World Cham­pionship for computer programs in the game between "Rybka " and "Hiarcs ", Leiden 2010. Black's

most precise road to e qualit y would now have been 14 ... id3 15.hd3 '\Wxd3 16. l2Jb3 Wxd1 17. l"i:fxd1 ie7=;

11. '\Wc2 '\Wc7 12.ie2 lLle6 13.1d3 lL:lxeS 14. l2Jxe5 WxeS 15.hh7 c;t>hS

16.id3 id6 17.g3 lL:lcS+ - Black is slightl y better, Bologan - Sakaev, Kragujevac 200 9;

l l.ie2 '\Wc7 12. '\Wc1 lLle6 13.Wc3 l2Jb6+;

11.lLlc3 '\Wc7 ( Black can simplify the position if he so wishes: 11 ... lLlb6 12.ie2 '\Wxd1 13. l"i:fxd1 lLlca4, reaching a position which usuall y arises after 10 ... '\Wxd l.) 12. '\Wd4 l2Jb6! ( It would be too risk y for Black to weaken his pawn-struc­

ture; after 12 ... b5 13.ie2 l2Je6 14. We4 fS 15.Wc2! f4 16.id2! i, al­though White ma y lose his eS­pawn, he will gain excellent pla y on the weak light s quares.) 13.ie2 ifS! 14. '\Wf4 ig6oo - the position offers chances to both sides.

ll . . . l2Je6

l .e4 e5 2. CD.f3 CDf6 3.d4 CDxe4 4. 1ld3 d5 5.dxe5 1le7 6. 0 - 0 CDc5

12.�b3 12.'Wc2 �c7 ( It is weaker for

Black to play 12 ... CLJb6 13. E\d l. Now 13 ... CLJxc4?! 14. E\xd8 E\xd8 15. 1ld2 CLJxd2 16. CLJbxd2 hb4 17. CLJe4 t is creative but unsound ;

White has excellent chances of or­ganizing a strong kingside attack.) 13.'Wb2 CLJb6 14. 1lb3 (14. CLJbd2 CLJxc4 15. CLJxc4 b6 + with an excel­

lent game for Black) 14 ... E\d8 ( It is inferior to continue with 14 ... CLJd5 15.hd5 cxd5, since White should play here, not 16. CLJc3, which Black can counter with 16 ... Wc4

17. E\fd1 E\d8 18.'Wb3 'Wxb3 1 9. axb3 d4 20. C2Jxd4 hb4=, with e quality, but 16. E\c l ! 'Wd7 17. E\d1 !± and White maintains an edge.) 15. CLJc3 (after 15.a3, Black has the excel­

lent positional move 15 ... CLJf8 !+, opening the diagonal for his light­s quared bishop) 15 ... hb4 16. he6 hc3 17. hf? 'Wxf7 18.'Wxc3 h6 1 9. E\fe1 CLJd5=, with a good game for Black.

12 ••• a5! After 12 ... CLJb6 13. E\d1 Wc7 14.

CLJbd2± White has protected all his pawns and completed his devel­opment, prese rving the better prospects.

13.b5 The line 13.he6?! fxe6 14.

'Wxe6 lt>h8 15. CLJbd2 axb4 16.Wb3 Wc7oo leads to a sharp position with a slight edge for Black.

13 ••• a4 14.�b2 lilb6 15. lilbd2 lild5 16.bxc6 bxc6 17. lile4 i.a6 18 . .ixa6 lilxe3 19. fxe3 l3xa6 2 0 .l3ad1 Wb6 21. �e2 l3a5 ! = The chances for

both sides are approximately e qual, and after 22.lild6 Black has the amazing, purely "comput­er " move 22 ••• hd6! , sol ving all his problems. After 23.exd6 l3d5 it becomes clear that White will be unable to hold on to his d6-pawn, for example: 24.�f2 Wb8 !+ and White even has to

start thinking about maintaining e quality.

Conclusion Just as in the previous chapter, in which we analyzed the variation

3.d4 CDxe4 4.dxe5 d5 5. CD bd2, White's prematurely far-advanced e5-pawn enables Black's pieces to be deployed comfortably around it. In addition, Black can attack it or else undermine it with the moveP-f6, opening the !-file for his rook in the process. I like variation B2) very much, particularly the move 8 .. . c6!, since it leads to a very compli­catedfight in which Black's prospects are not at all worse.

91

Chapter 11 l.e4 e5 2)[)£3 lLlf6 3.d4 l2Jxe4 4.i.d3 d5 5.l2Jxe5

This is the main line of theory. The position is almost symmetri­cal , although White is slightly more active thanks to ha ving the first move. Still , the placement of his bishop on d3 has a certain drawback. After the possible ex­change on e5, White's pawn will be removed from d4 and his bish­op is then often exposed to attack , or exchange , by Black 's knight , which goes from e4 to c5.

5 •• .lL1d7 With this move Black exchang­

es the knights. His knight is just developed , while the enemy knight is well-placed in the cen­

tre. If White allows his opponent to exchange on the e5-square , then Black's knight on e4 will go

92

to c5 and White 's bishop on d3 will come under the threat of a rather unpleasant exchange.

There was a time when it was very popular for Black to develop his bishop symmetrically with 5 ... �d6 , but then it was established

that the position which arises by force after 6. 0-0 0-0 7.c4 �e5 8.dxe5 ltJc6 9.cxd5 'l':'lxd5 1 0. '1':'lc2 ltJb4 11. �e4 ltJxc2 12. �d5 �f5 (it

is disastrous for Black to play 12 ... ltJxa1 immediately, since after 13. �e4 he soon loses his knight

stranded on a1) 13.g4 �g4 14. �e4 ltJxa1 15. �f4 f5 16. �d5 Wh8 17. l"lc1 , turns out to be in White 's fa­vour. Hence Black stopped play­ing this line.

l.e4 eS 2.CiJj3 CiJf6 3.d4 CiJxe4 4. id3 dS S. CiJxeS

6AJc3 The main theoretical line of

thi s variation - the move 6. CiJxd7 - will be analyzed in Chapter s 1 3-1S and the move 6.0-0 - in Chap­ter 12.

Early development of White' s queen in the centre is not at all

promi sing : 6.�e2 CiJxeS 7.he4 dxe4 8.�xe4 ie6 9.�xeS �d7 10. 0-0 (10. ie 3 ib4 1 l.c 3 id6 12. �xg7 0-0-0 1 3. CiJd2, O il - Kha­lifman, Sochi 1 984; Black can continue here with 1 3 ... �c6 !t, with a dangerous initiative) 10 ... 0-0-0 l l. ie 3

l l ... ib4! Black deprive s the enemy queen of it s po ssible re­treat to the aS- square (another intere sting try for Black i s 11 ... id6 !? 12.�aS idS) and now White can repel the enemy bi shop

but after 12.c 3 id6 hi s pawn on c 3 deprive s the knight of thi s square and al so blocks the white queen' s line of retreat back into it s own camp. 1 3.�hS (after 1 3.�aS Black ha s the re source 1 3 ... idS!t and hi s threat s such a s �d7-c6 and idSxg2 are very dangerou s) 1 3 ...

fS 14.f4 l"!he8 �. Black' s initiative more than compen sate s for the

sacrificed pawn. White can ignore the enemy bi shop on b4 and con­tinue with hi s development : 12. CiJc 3, but Black can counter this with 12 .. .f6 1 3.�g 3 hc 3 ( I like the immediate 1 3 ... hS!? even more, keeping the pos sible ex ­change on c 3 in re serve.) 14.bxc 3 hS�. Black ha s good pro spect s of developing an initiative on the king side, while White' s extra queen side pawn i s devalued and

in significant, Karpov - Lar sen, Tilburg 1 980 (game 9).

6 . . .ltJxe5 White' s knight on eS wa s sol­

idly placed and an attempt by Black to force hi s opponent to ex­

change the knights him self doe s not work : 6 ... CiJxc 3 7.bxc 3 id6 8.0-0 0-0 9. l"!e t:t

7.dxe5 CiJxc3 8.bxc3

8 . . . .ie7 The game i s much more lively

after 8 ... icS. Black's dark­squared bi shop, if it i s not ex ­

changed, will retreat to b6 and then Black might even ca stle queen side under it s protection. 9.�hS ( After 9.0-0 0-0 l O.�hS

9 3

Chapter 11

g6 11. 1Mfh6 1Mie7 12.�f4 f5 13. 2"1ab1 b6 14. 2"1fe1 �e6 15.�g5 1Mff716.Wh4 c6 17.a4 2"1fe8=. Black is ready to exchange bishops v ia the e7-s quare and then organize some active play with the pawn-ad­vance c6-c5, Gashimov - Kram­nik, Baku 200 9) 9 ... �e6 ( It is less precise for Black to opt for 9 ... g6 10.Wh6 �f8 ll.We3 t - White 's queen is very well placed on e3,

from where it can participate in the struggle for the dark s quares. After 11...�e7, White can choose between 12.0-0, 12.Wg3 and the surprising move 12.h4!?, and in all these lines Black must fight for e quality.)

Now White has two possibili­ties:

10. 2"1b1 Wd7 11.�g5 (but not 11. 2"1xb7? �b6+ and his rook is trapped) l l ... h6 12.0 -0 2"1g8 13. �d2 0-0-0oo Movsesian - Haba, Czech 2004;

10.0-0 1M!d7 11.Wh4 (11.�g5 �f5 12. 2"1ab1, Movsesian - Navara, Czech Republic (blitz) 2005. Black 's b7 -pawn is not really

hanging yet, since White 's rook would be trapped on b7 after the move �c5-b6, so Black can simply

94

castle and after 12 ... 0-0= the po­sition is approximately e qual.) 11...�e7 12.�g5 (the game is dou­ble-edged after 12. 1Mfg3 0 -0 -0oo) 12 ... hg5 13.Wxg5 0 -0= Hracek - Z. Polgar, Pardubice 1 9 94.

9. 0 - 0 White sometimes tries to

weaken Black 's kingside with 9.Wh5 �e6 10. 2"1b1 1Mid7 11.h3 (the

position is e qual after ll.�g5 c6 12.0-0 hg5 13. 1Mfxg5 0-0 14.f4 h6 15.1Mig3 f5= Gashimov - Gel­fand, Sochi 2008)

and here he can solve the problem of the protection of his b7 -pawn in two e qually good ways:

ll ... c6!? 12.0 -0 b5. Black thus deprives his opponent of the pos­sibility of c3-c4 and seizes space, which he might need later when he begins his queenside offensive. 13.�e3 (after 13.a4 Black should play, not 13 ... a6, Diu - Frolyanov, Taganrog 2011, because of 14. 2"1a1!t and White exerts pressure

on the a-file, but 13 ... bxa4 !oo, with a very complicated struggle.) 13 ... g6 14. 1Mfh6 �f8 15.Wf4 �e7=. If White does not repeat moves, Black castles with a very good po-

l .e4 eS 2. {jjj3 Cjjf6 3.d4 {jjxe4 4. 1ld3 dS S. {jjxeS

sition. The move ll...b6 is less active

than the plan with c7 -c6 and b7-b5 b ut is very solid and q uite safe. 12.0-0 g6 13. 1!41h6 1lf8 14. 1!41h4 1le7 15. 1lg5 h:gS 16. 1!41xg5 0-0 17.f4 1!41d8 18. 1!41g3 'tt>h8 1 9.f5 g xfS 20. Elf4!? (20. 1lxf5 Elg8= Shirov -Gelfand, Moscow 2008) 20 ... Elg8 ( Black sho uld abstain from enter­

ing sharp complications with the line: 20 ... f6 2 l.Elel fxeS 22.El xe5 1!41d6 23. 1!41e3 Elae8= S utovsky -

Shirov, Ke rner 2007) 21. 1!41f3 1!41g5 22. 1lxf5 1!41g3=. The ens uing rook and pawn ending looks e q ual and sho uld end in a draw.

9 . . . 0 - 0 (diagram)

l O .�bl 10.f4 fS 11. 1le3 (after ll.Elbl,

Korneev - Garcia Salamero, Ma­drid 2007, Black should take the opport unity to develop his dark­s q uared bishop to a more active position with 11 ... 1lc5 !? 12. Whl c6 13.c4 b6 14.cxd5 1!41xd5 15. 1We2 1le6=) 11 ... 1le6 12.Elbl b6=

1 0 . . . b6 ll.�h5 g6 12 .�e2 1le6 13.1lb5 1ld7= lordachesc u

- Smeets, Dresden 2008.

Conclusion In the variation with 6 . {jjc3 White immediately exchanges all the

knights, so Black is forced to block his opponent's far-advanced e5-pawn with his bishop. Black has no open files on the queenside and this is in White's favour, because Black cannot quickly attack White's doubled c-pawns. On the other hand, Black has neither weaknesses, nor bad pieces, so he can maintain the balance with accurate play. It is essential for him to be able to parry White's possible kingside initia­tive with the timely blocking pawn-advance P-f5!. If White does not react to this, Black will gradually organize an offensive on the queen­side, or, if one of the files on the king side becomes open, several major pieces will be exchanged on it. As a rule, this all results in an equal position.

95

Chapter 12 l.e4 e5 2)i�f3 tLlf6 3.d4 tLlxe4 4 . .id3 d5 5.tLlxe5 tLld7 6. 0 - 0

With this move White is trying not to assist Black's development and he continues to mobilize his own forces as quickly as possible. However, the subse quent altera­

tion to the pawn-structure is ad­vantageous to Black. He obtains the excellent c5-s quare for his knight and then White's bishop on d3 is threatened with ex­change. In addition, Black can set up a secure blockade on the e6-and f5- s quares.

6 •. .lL!xe5 We cannot recommend 6 ...

id6?!, because after 7.c4 c6 8. cxd5 cxd5 9 .if4 the loose black bishop on d6 is a tactical weak­ness.

7 .dxe5 tLlc5 8.i.e3

96

After 8.ie2 ie7 9.ie3, the game transposes to the variation 8.ie3 ie7 9.ie2.

The move 8.f4 presents Black with a choice:

after 8 ... g6, White can change his mind and avoid the exchange of his light-s quared bishop with. 9.ie2. After 9 ... if5 10.ie3 c6 11. liJd2 ie7 (it is not good for Black

to play ll...d4 12.if2 d3 13.cxd3 liJxd3 14.ie3±) 12. liJf3 liJe6 13.id3 ixd3 14.cxd3 d4 15.id2 'Wd5oo, a complex strategical battle arises, with chances for both sides, Kar­jakin - Topalov, Nice (rapid) 200 9;

8 ... liJxd3!? I like this move best. 9.'Wxd3 ic5 ( 9 ... g6 10.ie3 ie7 ll. liJc3 c6 12. liJe2 - see 8.ie3 ie7 9.f4 liJxd3 10.'Wxd3 g6 l l. liJc3

3.d4 {jjxe4 4. fld3 d5 5. {jjxe5 {jjd7 6. 0 - 0 {jjxe5 7.dxe5 {jj c5

c 6 1 2 .{jje 2) 10 .fle 3 flxe 3 l l .�xe 3 flfS=. Black has obtained a good position .

After 8 .{jjc 3, Black bolsters his dS-pawn with 8 . . . c 6

and then: 9 .�f 3 fle 6 10 .{jje 2 �d 7 l l .{jjf4

{jjxd 3 1 2 .cxd 3, Ti viakov - Deviat­kin, Moscow 200 9 . After 1 2 . . . flfS 1 3 .fld 2 fle 7 (1 3 . . . 0-0-0 ! ?) 14 . {jjhS 0-0 1S.�g 3 flg 6 1 6.{jjf4 flfS= there is a possible repetition of

moves . However, the only reason­able possibility of avoiding this is for Black to castle queenside on his 1 31h move .

9 .f4 g 6 ( 9 . . . {jjxd 3! ? 10 .�xd 3 flcS l l .i>h l g 6=) 10 .{jje 2, lnarkiev - Akopian, Jermuk 200 9 . This was the right time to capture the bishop : 10 . . . {jjxd 3! l l .�xd 3 flfS=, with a fine position .

9 .{jje 2 - I believe that this is White's most logical move . His

knigh t is restricted by the pawn­chain c 6-dS and he wants to rede­ploy it to a be tter location . 9 . . . fle 7 10 .f4 f 6 (for 10 . . . {jjxd 3 l l .�xd 3 g 6 1 2 .ie 3- see 8 .i.e 3 fle 7 9 .f4 {jjxd 3 10 .�xd 3 g 6 l l .{jjc 3 c 6 1 2 .{jje 2) 11 . fle 3 {jjxd 3 1 2 .�xd 3 0-0 1 3 .c4 fxeS

14 .fxeS

14 . . . i.e 6 (it was also good for Black to opt here for 14 . . . �c 7 !? lS.cxdS �xeS 1 6.dxc 6 bxc 6=) lS. (jjf4 i.fS 1 6.�d4 figS 1 7 .cxdS flxf4

18 .!'1xf4 �xdS 1 9 .�xdS cxdS 20 . l"1afl ( 20 .!'1c l ie 6 21 .!'1xf8 l"1xf8 22 . E1c 7 E1f7 23.!'1xf7 i>xf7 24 .flxa 7

d4= . Black is a pawn down, but wi th bishops of opposite colour Black should easily dra w this

position .) 20 . . . g 6 21 .g4 i.e 6 22 . l"1xf8 l"1xf8 23.!'1xf8, draw, Mame­

dyarov - Kramnik, Wi jk aan Zee 2008 .

8 . . . i.e7

9.f4 9 .ie 2 . W hite avoids the ex­

change, but is forced to move his bishop to a less active post . He loses a valuable tempo in doing so, and in the meantime Black

9 7

Chapter 12

succeeds in coordinating his own pieces. 9 ... 0-0 10.f4 c6 ! It is es­sential for Black to bolster his d5-pawn. ( He should refrain from 10 ... f6 11.exf6 l'l:xf6 12.c4 !e6 13. cxd5 and here it would be a disas­ter for Black to play 13 ... hd5 14. li:Jc3 ±, because with queens pre­

sent on the board White's advan­tage is overwhelming , thanks to his great piece-activity in the cen­tre and on the kingside , Tkachiev - Giri , France 2010. The correct

way for Black is to play 13 ... ®'xd5 14. li:Jc3 ®'xd1 15. l'l:axd H and White's position is only slightly

more active.). 11.c3 ( The reckless move 11.f5?! irrevocably weakens his e5-pawn and Black can exploit this immediately with 11... li:Jd7! 12.f6 gxf6 13.exf6 hf6 14. li:Jc3. White cannot develop his knight to any other reasonable s quare , but here it is restricted by the pawn-chain c6-d5 and thus Black easily parries his opponent's ini­tiative. 14 ... l'l:e8 15. ®'d2 ®'e7 16. l'l:f3 li:Je5 17. l'l:g3 li:Jg6 18. l'l:f1 !e5

1 9. l'l:gf3 ®'d6+) 1 l...f6 ! (after 11 ... !f5 Black must reckon with the

possibility of 12.g4!?) 12.exf6 l'l:xf6 13. li:Jd2 !f5 (another interesting try is 13 ... a5 !?, preventing b2-b4 and securing the safe c5-s quare for his knight) 14.g4 !d3 15.hd3 li:Jxd3 16. ®'c2 li:Jc5 17. l'l:ae1 l'l:f8=. White's position is seemingly more active , but all Black's piec­es are well placed and his c6-and d5- pawns solidify his posi­tion. The game is approximately e qual.

98

9 . . . d4! ? This is a very interesting pos­

sibility for Black. It is too risky to continue with

9 ... 0-0 10.f5 d4 11. !f4!t; with his last move White bolsters his pawn -centre.

It is quite sound for Black to continue with the popular line: 9 ... li:Jxd3 10. ®'xd3 g6 11. li:Jc3 c6

12. li:Je2 0 -0 ( After routine play by Black , White maintains a slight

edge : 12 ... !f5 13. ®'d2 ®'d7 14. li:Jg3 0-0 15. l'l:ae H. It might be inter­esting for Black to try to secure the blockading s quare f5 for his bishop: 12 ... h5 !? 13 J�ad1 h4 14.h3 !f5 f±; White has been deprived of the g3-s quare for his knight , while if he attacks the enemy bishop on f5 with his knight from d4 , Black will play !f5-e4.)

3.d4 liJxe4 4 .�d3 d5 5.liJxe5 liJd7 6 . 0 -0 liJxe5 7.dxe5 liJcS

13.liJg3 (it would be premature for White to play 13.f5? ! hf5 14.E\xf5 gxf5 15.�h6 lbh8 16.�xf8 �xf8 17.E\f1 'l!!ib6 18 .'ibh1 'l!!ixb2 19.liJd4 E\e8+; White does not have enough pieces left to organ­ize an effective attack, while Black has already gobbled up a couple of pawns, Polgar - Gelfand, Khanty-Mansyisk 2009) 13 . . . �h4 (Black cannot halt the enemy f­pawn without exchanging his dark-squared bishop. After 13 . . . h5 14.f5 h4, White's knight joins in the attack with 15.liJh5 ! ! +- and Black is in big trouble. It is not good either to continue with 13 . . . f5 14.exf6 hf6 15.f5 gxf5 16.c3t and White has the initiative ; and if 13 . . . 1l!ic7 14.f5 1l!ixe5 15.�d4 1l!ic7 16.E\ae1-t White's attack is tre­mendously dangerous.) 14.�c5 E\e8 15.\bh1

15 . . . b6 ! (Black does not yet need to defend against f4-f5 in radical fashion by playing 15 . . . hg3. He would prefer to trade his dark-squared bishop for its white counterpart, or not ex­change it at all . After 16.1l!ixg3 �f5 17.c3 h5 18.h3 lbh7 19.1bh2 b6, Adams - Gelfand, Plovdiv 2010,

White could maintain an edge with 20 .�d6 !± , penetrating into the enemy camp with his bishop.) 16.�d6 �e7! Black is reluctant to tolerate the enemy bishop on d6 for long, especially since after its exchange White will find it diffi­cult to to advance with f4-f5. 17. he7 'l!!ixe7. Black has a good game, since f4-f5 is no longer a threat. For example, he can coun­ter 18.E\ae1 with 18 . . . a5 ! 19.1l!id2 �a6 20 .E\f3 f5+. White's kingside play has been blocked, while Black is ready to gradually pre­pare to advance with c6-c5 and d5-d4, seizing the initiative.

1 0 .i.f2 0 - 0

ll.f5 White's pawns look beautiful,

but they are not supported effec­tively by his pieces, so Black gains excellent counterplay.

An attempt by White to win the enemy d4-pawn by any means would not bring any benefit: 11 . �c4 �f5 12 .g4 �d7 (another inter­esting option is 12 . . . �e4 ! ? 13.liJd2 b5 14.hb5 �b7� and Black has good compensation for the pawn,

99

Chapter 12

thanks to the weakened long di­agonal in White's camp) 13.f5 tt:le4 14 . .bd4 .ic6 15.c3 .ih4i; Black plans to use the g5-square for his queen or knight, and he also has the undermining move h7-h5 in reserve. Even though­White has an extra pawn his de­fence is very problematic.

ll . . . .tg5! Black's bishop is activated,

evading the possible threat of f5-f6 in the process.

12)i:la3

12 . . . b6! ? Black could have played the

even simpler 12 .. .\WdS 13.tt:lb5

�xeS 14 . .ig3 �e3 15.Wh1 tt:lxd3 16.cxd3 .id7 17.tt:lxc7 E1ad8 18. tt:ld5 �d2 19.�xd2 hd2 20 . .ic7 l"1a8 (another interesting option is 20 . . . l"1de8 ! ? 2l ..id6 l"1e2 22 . .bf8 Wxf8� and in this position Black's domination compensates for the exchange) 2l .f6 g5 ! = , and Black should be able to to hold the bal­ance.

13.�f3 .tb7 14.�g4 ll:lxd3 15.cxd3 f6!? 16.h4 i.h6 17.e6 c5oo

The position offers chances for both sides, since they both have their trumps for the coming strug­gle.

Conclusion In this line, just as in the variatio ns in which White cap tures on eS

with his pawn, preserving his knight on f.3 from exchange, compli­cated,fighting positions arise in which Black has good pro spects. The move 9 . . . d4!?, which I believe is a very interesting possibility , de­serves serious tests.

100

Chapter 13 l.e4 e5 2)ijf3 �f6 3.d4 �xe4 4 . .id3 d5 5.�xe5 �d7 6.�xd7 hd7 7. 0 - 0

7 ... .id6 This move is simple, natural

and the best. Black only needs to castle to complete his develop­ment. White's task is to exploit the somewhat exposed position of his opponent's knight on e4 and to try to attack something, or to provoke some weakening move (such as f7-f5). We shall try to an­alyze all these possibilities, one by one.

I am not going to try to analyze all of Black's possibilities here, so I shall skip the famous theoretical line starting with 7 . . . �h4, fol­lowed by castling queenside, which is very risky for Black.

8.'tvh5 The position becomes com-

pletely equal if White plays in primitive fashion with 8 .tt:Jd2 0-0 9.tt:Jxe4 dxe4 10 .he4 hh2 11. 'tt>xh2 �h4 12 .'tt>g1 �xe4 13.l"le1 �f5=

White's more popular options 8.tt:Jc3 and 8.c4 will be analyzed in the next two chapters.

8 ••• YU6 ! This i s the most precise and

forcing way for Black to equalize. It is weaker for him to play 8 . . .

tt:Jf6 9 .l"le1 'tt>f8± and his position is uncomfortable, since he has lost his castling rights.

9)Lic3 The alternatives lead to a

draw: 9.ie3 .if5 10.f3 g6 1l .�h6 .if8

101

Chapter 13

12.'Wf4 i.d6= lordachescu - Lan­da, Reggio Emilia 2006;

9.'Wxd5 i.c6 10 .'Wh5 (but not 10 .'Wc4? ! 0-0-0t and Black's ini­tiative is tremendously powerful) 10 . . . 'Wxd4 11.'Lld2 0-0 (capturing the pawn is too risky - after 11 . . . tt:Jxd2 12 .hd2 'Wxb2? ! 13.Elfe1 �f8 14.'Wh4t, although White has no direct threats, Black has lost his castling rights, and White's long-term initiative based on this is worth much more than a pawn) 12 .'Llxe4 he4 13.i.e3 'Wd5 14. 'Wxd5 hd5=. There will hardly be any fight left in this position.

9 . . . 'Wxd4

1 0 . .ie3 10.'Wxd5 'Wxd5 11 .'Llxd5 'Llc5= 10.'Llxd5 i.c6 11 .'Lle3 g6 12.

'Wh3

102

12 . . . 0-0 ! Whenever you don't know what to do, develop your pieces ! This principle is quite ap­propriate in this position, because castling is Black's most reliable road to equality. 13.'Llc4 'Llc5 (a good alternative is 13 . . . Elfe8 14. i.e3 'Wf6 15.tt:Jxd6 tt:Jxd6 16.c3 i.e4=. Black's knight is headed for the f5-square) 14.i.e3 'Wf6 15. tt:Jxd6 (15.i.e2 'Lle6 16.'Llxd6 cxd6 17.c3 'Llf4 18.hf4 'Wxf4=. Black will soon seize the open e-file and this will compensate for his vul­nerable d6-pawn.) 15 . . . tt:Jxd3 16. tt:Jxb7 'Llxb2 17.'Lla5 i.e4=

If Black chooses any move oth­er than 12 . . . 0-0, he fails to equal­ize completely:

12 . . . tt:Jg5 13.'Wg4 'Wf4 (or 13 . . . 'Wxg4 14.tt:Jxg4 'Lle6 15.Ele1 0-0-0 16.'Lle5;t and White's bishop-pair will create long-term problems for Black) 14.'Wxf4 hf4 15.'Llc4;t and White maintains some pres­sure, Deep Fritz - Kramnik, Bonn 2006;

12 . . . 'Llc5 13.Eld1 ! (13.i.c4 i.d7 14.'Wf3 0-0-0 15.Eld1 'We5 16.g3 i.e6=) 13 . . . 'Llxd3 14.Elxd3 'We4 15.i.d2;t. ; White has a dangerous initiative on the dark squares.

10 ... 'We5 ll.�xe5 .ixe5 12.ll:l xd5 ltlf6

(diagram) 13J'�ael This move is much trickier

than 13.Elfe1 0-0=, when Black equalizes immediately, Tiviakov - Giri, Hoogeveen 2010.

13 . . . ll:lxd5 14.i.d4 After 14.i.d2 f6 15.f4 tt:Jxf4

3.d4 CiJxe4 4 .1l.d3 d5 5.li'Jxe5 CiJd7 6 .CiJxd7 hd7 7.0 -0 1l.d6

16.1l.x:f4 0-0 17.1l.x:e5 fxe5 18.i.c4 �h8 19J''1xf8 �xf8 20 .�xe5 �e8 2U '1xe8 1l.x:e8 22 .h4 h6 23.�f2 g5 24.hxg5 hxg5 25.�e3 �g7 26.�d4 �f6=, although White's king is more active he cannot achieve much.

14 . . . 0 - 0 - 0 15 . .ixe5 If 15.�xe5 CiJf4 16.�e7 CiJxd3

17.cxd3 i.c6=

15 . . . CiJb4! It is essential for Black to elim­

inate White's advantage of the bishop-pair quickly, and he can achieve this by means of some in­tricate tactics .

16.i.c4 Or 16.1l.x:g7 CiJxd3 17.cxd3

�hg8, followed by i.d7-c6=

16 . . . CiJxc2 17J"le2 f6 18.i.c3 .if5

19.g4 Black also equalizes convinc­

ingly after White's other options: 19.�e7 �d7 20.�xd7 �xd7 21 .

�dl �e7 22 .�cl c5 23.g4 i.g6 24. i.b3 CiJd4 25.1l.x:d4 cxd4 26J'!c7 �d6 2 7.�xb7 �e8+. Black's d­pawn is so powerful that White must worry about maintaining equality.

19.�cl CiJd4 20 .�e7 g5 ! = ; White has some compensation for the pawn, but only enough to keep the balance.

19 . . . i.g6 2 0 .{4 If 2 0.�cl CiJd4 2 l .�e7 �he8

22 .�xg7 �e4 23 .h3 CiJf3 24.�g2 �xc4 25.�xf3 �d3 26.�g2 b5=

2 0 • . • CiJd4 2U!e7 ghe8 22. gxg7 f5 23.g5

Or 23.1l.x:d4 �xd4 24.b3 a6 25.a4 �ee4=

23 .•. CiJe2 24.'it>g2 24.1l.x:e2 �xe2 25.�f2 �xf2 26.

'it>xf2 �d7 27.�g8 �d8= 24 ... CiJxc3 25.bxc3 ge4 26 .

.ig8 gd2 27.gf2 gxf2 28.'it>xf2 gx{4 29.'it>g3 gg4 30 .'it>f3

103

Chapter 13

side. It is less precise for him to play

30 . . . E:xg5 3l.�e6 �d8 32.E:d7 �e8 33J"lxc7±, and White has a slight edge, although the most probable result of the game is a draw.

31 . .ixh7 .ixh7 32.l1xh7 gxg5 33.h4 gg4 34.h5 gh4 35. �g3 gg4 36.�h3 ggl 37.h6 f4 38.@h4 fJ 39.gf7 ghl 4 0 .@g5 ggl 41.�h5 ghl 42.@g6 ggl=.

30 . . . b5! White is forced to repeat moves, In this way Black plans to ere- because if he moves his king to h7

ate a passed pawn on the queen- he might even lose.

Conclusio n The move B.Wi h5 leads to simplificatio n and complete equality.

Naturally, the most likely result will be a draw if both sides play cor­rectly.

104

Chapter 14 l.e4 e5 2 .!iJfJ !iJf6 3.d4 !iJxe4 4 . .id3 d5 5.!iJxe5 !iJd7 6.!iJxd7 hd7 7. 0 - 0 .id6 8.!iJc3

In this variation Black must play accurately to equalize.

8 .. .lLJXC3 It would be too risky for Black

to play here 8 . . . �h4 9.g3 ti:lxc3 10.bxc3 �h3 (after10 .. �g4 11 . :1'1el:t Black loses his castling rights and is thus faced with a long and rather unpleasant defence) 11 . :1'1b1 ! 0-0-0 12.c4 dxc4 13.�f3 c6 14 . .b:c4t and White's initiative is very dangerous, Zhigalko - Li Chao, Puerto Madryn 2009.

9.bxc3 0 - 0 1 0 .�h5 This is the idea of the move

8.ti:lc3. White allows his c-pawns to be doubled, but provokes an important positional weakeness in the enemy camp. Black's f5-pawn will not only restrict his bishop

but also weaken the e5-square, which might be very unpleasant for him if he is unable to prevent the disadvantageous exchange of the dark-squared bishops.

For 10.:1'1b1 b6 11.�h5 f5 - see 10.�h5.

1 0 . . . f5

lU�bl 11 .:1'1e1 c6 (Black is close to

equality after 11 . . .�f6 12 .�f3 �f7! 13.i.f4 :1'1ae8, Korneev - Khenkin, Drezden 2007.) 12 .i.g5 (White does not achieve much with 12 .c4 �f6 13.c3 :1'1fe8 14.i.g5 �f7 15. �xf7 lt>xf7= Rozentalis - Hari­krishna, Germany 2008.) 12 . . . �c7 13.c4 (it i s a draw after 13 .i.e7 :1'1fe8 14.i.xf5 .b:h2 15.�xh2 �xh2

105

Chapter 14

16.Wxh2 .b:f5= Balogh - Yusu­pov, Bastia 2004) 13 . . . .ie8

14.�h4 dxc4 15 . .b:c4 .ifl 16. .id3. Here it is imprecise for Black to play 16 . . . .ig6, Dominguez -Gelfand, Bermuda 2005. White can continue with 17.c4 !±, keep­ing a slight edge. It is much stronger for Black to bravely play 16 . . . g6 ! , without being afraid of ghosts. His kingside pawn-struc­ture is quite harmonious and after 17 . .if6 l"'fe8= White cannot ex­ploit the slight weakening of the dark squares in Black's camp.

14.�h3 dxc4 15 . .b:c4 (The po­sition is equal after 15 . .b:f5 h6 16 . .ie6 .ifl 17 . .b:h6 gxh6 18.�xh6 .b:h2 19.�xh2 �xh2 20.Wxh2 .b:e6 2l .l"\xe6 l"\xf2 2 2 .l"\e7, draw, Vachi­er Lagrave - Gelfand, Khanty­Mansyisk 2009.) 15 . . . .if7 16 . .ie6

106

16 . . . he6 (Here 16 . . . g6 is less precise. Even though it is harm­less for Black if White now plays 17.l"\e2 l"'fe8 18.l"\ae1l"'xe6 19.l"\xe6 he6 20.l"\xe6 �b6 2l.g4 �xd4 22 .gxf5 .ic5= Mamedyarov -Gashimov, Kallithea 2008, after 17.c4 !± instead, Black has to play very precisely to equalize, if in­deed that is now possible.) 17.

l"'xe6 l"'ae8 18.l"\ae1 l"\xe6 19.l"\xe6. In the game Zhigalko - Stupak, Minsk 2010, after 19 .. .'�d7 20. �b3± White gained an edge, but Black could have equalized con­vincingly with the move 19 . . . �b6 ! = , exploiting the vulnera­bility of his opponent's back rank.

ll . . . b6

12.ge1 If 12 . .ig5 �e8 13.�f3 �g6 14 .

.if4 hf4 15.1�hf4 �d6 16.�xd6 cxd6 17.c4 .ie6 18.cxd5 hd5 19. c4 .ie4= Korneev - Landa, Casa­blanca 2005.

12 . . . c6 13 . .ig5 If 13.c4 �f6= 13 . . . �c7 14.c4 .ie8

4 . .i d3 d5 5JiJxe5 {jj d7 6 .{/jxd7 hd7 7.0 -0 .id6 8.{/jc3

15.�h3 Black can counter 15.�f3 with

15 . . . dxc4 ! (Unnecessary compli­cations arise after 15 . . . .if7 16. �xfS g6 17.�h3 dxc4 18 . .ie4±) 16.hc4 .if7 17.hf7 Ei:xf7 18.h3 �d7= , pre­paring to move his rook to e8, af­ter which the position will be fur­ther simplified.

15 . . . dxc4 Black can also repulse the en­

emy bishop first with 15 . . . h6 16 . .id2 dxc4 17.hc4 .if7, not fearing the line 18 . .id3 ha2 ! 19.Ei:a1 .id5 ! 20 .c4 .ie4 21 .he4 fxe4 22 .Ei:xe4 �f7= . Black's outside passed­pawns on the queenside are po­tentially very dangerous, so his prospects are not at all inferior.

16 . .ixf5 After 16.hc4 .if7 17 . .ie6 he6

18.Ei:xe6 Ei:ae8 19.�b3 (After 19. Ei:be1 Ei:xe6 20.Ei:xe6 �d7 2l .�b3

Ei:f7= Black's plans will include the pawn-advance b6-b5, advanta­geously stabilizing the pawn­structure. This should fully com­pensate for White's piece-activi­ty. ) 19 . . . Ei:xe6 2 0.�xe6 Ei:f7 2l .�e8 Ei:f8 22 .�e6 Ei:f7=, draw, Shirov -Kramnik, Casorla 1998.

16 . . . h6! It is weaker for Black to play

16 . . . g6 17 . .ig4± when the position is rather complicated but White's chances are preferable, Vachier Lag­rave - Gelfand, Khanty-Mansyisk.

17 . .ie6 .if7 18 . .ixh6 gxh6 19.�xh6 .ixh2 2 0 .�xh2 �xh2 2l.lt>xh2 .ixe6 22.l'�xe6 l'!xf2 23.l'!xc6 l'!xc2 24.l'!c7 l'!f8 25. l'!xa7 l'!f6= . The material on the board has been almost annihilat­ed, so the position should be a draw.

Conclusion There were times when the move 8.{/jc3 was the cause of serious

worries for devotees of the Petroff Defence. Nowadays I do not see any dif.ficultes for Black in achieving equality , but you can scarcely hope for more than that, since most of the variations are quite drawish.

107

Chapter 15 l.e4 e5 2 . �£3 �f6 3.d4 �xe4 4 . .id3 d5 5.�xe5 �d7 6.�xd7 .ixd7 7. 0 - 0 .id6 8.c4

This is the most popular move for White in recent years and it creates the most problems for Black.

8 . . . c6 9.cxd5 The variation 9.lt:lc3 0-0 10.

cxd5 lt:lxc3 ll.bxc3 cxd5 transpos­es to the main line.

9 . . . cxd5 1 0 .lt:lc3 Previously White used to play

10.'1Wh5 0-0 11.'1Wxd5 i.c6 12 .'1Wh5 g6 13. '1Wh3 (The move 13. '1Wh6 is senseless, because the queen is misplaced there and after 13 . . . l"1e8 Black has the useful extra possi­bility of moving his bishop to f8. ) 13 . . . lt:lg5 !

(diagram) and Black has excellent com­

pensation for the pawn, for exam­ple :

108

14.hg5 '1Wxg5 15.lt:lc3 l"1fe8 (It is slightly less precise for Black to play 15 . . . l"1ae8 16.l"1ad1 l"1e7 17.d5 �d7 18.lt:le4 l"1xe4 19.'1Wxd7 '1We7 20 .'1Wxe7 l"1xe7= and White's edge is only symbolic, Wedberg - Pe. H.Nielsen, Sweden 2000.) 16.d5 hd5 17.f4 '1Wd8 18.lt:lxd5 �c5 19. i>h1 '1Wxd5 20.l"1ac1, Shirov - Kram­nik, Cazorla 1998. Black can con­tinue here with 20 . . . l"1e3 21 .i.c4 '1Wd4=, solving all his problems.

After 14.'1Wg4 Black plays 14 . . . lt:le6

3. d4 li:J xe4 4 . i.d3 d5 5 . li:J xe5 li:J d7 6 . li:J xd7 hd7 7 . 0 -0 i.d6 8. c4

and now: 15.li:Jc3 h5+; 15 .i.e3 h5 16.Wh3 li:Jf4 17.hf4

hf4 18.li:Jc3 Wxd4 19.li:Je2 Wf6 20.li:Jxf4 Wxf4+;

the move 15.i.h6 can be coun­tered with the spectacular shot 15 . . . i.f4 ! ! 16.hf8 (Or 16.hf4 Wxd4 17.li:Jc3, Holzke - Schau­dorff, Germany 2001, and now after 17 . . . h5 ! and White would have serious problems to solve, for example: 18.Wg3 li:Jxf4 19.!Ud1 Wf6 20 .i.f1 Ei:ad8+ - Black's pieces are considerably more active.) 16 . . . Wxd4+; all White's pieces are hanging and although Black has a material deficit, he has the advan­tage.

15.d5 ! (This is the only move after which White may feel more or less confident.) 15 . . . hd5 16. li:Jc3 i.c6 (Here 16 . . . h5 ! ? is worth considering.) 17.i.h6 Ei:e8 18.Ei:ad1 Wb6 (after 18 . . . Wc7, Black must reckon with 19.li:Jb5;t) 19.hg6 hh2 20.<j,Jxh2 hxg6 2l .Ei:d2 Ei:ad8=

1 0 .•• li:Jxc3 ll.bxc3 0 - 0 12. Wh5 g6

The move 12 . . . f5 weakens the e5-square and after 13.Wf3 <j,Jh8 14.i.f4;t White maintains a stable advantage.

13.Wxd5 Wc7

We shall analyze now A) 14.c4 and B) 14 • .ih6.

For 14.h4 i.e6 15.Wf3 Wxc3 16.i.h6 Ei:fd8 - see 14.i.h6 Ei:fd8 15.h4 i.e6 16.Wf3 Wxc3.

If 14.Wf3 Wxc3 15.i.h6 (if 15. Wf6, then Black saves the day with 15 . . . Wc6 ! 16.i.g5 Ei:fe8 17.Ei:ac1 l'l:e6 18.Ei:xc6 Ei:xf6= Grigoriants - Mo­tylev, Krasnojarsk 2007), Black can reply with 15 . . . Ei:fd8 16.Wf6 i.f8 17.hf8 Ei:xf8 18.i.e4 i.c6, as well as with 15 . . . Ei:fe8 16.Wf6 i.f8 17.hf8 Ei:xf8 18 .i.e4 i.c6 and in both cases there is a transposition to the variation 14.i.h6 l'l:fd8 15. Wg5 Wxc3 16.Wf6 i.f8 17.M8 Ei:xf8 18 .i.e4 i.c6.

White's kingside initiative af­ter 14.h3 i.e6 15.Wf3 Wxc3 is un­promising. He will have to seek active play on the queenside, but this will only be sufficient for equality and no more. After 16.Ei:b1 ha2 (it is a draw after 16 .. . Wxd4

109

Chapter 15

17.i.e4 Vfie5 18.g3 .bh3 19.i.b2 Vfffg5 20.Vfic3 f6 21 .l=!fd1 i.e5 22 .Vfic4 mh8 23 . .be5 Vfixe5 24.l=!xb7 l=!ac8 25.Vfffd5 Vfffxd5 26.l=!xd5=, but this is unnecessarily complicated) 17. l=!xb7 Vfffxd4 18 . .ib2 Vffff4= , and the draw is unavoidable.

It would be smarter for White to play 14.g3, to radically prevent the possible construction of his opponent's batteries .id6-Vfffe5, or .id6-Vffff4, but Black equalizes even then. 14 . . . .ie6 (here 14 . . . .ih3 fails to 15.l=!dl .ig4 16 . .ih6 l=!fd8 17.l=!dcl and Black ends up a pawn down, since he cannot continue with 17 . . . .bg3 owing to 18.Vfffg5 ! -White is threatening Vffff6 and Black's bishop on g4 is hanging.) 15.Vffff3 Vfffxc3 16.l=!bl Vfffxd4 17.i.e4 Vfic4

and now: 18.l=!xb7 l=!ae8! (it is less pre­

cise for him to opt for 18 . . . l=!ab8 19.Vffff6 ih3 20 .l=!el Vfie6 21 .Vfffxe6 fxe6 22 .l=!e3 l=!xb7 23 . .bb7 a5± and here White is slightly better, but this will hardly provide him with any meaningful winning chances, Vallejo Pons - Gelfand, Leon (rapid) 2010) . Now, after 19.ih6 ic8 20 . .bf8 l=!xe4 21 .Vfffxf7

110

Vfixfl l=!xfl .bf8 23.l=!xa7, or 19. .ib2 ih3 20 .id3 Vfffe6 21 .l=!a1 .ie5, the drawish outcome of the game is unavoidable ;

White has another insidious possibility here in 18.ib2, when Black should parry his opponent's threats on the long diagonal, not with 18 . . . ie7, because of 19.l=!fcl Vfffxa2 20 .l=!c7 id8 2U '1xb7+- and the difference in activity of the pieces is so great that he is beyond salvation, Negi - So, New Delhi 2011 , but with 18 . . . f6 ! 19.l=!fdl ie5 ! = , equalizing;

The other possibility for White here is 18 . .bb7 l=!ad8 19.ih6 l=!fe8 20 .l=!fcl Vfffg4 21 .Vfffxg4 .bg4 22 . ie3 ia3 ! - Black uses his bishops to force White's rook to leave the back rank and then he exploits this weakness - 23.l=!c3 if5 24. l=!b5 l=!dl+ 2s.mg2 i.d6 26 . .ba7 id3 = ; Black is ready to give per­petual check with his bishops from the fl- and e2- squares.

A) 14.c4

14 . . . .ic6 !

3. d4 l'iJxe4 4 . id3 d5 5.l'iJxe5 l'iJd7 6 . l'iJxd7 hd7 7.0 -0 id6 8. c4

14 . . . ie6 15.'&f3 ixc4 16.ih6 l"lfd8 (16 . . . l"lfc8 17.l"lfc1 b5 18.a4±, Volokitin - Maslak, Rijeka 2010; 16 . . . l"lfe8 17.l"lfc1 b5 18.g3± Anand - Ivanchuk, Calvia 2004) 17.l"lfc1 b5, Anand - Shirov, Wijk aan Zee 2007. Here White could have con­tinued with 18.g3 ! ±, with the plan of a2-a4, and this would have in­creased his advantage (in the game he played 18.a4 '&e7 19.ixc4 bxc4 20.l"lxc4 '&h4 21 .'&h3 '&xh3 22 .gxh3 !"lacS 23.l"lac1 l"lxc4 24. l"lxc4 f5± and Black managed to hold this rather unpleasant end­game).

15."%Yg5 ixh2 16.�hl id6 17 . .ib2

17.id2 l"lfe8 18.l"lae1 ie7 19. '&f4 id6 20.'&h4 ie7 2l .ig5 ixg5 22 .'&xg5 '&d6 23.d5 id7=.

17.d5 l"lae8 18.ib2 ie5 19.ixe5 (19.'&d2 id7 20.l"lfe1 b6=) 19 . . . l"lxe5 20 .'&g3 id7 2l .l"lae1 l"lfe8=

17 .. .l:�ae8

18J�ael! This is the correct rook for

White to place on e1; if the f1-rook goes there it will be hanging with check once Black's queen goes to

the a5-square.Thus the line: 18. l"lfe1 f6 19.'&h6 (or 19.'&h4 WaS+) allows 19 . . . Wa5 ! 20 .l"lxe8 l"lxe8 2 l .li>g1 l"le1 22 .l"lxe1 Wxe1 23.if1 ixg2 24.\t>xg2 '&e4= with a draw by a perpetual check.

18 . . . f6! White played less strongly in

the game Yakovenko - Gelfand, Sochi 2009, which continued 18 . . . Wd8 19.'Wxd8 l"lxd8 20.d5±. White's bishop goes to f6 after which Black has some serious problems.

19.Wh6

19 . . J�xel ! It is essential for Black to ex­

change all the rooks and this is the point of his idea on move 18. In the game Korze - Helbich, ICCF 2008, Black tried to harass his opponent's queen but after 19 . . . if4 20 .'&h4 ig5 2l .'&g4 id7 22 .Wf3± White gained an edge.

Black cannot solve his prob­lems with the move 19 . . . '&a5, be­cause after 20 .l"lxe8 he is forced to recapture with 20 . . . ixe8, giving up the e-file (He cannot play 20 . . . l"lxe8 because of 2l .d5 ; now you can see why White moved his a1-

111

Chapter 15

rook rather than his fl-rook to el .) . Now after the simple move 2l .a3t White keeps his powerful centre intact and thus retains a slight but very stable advantage.

2 0 J�xel �e8! 21.�xe8 .ixe8 Now, after the rooks have dis­

appeared off the board, White's connected pawns are not at all dangerous and can be easily blockaded.

B) 14 . .ih6 �fd8 It is less convincing, but still

probably sufficient for a draw, to play 14 .. J"lfe8. Black's defence is based on the variation 15.h4 ie6 16.1Mt'g5 Wxc3 17.Elfdl (17.1Mt'f6 if8 18.ixf8 Elxf8 19 .ie4 Elad8 20 . Elfdl idS 2l .Elacl Wb4 22 .h5 1Mt'd6 23.1Mt'xd6 Elxd6 24.hd5 ElxdS 25. h6, and despite the fact that White's h-pawn is very unpleas­ant, Black should manage to draw with accurate defence, Rausis -Studnicka, Decin 2009.) 17 . . . \Wxd4 18.hg6 WeS 19.ie4 WxgS 20 .hg5 ie5=. Black's king is rather exposed, but with so little material left on the board Black should be able to save the game.

112

Here, White has a choice be­tween Bl) 15.Yfg5 and B2) 15.h4.

For 15.1Mt'f3 Wxc3 16.1Mt'f6 if8 -see 15.Wg5 1Mt'xc3 16.Wf6 if8.

Bl) 15.Yfg5 Yfxc3 Black is quite close to equality

after 15 . . . hh2 16.'tt>hl id6 17.c4 if8 18 .hf8 Elxf8= Guseinov -Kramnik, Baku 2009.

16.Wf6 After 16.Elfdl Black has the re­

source 16 . . . if8 ! ; Black should ex­change the dark-squared bishops immediately if he can, because then his king will be much safer. 17.hf8 Elxf8 18.Elacl Wb2 19.ic4 Elac8 20 .h4 Wb4 2l .i.b3 Elxcl 22 . Wxcl Wd6= Rublevsky - Wang Yue, Ningbo 2010.

If Black plays 16 . . . ia4 (instead of 16 . . . if8 ! ) , then after 17.Elacl Wa3? (here 17 . . . Wb4 is better, but after 18.Elc4 hdl 19.Elxb4 hb4 20.Wb5t Black still has problems to worry about) 18.Elc7!±, and White has a clear advantage, Rublevsky - Volokitin, Poikovsky 2008.

3. d4 ttJ xe4 4 . id3 dS 5 Jijxe5 ttJ d7 6 . ttJ xd7 hd7 7. 0 -0 i d6 8. c4

16 . . . .if8 17 . .ixf8 l3xf8 18 . .ie4

Here the easiest way for Black to save the draw is the move:

18 . . . .ic6! It is fair to say that Black

should be able to hold the posi­tion even with the passive line: 18 . . . !'1ab8 19.!'1acl (19.!'1abl b6 20 . !'1bcl �a5 21 .!'1c7 ie6= ; 19.!'1fcl �a5 20 .h4 !'1fe8 21.�f4 ie6 22 . !'1abl E1bd8 23 .hb7 ixa2 24.!'1al �b6 25.!'1xa2 �xb7=) 19 . . . �a5 20 .h4 E1fe8 21 .!'1c5 �d2 22 .!'1c7 E1e6 23.�f3 �xd4 24.!'1dl �xe4 25.�xe4 !'1xe4 26.!'1dxd7= , draw.

19.l3acl White does not change any­

thing with 19.!'1fcl �b2 20 .!'1cbl �c3 21 .!'1cl= , draw, So - Gelfand, Amsterdam 2010.

(diagram) t9 . . . eb4 Here there is a more attractive

way for Black to save the day: af­ter 19 . . . �a5 20 .hc6 bxc6 21 . �xc6 �xa2 22 .d5, White's d-pawn looks very powerful, but Black's passed pawn can also advance : 22 . . . a5 ! 23.d6 a4 24.!'1fel (24.d7

�e6=) 24 . . . a3 25.d7 �d2 26.!'1cdl �aS 27.!'1e8 !'1d8 28.�c8 a2 = . It all ends with the exchange of the critical pawns on d7 and a2 and a draw.

2 0 .hc6 bxc6 21.l3xc6 l3ad8 22.l3a6 exd4 23.exd4 l3xd4 24.l3xa7 l3c8= . Black's rook will go to the c2-square, after which White will not be able to hold on to his a-pawn, Tiviakov ­Kramnik, Wijk aan Zee 2007.

B2) 15.h4 .ie6

16.�g5 Black has no problems after

16.�f3 �xc3 17.ig5 !'1d7, for ex­ample : 18.if6 .idS 19 .�e3 �c6

113

Chapter 15

20.�g5 �fS 2U '!acl �h6 2 2 .�b5 �xcl 23.�xcl �xcl 24.hd7 �h6= , followed by �g7.

16 . . . �xc3 17JUdl It would be a blunder for

White to continue with 17.�f6? in view of 17 . . . �xd4 ! 1S.�xd4 �h2 19.1i>xh2 l"!xd4+ and he ends up a pawn down for nothing, Zakhar­tsov - Maslak, Irkutsk 2010.

17 . .. .if8 Black loses after 17 . . . �a3 lS.

hg6 ! hxg6 19.�f6 �fS 20 .hfS lt>xfS (20 . . . l"!xfS 21 .h5 li>h7 22 . l"!acl+-) 2l .l"!acl �a5 22 .d5 hd5 23 .h5 ! gxh5 (White was threaten­ing 24.hxg6, as well as 24.h6 ! ) 24.l"!el �figS 25.�g5 li>fS 26.�h6 �figS 27.l"!e5+-

18.hf8 (diagram)

18 • . . 't!?xf8 ! Here it would be inaccurate

for Black to play 1S . . . l"!d5 19.�f6 l"!xfS 20 .�e4± since his rook comes under attack with tempo, Anand - Kramnik, Nice 2009.

19."\Wh6 't!?g8 2 0 .h5 gxd4 21.gacl �b2 22.gb1 �c3 23. gbcl= . It ends in a draw by repe­tition (it would be senseless for White to try 23.hxg6 hxg6 24. hg6 l"!xdl 25.l"!xdl �g7+ - the endgame is even slightly better for Black).

Conclusion The variation beginning with the move 8.c4 is very tricky and re­

quires very precise play by Black. If he is well-prepared however and has several improvements up his sleeve in various well-known varia­tions, as shown and analyzed in this chapter, he has nothing to worry about.

114

Part4

l.e4 e5 2)2jf3 tlJf6 3.t2Jxe5

The Petroff Defence 3.tlJxe5

The move 3 .'Llxe5 is White's most popular choice. After that, White can try many different systems but the abundance of all kinds of rarely played options should not be a cause of worry for Black. Nevertheless, he must be very well prepared against one particular line, namely 3.'Llxe5 d6 4.ll)f3 tLlxe4 5.d4 d5 6.i.d3 i.e7 7. 0 - 0 0 - 0 8.c4 tLlb4 9. i.e2 0 - 0 10 .tLlc3 i.f5 ll.a3 tLlxc3 12.bxc3 tLlc6 13J!el ges 14.cxd5 �xd5 15.i.f4 gcs

Here he must be ready to counter a multitude of alterna­tives for White.

White's other possible contin­uation, 5.tLlc3 tLlxc3 6.dxc3 i.e7 7.i.e3,

will no doubt continue its theoretical and practical develop­ment. Black has no reason to be afraid of playing 7 .• . 0 - 0 , since the ensuing fight, with opposite sides castling, offers him rich and promising prospects .

115

Chapter 16 l.e4 e5 2)!jf3 �f6 3.�xe5 d6 4.�xf7?!

Cochrane Gambit

The Cochrane Gambit was in­vented as long ago as the 19th century. There were times when such attempts to provoke an early crisis on the board were terrifying to Black. Nowadays, in the com­puter age, professional chess play­ers only smile condescendingly at such romantic experiments. In fact, the correct reaction in this case is for Black to play actively and avoid keeping his pieces on the last two ranks, since that might well end in disaster.

4 . . . �xt7 5.d4 The stupid move 5.�c4 leads

to a situation in which White is al­most immediately lost ! This is the truth - I am not joking ! 5 . . . d5 ! 6 . exd5 (After 6.�b3, Black's most

116

precise reaction would be 6 . . . c5 ! . H e has a material advantage and seizes the initiative ! 7.d3 l2Jc6 8 . l2Jc3 c4 ! 9.dxc4 dxe4 10.c5 Wg6-+ - White has no compensation for the piece and Black should win. It is no better for White to choose 7.exd5 Wfe8 8.Wfe2 Wlxe2 9 .Wxe2 �d6-+ - his pieces are discoordi­nated and he will lose his d5-pawn.)

6 . . . �d6 (Black has a good al­ternative here in 6 . . . \Mfe8 7.�e2 c6 ! . This is all done for the sake of the quickest possible develop­ment! 8 .dxc6 l2Jxc6 9.0-0 l2Jd4 10 .�c4 �e6 ll .Elel Wc6 12 .he6 l2Jxe6 13.d4 Ele8-+) 7.0-0 Elf8 8. h3 Wg8-+; Black has extra mate­rial and good chances for a king­side attack.

l.e4 eS 2.liJ.f3 liJf6 3. liJxe5 d6 4 .liJxp Wxj7

S.liJc3. This is an insidious move, which White must play an­yway. The idea is that he does not allow his pawn-centre to be im­mediately undermined.

S . . . cS ! It is essential for Black to control the central squares, since under the cover of his pawns he can develop his pieces to active positions (The passive move S . . . c6 enables White to advance his pawn-chain a long way in the cen­tre: 6 .d4 :li.e7 7.f4 l'!f8 8 .e5 liJdS 9.�hs Wg8 10 .:li.d3 g6 11 .hg6 hxg6 12.�xg6= , with a draw by perpetual check, Heberla - Gra­barczyk, Lublin 2008.) . 6.:li.c4 :li.e6 7.he6 Wxe6 8 .d4 Wf7 9.dxc5 liJc6+ and the game transposes to our main-line game - Topalov -Kramnik, Linares 1999.

5 . . . c5 ! (diagram)

6.dxc5 If 6.ic4 dS 7.exd5 it is very

good for Black to continue with 7 . . . b5 ! 8 .ie2 (it is even worse for White to play here 8.hb5 �xdS 9.0-0 ib7 10.f3 �xd4 11.�xd4 cxd4-+) 8 . . . ib7 9.dxc5 (9.0-0 �xdS 10.if3 �d7-+) 9 . . . hc5

10.0-0 �xdS 11 .�xd5 ixdS 12 . hbS and White's drawing chanc­es are absolutely minimal, for ex­ample : 12 . . . a6 13 .id3 liJbd7 14. liJc3 ie6-+

6 .. .ll:\c6 7.ic4 .ie6 8.he6 'i!?xe6

9.ll:\c3 9.0-0 Wf7 10 .�e2 (White's

queen can go to d3 and from there it may be transferred to b3 or to bS, but it will come under attack: 10.�d3 �d7 ll .l'!d1 �e6 12.cxd6 liJb4! 13.�b5 hd6 14.liJc3 l'!ad8 1S.:li.f4 :li.xf4 16.�xb4 b6-+ ; Black wins beautifully in the variation 14.c3 liJc2 15.l'!xd6 l'!hd8 !-+) 10 . . . �e8 11 .l'!e1

117

Chapter 16

1l . . .'�le6 ! (this is stronger than 11 . . . d5 12 .e5 tt:le4 13.tt:lc3 tt:lxc3, Short - Shirov, Dubai 2002, game 1 0 . White can continue here with 14.'@f3 @g8 15. '@xc3 b6 16.ie3�, obtaining sufficient compensation for the piece. ) 12 . tt:lc3 l"rd8 ! (Black should refrain from 12 . . . dxc5, since after 13.e5 tt:ld4 14.'@d3� White retains some compensation for the knight.) 13.ig5 (If 13.l"rd1 ie7! 14.cxd6 ixd6+ Black is clearly better) 13 . . . dxc5 14.e5 h6 15.ixf6 (Black's po­sition is preferable after 15.ih4 g5 16.ig3 tt:ld4 17.'@d3 tt:lh5-+) 15 . . . gxf6 16.f4 (16.'@h5 @g7 17. exf6 '@xf6 18.l"rad1 ie7-+ and Black parries the attack while re­taining the extra piece) 16 . . . f5 !+ ; Black's blockade is secure and the extra knight should tell .

9 . . . c.t>t7! The king is not the best fight­

ing unit when the board is full of pieces, so this modest retreat is Black's best move.

1 0 .'@e2 �d7 Black's queen on the d-file

prevents White from castling queenside.

It is weaker for Black to opt for 10 . . . '@e8 11 .ie3 dxc5 12 .0-0-0

118

and White has compensation for the piece.

ll . .ie3 11.cxd6 ixd6 12 .0-0 l"rad8

13.ie3 ie5+ After the pseudo-active move

11.ig5, Black can force his oppo­nent to enter an endgame: 11 . . . '@g4 (White's plans would be jus­tified after 1l . . .dxc5 12.ixf6 gxf6 13.tt:ld5 l"rg8 14.0-0-0 '@g4 15.f3 '@e6 16.f4�) 12.'@xg4 (12 .'@c4? d5 ! 13.tt:lxd5 '@xe4-+) 12 . . . tt:lxg4 13. 0-0-0

13 . . . h6 ! Black plays actively and does not necessarily hold on to his material (after 13 . . . @g6 14. ih4 dxc5 15.h3 tt:lf6 16.f4 ie7 17. e5 tt:ld5 18.l"rxd5 ixh4oo a very un­clear position arises, in which

l.e4 e5 2.4'Jj3 11Jf6 3.11Jxe5 d6 4 .11J;xp r!!Jxp

Black's king is exposed to various rather unpleasant checks) . 14.1h4 g5 15 . .ig3 dxc5 16.l"i:d7 r!!Je6 17. l"i:xb7 .id6 18.4Jd1 l"i:ab8 19.l"i:xb8 1xb8 20 . .ixb8 l"i:xb8 21 .h4 4Jce5 22 .hxg5 hxg5 23.f3 4Jf6+. The ma­terial left on the board has been considerably reduced and the most likely outcome is a draw. However, only Black can play for a win here, since his piece-forma­tion in the centre is very strong.

ll . • . dxc5 12.f4 After 12 .0-0 Black has the

resource 12 . . . We6, defending against the check from the c4-square and removing his queen from the d-file in the process.

12 .. .tl:ld4!N I t i s weaker for Black to opt for

12 . . . l"i:e8, Topalov - Kramnik, Lin­ares 1999 (game 11).

13 . .ixd4 cxd4 14. 0 - 0 - 0 White's position is even worse

after 14.Wc4 We6 15.Wxd4 l"i:c8-+ 14 . . .l'�c8 15.e5 After the prophylactic move

15.r!!Jb1 Black has enough time to consolidate his forces: 15 . . . .ic5 16.e5 l"i:he8 17.4Je4 4Jxe4 18.Wxe4 r!!JgB+ and now 19 .c3 fails to 19 . . . .ib6 20.cxd4 l"i:c4-+

15 . . . �xc3 16.bxc3 .ia3 17. 'it>bl ltld5 18.'it>al �c6+ - Black has an overwhelming advantage.

Conclusion The Cochrane Gambit is not sound and if Black plays precisely

White cannot obtain sufficient compensation for the sacrificed piece.

119

Chapter 17 l.e4 e5 2 )b£J �f6 3.�xe5 d6 4.�c4

Paulsen Attack

Just like the Cochrane Gambit which we analyzed in the previous chapter, this rather awkward re­treat of the knight originated dur­ing the 19th century. It was in­vented by Louis Paulsen, one of the most famous players of the time. White's knight on c4 is re­stricted by Black's pawn on d6 and has no good prospects, so the entire variation can be evaluated as quite original but in fact com­pletely harmless to Black.

4 . . . �xe4 White has three logical possi­

bilities in this position : A) 5.�c3, B) 5.'l«e2 and C) 5.d4.

A) 5.�c3 �xc3 6.bxc3 After 6.dxc3, Black's simplest

120

reaction is 6 . . . d5 7.lLle3 (if 7.lLle5 Black can attack this knight with tempo: 7 . . . !d6) 7 . . . !e6 8 .!d3 !c5 9.0-0 0-0=

6 . . . g6 Black is trying to create a com­

plicated position. A line sufficient for equality is 6 . . . d5 7.lLle3 c6 8.d4 lLld7 9.c4 (for 9.!d3 lLlf6 10.0-0 !d6 ll .c4 0-0 - see 9.c4) 9 . . . lLlf6 (Black should refrain from 9 . . . !b4? ! 10.!d2 WaS ll.cxd5 cxd5, Khairullin - Andreikin, Serpuk­hov 2003, because White can continue with 12.!d3 0-0 13J:!bl hd2 14.1Wxd2 1Wxd2 15.<±>xd2±, maintaining a great advantage) 10.c3 (if 10.cxd5 Black continues with 10 . . . lLlxd5 ! , preserving the

l. e4 e5 2. t'iJ.f3 t'iJj6 3. t'iJxe5 d6 4 . t'iJc4 t'iJxe4

flexibility of his pawn-structure) 10 . . . .id6 ll . .id3 0-0 12.0-0 .ie6=. Both sides have completed the mobilization of their forces and have no pawn weaknesses. The position is approximately equal .

7.d4 An attack along the h-file

would obviously be premature, so Black should not be afraid of 7.h4. He should continue calmly with his development: 7 . . . .ig7 8 .h5 0-0 9.t'iJe3 t'iJd7+. White's pieces are discoordinated and Black has easy and effective play in the cen­tre and on the e-file, Bertok - Ba­jec, Sarajevo 1951.

7 . . . .ig7 8 . .id3 0 - 0 9. 0 - 0 It would be rather adventur­

ous for White to try 9.h4 l"le8 10. Wf1, lnarkiev - Chadaev, Olginka (rapid) 2011 . Here Black can strike a powerful counter-blow with 10 . . . d5 ! ll.t'iJe3 (11.t'iJe5 t'iJd7 12.f4 h5+) ll . . . c5 12 .h5 t'iJc6+ and his action in the centre is much more effective than White's attack on the flank.

9 . . .tiJd7

risky move Al) 1 0 .f4 as well as A2) 1 0 .�£3.

Al) 1 0 .f4 t'iJb6 ll.t'iJe3 t'iJa4! 12 • .id2 t'iJb2

The move 12 . . . c5 can lead to complications, but Black does not need to go in for them. 13.f5 cxd4 14.cxd4 .ixd4 (after 14 . . . t'iJb2 15. Wf3 t'iJxd3 White has the interme­diate move 16.f6 !t) 15.Wh1 t'iJb2 16.Wg4 .ixe3 (after 16 . . . Wf6 White can play 17.t'iJd5 We5 18 . .ie4 t'iJc4 19.l"lad1--+) 17 . .ixe3 t'iJxd3 18.cxd3 Was 19 . .id4 .ixf5 20.Wg5 f6 21 . .ixf6 l"lfl+. It looks as though White is unable to exploit the weakened long diagonal in his op­ponent's position, but there is still tension on the board and Black's defensive task is far from easy.

13.�f3 t'iJxd3 14.cxd3

14 . . • c5! It is considerably weaker to

play the immediate 14 . . .f5, not be­cause of 15.d5, which is obviously bad, since it reduces the scope of White's own queen: 15 . . . .id7 16. l"lab1 l"lb8+ Ovetchkin - Motylev,

We should now examine the Sochi 2004 (game 12), but be-

121

Chapter 17

cause of 15.'&d5+ lt>h8 16J'!ae1 c6 17.'&b3= . White wants to play d4-d5 and c3-c4, after which he will have the rather unpleasant posi­tional threat of exchanging the dark-squared bishops from the c3-square. Meanwhile, White also has good prospects of dominating the e-file.

15.d5 f5+. Now White can only dream about the exchange of the dark-squared bishops on the long diagonal. Black plans to seize additional space on the queenside and after the preparatory move ic8-d7 he would like to continue with b7-b5. His slight but stable edge is not in doubt.

A2) 1 0 .'&f3

1 0 . • . ti:)b6 1U�el The move 11..!Lle3 is a bit too

slow and Black can immediately exploit this with 11 . . .c5 ! 12 .dxc5 dxc5 13 .a4 id7! (Computer pro­grams recommend here 13 . . . hc3 14J'!a3 ib4, but White's compen­sation, after 15J'!d1 for example, seems quite real from the human point of view.) 14.a5 .!Lla4 15.'&xb7

122

tt:Jxc3 16.id2 ie6+. Black's pieces are much more active, Carlsen -Kramnik, Nice 2008 (game 13) .

ll . . . .ie6! Black solves all his problems

with this temporary pawn-sacri­fice. Black's other moves do not develop pieces and enable White to preserve his piece-activity. This position was reached once in a game between computers and it continued with : ll . . . c5 12 .if4 ! d5 13 . .!Lld6 ! cxd4 14.cxd4 hd4 15. 8:ab1, when White's compensa­tion for the pawn was more than sufficient, "Rybka" - "The Baron", Leiden 2008.

12.ti:)xb6 axb6 13.'&xb7 gas 14.'&f3 ha2+

l. e4 eS 2.tbj3 tbf6 3.tbxe5 d6 4 .tbc4 tbxe4

Black's position is slightly preferable, thanks to his superior pawn-structure.

B) 5.\We2

5 ••• \We7 6)L!e3 It is harmless for White to play

6.d3 t2Jf6 7.i.g5

and now: after the timid line: 7 . . . Wfxe2

8 .. be2 i.e?t White has a slight edge;

Black has also tried 7 . . . i.e6, which seems to me to be a bit arti­ficial . It is a well-known principle in chess to try to develop first the knights and then the bishops. Af­ter 8.tbc3 t2Jc6 9.0-0-0 h6 10. hf6 (Black's idea can be best seen in the variation 10 .i.h4 t2Jd4

11.'1Wd2 g5 12 .i.g3 i.g7, with an ex­cellent position.) 10 . . . Wfxf6 11. d4 ! ? (in the game Ljubojevic -Hort, Bugojno 1980, White con­tinued with 11.tbd5 Wfg5 12 .tbce3 and the opponents agreed a draw, in view of the sample variation 12 . . . tbd4 13.Wfe1 hd5 14.h4 Wfe5 15.t2Jxd5 0-0-0=) 1l . . .tbxd4 12 . Wfe4 tbc6 13.tbd5 Wfd8 14.t2Jce3� White has excellent compensa­tion for the pawn;

7 . . . tbc6 ! This is Black's best re­sponse. He should not be afraid of his pawns being doubled on the f-file, because then he seizes the initiative and obtains the advan­tage of the bishop-pair. 8 .tbc3 (He has no need to fear 8 .hf6 gxf6 9.Wfxe7 tbxe7 10.tbc3 i.e6= , be­cause then his bishop goes to h6 and Black begins to fight for the initiative.) 8 . . . t2Jd4

Black's knight is perfectly placed on d4 and he forces his op­ponent to exchange queens, gain­ing tempi for development in the process. 9.i.xf6 gxf6 10.Wfxe7 he7 11 .tbe3 c6= . The position is approximately equal. Black's main strategic task is to prevent by all means the exchange of the

123

Chapter 17

light-squared bishops, because then White would maintain a clear advantage thanks to the ex­cellent f5-outpost for his knight.

6 ••• c6 It is inferior for Black to play

6 . . . '2lf6. He should not move his knight away from the centre, since it is not under any attack. 7.'2lc3 ! , V.Todorovic - Stefanova, Singapore 1990. White wishes to capture on d5 with his knight at some point. (Black can counter the creative move 7.b3 with activ­ity in the centre: 7 . . . '2lc6 8.i.b2 i.e6 9 .g3 d5 10.i.g2 0-0-0+ with a slight advantage, Berg - Pe. Nielsen Helsingor 2009, game 14) 7 . . . i.e6 8 .g3 'Llc6 9 .i.g2 , reach­ing a very interesting position which has not yet been thorough­ly analyzed. It looks as though White's game is the more pleas­ant.

7.'2lc3 The move 7.c4 weakens the

d4-square and Black can high­light this immediately with 7 . . . g6 ! . There might follow for exam­ple : 8 .g3 i.g7 9.i.g2 0-0 10.0-0

124

1'!e8 ll .'Llc3 'Llg5+ Balogh - Gross, Austria 2009.

7 . . .c!Lixc3 8.bxc3 'Lld7 9.g3 g6= . The prospects for both sides are approximately balanced, Ste­vie - Sakaev, Budva (blitz) 2009.

C) 5.d4 d5 6.'2le3 \!;Yf6 This move enables Black to

create some disharmony in White's camp.

We shall now analyze Cl) 7 • .ib5 and C2) 7.\!;Ye2.

An amateur player might well continue here with 7.f3? ! , but af­ter 7 . . . \!;Yh4+ 8 .@e2 Black has the grandmasterly reply 8 . . . \!;Yf2 + ! (White would still have some counterplay after the "pseudo­masterly" response 8 . . . '2lg3 9 . hxg3 Wxh1 10.'2lxd5 i.d6 ll .@f2 0-0 12.'2lbc3f!) e.g. 9 .@d3 'Llc6 ! 10 .fxe4 dxe4 ll .@c3 ie6+ and Black's attack is tremendously dangerous.

Cl) 7 • .ib5+ c6 8 . 0 - 0 This idea looks interesting, but

the concrete variations indicate

l. e4 e5 2.CiJ.f3 CiJf6 3. CiJxe5 d6 4 .CiJc4 CiJxe4

that the complications should end in Black's favour.

8 ••• cxb5 Black should not be afraid to

capture the piece, and in fact he must do so, since after the un­principled move 8 . . . �d6 9.CiJxd5, Black would end up a pawn down.

9)L!xd5 ¥ffd8 l O .Elel �xd5 ll.lilc3 ¥ffd8

12.Elxe4 After the spectacular move

12 .�g5, Black can react resolutely with 12 . . . ¥ffxg5 ! 13.CiJxe4 �g6 14. CiJf6 <±>d8 15.Ele8 <±>c7 16.CiJd5 <±>d7 17.¥ffe2 �d6 18.¥ffg4 (White's at­tempt to complicate matters with the move 18 .c4 fails to the cold-

blooded response 18 . . . bxc4--+) 18 .. . f5 19.¥ffxf5 <±>xeS 20.�xc8 @f7 21.�xb7 CiJd7 22 .�xa8 �xh2 23. <±>xh2 �d6-+ , with a decisive ad­vantage for Black in the endgame.

12 ••• .ie7 13 • .ig5 13.�e2 0-0 ! (or 13 . . . �f5 14.

�xbS �d7 15.Elxe7! <±>xe7 16.CiJd5 <±>d8 17.�a5 <±>c8 18.�f4 CiJc6! 19. CiJb6 <±>d8 20 .�a3 axb6 21 .�xa8 �c8 22 .�a3 �d7 23 .�a8 �c8= with a repetition of moves) 14. Elxe7 CiJc6 15 .Ele3 CiJxd4 16.�d3 �fS 17.CiJe4 CiJe6+, with advantage to Black.

13 ••• lilc6! It is much worse to play 13 . . .f6

14 . .ixf6 gxf6 15.�h5 <±>f8 16.Elae1 CiJc6 17.CiJd5 h6 18.CiJxe7 CiJxe7 19. Elxe7 �xe7 20.Elxe7 <±>xe7 2 1 .�xb5 b6;t: and although the most likely result would be a draw, Black will need to fight for it.

14.�e2 After 14.�e7 lilxe7 15.�e2 a6

16.Ele1 �e6 17.d5 CiJxdS 18.Eld1 0-0 19.CiJxd5 .ixdS 20.Ele5 �aS 21 .Elexd5 �xa2+ Black can play for a win without risking any­thing.

125

Chapter 17

14 . . . f6 15.d5 The move 15 . .b:f6 would not

lead to a draw by perpetual check: 15 . . . gxf6 16.�h5 'it>f8 17.�h6 'it>f7 18 .�h5 'it>g7-+ and Black's king squeezes out the enemy queen.

15 . . . c!Lle5 16J3dl 0 - 0 Black has a good alternative

here in 16 . . . i.g4, for example: 17. f3 b4 ! 18.d6 bxc3 19.dxe7 �b6+ 20 .ie3 �c6+ and he has the ad­vantage, or 17.l"1xg4 tt:lxg4 18.d6 fxg5 19.tt:lxb5 tt:lf6+ and there aris­es a position in which White has some compensation, but he can­not really hope for more than a draw.

17.d6 hd6 18.c!Llxb5 i.f5 19.�e3 c!Lld3! 2 0 .g4 i.g6 21. �exd3 hd3 22.�e6 i>h8 23. c!Llxd6 i.g6 24.i.e3 �c7+ and Black maintains some advantage, mostly owing to the fact that White has weakened his position with the move g2-g4.

C2) 7.�e2 (diagram)

7 . . . i.e6 8.c3 If 8 .tt:ld2 , then after 8 . . . �xd4

126

9.�b5 tt:ld7 10.�xb7 l"1b8 11.�xc7 i.d6 12 .�c6 0-0 13.tt:lxe4 dxe4 14.c3 �e5 15.tt:lc4 i.xc4 16.�xc4 tt:lc5t Black has a very dangerous initiative.

8 . . . c!Lld7 Or 8 . . . c6 9.tt:ld2 (9.g3 tt:ld7 10.

i.g2 0-0-0 - see 8 . . . tt:ld7) 9 . . . tt:lxd2 IO . .b:d2 tt:ld7 ll .g3 i.d6 12 . i.g2 0-0 13.0-0=, with complete equality.

It is possible for Black to play here 8 . . . tt:lc6 9.tt:ld2 0-0-0 10 .g3 (White should not play IO.tt:lxd5? tt:lxc3 ! ll .tt:lxc3 tt:lxd4---+ and Black's attack is decisive. And it would be over-optimistic for White to opt for IO.tt:lxe4?! dxe4 ll .g3, B. Savchenko - Linchevski, St.Pe-

l.e4 e5 2.li'Jj3 li'Jf6 3.li'Jxe5 d6 4 .li'Jc4 li'Jxe4

tersburg 2008, since Black can counter this with ll .. J'l:xd4 ! 12 . ig2 1"\d8 13.ixe4 V'ffe5 14.ixc6 bxc6 15.V'ffa6 Wb8 16.Wxc6 ic8 ! 17.0-0 ib7 18.Wc4 ic5i, with a dangerous initiative. )

10 . . . li'Jd6 !N I particularly like this move. ll .ig2 li'Je7!+ , leaving the c1-bishop obstructed by its own pieces and removing the knight from the c6-square, since it has already completed its mis­sion there.

Black could also continue in direct fashion with 10 . . . li'Jxd2 (in­stead of 10 . . . li'Jd6) ll .ixd2 h5= , reaching a position with a dynam­ic balance on the board, Smagin - Makarichev, Moscow 1990. Black has a slight lead in development, but he must keep in mind that his knight on c6 is restricted by White's pawn-chain c3 - d4 and is not very harmoniously placed.

9.g3 Black can counter 9.li'Jd2 with

9 . . . 0-0-0. (diagram)

9 . . . 0 - 0 - 0 It is a bit slow for Black to play

9 . . . c6 10 .ig2 Wg6 11 .li'Jd2 f5, which has been tested in practice

several times, including at grand­master level in the game B. Savchenko - Frolyanov, Ulan­Ude 2009. Now White could have played 12.c4 ! , emphasizing the fact that Black has not castled. (In the game White played 12 .li'Jf3 0-0-0 13.ih3 ie7 14.li'Jg2 Wt7 15.li'Jf4 g5 16.li'Jd3oo, with a com­plicated position offering excel­lent prospects for Black.) 12 . . . id6 13.cxd5 cxd5 14.Wb5 0-0 (Black's compensation for the pawn after 14 . . . Wf7 15.li'Jxe4 fxe4 16.0-0 0-0 17.Wxb7± is clearly insufficient.) 15.li'Jxd5 Wf7 16.li'Jc3 li'Jxd2 (16 . . . a6 17.Wxb7 li'Jxd2 18 .ixd2 1"1ab8 19. V'ffxa6 1"1b6 20 .We2 li'Jf6 21 .b3 1"\e8 22 . 0-0±) 17.d5 ! (This is an im­portant intermediate move, show­ing why 12.c4 was so strong.) 17 . . . li'Je4 (Black's compensation for the pawn is insufficient after 17 . . . li'Je5 18.dxe6 li'Jdf3 19.We2 ! li'Jd4 20.Wfl li'Jxe6 21 .Wxb7 ic7 22 . idS±) 18.dxe6 V'ffxe6 19.0-0±; White has a clear advantage, thanks to his powerful bishop­pair.

1 0 . .ig2 c6 ll.llJd2 ll:\d6 12.a4

127

Chapter 17

White is preparing b2-b4-b5. He has no other promising plan in this position.

12 . . . h5 The comments to the previous

move are applicable to Black as well . He must concentrate his ac­tions on the kingside and the e­file.

13.h4 ges+

The position is very compli­cated, but Black's prospects are slightly better. Depending on how White continues, Black can move his bishop to g4 or else open up the game with g7-g5. The quite reasonable plan of g7-g6, followed by if8-h6, exerting pressure against White's knight on e3, is also worth considering.

Conclusion White's knight, which retreats to the c4-square on move 4 , has only

one possible prospect - to move eventually to the e3-square. But White loses another tempo in the process and obstructs his bishop on cl. It is clear that Black has nothing to fear in this variation.

128

Chapter 18 l.e4 e5 2 )ijf3 ttlf6 3.ttlxe5 d6 4.ttlf3 ttlxe4

In this chapter we shall ana­lyze some seldom played lines in which White plays neither the im­mediate 5.d4 nor the popular plan of castling queenside after 5.ttlc3 ttlc3 6 .dxc3 . His options for avoid­ing the main lines are A) 5.c4, B) 5.'\We2 and C) 5 • .id3.

A) 5.c4 This is an original move, but

that's about the most positive thing that can be said about it.

White can show even less am­bition with 5.d3, when after 5 . . . ttlf6 6.d4 Black can play 6 . . . d5, if he so wishes, transposing to the exchange variation of the French Defence, but it is even better for him to continue with 6 . . . �e7 7.

�d3 0-0 8.0-0 ttlc6 ! (Black's knight is generally not very well placed on c6, but it is a developing move and creates the rather un­pleasant threat of 9 . . . ttlb4 10 .�c4 �f5) 9.c3 �e6 (the other possibil­ity here is 9 . . . �g4 10 .h3 �h5 11 . E1el d5= and Black has almost equalized) 10.ttlg5 (otherwise Black would continue with '\Mid8-d7 and �e6-f5) 10 . . . �d7 ll .ttle4 E1e8 12 .!'1el ttlxe4 13.�xe4 �g5= and the position is equal.

5 . • A]c6! This is the best move, discour­

aging d2-d4. Naturally Black can also play

5 . . . �e7 6.d4 0-0 7.�d3 ttlg5= , with something close to equality.

129

Chapter 18

6.li)c3 After 6.d4? ! d5, only White

can have problems. The line : 6.1e2 1e7 7.0-0 0-0

8.d4 1f6= is harmless ; Black has comfortable development and an easy game, Nisipeanu - Giri, Wijk aan Zee 2010.

6 . . .li)xc3 7.dxc3

7 . . . g6 ! This is the most promising

move, with which Black ensures the harmonious development of his kingside.

The move 7 . . . 1e7 is also possi­ble, but I like it less.

Black holds the position, but only just, after 7 . . . 1f5 8.id3 �d7 (8 . . . hd3 9.�xd3 1e7 10.0-0 0-0 1l.l"le1 1f6 12.1f4±) 9.0-0 ie7 10.hf5 �xf5 1l.l"le1! (1l.�d5 �xd5 12.cxd5 tt'le5 13.tt'lxe5 dxe5 14.l"le1 f6= , Miton - Gashimov, Havana 2007) 11 . . . 0-0 12 .�d5. Here the road to equality is rather complicated: 12 . . . �c2 ! 13.1f4 l"lab8 ! (13 . . . 1f6 14.�b5!:t) 14.l"lab1 l"lfe8=

8 . .ie2 After 8.i.d3 Black should play

130

8 . . . �e7! , creating disharmony in White's camp.

8 . . . .ig7 9.i.g5 Otherwise Black will complete

his development and have no problems whatsoever.

9 . . . �d7! The line : 9 . . . 1f6 10 .1h6 1f5

11 .0-0 �d7oo, with the idea of continuing with 0-0-0, is also possible but rather risky for Black.

1 0 . 0 - 0 0 - 0 11.:ge1 :ges= . I f the black queen remains o n d7 for long, Black's light-squared bishop will be fianchettoed to b7. The position is equal.

B) 5.�e2

l.e4 e5 2.CiJf3 CiJf6 3.CiJxe5 d6 4 .CiJf3 CiJxe4

5 • . . �e7 6.d3 c!bf6 7 . .ig5 Black will have to exchange on

e2, either now or on the next move, thus increasing White's lead in development. However, the position is closed and the pre­mature development of White's bishop to g5 balances this advan­tage, so Black has no problems in the exchange variation.

7 • • • c!Dbd7 I like this move, because it is

quite safe but also retains some chances of obtaining a fighting position rather than a dull and drawish one.

It is very solid to play: 7 . . . Wxe2 8 . .be2 fle7 9.CiJc3 c6 10 .0-0-0 (White cannot achieve much with 10.0-0 CiJa6 1U\fe1 CiJc7 12 .CiJd4 CiJe6 13 .fJ.e3 g6= Sadvakasov -Timman, Hoogoveen 1999.) 10 . . . CiJa6 1U'1he1 CiJc7 12 .CiJe4 CiJxe4 13. dxe4 .bg5 14.CiJxg5 �e7= . White's edge is so minimal that if both sides play correctly the game should end in a draw, for exam­ple : 15.f4 CiJe6 16.CiJh3 CiJc5 17.CiJf2 Eld8 18 .fJ.f3 f6 19.h4 fle6 20 .g4 aS 21 .a3 h6 22 .h5 Eld7 23 .CiJh1 Ele8

24.CiJg3 �d8, draw, Spassky -Hort, Reykjavik 1977.

8.c!bc3 �xe2 9.he2 h6

1 0 • .id2 ! In practice, here White more

often plays 10.flh4 g5 ! ll .fJ.g3

and now Black has two possi­bilities :

it is calm and safe to play 11 . . . CiJb6 12 .0-0-0 fld7 13 .CiJd2 (13. CiJe4 flg7= ; 13.Elhe1 0-0-0 14.fJ.f1 !;,g7+ Ermenkov - Makarychev, Lublin 1976) 13 . . . 0-0-0 (The move 13 . . . h5 is useful, but is not worth a tempo at the moment and after 14.h4 g4 15.CiJde4± White maintains a slight edge, Apicella - Motylev, Bucharest 2000) 14. h4 !;,g7= , and the position is ap­proximately equal .

131

Chapter 18

11 . . . 'Llh5 ! ? This combative move is quite natural and promis­ing for Black. 12 .'Lld5 �d8 13.h4 (13.'Lle5 'Llxe5 14.hh5 ie6=) 13 . . . g4 14.'Lld2 'Llb6 15.'Llf4 'Llxg3 16. fxg3 ig7=. Black's prospects are not at all worse in this rather complicated endgame, Reinder­man - Kasimdzhanov, Wijk aan Zee 1999 (game 15).

10 . . . c6 This is Black's most reliable

equalizing move. It is also good, but not quite

sufficient to equalize the position, to play 10 . . . 'Llc5 11 .0-0 'Lle6 12 .d4 d5 (after 12 . . . c6, Black must reck­on with 13.d5 ! ?) 13 .ie3 c6 14.'Lle5 id6 15.f4 0-0 16.ElaeU, and White is slightly better. The play is much more interesting after 10 . . . 'Llb6 ! ? 11 .0-0 ! (11 .0-0-0 id7 12 .h3 g6 13.'Lle4 'Llxe4 14. dxe4 ig7= Vogt - Kasimdzhanov, Germany 2006. Black should not be afraid of 11.'Llb5 'Llbd5 12 .c4, but here he should continue, not with 12 . . . c6, Adams - Kramnik, Dos Hermanas 1999, because of 13.cxd5 cxb5 14.'Lld4t, but with

132

12 . . . a6! 13 .'Llc3 'Llxc3 14.hc3 ie7 15.0-0 0-0=, with equal chanc­es) ll . . .id7 (ll . . .ie7 12.Elfe1 0-0 13.'Lld4!t and White's bishop goes to f3 , with powerful pressure on the long diagonal) 12 .a4 ! 0-0-0 13 .a5 'Llbd5 14.'Llxd5 'Llxd5 15.a6 b6 16.c4 'Llf6 17.ElfeU. White has a slight advantage, but Black has counter-chances. If White's initi­ative reaches a dead end, his a6-pawn might turn into a liability in the long run.

11. 0 - 0 Black can counter 11 .0-0-0

with 11 . . . d5 ! = and later the knight goes to c5 and the bishop to d6; White will be unable to organize any active play.

ll . . . d5!

It is important for Black to de­velop his bishop on the d6-square (in practice, he usually puts it on e7) , because it is very actively placed there and does not come under attack, as it would on the e­file.

12J!fe1 .id6 13.d4 If 13.'Lld4 g6= 13 . . . 't'lf8 14 . .id3 'Lle6 15.

l.e4 e5 2Jijf3 CiJ f6 3.CiJxe5 d6 4. CiJ.f3 CiJxe4

CiJe2 0 - 0 16.�g3 ges 17.c3 �f8 18.gxe8 �xe8 19.�f5

After 19J:!e1, Black can play 19 . . . i.e6 20.CiJf5 i.c7, freeing the d6-square for his knight.

19 . . . i.x£5 2 0 .hf5 g6 21. .id3 �g7 22.ge1 �f6 23.�f1

Or 23.CiJe5 1"le8 24.�fl Ele7= 23 . . . ges 24.gxe8 �xeS=

The position is closed, so White's bishop-pair is not so dan­gerous and the chances are bal­anced, Reshetnikov - Sakaev, Taganrog 2011 .

C) 5 . .id3 �f6 It is less reliable for Black to

play 5 . . . d5 6.�e2 �e7 7.0-0 CiJd6 8.�d1 �d8 9.Ele1 i.e7 10.CiJc3 c6 11 .�e2 i.g4 12 .b3

Now he fails to equalize after the following possibilities :

12 . . . CiJd7, Morozevich - Kram­nik, Sarajevo 2009. White has nu­merous attractive options here, for instance: 13 .i.a3 CiJc8 14.CiJa4 hf3 15.�xf3 0-0 16.i.xe7 CiJxe7 17.Ele2 b5 18 .Elae1 CiJg6 19.CiJb2±, with advantage ;

if 12 . . . i.xf3 it is very promising for White to respond with 13. gxf3 ! ?±, although he also main­tains an edge after 13.�xf3 0-0 14.i.a3± Movsesian - Harikrish­na, Sarajevo 2009.

6. 0 - 0 .ie7 7.h3 Otherwise Black's bishop

will be developed to the comfort­able g4-square : 7.c3 0-0 8.i.c2 i.g4 9.d4 CiJbd7 10.CiJbd2 d5 (The move 10 . . . Ele8 allows White's knight to occupy the c4-square, but this is not very dangerous for Black either: ll .CiJc4 i.h5 12. CiJe3 !J.fB 13.CiJf5 c6 14.a4 d5= lvanchuk Gelfand, Bazna 2009.) 11.Ele1 §J.d6 12 . CiJf1 Ele8 13.Elxe8 �xe8 14.CiJe3 i.h5= Naid­itsch - Jakovenko, Odessa (rapid) 2009.

7 .•. 0 - 0 8.c3

133

Chapter 18

8 • • • b6! The deployment of Black's

pieces will be quite harmonious after the fianchetto of his bishop to b7. In addition, he does not waste any tempi on for unneces­sary pawn-moves such as d6-d5.

9 . .ic2 .ib7 1 0 .d4 Sometimes White begins with

the move 10.fi:e1, but after 10 . . . li:Jbd7 his next move would again be ll .d4 and the game transposes to positions which we shall ana­lyze later.

1 0 • • • li:Jbd7

ll.li:)bd2 ll.a4 a6 12 .fi:e1 fi:e8 13 . .ig5 h6

14 . .ih4 li:Jh5 15.\Wd3 li:Jf8 (15 . . . g6= , with the idea of putting his d7-knight on the f6-square) 16 . .ixe7 fi:xe7= Movsesian - Kasimdzha­nov, San Sebastian 2009.

1l . .ig5 fi:e8 12 .fi:e1 li:Jd5 13.\Wd3 g6 14 . .id2 c5 15.c4 li:Jc7 16 . .ic3 d5= Ni Hua - Motylev, Tiayuan 2005 (game 16).

For 1l .fi:e1 fi:e8 12 .li:Jbd2 (12 . .ig5 li:Jd5 - see 1l ..ig5 fi:e8 12 .fi:e1 li:Jd5) 12 .. . .if8 - see 1l .li:Jbd2 fi:e8 12 .fi:e1 .if8.

134

ll .. .:!'!e8 12.li:)c4 12 .fi:e1 .if8 13 .fi:xe8 \Wxe8 14.

li:Jf1 g6 15 . .if4 .ig7 16.li:Je3 li:Jd5 17.li:Jxd5 .ixd5= Tiviakov - Wang Yue, Khanty-Mansyisk 2007.

12 • • . .if8 13 • .ig5

13 • • • h6 It is also possible for Black to

opt for the more prudent move 13 . . . \WcS, evading the pin on the knight. After 14.li:Je3 .ie4 15 . .ib3 (after 15.li:Jd2 .ixc2 16.\Wxc2 \Wb7 17.fi:fe1 h6 18 . .ih4 d5= Black is very close to equality) 15 . . . \Wb7 16.li:Jd2 .ig6 17.fi:e1 b5 ! 18.li:Jdf1 aS 19.a3 c5 ! = . Black obtained an ex­cellent position in the game Najer - Lintchevski, Taganrog 2011 .

14 • .ih4 g5

l. e4 e5 2. 4J j3 l1Jf6 3. 4J xe5 d6 4 .4J j3 l1J xe4

15 . .ig3 It is interesting, but still insuf­

ficient for any white advantage, to play 15.4Jxg5 hxg5 16 .. bg5 �a6 17.4Je3 �xfl 18.Wxfl+. White has no real threats, while Black has a whole extra rook for two pawns.

15 . • . 4Je4 16.ll:\fd2 4Jxg3 17. fxg3 4Jf6=

(diagram) Although Black's light squares

on the kingside are vulnerable, there is no way for White to ex­ploit this, so Black's prospects are

not at all worse, Tiviakov - Giri , Germany 2010 (game 17) .

Conclusion Whenever White plays 5 . c4 , he is mostly relying on the effect of

surprise. If Black reacts correctly, he will have no problems in the opening whatsoever.

If White chooses the variation with the exchange of queens after 5. W e2, it almost always means that he is in the mood to make a draw. This is the usual result, but in some of the games that we have ana­lyzed in this chapter, if there is a real fight, victory usually goes to the side that plays better in this practically equal endgame.

The variation with 5 .�d3 is quite original but leads to solid, classi­cal positions in which the prospects are approximately equal.

135

Chapter 19 l.e4 e5 2 )Df3 tlJf6 3.tlJxe5 d6 4.tlJf3 tlJxe4 5.d4

5 . . . d5 If Black voluntarily retreats

his knight from e4, he ends up in a passive and cramped position, for example: S . . . �e7 6 .�d3 "Llf6 7.0-0 0-0 8.h3± with a slight edge for White.

6.�d3 "Llc6 Black's other possibility is to

abstain from exerting pressure against the centre with his pieces and to fortify his dS-pawn in­stead. For this purpose Black usu­ally plays 6 . . . �d6 7.0-0 0-0 8.c4 c6. There is a lot of theory on this variation and I believe White has much more chance of fighting for an opening advantage here than in the variation we analyze in this chapter.

136

There is another possibility too - 6 . . . �e7 with the idea of an­swering 7.0-0 with 7 . . . "Llc6 and then transposing to the main line. In that case Black must also reck­on with the move 7.c4, so it is much better for him to develop his knight first.

7. 0 - 0 The other two possibilities for

White require precise play from Black:

7.Wie2 �fS 8."Llbd2 We7 9 .0-0 "Lld6 lO .Widl 0-0-0 ! (It is weaker for Black to opt for 10 . . . hd3? ! ll .cxd3 Wd7 12 ."Lle5 tt:JxeS 13.dxe5 "LlfS 14."Llf3±, with a slight edge for White, Grischuk - Sakaev, Mos­cow 2007.) ll .�el Wf6 12 ."Llb3

l. e4 e5 2. ttJ.f3 ttJj6 3.ttJ xe5 d6 4 . ttJ.f3 ttJ xe4 5.d4 d5

�g4 (12 . . . ttJe4 13 .c4 dxc4 14.he4 he4 15.:§:xe4 cxb3 16.�xb3 �g6 17.:§:e2 �f5=) 13 .�g5 (13.c3 �e7 14.�e2 ttJe4=) 13 . . . �xg5 14.ttJxg5 hd1 15.:§:axd1 ttJb4 16.c3 ttJxd3 17.:§:xd3 c6 18.:§:f3 f6 19.ttJe6 :§:e8 20 .:§:fe3 b6 21 .:§:3e2 g6= ;

7.ttJc3 ttJxc3 (After 7 . . . �b4 8. 0-0 hc3 9.bxc3 0-0 10 .c4 �f5 ll.cxd5 �xd5 12 .c4;t; White main­tains a slight advantage . ) 8 . bxc3

8 . . . �d6 ! Black's bishop is more actively placed here than on e7. In addition, he can transfer his knight to the kingside via the e7-square (He should refrain from 8 . . . �g4 9.:§:b1 :§:b8 10 .h3 �h5 11. �b5 �e7 12 .g4 �g6 13.ttJe5 0-0 14.hc6 bxc6 15.ttJxc6 :§:xb1 16. ttJxd8 �a3 17.ha3 :§:xd1 + 18. mxd1 :§:xd8 19.md2 :§:b8 20 .:§:el± and White is closer to victory than Black is to the draw, Leko - Gel­fand, Miskolc 2010.) . 9 .0-0 0-0 10 .ttJg5 g6 11.�f3 ttJe7 12 .:§:e1 c6 13.�f4 ttJf5=

7 ••• §le7 (diagram)

s.gel White has two popular alter­

natives here - 8.ttJc3 and 8.c4 and

we shall analyze these in the fol­lowing chapters.

8.ttJbd2 ttJxd2 9.hd2 �g4 10. c3 0-0= Vallejo Pons - Gelfand, Linares 2010.

8 .c3 �g4 9.ttJbd2 (for 9.:§:e1 f5 - see 8.:§:e1 �g4 9.c3 f5) 9 . . . ttJxd2 10.hd2 0-0 ll .:§:e1 �d6 12 .h3 �h5= Morozevich - Bu Xiangzhi, Yerevan 2008.

8 . . . §lg4 9.c3 9.he4 dxe4 10.:§:xe4 hf3 11 .

�xf3 (It is bad for White to play 11 .gxf3 f5 12 .:§:e1 �xd4+ and his pawn-structure has been weak­ened, so Black has the advantage. ) 11 . . .ttJxd4 12 .�d3 ttJe6= and the position is equal.

We shall deal with the move 9 . . . c4 in the next chapter.

9 . . . f5 1 0 .ttJbd2 Black also answers 10 .�b3

with 10 . . . 0-0, when White has nothing better than 11.ttJbd2, transposing to the main line, since it is wrong for White to play 11.�xb7 owing to 1l . . .:§:f6 ! and Black's rook is ready to join in the attack via the sixth rank. 12.�f4 (It is even worse for White to play 12 .�b3 �3! 13.gxf3 :§:b8 ! , for ex-

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Chapter 19

ample : 14.�c2 1'i:g6+ 15.Wfl �d6+; 14.�d1 1'i:g6+ 15.Wfl �d6+; or 14.�a4 1'i:g6+ 15.Wf1 �g5+) 12 . . . �xf3 ! 13 .hc7 1'i:g6 14.1'i:xe4 fxe4 15.�xd8 1'i:b8 16.�xc6 1'i:xc6+

1 0 . . . 0 - 0

ll.�b3 It is useless for White to play

11 .�c2, because in comparison with the main line: 1l .�b3 tt:la5 12 .�c2 tt:lc6 he simply presents his opponent with an extra tem­po.

The move 11.tt:lfl even increas­es the effect of the pin on the f3-knight, so it cannot be dangerous to Black. Black now has numer­ous attractive possibilities, of which I shall show you just the ones which seem to me the most purposeful : ll . . . �h4 (Black can also refrain from forcing the is­sue, by playing 1l . . .�d6, increas­ing his kingside pressure. There might follow: 12 .�b3 Wh8 13. �xb7 �f6t and Black has a very dangerous initiative as compen­sation for his minimal material deficit.) 12 .tt:lg3 (After 12 .1'i:e2, Black has many attacking ideas,

138

but I like best the prophylactic move 12 . . . 1'i:b8 ! , defending against the possibility of �d1-b3. It is then hard to see how White can complete his development.) 12 . . . tt:lxf2 (Black can maintain the ten­sion here with the move 12 . . . �d6 !?) 13.Wxf2 f4 14.�c2 hf3 15.gxf3 �f6 16 .hh7+ Wh8 17. hf4 �xf4 18.�d3 �h6 19.�f5 �xg3+ 20 .hxg3 (It would be too risky for White to opt for 20 .Wxg3 tt:le7! 2 l .�g4 tt:lg6t and Black's knight penetrates to the f4-out­post with great effect.) 20 . . . �h2 21 .Wfl= . If Black so wishes, he can now draw by perpetual check: 2l . . .�h1 22 .Wf2 �h2, but he can also play for a win without too much risk.

ll • • .ll::la5 1l . . .Wh8? ! - This pawn-sacri­

fice is incorrect under these cir­cumstances. 12 .�xb7 1'i:f6 13.�b3 1'i:g6 14.�b5 tt:lxd2 (14 . . . �d6 15. �xc6 tt:lxd2 16.hd2 hf3 17.g3+-) 15.tt:lxd2 �d6 16.g3 tt:le7 17.�d3 ! (It is less impressive for White to choose 17.�f1 f4 18.�g2 1'i:b8 19. �c2 = and thanks to his pawn­wedge on f4, Black can be opti­mistic about the future, Smeets -Bayram, Antalya 2004.) 17 . . . 1'i:f6 18.c4 c6 19.c5 �c7 20 .f4±; White has a solid extra pawn and Black's compensation is obviously insuf­ficient.

(diagram) 12 .�c2 12.\Wa4 tt:lc6 13 .�b5. Bearing in

mind what follows in this varia­tion, it would be more prudent for

l. e4 e5 2. CiJj3 CiJf6 3. CiJxe5 d6 4 . CiJj3 CiJxe4 5 . d4 d5

White to retreat his queen to b3 now. 13 . . . .ih4 ! (Black provokes, with tempo, an important weak­ening of the white king's shelter.) 14.g3 (but not 14.CiJxh4 '&xh4 15J'!fl l"lf6-+ and White will come under direct attack) 14 . . . .if6 15. hc6 bxc6 16.'&xc6

16 . . . l"lb8 ! . This is a very power­ful attacking move (it is much weaker for Black to play 16 . . . l"le8 since after17.CiJe5t he will need to worry about maintaining the bal­ance, Anand - Kramnik, Wijk aan Zee 1999). 17.c4 (After 17.'&e6+ l"lf7 18.CiJxe4 dxe4 19.CiJeS he5 20 .'&xe5 .if3+ Black's queen will be continually trying to get to the h3-square and White's position is very dangerous.) 17 . . .f4 18.CiJxe4 dxe4

and now: 19.'&xe4 .ixf3 20.'&xf3 fxg3

21 .hxg3 hd4 22 .if4 l"lxb2 23.l"lf1 l"lxf2 (here it might be stronger for Black to continue with 23 . . . '&d7 !? , increasing the pressure) 24.l"lxf2 hal+. Black has an extra pawn, but realising it will not be at all easy, Cheparinov - Gelfand, Sochi 2 008;

19.CiJeS heS 20.dxe5 fxg3 21 . hxg3 l"lb6 22 .'&xe4 (It is even worse for White to choose 22 . WdS+ WxdS 23.cxd5 if3 24.g4. He has no other defence against his opponent's manoeuvre l"lfS­hS. 24 . . . hg4 25.l"lxe4 if3 26.l"lf4 l"lxf4 27.ixf4 g5 28.ig3 l"lxb2+ and Black has excellent chances of winning this position.) 22 . . . if3 23 .Wh4 Wxh4 24.gxh4 l"lg6+ 25. �h2 l"lg2+ 26.�h3 l"lxf2 27.ie3 l"lxb2+ and only Black has winning prospects.

12 . . . CiJc6 13.b4 a6 (diagram)

White has two logical possi­bilities now: A) 14.l"lbl and B) 14.a4.

A) 14.l"lbl b5! Black exploits the circum­

stance that White's rook has

139

Chapter 19

abandoned the a-file and blocks the advance of his b4-pawn indef­initely.

15.a4 gbs 16.axb5 axb5

17.gal 17.lt:Je5 tt:JxeS 18.dxe5 cS ! (The

ex-World Champion played too riskily here: 18 . . . tt:Jxf2 19.<kt>xf2 .ih4+. Here, instead of 20 .@fl hel 21 . <tt>xel �h4+ 22 .g3 �xh2 23.tt:Jfl �xc2 24.hc2oo Howell -Kramnik, London 2009, which led to a very complicated end­game, it would be much stronger for White to play 20 .g3 f4 2l .@g2 fxg3 22 .hxg3 .ih3+ 23.<tt>xh3 hg3 24.lt:Jf3 1"lxf3 2S.@g2 1"lf2+ 26. <tt>xg3 1"lxc2 27.hc2± and Black should be happy if he manages to

140

save the game with a perpetual check against White's exposed king.) 19.f3 �b6 20 .he4 fxe4 2l .fxg4 cxb4+ 22 .<tt>hl �f2 23.1"\gl (the game Amonatov - Kunin, Moscow 2 009, continued with 23 .�dl? bxc3-+ and Black won) 23 . . . .ic5 24 . .ib2 e3 2S.cxb4 hb4 26.�b3 .ixd2 27.�xd5+ �f7 28. e6 �e7 29 .1"\al b4 30 . .id4 1"lbd8 3l.�e5 1"lxd4 32.�xd4 �xe6+. White will be hard pressed to save the game.

17 . . . gb6 18.ll:l e5 lilxe5 19. dxe5

19 . . . c5 ! ?N Now some very interesting

complications arise. Black has also tried 19 . . . tt:Jxf2 20 .@xf2 .ih4+ 2l .@fl (2l .g3 f4 22 .<tt>g2 fxg3 23. hxg3 hg3 24.hh7+ @h8 25.1"\hl heS= and, strangely enough, White has nothing better than perpetual check) 2l . . . .ixel 22 . <tt>xel �h4+ 23.g3 �xh2 24.lt:Jfloo, and the position is very unclear, Stellwagen - Fridman, Nether­lands 2007.

2 0 .f3 cxb4 21.lilb3! After 2l .cxb4, Black should

l. e4 e5 2. !D j3 lDJ6 3. 'D xe5 d6 4 . !D j3 'D xe4 5 . d4 d5

continue with the far-from-obvi­ous move 21 . .J'lg6 !--+, with a crushing attack.

In the variation 2l .fxe4 fxe4 22 .li:Jxe4 (White cannot keep his extra piece : 22 .�e2 �c5+ 23.�h1 \Wh4-+ , or 22 .�fl �c5+ 23.�h1 \Wh4-+) dxe4 23 .he4 bxc3 24. \Wc3 b4+ White's e5-pawn is safely blockaded by Black's bishop, while Black's outside passed b4-pawn is tremendously dangerous, so he has the advantage.

21 . .• i.h5! White is clearly better after

21 . . .�h4 22J'lfl �c6 23.fxg4 �xc3 24.\Wb1 fxg4 25.�xf8+ \Wxf8 26. �e3 �f2+ 27.hf2 \Wxf2+ 28.�h1±

22.cxb4 Black has a very good position

after 22 .fxe4 fxe4 23 .�e2 he2 24.�xe2 �c6= , obtaining several passed pawns for the piece.

22 . . . hb4 23JUt gbs There is a transposition of

moves after 23 . . . �b7 24.fxe4 dxe4 25.�e2 �c7 26.\Wa2 �f7 27.�bl ! (it is weaker for White to opt for 27. l:'ld1 \We7 28.hb5 l:'lc3 29.�a4 \Wxe5 30.\Wb2 �h5 3l.�d4 �d6 32 .

�f4 \Wxf4 33 .l:'lxd6 �h3 ! 34.gxh3 \Wxd6= with a probable draw) 27 . . . l:'lc3 28.�hl.

24.fxe4 dxe4 It is not good for Black to con­

tinue with 24 . . . \Wb6+ 25.\Wf2 \Wxf2 + 26.l:'lxf2 fxe4 27.�e2.

White also maintains a clear advantage after 24 . . . fxe4 25. l:'lxf8+ \Wxf8 26.�fl �c8 27.\Wa2±

25.i.e2 �c8 26.iMfa2 .it7 26 . . . he2 27.\Wxe2 \Wd5 28.l:'lb1

\Wxe5 29.�f4± 27.�bl ! �c3 28.�hl!

28 . . • iMfb6 There are numerous tactical

nuances in this position and I would evaluate it as approximate­ly equal from the dynamic point of view.

White is better after 28 . . . e3 29.e6! he6 30.\Wa6 �c4 31 .hc4+ bxc4 32 .'Dd4 \Wxd4 33.\We6+ �h8 34.l:'lxb4± and the fact that Black's king has no escape square is deci­sive.

29.�xf5 Or 29.�f4 l:'lfc8 30.l:'lb2 h6!�

with excellent compensation for the pawn.

141

Chapter 19

29.�g5 ! ? e3 (29 . . . h6 ! ? 30 .�h4 <i>h7!?) 30 .�h4 ¥;l!c6 3U '1b2 l"\c4 ! 32 .�g3 (32 .�g5 �d5 33.<i>g1 l"\a8 34.¥;l!b1 �c3 35.l"\c2 l"\b4 36.�f3 hf3 37.l"\xf3 ¥;l!e4 38.l"\f4 ¥;Jfd3 39. E1xb4 e2 40.l"\cl ¥;l!xb1 4l.l"\xb1 �xb4+) 32 . . . �d5 33 .hc4 (33 .mg1 f4+) 33 . . . hc4 34.l"\f3 �c3 35.l"1b1 ¥;l!e4 36.�e1 he5+ and despite the absence of a whole rook, Black is on top in this position.

29 • • • .ixb3 3 0 .l'�xf8+ .ixf8 31.�b2 �c2 32.�xc3 .ixbl 33J�!j'b3+ �h8 34.�xbl �f2 35. i.g5 ¥;l!xe2 36.e6 b4 37.e7 .ixe7 38.he7 b3= . White must give up his bishop in order to stop Black's passed pawns, so it all ends in a draw.

B) 14.a4 i.d6

15.i.a3 15.l"\b1 mh8 16.b5 axb5 17.axb5

tt:Ja5 18.tt:Je5 he5 19.dxe5 �h5 20.f3 ¥;l!h4 ! (In the game Sulypa ­Turov, Latschach 2009, Black played the overly cautious move 20 . . . tt:Jxd2?, when White could have played 2 1 .¥;l!xd2 ! tt:Jc4 22 . ¥;Jff4±, obtaining an overwhelming

142

advantage.) Now, after 21 .l"\e2 or 2 l .l"\f1 , Black can play 2L . .¥;l!e7co, with a complicated position. and

15 • • • <i>h8 Black cannot obtain much

with straightforward play: 15 . . . E1f6 16.b5 (After 16.h3 Black's cor­rect reaction would be, not 16 . . . tt:Jxd2? 17.tt:Jxd2 hh3 18.gxh3 l"1g6+ 19.mf1+- and White par­ried his opponent's attack and won the game, Lastin - Slugin, Voronezh 2005, but 16 .. . �h5 17. b5 axb5 18 .hd6 cxd6 19.axb5 tt:Ja5= , with an acceptable posi­tion.) 16 . . . axb5 (After 16 . . . tt:Jxd2, White has the rather elegant vari­ation 17.¥;l!xd2 ! hf3 18 .bxc6 l"\g6 19.g3 bxc6 20 .hd6 cxd6 21 .hf5 E1f6 22 .¥;Jfd3 g6 23.¥;Jfxf3±, with every chance of realising his ad­vantage, Morozevich - Karpov, Prague 2002 . ) 17.hd6 cxd6 18. axb5 tt:Ja5 19.l"\a3 ! planning ¥;l!a2 ! , with advantage.

16.�b2 It seems a bit awkward for

White to play 16.l"\eb1 ¥;l!e7 (After 16 . . . tt:Jxd2? ! 17.tt:Jxd2 ¥;l!h4 18.tt:Jfl tt:Je7 19.f3 �h5 20 .b5± Black's at­tacking potential was neutralized, while his bad bishop and the weakness of the e5-square would later tell , Morozevich - Gelfand, Yerevan (rapid) 2008. However, a fairly reliable continuation for Black is 16 . . . b6 17.b5 ha3 18. l"\xa3 axb5 19 .hb5 �d6 20 .l"\aa1 tt:Jxd2 21 .tt:Jxd2 f4 ! = ,with approxi­mate equality.) 17.¥;l!b2 tt:Jd8! (Black's knight is headed for the f4-square.) 18 .b5 axb5 19 .hd6

l .e4 e5 2. CiJf3 CiJf6 3. CiJxe5 d6 4 . CiJf3 CiJxe4 5.d4 d5

cxd6 20 . .b:b5 CiJe6+ and Black's position is at least equal.

After 16.b5 axb5

we shall analyze two possibili­ties: 17 . .b:d6 and 17 . .b:b5.

17 . . bd6 cxd6 18.axb5 (18. .b:b5 CiJa5 - see 17.�b5 CiJa5 18. �xd6 cxd6) 18 . . . CiJa5 19.h3 �h5 20 .CiJh2 Elc8 2 1 .Ela3 b6 22 .CiJdf1 f4 23.f3 Wh4 24.Ele2 . Here it is very promising for Black to play 24 . . . Elfe8 ! , increasing the pressure (in the game Ponomariov - Adams, Wijk aan Zee 2005, there followed 24 . . . CiJg3 25.CiJxg3 fxg3 26.CiJf1 �xf3 ! 27.gxf3 Elxf3� and Black had sufficient compensation for the piece). After 25.Wc1 CiJg3 26. Elxe8+ Elxe8 27.CiJg4 CiJxfl 28.�xf1 Wg3= , only White might have dif­ficulties in the final position.

17 . .b:b5 CiJa5 (It would be too risky for Black, from the point of view of strategy, to play 17 . . . �h5 18.�xc6 bxc6 19.CiJe5 Wg5 - 19 . . . c5 20 .f3± - 20.CiJdf3 .b:f3 21 .CiJxf3 We7 22 . .b:d6 cxd6 23.CiJd2 Wh4 24.CiJfl± Amonatov - Iljin, Sochi 2007.) 18.�b4 (18 . .b:d6 ! ? cxd6 19.Elac1 Elc8 20 .Wb2 �h5= Chepa­rinov - Korneev, Coria del Rio 2005).

Now Black's most promising move seems to be 18 . . . Elf6 ! (Natu­rally, he can also play a calm pro­phylactic move, such as 18 . . . b6 or 18 . . . �h5.) , with the standard idea of �d6-f4, and also preserving the possibility of transferring the rook to g6 or h6 to organize an at­tack against White's king. 19.CiJe5 (after 19.h3 Black does not need to sacrifice material or exchange pieces; he can simply play 19 . . . �h5) 1 9 . . . .b:e5 20.dxe5 Elh6+; White's king is seriously endan­gered.

16 • . • CiJe7! This move has a very bad rep­

utation, but in fact it is very good. Black's knight is transferred to the kingside, adding to his already excellent piece formation there.

143

Chapter 19

The alternatives are inferior: 16 .. . �e7 17.b5 ha3 18.Elxa3

axb5 19.hb5 hf3 20 .'t:J xf3 li:Jd8 21 .i.d3 li:Jf7 22 .c4 dxc4 23 .hc4 li:Jfd6 24.i.a2± Andreikin - Rakh­manov, Dagomys 2009;

16 . . . Ele8 17.b5 axb5 and here White would not achieve much with 18 .hb5 �f6 (here 18 . . . i.f4 ! ? i s also very good, isolating the en­emy bishop on a3) 19.hd6 cxd6 20 .a5 (after 20 .h3, Black can play calmly 20 . . . i.h5oo, maintaining the tension) 20 . . . Eleb8+; White has lost his aS-pawn and must fight for equality, Svidler -Pe.H.Nielsen, Dortmund 2005. Instead, it would be correct for him to continue with 18.axb5 ! li:Ja5 19 .hd6 cxd6 20.b6±, retain­ing a slight edge.

17.li:Je5 li:Jg6! It is bad for Black to play 17 . . .

he5 18.dxe5 li:Jg6 19.f3 li:Jxe5 20 . i.fl± when his compensation for the piece is clearly insufficient, So - Giri, Wijk aan Zee 2010.

18.tt:\xg4 After 18 .he4, Black can ad­

vantageously sacrifice a piece: 18 . . . fxe4 ! 19.li:Jxg4 �h4 20 .li:Je5 (the move 20.h3 weakens White's

kingside and after Black's simple reaction 20 . . . h5+ White is clearly worse) 2 0 . . . �xf2+ 21 .�h1 li:Jxe5 22 .dxe5 he5 23.b5 Elf5 24.bxa6 bxa6 !+. White's king is vulnerable and Black's powerful centralized pieces provide him with an ad­vantage.

18 ••• tt:\xd2 19.\!!!fxd2 fxg4 2 0 .hg6

White is unable to restrict the mobility of Black's knight; after 20 .g3, Black has the reply 20 . . . li:Jh4!

2 0 ... hxg6 2U!e6 gf6=

Black has no problems at all. His bishop is much more power­ful than its white counterpart and his tripled ( ! ) pawns are quite safe.

Conclusion White usually castles on move 7, but the moves 7. � e2 and 7. liJ c3

require very precise play from Black in order to maintain equality . In the main line, White has the possibility of repeating the position on his thirteenth move by playing 13. � b3. If he does not do so, however, Black obtains very active play and his prospects seem to be at least equal.

144

Chapter 2 0 l.e4 e5 2)ijf3 �f6 3.�xe5 d6 4.�£3 �xe4 5.d4 d5 6 . .id3 �c6 7. 0- 0 .ie7 s.gel i.g4 9.c4

After this move the character of the game is entirely different from the one arising after 9.c3, when White intends to go to b3 with his queen and attacks on the dark squares. Now, there is an im­mediate sharp conflict in the cen­tre and the play is mainly tactical , without any clear positional guidelines.

9 • • .ll:\f6 As a result of the move 9.c4,

the base of the black knight on e4 is undermined, so it must retreat. White now has two possibilities : to force a clarification of the situ­ation in the centre with A) 1 0 .cxd5, or to increase the pres­sure with B) 1 0 .ttlc3.

A) 10 .cxd5 i.xf3 A well-known theoretical posi­

tion arises after lO . . . lLlxdS ll .ttlc3 0-0 12 .h3 i.e6 13.a3±. White has an isolated pawn, but his pieces are so active that it is very difficult for Black to equalize.

11. �x£3 �xd5

White must choose now be­tween sharp lines, based on the sacrifice of his d4-pawn - A1) 12.�g3?! and A2) 12 .�h3, and allowing simplification into an endgame with A3) 12.�xd5.

A1) 12.�g3?! This is one of two possibilities

for White to keep the queens on

145

Chapter 20

the board and try to exert pres­sure in the centre, but it turns out to be futile .

12 . . Jbd4 13.ltlc3 0 - 0 14. ltlb5

14 . . . �b4! It is playable but inferior for

Black to opt for 14 . . . �g4 15.�xg4 ltlxg4 16.iJS ltlf6 17.ltlxc7 Elad8 18 .ie3, Kamsky - Khalifman, Las Vegas 1999. Here Black can play 18 . . . a6 !oo, which leads to a very complicated struggle in which White has a powerful bishop-pair but his knight is stranded in ene­my territory.

15.ig5 gadS! This centralising move is the

best, as is often the case in open positions, and it even allows Black to fight for the advantage ! In many variations White's bishop on d3 is hanging and his lack of an escape hole for the king is bound to tell as well.

Black only equalizes with the line : 15 . . . li:lh5 16.ixe7 li:lxg3 17. ixb4 li:lxb4 18.:t'lad1, Shaplyko -T.Balogh, Zagan 1995. Here he should continue with 18 . . . :t'lad8 ! =

146

16.gad1 White fails to trap the enemy

queen with 16.a3 �xb2 17.Elab1 �a2+ and here he is stuck for a continuation.

16 . . . a6! 17.ltlxc7 After 17.li:lc3 it is very good for

Black to continue simply with 17 . . . :t'lfe8+, with a solid extra pawn.

17 . . . id6 18.�h3 hc7 19 . .ix£6 gxd3 2 0 .�xd3 gxf6 21. ge4 �a5 22.gg4+ @h8 23.gh4 f5 24.�h3 @g8 25.gxh7 �e5+. Black has parried his opponent's attempt to mate him and has pre­served the extra material, so he maintains an advantage.

A2) 12.�h3!?

This queen-sortie is much more interesting, but Black can still seize the initiative with pre­cise play.

12 . . . �xd4! Black can only struggle to

reach equality with 12 . . . li:lxd4 13. li:lc3 '\Wd7 14.'\Wxd7+ @xd7 15.ie3 li:le6 16J�ad1 id6 17.if5 (Another good white option is 17.f4 ! ? Elhe8 18.li:le4 li:lxe4 19.ixe4 g6 20 .f5

4.CiJ.f3 l:iJ xe4 5 . d4 dS 6 .§ld3 l:iJ c6 7.0 - 0 fl.e7 8.'il, el fl.g4 9 . c4 l:iJj6

l:iJd8 21 .1l.d4 l:iJc6 22 .1l.c3t; Black's forces are all squashed into the last few ranks, but he has an extra

, pawn and should not lose.) 17 . . . r;k;e7 18 .1:iJb5 'ii,hd8 19.1:iJxd6 cxd6�; White has at least enough com­pensation for the pawn, Kasparov - Karpov, Moscow (m/28) 1984.

13.lt:lc3

13 •. .liJg4 ! Black's knight i s perfectly

placed on g4 and White is forced to protect his f2-pawn.Having blocked the h3-c8 diagonal, Black often has the possibility of cas­tling queenside.

Here Black usually plays 13 . . . 'ii,d8, but then he must reckon with the possibility of 14.1l.c2 ! ? (it is useless for White to try 14.1l.b5 in view of 14 . . . 0-m=, when the bishop on e7 is not hanging, owing to the vulnerability of White's back rank; and it is hard to see how White can continue his attack after 14.1l.f5 0-0 15 .1l.e3 �b4 16.a3 �b3 !+) 14 . . . 0-0 15 .1l.e3 �b4 16.1l.g5t, or even 16.'ii,ab1 !?t

14.13fl We should glance at the alter-

natives for White here : 14.'ii,e2 0-0-0 15.1l.e3 �xd3

16.�xg4+ r;k;b8 17.�xg7 �f5 18. �h6 13hg8+; Black has a more ac­tive position;

14.1l.e3 �xd3 15.�xg4 �g6+, and White must play precisely to equalize.

14 • .• h5! 15 • .ie4 �e5 16.g3 After 16.1l.e3 a good continua­

tion for Black would be 16 .. . 0-0 17.'ii,ae1 1l.d6 18.g3 'f'l,fe8+

16 ••• �e6 17 • .if4 0 - 0 - 0 +, with an excellent position for Black.

A3) 12.�xd5 c!lJxd5 13.c!lJc3 For 13 . .ie4 0-0-0 14.1:iJc3 -

see 13.1:iJc3 0-0-0 14.1l.e4.

13 ••• 0 - 0 - 0 We should point out that Black

has a very interesting alternative at his disposal here : 13 . . . 1:iJdb4 ! ? 1 4 . .ie4 l:iJxd4 1 5 . .ie3 l:iJdc2 ! (but not 15 . . . c5? in view of 16 . .ixd4 ! cxd4 17.1:iJb5±, with a stable ad­vantage to White) 16.a3 l:iJxe1 (it is also quite safe for Black to opt for 16 . . . 1:iJxa1 17.axb4 .ixb4 18 .'il,xa1 c6= , when his pawn-chain b7-c6

147

Chapter 20

considerably restricts the activity of White's bishop on e4) 17.axb4 (in the variation 17J��xe1 0-0-0 18.ixa7 b6 19.�f5+ �b7 20.E1xe7 E1he8 2l .E1xe8 E1xe8 22 .�e4+ tt:lc6+, White's bishop stranded on a7 is in much greater trouble than Black's knight pinned on c6.) 17 . . . ixb4 18.E1xe1 0-0-0= . Black's rook and two pawns do not seem to be any weaker than White's two minor pieces.

14.ll:lxd5! This is the only possibility for

White to create any serious prob­lems for Black.

The alternatives are complete­ly harmless :

14.�c4 �b4 15.i.d2 tt:lxd4 16. tt:lxdS ixd2 17.E1edl c6 18.E1xd2 cxdS 19.E1xd4 dxc4 20 .E1xc4+ �b8= Aseev - Razuvaev, Tash­kent 1984;

14.�e4 �b4 15.�d2 (lS.ixdS E1xd5 16.a3 ixc3 17.bxc3 �d7=) 15 . . . tt:lf6 16.ixc6 bxc6 17.�e3= Kamsky - Karpov, Linares 1994.

14 . • J�xd5 15 . .ie3! (diagram)

15 • • .ll:lxd4!

148

This straightforward and solid move is best here.

After the "more flexible" 15 . . . �f6 16.�e4 E1b5 ( 16 . . . E1a5 17.d5 tt:le7 18.b4 ! ) 17.d5 tt:le7 18.E1adli, or 18 .ixa7! ?t, White has chances to fight for the initiative.

16 • .ie4 l"ld7 17 . .ixd4 l"!xd4 18 . .ixh7+ c.!?xb7 19.1"!xe7 l"!hd8 2 0 .'.!?fl 1"!8d7= . The rook and pawn ending is equal and a draw is very likely.

B) 1 0 .tt:lc3

1 0 . • . .ixf3 There is another theoretical

line here : 10 . . . tt:lxd4 ll.cxdS hf3 12 .gxf3 cS:t, but I do not consider it to be completely safe for Black.

4 . CiJ.f.3 CiJxe4 5 . d4 d5 6 . .i d3 ttJ c6 7. 0 -0 .i e7 B . 'il, el fJ. g4 9 . c4 ttJ f6

There is also a well-known variation : 10 . . . 0-0 1l.cxd5 ttJxd5 12 .h3 .ie6 13.a3±, which can also arise after 10.cxd5 ttJxd5 ll .CiJc3 0-0 12 .h3 fJ.e6 13.a3±

11.�xf3 .!Llxd4 12.�d1 A completely equal endgame is

reached after 12 .�h3 dxc4 13. fJ.xc4 ttJc2 14.'il,d1 �c8 15.�g3 0-0 16.'il,b1 .id6 17.�h4 �g4= Caruana - Gelfand, Biel 2009.

There is a transposition of moves after 12.�g3 dxc4 13.fJ.xc4 0-0 14.'il,d1 (14.fJ.g5 §J.d6 15.�h4 h6 16.fJ.xf6 �xf6 17.�xf6 gxf6+ Lobron - Karpov, Hanover 1983) 14 . . . c5 15.fJ.h6 ttJh5 16.�h3 (16. �g4 �d6) 16 . . . tiJf6 (16 .. . �d6 17. fJ.e3=) 17.�g3=

After 12 .�d1 Black can equal­ize in two ways. The move B1) 12 •• . .!Lle6 has been played numer­ous times, but there is also the simpler and more precise move B2) 12 • . . dxc4!

We shall deal with them both, in order to make the situation completely clear.

B1) 12 • • • .!Lle6

This move has been extensive­ly analyzed in theory and tested many times in practice. Black can hold the position, but he must memorize a lot of variations and know them thoroughly. He plugs the all-important e-file, which White can open only by giving up his light-squared bishop, a tre­mendously important attacking piece.

White can now continue open­ing files with B1a) 13.cxd5, or else try to increase the pressure with B1b) 13.i.f5.

B1a) 13.cxd5 .!Llxd5 14. i.b5+ c6 15 . .!Llxd5 cxb5

149

Chapter 20

16.�b3 White has also tried some oth­

er moves here : 16.a4 0-0 17.axb5 .icS 1B . .ie3

.ixe3 19J=i:xe3 '\!;lfgS 2 0.g3 l"i:fdB 2l .l"i:d3 WhB=, and White's edge is merely symbolic, Gashimov -Gelfand, Linares 2010;

16.'\!;lfhS 0-0 17.tt:lxe7+ '\!;lfxe7 1B.i!;lrxb5 l"i:fdB 19 . .ie3 a6 20 .'\!;lfb3 l"i:acB 2l .l"i:ad1= , draw, Vachier La­grave - Gelfand, Biel 2009;

16.'\!;lfd3 0-0 17 . .ie3 tt:lc7!N This is Black's most precise re­sponse (the position is less clear after 17 . . . .ic5 1B.l"i:ad1 .ixe3 19. l"i:xe3±). 1B.tt:lxe7+ '\!;lfxe7 19 . .ixa7 i!;lrdB ! . Black has nothing to be afraid of with the queens off the board. His doubled pawns on the b-file are not really a liability. 20.'\!;lfxdB l"i:fxdB 2 1 ..ib6 l"!dcB 22 . a3 tt:ldS 23 . .id4 f6= , with ideas of 24 . . . l"!c2 or 24 . . . b4 ;

16 . .if4 tt:lxf4 17.l"!xe7+ wfB 1B. l"!eS i!;lrd6 19.'\!;lfd2

16 . . . '\!;lfxeS ! This is the right move, since Black does not need to be afraid of ghosts ! (19 . . . tt:lg6 20 .l"!ee1 f6 2l .l"!adl± Naiditsch -Kramnik, Dortmund 200B) 20 . i!;lfb4+ WeB 21 .'\!;lfxbS+ (White

150

achieves nothing much with 21. l"!e1 tt:le2+ 22 .Wfl l"!cB 23.f4 '\!;lfxdS 24.l"!xe2+ Wd7 25.l"!d2 i!;lrxd2 26. '\!;lfxd2 Wc7 27.'\!;lfc3+ and now Black can choose between 27 . . . WbB 2B . '\!;lfxg7 with an approximately equal but double-edged fight on both sides of the board, and the immediate draw after 27 . . . Wb6 2B .'\!;Ife3+ Wa6 29 .'\!;lfa3+) 2l . . .WdB 22 .l"i:d1 tt:le2+ 23. Wh1 (White los­es immediately following 23. Wf1 tt:ld4 24.'\!;lfa4 tt:lc6-+ - and he re­mains a whole rook down, with­out having any dangerous discov­ered checks.) 23 . . . tt:ld4 24.'\!;lfxb7 l"!cB 25.h3

25 . . . g5 ! This is the simplest and safest move; Black prevents a possible f2-f4 and at the same time protects his rook on hB with his queen. Now White captures the knight on d4 in various lines, but in the meantime Black brings his king to safety and activates his hB-rook (instead, after 25 . . . l"!c5oo the position becomes very sharp) 26.'\!;lfxa7 (26.tt:lc3 l"!c7 27.'\!;lfbB+ wd7 2B.i!;lrb4 WeB 29.l"i:xd4 l"!dB+) 26 . . . WeB 27.'\!;lfxd4 '\!;lfxd4 2B.l"!xd4 l"!c2 29.l"i:b4 Wd7+ and only White can lose this position.

4.CiJj3 CiJxe4 5.d4 d5 6 .� d3 CiJc6 7.0 -0 � e7 8.'i£ el �g4 9 .c4 CiJf6

16 • • • 0 - 0

17.i.e3 17.CiJxe7+ '&xe7 18.'&xb5 'i£fd8

19 .�e3 a6 20.'&b3 'i£ac8 2l .'i£ad1= , draw, Vachier Lagrave - Gelfand, Biel 2009, and despite the fact that the bishop is usually stronger than the knight when there is play on both flanks, in this particular situation Black is safely holding the position. There are queens present on the board, and queen and knight work together at least as well as queen and bishop. It is also very good for Black that on the queenside his pawn-base on b7 is very securely protected.

17 . . . �c5 18J3ad1 he3 19. 13xe3 �a5

2 0 .�c2 In order to develop his initia­

tive, White must somehow com­bat the enemy knight on e6, so it seems very logical for him to opt for the immediate 20 .f4.

and now: if Black retreats his knight im­

mediately, before it has even been attacked, with 20 ... CiJc7, then after 2l .'&c3 �xc3 22 .CiJe7+ mh8 23. 13xc3 CiJe6 (or 23 . . . CiJa6 24.13d7 b4 25.l''k2 b6 26.CiJc6 CiJc5 27J!xa7 'i£xa7 28.CiJxa7 'i£a8 29.CiJc6 'i£xa2 30.CiJxb4± and Black has no prob­lems at all) 24.f5 'i£ad8 25.'i£xd8 CiJxd8 26.'i£c7;t: there arises an endgame in which Black's pieces are stuck on the back rank and his defence will be difficult;

it is more accurate for him to continue with 20 . . . 'i£fd8 2 l .f5 CiJc7 22 .CiJe7+ mh8 23.'i£de1 '&b6 24. Wixf7 'i£d1 25.'i£xd1 '&xe3+ 26. mfl (26. Wh1 '&e2 27.'i£b1 'i£d8=) 26 . . . '&f4+ 27.Wg1 '&e3=, with a draw by perpetual check.

2 0 •.• 13fe8 21.f4 b4 22.f5 CiJf8 23.13ed3

23.CiJe7+ mh8 24.'&c4 CiJe6 25. CiJd5 'i£ad8 26.'i£ee1 '&c5+ 27.'&xc5 CiJxc5 28.'i£xe8+ 'i£xe8 29. CiJxb4 g6

151

Chapter 20

30.fxg6=, draw, Svidler - Gel­fand, Moscow 2009.

23 . . . �e5! In the game Leko - Gelfand,

Nalchik 2009, Black went wrong with : 23 . . . li:ld7? ! and after 24.�c7 �c5+ 25.@f1 �b5 26 .�g3± he came under positional pressure.

24.f6 �ae8 25.fxg7 Or 25.li:le7+ cj;>h8 26.�f2 li:le6

27J''\d7 g5= , and Black creates ac­tive counterplay, while preserving the extra material.

25 • • • cj';>xg7 26.�f2 tt:\g6=

The position is so open that White must worry about his op­ponent's numerous unpleasant checks, so he is unable to exploit

152

the fact that Black's king lacks safe shelter.

Blb) 13.i.f5

13 . . . c6! With this move Black protects

his light squares as best he can. The alternatives would not

solve his problems : 13 . . . d4 14.li:le2 d3 15.li:lf4 li:lxf4

16.hf4 0-0 17.�f3t ; Black's d­pawn is lost and White maintains the initiative;

13 . . . dxc4 14.�a4+ c6 15.he6 ! (after 15.�xc4, besides a transpo­sition to the main line with : 15 . . . 0-0, White must reckon with 15 . . . li:ld4 16.!'1d1 �a5 17.ih3 c5oo, with a rather unclear position.) 15 . . . fxe6 16.�xc4 0-0 17.!'1xe6! (17.�xe6+ !'lf7 18.ie3 �d6 19. �xd6= , draw, Anand - Kramnik, Mainz (rapid) 2001) 17 . . . li:ld5 18. ie3 .

(diagram) Now Black fails to equalize, no

matter what he plays : 18 . . . cj;>h8 19.li:lxd5 (19 .id4! ?±)

19 . . . cxd5 20.�a4 (20 .�d3 ! ? if6 2 l .i.d4 �d7 22 .!'1aeU) 20 . . . if6

4 . li:Jj3 li:Jxe4 5 . d4 d5 6 . �d3 li:J c6 7. 0 -0 � e7 8. '8 el � g4 9 . c4 li:J f6

21 .'8dl hb2 22 .\WbS �f6 23.'8xd5 \WeB 24.'8ed6;!;, and White main­tains a slight edge, thanks to his command of the centre.

18 . . . �f6 ! 19.�c5 (19.'8d1 \Wd7 20.'8e4 hc3 2 l .bxc3 '8ae8 22 . Ei:xe8 Ei:xe8 23 .ha7 bS 24.\Wd4 \We7 25 .h3 \Wa3 26.�c5 \Wxa2=) 19 . . . \Wd7! (In the blitz game Mo­rozevich - lvanchuk, Moscow 2007, there followed 19 . . . '8e8? ! 20 .Ei:xe8+ \Wxe8 2l .li:Jxd5 cxdS 22 . \Wxd5+ \Wfl. Now White could have continued with 23.'1Wxf7+ �xfl 24.�e3±, preserving his ex­tra pawn and all his winning chances.)

20 .Ei:d6 (20 .Ei:ae1 bS 21 . \Wd3 hc3 2 2 .bxc3 Ei:fe8=) 20 . . . \Wfl 21 . li:JxdS cxdS 22 .Ei:xd5 (22 .\WxdS Ei:fd8 23.\Wxfl+ �xf7 24.Ei:ad1 Ei:xd6 25.Ei:xd6 b6 26.�a3 Ei:c8 27.g3 Ei:c2 28.Ei:d7+ �g6 29. Ei:xa7

hb2 = , and in this rook and pawn ending, Black only needs to ex­change the queenside pawns to draw the game.) 22 . . . Ei:fd8 23.Ei:ad1 Ei:xdS 24.'8xd5 (in the variation 24.\WxdS \WxdS 25.Ei:xd5 hb2 26. Ei:d7 '8c8 27.�e3 aS 28.Ei:xb7, Black holds the balance thanks to the el­egant move 28 . . . �d4 ! =) 24 . . . Ei:e8 25.�e3 hb2 26.\Wd3 �f6 27.h3;!;. White is better but Black should be able to draw with accurate de­fence.

14.cxd5 li:Jxd5 15.\Wg4

15 . . . 0 - 0 The move 15 . . . li:Jxc3 opens ad­

ditional files for White's attack and in the game Radjabov - Gel­fand, Medias 2010, he exploited this brilliantly with 16.bxc3 0-0 17.'8bl ! \Wc7 18.�h6 ! �d6 19.\Wh3 ! Ei:fe8 20 .hg7!+- , winning.

16.liJxd5 16.he6 li:Jxc3 17.bxc3 fxe6= 16.\Wh3 g6 17.he6 fxe6 18.

\Wxe6+ Ei:fl= 16 . . . cxd5 17 . .h:e6 fxe6 18.

Wxe6+ �U7 19 . .ie3 19.�f4 �c5= 19 . . . .if6 2 0 .l:;ad1

153

Ch apter 20

2 0 • . .'�'d7! Here it would be imprecise for

Black to opt for 20 . . . . bb2 2U 'lxd5 Wie7 22 .Wig4:!:, and White main­tains some advantage thanks to his safer king and active rooks, as well as the presence of queens on the board, De Firmian - Schau­dorff, Copenhagen 2000.

However, it would also be quite safe for Black to play 20 . . . d4 21 .Wib3 Wid7 22 .if4 l"ld8 23 .ie5 ixe5 24.l"lxe5 g6=,and he will not part easily with his key d4-pawn.

21.Wixd5 Wixd5 22J�xd5 hb2 = ; Black should draw effort­lessly.

B2) 12 ..• dxc4! 13.hc4 c5

154

14.Wia4+ White should enter an end­

game in order to prevent his op­ponent from comfortably com­pleting his development after cas­tling. White keeps his two bishops and restores the material balance in the process, but falls behind in development.

14.lt'lb5 0-0 15.lt'lxd4 cxd4 16.if4 l"lc8 17.Wid3= ; White has sufficient compensation for the pawn, but no more.

The line 14.ig5 0-0 15.l"lxe7 Wixe7 16.lt'ld5 Wid6 17.lt'lxf6+ gxf6 18 .ih6, Lawitsch - Halasz, Aus­tria 1995, fails to 18 .. .f5 19.ixf8 l"lxf8+, and Black ends up with a solid extra pawn.

14 . . J�Yd7 15.Wixd7+ �xd7

16.hf7N After 16.ig5 h6 17.ih4 g5 18.

ig3 id6= , Black simplifies the position advantageously.

16.ie3 l"lhd8 ! This is the right rook to place here, so that he can bring his king to safety on the e8-square. 17.ixd4 (17.ixf? lt'lc2+; 17. l"lacl We8 !+) 17 . . . cxd4 18.ib5+ Wd6 19.l"lad1 �c5 (Black also

4 JiJfJ [/J xe4 5.d4 d5 6 .� d3 [/J c6 7. 0 -0 �e7 8. 'iJ,eJ � g4 9 . c4 [/Jj6

equalizes with 19 . . . �f8 20 .'iJ,xd4+ �c7 21.'fi,f4 'iJ,ac8 22 .�c4 'iJ,d7=) 20. 'iJ,e5+ �d6 21 .'iJ,ee1 (White would not achieve much with 21 . f4 �f8 22 .'iJ,xd4+ �c7 23.'iJ,c4+ �b8 24. �a4 a6 25.�b3 'iJ,a7 26.a4 b6=) 2l . . .�c5 22 .'iJ,e5=, draw, Smirin ­Giri, Khanty-Mansyisk 2010.

16 . . . .id6! This is an important multi­

purpose move. Black preserves the possibility of going to f8 with either of his rooks, depending on circumstances, and his bishop goes simultaneously to a very ac­tive position, creating the threat of [/Jd4-c2 .

Black cannot solve his prob­lems with the natural line: 16 . . . 'iJ,hf8 17.�c4 �d6 18.[/Jb5 ! [/Jxb5 (it is rather dubious for Black to opt for 18 . . . [/Jc2 19.'iJ,dl [/Jxa1 20 .[/Jxd6 �c6 2 1 .�b5+ �b6 22 .b4 !± and White has a dangerous attack, de­spite the transition into an end­game) 19.hb5+ �c7 20 .�d2t and White has a slight edge, thanks to his bishop-pair.

17 • .ic4 Black can counter 17.'iJ,d1 with

17 . . . 'iJ,af8 ! . This move is not easy to find, but it solves all his prob­lems. His other rook remains on h8 as an attacking piece ! 18.�c4 [/Jg4 19.f4 (if 19.f3 hh2+ 20.�h1 h5 21 .[/Je4 �c6+ - see how useful the rook on the h8-square is ! ; or 19.h3 �h2+ 20.�h1 [/Jxf2+ 21 . �xh2 [/Jxd1 22 .[/Jxd1 b5+ and Black's prospects are preferable) 19 . . . hf4 20 .�xf4 'iJ,xf4 21 .[/Je2 'iJ,e4 22 .[/Jxd4 'iJ,xd4 23.'iJ,xd4+

cxd4 24 .'iJ,d1 [/Je5 25.'iJ,xd4+ �c6=; Black maintains equality, thanks to his active pieces.

17 . • .ll:lc2! This is a concrete decision by

Black; he cannot solve his prob­lems just by playing positionally: 17 . . . �c6 18.�d3 ! (Black is better after 18 .�g5 [/Jc2 19.�xf6 gxf6 20.'iJ,e6 [/Jxa1 21 .�b5+ �c7 22 . [/Jd5+ �c8 23.'iJ,xd6 'iJ,d8+; the po­sition is equal after 18.'iJ,d1 'iJ,ad8 19 .�g5 h6 20.hf6 gxf6=) 18 . . . 'iJ,ae8 (if 18 . . . c4 19.[/Je2 ! cxd3 20 . [/Jxd4+ �d5 21 .[/Jf3±, Black's d3-pawn will soon be lost) 19 .�d2t and although Black's pieces are centralized, White has the advan­tage thanks to his two powerful bishops.

18.1Ml c!Llxa1 19 • .if4 (diagram)

19 • • • c!Lle8 ! This is the most precise way to

draw; the alternatives are not completely convincing :

If 19 . . . [/Jc2 20.'iJ,xd6+ �e7 21 . c!Lld5+ [/Jxd5 22 .'iJ,xd5t White's po­sition is possibly preferable.

After 19 .. . 'iJ,ad8 20.'iJ,xd6+ �e7

155

Chapter 20

2 1 .E:e6+ l!?d7, White has the rath­er risky try: 22 .E:e5 ! ? a6! 23.ifl E:he8 24.E:xc5oo, with rather un­clear consequences.

2 0 )L!e4 It is again a draw after the

transposition of moves 20 .lt:Jb5 E:d8 21 .lt:Jxd6 lt:Jxd6 22 .E:xd6+ l!?e7 23.E:e6+ l!?d7=

2 0 .. J:;ds 21.lt:Jxd6 After 21 ..ig5 E:a8 22 .E:xal lt>c7+

White's compensation for the ex­change is insufficient.

21 .. .lL!xd6 22.:Sxd6+ l!?e7 23.:Se6+ l!?d7=

White must take the draw by perpetual check.

Conclusion The variation with 9 .c4 which we have analysed in this chapter

does not present a serious danger to Black, as long as he is well pre­pared and understands the main ideas. I believe that in the key vari­ation 9 ... ltJ f6 lO .ltJc3 h./3 ll.Wff xj3 lt:J xd4 12.Wff dl, after 12 ... dxc4! Black equalizes even more convincingly than with the the more popu­lar move 12 ... ltJ e6 , especially since there are fewer lines to memorize.

156

Chapter 21 l.e4 e5 2)ij£J l!Jf6 3.l!Jxe5 d6 4.l!J£J l!Jxe4 5.d4 d5 6.i.d3 l!Jc6 7. 0 - 0 i.e7 8.l!Jc3

This variation was the cause of serious worries for Black for a long period of time. It is still quite popular, but the situation is dif­ferent now, because Black has found reliable ways of obtaining an acceptable position. White is willing to slightly weaken his pawn-structure, but in return he gains a lead in development, which can even be increased in the future, because Black will have to redeploy his knight from the c6-square. It turns out to be misplaced there, since White's pawn-chain c3-d4 hampers its mobility and Black will need time to improve its position.

8 . . . c!Llxc3 The other popular theoretical

line here is: 8 . . . �f5 9J'\el li:lxc3 10. bxc3 hd3 11.'&xd3 0-0t, but this seems to me to be much riskier for Black.

9.bxc3 .ig4 If 9 . . . 0-0, then 10.h3 !t and

Black's light-squared bishop is de­prived of any active squares to go to.

Now White's most popular al­ternative is the natural develop­ing move A) 1 0 .!'le1, but lately he has been playing more and more often B) 1 0 .!'lb1, intending to fol­low another scheme of develop­ment.

For 10.�f4 0-0 1U l:e1 - see 10 .!'\el.

For 10 .h3 �h5 1U l:b1 !'lb8 -see 10.!'lb1 !'lb8 11.h3 �h5.

157

Chapter 21

A) l O .�el 0 - 0 ll . .if4 Here, after ll .l"lb1, Black

should play, not ll . . . l"lb8, which transposes to the variation 10.l"lb1 l"lb8 1l .l"le1 0-0, but ll . . . b6! - re­inforcing his entire queenside for­mation, while White's rook on b1 turns out to be useless.

Black has several possibilities now and nearly all of them equal-ize : Al) ll . . . i.d6 , A2) ll . . . �b8 and A3) ll . . . i.h5.

Al) ll . . . i.d6 This move is a bit passive but

still reliable. 12.i.xd6 hf3 Black loses after 12 . . .'&xd6?

13 . .ixh7+ <;t>xh7 14.tt:lg5+ <;t>g6 15. �xg4 f5 16.�h4 l"lh8 17J':\e6+ �xe6 18.�xh8 l"lxh8 19.tt:lxe6+-

After 12 . . . cxd6, White has the strong reply 13.h3 ! (It is weaker to play 13.l"le3 �d7 14.h3 .ih5 15. �d2 . In the game Topalov - Gel­fand, Wijk aan Zee 2008, Black now played 15 . . . l"lae8 16.tt:lh4t, when White had a rather unpleas­ant initiative, so it was much bet­ter to continue with 15 . . . f5 !N. It

158

seems that this move solves all Black's problems. A possible con­tinuation is: 16.tt:lg5 l"lf6 17.f4 h6 18.tt:lf3 .ixf3 19J':\xf3 l"le8 20.l"le3 l"lxe3 2l .�xe3 l"le6 22 .�f3 tt:le7 23.c4 �a4 24 . .ixf5 tt:lxf5 25.�xd5 tt:lxd4 and here if 26.f5 tt:le2+ 27.<;t>h1 tt:lf4+ White is even slight­ly worse, while after 26.�xd4 �c2 27.�d5 �e4= it all ends in a draw.) 13 . . . .ih5 14.l"lb1 �d7 15.g4 ! .ig6 16.tt:lh4!± - White has the ini­tiative.

13.�xf3 The endgame is about equal

after 13 . .ixc7 .ixd1 14 . .ixd8 .ixc2 15 . .ixc2 l"lfxd8=

13 . . . �xd6

14.�e3 14.h4 l"lae8 15.h5 l"le6 16.g3

l"lfe8 17.l"lxe6 l"lxe6 18.<;t>g2 tt:le7= Ivanchuk - Huzman, Ohrid 2009.

White has tried 14.l"lb1 here, but it does not seem sensible to provoke b7-b6. After 14 . . . b6 15.l"le3 l"lae8 16.l"lbe1, Svetushkin - Haba, Germany 2009, Black can opt for 16 . . . l"le7 ! , as in the game Grischuk - Kramnik from the main line, except for the in-

4 .Ci::Jj3 4J xe4 5.d4 d5 6 .fi.d3 CiJc6 7.0 -0 fi. e7 8.4J c3 CiJxc3 9 .bxc3 fi.g 4

elusion of the useful move b7-b6. 14 . . . gae8 15.gael

15 . . . ge7! This excellent idea comes from

Vladimir Kramnik and it practi­cally equalizes the game.

If 15 .. J''i:xe3 16J''i:xe3 g6 17.h4 4Jb8 18.h5 4Jd7, then after19.g4 !t Leko - Kasimdzhanov, Nalchik 2009, White has the e-file and ex­tra space on the kingside, so Black's defence will not be at all easy.

16.gxe7 4Jxe7 17.h4 gds ! Black plans to regroup his

forces with h7-h6, lt>g8-f8 and 4Je7-g8-f6.

18.c4 b6 19.c3 The variation 19 .1Mfe2 dxc4 20.

fi.xc4 4Jf5 21 .c3 g6= leads to equal­ity.

19 . . . h6 2 0 .cxd5 Black replies to the prophylac­

tic move 20.g3 with the consoli­dating move 20 . . . c6, after which it is hard to see how White can im­prove his position.

2 0 .. .tl)xd5 21.fi.c4 c6 22. ges, Grischuk - Kramnik, Kazan 2011 .

Here Black can equalize by force with 22 •.• b5 23 • .ib3 a5 24.g3 a4 25 . .b:d5 (after 25 .fi.c2, Black continues with 25 . . . Wa3 26.1Mid3 g6+ and White cannot hold on to his c3-pawn) 25 . • .

cxd5= . The position has been simplified and a draw is very like­ly.

A2) u . . . gbs

This amusing move was found by GM Alexander Motylev and it is not a bad one. The idea is for Black to play (say after 12 .!'lb1) 12 ... fi.d6 13 .fi.xd6 Wxd6 and now White does not have the move 14.fi.xh7+ because after 14 . . . \t>xh7 15.4Jg5 lt>g6 16.Wxg4 f5 17.Wh4

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Chapter 21

:§h8 18.:§e6 Wxe6 19.'&xh8 Wxg5 Black's rook on b8 is protected !

12.h3 For 12 .:§b1 id6 - see lO .:§bl. After the immediate 12 .:§e3 ,

Black has the surprising reply 12 . . . g5 ! 13.ig3 f5 14.ie5 lt:Jxe5 15. :§xeS id6 16.:§e1 c6+ and his posi­tion is in no way worse.

12 • • • .ih5

13.%Ye2 !N This is the only way for White

to create some problems for Black; the alternatives are harmless :

13.g4 ig6 14.ixg6 hxg6 (it is also good for Black to opt for 14 . . . fxg6 15.ig3 '&d7= with the idea of ie7-d6 and h7-h5) 15.'&d3 :§e8 16.:§ab1 '&d7 17.c4 dxc4 18.'&xc4 id6= Black has practically equal­ized, Bologan - Motylev, Poi­kovsky 2010;

13.:§e3 id6 14.ixd6 Wxd6 15. :§b1, Svidler - Motylev, Ohrid 2009. Here, Black played the rather tentative move 15 .. .f6 and after 16.c4 dxc4 17.ixc4+ Wh8 18.c3 he ended up in a very un­pleasant position. As is often the case in similar pawn-structures,

160

with a white rook on e3 it would have been very good for Black to continue with 15 . . .f5 ! . This pawn is ready to advance one square further, enhancing the effect of the pin on White's knight on f3 . We analyzed the same position by transposition after 10.:§b1 :§b8 11 .:§e1 0-0 12.if4 id6 13.ixd6 Wxd6 14.:§e3 f5 ! 15.h3 ih5.

13 • • • .id6 14.%Ye3

14 • • .l��e8 After Black's other options

White maintains a slight advan­tage, which is quite typical for this variation. He dominates the e-file and his bishop is much better than Black's knight: 14 . . . '&d7 15. ixd6 '&xd6 16.lt:Jh4 ig6 17.lt:Jxg6 hxg6 18.:§abU; 14 . . . ixf4 15.'&xf4 ixf3 16.'&xf3 '&d6±

15.%Yxe8+ '&xeS 16.:§xe8+ 1!xe8 17 • .h:d6 cxd6 18 • .!Llh4 .ig6 19 • .!Llxg6

(diagram) 19 • • • fxg6! This is not a very obvious

move; the idea is to be able to bring the king closer to the dou­bled central pawns.

4 .4Jj3 4J xe4 5.d4 d5 6 .i. d3 4J c6 7.0 -0 �e7 8.4J c3 4J xc3 9 .bxc3 fJ. g4

After the natural line: 19 . . . hxg6 20 .l'!b1 b6 21 .�fU White maintains the pressure.

2 0 .�fl �t7 2U�bl b6 22 . .ib5

It is essential for White to force the enemy rook away from the e8-square, in order to be able to bring his king closer to the cen­tre.

22 . . J:k8 23.�e2 4Ja5 24. �d3 gc7 25.f4 ge7 26.g4 �f6=

Black is simply waiting. White's position is slightly more pleasant, but he has practically no chances of achieving anything meaningful from his tiny edge.

A3) ll . . . i.h5

12.gbl It is bad for White to play

12 .l'!e3, Karjakin - Macieja, ACP Blitz 2004, in view of 12 . . . g5 ! 13. ig3 f5 14.fJ.e5 g4 15.4Jd2 4Jxe5 16. !'!xeS fJ.d6+

12 . . . gbs

13.�e2 Just as before, it is unfavoura­

ble for White to try to get rid of the pin on the knight with the help of the rook, because after 13.l'!e3 Black has the powerful ri­poste 13 . . . g5 ! 14.1J.g3 f5 15.i.e5 g4 16.4Jd2 4Jxe5 17.l'!xe5 id6+

If 13.h3 id6 14.hd6 �xd6 15.l'!e3 f5 ! = and by transposition of moves we have again reached the position arising from the vari-

161

Chapter 21

ation 10.Ei:b1 Ei:b8 11.Ei:e1 0-0 12 . if4 id6 13.ixd6 '&xd6 14.Ei:e3 fS 15.h3 ihS.

13 • • • .id6 14.'&e3 �d7 It is rather dubious for Black

to play 14 .. .f6 15.ixd6 '&xd6 16. lLlh4 Ei:fe8 17.'&h3±

White obtains a normal slight edge, which is just what he is striving for in this variation, after 14 . . . hf4 15.'&xf4 ixf3 16.'&xf3 '&d6 17.Ei:e3 g6 18 .h4± Sasikiran -Wang Yue, Visakhapatnam 2008.

15.hd6 The line : 15.lLle5 heS 16.dxe5

ig6 17.hg6 hxg6 18.Ei:bd1 '&e6= leads to an approximately equal position, Smeets - Gelfand, Nice 2010.

15.lLlg5 h6 16.lLlh3 ig6 !N (It is weaker for Black to play here 16 . . . ig4 17.'&g3 hh3 18 .hd6 cxd6 19 .'&xh3 '&xh3 20.gxh3 EI:fd8 21 . Ei:bS �f8 22 .Ei:eb1 b6 23.Ei:xd5 Ei:bc8 24.c4 �e7, Bacrot - Wang Yue, Nanjing 2010. White now avoided a fight with 25.Ei:e1 + �f8 26.Ei:b1= , but he could have tried 25.�g2±, since the immediate attack on the c4-pawn would not solve Black's

162

problems after 25 . . . lLla5 26.Ei:e1+ �f8 27.c5 dxcS 28.Ei:xd8+ Ei:xd8 29.dxc5 bxcS 30.Ei:e5 Ei:c8 31 .ib5± and White maintains a clear ad­vantage.) 17.'&g3 hd3 18 .hd6 '&xd6 19.'&xd6 cxd6 20.cxd3 bS 21 .lLlf4 (there remains nothing to fight for after 21 .a3 aS 22 .lLlf4 b4 23.axb4 axb4=) 21 . . .b4 22 .lLlxd5 bxc3 23.CLlxc3 CLlxd4 24.lLle4 dS 25.lLlc3 Ei:xb1 26.Ei:xb1 Ei:c8 27. lLlxdS Ei:c2 28 .a4 Ei:a2= with an im­minent draw in sight.

15 .. .'�xd6 16.tl:lh4 .ig6 17. tl:lxg6 hxg6 18.h4

The move 18 .'&g3= leads to an equal endgame, draw, Bologan ­Gelfand, Khanty-Mansiysk 2010.

18 • • • a6! Black's idea is to continue with

b7-b5. 19.a4 tl:la5 2 0 .g3 '&c6 21.

'&g5, Fressinet - Li Chao, Wijk aan Zee 2011 .

Here, in order to maintain the balance, Black needed to play 21. .J"ife8 ! , for example: 22.�g2 (The idea of this move is after h4-h5 to redeploy the rook to the h­file for an attack) 22 • • • gxel

4Jijf3 CiJxe4 5 . d4 d5 6 . iJ. d3 CiJc6 7. 0 -0 JJ. e7 8. CiJc3 CiJxc3 9 . bxc3 JJ. g4

23.gxel �xc3 24.ge7 �xd4 25. gxc7 CiJc6 26.f4 �c5 27.gd7 (27.�g4 �d8 28.f5 - 28.�xb7 CiJb4+ - 28 . . . �d6 29.�xb7 CiJe5=) 27 . • . CiJb4 28.�e5 CiJxd3 29. �xb8+ mh7 3 0 .cxd3 �c2+ 31.mh3 �xd3= White cannot avoid the perpetual check.

B) l O .gbl

It is considered useful to at­tack the b7-pawn, forcing Black to make an awkward move with his rook. Later, White can transfer his own rook to the kingside, via the b3- or b5- squares (naturally, after clearing the third rank by advancing c3-c4).

1 o ... gbs u.gel Black is in no danger after

ll .h3 JJ.h5 12 .g4 (12.�e1 - see 11. �e1 0-0 12 .h3 JJ.h5; 12 .iJ.f5 0-0 13 .�d3 JJ.g6 14.�e1 - see 10 .�b1 �b8 1l .�e1 0-0 12 .h3 iJ.h5 13.JJ.f5 JJ.g6 14.�d3 ; after 12.c4, Black's simplest reaction would be 12 . . . CiJxd4 13.g4 CiJxf3 14.�xf3 iJ.g6=) 13.CiJe5 hd3 14.ti:lxd3 0-0 15.�f3 CiJa5 16.iJ.f4, Kamsky - Inarkiev, Jermuk 2009. Black's simplest

and most natural way to equalize would be 16 . . . CiJc4. After 17.�fe1, Black can play 17 . . . iJ.d6 ! , equaliz­ing, because the d5-pawn would be taboo; if 18.Wxd5, Black has the tactical shot 18 . . . CiJd2 !+

11 •• • 0 - 0

12.h3 White has also tried develop­

ing his bishop to f4 in this posi­tion : 12 .JJ.f4 iJ.d6 13.iJ.xd6 Wxd6 14. �e3 (for 14.h3 JJ.h5 15.�e3 f5 ! -see 14.�e3 f5 ! 15.h3 JJ.h5)

14 . . . f5 ! The idea of this move is very simple. After f5-f4, the pin on the knight will be very unpleas­ant. 15.h3 (It is also possible for White to play 15.�e1, with the idea of continuing with iJ.d3-e2 , in or­der to get rid of the pin and later

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Chapter 21

exploit the vulnerability of the eS and e6-squares, caused by the move f7-f5. In that particular case, Black can solve all his prob­lems with 15 . . . b6 ! = , freeing the rook from the defence of the b7-pawn and planning to continue with Elbe8) 15 . . . ih5 16.We1 (16. We2? ! Elf6 17.Elae1, Brkic - Huz­man, Plovdiv 2008 and after the all-purpose fortifying move 17 . . . Elbf8 ! , Black obtains an even more pleasant position) 16 . . .f4 17.Ele6 Wd7 18 .ib5 hf3 19.hc6 bxc6 20.Elxb8 Elxb8 2l .Ele7 WfS 22 . Ele8+ (after 22 .gxf3 , i t would be quite safe for Black to play simply 22 . . . h6= , securing an escape square for the king on h7) 22 . . . Elxe8 23 .Wxe8+ WfB 24.We6+ Wf7 25.Wc8+ Wf8 26.We6= with a draw by perpetual check.

Black's other possible re­sponses to 14.Ele3 fail to solve his problems:

14 . . . Wd7 15.h3 ifS 16.hf5 WxfS 17.We2± and thanks to his total domination of the d-file, White maintains dangerous pres­sure, Naiditsch - Murdzia, Ger­many 2011 ;

if 14 . . . ih5 15.Wd2 f6 White should continue, not with the rou­tine move 16.c4 , which after 16 . . . dxc4 17.hc4+ lt>h8 18.c3 h£3 19.gxf3 tt:JeS= leads to approxi­mate equality, but with 16.tt:Jh4!t and White maintains a dangerous initiative, which will require very precise play from Black to neu­tralize.

14 . . . f6 15.h3 (1S.c4 dxc4 16.

164

hc4+ lt>h8 17.c3 tt:Je7 18.h3 ifS=) 15 . . . ih5

16.c4 (White cannot create any dangerous threats with 16.We2, because after 16 . . . Wd7 17.g4 if7 18.tt:Jh4 Elfe8 19.tt:Jf5 Elxe3 20. Wxe3 Ele8= Black successfully solves all his problems, Anand -Gelfand, Monaco 2006) 16 . . . dxc4 (if 16 . . . tt:Jxd4 17.hh7+ \t>xh7 18. Wxd4 if7 19.c5t Black's king is very weak, thanks to which White initiative develops effortlessly) 17.hc4+ lt>h8 18.c3:t with a bet­ter position for White, Svidler -Motylev, Ohrid 2009.

12 . . . .ih5

13 . .if5 The move 13.g4 only creates

additional weaknesses, so it is not

4.tiJj3 CiJxe4 5 .d4 d5 6 . i. d3 CiJc6 7. 0 -0 i.e7 8. CiJc3 CiJxc3 9 . bxc3 i.g4

at all dangerous. After 13 . . . i.g6 14.i.f4 i.d6 15.�d2 CiJe7 (15 . . . �d7=) 16.CiJe5 .bd3 17.CiJd3 CiJc8 (17 . . . CiJg6 18 . .bd6 �xd6 19.f4 f5 20 .g5 c5=) 18.CiJe5? ! (it would be more prudent for White to con­tinue with 18J''1e2=) 18 . . . CiJb6+ Black's position was even more pleasant in the game Gashimov -Illescas Cordoba, Barcelona 2007.

In Solak - Istratescu, Dresden 2008, White played 13.c4 ! ? dxc4 (An endgame a pawn down arises after 13 . . . CiJxd4 14 . .bh7+ <;t>xh7 15.�xd4 i.f6 16.�xd5 �xd5 17. cxd5 .bf3 18.gxf3 :8fd8 19.c4 b5 20 .:8e4± and it would be far from easy for Black to save the game.) 14.hc4 i.d6 (if 14 . . . hf3 15.�xf3 CiJxd4 16.�e4 i.c5 17.:8xb7 :8xb7 18.i.d3 g6 19 .�xb7 CiJe6 20 .�e4± White maintains a slight edge, and the same is true of the varia­tion 14 . . . b5 15.:8xb5 :8xb5 16.hb5 hf3 17.�xf3 CiJxd4 18 .�e4 CiJxb5 19.�xe7 CiJd4 20 .�e4± - White's bishop is better than his oppo­nent's knight in a position with play on both wings, so Black can­not equalize) 15.c3

Now Black's most precise

move seems to be the developing 15 . . . :8e8 (In the above-mentioned game there followed 15 . . . a6 16. i.d3 b5; Here White can play 17. a4 ! b4 18 .i.d2 !± creating definite problems for his opponent, be­cause in many variations Black's knight on c6 has no comfortable squares to go to) 16.ie3 (16. :8xe8+ �xe8 17.ie3 CiJe7= ; 16. :8e3 ! ? h6 17.id3 :8xe3 18 .he3 CiJe7 19.c4 c6=) 16 . . . h6 17.id3 �f6= with equality.

13 . . . .ig6 14.'1Wd3

14 . . . .hf5!N The alternatives for Black are

less convincing. It is bad for him to opt for 14 . . .

�d6 15.hg6 hxg6 16.c4 dxc4 17. �xc4 and his queen on d6 is mis­placed in many different varia­tions, for example : 17 . . . i.f6, Su­tovsky - Zhou Weiqi, Khanty­Mansiysk 2009, 18.d5 ! CiJe5 19. CiJxe5 he5 20.:8b3 :8fe8 21 .:8be3±

Black holds his position by a miracle after 14 . . . a6 15.hg6 hxg6 16.c4 (otherwise Black plays b7-b5) 16 . . . dxc4 17.�xc4 i.f6

165

Chapter 21

18 .1f4 (18.d5 tt:Jas 19 .mrd3 b5= ; if 18 .c3 , then not 18 .. J'fe8, because of 19.1f4;t and he must reckon with the threat d4-d5, but 1S . . . mrd7 19 .1g5 bs 2o.mrcs mrd6 21 .mrxd6 cxd6 22 .1f4 Effd8=) 18 . . . li'lxd4 19.tt:lxd4 mrxd4 20 .mrxd4 1xd4 2 1.1xc7 Efbe8 22 .Efed1 1c5 23.Efd5 b6, Efimenko - Li Chao, Wijk aan Zee 2011 . White can continue here with 24.a4 ! (the above-mentioned game contin­ued 24.1xb6 hb6 25.Efxb6 Efe1 + 26.'tt>h2 Efe2= and it ended imme­diately in a draw) 24 . . . Efc8 25.1xb6 1xb6 26.Efxb6 Efxc2 27. Efxa6 Efe8 28.Efd4 g5 29.Efg4;t, White maintained some winning chances, but with correct defence Black should be able to draw.

It is quite possible to play 14 . . . li'la5.

Now White would not achieve

166

much with 15.4Je5 1d6 16.1f4 (16. li'ld7 Efe8 17.1d2 Efxe1+ 18.Efxe1 Efa8=) 16 . . . c6 (With this move Black secures the c7-square for his queen) 17.1xg6 fxg6 ! (after 17 . . . hxg6 it would be problematic for him to advance f7-f6) 18 .1g3 mrc7 19.Efe2 Efbe8 20.Efbe1 1xe5 2l .Efxe5 mrf7= . A continuation presenting more danger to Black is 15.1f4 tt:lc4 16.tt:le5! (After 16. Efe2 Black can play 16 . . . 1f6 and the position simplifies to equality after both 17.tt:ld2 tt:lxd2 18 .1xd2 Efe8= and 17.li'lh2 1g5 ! 18.1xg6 fxg6 19.1xg5 mrxg5=) 16 . . . 1d6 17. 1xg6 hxg6 18 .1g3 ! White is able to maintain the tension with this move (18.li'lxc4 dxc4 19.mrf3 b5 20. 1xd6 cxd6 2 1 .mrds mraS=) but af­ter 18 . . . 1xe5 19.dxe5 Efe8 20.Efed1 ttJ b6;t Black plans to transfer his queen to the blockading square e6. White has only a minimal ad­vantage in this complicated posi­tion, thanks to his extra space.

15.�xf5 b5!

It is essential for Black to de­prive his opponent of the possibil­ity of c3-c4. As well as controlling

4.liJj3 ti'J xe4 5 .d4 d5 6 . Jid3 ti'J c6 7. 0 -0 ii e7 8. ti'J c3 ti'J xc3 9 . bxc3 Ji g4

the c4-square, Black has the pos­sibility of preparing the break­through b5-b4, activating his forces on the queenside.

16.Jif4 g6 17JWg4 Jid6 18. ge2 .ixf4 19JWxf4

19 .•. 'it>g7! It is very important not to let

White's queen go to the h6-square, because in that case Black will have to weaken his pawn-

structure. After 19 . . . '\Wd6 20 .'\Wh6 f6 21 .

l':\bel '\Wd7 22 .'\Wf4, Black still has problems to worry about.

2 0 .gbel �d6=

Black equalizes, because after 21.�g4 he has the strong reply 21. . .gb6 ! , with the idea of con­tinuing with l':\b6-a6, reminding White that he has numerous weaknesses on the queenside.

Conclusion The variation beginning with 8. ti'Jc3 is very problematic for Black

and requires very precise play from him to maintain equality. It is essential to remember that if White tries to get rid of the pin on his j3-knight with the help of the move l':\ el-e3, then it is almost always good for Black to play j7-f5!, seizing the initiative on the king side. Strange­ly enough, this resource, even under the most favourable circum­stances, has been generally ignored by Black.

167

Chapter 22 l.e4 e5 2 .�f3 �f6 3.�xe5 d6 4.�f3 �xe4 5.d4 d5 6.J.d3 �c6 7. 0 - 0 J.e7 8.c4

8 . . .tbb4 The move 8 . . . tt:lf6 is also quite

well regarded by theory; Black is trying to gain secure control over the d5-square.

Black sometimes plays 8 . . . �g4, but White can continue with the following unpleasant varia­tion: 9.cxd5 Wxd5 10.tt:lc3 tt:lxc3 11. bxc3 0-0 12.l"i:bl hf3 (12 .. . �d6 13 .�e4 Wh5 14.h3±) 13.Wxf3 Wxf3 14.gxf3:t and thanks to his two powerful bishops, White maintains a slight but stable advantage.

In this chapter we shall ana­lyse A) 9.cxd5 and B) 9J�el.

If White allows his bishop to be exchanged without creating any immediate threats, Black has every reason to be happy with the position after for example 9.tt:lc3

168

tt:lxc3 10.bxc3 tt:lxd3 ll.Wxd3 dxc4 12.Wxc4 0-0+. White's central pawns are harmless, while Black's bishop-pair might become a pow­erful force.

It is not sensible for White to exchange his bishop for the cen­tralized enemy knight: 9.he4 dxe4 10.tt:le5 0-0 ll .a3 (it is even worse for him to opt for ll .tt:lc3 f6 12 .tt:lg4 tt:ld3+) ll . . .tt:lc6 12.tt:lxc6 bxc6 13.tt:lc3 f5+ and Black's pros­pects are again preferable, owing to his powerful bishop-pair.

In the next chapter we shall deal with the retreat of White's bishop 9.�e2, which is a very sol­id move and the main line of this variation.

A) 9.cxd5

4 .CiJ.f3 CiJxe4 5.d4 d5 6 .1J.. d3 CiJc6 7.0 -0 � e7 B . c4 CiJb4

This is a very sharp and con­crete move which leads to a long forcing line. White is willing to part with his light-squared bishop and he allows its possible ex­change. In return he gains the e­file, on which he plans to organize an attack against the enemy king, which has not yet castled.

9 .. .tbxd3 1 0 . ibd3 ti'xd5

11.ge1 White exerts pressure along

the e-file and attacks the knight on e4; this is the only way for him to justify his positional conces­sion on move nine.

If he plays less ambitiously, then after 1l .Ci:Jc3 Ci:Jxc3 12.bxc3 0-0 13.c4 Wf5+, Black's prospects are slightly better.

ll . . . if5 (diagram)

12.g4 The idea of this move is to

force the enemy bishop to go to g6, so that Black cannot plug the open e-file with �f5-e6.

White's alternatives here can­not provide him with anything more than equality:

12 .Ci:Je5 0-0-0! (this move is much more promising for Black than the more popular 12 . . . g6) 13.Wf3 g6 14.g4 (It would be more prudent for White to play here 14.Ci:Jc3 Ci:Jxc3 15.bxc3 Wxf3 16. gxf3 .ie6 17.Ci:Jxf7 h£7 18J'l:xe7 l'!d7= with simplification and a draw.) .

Here, Black can choose be­tween two attractive possibilities :

14 . . . .ib4 15.l'!e3 (In the game Adams - Smeets, London 2009 White made a terrible blunder, which is hardly surprising in such a sharp and complicated position: 15.l'!e2? hg4 16.Ci:Jxg4 Ci:Jc3 17.Wxd5 Ci:Jxe2+ 18.mfl l'!xd5 19.\t>xe2 l'!xd4 20 .Ci:Je3 l'!h4 2l .Ci:Jf1 .id6-+ - and after the further loss of his h2-pawn White went

169

Chapter 22

on to lose the game.) 15 . . . \Wxd4 16.gxf5 tt:Jg5 17.\We2 �d6 18.';t> fl \Wf4 19.tLld3 \Wxf5oo - The position arising is tremendously difficult to evaluate, since there are so many possibilities to consider.

14 .. J'1hg8 ! I believe this is a very good move for Black; it indi­rectly protects the bishop on f5. 15 .gxf5 (If White does not cap­ture the bishop, he will simply be left with too many kingside weaknesses to worry about: 15. tt:Jc3 tt:Jxc3 16.\Wxc3 �d7 17.�f4 �d6+) 15 . . . �b4N 16J''le3 gxf5+ 17. Wf1 (17.Wh1?? tt:Jxf2#) 17 . . . \We6 18. tt:Jd3 (18.a3 �d6---+) 18 . . J''lxd4 19. tt:Jxb4 l"lxb4 20.tt:Jc3 l"ld4 21 .l"le1 \Wg6 (Black has an alternative here in 21 . . .\Wc4+ 22 .tLle2 l"ld6---+ , with numerous threats .) 22 . tt:Jxe4 l"lxe4 23.l"lxe4 fxe4+ -Black's attack is extremely dan­gerous and there are too many annoying checks lurking on all sides.

12.tLlc3 tt:Jxc3 13.\Wxc3 �e6

14.l"leS (After White's routine developing move 14.�f4 Black can simply complete his development with 14 . . . 0-0+, or else play 14 . . . �d6 1S.hd6 cxd6+ and in both

170

cases he has no problems whatso­ever. If White becomes greedy and gobbles up the pawn, then he will end up in a very passive posi­tion with "bad" pieces. 14.\Wxc7 �d6 1S.\Wc3. White will not change anything by retreating the queen to c2, because Black can simply castle and then bring his rooks into action. 1S . . . O-O� - Black has two powerful bishops and a per­fect blockade on dS, and he also dominates the c-file, all of which adds up to excellent compensa­tion for the pawn, Mihalcisin -Pavasovic, Portoroz 200S.) 14 . . . \Wc6 1S.\WaS (1S.\Wxc6 bxc6= Black has no problems, thanks to his bishop-pair and the dS-outpost. The position is equal after 1S.\We1 0-0-0 16.�gS �xgS 17.tt:JxgS l"lxd4 18.tt:Jxe6 fxe6 19.l"lxe6 \Wb5=) 1S . . . l"ld8 16.�f4 (16.�gS hgS 17.tt:JxgS 0-0 18.tt:Jxe6 fxe6 19. \Wc3= , draw, Vallejo Pons - Ka­simdzhanov, San Sebastian 2009) 16 .. . 0-0 17.l"lc1 \Wb6 18.l"lbS \WxaS 19.l"lxaS l"la8 20 .d5 �d7 21 .tLleS �d6 (2l . . .�e8 22 .l"lxc7 �b4 23. tt:Jc4 haS 24.tt:JxaSoo) 22 .�g3 he5 23.he5 c6= Naiditsch -Kramnik, Dresden 2008.

12 . . . .ig6 13.tt:Jc3 It is bad for White to play 13.

tt:JeS, for example : 13 . . . tt:Jxf2 14. \Wg3 tt:Je4 1S.tt:Jc3 \Wxd4 16.�e3 \Wd6 17.tt:Jxe4 he4 18.l"lad1 �d5 19.b4 b6 20 .�f4 0-0+ - He can­not create any real threats, while the variation 21 .tLlf3 \Wd7 22 .l"lxd5 \WxdS 23.l"lxe7 aS+ leads to an ad­vantage for Black.

4 . liJ.f3 liJxe4 5 . d4 d5 6 . �d3 liJc6 7.0 - 0 �e7 8.c4 liJb4

13 •• .l!)xc3 14.�xc3 f6!

This is the most reliable move. Black secures the f7-square for his king and simultaneously deprives his opponent's pieces of the e5-square.

15 • .if4 We must examine White's al­

ternatives here : 15.b3 lt>f7 16.�xc7 Ei:he8 17.

�c4 '&xc4 18.bxc4 b6+ - White's pawn-centre is so unstable that Black's position is preferable, de­spite the absence of a pawn, Zhang Penqxiang - Motylev, Shanghai 2001 (game 18).

15.liJh4 lt>f7 16.'&xc7 Ei:he8 17. liJxg6 hxg6 18.�f4 Ei:ad8 19.Ei:ad1 Ei:d7 20.'&c3 g5 21 .�g3 �d8 22 . Ei:xe8 lt>xe8= Black transferred his bishop to the b6-square and drew effortlessly, Adams - Smeets, Wijk aan Zee 2009;

15.'&xc7 0-0 16.Ei:xe7 '&xf3 17. Ei:xg7+ lt>h8 18.�h6 Wxg4+ 19.'&g3 '&xd4 20.Ei:xg6 hxg6= Anand - I . Sokolov, Dortmund 1999.

15 ••• 1t>t7 16.h4 16.Ei:e3 Ei:he8 17.Ei:ae1 c6+

White's attack reaches a dead

end, while the chronic pawn­weaknesses in his camp remain.

16.'&xc7 Ei:he8 17.liJh4 �e4 18. liJf5 hf5 19.gxf5 Ei:ad8=

16 . . . h5

17J�xc7 After 17.gxh5, Black's best

move is 17 . . . �f5 ! (or 17 . . . hh5 and 18.'&xc7 Ei:he8 19.liJg5+ fxg5 20 . hg5 - White wins a pawn, but his chances of realising it are only minimal) 18.Wxc7 Ei:he8 19.'&c3 (This move is necessary, because White's knight is hanging and Black is also threatening Ei:a8-c8.) 19 . . . Ei:ac8 20.'&b3 �e6+ and in the ensuing endgame Black will de­ploy his bishop on d5, dominating the entire board.

White fails to achieve much with 17.Ei:e5 fxe5 (Black can also retreat with 17 . . . '&d7=, intending to continue with �e7-d6) 18.liJxe5 lt>g8 19.liJxg6 '&e4 20.'&b3+ lt>h7 21 .gxh5 Ei:he8 22 .�e5 '&f5+ - Black can continue playing without any risk, because he has at least a per­petual check at any moment.

17 •• J�he8 18.liJg5+ fxg5 19. .ixg5

171

Chapter 22

19 • • .'f1U'3 In the game Radjabov - Kram­

nik, Nice 2009, Black chose 19 . . . �g8t, acquiescing to a position a pawn down. However, that did not prevent the ex-world champi­on from drawing easily.

Black has another interesting alternative here in 19 . . . �e4 20. �ac1 �h1 (after 20 . . . b6, White has the cold-blooded reply 21 .�c3 !±, with the very powerful threat of �ce3) 21 .�xe7+ �xe7 22 .'1Wxe7+ �g8 23.f3 hf3 24.'1We5 hxg4 25. �c7 \Wxe5 26.dxe5 �e8= and this should also lead to a draw.

2 0 .gxe7+ 20.he7 he4 21 .�g5+ �g8

22 .'1Wh2 '1Wxg4+ 23 .'1Wg3 '1Wd7= Black has very active play on the light squares and, despite White's extra pawn, the draw seems inevi­table.

2 o . . . gxe7 21.'1Wxe7+ �g8 22.'1We6+ �h7 23.gel ges 24. .ie7 gxe7 25. '1Wxe7 '1Wxg4= Black has perpetual check.

B) 9.gel This move is played with the

same idea of exerting pressure

172

along the e-file, just as in varia­tion A, but here the game is much quieter.

9 . . . c!Llxd3 1 0 .tbd3 c6 11. cxd5 cxd5

12 .'�'b5+ Before placing his queen on

b3, from where it attacks Black's pawns on b7 and d5, White wish­es to force the enemy queen to oc­cupy the d7-square, hampering the development of his light­squared bishop.

12 . . . '1Wd7 13.'1Wb3 0 - 0 (diagram)

14.c!Llc3 The alternatives are not at all

dangerous for Black:

4 . 4J j3 Ci:J xe4 5.d4 d5 6 . :i d3 Ci:J c6 7. 0 - 0 �e7 8.c4 Ci:J b4

14.Ci:Je5 �d8 15.f3 Ci:Jd6 ! This knight is much better deployed here than on f6. 16.Ci:Jc3 �e6 17. if4 l"le8 18.l"lad1 �b6 19.Ci:Jxd5 �xb3 20.Ci:Jxe7+ l"lxe7 21 .axb3 hb3=, draw, Anand - Kramnik, Linares 1999 ;

14.Ci:Jbd2 if6 1S.Ci:Jxe4 dxe4 16. l"lxe4 �fS 17.l"lf4 �hS 18.ie3 b6 19.d5 (in the game Ponomariov ­Motylev, Ohrid 2001, White con­tinued with 19.Ci:Je5= and the op­ponents agreed to a draw) 19 . . . ib7 20 .l"ld1 l"lad8 21 .d6 l"ld7 22 . id4 �h6 23.ie3 �hS= ;

14.if4 b 6 1S.Ci:Je5 �b7 16.Ci:Jc3 ie6= Peng Xiaomin - Motylev, Shanghai 2001.

14 .• )Lixc3 15.bxc3

Black can play here either Bl) 15 . • J�d8, which involves an abso­lutely correct positional pawn­sacrifice, or he can allow the ex­change of his dark-squared bish­op with B2) 15 . . . :i3e8; in princi­ple this exchange is undesirable, although nothing serious to worry about. In both cases the position remains about equal and the choice is just a matter of taste and style.

Bl) 15 . .• :i3d8 16 . .ia3 White must try to exchange

the dark-squared bishops, other­wise Black's defence will be very simple : 16.Ci:Je5 �d6 17.a4 �a6 18.h3 ie6=

16 . . . .if6 17.:i3e3

17 .•• �c7! This is an excellent positional

move. Black gives up his dS-pawn, but preserves his bishop-pair and blockades his opponent's isolated pawn-couple. In addition, White is left with a "bad" bishop on a3.

The move 17 . . . �c6 is sufficient for Black to hold the draw, despite

173

Chapter 22

the fact that his position looks a bit ugly, since his light-squared bishop is restricted by the pawn on d5. 18 .�e7 �e8

19.�ae1 (19 . .bf6 �xe3 20 .fxe3 gxf6= Black has doubled pawns but his counterplay, mostly based on the pressure on the c-file against the backward enemy pawn, is quite adequate.) 19 . . . .be7 (19 . . . �xe7 20.Ei:xe7 .be7 21 . E\xe7 f6 2 2 .ttJe1 b6= Kritz - Ma­cieja, Warsaw 2005) 20 .Ei:xe7 �d7 21 .h3 f6 22 .�a3 a6 (It is much more active for him to play 22 . . . b6 ! , with the idea of playing a7-a5, placing his pawns on dark­squares, as is appropriate with a light-squared bishop on the board.) 23 .ttJd2 Ei:xe7 24.Ei:xe7 Ei:e8 25.ttJfl Ei:xe7 26.�xe7 �e6 27. �d8+ �e8 28.�b6 �c6= . Black's g7- and f6- pawns cover the dark squares perfectly and he main­tained the balance in the game Topalov - Kramnik, Las Vegas 1999.

18.\!bd5 i.e6 19.e'b5 In the endgame arising after

19.�c5 �xeS 20.hc5 b6 2l .�b4 Ei:ac8= Black has no problems at all ; moreover White has so many

174

weaknesses in his camp that he must play very accurately to hold the balance.

19 . . . �ac8

Black's compensation for the pawn is sufficient, as tournament practice has confirmed.

2 0 .h3 h6 21.e'e2 2l.�b2 b6 22 .Ei:ae1 �c4 23.

E\1e2 �a4 24.cj;lh2 Ei:d5 25.�b4=, draw, Topalov - Adams, Dort­mund 2 001 .

21. . . e'c4 22.e'el e'a6 23. i.cl e'c6 24.i.d2 = , draw, Leko ­Gelfand, Moscow 2008.

B2) 15 . . . �e8

16.i.a3

4Jijf3 CiJxe4 5 . d4 d5 6 . � d3 CiJc6 7. 0 -0 �e7 8 . c4 CiJb 4

After 16.CiJe5, Black can retreat with his queen to c7, obtaining adequate compensation for the d5-pawn, or to the dB-square, not forcing the issue for the moment. His simplest move however is 16 . . . �f6, aiming for an equal posi­tion with bishops of opposite col­ours on the board.

16 . . . .ixa3 17.�xa3 b6 Black's light-squared bishop is

restricted by the d5-pawn, so Black should try to deploy his pawns on dark squares.

It is almost equally good for him to continue with 17 . . .f6 18. �xe8+ �xe8 19.�e1 �c6=

18.h3 18.�ab1 �xe1 + (It would be a

blunder for Black to play 18 . . . �d8? 19.�xe8+ �xeS 20.l"\xb6 �g4 21 .l"\b7 hf3 2 2 .gxf3± and White realised his extra pawn in the game Anand - Giri , Monaco 2011.) 19.l"\xe1 �c6 (with 19 .. .f6 20 .l"\e7 �c6= Black also main-

tains equality, despite his position not looking completely safe.) 20 . CiJe5 (20 .l"\e7 f6 21 .h3 a5=) 20 . . . �c7 2 1 .c4 �e6 22 .c5 bxc5 23.dxc5 d4=. Black's passed d4-pawn is sufficient to counter-balance White's passed c5-pawn.

18 . . . h6 Or 18 .. .f6 19.l"\xe8+ �xeS 20.

l"\e1 �c6 21 .l"\e7 a5= 19.l"\abl �c6 2 0 .l"\xe8+

�xeS 2 U!el �f8=

Dominguez - Kramnik, Wijk aan Zee 2010.

Conclusion The variation with 9 . cxd5 is rather drawish and if both sides play

correctly a draw becomes the most likely result. As for the move 9 . E\ el, Black has several quite reliable ways of equalizing against it. White's attempts to exert pressure on the e-file are not dangerous and Black is ab le to solve his prob lems convincingly in all variations.

175

Chapter 23 l.e4 e5 2 .c!iJ f3 c!Llf6 3.c!Llxe5 d6 4.c!Llf3 c!Llxe4 5.d4 d5 6.i.d3 c!Llc6 7. 0 - 0 i.e7 8.c4 c!Llb4 9.i.e2

We have already seen in the previous chapter that White's at­tempts to create immediate pres­sure along the e-file fail and give him no chances of obtaining an advantage in the opening, so he should avoid the exchange of his bishop.

9 . . . 0 - 0 1 0 .a3 This is an attractive move and

it was very popular at the dawn of the development of this variation. White immediately reduces the tension in the centre and defines the pawn-structure.

Nowadays White almost auto­matically chooses the more pre­cise move 10.tt:lc3, maintaining the tension and preserving more options. We shall analyze this

176

move in the following chapters. 1 0 .• .lik6 ll.cxd5 If ll .tt:lc3, then after ll . . . tt:lxc3

12 .bxc3 Black brings another piece into the fight for the central squares : 12 . . . 1e6 ! 13.cxd5 hdS=. Black's bishop is perfectly placed on dS and he obtains a very good position without any problems whatsoever.

ll . • . �xd5 12)i)c3 c!Llxc3 13. bxc3 .if5

14 . .if4 White can bolster his centre

with 14 . .ie3, but his bishop is not so active on e3 and Black can ef­fortlessly develop his pieces to ac­tive positions : 14 . . . tt:la5 (it is also good for him to play here 14 . . . 1f6)

4JiJj3 liJ xe4 5. d4 dS 6. �d3 liJ c6 7.0 - 0 �e7 8. c4 liJ b4 9. �e2 0 - 0 10 . a3

15.liJd2 (if 15.liJe5, then Black can dislodge the knight with 15 .. .f6 ! ) 1 5 . . . E1fe8 16.�f3 Wd7=

White would not achieve much with 14.liJd2 . He wants to transfer his knight to e3 via the c4-square, so it would be logical for Black to prevent this : 14 . . . liJa5 15.�f3 Wd7 16.liJb3 liJxb3 17.Wxb3 c6=

White has tried advancing his connected pawns immediately, when Black should organize a blockade on the dark squares: 14.c4 Wd6 15.d5 liJe5 16.liJd4 �d7 17.a4

17 . . . E1fe8 (it is less reliable to play 17 . . . Wg6 18.�f4 �d6 19 .c5 liJf3+ 2 0 .liJxf3 hf4 21 .g3;t; Black has the bishop-pair, but White's connected pawns are more im­portant) 18.liJb5 (It is inferior to opt for 18 .�e3? ! Wg6 19.liJb5 �h3 20.�f3 �d6 21.�d4 liJxf3+ 22.Wxf3 �g4 23.Wc3 �f4+ and White is forced to fight for equality, Ivan­chuk - Kramnik, Nice 2008.) 18 . . . hb5 19.axb5 liJd7 20 .E1a2 liJc5 21 . g3 aS 22.bxa6 fua6= Black's block­ade on the d6- and c5- squares seems quite harmonious and he has equalized completely, Rad­jabov - Jakovenko, Elista 2008.

It seems to me that the quiet move 14.E1e1 is White's best and after 14 . . . E1e8 15.�f4,

it is not good for Black to sacrifice the c7-pawn: after 15 . . . liJa5 16.hc7 E1ac8 17.Wa4 b6 18.�b5 �c2 19.Wxc2 Wxb5 20 . �f4± his compensation for the pawn is insufficient, so he should continue with 15 . . . E1ac8 - see 10 . liJc3 �f5 11 .a3 liJxc3 12.bxc3 liJc6 13.E1e1 E1e8 14.cxd5 Wxd5 15.�f4 E1ac8.

14 . . )l:la5!? Black sacrifices a pawn with

this move, trying to reach a posi­tional draw. He can accomplish this by establishing a blockade on the dark squares in a few moves.

If he wants to enter a much more complicated struggle, he can transpose to the main line arising after 10 .liJc3 by playing 14 . . . E1ac8 15.E1e1 E1fe8.

15.hc7 If 15.E1e1, then 15 . . . �d6 16.liJe5

\Wb3 - see 15.liJe5 �d6 16.l"1e1 \Wb3.

After 15.liJe5, Black can equal­ize in several different ways :

(diagram) 15 . . . c5 16.\Wa4 (16.�f3 Wb3=)

177

Chapter 23

16 . . . cxd4 17.if3 'Wc5 18 .g4 ig6 19.cxd4 ic2 20.'Wd7 'Wd6= ;

1 5 . . . 'Wb3 16.'Wxb3 t2Jxb3 17. Elae1 t2Ja5 18.if3 id6 19.id5 Elac8 = ;

1 5 . . . id6 16.c4 (16.Ele1 'Wb3 17. 'Wd2 'Wc2 18 .'Wxc2 ixc2 = ; 16.g4 ie4 17.£3 ig6 18.'Wa4 b6= , with a very complicated struggle and ap­proximately equal chances) 16 . . . 'We4 17.ig3 'Wc2 18.c5 ixe5 19. ixe5 t2Jc6 20 .ixc7 t2Jxd4 21.'Wxd4 'Wxe2=

15 . . J:'!ac8 16.ha5 '!Wxa5 17. c4 .if6 18 . .id3

After 18.'Wb3 '!Wb6 (Black can also practically equalize with 18 . . . Elfe8=) 19 .'1Wxb6 axb6 20.Ela2 (af­ter 20 .Elfd1 Black can increase his pressure against the enemy cen­tre with 20 . . . Elfd8�, obtaining suf­ficient compensation for the pawn, Wedberg - Nielsen, Mun­kebo 1998) 20 . . . Elfd8 (it is less precise for him to opt for 20 . . . ig4 21 .d5 ixf3 22.gxf3 id4;J; when White still preserves some, albeit minimal, winning chances, Karja­kin - Andreikin, Oropesa 2000) 2 1 .Elb2 ixd4 (21 . . . Eld6�) 22 .t2Jxd4 Elxd4 23.Elxb6 Eld2 24.if3 Elxc4 25.Elxb7 g6= Black saves the draw thanks to his active rooks, since

178

White will be unable to hold on to his a-pawn.

18 .• . .ie6! If 18 . . . Elfd8 19.ElbU Black cannot solve his prob­

lems with 18 . . . ig4 19.h3 ixf3 20. 'Wxf3 and he fails to reach com­plete equality:

20 . . . Elcd8 21 .Elabl ixd4 22 . Elxb7 g6 23 .ie4 Eld6, Zhang Zhong - Karpov, Cap d'Agde 2000, 24. idS Elf6 25.'Wd1 ib6 26.a4 Ele8 27.<.±1h1;!;, with the idea of advanc­ing his f-pawn;

20 . . . 'Wd8, Kramnik - Anand, Sofia 2005, 21 .Elab1 b6 22 .Elfdl g6 23 .c5 ixd4 24.cxb6 (24.c6;J;) 24 . . . axb6 25.'Wf4 'Wf6 26.'Wxf6 ixf6 27.Elxb6;J; and White still has some minute winning prospects .

4Ji'Jf3 t/J xe4 5.d4 dS 6 .:Ji d3 t/J c6 7.0 -0 ie7 8.c4 t/J b4 9 .:Ji e2 0 -0 10 .a3

19.'�b3 l:!fd8 2 0 .l:!fdl 20.l:'i:ael hd4 21 .t/Jxd4 l:'i:xd4

22 .hh7+ lt>xh7 23.l:'i:xe6 l:'i:dxc4 24.l:'i:e7 l:'i:cl=

2 0 ... g6 21 . .ifl 2l .ie2 ig4 22 .1Wxb7 hf3 23.

1Wxf3 hd4 24.l:'i:abl icS 25.l:'i:xd8+ Ei:xd8 26.l:'i:b7 \Wel+ 27.ifl fS 28. 1We2 1Wxe2 29.he2 )"ld2=

21 • . . b6 It is also interesting for Black

to try here 2l . . .ig4 ! ? 22 .1Wxb7 )"lb8 23 .1We4 ixf3 24.gxf3 ! ? (24. 1Wxf3 hd4 25.l:'i:abl l:'i:xbl 26.)"lxbl Ei:d6=) 24 . . . l:'i:b2� - his pieces are so active that he should be able to regain one of his opponent's con­nected pawns and save the game.

22.l:!acl .ig4 23.d5 ie7 24. l:!al

24.h3 1Wxa3 ! 25.\Wxa3 ha3 26.)"lal ixf3 27.gxf3 icS 28.l:'i:xa7 bS 29.l:'i:b7 bxc4 30 .hc4 hf2 + 3l .lt>xf2 l:'i:xc4=

24 . • . .if6 24 . . . id6 25.h3 hf3 26.1Wxf3

l:'i:e8t 25.l:!a2 1Wc3 26.1Wxc3 hc3 =

Black will exchange his light­squared bishop for the enemy knight and his dark-squared bish­op will be transferred to the cS­square, building a rock-solid, drawish set-up.

Conclusion In the variation we have analyzed, beginning with the move 10 .a3,

White reduces the tension in the central pawn-structure too early. The straightforward move 14 .:1i f4 (it is moreflexible for him to continue with 14 .Ei: el, transposing to the main line after J O .tiJ c3) provides Black with the additional possibility of 14 ... t/J a5!?, sacrificing the c7-pawn and later, with precise p lay, he can equalize completely.

179

Chapter 24 l.e4 e5 2 .�f3 �f6 3.�xe5 d6 4.�f3 �xe4 5.d4 d5 6.i.d3 �c6 7. 0 - 0 i.e7 8.c4 �b4 9.i.e2 0 - 0 1 0 .�c3

White exerts additional pres­sure against the centre before ex­pelling the enemy knight from the b4-square and clarifying the pawn-structure. Now, Black is faced with a choice of where to develop his light-squared bishop.

1 0 • . . i.f5 The variation 10 . . . i.e6 11 .ltle5

f6 12.ltlf3± was popular for a while , but later on it lost its good reputation. The move f7-f6 weak­ens Black's position and this is likely to tell in the future.

ll.a3 On the f4-square White's bish­

op can come under attack by the enemy knight and after ll.i.f4 dxc4 12 .hc4 lt:Jxc3 13.bxc3 lt:JdS= White must lose an important

180

tempo for its retreat. The move 11 .'&b3 is harmless,

because Black has a choice be­tween 11 . . .ltlf6 12 .c5 aS 13.tt:'le1co with a rather unclear position, Morozevich - Polgar, Buenos Ai­res 2000 and the more reliable ll . . . dxc4 12 .hc4 ltlf6 13.ltlg5 (the position is repeated after 13.lt:Je5 '&xd4 14.hf7+ mh8 15.ltlf3 '&d7 16.ltle5 '&d4= Bologan - Zarnicki, Buenos Aires 2000) 13 . . . i.g6 14. a3 lt:Jc2 15.ltlxf7 hf7 16.i.xf7+ :gxf7 17.'&xc2 '&xd4=

ll . . . tt:Jxc3 12.bxc3 ltlc6

13J3el For 13.cxd5 '&xdS - see. 10 .a3. After 13.i.e3 Black can equal-

ize in various ways, for example

8. c4 4J b4 9 . � e2 0 -0 10 . 4J c3 �f5 11. a3 4J xc3 12. bxc3 t:iJ c6 13. 'i!, eJ 'i!, e8

with 13 . . . 4Ja5=, or 13 . . . dxc4 14. hc4 �d6 15.'i!,e1 h6= and White's bishop on e3 has no good pros­pects.

White's bishop will be exchanged on f4 and after 13.�f4 dxc4 14. hc4 �d6= the position is equal.

13 . . .:1�e8

14.i.f4 White's pawn-centre looks

powerful, but he cannot achieve anything with it. His attempt to advance it with the help of the bishop on e3 is not dangerous for Black at all, since on e3 his bishop is not active. 14.�e3 �f6 15.4Jd2 4Ja5 16.cxd5 W/xdS 17.W/a4 �d7 18. W/b4 �e7 19.W/b2 �c6 20.�f3 W/d7= Topalov - Anand, Wijk aan Zee 2005.

The move 14.'i!,a2 is rather crafty. The b1-square is attacked by Black's light-squared bishop, so White wants to occupy the b­file using the b2-square. After that, his rook can be redeployed to e2 to fight for the e-file.

(diagram) Now after 14 . . . �e6 White can

establish a stable positional ad-

vantage with the simple move 15. eSt

It is possible for Black to play the thematic move 14 . . . 4Ja5, but after 15.cxd5 W/xdS 16.'i!,b2 c6, White has the interesting re­source 17.4Je5 ! ? (in the game Ka­simdzhanov - Gelfand, Elista 2007, White tried 17.W/a4 W/d8 18 .c4 �f6 19 .�e3 �e4 2 0 .'i!,d2 b6 21 .4Je5 W/e7 22 .4Jg4 �g5= and the position remained approximately equal) 17 . . .. ba3 18.�f3 W/d6 19. 'i!,be2 hc1 20.W/xc1 �e6, but here not 2 l .�h5, Melia - Nebolsina, Rijeka 2010, but 21 .W/b1 !� and White has good compensation for the pawn; in particular he wishes to provoke the move g7 -g6 with �f3-e4 and then begin an attack on the kingside with the help of the pawn-advance h2-h4-h5.

Black's most precise response is 14 . . . �f6 ! 15.'i!,b2 b6 16.�f4 4Ja5 17.cxd5 W/xdS 18.4Je5 heS 19.�f3 W/d7 2 0 .he5 4Jc4 2l .'i!,be2 c6 22 . dS 4Jxe5 23.'i!,xe5 cxdS 24.W/xd5 'i!,ad8 25.'i!,xe8+ 'i!,xe8 26.'i!,xe8+ W/xe8 2 7.g4 �e6 28 .W/b7 W/c8 29. W/xa7 hg4 30.�d5 �hS 31.W/xb6= with a draw by perpetual check, Alekseev - Kramnik, Dortmund 2007.

181

Chapter 24

The most logical and popular line for White is first to exchange pawns with : 14.cxd5 �xd5 and only then play 15.i.f4, and we shall analyze this variation in the following chapters of the book.

14 . . . dxc4 After 14 .. Jk8, White has the

powerful riposte 15.c5 i.f6 16.�a4 (It might be even more promising to continue with 16.�b3 )"1b8 17. i.b5 )"1e4 18.)"1xe4 i.xe4 19.lt:Jd2:t) 16 . . . a6 17.i.f1 �d7 18.�b3 )"1xe1 19.)"1xe1 )"1b8 20.i.g5 i.xg5 21 . tt:Jxg5:t and Black has a light­squared bishop and numerous pawns on the same colour, so his position is rather unpleasant to defend, Motylev - Gashimov, Poikovsky 2009.

15.hc4 .id6 16.l3xe8+ 16.�d2 �d7 (it is also good for

Black to play here 16 . . . h6, depriv­ing White's knight of the g5-square) 17.i.xd6 cxd6 18.tt:Jh4 tt:Ja5 19.i.a2 i.e6 20.d5, Morozevich -Gelfand, Sochi 2007. Black can obtain a reliable position without any problems with the move 2 0 . . . i.f5=

16 . • . Ybe8

182

17.tt:Jg5 For 17.i.xd6 cxd6 18.tt:Jg5 i.g6

- see 17.lt:Jg5. White does not achieve much

with 17.�d2 �d7 18.i.xd6 cxd6 19.)"1e1 )"1e8= Svidler - Topalov, Wijk aan Zee 2005.

After 17.tt:Jh4, Black cannot achieve full equality with 17 . . . tt:Ja5 18.tt:Jxf5 tt:Jxc4 19.�f3 Ei:b8 20 .i.h6 g6, in view of 21 .lt:Jxd6 (21 .lt:Je3 tt:Jxe3 22 .fxe3 �e7 23 .h3 �h4 24.i.f4 i.xf4 25.exf4= Jakovenko

Gelfand, Khanty-Mansyisk 2 009) 21 . . .lt:Jxd6 22 .�f6 tt:Jf5 23. i.f4:t with a slight edge for White.

It is more precise for Black to play here 17 . . . i.d7! 18.�f3 �e7 19. i.xd6 cxd6 20 .lt:Jf5 i.xf5 2l .�xf5 g6 22 .�f3 )"1c8 23.i.d5 lt>g7= and his knight coordinates perfectly with his queen, so it is not inferior to White's bishop, Volokitin -Smeets, Germany 2009.

17 . . . .ig6 18.hd6 cxd6

19.h4 If White does not attack the

enemy bishop on g6, Black will easily improve the coordination of his pieces. In addition, White

8. c4 {jj b4 9 . � e2 0 -0 J O .{jj c3 �j5 11. a3 {jj xc3 12.b xc3 {jj c6 13.'il, eJ 'il, e8

does not have an escape-hole for his king and this is likely to tell at some point: 19.'<Mfg4 h6 20 .{jjf3 '<Mfe4 2 l .'<Mfg3 '<Mfc2 22 .{jjh4 �e4 23. 'il,el d5 24.�fl, Karjakin - To­palov, Leon 2003. Here it is very good for Black to play the all-pur­pose defensive move 24 . . . 'il,f8 ! and after 25.'il,e3 '<Mfcl !+ he pins the bishop on f1 and at the same time attacks the pawn on a3 .

19 ••• �e7 2 0 .'<Mfg4 White can simplify the posi­

tion with the line : 20 .h5 '<Mfxg5 21 . hxg6 '<Mfxg6 22 .�d3 '<Mfg5 23 .'<Mfbl b6 24.hh7+ i>f8 25.�e4 'il,c8= Belov - Bu Xiangzhi, Moscow 2010.

20 . . . h6

21.{jjh3 It is a forced draw after 2l .h5

hh5 2 2 .'<Mfxh5 hxg5 23.'il,dl 'f'J,f8 24.'il,d3 '<Mfel+ 25.i>h2 '<Mfxf2 26. '<Mfxg5 '<Mff6 27.'<Mfxf6 gxf6 28.'il,g3+ i>h8 29.'il,h3+ <±>g7 30.'il,g3= Rad­jabov - Wang Yue, Medias 2010.

21. •• �e4 22.'<Mfg3 Only Black can be better if

White plays in simple fashion -22 .'<Mfxe4 �xe4 23 .'il,el �f5 24.{jjf4 'il,c8=

An equal endgame arises after 22 .'<Mfd7 {jja5 23.�a2 '<Mfc6 24.1Mfxc6 {jjxc6= Bologan - Shirov, Poi­kovsky 2009.

If White puts his knight volun­tarily in a pin with 22 .{jjf4, then Black can exploit this with the variation 22 . . . {jje5 ! 23.dxe5 '<Mfxc4 24.exd6 (24.e6 fxe6 25.1Mfxg6 '<Mfxf4 26.'<Mfxe6+ i>h8=) 24 . . . 1Mfxc3 (24 . . . 'il,d8 25.'il,dl �c2 26.'il,d5 '<Mfxc3 27.i>h2;t) 25.'il,dl (after 25. 'f'J,fl, Black continues with 25 . . . �e4 and White cannot support his d6-pawn with his pieces) 25 . . . �c2 26.'il,d5 �e4 27.'il,dl �c2 = and a draw by repetition of moves.

22 •• .l'�c8 ! This is a developing move and

it definitely solves all Black's problems, so I prefer it.

It is less convincing for Black to choose the more concrete ap­proach 2 2 . . . {jja5 23.�a2 '<Mfc2 (af­ter 23 . . .''<Mfd3, White has the prob­lem-like reply 24.'iJ,fl!;t and Black will have some difficulties to con­tend with, Grischuk - Adams, Halkidiki 2002) due to 24.�d5 ! (White cannot achieve much with

183

Chapter 24

24.h5, because Black has the strong response 24 . . . .if5= . It is also possible for him to opt for 24 . . . .ie4 25.\Wxd6 \Wxc3 26.!"1f1 Wd2 , Hou Yifan - Bu Xiangzhi, China 2009. Now, White must force a draw by a perpetual check with 27.hf7+ Wxf7 28.\Wd7+ lt>f8 29.\Wd6=) 24 . . . !"1c8 (after 24 . . . !"1e8, White has the quiet move 25. Wh2 !t and it is difficult for Black to improve his position) 25.!"1e1 Wxc3 26.!"1e8+ lt>h7 27.!"1xc8 \Wxc8 28.\Wxd6 \We8 29.tt:Jf4 .ie4, Nijbo­er - Li Chao, Wijk aan Zee 2011 . After 30 . .ia2 ! tt:Jc6 31.\WcS !t Black must be prepared for a long and patient defence.

23 • .ifl 23.\Wxd6 tt:Jxd4 (23 . . . \Wc2 ! ?)

24 . .id5 tt:JbS 25.\Wd7 WeB 26.\Wxe8 l"\xe8 27.c4 tt:Jd6 28.c5 .ie4= Hou Yifan - Wang Yue, China 2011 .

23 • • .lL!e7 24.\Wxd6 ttJf5 25. Wb4 tlJxh4

It is equally good for Black to continue here with 25 . . . b6 and then if 26.g3 Wc6 (There is no need to enter the sharp complications arising after 26 . . . ttlxg3 27.fxg3 We3+ 28.l2Jf2 Wxg3+ 29 . .ig2 l'!xc3

30 .\We7oo with a very unclear posi­tion.) 27.tt:Jf4 (but not 27.!"1c1, be­cause of 27 . . . a5+ and White's d4-pawn is hanging) 27 ... \Wxc3 28.!"1d1=

26.d5

26 • • • a5! In the game Topalov - Gel­

fand, Monaco 2003, Black played 26 . . . .if5, to which White could have responded with 27.ttlf4 !t, preserving a very favourable op­position of the queens, where nei­ther side can exchange advanta­geously.

27.\Wxe4 .b::e4 28.c4 ttJf5 29.tlJf4 ttJd6 3 0 .!"1cl b6 31.£3 i.h7= There arises an unbalanced endgame in which Black's pros­pects are by no means worse.

Conclusion The variation beginning with the move 1 4 . .ij4 leads to simplifica­

tion and results either in a draw or an unbalanced position with ap­proximately equal chances.

184

Chapter 25 l.e4 e5 2 )[jf3 ttJf6 3.tlJxe5 d6 4.ttJf3 tlJxe4 5.d4 d5 6 . .id3 tlJc6 7. 0 - 0 .ie7 8.c4 tlJb4 9 . .ie2 0 - 0 l O .tlJc3 .if5 ll.a3 ttJxc3 12.bxc3 ttJc6 13J��el ges 14.cxd5 V*/xd5

15.i.f4 As is often the case in similar

positions, on e3 White's bishop is passive and limited in its scope : 15 .�e3 �f6 16.l2ld2 l"lad8 17.�f3 '<MI'd7 18.l2lb3 b6= Movsesian -Haba, Czech Republic 2003.

It is not good for White to play 15.c4 under these circumstances, because of 15 . . . '<MI'd6 16.d5 (Here, practically no matter what White plays, Black's bishop comes to the f6-square with great effect.) 16 . . . �f6 ! and White does not have the move 17.c5? (which would have been possible without the in­clusion of the moves l"lfl-e1 and l"lf8-e8) in view of 17 . . . '<MI'xc5 18. dxc6 �xa1 19.cxb7 l"lab8 20 .�e3 l"lxe3 ! - + and Black wins. So White

has to continue with 17.l"la2 , but after the simple move 17 . . . l2le5+, Black's position is preferable.

15 .. J;ac8

This is one of the tabias of the Petroff Defence. It would appear that Black's knight is misplaced on c6, because it hampers the pawn-advance c7-c5, but exten­sive tournament practice of this variation has shown that it is very difficult for White to deploy his pieces to active positions in order to advance his c and d-pawns ef­fectively. Black's forces remain very active. One of his main ideas is to play l2la5 and follow that with the undermining move c7-c5. It is worth mentioning that all the

185

Chapter 25

possible exchanges are favourable for Black, because his pawn­structure is without any defects and this would be very useful in an eventual endgame.

The prophylactic move 16.h3 is one of White's trickiest options and it will be analyzed in the fol­lowing chapters.

Now, we shall analyze thor­oughly: A} 16.�a4, B) 16.g3 and C) 16.i.d3.

Black's defensive task is much simpler after White's alternatives.

16.ti:ld2 ti:la5 17.ti:lf1 �b3 ! As of­ten happens, Black reacts in straightforward fashion against his opponent's strange manoeu­vres and forces a transition into an endgame. 18.ti:le3 �xd1 19. Ei:axd1 .id7 20 .ti:ld5 .id6= Pruijs­sers - Fridman, Germany 2008.

16.c4 �e4 17 . .ie3

17 . . . �c2 ! The exchange of queens again solves all Black's problems. (After 17 . . . .if6, White can fight for the initiative with the move 18.Ei:a2 !;!:; , depriving Black's queen of the c2-square.) 18.d5 ti:la5 19.ti:ld4 �xd1 20 .Ei:exd1 (White would not change much with 20.Ei:axd1 .id7 2l .ti:lb5 b6 22 .

186

ti:lxa7 Ei:a8 23.ti:lb5 hb5 24.cxb5 .ixa3= ; 22 .ti:lxc7 Ei:xc7 23.d6 hd6 24.Ei:xd6 .ie6 25.c5 bxc5 26 . .ib5 Ei:f8=) 20 . . . .id7 2 l ..id2 .if6 22 . .ixa5 hd4 23.Ei:xd4 Ei:xe2=, draw, Leko - Kramnik, Brissago 2004.

16 . .ig3

This bishop is placed on a pro­tected square, but Black has enough time to simplify the posi­tion. 16 . . . .id6 ! 17.ti:ld2 (17.�a4 .id7 18 .�c2 .if5 19.�b2 ti:la5 20 . ti:ld2 hg3 21.hxg3 c5 - it is even more solid for him to opt for 21 . . . b6 22 .ti:lf1 �b3= - 22 .�b5 b6 23 . .ig4 eMs 24.ixf5 �xf5 25.ti:lf3= Carl­sen - Pe.Nielsen, Faaborg 2007) 17 ... hg3 18.hxg3 ti:la5 19.�a4 .id7 20 .�c2 b6 (20 . . . .if5 2l .�a4=) 21. .id3 h6 22 . .ih7+ c±>h8 23 . .ie4 �d6 24.ti:lf3 .ie6= - the position is equal, Adams - Anand, Sofia 2005.

16.�c1

ll.a3 ctJ xc3 12.bxc3 ctJ c6 13. 'ii. el 'ii. e8 14.cxd5 � xd5 15.iJ.. j4 'ii. acB

16 . . . if6 ! This is a typical move in this pawn-structure. Black im­proves the placement of his pieces as much as he can, before making the move ctJa5. (The alternatives would not solve his problems : 16 . . . 4Ja5? 17.c4 ! �e4?? 18 .id1 �d3 19.'i!.e3 �xc4 20 .'i!.e5, 1-0 Anand - Kramnik, Sofia 2005. Black has not yet tested the move 16 . . . �d7 at high level. It seems to me that after 17.�b2 id6 18.ie3 ctJa5 19.c4± White maintains a slight edge.) 17.�b2 4Ja5 18.4Je5 �b3 19.�d2 he5 20 .he5 4Jc4 2l .�g5 ig6 22 .ig4 'i!.a8 (The oth­er possible route to equality for Black here is 22 . . . h6 23.�h4 f5 24.ih5 4Jxe5 25.dxe5 hh5 26. �xh5 �e6=) 23 .id7 f6 24.hf6 'i!.xe1+ 25.'i!.xe1 gxf6 26.�xf6 if7 27.ie6 he6 28 .�xe6+ Wh8 29. �f6+ wg8 30 .�g5+ wh8 3Lh4 'i!.f8 32 .'i!.e7 �b1+ 33.Wh2 �g6 34. �xg6 hxg6 35J!xc7 4Jxa3 36.'i!.xb7 'ii.xf2 = and it all ends in a draw.

16.if1 id6

17.'i!.xe8+ (17.c4 'i!.xe1 18.�xe1 �e4 19.hd6 �xe1 20.'i!.xe1 cxd6 2 l .d5 4Ja5 22 .4Jd4 id7 23.'i!.e7 'i!.d8+) 17 . . . 'i!.xe8 18 .c4 �e4 19. hd6 cxd6 20.�d2 �c2 ! This

move is typical in such positions. We have already mentioned that any simplification is advanta­geous for Black. (It is weaker for him to play passively with 20 . . . �e7? ! 2l.'i!.e1 �d7 22 .'i!.xe8+ �xeS 23 .�f4 �d7 24.d5 4Je7 25.4Jd4± since Black's position is cramped, his d6-pawn requires protection and White is threatening to break through with c4-c5, Akopian -Dominguez, Turin 2006.) 2 l.�f4 h6 ! This is an excellent prophy­lactic move. (It is also possible for Black to play 2l . . .g6, but he should try to deploy his pawns on dark squares, having a light-squared bishop.) 22 .h3 (The pawn is poi­soned, because after 22 .�xd6?! �b2 23.'i!.d1 ig4 24.d5 hf3 25. �d7 Wf8 26.�d6+ 'i!.e7! 27.gxf3 4Je5-+ Black's initiative is very dangerous.) 22 . . . �c3 23.'i!.d1 �c2 24.'i!.d2 �b1 25.�xd6 4Ja5 26.4Je5 4Jb3 27.'i!.e2 f6 28.�d5+ Wh7 29. 4Jd3 hd3 30.'i!.xe8 �xf1+ 31.Wh2 �xf2 32 .�g8+ Wg6 33.'i!.e7 �f4+ 34.Wh1 �f1= and a draw by a per­petual check.

187

Chapter 25

16 . . . .id7! It is useful to repulse the ene­

my queen. It is less precise for Black to continue with the seem­ingly active move 16 . . . .te4 17 . .tg3 '&f5, owing to 18.'&b5 ! (18.'Lld2 ? ! ic2 19.'&b5 '&xb5 20.hb5 a6 21 .hc6 bxc6= Negi - Fridman, Germany 2008) 18 .. . '&xb5 19. hb5 .tdS 20 .'Lle5 a6 21 .'Llxc6 hc6 22 .hc6 bxc6 23.c;t>fu -Black's queenside pawn-structure has been weakened, therefore White has the edge in this simple­looking position.

17.�c2 After 17Jl:ab1, Black can equal­

ize with this long variation : 17 . . . .td6 18 .hd6 cxd6 19Jl:b5 'Lle7 20 . l'l:xd5 ha4 21 .l'l:a5 .tc6 22 .l'l:xa7 hf3 23.gxf3 'Llf5 24.l'l:xb7 l'l:xc3 25 . .tfl l'l:ec8 26 . .th3 l'l:xf3 27.l'l:e3 l'l:f4 28.l'l:c7 l'l:b8=

17 . . . �f5 If 17 . . . id6 (The move .te7-d6

is usually good if White cannot avoid the exchange of bishops. ) White can play 18 . .te3 ! .tf5 19 . '&c1 !± - and his central pawns are ready to advance, while Black's

188

bishop on d6 turns out to be mis­placed in this case, because it might come under attack with tempo after c3-c4 followed by c4-c5.

However, it would be good for Black to play 17 . . . if5 18 .'&b2 'Lla5 19.'Lle5 '&b3= and he would be very close to equality.

18.�xf5 It is useless for White to con­

tinue to roam all over the board with his queen, because after 18.'&d2 id6 19.hd6 cxd6= Black has no problems at all .

lS . . . .ix£5 19 . .ih5 White weakens his opponent's

pawn-structure with this move, but presents him with the advan­tage of the bishop-pair.

He would not achieve much with 19.d5 'Lla5 20 .'Lld4 .td7=

19 . . . a6! It is less precise for Black to

play 19 . . . id7 20.d5 (20.'Lld2 a6 21 ..td3 'Lla5=) 20 . . . 'Lle5 2 1 .'Lld4! (White will be in trouble after 21 . hd7 'Llxd7 2 2 .hc7 l'l:xc7 23.d6 l'l:xc3 and here, after 24.l'l:xe7 l'l:xe7 25.dxe7 'Llf6 26.'Lld4 a6+, with the

ll.a3 liJ xc3 12. bxc3 liJ c6 13.'8 el '8 e8 14 . cxd5 � xd5 15. � f4 '8 ac8

plan of liJf6-e8, f7-f6 and c;t>g8-f7, White's e7-pawn remains without the support of the rest of his piec­es and is doomed; while after 24.dxe7 f6 25.'8ad1 '8c7 26 .liJd4 liJe5 27.f4 liJc6 28 .liJxc6 bxc6+ White must play accurately to make a draw, Anand - Kramnik, Mexico 2007) 21 . . .c6 (The other possibility for Black here is 21 . . . �b5 22 .liJxb5 �d6 23.liJxa7 '8a8 24.liJb5 liJf3+ 25.gxf3 �f4± - he should be able to draw, but play­ing a pawn down might be rather unpleasant.) 22 .�f1 liJg6 23.dxc6 bxc6 (Black fails to solve his prob­lems with 23 . . . �c6 24.liJxc6 '8xc6 25.�e3± and White exerts pres­sure thanks to his powerful bish­op-pair, while Black cannot ex­change all the pawns on the queenside: after 25 . . . a6 26.'8eb1 '8xc3 27.'8xb7 '8xa3? White wins with the simple response 28. '8xe7+-) 24.�g3 �c5 25.a4± and White maintains a slight advan­tage thanks to his more active pieces.

2 0 .i.xc6 bxc6 2U�e5 .id3 22.:Sael c;t>f8 23.:Sa5 .id6 24. liJe5 ixe5=

White's edge is merely sym­bolic and Black should manage to draw without too much effort.

B) 16.g3

This is an original move, but it does not create any serious prob­lems for Black.

16 . . . .if6 It is too risky for him to opt for

16 . . . b5? ! 17.liJd2 liJa5? ! Karjakin - Smeets, Wijk aan Zee 2010. White can continue with 18.a4! b4 19.i.a6±, obtaining a material ad­vantage.

17.ll:ld2 17.'8c1 h6 18.c4 �a5 (Black

equalizes even more simply with the standard move 18 . . . �d7=) 19. d5 liJe5 20.�e5 �e5 2 l .�d3 �g4 2 2 .�h7+ (It is overly ambitious for White to choose 22 .'8e4? ! lv­anchuk - Gelfand, Monaco 2011, because after 22 . . .f5 ! 23.'8xg4 fxg4 24.liJxe5 '8xe5 25.�xg4 '8f8 26.�d4 '8e1+ 27.'8xe1 �xe1+ 28. c;t>g2 b6+ he can only struggle to draw.) 22 . . . Wxh7 23 .�d3+ Wg8 24.liJxe5 f6 25.�g6 �h3 26.�f7+ Wh7 27.�g6+ Wg8= and a draw

189

Chapter 25

by perpetual check. 17 . . . �d7 18.lL:lc4 .ih3! This move emphasizes the

weakening of the light squares in White's camp, caused by his six­teenth move.

19.�d3

19 . . . g5 ! Black weakens his king's shel­

ter a little, but this is not impor­tant here, because it causes dis­harmony in the set-up of White's pieces. His bishop must retreat to e3, thus depriving his own knight of this square.

2 0 . .ie3 �d5 21.-ifl hf1 22.�xfl

22 . . . b5 !

190

After 22 . . . tLle7 White can acti­vate his forces with 23.f4 ! (23. l"lab1 tLlf5 24.a4 a6 25.�d3 b5 26. tLla3 c6 27.tLlc2 �f3 28 .�d1 �xd1 29.l"lexd1 tLld6+ Gashimov - Wang Yue, Nanjing 2010) 23 . . . gxf4 (it would be too risky for Black to opt for 23 . . . g4 24.tLle5± and White's centre is very powerful) 24 . .b:f4t with a slight edge for White.

23.lL:ld2 h6! = This is a useful prophylactic move, protecting the g5-pawn. The position is approxi­mately equal and 24.f4 is not dan­gerous in view of 24 . . . l"le6 !+ and Black exerts pressure along the e­file.

C) 16 • .id3

16 . . . �d7 17.gbl The position is completely

equal after 17 . .b:f5 �xf5 18 . .ig3 .id6 19.�b3 b6 20 .c4 �f6 21 .d5 tLld4= lvanchuk - Gelfand, Calvia 2004.

17 . . . b6! After the preliminary ex­

change 17 . . . .b:d3 18.�xd3 b6, White has an interesting resource

ll.a3 CiJxc3 12.bxc3 CiJc6 13.'il, eJ 'il, e8 14 .cxd5 'Wff xd5 15 . 1J. f4 'il, ac8

at his disposal - 19.'il,e3 ! ? (the move 19.d5 transposes to the main line of the variation) 19 . . . 1J.xa3 20.CiJg5 g 6 21 .CiJe4 (It i s not very dangerous for Black if White tries 21 .'il,h3 h5 22 .'il,xh5 CiJe5 23. 'Wffc2 'Wffg4 24.'il,h8+ 'it>xh8 25.1J.xe5+ 'it>g8 26.CiJxf7 mxf7 27. 'Wffb3+ 'Wie6 28.'Wffxa3 a5 29.'il,e1 c5oo - the position remains very com­plicated, but Black's defensive re­sources seem to be sufficient for equality) 21 . . .1J.e7 22 .'il,be1� White has numerous possibilities for de­veloping his initiative in return for his minimal material deficit, so Black must defend super-pre­cisely to keep the balance, Grischuk - Gelfand, Moscow 2006.

Now White can sharpen the game with the move Cl) 18.fi.b5, or he can continue playing in a purely positional manner C2) 18.d5.

Cl) 18.i.b5 hbl l9.'Wffxbl 19.CiJe5 'Wfff5 20 .1J.xc6 'Wffxf4= 19.d5 'il,cd8 20 .'Wffxb1 'Wffxd5 21 .

c4 'Wffc5 22 .1J.e3 'Wffd6 23.'Wffe4 CiJa5

24.1J.xe8 'il,xe8+ White is unable to exploit the pin on the e-file.

19 . . . .if6 2 0 J'!dl

Here, Black has two queen­sorties : Cla) 2 0 ... 'Wffg4 and Clb) 2 0 . . . §d5!

Cla) 2 0 . . . 'Wffg4 21.1J.g3 Black maintains a slight edge

following 21 .fi.xc6 'Wffxf4 22 .1J.xe8 'il,xe8+, because his bishop is stronger than the enemy knight when the fight continues on both sides of the board.

21. . . �e7 22.he8 �xeS 23. �el �d7 24.�e4

24 . . . c6 ! Black could have evaded the

191

Chapter 25

pin even earlier with 24 .. .l'k8.

White cannot take advantage of his control of the e-file :

25.1Mlb7 1Mfc6 26.1Mfa6 (26.1Mlxc6 tt:lxc6 27 .. bc7 h6 (27 . . . �e7 28.�f4 ha3 29 .d5 tt:la5 30 .tt:ld4 �f8 31. d6 Ei:d8=) 28 .�f4 tt:la5=) 26 . . . Ei:f8= ;

25.�e5 he5 26.tt:lxe5 1Mfe6 27. 1Mfb7 f6 28.tt:ld3 (28.tt:lf3 1Mfc6 29. 1Mfa6 Ei:e8 30.c4 tt:lc8 31.Ei:xe8+ 1Mfxe8 32 .1Mfb7 1Mld7=) 28 . . . 1Mfc6 29. 1Mfxc6= , draw, Nisipeanu - Frid­man, Turin 2006;

The move 25.h4 has several drawbacks ; in some variations this pawn is hanging; White no longer has the h4-square availa­ble, which he uses as a base for his pieces in some variations ; and he no longer has the possibility of g2-g4, in order to dislodge Black's knight from the f5-square, which it may occupy in some lines. 25 .. . h6 (Also worth considering is 25 .. . b5 ! ? 26.�e5 tt:ld5 27.M6 gxf6� -if White's pawn had been on h3 here instead of h4, he could have transferred his knight to f5, via the h4-square, while now he is unable to do this and Black has sufficient counterplay. Black has

192

yet another interesting possibility - 25 . . . tt:lf5 26.hc7 h5 27.�e5 Ei:xc3 28.hf6 gxf6 29.d5 Ei:c5 30. Ei:dl tt:ld6 31.1Mlf4 'tt>g7= and he maintains equality here as well.) 26.�e5 he5 27.tt:lxe5 1Mle6 28. 1Mlb7 f6 29.tt:ld3 1Mlc6= Jakovenko - Wang Yue, Nizhny Novgorod 2 007.

White can improve his posi­tion with the move 25.h3 !

There might follow: 25 . . . b5 26.�e5±; 25 . . . h6 26.�e5 (26.�h4 tt:ld5

27.c4 hh4 28.1Mfxh4 tt:lf6 29.tt:le5 1Mfd6 30.Ei:e3 Ei:e8 31.Ei:g3 @f8 32. Ei:e3 'tt>g8=) 26 . . . he5 27.tt:lxe5 1Mfe6 28.1Mfb7 f6 29.tt:lf3 1Mlc6 30. 1Mfxc6 tt:lxc6 31 .d5 tt:la5 32 .Ei:e7 c6 33.tt:ld4 cxd5 34.tt:lf5± and White has some chances of maintaining a slight edge ;

25 . . . c6 26 .tt:le5 �xeS 27.1Mlxe5 tt:ld5 28.c4 tt:lf6 29.1Mle3 Ei:e8 30. �e5 1Mff5 31 .1Mlg3 g6 32 .1Mfc3± with a minimal advantage for White.

25.a4 This move is aimed at prevent­

ing b6-b5 and, in addition, White's pawn is removed from a square on which it might some­times come under attack.

ll.a3 4:J xc3 12.bxc3 4:J c6 13.'l'J, el 'i'J, e8 14.cxd5 Wff xd5 15.ii f4 'iJ, acB

He cannot achieve much with the straightfonvard line: 25.0Je5 .b:eS 26.'fffxe5 mf8= with the plan of continuing with 0Je7-f5.

If 25.c4, then not 25 . . . 'i'J,c8, even though after 26.iih4 .b:h4 (It would be a huge positional concession for Black to play 26 . . . 0Jg6? 27 . .b:f6 gxf6± Timofeev -Wang Yue, Ningbo 2010.) 27. 0Jxh4 'i'J,e8± Black has excellent chances of neutralizing White's initiative, but simply 25 . . . h6 ! = with ideas of 'l'J,e8-d8 and b6-b5.

After 25.h3, besides the pro­phylactic move 25 . . . h6, it is pos­sible for Black to continue with 25 . . . b5 ! 26.0Jh2 'fffe6 27.Wffxe6 fxe6 28.'l'J,xe6 mf7 29.'l'J,d6 0Jd5= and the activity of his pieces compen­sates for the sacrificed pawn.

25 . . . b5! It is high time Black played ac­

tively! He still has some problems in

the variation 25 . . . h6 26.h3 a6 27.0Je5 (White has an interesting resource here in 27.0Jh2 ! ? and Black loses after 27 . . . mf8 28.0Jg4 ltJdS 29.§id6+ iie7 30.'fffh7 f6, in

view of 3l .§ig3 ! + -. He can main­tain equality only after very pre­cise defence : 27 . . . h5! 28.0Jf3 bS and now it would be bad for White to continue with 29.axb5 cxbS 30.Jih4 .b:h4 31.0Jxh4 aS 32 .Wffe5 Wffe6 33.'fffxe6 fxe6 34.'i'J,xe6 a4+ and Black's outside passed pawn is so powerful that White must play very accurately to make a draw. Instead, it is stronger for White to opt for 29.0Je5 We6 ! 30.'fffc2 g6 ! ± when Black's posi­tion is still acceptable, but from a purely practical point of view White's game is easier. ) 27 . . . We6 28 .Wbl 0Jc8 29.c4 (It is also at­tractive for him to try 29.a5 ! ? bxa5 30 .0Jd3 Wffd7 3l .'i'J,xe8+ Wxe8 32 .Wb7 0Je7 33.Wxa6 ltJfS 34.iie5 .b:eS 35.0Jxe5 cS 36.Wxa5 cxd4 37.cxd4 0Jxd4 38.0Jxf7 0Jf3+ 39. gxf3 Wffxf7± and Black must play precisely to save the game.) 29 . . . .b:eS 30.'l'J,xe5 Wid?± Black's posi­tion here is solid but passive, Timofeev - Wang Yue, Ningbo (rapid) 2010.

26.axb5 cxb5

27.�e5 (But not 27.d5?, be-

193

Chapter 25

cause of 27 . . . l::1d8 ! 28.d6 lt:lf5+) 27 • . . he5 28.�xe5 f6 29.�c5 ll:\f5 3 0 J�xe8+ �xeS 31.h3 ll:\xg3 32.fxg3 �d7=

Clb) 2 0 . . . �d5!

21..ig3 ll:\e7 22.ltle5 22 .c4 '\Wf5 23 . .b:e8 l::1xe8 24.d5

(24.'1Wb3 �d7=) 24 . . . '\Wxb1 25.l::1xbl c6 ! =

2 2 . .b:e8 l::1xe8 2 3 . .b:c7 '\Wc4 24.ie5 lt:ld5= After an exchange on f6, Black should recapture with the pawn, making use of the cir­cumstance that White's pieces are too passive to exploit effectively the defects of Black's king shelter.

22 . . J�f8

194

23.c4 Black is better after 23 .lt:ld7 c6

24.lt:lxf8 cxb5 (24 . . . '\Wxb5 25)[jxh7 .b:d4 26.�e4oo) 25.lt:lxh7 l::1xc3 26.lt:lxf6+ gxf6+

23 .. J�'b7 24.ll:\d7 c6 25. ll:\x£8

After 25.lt:lxf6+ gxf6 26.ia4 �a6+ White's compensation for the exchange is insufficient.

25 . . . cxb5 26.ltlxh7 bxc4 27. ll:\xf6+ gxf6 28.d5 c3 29.�c2 ll:\xd5 3 0 . .id6 �c6 31.�f5 c2 32.�g4+ <!>h7 33.�h5= and the game ends in a draw by perpetual check.

C2) 18.d5 hd3 19.�xd3

19 . . . ha3 ! This is Black's most direct

route to equality. The quieter move 19 . . . if6

leads to a safe position, but fails to equalize completely in view of White's simple reply 20.c4

(diagram) and now: 20 . . . h6 21 .h3 lt:le7 22 .lt:le5

.b:e5 23.l::1xe5 (or 23 . .b:e5 lt:lf5±

ll. a3 liJ xc3 12 . bxc3 liJc6 13. 'il, el 'il, e8 14 .cxd5 Wi xd5 15 . ilf4 'il, ac8

and White again has a slight edge) 23 . . . liJg6 24.'il,xe8+ 'il,xe8 25.ilg3± with a pleasanter position for White, Anand - Shirov, Monaco (blindfold) 2005;

20 . . . liJe7 21 .'il,bdl ! (Black has nothing to fear after 2I .iJ.e5 he5 22 .liJxe5 W/d6= . White can sim­plify the position rather quickly with 2l .liJe5 he5 22 .he5 f6 23.iJ.f4 liJf5. In the game Svidler -Kramnik, Dortmund 2006, fur­ther exchanges followed: 24.c5 bxc5 25.Wic4 g5 26.iJ.d2 liJd6 27. W/xc5 liJe4 28 .W/a5 c6 29.ile3 cxd5 30.Wixa7 W/xa7 31.ha7 liJc3 32 . 'il,xe8+ 'il,xe8 33.'il,b8 'il,xb8 34. iJ.xb8 d4 35.wfl wf7 36.1J.a7 d3 37. <±>el d2+ 38.c±>xd2 liJbl+ 39.c±>d3= and a draw.) 21 . . J'kd8 22 .h3 liJg6 23.iJ.g3 h6 24.W/b3 'il,e7 25.a4 'il,de8 26.'il,xe7 liJxe7 27.'il,el c6 28.ile5 cxd5 29.hf6 dxc4 30.W/xc4 gxf6 31.liJh4± White's initiative more than compensates for the sacri­fices pawn, but with precise de­fence Black should manage to hold, Leko - Kramnik, Dortmund 2007.

2 0 )l:lg5 20.'il,xe8+ 'il,xe8 2I .Wib5 liJb8

22 .W/xd7 liJxd7= 2 0 • • • g6 21.lLle4 �f5

The move 21 . . .ile7 cannot be refuted directly but seems quite risky:

22 .Wib5 Wif5 23.hc7 'il,xc7 24. liJd6 hd6 25.'il,xe8+ Wg7 26.dxc6 JJ.c5= ;

22 .'il,bdl f5 23.d6 (White should have preferred here 23. liJg5 hg5 24.hg5�, with some compensation for the pawn.) 23 . . . cxd6 24.Wid5+ wh8 25.liJxd6 hd6 26.hd6 'il,xel + 27. 'il,xel 'il,e8 28.'il,xe8+ W/xe8 29.h3 h6 30 .c4 Wh7=, draw, Jakovenko - Kram­nik, Moscow 2007. Black's posi­tion is slightly pleasanter, but his chances of winning are just negli­gible, since his king is quite ex­posed;

22 .Widl ! ? liJa5 23 .iJ.h6 Wif5 24. 'il,e3± Black might succeed in hold­ing this position with very precise play, but the defence would be ar­duous ;

The most dangerous variation for him is 22 .Wid2 liJa5 23 .iJ.h6 Wif5 24.W/d4 f6 25.Wia4 (25.liJg3 Wid7 26.liJe4=) 25 . . . liJb7 (25 . . . g5 26.d6 cxd6 27.liJxd6 hd6 28. 'il,xe8+ wf7 29.'il,bel <±>g6 30. g4 ! +-) 26.'il,bdl--t and White's ini­tiative is very powerful.

195

Chapter 25

22.hc7 Or 2 2.1�f3 'Lle5 23 . .be5 '&xf3 !

(23 .. Jlxe5 24.'&xf5 ):"lxf5 25.):"lal=) 24.gxf3 ):"lxe5 25.'Llf6+ l!lg7 26. ):"lxe5 l!lxf6 27.):"le4 �d6+ and only White might have problems here.

22 . . .1hc7 It is interesting but very risky

for Black to opt for 22 . . . 'Lle5 ! ? 23 . .be5 ):"lxe5 24.c4 ):"leeS 25.f3

and now: 25 . . . �c5+ 26.1!/hl a5. Black's

a-pawn boldly advances, exploit­ing the fact that White cannot capture it comfortably, since his king is vulnerable. 27.):"lfl ! a4 28. ):"lal ! (28.'&c3 a3 29.):"lal '&f4 30. 'Llxc5? ):"lh5 31.h3 ):"lxh3+ 32.gxh3 ):"le2-+; 28.'Llxc5 bxc5 29.'&xf5 � 30.):"lb5 a3=) 28 . . . ):"la8;l;. A series of manoeuvres will follow, but, as

196

compensation for the outside passed a-pawn, the best that Black can hope for is to attack White's c4-pawn and make a draw;

25 . . . �f8 ! ? 26.):"lbdl (it would be premature for White to play 26. d6 because of 26 . . . '&e6, with the threat of t7-f5) 26 . . . �g7 27.d6 ):"ld8;l;

White's d6-pawn looks dan­gerous, but Black also has his trumps. His bishop is stronger than the enemy knight and if he manages to advantageously re­treat his queen and oust White's knight 0 the initiative and his op­ponent's d-pawn will become a target.

23)bf6+ �xf6 24.1he8+ Wg7 25.dxc6 .ic5 26.gb2 gxc6 27.�d8 �xd8 28.gxd8 a5=

ll. a3 4:J xc3 12. bxc3 ltJ c6 13. '8 el '8 e8 14 . cxd5 Wff xd5 15 .j)J4 '8 ac8

Leko - Gelfand, Moscow 2009. Black's bishop on c5 is com­pletely stable and it supports the a-pawn, which will soon be ad­vanced to the a3-square. It also attacks the f2-pawn and White will be tied down to its defence. Meanwhile, Black's rook is free to roam all over the board, attack­ing the enemy pawns. Having all this in mind, Black would not have any problems and the game should end in a draw.

Conclusion We have examined how White can attempt lively piece-play, but

Black has no serious problems anywhere. Black's main strategic ideas are as follows:

1) He must exert pressure against White's pawn-chain c3-d4 , pre­venting its advance, since that might cramp Black's position. It is usu­ally beneficial for him to place his bishop on f6 . If White succeeds in advancing his c-pawn to c4 , then Black must try to force White to push d4-d5 too , so that he can then organize a blockade on the c5-square.

2) He must constantly consider the possibility of playing ltJ a5, fol­lowed by the undermining move c7-c5 .

3) Exchanges are almost always useful for Black. It is particularly advantageous for him to exchange the queens, as well as the bishops. In order to simplify, he has the following resources up his sleeve:

- with a knight on a5, Black can play Wff d5-b3, exchanging queens, which might be rather unpleasant for White;

- with a bishop onj5 and a queen on e4 , Black can often play Wff e4 -c2!;

- it is sometimes useful for him to play i.e7-d6 , if this forces the exchange of the dark-squared bishop s. Furthermore he can also ex­change the rooks along the e-file.

197

Chapter 26 l.e4 e5 2 )bf3 �f6 3.�xe5 d6 4.�£3 �xe4 5.d4 d5 6.i.d3 �c6 7. 0 - 0 i.e7 8.c4 �b4 9.i.e2 0 - 0 1 0 .�c3 i.f5 ll.a3 �xc3 12.bxc3 �c6 13J�el ges 14.cxd5 �xd5 15.i.f4 gac8 16.h3

This is White's most popular move here. He opens an escape hole for his king and creates the possibility of playing g2-g4 at some point, ousting the enemy bishop from fS and opening the long diagonal for his own bishop. Black has two reasonable re­sponses and both of them are suf­ficient for him to face the future with optimism: with 16 . . . .ie4, he puts direct pressure on the knight on f3 and "x-rays" the pawn on g2 ; alternatively he can reply in similar fashion with the prophy­lactic move 16 . . . h6 (which we shall analyze in the next chapter) , letting his opponent clarify his in­tentions first.

16 . . . .ie4

198

White has a rich choice of pos­sibilities here. He can begin forc­ing play with the move A) 17)2:\d2, strengthen his centre with B) 17 . .ie3, remove his pawn from attack with C) 17.a4, or start to transfer his queen to a more active position with the moves D) 17.�a4 or E) 17.�cl.

White invites the enemy bish­op into his camp, hoping that it might become trapped. However, the concrete variations show that White cannot trap it and can only exchange it.

17 . . . .hg2 18 . .ig4 .ih1 19.f3 .ih4

12.bxc3 lt'Jc613.'iJ,el 'iJ,e814.cxd5 V!Jxd515.1J.f4 'iJ,ac816.h3 1J.e4

2 0 .ge4 After 2 0.'iJ,fl f5 21 .1J.h5 g6 2 2 .

mxhl gxh5 23 .'iJ,gl + mh8+ Black has a pawn, which is doubled but still extra, Leko - Anand, San Luis 2005.

20 .'iJ,xe8+ 'iJ,xe8 2l .mxhl fS ! (21 . . .'iJ,el+ 2 2 .Vffxel hel 23.'iJ,xel f5 24.'iJ,e8+ mt7 25.'iJ,c8 fxg4 26 . 'iJ,xc7+ mg8 27.'iJ,c8+ mt7 28.'iJ,c7=) 22 .Vffgl Vfff7!+ White's pawn-struc­ture has been weakened and Black's prospects are better.

2 0 ••• f5 21.\t>xhl fxg4 22. hxg4

22 •.• V!Jf7 It seems very good to play 22 . . .

lt'Je7 immediately here. After 23. 1J.h2 V!Jt7, White has nothing bet-

ter than to repeat moves with 24.'iJ,f4 Vffe6 25.'iJ,e4=

23.�b3 l!Je7 24.Vffxf7+ lt>xfl 25.c4 l!Jg6 26 • .ih2 .if6= The endgame is approximately equal, Shirov - Kramnik, Wijk aan Zee 2010.

B) 17 • .ie3 l!Ja5

18.l!Jd2 18 .lt'Je5 1J.f6 19 .lt'Jg4 (19 .1J.g4

'iJ,cd8 20 .Vffa4 tt'Jc6 2l .f3 1J.g6 2 2 . tt'Jxg6 hxg6= White's bishop o n g4 is restricted by its own pawns and thus Black has a very comfortable position. He has nothing to fear after 19.c4 Vffd6 2 0.lt'Jg4 1J.h4= since White's pieces lacks harmo­ny) 19 . . . 1J.e7 20 .lt'Je5= , draw, Tim­man - Erenburg, Goteborg 2005.

18 .c4 tt'Jxc4 19.hc4 V!Jxc4 20. lt'Jd2 V!JdS 21 .lt'Jxe4 V!Jxe4 22 .1J.g5 V!Jxel+ 23.Vffxel hg5 24.Vffa5 1J.f6 25.Vffxa7 cS= Black has sufficient compensation for the queen with a rook, a bishop and a passed c­pawn supported by the bishop, Leko - Kramnik, Brissago 2004 (game 19).

18 ••• .if5 19.c4

199

Chapter 26

White cannot create any prob­lems for his opponent with the line : 19 . .if3 Wfd7 20 .ltJe4, Laznicka - Stopa, Legnica 2 004. Black's most solid move here would be 20 . . . b6 ! = , cementing the queen­side and depriving White's knight of the c5-square.

19 . . . Wfd7 2 0 .lt)f3 .if6 2U�cl c5 22.dxc5 Wfxdl 23.gcxdl c!Db3 24.c6 gxc6 25.ha7 .ic3 26.gfl ga6 27 . .ie3 h6= Ivan­chuk - Kramnik, Wijk aan Zee 2 008.

C) 17.a4

This move is typical for similar positions. White removes his

200

pawn from attack and controls the b5-square just in case.

17 .•. .id6! Black's other standard reply

here would be 17 . . . .if6, but in this position it is less precise.

Having played a3-a4, White is not planning to advance with c3-c4 any time soon. Black usually places his bishop on f6 in order to prevent the advance of his oppo­nent's central pawns.

Now White would not achieve anything by trying to sharpen the game: 18.lt:Jd2 hg2 19 . .ig4 .ih1 (19 .. J::!xe1+ 20 .%lfxe1 j'!f8 2l .j'!b1 h5 2 2 .j'!b5 Wfd8 23 .j'!xh5 g6 24.j'!b5 .idS 25.hc7 j'!e8 26.Wfd1 Wfxc7 27J'l:xd5± lvanchuk - Gelfand, Sochi 2008) 2 0.c!Df3 (20 .f3 .ih4 2l .j'!xe8+ j'!xe8 22 .%lfb3, Asrian -Wang Yue, Taiyuan 2007, 22 . . . Wfxb3 23 .c!Dxb3 f5+) 2 0 . . . j'!xe1 + ! (20 . . . hf3 2 l .Wfxf3 Wfxf3 22 .hf3:t) 2 l .Wfxe1 hf3 22 .hc8 c!De7 23 . .ig4 .ixg4 24.hxg4 Wff3 25.hc7 Wfxg4+ 26.�g3 h5� and Black's counterplay is sufficient for equal­ity.

It is stronger for White to choose the positional move 18. �d3 ! Any simplification is usually

12.bxc3 ttJc613.'iJ,eJ 'i'l,e814.cxd5 Vfixd515.�4 'i'l,ac816.h3 i.e4

in Black's favour, but in this par­ticular case he has problems, be­cause with a bishop on f6 his c7-pawn is hanging.

He has several possibilities to choose from but none of them equalize :

18 . . . hf3 19.'i'l,xe8+ 'iJ,xe8 20 . Vfixf3 Wxf3 2 l.gxf3± White i s bet­ter, thanks to his bishop-pair;

18 . . . g6 19 .'i'l,e3 hd3 2 0 .Vfixd3 'i'l,xe3 2 l .fxe3±;

18 . . . hd3 19 .'i'l,xe8+ 'i'l,xe8 20 . Wxd3± Black has difficulties pro­tecting his c7-pawn;

18 . . . 'i'l,e7 19 .'i'l,xe4 'iJ,xe4 20.c4 Vfif5 (it would be too risky for him to opt for 20 . . . We6 2l .d5 We8 22 .dxc6 'iJ,xf4 23.cxb7 'iJ,b8 24.'i'l,b1 Wc6 25.We2 id4 26.tt:lxd4 'i'l,xd4 27.Vfie3±. White's bishop will come to the long diagonal and af­ter that Black's position will be­come difficult) 2l .ie3 tt:lb4 22 . he4 Wxe4 23 .Wb1 Vfie7 24.Vfif5± and White maintains a slight edge.

18.i.e3 (diagram)

18 .•. tt.Ja5 In the game Smirin - Voloki­

tin, Crete 2 007, Black tried 18 . . .

Vfia5? ! . In this variation, that can hardly be the right square for Black's queen. 19.Vfib3 Vfif5 20 . tt:ld2 tt:la5. By playing 2l .Wa2 !± , White could have obtained the advantage of the two bishops, since Black would not have the move 21 . . .i.c6, in view of 22 .ig4 Wg6 23.d5+-

19.tt.Jd2 i.£5 2 0 .c4 Vfie6 21.c5

21 . . . i.f8 Here Black has a good alterna­

tive in 21 . . .ie7=, planning the transfer of his bishop to the f6-square.

22.1'!cl b6 23.tt.Jf3 '{!Yb3 24. Vfixb3 tt.Jxb3 25.1'!c3 tt.Ja5 26. d5

201

Chapter 26

26 . . . .id7 It would be a mistake for Black

to play 26 . . . bxc5 27.hc5 �d7, Radjabov - Wang Yue, Baku 2008. Here, White can maintain the advantage with the far-from­obvious line : 28.hf8 Wxf8 29. Wh2 !±, threatening 30 .�a6 EJ:xe1 31 .hc8.

27 . .ia6 �aS! But not 27 . . J'!d8, because of

28.d6! hd6 29.cxb6± 28 • .ib5 .ixb5 29.axb5 tt'lb7

3 0 .cxb6 cxb6= The queenside pawns will be annihilated in the nearest future, so the draw seems inevitable.

D) 17.�a4

202

17 ..• �f5 Here Black could consider 17 . . .

a6 !?, depriving his opponent of the important bS-square. 18.tt:ld2 (after quieter play Black's game will be even easier: 18 .�g3 �d6= ; 18 .�e3 "WfS 19.tt:ld2 �c2 2 0 ."Wc4 tt:laS 2l ."Wa2 "Wg6=) 18 . . . hg2 19. �g4 �h1 2 0 .f3 fS 21 .�h5 g6 22 . Wxh1 gxhS 23 ."Wc4 "Wxc4 24.tt:lxc4 �f6 25.EJ:xe8+ EJ:xe8 26.hc7, Ku­laots - Nouro, Finland 2006; now with 26 . . . bs ! 27.tt:lb6 wf7 2s.ttJds tt:le7= Black equalizes effortlessly.

18 . .ig3 .ic2 18 . . . �d6 19.tt:le5 �xeS 2 0.�g4

�g6 2l .dxe5 �fS 22 .�f3± Grischuk - Pe.Nielsen, Monaco 2006.

19.�b5 �xb5 20 . .ixb5 a6 21 . .ixc6 bxc6 22J�e5

If 22 .El:a2 �a4 23.c4, then 23 . . . cS ! (it i s weaker for Black to opt for 23 . . . �b3 24.EJ:ae2 Wf8 25.c5 �dS 26.tt:le5 EJ:cd8 27.EJ:e3± since his position is terribly cramped, so White's prospects are prefera­ble, Grischuk - Volokitin, Foros 2006) 24.d5 �f6 25.EJ:ae2 Wf8=

22 . . . c5 ! = It is essential for Black to ac-

12.bxc3 l2lc613.ll,el ll,e8 14.cxd5 W1xd5 15.ij4 ll,ac816.h3 ie4

complish this pawn-break at this precise moment, while White's rook has not yet occupied the ex­cellent aS-square. If instead Black plays 22 .. .f6 23 .'il,aS id3 24.l2leU he still has some difficulties to worry about, Svidler - Anand, Morelia/Linares 2007.

23.'iJ,ael c;!?f8 24.dxc5 f6 25.'iJ,d5 .ib3 26.'iJ,d7 .ia4 27. 'iJ,d4 .ic6= Shirov - Gelfand, Moscow 2 007.

E) 17.'i;!fcl White's queen is free to ma­

noeuvre from this square and his bishop on f4 is protected, which is also useful.

17 . . . .if6!N As is often the case in such po­

sitions, this is the most favourable square for the bishop. It is good for Black to place it on d6 only if White cannot avoid the exchange of the dark -squared bishops.

It is rather dubious for Black to play 17 . . . l2laS? ! 18.Wie3 ! if8?! (It is slightly preferable to con­tinue with 18 . . . ifS, but after 19.

LUeS cS 20 .ihS cxd4 21 .cxd4 ie6 22 .if3± White is clearly better.) 19.c4 Wid8 20 .l2leS ifS 21 .Wic3± and White is dominating the en­tire board, Anand - Kramnik, Wijk aan Zee 2 010.

After 17 . . . id6, White has the reply 18 .ie3±; now Black's bishop is misplaced on d6, since it does not prevent the advance of White's central pawns.

18.�b2 �a5 Black wishes to play WidS-b3,

bringing about advantageous simplification.

19.�d2!? This i s the only move for White

to fight for the advantage. 19 . . . .ixg2 2 0 . .ig4

Now Black can equalize with precise play:

2 0 . . . 'il,cd8! This is the best move. It is less convincing to opt for

20 . . . hS 21..bc8 'iJ,xc8 22 .'il,e3 cS 23.'il,ael !t when White mobilizes his last undeveloped forces and begins a counter-offensive.

The move 2 0 . . . 'il,a8 also equal­izes for Black, but in a much more

203

Chapter 26

difficult way. Furthermore, it is psychologically unpleasant for him to return the rook to its initial square. 2l .f3 h5 ! (in the variation 21 . . .�h4 22 .l"le5 l'l:xe5 23.he5 h5 24.\t>xg2 hxg4 25.hxg4 �g5 26. l"lhl f6 27.�c2 ! hd2 28.hf6 ! �f7 29 .hg7! �xg7 30 .�a2 + 'it>f8 31. �xd2--t White has a very danger­ous attack) 22 .\t>xg2 hxg4 23 .hxg4 tt'lc4 (Black can hold the balance in another long variation too : 23 . . . �g5 24.hg5 �xg5 25. tt'le4 �d5 26.�f2 f5 27.tt'lg5 fxg4 28.�h4 gxf3+ 29.\t>g3 l"lxel 30.l"lxel f2 31 .l"lhl �d6+ 32 .'it>xf2 l"lf8+ 33. lt>el l"le8+ 34.\t>dl �h6 35.�xh6 gxh6 36.l"lxh6= with a draw) 24. tt'lxc4 �xc4 25.g5 �e7 26.�xb7 �xc3 27.l"lacl �xd4 28 .l"le4 �b6 29.�xb6 axb6 30 .l"lcel lt>f8 31. hc7 (31 .l"lhl lt>g8=) 31 . . .�c5= Al­most all the pieces have been eliminated, so the draw is una­voidable.

21.i.xc7 White does not achieves much

with 2 l.f3 �h4 22 .l"le5 l"lxe5 23 . .he5 h5 24.\t>xg2 hxg4 25.hxg4 .ig5=

21. .. h5 22.i.xd8 gxd8

204

23 . .idl After the alternatives for

White, perpetual checks are lurk­ing on all sides :

23.�f5 �xf5 24.\t>xg2 �g6+ 25. 'it>h2 (25.\t>hl �f5= ; 25.\t>fl �d3=) 25 . . . �g5 26.tt'le4 �f4+ 27.\t>hl �f5 28.'it>g2 �g6+ 29.\t>fl �f5 = ;

23.hh5 �hl 24.f3 �xh5 25. 'it>xhl �xh3+ 26.\t>gl �g3+ 27.\t>fl �h3= ;

23.f3 hxg4 24.\t>xg2 gxh3+ 25. 'it>xh3 (if White does not capture this pawn, his position can only be worse) 25 . . . �h5+ 26.'it>g2 �g6+ 27.\t>fl �d3+ 28.'it>g2 �g6= with a draw.

23 . . . e'g5 It is interesting for Black to try

here 23 . . . hh3 !? 24.tt'le4 .ie7 25. .if3 �f5 26.�e2 h4 27.tt'lg3 �e6 28.�xe6 .he6= and in this dou­ble-edged endgame, both sides' prospects are about equal.

24.h4 e'g6 25.i.xh5 e'xh5 26.\t>xg2 �g4+

27.'i!?h2 It is too risky for White to play

27.\t>fl �h3+ 28.'it>e2 hh4� - his king will be very unsafe and

12.bxc3 'Llc613.'il,el 'il,e814.cxd5 Wxd515.if4 'il,ac816.h3 ie4

Black's initiative more than com­pensates for the sacrificed ex­change.

27 ... �xh4+ 28.'it>g2 t!/g4= and the game ends in perpetual check.

Conclusion The move 16 ... ie4 objectively equalizes. However, as often hap­

pens when Black's bishop captures the g2-pawn, the resulting lines require concrete and precise calculation. Every mistake becomes cru­cial. We have analyzed numerous forcing variations and it is very easy for a player to go astray in them. Accordingly, the quieter lines arising after 16 ... h6, a move we shall deal with in the next chapter, are much more popular at grandmaster level.

205

Chapter 27 l.e4 e5 2.ltJ f3 �f6 3.�xe5 d6 4.�£3 �xe4 5.d4 d5 6 . .id3 �c6 7.0-0 .ie7 8.c4 �b4 9 . .ie2 0-0 10.�c3 .if5 ll.a3 �xc3 12.bxc3 �c6 13J�el �e8 14.cxd5 '?;Vxd5 15 . .if4 �ac8 16.h3 h6

The position is of a non-forc­ing nature and White has numer­ous possibilities. We shall analyze them thoroughly: A) 17.'�a4, B) 17.i.fl, C) 17.c4, D) 17.g4, E) 17)ijd2 and F) 17.'\!�cl.

White has also tried: 17.a4. White removes his pawn

away from a square on which it might come under attack, but Black can use this tempo to sim­plify the position : 17 . . . id6 18 .ie3 l!Ja5= Hracek - Dydyshko, Czech Republic 2010 ;

17.l!Jh2. The transfer of this knight to the e3-square takes too much time for White, so that he cannot expect to obtain any ad­vantage. 17 . . . id6 18.ixd6 1Wxd6 (it is also good for Black to play

206

here 18 . . . cxd6 19.l!Jfl id7 2 0.l!Je3 1Wg5=) 19.tt:Jfl tt:Ja5 2 0.l!Je3 ig6 21 . 1Wa4 b6 22 .ia6 E!cd8 23 .l!Jc4 E!xel+ 24.E!xel tt:Jxc4 25.ixc4 a5, followed by the exchanging ma­noeuvre E!d8-d7-e7, and Black equalized convincingly in the game Lutz - Landa, Germany 2 007.

A) 17.Wfa4 With the help of this move,

White hopes to bring his light­squared bishop into action via c4 or bS.

17 . . . i.d7 It would be rather dubious for

Black to opt for 17 . . . 1Wa5?! 18 .1Wb3 1Wb6, Fedorov - Stupak, Minsk

12.bxc3 'Llc613.1"lel 1"le814.cxd5 Wfxd5 15.f.l.j4 1"lac816.h3 h6

2010. Here White could have no weaknesses and his pieces are played 19.Wfxb6 ! axb6 2 0 .f.l.b5± harmoniously deployed. with an advantage.

ts.gabl B) 17 . .ifl .id6 18 .Wfc2 Wff5 19.Wfxf5 f.l.xf5 20 .

f.l.b5 (20 .d5 'Lla5 21 .'Lld4 f.l.d7 22 . 'Llb5, Svidler - Dominguez, Poik­ovsky 2005. By replying with 22 . . . f.l.f6 ! = Black could have solved all his problems.) 20 . . . a6 2 l .f.l.xc6 bxc6 2 2J'l:e5 f.l.d3 23J:'lael mf8 24. 1"la5 f.l.d6 25 .'Lle5 f.l.xe5= and the draw is imminent.

18 . . . .id6 It is a mistake for Black to try

18 . . . a6, in view of 19.Wfdl ! (19. 'Lld2 'Lla5 20 .Wfc2 Wff5= Quezada - Bu Xiangzhi, Khanty-Mansyisk 2010) 19 . . . b5 2 0 .a4 f.l.f5 2l .axb5 ! f.l.xb1 22 .Wfxbl± - the light squares in Black's camp are terribly weak.

However, he has a good option in 18 . . . Wff5 19 .f.l.e3 1"lb8= with ap­proximately equal prospects.

19 . .ixd6 After 19 .f.l.e3 Black has the

simple reply 19 . . . b6= 19 . . . Wfxd6 2 0 .�d2 b6 21 .

.ib5 gcd8= - The position has been simplified a little; Black has

18.gxe8+ 18.c4 1"lxel 19.Wfxel Wfe4 20 .

f.l.e3 b6= Firman - Giri, Germany 2010.

18 .f.l.e3 'Lla5 19.'Lld2 b6 2 0 .c4, Al-Modiahki - Dao Thien Hai, Doha 2006. It is most precise for Black to retreat now with 2 0 . . . Wfc6 ! = . White's pieces are tied to the protection of his c4-pawn, while Black's queen can retreat to the comfortable d7-square. Black has no problems whatsoever.

18 . . . gxe8 19.c4 �e4 2 0 . .hd6 cxd6 21.�d2

21 .1"la2 1"le7 22 .1"le2 Wfbl= 21. . .�c2 22.�f4 Or 2 2 .Wfxc2 f.l.xc2 23.d5 'Lla5

24.'Lld4 f.l.a4 25.'Llf5 'Llb3 26.1"lbl 1"ld8+ with a slight edge for Black.

22 . . . �b2 23.gdl (diagram)

23 . . . �b3! This is Black's most precise re­

sponse. The alternatives do not pro-

207

Chapter 27

vide him with complete equality: 23 . . . ic2 24.i'tifd2 i'tifb3 2SJ'lcl

(White can create more problems for his opponent with 2S.!'lel ! !'lxel 26 .i'tifxel i'tifbl 27.i'tife8+ 'it>h7 28 .i'tifxf7 .id3 29 .ttld2 '�'tiel 30 .i'tiff3 ixfl 31 .tt:lxfl i'tifxc4 32 .i'tiffS+ 'it>h8 33 .i'tifc8+ 'it>h7 34.i'tifxb7 tt:lxd4 3S. 'it>h2t and thanks to his much saf­er king White's position is prefer­able, although Black should man­age to make a draw with accurate defence.) 2S . . . ie4 26.!'lel !'le7 27. !'le3 (27.i'tiff4 dS=) 27 . . . i'tifbl 28 . !'lel= , draw, Belov - Bu Xiangzhi, Moscow 2010 ;

23 . . . ig6 24.i'tifxd6 ie4 2S.!'lel ! (If 2S.i'tiff4, then 2S . . . hf3 and af­ter 26.i'tifxf3 tt:lxd4= the position is equal, Akopian - Gashimov, Elis­ta 2008. The move 26.gxf3, with the idea of preserving the d4-pawn, seems to be too risky. Black can immediately exploit White's weakened king-position by play­ing 16 . . . !'le6. White cannot avoid the variation 27.dS !'lg6+ 28 . .ig2 i'tife2 - 28 . . . tt:leS !? - 29.!'ld2 '�'tiel+ 30.'it>h2 tt:leS 3l .!'la2 tt:lxf3+ 32 . i'tifxf3 '�'tieS+ 33.\t>gl '�'tiel= and Black draws by perpetual check.)

208

2S . . . !'ld8 26.i'tifc7 hf3 27.dS ! i'tifd2 28 .!'lbl hdS (Black cannot pre­serve the extra piece under fa­vourable circumstances : 28 . . . WgS 29 .!'lxb7 tt:leS 30.h4 Wf6 3l .We7 Wxe7 32 .!'lxe7 tt:lg6 33.!'lxa7 ie4 34.a4± and White has excellent chances of promoting his pawns.) 29.cxdS (it is bad for White to play 29 .!'lxb7? ie6 30 .i'tifxc6 Wei+) 29 . . . !'lxdS 30 .!'lxb7 !'lfS 31 .Wc8+ tt:ld8 32 .WxfS tt:lxbn Black must work hard here to make a draw, because with play on both flanks his knight is inferior to White's bishop.

24.l'�d2 �b1 25.ti'xd6 After 2S.g4 ig6 26.Wxd6 '�'tiel�

White's pieces turn out to be mis­placed.

25 • . .lLJa5 26.ttle5 .!Db3 27. !'le2 f6 28.�d5+ 'it>h7 29 • .!Dd3

29 .g4 fxeS 30.gxfS tt:lxd4 31. !'le3 tt:lxfS 32 .!'lxeS !'!xeS 33.i'tifxeS=

29 ••• i'tifxfl+ 29 . . . hd3 30 .!'lxe8 'IWxfl+ 31.

'it>h2 '1Wxf2 32.'1Wg8+ 'it>g6 33 .!'le7 '1Wf4+ 34.\t>hl...Wfl=

3 0 .\t>xfl hd3 31.'tt>gl !'lxe2 32.�xb7 .!Dd2 33.c5 !'lel+ 34.

12.bxc3 ttlc613.ll.el ll.e8 14.cxd5 Wixd5 15.1J..f4 ll.acB 16.h3 h6

Wh2 .ie4 35.�xa7 ttlfl+ 36. Wgl= Black is unable to weave any mating nets against his oppo­nent, so he must take the draw by perpetual check.

C) 17.c4 �e4

18 . .ig3 After 18.1J..e3 Black replies with

the standard move 18 . . . Wc2 ! (If he does not exchange queens and plays for example 18 . . . .if6, then White can immediately protect the c2-square with the move 19. ll.a2 ! . The position after 19 . . . ttla5 20 . .ifl Wffc6 21 .d5 Wffd6 was tested in the game Sengupta - Suvrajit, New Delhi 2010 . By playing 22 . 1J..d3 ! 1J..e4 23 .he4 Elxe4 24.Wffd3, White could have maintained an advantage : 24 . . . ll.xc4 25.ttld2 ll.c3 26.Wf5± or 24 . . . ll.ce8 25.Elae2t) 19.d5 (19.Wxc2 hc2 20 .d5 ttlaS 21 .ttld4 1J..a4=) 19 . . . ttla5 2 0.ttld4 Wxdl 21 .ll.axdl (21 .ll.exdl .id7 22 . .id2 1J..f6=) 21 . . .1J..d7 22 .ttlb5 b6 23 .ttlxa7 ll.a8 24.ttlb5 hbS 25. cxb5 ha3=

18 . . . .if6 19 . .ifl �c2 2 0 .

�xc2 hc2 2U�xe8+ �xeS 22.�cl

22 . • . .ig6! It is quite reliable, but less

convincing, for Black to continue with 22 . . . ia4 23.d5 ttleS 24.ttld2 = Shomoev - Landa, Sochi 2006.

23.d5 ttle5 24.ttlxe5 24.ttld4 ttld3+ 24 . . . he5

25.he5 The bishop ending arising af­

ter 25.ll.el f6 26.he5 lJ.xeS 27. ll.xeS fxeS could even be losing for White, since his opponent's king would march to the cS-square.

25 . . . �xe5 26.£J lt>f8 If 26 . . . ll.e3? ! White has the

209

Chapter 27

rather unpleasant response 27.c5. 27.'it>f2 'it>e7 28.f4 l:'!e4 29.

g3 l:'!d4 3 0 .'it>e3 l:'!e4+ 31.'ii>f2=

D) 17.g4 .ig6

Dl) 18 • .ifl D2) 18 • .id3

Dl) 18 • .ifl This move is played with the

idea of transferring the bishop to the long diagonal and from there it will be exert "x-ray" pressure (through the knight on f3) against Black's queen.

1S . .id3

The fact that White has played g2-g4 means that Black is now forced to exchange on d3, which he is usually reluctant to do when

210

his bishop is on fS. lS . . . .bd3 19.\Wxd3 \Wd7! (It is less precise for him to play 19 . . . .id6 20 .c4 \WaS, Ivanchuk - Kramnik, Nice 2010, 2U'lxeS+ ! �xeS 22 . .id2t White's centre is securely protect­ed and he has the idea of g4-g5 in reserve, so he has the better pros­pects) 20 .d5 .if6

2l .�abl (2l .�xeS+ �xeS 22 . \WbS tLleS 23.\Wxd7 tLlxd7 24 . .bc7 .bc3 = ; 22 .�bl tLle7 23.c4 tLlg6 24 . .ig3 b6= Howell - Gelfand, Amsterdam 2010) 2l . . .�xel+ 22 . �xel tLle7 23.c4, Karjakin - Gel­fand, Nice (rapid) 2010 . The game is equal after 23 . . . h5 ! 24.g5 tLlg6 25 . .ig3 .ie7 26.'it>g2 .id6=

18 • • • .id6 1S . . . .if6? ! 19.�xeS+ �xeS 20 .

.bc7 �cS, Jakovenko - Fridman, Dresden 200S, 2 l..if4 tLlaS 22 . �cit

19.l:'!xe8+ l:'!xe8 2 0 .c4 \We4 21..ie3

(diagram) 21 • • • .if8!N White hopes to advance d4-d5

and c4-c5 with tempo, so Black's prophylactic retreat with the bishop is his simplest and most reliable way to equalize.

12.bxc3 tt'lc613.'i'l.el 'i'l.e814.cxd5 V!ffxd515.JJ.j4 'i'l.ac816.h3 h6

It might be interesting for him to try the double-edged move 21 . . 'i'l.d8 !? 22 .JJ.g2 (if 22 .tt'ld2, Black has the resource 22 . . . We7 23.c5 §J.g3 ! ) 2 2 . . . We7! (22 . . . Wc2 23.d5 tt'la5 24.c5t Yemelin - Polak, Czech Republic 2010)

28.Wxb7 tt'le5 29.Wxc7 'i'l.e8 30. §J.d5. Black might objectively be able to hold this position, but fighting against White's far-ad­vanced passed pawn, supported by his bishop-pair, is likely to be rather an unpleasant task. 30 . . . Wxa3 31 .JJ.f4 Wd3 32 .Wd6 We2 33.c6 tt'ld3 34.JJ.g3 tt'lel + 35. 'it>h2 tt'lf3+ 36.'it>g2 tt'lel=

22 . .ig2 22 .d5 tt'le5 23.tt'ld2 Wc2 24.

Wxc2 hc2 = 22 . . . �d3=

The prospects of both sides are about equal in the ensuing end-

and now: game. 23.g5 JJ.c5 24.'i'l.a2 (24.gxh6

JJ.h5+) 24 . . . JJ.h5 (24 . . . hxg5+) 25. E) 17.tt'ld2 l"!:d2 ha3 26.gxh6 JJ.b4+ This po­sition is very rich in possibilities, but Black's chances are a bit bet­ter, Grischuk - Ivanchuk, Linares 2009 (game 2 0 ) ;

23.Wcl Wd7 24.Wc3 JJ.e7= ; White's best option here might

be 23 .Wb3 ! JJ.e4 (23 . . . Wf6 24. 'i'l.dU) 24.c5 (24.tt'ld2 hg2 25. 'it>xg2 b6=) 24 . . . hc5 25.dxc5 hf3 26.hf3 Wf6 27.'it>g2 Wxal

211

Chapter 27

17 • • • c!Lla5 Black has also tried a few other

moves here : 17 . . . 1,l;ld7 18 .1Llc4 �d6 19 . .b:d6

(19 .1,l;ld2 .b:f4 20 .Wxf4 !'le4 21 .1,l;lg3 !'lce8 22 .1Lle3 !'14e7 23.�b5 a6 24.�c4 ltJa5 25.�a2 �e6 26.d5 �f5= Kasparov - Motylev, Mos­cow 2004. The idea of avoiding all the possible exchanges with the move 19.�e3 !? deserves atten­tion; after, for example, 19 . . . ltJe7 20 .1,l;lb3 b6 21 .ltJxd6 'l,';lxd6 22 .c4 �e4 23.f3± White's position is preferable.) 19 . . . cxd6 20 .ltJe3 !'la8 21 . 'l,';la4 a6, Karjakin - Gelfand, Pamplona 2004. Here, with the simple move 22.ltJxf5 (instead, the game continued with 22 .1,l;lb3 �e4 23.�g4 'l,';lc7 and here after the concrete move 24.f3 !? Black would have some problems to worry about) 2 2 . . . 1,l;lxf5 23.1,l;lb3± White would maintain a slight but long-lasting and stable edge.

As usual, if White can avoid the exchange of the bishops, he should do so, thus after 17 . . . �d6, White has the possibility of 18. �e3 ! (18.�f3 'l,';la5 19 . .b:d6 cxd6= Wan Yunguo - Bu Xiangzhi, Bei­jing 2010, 20 .ltJc4 !'lxe1+ 21 .1,l;lxe1 'l,';lc7 22 .ltJe3 !'le8=) 18 . . . ltJa5 19.c4 'l,';le6 20 .1,l;la4 b6 2 1 .c5 �e7 22 .!'lac1 �f6 23 .�a6 !'lcd8 24.ltJc4 ltJxc4 25 . .b:c4 'l,';le7 26.�b5 �d7 27 . .b:d7 'l,';lxd7 28.1,l;lxa7 !'la8 (28 . . . .b:d4 29.c6 !±) 29.1,l;lb7 l"leb8 30 .1,l;le4±

18.i.f3 18)t:Jf1 'l,';lb3 19.1,l;ld2 ltJc4 20 .

.b:c4 'l,';lxc4 21 .lLle3 'l,';lb5 2 2 .c4 'l,';ld7 23.c5, Shirov - Smeets, Wijk aan

212

Zee 2010. Black could have played actively here with 23 . . . �e4 !+ , after which he could have even tried to seize the initiative.

18.�g4 �g5 (It is quite possible that GM Kiril Georgiev chose this move from a purely aesthetic point of view, because the rectan­gle formed by the bishops is very unusual and beautiful. However, Black could have equalized imme­diately with the simple move 18 . . . �d6=.) 19.�f3 !'lxe1+ 20 .1,l;lxe1 'l,';ld8 21 .�xg5 'l,';lxg5 22 .1,l;le5 (22 .h4 'l,';lf6= Akopian - Kir.Georgiev, Vrnjacka Banja 2010) 22 . . . �g6 23 .1,l;lxg5 hxg5 24.!'le1 f6=

18 . . J�M7

19.c!Llb3 After 19.ltJe4, Black has sever­

al possibilities. 19 . . . �f8? ! 20 .!'la2 ! b6 (it is pos­

sibly preferable for him to choose 20 . . . ltJc4±) . Now it is rather dubi­ous for White to continue with 2l .g4? ! �g6 22 .a4 f5 23.ltJg3 fxg4 24 . .b:g4 !'lxe1+ 25.1,l;lxe1 !'le8+ Shi­rov - Gashimov, Sestao 2010 . The correct reaction is 21 .!'lae2 ! and having set up a battery on the e-

12.bxc3 lLlc613.'il,el 'iJ,e814.cxd5 Wixd515.iJ.f4 'il,ac8 16.h3 h6

file, White seizes the initiative. Black has a good alternative in

19 . . . §J.e6 ! ? = , taking control over the light squares in the centre and preventing the transfer of White's rook to e2 via the a2-square.

It is also good for Black to play 19 . . . 'il,cd8, exerting powerful pres­sure against the central squares with the plan of advancing later with c7-c5. The game Akopian ­Kasimdzhanov, Nalchuk 2009, continued 20.l2Jg3 §J.g6 21 .iJ.h5 §J.d6 22 .hd6 'il,xel+ 23.'Wxel cxd6 24.§J.xg6 fxg6+ and Black had no problems, in fact his position was even preferable. After 20 .'il,a2 in­stead, Black has the response 20 . . . §J.e6 21 .'il,ae2 l2Jc4. The logical con­tinuation of the game might be 22 .l2Jd2 (What else? White must try to clear the e-file.) 22 . . . l2Jb6 ! 23 .'Wc2 (after 23 .§J.xb7, Black equalizes with 23 . . . c5 ! ) 23 . . . §J.f5 24.'Wb3 c5=

19 ••• l2Jxb3 2 0 .'�xb3 b6 21.g4

21 • • • i.d3!N It is less precise to play 21 . . .

§J.g6 22 .§J.b7 'iJ,b8 23 .'Wd5 'Wxd5 24.

§J.xd5 §J.d6 25.hd6 cxd6;!;, be­cause with the help of the ma­noeuvre §J.d5-c6 and d4-d5, White will gain control of the e-file and obtain a slight edge, although Black should be able to draw with accurate defence, Shirov - So, Khanty-Mansyisk 2010.

22.ge3 22 .iJ.b7 gbs 23.'Wd5 iJ.bs 24.a4

(24.c4 §J.a4 25.'Wxd7 §J.xd7=) 24 . . . 'il,xb7! 25.'Wxb5 c6=

22 • • • c5 23J�ld5 23.'iJ,ael c4 !+ 23 • • .'�'b5 ! 24.'�'b7 24.'il,ael §J.f8= 24 • . • .ih4!

25.gdl But not 25 . .id5, in view of 25 . . .

�h7! Black indirectly protects his f7-pawn in spectacular fashion: 26 . .ie5 .ixf2 + ! 27.�xf2 'Wb2+ 28. �g3 'Wxal 29 .'il,xd3 'Wel+ 30 .�f4 cxd4 3l ..ie4+ �h8 32 .hd4 'il,c7 33.'Wd5 'il,ce7-+ - Black's attack is decisive.

25 .•• �b2 26.gexd3 �xf2+ 27.�hl gel+ 28.gxel �xel+ 29.�h2 �f2+ 3 0 .�hl �fl= Black draws by perpetual check.

213

Chapter 27

F) 17.�cl

17 . . . �d7 It is also quite reliable for

Black to continue with 17 . . . if6 18.�b2 tt:laS 19.ie5 (19.'Lle5 �b3 = ; or 19.Ei:ad1 �b3 20.�xb3 tt:lxb3 21 .ic4 tt:laS 22 .ia2, Al­Modiahki - Wang Yue, Ha Long City 2009. Here, his most solid move would be 22 . . . b6 ! = ) 19 . . . heS 20 .'Llxe5 cS 21 .if3 �d6 22 . Ei:ad1 b6 23.�a2 ie6 24.d5 hh3 25.tt:lxt7 Ei:xe1+ 26.Ei:xe1 mxt7 27. gxh3 Ei:e8 28.Ei:xe8 (if 28.ie4, with the idea of preserving the rooks in order to organize an attack, then 28 . . . Ei:e7! 29.Ei:e3 me8 ! = , removing the king to a safer area) 28 . . . mxe8 29.�e2+ md8 30.�a6 �g6+ 31.ig2 �b1+ 32 .mh2 �fs 33.�xa7 �f4+ 34. mg1 �c1+ 35.mh2 �f4=, draw, Ponomariov - Gelfand, Khanty­Mansyisk 2009.

18.�b2 .i.d6 19 . .ixd6 After 19 .ie3, Black has at his

disposal a tactical shot: 19 . . . hh3 ! 20 .gxh3 �xh3 21 .�xb7 �g4+ 2 2 . m fl �h3= , ending the game with a perpetual check.

2 14

19 . . . cxd6 I believe it is less precise for

him to choose 19 . . . �xd6 20 .ic4 (if 20 .'Lld2 b6 21 .ib5 Ei:xe1+ 22 . Ei:xe1 'LlaS= , Black advances with c7-c5 and solve all his problems; or 20 .�xb7 Ei:xe2 21 .Ei:xe2 Ei:b8 2 2 .�xb8+ tt:lxb8 23 .Ele8+ mh7 24. Elxb8 �c6 25.Ei:e1 �xc3 26.Ei:e3 �cl+ 27.mh2 �c2 28 .mg3 i.e6= when White's pieces are not suf­ficiently coordinated and so Black equalizes easily) 2 0 . . . b6

and now: 21 .�b5. This transfer of the

queen to the kingside need not worry Black. 21 . . .id7 22 .�h5 �f4 (it would be even simpler for Black to respond with 22 . . . Elxe1+ ! 23 .Ei:xe1 Ei:f8=) 23 .ib5 Ei:cd8 24.a4 and the most direct road to equal-

12.bxc3 'Llc613. 'il.el 'il.e814.cxd51!!1xd515.il.f4 'il.ac816.h3 h6

ity for Black now is to quickly simplify the position on the e-file with 24 . . . 'iJ.xel. (it is less precise to play 24 . . . mf8 25 .g3 1!!1f6, Akopian - Gelfand, Astrakhan 2 010, 26 . mg2 'iJ.xel 27.'iJ.xel 'iJ.e8 28 .'iJ.xe8+ il.xe8 29 .1/!1d5:t). 25.'iJ.xel g6 26. 1!!1d5 (26.1!!1h4 1!!1xh4 27.'Llxh4 mf8=) 26 . . . il.e6 ! = . Now White cannot play 27.1/!1xc6? owing to 27 . . . il.d5 28 .'iJ.e8+ mg7 29 .'iJ.xd8 il.xc6 30 .il.xc6 1!!1f6 31 .'iJ.d7 1!!1xc6 32 .'iJ.xf7+ mg8-+ and Black wins;

it is reasonable for White to continue with 21 .1/!1a2 1!!1f6 22 .il.b5 il.d7 23.a4:t and his position is a little better.

2 0 .'Llh4 il.e6 21.'iJ.adl d5 22 • .id3

22 • • • �c7!N

This is the most concrete plan for Black. He wants to exchange all the rooks, considerably reduc­ing the attacking potential of his opponent's pieces.

In the game Akopian - Wang Yue, Astrakhan 2010, Black chose another line : 22 . . . b6 23.il.bl (it is better for White to play here 23. 'iJ.e3:t, preparing to double his rooks along the e-file) 23 . . . 1!!1d8 24.'Llf3 �f6= Black's light-squared bish­op has acquired freedom of move­ment and the game is equal.

23.'iJ.e3 .id7 24.'iJ.del 'iJ.xe3 25.'iJ.xe3 'iJ.e8 26.'iJ.xe8+ .ixe8=

Black's bishop is not very good, but White has a backward c3-pawn, so these two defects bal­ance each other out.

Conclusion You should be convinced by now that 16 ... h6 is Black's calmest and

most reliable move. If, during a tense competitive game, a player with Blackfails to remember some of the variations provided in this chap­ter, he still has excellent chances of finding the right path over the

board by himself It is essential, not so much to memorize the long

forcing lines, but to understand the main ideas of the variation. These

have all been explained quite thoroughly in the conclusion of Chapter

25, which is very similar to this chapter, with respect to both the lines

and the ideas.

215

Chapter 28 l.e4 e5 2.li�fJ lDf6 3.lDxe5 d6 4.lDfJ lDxe4 5.lDc3

White exchanges Black's cen­tralized knight, accepting the ap­pearance of a slight defect in his pawn-structure. Meanwhile, he prepares queenside castling. In the last few years this line has be­come tremendously popular, which is not surprising, because Black often faces difficulties.

5 • • .ll:lxc3 If Black retreats his knight

with S . . . ttlf6, White obtains an ad­vantage thanks to his extra tempo for development.

6.dxc3 After 6.bxc3, White's pawn­

structure is seriously weakened and he has no chance of gaining an advantage. Black can obtain a very good position is several ways :

216

6 . . . d5 7.d4 �d6 ! Black has al­ready played d6-d5, so it is appro­priate to develop his bishop to an active position. 8.�d3 0-0 9.0-0 h6= ;

6 . . . �e7 7.d4 0 - 0 8.�d3 d S 9 . 0 - 0 cS lO.dxcS (otherwise Black will deploy his knight on c6, while after lO.ttleS, Black has the strong reply 10 . . . c4, followed by f7-f6+) 10 . . . ttld7 ll .c6 dxc6 12 .ttld4 �d6 ! 13.ttlf5 �eS=

6 . . . �e7

7 . .if4 White's other possibility here

is 7.�e3, with the same idea of preparing queenside castling; we shall analyze this in the next chapter, in a somewhat different

2.liJf3 liJf6 3.liJxe5 d6 4.liJf3 liJxe4 5.liJc3 liJxc3 6.dxc3 �e7 7. �f4

version. If White castles kingside here,

Black has no problems at all. After 7.�d3 0-0 8 .0-0 liJc6 (it is also good for him to opt for 8 . . . liJd7 with the idea of 9 . . . liJc5) 9 .E\e1 �e6= followed by �d7, the posi­tion is equal.

The transfer of White's queen to f4 is not dangerous for Black, since after 7.�d4 0-0 8.�e3 liJc6 9.�f4, he has a safe route to equality: 9 . . . �d7 10 .h3 (prevent­ing 10 . . . �g4) 10 . . . �f5 1l .�a4 �a5=, entering an equal end­game, D.Schneider - Ilincic, Torokbalint 2004.

After 7 . .if4, one possibility for Black is A) 7 .. .li.Jc6. He prepares to castle on the same side as White, to prevent his opponent from organizing an attack. This scheme of development is very safe, but somewhat passive, and it leaves Black with almost no chance of seizing the initiative. Black's other possible develop­ment scheme is based on the dou­ble-edged move B) 7 ... 0 - 0 and in that case there arises a very

complicated position, which sometimes becomes very sharp, with opposite-sides castling.

A) 7 • • .tbc6

8.�d2 If 8.�b5, Black's simplest way

to equalize is with 8 . . . 0-0 (The position remains very unclear af­ter 8 . . . a6 9.hc6+ bxc6 10 .�d3 0-0 11 .0-0-0oo Jobava - Moty­lev, Poikovsky 2010. White's plan is quite standard; he wants to push h2-h4 and use the g5-square as a springboard for his minor pieces.) 9 .�d3 �d7 10.0-0-0 �f5 1l .�xf5 hf5 12 .E1he1 �f6 13.liJd4 liJxd4 14.cxd4 a6 15.�a4 g5 16. �g3 h5 17.f3 h4 18.�f2 d5= , draw, Kuzubov - Andreikin, Lubbock 2009.

Black should not be afraid of the move 8 .�d3 - the white bish­op will come under attack from Black's minor pieces, since he will prepare the development of his bishop to f5, or his knight to the e5-square. This will tend to lead to exchanges, which should suit Black, since his position is a bit

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Chapter 28

cramped. 8 . . . �e6 9 .'1We2 (White cannot achieve much with 9.'1Wd2 '1Wd7 10 .0-0-0 0-0-0= ) . It will be very good for Black to develop his rook to the e-file in order to at­tack the enemy queen, so he can boldly castle here - 9 . . . 0-0!N 10 .0-0-0 �f6=, after which he deploys his rook on the e8-square and completes his development.

8 ... .ie6 9. 0 - 0 - 0 For 9.g3 '1Wd7 10.0-0-0 - see

9 .0-0-0 '1Wd7 10.g3. The position is absolutely

equal following 9.'2ld4 'i:Jxd4 10. cxd4 0-0=

If 9 .'2lg5, besides the transpo­sition to the main line with 9 . . . hg5 10 .hg5 '1Wd7 11 .0-0-0 f6 12 .�e3 0-0-0, Black has the in­teresting move 9 . . . �f5 ! ? , preserv­ing both bishops.

9 .. . �d7

The position of White's bishop on f4, rather than e3 (the same position, with a bishop on e3 , arises after 7.�e3 'Llc6 8 .'1Wd2 �e6), has some nuances that are worth mentioning. Here White does not have one of the ideas of

218

�e3, which is to play 'Llf3-d4 and after the trade of the knights his dark-squared bishop attacks the enemy queenside. Neither can he achieve anything much with the move h2-h4, preparing a knight­sortie to the g5-square. On the other hand, White has the possi­bility of exchanging his knight for his opponent's dark-squared bishop, which Black can avoid when White's bishop is on e3.

1 0 .ti::Jg5 The position would be very

similar to the main line after 10 .�e2 0-0-0 ll .'Llg5 �g5 12 . �xg5 f6=

If 10 .g3, a complicated strug­gle arises after 10 . . . 0-0oo J.Polgar - Ghaem Maghami, Dresden 2008, but it is also possible for Black to play 10 . . . 0-0-0 1l .�g2 wb8=

White does not obtain much with 10.h4 h6 1l .�b5 (ll .g3 �f6 12 .�g2 0-0-0 13.Wbl Elhe8 14. Elhe1 �g4 15.'1Wd5 Elxe1 16.:1'\xe1 E\e8= Efimenko - Zhou Jinchao, AI Ain 2008) 11 . . .a6 12.�a4 b5 13 .�b3 hb3 14.axb3 '1Wf5 15.:1'\he1 0-0= Volokitin - Erenburg, Sochi 2006.

10 .wb1 0-0-0

2.4Jj3 CiJf6 3.4Jxe5 d6 4.4Jj3 4Jxe4 5.4Jc3 4Jxc3 6.dxc3 �e7 7.�f4

11 .4Jg5 hg5 12 .hg5 f6 13 .�e3 - see 10 .4Jg5 hg5 ll .hg5 f6 12 . �e3 0-0-0 13.\t>bl.

The position is equal after 11. 4Jd4 4Jxd4 and here, following 12 .cxd4, it is good for Black to play 12 . . . �f6 13.d5 �f5, preparing to free the e-file, while he can counter 12 .'?9xd4 with the move 12 . . . c5= equalizing, since after 13. '?9xg7 l"ldg8 14.'?9h6 Black has not only the line : 14 . . . l"lg6 15.'?9h5 �g4 16.'?9d5 hd1 17.'?9xd1oo but also the possibility of 14 . . . �g4 15.�d3 �f8 16.'?9f6 �e7 17.'?9xf7 l"i:f8 18. '?9g7 l"i:dg8 19 .'?9h6 �f8= with an unavoidable repetition of moves.

11 .�b5 a6 12 .�a4 �f6 13.�g5 (13.l"i:he1 h6 14.4Jd4 �d5 15.f3 l"i:he8 16.4Je2 �c4= Karjakin -lvanchuk, Sochi 2008) 13 . . . hg5 14.'?9xg5 b5 15.�b3 f6 16.he6 '?9xe6 17.'?9f4 h5 18.h3 g5 19 .4Jd4 '?9d5 2 0 .4Jxc6 '?9xd1+ 21 .l"lxd1 gxf4 22 .4Jxd8 'it>xd8 23 .\t>c1 l"i:g8 24.l"lg1 f3 25.g3 l"i:e8 26.l"i:d1 l"i:e2 27.l"ld2 l"i:e1+ 2 8.l"ld1 l"i:e2 = , draw, lvan­chuk - Kramnik, Moscow 2008.

10 . . . .ixg5 It would be interesting, al-

though a bit risky, for Black to try the move 10 . . . �f5 ! ? 11 .�c4 (White achieves nothing with 11 .h3 h6 12 .4Jf3 0-0-0=) ll . . . h6 12 .4Jf3 0-0oo and the position is double­edged.

ll.hg5 f6 12 . .ie3 0 - 0 - 0

A similar, but less advanta­geous for Black, position arises after 7.�e3 4Jc6 8.'?9d2 �e6 9. 0-0-0 '?9d7 10 .It>b1 a6 11 .4Jg5 hg5 12.hg5 f6 13 .�e3 0-0-0

The difference is that White's king is on c1 rather than b1, which is not very important, and Black's pawn is on a7 rather than a6, which is definitely preferable for him. With the black pawn on a6 White has the possibility of ad­vancing with a2-a4, followed by a

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Chapter 28

march of the b-pawn to b5, while with the pawn on a7 this idea would not work.

Black's plan is now very simple. He should not touch the pawn-chain c7-d6-f6-g7 but should strive to exchange pieces. If he manages to exchange the light-squared bishops his position might even become preferable, because White's dark-squared bishop is severely restricted in its mobility. The concrete variations in this situation are not so impor­tant. The essential thing for Black is to understand where to put his pieces.

Here is an example to show how the struggle might develop:

13.b3 @b8 14.i.e2 ghe8 15. ghel i.g4

Black provokes the advance of the enemy pawn, since the weak­ening might prove helpful. 16.f3 i.h5 17.i.f2 i.f7 18.@b2 ge7 19.i.fl gxel 2o.gxel ges 21. gdl i.g6 22.a4 �f5 23. i.g3 �e6 24.i.c4 �e3 25.�xe3 gxe3 26.i.f2 ge7= Black drew without any problems in the game Ras-

220

mussen - Fridman, Novi Sad 2009.

B) 7 . . . 0 - 0

With the white bishop on f4, kingside castling is a good choice for Black.

8.�d2 It is weaker for White to play

8 . .id3, owing to 8 . . . tt:Jd7 followed by tt:Jd7-c5 - White's bishop on d3 will come under the threat of be­ing exchanged.

8 .. .c!l)d7 9. 0 - 0 - 0 lilc5

The plans of both sides have become clear. White has good prospects on the kingside, . while Black has chances both on the

queenside and in the centre, ex­ploiting the e-file.

White must regroup his forces in order to begin an effective king­side attack. He must eventually play f2-f3 in order to cover the e4-square against possible invasion by Black's knight, and to do that he must first move his own knight from f3. White's bishop on f4 is not helpful in the development of his initiative either; it is restricted by Black's pawns at the moment.

Now we shall analyze all White's reasonable options here: B1) 1 0 . .ic4, B2) 1 0 .c!iJd4, B3) 1 0 .h4 and B4) 10 . .ie3 .

It would obviously be a bad idea for him to try 10.h3? ! g;:es 11.g4, since after 1l . . .ttJe4 12.1�'e1 if6+ Black seized the initiative in the game Tseshkovsky - I.Zait­sev, USSR 1975.

The move 10.'it>b1 looks rather indifferent and Black should re­spond with lO . . . g;:es. The inclu­sion of these moves is advanta­geous for Black, because White's king is only slightly better on b1 than on c1, while Black's rook is very useful on e8, where it is very active and stands ready to sup­port the knight if it goes to e4.

B1) 1 0 . .ic4 (diagram)

With this move White just pro­vokes an exchange which is in Black's favour, since his position is a bit cramped.

1 0 ..• .ie6 ll . .ixe6 ttlxe6 It is rather dubious to play 11 . . .

fxe6? ! 12 .ie3 and Black will have to play d6-d5 at some point, after which his e6-pawn will become backward.

12 . .ie3 "*ld7 It might be interesting for him

to opt for 12 . . . c6 ! ? 13.h4 dS 14. tUgS h6 1S.t2Jxe6 fxe6 16.h5 eS= . White's rook can penetrate into the enemy camp along the route h1-h3-g3-g6, but Black's centre is very powerful, so the position of­fers chances to both sides.

13.h4 "*lb5! Val.Popov -Khenkin, Sochi 2005.

Black deprives the enemy queen of the all-important d3-square, from where it can create threats against Black's king in

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Chapter 28

combination with a knight on g5. White can play �d3 only if he is prepared to enter an approxi­mately equal endgame. He has hardly anything better, though . . .

B2) 1 0 .c!il d4

White is preparing f2-f3 , to deprive Black's knight of the e4-square and to prepare the ad­vance of his g-pawn.

1 0 • . J3e8 ll.f3 c!Lle6 12 . .ie3 .ig5

The other reliable possibility for Black here is 12 . . . tt'lxd4 13. cxd4 �f5 ! (otherwise, his bishops will remain cramped) 14.g4 �g6 15 .<;t>b1 �h4! 16.�f2 h6= Huebner - Kramnik, Frankfurt (rapid) 1996.

13.f4 13.tt'lxe6 he3 14.tt'lxd8 hd2+

15 . <;t>d2 l"i:xd8= 13.hg5 �xg5 14.�xg5 tt'lxg5

15.tt'lb5 tt'le6 16.�c4 �d7= Yemelin - Kochyev, St.Petersburg 1997.

(diagram) 13 . . . c!Llxd4! 13 . . . �f6 14.tt'lf3;!; 14.fxg5 c!Llc6 15.h4 .ig4 16.

222

gel �d7= Adams - Kramnik, Wijk aan Zee 2008.

Black plans to follow up with l"i:e8-e5, preparing to double his rooks on the e-file. He also has ac­tive possibilities on the light squares and all this provides him with good chances of equalizing.

B3) 1 0 .h4 With this move White secures

the g5-square as a springboard for his knight and sometimes even a black pawn on h6 does not preclude this manoeuvre. It would be very dangerous for Black to capture the knight, since White's mating attack along the h-file could prove fatal.

2.ttJ.f3 ttJf6 3.ttJxe5 d6 4.ttJ.f3 ttJxe4 5.ttJc3 ttJxc3 6.dxc3 .ie7 7 . .ij4

1 0 . . . c6 This is the safest road to equal­

ity for Black. He prepares d6-d5 in order to acquire some space and he also opens the way to the aS-square for his queen.

Black's other popular options here : 10 . . . E!e8, 10 . . . .if6 and 10 . . . .ig4 all lead to a complicated struggle, but with more possibili­ties for White to seize the initia­tive.

ll . .ixd6 After ll.h5, it is good for Black

to play 11 . . .h6=, or 11 . . .d5 12 .h6 g6= Andrews - Haessel, Chikago 2007.

White cannot achieve much with 11..ig5, in view of 11 . . .d5 12 .

.ixe7 Wxe7 13.ttJd4 ttJe4 14 .We1 Wf6 15.f3 ttJd6= Rozentalis -Arencibia, Elista 1998.

ll . . . .ixd6 12.�xd6 �xd6 13.gxd6 ttJe4 14.gd4 ttJxf2 15. ggl ttJg4

This endgame looks simple, but in fact it is quite insidious and Black must find several accurate moves in order to equalize. If he plays imprecisely, the vulnerabil­ity of his queenside pawns is bound to tell .

16 . .ic4 Black need not fear the line:

16 . .id3 E!e8 17. r;t>d2 ttJf6= Almasi - Gashimov, Lugo 2007.

If White seizes additional space on the queenside with 16.a4, Black should reply, not with 16 . . . .ie6, which would enable White to improve his pawn-structure with 17.ttJg5 .if5 18 . .id3 .ixd3 19.cxd3 ttJf6 20 .E!e1 E!fe8 2l .E!xe8+ E!xe8 22 .r;t>d2 r;t>f8 23.b4± and Black will have to work hard to make a draw, Efimenko - Khalifman, Sochi 2006, but with 16 . . . E!e8 17 . .id3 h6 18.a5 .ie6 19 .E!e1 ttJf6= Topalov ­Gelfand, Monaco (rapid) 2 006.

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Chapter 28

16 . . . .if5 17 . .id3 .ixd3 18. cxd3 tt:lf6 19.�d2

19 J'!e1 Elfe8 20.Elxe8+ Elxe8 21 . �d2 �f8 22 .a4, Topalov - Gel­fand, Wijk aan Zee 2006. Here Black could have equalized con­vincingly with 22 . . . c5 23.Elf4 b6=

19 .. JUe8 !N It is too passive to play 19 . . .

Elfd8 20 .a4 t2Je8 21 .Ele1 Elxd4 22 . t2Jxd4 <±>f8 23.a5 t2Jc7 24.b4± Cheparinov - Dominguez, Cuer­navaca 2006.

2 0 .g4 c5 21.�c4 The move 21 .Eld6? loses the

exchange without compensation: 21 . . .c±>f8 22 .g5 c±>e7 23.gxf6+ c±>xd6 24.fxg7 Elg8 25.t2Jg5 c±>e7 26 .t2Jxh7 Elac8 ! (Black's rook is ready to join in the action along the 6th rank) 27.Ele1 + c±>d8 28 .Elg1 Elc6 29.t2Jg5 c±>e7 30 .t2Je4 Elg6 31 . Ele1 Elg2+ 32 .c±>c1 c±>d8 33.t2Jxc5 b6 34.t2Je4 El8xg7 35.t2Jg5 Elh2+ and Black has excellent winning chances.

21 .Ela4 t2Jd5 22 .Ele1 Elxe1 23. t2Jxe1 f6=

21 . . . b6 22.g5 tt:ld5 It is also safe to defend with

224

2 2 . . . t2Jd7 !? 23.Ele4 Elxe4 24.dxe4 <±>f8 25.c±>e3 c±>e7=

23.�e4 23.Ele1 Elxe1 24.t2Jxe1 f6=

23 . . . f5! I t i s less convincing for Black

to continue with 23 . . . Elxe4 24. dxe4 t2Je7 25.c±>e3 Eld8 26.b4 ! c4 !? . This pawn is now separated from the rest of his forces, but this is the only way for Black to prevent the opening of files, which White's rook might use to penetrate into his camp. 27.t2Jd4 Ele8 28.c±>f3 t2Jg6 29.h5 t2Je5+ 30.c±>e3 Eld8 31.a4 g6 32.h6 <±>f8 33.a5± and Black still has some difficulties to worry about.

24.gxf6 tt:lxf6 25.�e5 �xeS 26.tt:lxe5 �e8=

2.'LJ.f3 'LJf6 3.'LJxe5 d6 4.'LJ.f3 'LJxe4 5.'LJc3 'LJxc3 6.dxc3 fi.e7 7.fi.j4

White has been unable to at­tack his opponent's vulnerable queenside pawns, while Black has the possibility of creating his own passed pawn on the kingside in the future.

B4) 1 0 • .ie3

1 0 • • • c6! It seems very reasonable for

Black to fortify his knight on c5 with the move 10 . . . b6, but after ll .'LJd4 fi.b7 12.f3 if6 13.'tt>b1 a6 14.h4 Ei:e8 15.1Mff2� White is ready to seize the initiative on the king­side and the advance of his g­pawn might be particularly dan­gerous for Black.

Here Black's most popular line is: 10 . . . Ei:e8 11.fi.c4 fi.e6 12 . .b:e6 'LJxe6 13 .h4 '\Wd7 14.Wd5 '\Wc6 15.'\Wf5 '\Wc4 16.'tt>b1 (strangely enough, the following variation has been tested only once at top level : 16.'LJg5 .b:g5 17.hxg5 'LJf8 18.'it>bU and White's position is slightly better, Karjakin - Kram­nik, Wijk aan Zee 2007.) 16 . . . g6 17.'\Mfh3 h5 18.CiJd2 1Mfe2 19.l"i:de1 '\Wg4 2 0.'1Wh2 d5 21 .f3 1Mfa4 22 .g4

id6 23.'\Mff2t. The theory of this line goes even further, but I think that from Black's point of view we should stop the analysis here. His defence is difficult and he must find some "only moves" in order to survive, Szabo - Huzman, Bud­va 2009.

ll.hc5 This is the only way for White

to justify the retreat of his bishop on the previous move.

Black wins a tempo for active operations after 11. 'tt>b1 and fol­lowing ll . . . l"i:e8 (it is also good for him to play the immediate 11 . . . 'LJe4) 12 .'LJd4 'LJe4 13 .'1Wc1 d5 14.f3 'LJd6+ his position is preferable, Val .Popov - Frolyanov, Sochi 2006 .

It is more or less the same af­ter ll.'LJd4 'LJe4 12 .'1We1 l"i:e8 13.f3 'LJf6+ Sebag - Koneru, Ekaterin­burg 2006.

If ll .h4, it is very good for Black to continue with ll . . . '\Wa5 12.'tt>b1 fi.e6 13.a3 'LJe4 14.We1 fi.f6= and his prospects are not at all worse, Deepan - Koneru, Vi­sakhapatnam 2006.

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Chapter 28

After ll .c4, Black's best line would be 11 . . .tt:le4! 12 .'\Wd3 �f5 13 .g4 �g6 14.Wb3 WeB ! and if 15.l'l:g1 then 15 . . .f5 ! i and he seizes the initiative.

ll . . . dxc5 12.'1Wf4 Wa5 13 . .id3 .ie6 14.a3 gadS

It is less precise for Black to opt for 14 . . . �f6, in view of 15.tt:lg5! (for 15 .l'l:he1 l'l:ad8 - see 14 . . . l'l:ad8 15.l'l:he1 �f6, whereas it is a forced draw after 15.h4 c4 16.�e4 hc3 17.bxc3 '\Wxa3+ 18.mb1 f5 19.tt:lg5 fxe4 20.Wxe4 �f5 2l .Wxc4+ mh8 22 .tt:lf7 + l'l:xf7 23.'\Wxf7 '\Wxc3 24. Wxf5 Wb4+, draw, Leko - Kram­nik, Wijk aan Zee 2008) 15 . . . �xg5 16.Wxg5 l'l:ad8 17.l'l:heH

15,ghel 15.h4 c4 16.�xc4 '\Wa4 17.Wc7

Wxc4 18.Wxe7 l'l:de8 19.Wb4 Wa2 2 0 .tt:ld4 l'l:c8 21 .tt:lxe6 fxe6 22 .Wb3 '\Wxb3 23.cxb3 l'l:xf2 = Sjugirov -Frolyanov, St.Petersburg 2009.

White can deprive his oppo­nent of the advantage of the bish­op pair with 15.'\We4 g6 16 .�c4 and here the seemingly attractive pin of White's bishop turns out to be the wrong decision for Black.

226

After 16 . . . Wa4 17.l'l:he1 l'l:xd1+ (17 . . . hc4 18.'\Wxe7 �d5 19.g3±) 18. mxd1 .bc4 19.Wxe7 �d5 20 .tt:le5 �e6 21 .'\Wxc5 �f5 22 .b3 '\Wf4 23. '\We3 Wxh2 24.g3± his light­squared bishop is restricted by his own pawns and so White main­tains a slight edge. It is correct for Black to play the straightfor­ward 16 . . . �xc4 ! 17.Wxe7 (17.'\Wxc4 Wc7=) 17 . . . l'l:de8! 18 .'\Wh4 (the pawn is poisoned and after 18. Wxb7 l'l:b8 ! Black's attack becomes very dangerous) 18 . . . �d5 19.tt:lg5 h5 20 .c4 (Black is much better af­ter 20.g4? Wa4-+) 2 0 . . . '\Wa4 21 . l'l:he1 l'l:xe1 22 .l'l:xe1 Wxc4 23.Wxc4 �xc4 24.l'l:e7 b6 25.l'l:xa7 l'l:e8=

15 . . . .if6 But not 15 . . . g6 16 .h4i with a

powerful initiative for White. 16.ge3 Black is clearly better after

16.tt:lg5? ! c4 17 .. bh7+ (17.tt:lxh7 hc3 18.tt:lxf8 cxd3 19.l'l:xe6 fxe6 20 .tt:lg6 �f6+) 17 . . . mh8 18.tt:lxe6 fxe6 19.l'l:xd8 l'l:xd8 2 0 .We4. White is unable to parry the threat of �f6-g5 and cannot protect his bishop in any other way. 20 . . . hc3 2l .l'l:e2 '\Wg5+ 22 .We3 Wxe3+ 23 .fxe3 hb2+ 24.mxb2 mxh7 25.mc3 b5+

It is possible for White to con­tinue with the standard move 16. h4, when Black has a choice be­tween a move which leads to an unclear position and a move which equalizes.

16 . . . hc3 ! ? 17.l'l:xe6 fxe6 18. '\We4 �f6 19.'\Wxh7+ mf7 20.tt:lg5+ me7 21 .tt:lxe6 Wb6 22 .c3 mxe6

2. CiJ.f3 CiJf6 3.CiJxe5 d6 4. CiJ.f3 CiJxe4 5.CiJc3 CiJxc3 6.dxc3 ile7 7.ilf4

23.\Wfs+ md6 (23 . . . mf7? 24.JJ.c4+ E1d5 25.E1xd5 cxd5 26.\Wd7+ ile7 27.hd5+ mf6 28.\Wg4 lt>e5 29. \We4+ mf6 30.\We3 lt>g6 31 .\Wxe7 \Wf6 32 .\Wxc5±) 24.1J.c4+ (24.\Wf4+ lt>e7 25.\We3+ mf7 26.JJ.c4+ E1d5 27.E1xd5 cxd5 28.hd5+ lt>g6 29. JJ.e4+ mf7 30.iJ.d5=) 24 . . . JJ.d4 25. \Wg6+ lt>c7 26.\Wg3+ E1d6 27.cxd4 E1fd8 28.\Wxg7+ mb8oo This posi­tion is non-standard and com­pletely unclear;

16 . . . c4 17.E1xe6 (If 17.hc4 E1xd1+, and after 18.E1xd1 Wa4+ or 18 .\t>xd1 hc4 19.\Wxc4 Wb6 20 . Wb4 \Wxf2 21 .\Wxb7 \Wxg2 22 .\Wxc6 hh4+ Black is clearly better.) 17 . . . cxd3 (17 . . . fxe6 18 .\Wxc4� White has excellent compensa­tion for the exchange) 18.E1xf6 gxf6 ! (18 . . . d2+ 19.CiJxd2 gxf6 20 . E1e1 \Wd5 2 l .CiJe4 \Wa2 22 .CiJd6 \Wd5 23.CiJf5 mh8 24.b3 \Wxg2 25.CiJg3) 19.cxd3 \Wc5 20 .\Wxf6 \Wxf2 21 . \Wg5+ mh8 22 .Wf6+ (after 22 .E1d2, Black has the intermediate move 22 . . .f6 ! ) 22 . . . mg8=

16 . . . b5N 17.lMel 17.\We4 g6 18 .Wxc6 b4 19.Wa6

\Wxa6 2 0.ha6 bxa3 2l .bxa3

E1xd1+ 22 .mxd1 E1d8� White's pawns are vulnerable and Black has excellent compensation for his minimal material deficit.

17 . . . c4 If 17 . . . \Wb6 18.CiJg5 (after 18 .g4,

Black has the strong move 18 . . . b4 ! ) 18 . . . hg5 19.\Wxg5 E1d5 2 0 . Wg3±

18 . .ie4

18 . . . h6! This is a very important pro­

phylactic move, which is not at all obvious. It has become possible, because White is unable to open the kingside by advancing his g­pawn.

If 18 . . . Wb6 19.g4 ! (19.CiJg5 hg5 20 .\Wxg5 c5= ; 19 .h4 c5 20 . tt:lg5 b4� Black's attack against the enemy king is faster) 19 . . . c5 (19 . . . a5 2 0 .g5 JJ.e7 21 .tt:ld4 \Wc5 22 . \Wh4 h6 23.f4 E1d6± Black's de­fence is nearly collapsing and his position is very precarious; 19 . . . JJ.e7 20 .CiJe5 E1d6 2l.g5 c5 22 .1J.f5t) 20 .g5 JJ.e7 2l .iJ.f5±

19.\t>bl Black is clearly better after

19.g4 JJ.e7 20.g5 (20.JJ.f5 ha3 21 .

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Chapter 28

<i>bl .b:b2 22 .Wxb2 b4+; 2 0 .\t>bl .td6 21 .tLle5 f6-+) 20 .. . .b:a3 21 . gxh6 .td6 22 . .th7+ <i>xh7 23.\We4+ g6 24.t2Jg5+ <i>h8 25.\t>bl hh2+

19 . . . c5 2 0 . .if5 .id5 21..ie4 (diagram)

21. . . .ixe4 The move 21 . . . .te6= leads to a

repetition of moves. 22.Ybe4 b4 23.t2Je5 bxc3

24.l'�xc3 1"ife8 25.f4 1M4+ Black's position is even slightly preferable.

Conclusion The variation beginning with the move 5. tLlc3 is one of the most

dangerous for Black in the Petroff Defence. As for the line with 7 . .tf4 which we have analyzed in this chapter, we can recommend to play­ers who are ready to defend a minimally worse but quiet and safe position the move 7 ... tLlc6. Players who are not afraid of a compli­cated and approximately equal struggle with opposite-sides castling can choose the move 7 ... 0-0.

228

Chapter29 l.e4 e5 2)i:J£3 tl:Jf6 3.tl:Jxe5 d6 4.tt:J£3 tt:Jxe4 5.tl:Jc3 tl:Jxc3 6.dxc3 i.e7 7 .i.e3

I think this is the most danger­ous move for Black to face. The only advantage of putting the white bishop on f4, rather than e3, is that the e-file remains open, but White has no plans to use the e-file anyway! On e3 the bishop is eyeing the queenside, which might prove useful if Black castles on that side. If the black king seeks shelter on the kingside, then the bishop deprives Black's knight of the c5-square, and is also more harmoniously placed on e3 for the development of White's kingside initiative.

Now, just as after i.f4, Black has two plans at his disposal : the cautious A) 7 .. .li)c6, with the idea of preparing queenside cas-

tling, and the double-edged B) 7 .•. 0 - 0 .

A) 7 . .. llJc6 With this move Black is trying

to equalize and wants to avoid getting into sharp positions with opposite-sides castling. He is pre­paring to castle queenside him­self.

S.f;Yd2 White's far-flung queen-ma­

noeuvres should not trouble Black in the least: 8 .'&d5 ie6 9.'&b5 f;YcS 10 .0-0-0 a6 ll .f;Ya4 0-0 12. \Wf4 �f6 13.id3 ttle5= and the game is equal, Karjakin - Eren­burg, Sochi 2006.

It is not worth White losing a

229

Chapter 29

tempo for the prophylactic move 8.h3, because the development of the bishop to g4 is not part of Black's plan. It is pointless to pin the knight, since White can sim­ply ignore it. If Black exchanges his bishop on f3, doubling his op­ponent's pawns, then White will develop his initiative along the open g-file. The game Leko -Adams, Miscolc (rapid) 2005, continued with 8 . . . �e6 9.iWd2 iWd7 10 .0-0-0 a6 1l .ti'lg5 hg5 12 . hg5 f6 13 .�e3 0-0-0 and there arose a typical pawn-structure for this variation. However, it seems much more sensible for Black to follow the plan of castling king-side : 8 . . . 0-0 ! followed by ti'lc6-e5.

8 . . . .ie6

9. 0 - 0 - 0 After 9 .ti'lg5 Black is not

obliged to exchange his dark­squared bishop. He can play in­stead 9 . . . �f5 !N (after 9 . . . hg5 10 .hg5 iWd7, White has the pos­sibility of castling kingside : 11. �e2 ! ? 0-0 12.0-0 l"lfe8 13.l"lfe1 �f5± Landa - Wang Yue, Nakh­chivan 2011 .

230

Now White played imprecisely with 14.�f3= and his bishop was soon exchanged. This type of po­sition, with both sides castling kingside, has hardly been ana­lyzed at all yet. I believe White should follow this plan: play f2-f3, retreat the bishop to f2 via the h4-square and avoid the exchange of his other bishop by retreating it to fl . Then he can organize a pawn­offensive on the queenside. Black's defence is rather unpleasant, while White's edge is minimal but stable.) 10 . 0-0-0 (or 10.�c4 ti'le5 11.�b3 0-0= and his bishop on b3 is not doing much) 10 . . . 1Wd7=

9 • • • '!Wd7

Now we shall analyze in detail the moves Al) 1 0 .h4 and A2) lO.'tt?bl.

2.{iJj3 {iJj6 3.{iJxe5 d6 4.{iJj3 {iJxe4 5.{iJc3 {iJxc3 6.dxc3 ie7 7.ie3

The position is equal after 10. ib5 a6 ll .ia4 b5 12.ib3 0-0 13.he6 \Wxe6=

The immediate 10 .{iJg5 seems pointless.

Naturally, Black can continue with the simple line : 10 . . . hg5 11 .hg5. After 11 . . .f6 12 .ie3 0-0-0:t there arises a standard position - Black has completed the mobilization of his forces without losing any tempi with moves such as a7-a6 or ie7-f6. Mevertheless, White's position is slightly. preferable.

Going in for a position with opposite-sides castling is unnec­essarily risky for Black and after 11. . . 0-0, White can play 12 .b3 ! With this strong move White prevents the possible exchange of his important light-squared bish­op via the c4-square. 12 . . . Ei:fe8 (if 12 . . . a5, White plays 13.a4!±, block­ing the queenside) 13 .h4 {iJe5 14. if4 \Wc6 15.�b2± and thanks to his control of the e-file, Black will always have counterplay, but White's king is safer and he has the advantage of the bishop-pair, so his position is preferable, Sju­girov - Sakaev, Dagomys 2010 .

However, i t is very good for Black instead to choose 10 . . . if5 ! ? (analogously to the variation 10. �b1 a6 1l .{iJg5 if5, but under even more favourable circum­stances) 1l.ic4 h6 12 .{iJf3 ie6 13. ib5 a6 14.ia4 b5 15.ib3 if6= Sjugirov - O.lvanov, Plovdiv 2010.

It is possible for White to play 10.h3, in order after 10 . . . a6 11. {iJg5 to force the opponent to give up his dark-squared bishop for the knight. After ll . . . hg5 12. hg5 f6 13 .ie3 0-0-0, we again reach a standard position with a minimal edge for White. There­fore it would be sensible for Black to opt for ll . . . h6 followed by ie7-f6 and 0-0-0, with an approxi­mately equal game.

Al) 1 0 .h4

The idea of this move is to play {iJf3-g5 and after an exchange on g5 to recapture with the pawn, improving White's pawn-struc­ture. Naturally, Black should not allow this.

10 ... h6!

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Chapter 29

Black not only prevents the appearance of his opponent's knight on gS, but keeps in mind the possibility of castling king­side. This does not happen very often with his knight already de­veloped to c6, but.Black is still prepared to castle queenside, af­ter all . . .

10Lid4 If 1Lib5 a6 12.ia4 bS 13.ib3

if6 14.�e2, then it is quite safe to continue with 14 . . . 0-0-0 15.c4 tt:laS 16.c5 tt:lxb3+ 17.axb3 �c6= and Black's position is not at all worse, Shirov - Giri, Wijk aan Zee 2011 . However, it is even better for him to opt for 14 . . . 0-0 ! ?+ since White's queen on e2 turns out to be misplaced and the move b7-b5 will be very helpful for the development of Black's queenside initiative.

After the prophylactic move 1l .�b1,

(diagram) Black has a choice : ll . . . if6 12 .tt:ld4 tt:lxd4 13.hd4

hd4 14.�xd4 0-0 1S.ie2 l'!ae8 16 .if3, Ni Hua - Giri, Wijk aan

232

Zee 2010. Black can continue with 16 . . . b6 (in the game he played 16 . . . �b5 17.g4 b6 and here, with the resolute move 18.g5 !± White could have created great prob­lems for his opponent) 17.g4 f6±, building a defensive line which White will find difficult to break, although he still maintains a slight edge;

I much prefer the move 11 . . . a6 ! ? for Black, with which he pre­pares to castle queenside, while preserving the option to castle kingside. After 12 .tt:ld4 tt:lxd4 13. hd4, Black should continue, not with the passive line : 13 . . . l'!g8? ! 14.c4 0-0-0 15.�c3 g6 16.ie2± with considerable pressure for White, Bologan Motylev, Poikovsky 2009, but with 13 . . . 0-0 !f:! - the move a7-a6 turns out to be useful, since Black can coun­ter c3-c4, to lengthen the diagonal of White's bishop, with the move b7-b5 !

ll . . . c!Llxd4 12.hd4 (diagram)

12 . . . 0 - 0 !?Noo I like this move very much.

White will try to prepare the ad­vance of his g-pawn and in the meantime Black combines active

2. tiJj3 tiJf6 3. tiJxeS d6 4. tiJj3 tiJxe4 5. tiJc3 tiJxc3 6.dxc3 �e7 7. �e3

queenside play with an offensive using his c- and d- pawns, obtain­ing completely sufficient counter­play.

Black has also tried 12 .. J'J:g8 13.c4 cS 14.�c3 0-0-0 15.'We3 l'!de8 16.�b1 �f6 17.'Wg3 �xc3 18. 'Wxc3 'Wc6± when White's game is slightly pleasanter, but neverthe­less the position seems quite drawish, Nisipeanu - Wang Yue, Medias 2010 .

A2) lO.�bl

This is a useful prophylactic move and Black must now make up his mind about how to com­plete his development. In re-

sponse, he can choose between the standard move A2a) 1 0 •.• a6 and A2b) 1 0 ... .if6!

It would be bad for him to opt for 10 . . . 0-0-0 11 .tiJd4 tiJxd4 12. 'Wxd4± losing a pawn.

A2a) 1 0 ... a6 Black's position is very solid

after this move, but he fails to equalize completely.

ll.tiJg5 It would be senseless for White

to choose 11 .h3, since Black can respond simply with 11 . . .0-0-0, reaching a typical position after 12 .tiJg5 hgS 13 .hg5 f6.

ll • . • .ixg5 GM Vasily Ivanchuk had an

interesting but not completely convincing idea here : ll . .. �fS ! ?

233

Chapter 29

Black is trying to avoid the ex­change of White's knight for one of his bishops. If White continues routinely there will be exchanges, which will be in Black's favour: 12 .ic4 h6! 13.l2lf3 (White can ex­pect no advantage from the risky line : 13.ltJxf7 Elf8 14.�d5 ig6 15. l2lxh6 gxh6 16.hh6 if7 17.�e4 Elh8 18.hf7+ ci>xf7=) 13 . . . ie6 ! 14. ie2 if6 ! Black has deployed his forces harmoniously and White is forced to simplify the position. 15.l2ld4 l2lxd4 16.hd4 hd4 17. �xd4 0-0 18 .if3 Elae8= White's edge is purely symbolic, Alekseev - lvanchuk, Astrakhan 2010.

It is much trickier if White chooses 12.h3 ! ? . With this move he emphasizes that Black's bishop on f5 is a bit exposed and he re­veals his intention to attack it by advancing his g- and f- pawns. 12 . . . 0-0 13.ie2 (13.l2lf3 if6=)

13 . . . l2le5 (If 13 . . . h6 14.l2lf3 Elfe8 15.g4 ie4 16.ElhgU Black must reckon with the possible develop­ment of White's initiative on the kingside, which his pawn on h6 only helps, since it provides White with a target. ) 14.ltJf3 l2lxf3 15. hf3 c6 16.g4 ie6 17.ig2± White

234

is slightly better, thanks to his ex­tra space, Nepomniachtchi -Alekseev, Irkutsk 2010 .

12.i.xg5 f6 13 . .ie3 0 - 0 - 0

It is very difficult now for White to break Black's defensive line. His only real plan would be to trade a pair of rooks and then advance his queenside pawns. This plan is not easy to imple­ment, however.

14.b3 Bearing in mind that Black in­

tends to go with his queen to the f7-square, attacking the a2-pawn, White needs this prophylactic move. Of course, he can postpone it a while by playing here 14.f3, 14.ie2 or 14.h3 .

14 . . J!he8 15.£3 It is harmless for White to

choose 15.ie2, in view of 15 . . . ig4= Reinderman - Fridman, Hilversum 2009. Black forces the exchange of the light-squared bishops, because if 16.f3 �e7+ his position would be preferable.

15.h3 �f7! He transfers his bishop to b7, after which his queenside will be much more se-

2.CiJj3 CiJf6 3. CiJxe5 d6 4. CiJj3 CiJxe4 5. CiJc3 CiJxc3 6.dxc3 �e7 7.�e3

cure. 16 .�e2 Wb8 17.1'!he1 �c8 18. c4 b6 19 .�d5 CiJe5 20 .�xf7 CiJxf7 21 .�h5 1'!d7 22 .�d2 1'!e5= Inarkiev - Adams, Baku (rapid) 2008.

15 • • . �f7!N Black's queen is comfortably

placed on the f7- and g6- squares, while it would be reasonable for him to retreat his bishop to c8 in order to later prepare the themat­ic move b7-b6, restricting White's dark-squared bishop.

Black has also tried 15 . . . h5 16.�f2 �f5 17.�e2 1'!e7 18.1'!he1 !'!deS 19.�f1 1'!xe1 2 0 .he1 1'!e7 21 . �f2 �e8 22 .c4 a5 23.a3 b6 24.�c3 (24.b4 axb4 25.axb4 CiJe5=) 24 . . . CiJb8 25.Wb2 (After this indiffer­ent move White cannot achieve anything. He could have created some problems for his opponent with the energetic 25.b4 !±) 25 . . . �c6 26.�d2 CiJd7 27.�d5 CiJe5 2 8 . 1'!e1 �e6 29 .�d2 �e8 30 .f4 CiJc6 3l .�d3 �f7 32.1'!xe7 �xe7 33 .�d1 Wb8 34.�f3 CiJd8 35.�e4 f5 36. �d3 g6 37.g3 �e8 38.�e3 �xe3 39.�xe3 CiJe6 40 .b4 axb4 4l.axb4 c5= , draw, Kramnik - Adams, Dortmund 2006.

16.i.f2 'it>b8 17.i.e2 �g6! = ­White has no convenient way to protect his g2-pawn, but even if he were able to play 1'!he1 and �e2-fl, Black would have nothing to worry about, since White's edge is minimal.

A2b) 1 0 . . . �f6!

This is the contemporary treatment of this variation. Black does not agree to the exchange of his dark-squared bishop for the enemy knight.

ll.h4 After 1l .CiJg5, he should play

ll . . . �f5= of course, and White achieves nothing.

1l .�e2 0-0-0 12 .CiJd4, Domin­guez - Wang Yue, Sofia 2009. Here, the simplest way for Black to equalize is 12 . . . CiJxd4 ! (in the game he played 12 . . . hd4 13. cxd4±) 13 .hd4 hd4 14.�xd4 Wb8= . Now, after 15.�xg7, the position would be simplified even more with the line : 15 . . . ha2+ 16.Wxa2 �e6+ 17.Wb1 �xe2=

1l .�g5 �e7 (it is less precise for Black to continue with 11 . . .

235

Chapter 29

.bgS 12 .li:lxg5 0-0-0 13.li:lxe6 fxe6 14.i.d3± and his knight on c6 is misplaced) 12 .i.b5 (12.'�f4 .bgS 13.li:lxg5 0-0-0 14.li:lxe6 fxe6 15.Wa4 <j;lbS 16.i.b5 li:leS 17. f4 li:ld7 18Jl:he1 c6 19.i.fl Elhe8 20 . g3 eS= Black's pieces are well cen­tralized and his eS-square is well protected.) 12 . . . 0-0 (It is less ac­curate to play 12 . . . a6, lvanchuk ­Gashimov, Monaco 2011 . There might follow 13 . .bc6+ ! bxc6 14. Elhe1 0-0 15.Wf4 .bgS 16.li:lxg5 cS 17.f3± and there will soon arise a multi-piece endgame which will be a bit better for White owing to Black's weak a6-pawn, which can be attacked by White's rook, via e1-e4-a4.) 13.i.d3

White's attempt to attack on the kingside looks dangerous, but Black's defence seems adequate : 13 . . . li:le5 ! (not 13 . . . h6? ! 14 . .bh6 ! gxh6 15.Wxh6�) 14.h4 li:lxd3 ! Af­ter the exchange of White's light­squared bishop, he has no more threats on the kingside. 15.cxd3 Elae8 16.Wf4 cS 17.i.xf6 Wxf6 18.Wxf6 gxf6= Black's doubled pawns are not a problem at all and the endgame is approximate­ly equal.

236

11 . . . 0 - 0 - 0

12.li:ld4 The prospects are balanced af­

ter 12 .i.g5 We7 13.Wf4 h6 14.hf6 Wxf6 15.Wxf6 gxf6 16.li:ld4 i.d7= . Black places his rooks on the g­and e- files and White's move h2-h4 turns out to have been a weak­ening . .

The knight-sortie 12 .li:lg5 is not dangerous here : 12 . . . i.f5 13. i.d3 (13 .i.c4 li:leS 14.i.b3 h6 15. li:lh3 i.g4 16.f3, draw, Karjakin -Li Chao, Khanty-Mansyisk 2010. If we continue this variation a bit further, then after 16 . . . li:lxf3 ! 17. gxf3 hh3 18 .ha7 i.e6+ Black's chances are superior.) 13 . . . hd3 14.Wxd3, lnarkiev - Wang Yue, Astrakhan 2010. Black can solve all his problems now with 14 . . . h6! 15.li:le4 We6 ! = . Black's next move will be Elde8, forcing White to ex­change on f6, after which the po­sition is equal.

12 . . . !Llxd4 If 12 . . . hd4 13.cxd4 (after 13.

hd4 f6= we reach a standard po­sition, except for an extra weak­ening move by White - h2-h4)

2.li'Jj3 li'Jf6 3.li'Jxe5 d6 4. li'Jj3 li'Jxe4 5.li'Jc3 li'Jxc3 6.dxc3 �e7 7. �e3

13 . . . d5 14.h5 h6 15.f3;i; White maintains a slight but stable ad­vantage, thanks to the bishop pair.

13.hd4 �e5 14.�e2! White would not gain any ad­

vantage with 14.�e3 �a4 15.c4 �a5= since Black's queen on a5 protects the e5- and c7- squares and is perfectly placed.

After 14.f4, Anand - Gashi­mov, Monaco 2011, Black equal­izes with the counter-attacking line : 14 . . . c5 ! 15.�e3 �f6=

14 . . . hd4! Black should exchange on d4

now, despite the loss of a tempo, because White's bishop has been developed on e2 and thus his g2-pawn is hanging in some varia­tions.

The move 14 .. .f6 is double­edged, since it deprives Black's bishop of a square to retreat to. 15.�e3 �a4 16.b3 (It is also pos­sible for White to play simply 16.a3 d5 17Jl:heU) 16 . . . �a5 17. 'it>b2 d5 18.h5 ! ? c6 19.1'l:h4 a6 20 . 1'l:a4 �c7 2l .�c5;1;

Black fails to solve his prob-

lems with 14 . . . �a4 15.b3 �a5 16. f4 �xd4 17.�xd4 f6 (White has al­most the same minimal edge after 17 . . . g6 18.h5 �c5 19.�f3t) 18.1'l:he1 1'l:he8 19.�f3 �f7 2 0.g4;1; and of course it should end in a draw, but White has acquired much more space, so he has chances of torturing Black for a bit longer.

15.�xd4 'it>bS

16.h5 16.�f3 f6= 16.1�hg7 ha2+ 17.'1t>c1 (17.

'it>xa2 �e6=) 17 . . . �e6 18.�d4 1'l:hg8 19.g3 �g4= In this major­piece endgame White cannot ex­ploit his slightly better pawn­structure, because Black's isolat­ed f-pawn is ready to advance with f7-f5-f4, and White will be unable to blockade.it successfully.

16 . . . h6 17.i.f3 f6= McShane - Giri , Wolvega 2010.

B) 7 . . . 0 - 0 (diagram)

8.�d2 GM Alexander Motylev had an

interesting, but not very good, idea here of playing 8 .h4. White

237

Chapter 29

immediately sends his knight to gS and only later does he com­plete the development of his queenside. After 8 . . . ltld7 9.ltlg5 Black can play 9 . . . ltle5 and then if 10 .'Wd2 c6 11 .0-0-0 there arises a position which we have analyzed with the move-order 8.'Wd2 ltld7 9 .0-0-0 lLleS 10 .h4 c6 ll .lLlgS. However, Black has a wonderful alternative here - 9 . . . ltlf6 !N. His knight perfectly protects the h7-square and controls the central squares. After 10.'Wd3 cS 11 . 0-0-0 dS+ Black has excellent prospects.

8 • • .c!l::ld7 It is interesting, but strategi­

cally risky, for Black to opt for 8 . . . cS . This move i s aimed at prevent­ing the opponent from castling queenside, because then Black plans to advance with b5-b4, opening up the queenside. At the same time his opponent's knight is deprived of the d4-square.

(diagram) Nevertheless, White's most

promising move is still 9 .0-0-0 (White can also try to begin an all­out assault with 9.h4. He is pre-

238

paring a kingside attack, but his own king is not securely protect­ed. In the game Mamedyarov -Nabaty, Ningbo 2011 , there fol­lowed 9 . . . lLld7 10 .lLlg5 lLlf6 1l.f3 dS 12 .g4 'WaSco with a double-edged struggle, but quite favourable for Black though.) 9 . . . i.e6 (After 9 . . . 'Wa5 10 .a3, Black's plan ofb5-b4 is too slow. White is first to create threats, both in the centre and on the kingside. If Black continues analogously to the above-men­tioned game with 9 . . . ltld7, hoping to transfer his knight to f6, then White should play, not 10 .i.f4 ltlf6 11 .i.c4 bS 12 .hb5 Elb8oo with a completely unclear position, but lO .i.gS ! hgS ll .lLlxgS ltlf6 12. i.c4 bS 13 .hf7+ Elxf7 14.ltlxf7 �xf7 15.'Wxd6 'Wxd6 16.Elxd6 i.b7 17.f3;!; Black's minor pieces lack secure squares and White's pros­pects are preferable . ) 10 .a3 ltlc6 11 .ltlg5 i.fSoo The position is dou­ble-edged and needs practical tests . I have to say that this does not seem to be a safe line for Black. His d6-pawn is backward and the bishop on fS might come under attack by White's pawns.

9. 0 - 0 - 0

2.CiJfJ CiJf6 3. CiJxe5 d6 4.CiJfJ CiJxe4 5.CiJc3 CiJxc3 6.dxc3 �e7 7.�e3

Black can choose here the cau­tious move Bl) 9 . . • l'!e8, which has not yet been tested much in practice, or he can try the more concrete line : B2) 9 . . .li�e5.

Bl) 9 . . • l'!e8 The idea of this move is to

postpone the decision about where to move the knight - to e5, f6 or c5.

1 0 .h4 After 10.�d3, Black can con­

tinue with 10 . . . CiJc5 11 .hc5 dxc5 12 .1'!he1 g6=, or 10 . . . c6 11 .2"1he1 �aS 12 .'1t>b1 CiJe5 13.CiJxe5 dxe5= and in both cases the position re­mains approximately balanced.

If 10 .'it>b1, then 10 . . . c6 and af­ter White's most logical move ll .h4 - see 10 .h4 c6 11 .'\t>bl.

10 . . . c6 (diagram)

n.@bt The inclusion of the moves 11 .

h5 h6 has some drawbacks for White too. It will be difficult for White to open the g-file now and he loses the g5-square as a spring­board for his knight. 12 .'1t>b1 CiJf6 13 .�d3 �f8 14.2"1dg1 CiJg4 (It is not

good for Black to opt for 14 . . . �g4, in view of 15.CiJh2 ! and he will have to allow his bishop to be ex­changed, since if it retreats White's g-pawn will advance, joining in the attack. Black can ac­cept the challenge, though: 14 . . . d5 ! ? 15.g4 CiJxg4co with a very un­clear position, because White has no real concrete threats .) 15.�f4 �f6 16.CiJh2, Topalov - Gelfand, Linares 2010 . 16 . . . CiJe5 17.g4 CiJxd3 18.cxd3 �e7. Black's posi­tion looks unpleasant, but he can obtain sufficient counter chances with precise play: 19 .�e3 (19 .g5 hxg5 2 0 .hg5 �e2 2l .�xe2 2"1xe2 22 .�e3 �f5 23.2"1d1 2"1e8 24.CiJf1 �g4 25.2"1c1 d5+ White is the only one taking a risk here, because af­ter 26.CiJg3, Black continues with 26 . . . 2"18xe3 27.fxe3 2"1xe3 and he picks up the d3-pawn too as com­pensation for the exchange.) 19 . . . f6 20 .2"1g3 �e6 2l .f4 f5 ! 22 .g5 hxg5 23.fxg5 �f7co The position is com­pletely unclear and both sides have their trumps in the ensuing contest.

White can continue with the quiet developing move 1l .�d3, to

239

Chapter 29

which Black can respond in various ways :

after ll . . . 'WaS, Black must bear in mind that if his queen's access to the kingside becomes blocked by the pawn capture d6xeS, the position of the queen on aS might turn out to be unfavourable. 12 . <;t>b1 tt:leS (12 . . . tt:lf6 ! ?) 13.tt:lxeS dxeS 14.'We2 �e6 1S.c4! (1S.�c4?! �xc4 16.'&xc4 l"\ad8 17.hS l"\xd1+ 18.l"\xd1 l"\d8 19.l"\d3 a6 20.'Wg4 'Wc7= Caruana - Kramnik, Wijk aan Zee 2010) 1S . . . l"\ad8 16.Wif3t;

ll . . . tt:lf6 12.l"\de1 (It might be interesting for White to try here 12 .hS h6 13.<;t>b1 dS 14.�xh6 gxh6 1S.'Wxh6 �f8 16.WigS+ <;t>h8oo and although it appears that Black's defences might hold, some play­ers might find it all a bit too scary.) 12 . . . dS 13 .�d4 cS 14.hf6 �6 1S.'Wf4, Nakamura - Kram­nik, Moscow 2010. Here Black should have played 1S . . . �d7! 16. l"\xe8+ (16.g4 l"\xe1+ 17.l"\xe1 'Wb8 18.tt:leS �xeS 19.'WxeS 'WxeS 20 . l"\xeS hg4 2 1.l"\xdS b6=) 16 . . . he8+!, obtaining sufficient coun­terplay thanks to his powerful bishop-pair.

I believe a very good decision for Black here would be to play

240

ll . . . dS ! ? , with the idea of putting the knight on cS.

ll . . . d5N It mighty be too risky to play

ll . . . 'WaS, because there the queen can often turn out to be cut off from the main field of action. 12 . hS (12 .�d3 - see 11 .�d3 W/aS 12 . <;t>b1) 12 . . . h6 13.�d3 tt:leS (13 . . . tt:lf6 14.�xh6 ! gxh6 1S.'Wxh6+-; 13 . . . �fB 14.g4-t and Black comes un­der a dangerous attack, lvanchuk - Gelfand, Nice (rapid) 2010) 14.tt:lxeS dxeS 1S.W/e2 �e6 16.�c4 hc4 17.'Wxc4 l"1ad8 18.'Wg4 <;t>fB 19 .l"\d7 (White's position remains slightly pleasanter after 19.'WfS f6t since Black's kingside pawns are fixed on the same colour as his own bishop.) 19 . . . l"\xd7 20 .'Wxd7 WfbS (It would be too hazardous to opt for the line : 20 . . . 'WdS 21.W/xdS cxdS 22 .ha7 l"\a8 23.�e3 bS± when Black has some active prospects, but not enough to compensate for the lost pawn, Dominguez - Gel­fand, Nice 2 010) 21 .b3t White maintains a slight advantage.

It is interesting for Black to continue with ll . . . tt:lf6 12 .�d3 dS

2.liJj3 liJf6 3.liJxe5 d6 4.liJ.f3 liJxe4 S.liJc3 liJxc3 6.dxc3 .ie7 7 . .ie3

13 .h5 liJe4 14.�c1 (14 . .ixe4 dxe4 15.�e2 �a5 16.liJd2 h6+± and he has sufficient counterplay, while after 17.liJxe4 .ie6 18.b3 he has the resource 18 . . . f5 ! ) 14 . . . .if6 15. h6 g6= Both sides' prospects are approximately equal .

12 .i.d3 12.c4 liJf6=; 12.h5 h6 13..id3 liJc5= 12 • . .tiJc5 13.c!bg5 c!bxd3 14.

�xd3 g6 15.c4 Black has no problems after

15.�d2 f6 16.liJf3 .ig4= 15 •.. i.f5 16.tlfb3 �c7oo

A complicated position has arisen on the board, offering chances for both sides.

B2) 9 . . . c!be5

Now White can choose be­tween B2a) 1 0 .It>b1 and B2b) 1 0 .h4.

It is inferior to opt for 10.liJd4, owing to 10 . . . c5 ! 11 .liJb5 .ie6 12 .liJxd6 �b6 13.f4 liJg4 14.liJc4 (14.f5? .ixa2 15 . .if4 8:ad8 16.b3 liJf6 17.'it>b2 .ixd6 18 . .ixd6 .ixb3 19.cxb3 liJe4+ and Black ends up with an extra pawn) 14 . . . �a6 15. liJa3 �a5 (15 . . . c4 16.f5 .ixf5 17 . .ixc4 �g6 18 . .if4 .ixa3 19.bxa3oo) 16.c4 �xd2+ 17.'it>xd2 .if6t Black has seized the initiative and it is White who must think about equalizing.

B2a) 1 0 .It>b1 c6 ll . .ie2 For ll .h4 �a5 - see 10 .h4 c6

11 .'it>b1 �a5.

ll . . . �e8 ! This move is always useful for

Black. Now White must clarify his intentions: is he going to play in the centre or organize an attack on the kingside?

It is less precise for Black to play the immediate 11 . . .liJg4, be­cause of 12 . .id4! (After 12 . .id3 Black should play, not 12 . . . d5 13.

241

Chapter 29

tf4 id6 14.h3 ! hf4 15.hh7+ ! c;t;h8 16.1Mfxf4 tt:lxf2 17.tt:lg5 f6 18.tt:lf7+ Elxf7 19 .ig6 tt:lxd1 20 . 1Mfh4+ <;t;g8 21 .Ele1+- Anand - Ka­simdzhanov, Tashkent 2011 , but 12 . . . tt:lxe3 ! . The powerful bishop should be exchanged at the first opportune moment ! . 13.1Mfxe3 Ele8 and now after 14.Elhe1 ie6 15. tt:ld4 id7= the position is equal, while for 14.h4 d5 - see 11 . . .Ele8 12 .h4 tt:lg4) 12 . . . c5 13 .h3 cxd4 14. hxg4 dxc3 15.1Mff4 ! h6 16.id3 1Mfb6 17.b3 d5 18.g5 1Mfb4 19.1Mfxb4 ixb4 20 .gxh6t and the endgame is slightly better for White.

12.h4 The prospects are balanced af­

ter 12 .Elhe1 tt:lg4 13 .id3 tt:lxe3 14. 1Mfxe3 ie6 15.tt:ld4 id7=

12 • . .lt:\g4 13.id3 lt:\xe3 14. 1Mfxe3

14 • • • d5! Black wants to develop his

bishop on d6, from where it will deprive White's queen of the won­derful f4-square.

It is inferior for Black to play the seemingly attractive line 14 . . . if6 15.1Mff4 1Mfb6 ( 15 . . . h6 16.g4

242

1Mfb6 17.tt:ld4t), because of 16.tt:lg5 ! (16.1Mfxd6 ig4 17.1Mfb4 1Mfxb4 18. cxb4 g6 19.c3 hf3 20 .gxf3 EleS 21 .ie4 Eld8= White's h4-pawn is hanging, thanks to which Black convincingly holds the balance.) 16 . . . h6 17.ih7+ c;t;hs 18.c;t;a1! 1Mfc7 19 .id3 <;t;g8 20 .Elhe1 Ele7 (20 . . . Ele5 21 .tt:lf3 Elxe1 22 .Elxe1 ie6 23. a3t) 21 .1Mfg3 Elxe1 22 .Elxe1 id7 23.tt:le4 ie7 24.1Mff4t White main­tains the initiative and Black must play accurately to equalize.

15.%U4 h6 16.:gde1 i.e6 17. lt:\d4 i.d6= The prospects for both sides are equal.

B2b) 1 0 .h4

1 0 •.• c6 This is Black's most flexible

move. He prepares to move his queen to aS, or gain extra space with the pawn-advance d6-d5.

It is bad for Black to play 10 . . . tt:lxf3, since that would open the g-file for White's attack. After 11 .gxf3 ie6 12 J''lg1t, or 12 .h5t White's initiative grows effort­lessly.

2.li'Jf3 li'Jf6 3.li'Jxe5 d6 4.li'Jf3 li'Jxe4 5. li'Jc3 li'Jxc3 6.dxc3 i.e7 7.i.e3

It is considered old-fashioned and inflexible for Black to contin­ue with 10 . . . i.g4 1l .i.e2 �c8. Now the most dangerous way for White to develop his initiative seems to be: 12 .hS (it is weaker to opt for 12 .li'JxeS he2 13.li'Jg6 fxg6 14. �xe2 �e6 1S.'kt>b1 l"lae8= and Black is close to equality) 12 . . . h6 13.li'JxeS ! ? (13.'kt>b1 ! ?t) 13 . . . i.xe2 14.�xe2 dxeS 1S.�bS (after 1S. �c4 c6 16.a4t White has only a slight edge, Caruana - Gashimov, Khanty-Mansyisk 2009) 1S . . . i.d6 16.g4i

It is not advisable for Black to continue here with 10 . . . l"le8, which was frequently tested in the early days of the development of this variation.

White can counter this in two promising ways :

ll .li'JxeS ! ? dxeS 12 .i.d3 i.d6 (it is preferable for Black to play 12 . . . c6 here, but after 13.�e2 �aS 14.'kt>b1 i.e6 1S.c4 l"lad8 16.�f3t White's position is better, since he can proceed with active play on the light squares on the kingside) 13 .i.e4 fS, Caruana - Gashimov, Khanty-Mansyisk 2009. Here it would be very strong for White to

play 14.i.gS ! , forcing Black to block in his bishop on c8. After 14 . . . �d7 1S.i.dS+ 'kt>h8 16.'kt>bU Black has problems completing the development of his pieces.

White has a good alternative in the quiet move 1l.hS. Now after 11 . . .i.g4 12 .i.e2 �c8 13.h6 g6 14. li'JxeS dxeS (14 . . . he2 1S.li'Jxg6+­Ponomariov - Gelfand, Odessa 2008) 1S.hg4 �xg4 16.�dS± he maintains a stable advantage, while after 1l . . .i.f6, Anand - Gel­fand, Mexico 2 007, it is very promising to play simply 12 .li'JxeS (Black also has problems after 12 .'kt>bU.) 12 . . . heS 13.h6 g6 14. i.e2t Black lacks space and the dark squares on his kingside are vulnerable.

ll.'it>bl We should examine White's

alternatives here : 1l .li'JgS �aS 12 .a3, Motylev -

Kramnik, Wijk aan Zee 2 007. Now with 12 . . . i.fS 13.i.e2 �a4 ! 14.f3 li'Jc4 1S.hc4 �xc4+, Black could have obtained an excellent position;

1l .c4 i.e6 12 .li'JgS i.f5 13.f3 (If

243

Chapter 29

13.Wb1 Ele8 14.f3, then it is not good for Black to play 14 . . . h6, af­ter which in the game Karjakin -Kramnik, Moscow 2010, White coolly replied 15.�e2 !1' . It would then be very risky for Black to ac­cept the piece-sacrifice but other­wise White will advance his g- and f-pawns, opening the position on the kingside. Instead, the correct reaction for Black is 14 .. .f6 ! 15. tt:le4 �c7 16.h5 h6? and he is ready to continue with Elad8 and d6-d5, obtaining sufficient coun­terplay.)

13 . . .f6 ! This is the right pawn with which to repel the enemy knight. (White should ignore the move 13 . . . h6 and simply complete his development with 14. �e2 ! - if Black accepts the knight-sacrifice, he is very likely to get mated along the h-file. ) 14.'t)h3 (After 14.tt:le4, Black should continue with 14 . . . Ele8= , indirectly protecting his d6-pawn. His plans include play­ing �d8-c7, Elad8 and then ad­vancing d6-d5.) 14 . . . �e6 15.b3 a6 16.tt:lf4 �fl+ White's kingside op­erations have reached a dead end, while Black is ready to continue his queenside initiative with the

244

move b7-b5, Karjakin - Gelfand, Monaco (blindfold) 2011 (game 21) .

ll . . .'�a5! Black cannot solve his prob­

lems with 1l . . .�g4 12 .�e2 tt:lxf3 13.gxf3 �h5 14.f4 he2 15.�xe2 �f6 16.ElhgU since White exerts powerful pressure on the g-file and Black's defence will be long and difficult, Karjakin - Gelfand, Moscow 2010.

12.tt:lxe5 12 .�e2 �e6 13.b3 (13.a3 �d5=)

13 . . . Elfe8 ! = . Black will develop his forces in the centre, placing the rook on d8 and the bishop on f6, with a very good position. The more straightforward line: 13 . . . tt:lxf3 14.hf3 �f6 was tried in the game Kokarev - Maslak, Dago­mys 2010. Now by playing 15. c4 !±, White could have main­tained a slight but stable advan­tage.

12 • • • dxe5 13 . .ic4 b5 14 . .ib3 ffc7 15 . .ig5 a5

(diagram) 16 . .ixe7 After 16.a4, Black plays 16 . . .

2.lLJ.f3 lLJf6 3.lilxe5 d6 4.lLJ.f3 lLJxe4 5.lLJc3 lLJxc3 6.dxc3 i.e7 7. i.e3

bxa4 ! and after 17.ha4 f6 18 .i.e3 i.e6+ he obtains good prospects for active play on the b-file, while if 17.he7, Pavlovic - Savic, Kra­gujevac 2010, he has the interme­diate move 17 . . . axb3 ! 18.hf8 i.f5+ and only White will have problems in this position.

16 .. ."%!fxe7 17.a4 gbs

18."%!/d6 After 18.axb5 a4 ! 19 .i.c4 (if

19.ha4? �a7-+ and he either los­es his bishop or is mated on the a-file) 19 . . . cxb5+ followed by b5-b4.

18 . . . �b7 19.axb5 �xb5 2 0 . c4 �b7 21.�xe5 a4 2 2 . .ia2 .ie6� Black's compensation for the pawn is quite sufficient.

Conclusion Nowadays, the variation 5.lLJc3 lLJc3 6.dxc3 i.e7 7.i.e3 seems to be

one of the most dangerous for Black in the Petroff Defence. The plan of castling queenside after 7 ... lilc6 seems reliable enough, but he has practically no chances of winning the game. White obtains the advan­tage of the bishop-pair in some lines, enabling him to torture his op­ponent for a long time. Black might find this rather unpleasant from the purely practical point of view. The variation with 7 .. . 0-0 is much more interesting for Black and leads to a complicated struggle with chances for both sides, but one in which Black can face the future with optimism. There are still some positions which have not been well analyzed yet and players can improve their analytical capabilities by studying these variations. There are plenty of possibilities for realiz­ing your creative potential over the board as well.

245

COMPLETE GAMES

1 Rudd Avrukh London 2010

1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.'�xd4 <tlc6 4.�e3 <tlf6 5.<tlc3 �b4 6. �d2 0 - 0 7. 0 - 0 - 0 �e8 8. ¥;1Tg3 <tlxe4 9.<tlxe4 �xe4 1 0 .c3 �e7 11.f4 d5 12.<tlf3 .if5 13. �d3 �d7

14.he4 If White does not take the ex­

change, then Black's rook will go to the a4-square and White will end up a pawn down.

14 . . . he4 15.�e3 After 15.E\hel, Black again

plays 15 . . . <tla5, opening the route for his queen to a4.

15 . . . <tla5 16.�d4 If 16.b3, Black has the power­

ful riposte 16 . . . \WbS, threatening .ie7-a3, <tla5xb3 and eventually <tla5-c4.

16 . . . .if8 Another very good move is

16 . . .f6 , restricting the bishop on d4 and depriving White's knight of the e5-square.

246

17.b3 \Wb5 Black has a good alternative in

17 . . . \Wd6 18.\Wf2 \Wa6+ with simi­lar ideas.

18.@b2 c5

19.�e5 It is more resilient for White to

defend with 19 . .if2 , although af­ter 19 . . . <tlc4 20 .@al <tla3 2l .E\cl (or 21 .<tld2 c4 22 .<tlxe4 dxe4-+ and Black's attack is decisive ; af­ter 2l .E\d2 , he plays 21 . . .a5 !-+ , with the unpreventable threat of a5-a4) 21 . . .\Wa6 22 .<tlel c4 ! 23. bxc4 (after 23.b4 the most precise move for Black is 23 . . . <tlb5-+, fol­lowed by \Wa6-a3 and a7-a5) 23 . . . \Wxc4-+. White's position i s com­pletely squashed and he has no moves, even though the board is full of pieces. Black's plan in­cludes bringing his rook on aS into action and this will be deci­sive.

19 . . . <tlc4 2 0 .@a1 After 20.@cl Black again wins

with 20 . . . <tle3.

2 0 .• )iJe3 21.c�:lg5 White cannot change much

with 2 U'kl '!fie2 and Black is threatening t'Lle3-c2 .

21. •• WI'e2 22.l'kl .!lJc2 23. l!xc2 hc2 24.l!el Wl'd3 25.WI'g4 Wl'f5. White resigned

2 McShane Kramnik London 2009

l.e4 e5 2 . .ic4 .!lJf6 3.d3 .ic5 4 . .!lJf3 0 - 0 5.lDc3 d6 6 . .!lJa4 .ib6 7 .c3 .ie6

Black carries out an important and advantageous exchange. White is prevented from gaining the advantage of the bishop pair, and loses the services of his bish­op which is very active on c4.

8 . .ib3 White could also have ex­

changed on e6. It is understanda­ble that White was reluctant to present his opponent with the semi-open f-file. The position re­mains equal in either case.

8 . . . hb3 9.axb3 .!lJbd7 1 0 . b4

(diagram) 1 0 . . . .ixf2 ! This move can be described as

Complete Games

a "justified risk". Objectively speaking, the position remains balanced, possibly even slightly worse for Black, but White is very likely to make a mistake. If Vladimir Kramnik had been play­ing against Vishy Anand, for ex­ample, he would not have played this move, which sharpens the po­sition tremendously, and instead he would have preferred some quieter continuation which might lead to a draw. In this game Kram­nik complicates the issue, but he stays within a limited margin of risk, without coming close to a loss.

11.'t!?xf2 b5

12 • .id2?! Black must carry out a pawn­

break on the light squares if he wishes to seize the initiative, so White should fortify his light

247

Complete Games

squares immediately. The d2-square is hardly any better for his bishop than the cl-square, so White practically wastes an im­portant tempo.

It was necessary to deprive Black's knight of the g4-square with the move 12 .h3. Then after, for example : 12 . . . a5 (It would be too risky for Black to leave him­self with a pawn-island on the a­file : 12 . . . bxa4 13.\Wxa4 c5 14.ie3 and White maintains the advan­tage.) 13.bxa5 j:\xa5 14.b4± and his position is slightly preferable, but still quite close to equality.

You can say more or less the same about the position arising after 12 .j:\e1 aS (here 12 . . . bxa4 13. 1Wxa4 c5 is very dubious for Black, in view of 14.b5 and the presence of White's rook on e1 prevents Black from advancing c5-c4 or d6-d5) 13 .bxa5 j:\xa5 14.b4±

12 . . . bxa4 Or 12 . . . a5 13.bxa5 j:\xa5 14.b4

j:\xa4 15.j:\xa4 bxa4 16.1Wxa4= and the position is approximately equal .

ger and ignores his opponent's possible pawn-breaks on the light squares.

He had to strengthen his posi­tion with 14.j:\he1 cxb4 15.cxb4. He has doubled pawns but all his pieces are very active and he has nothing to be afraid of.

14 . . . d5! 15.exd5? ! Just as before, it was best for

White to bring his inactive rook into play with the move 15.j:\hel. After 15 . . . c4 (He should not be afraid of 15 . . . lt:lb6 16.1Wc2 c4, be­cause of 17.ig5.) 16.exd5 ltlb6 17. 1Wb4 lt:lfxd5 18.1Wa5 cxd3 19.j:\xe5oo the position would remain dou­ble-edged.

15 . . . tt:lb6

13.\'�xa4 c5 16."\�Yc2?! White continues his series of

mistakes. In fact, he is under the false impression that his position is quite acceptable.

Meanwhile, it was high time for resolute action and he had to play actively - 16.\Wh4! \Wxd5 17. j:1hd1 (It is no better for White to play 17.ig5 ltlfd7 18.j:1hd1 1Wb3 19. c4 f6 20 .ie3 a6 ! 2 1 .bxa6 j:\xa6+

14.b5? ! and one of his pawns will fall White does not sense the dan- soon.) 17 . . . \Wxd3 18.ig5 1Wc2 19.

248

'it>gl+. Black has an extra pawn and the advantage, but White has counterplay.

16 . . . c4! 17.�xe5 It is more resilient for White to

defend with 17J'!hel '@xd5 18.d4, although after 18 .. . e4 19.tt:le5 '@xb5 20 .\t>gl h6 Black ends up with a solid extra pawn.

17 . . . �xd5 18.d4 This is positional capitulation,

but White is already beyond sal­vation. For example, in the varia­tion 18J''lhel cxd3 19.'&xd3 '&xd3 20.tt:lxd3 l"lad8, he ends up a piece down.

18 . . . �e4 19.'it>g1 �fe8

The game is practically over from the point of view of strategy. White is helpless against the com­bined pressure of all Black's piec­es.

2 0 .�f3 �xb5 21.h4 �b3 22.�b1 �d5 23J��h3 h6

Black was winning easily with the straightforward move 23 . . . l"lab8, but he could equally afford to play more patiently.

24.�c1 �b6 25.�a4 l"lab8 26.l"la2 �b3 27.�a1 �b6 28. 'it>h2 �df6 29.i.e1 �g4 3 0 .�g1 �ef6 31.d5 �xd5 32.�g3 �df6

Complete Games

33.i.d2 �d6 34.�a3 �b6 35. �h1 �f2 36.�h2 �6g4. White resigned

3 Movsesian - Bu Xiangzhi Nanjing 2008

l.e4 e5 2.i.c4 �f6 3.d3 c6 4.�f3 d5 5.i.b3 i.d6 6.�c3 dxe4 7.�g5 0 - 0 8.�cxe4 �xe4 9.�xe4 i.f5 1 0 .�f3 he4 ll.dxe4 �d7

12.c3 a5 13. 0 - 0 a4 14.i.c2 �e7 15.�d1 �fd8 16. h4 h6 17 .g3 b5 18.i.d2 �f8

Another good move here is 18 . . . tt:lf6, planning to transfer his bishop to c5 and his knight even­tually to the g4-square.

19.�g4

19 . . . �e6! He could also have played a

249

Complete Games

middle game by opting for either 19 . . . @h8 and 19 . . . \Wf6, but he does not need to be afraid of anything in an endgame!

2 0 .�xe6 ll::lxe6 21.@fl @f8 22 • .iel

White retreats his bishop to a square where it cannot be ex­changed, so insisting by all means on maintaining his advantage of the bishop pair. It would all be perfect for White but for the fact that, the position is not sufficient­ly open and his bishops are very passive.

22 . . . @e7 23JM2 It was more prudent for White

to play 23.@e2.

23 • . . g5! This move is not at all obvious

and it is tremendously powerful ! It might seem that Black weakens the light squares in his camp, but Bu Xiangzhi is taking into consid­eration some concrete peculiari­ties of this position, in particular the awkward placement ofWhite's rook on d2, and he begins active play on the dark squares over the entire board !

The position would be equal after 23 . . . c5, with the idea of cS-

250

c4. There might follow, for exam­ple : 24.f3 c4 25J'!adl �cs 26.l"ld5 l"lxdS 27.l"lxd5 f6 28.f4 exf4 29. gxf4 l"ld8 30 .l"lxd8 @xd8 31 .�d2 �d6 and White is unable to sup­port the pawn on f4 .

After the routine move 23 . . . l"ld7, White's idea would be justi­fied, since after for example: 24. l"ladl l"lad8 25.f3 �cS 26.l"lxd7 l"lxd7 27.l"lxd7 @xd7 28.@e2, White obtains winning chances, thanks to his possible undermin­ing moves f3-f4 and b2-b3, acti­vating his bishops.

24.hxg5 hxg5 25 . .idl Black can counter 25.l"ladl or

2S.@e2 with 25 . . . g4 ! , threatening to transfer his knight to f3 via the gS-square. On the other side of the board, White must reckon with the possible undermining pawn-breaks a4-a3 and b5-b4.

25 . . . b4 26 . .ig4 bxc3 27. bxc3 �ab8

Black has occupied the b-file and prepared the penetration of his knight into his opponent's camp; White is practically help­less against this.

28.�adl White's defensive task would

not be any easier after simplifica­tions. In the variation 28 . .b:e6 �xe6 29 .�e2 l"i:h8 30.l"i:adl �cS+ Black maintains the advantage, thanks to his extra space and more active pieces.

28 . . . �c5 29.£3 a3 3 0 .i.-r.! �a4 31.i.e3 f6 32.c4 �b2 33. �kl i.b4 34J3h2 1"1h8

35.1"1xh8 White loses valuable tempi,

but in a practical game it would be almost impossible for him to find the very narrow path giving him some chances of saving the game. He had to play 3S.l"i:cc2 ! , after which Black should not try to force the issue but should increase the tension with 3S . . . l"i:bd8 ! (If Black captures the pawn with 3S . . . �xc4 then 36.�gl leads t o a draw: 36 . . . �d2 37.l"i:cxd2 .b:d2 38.�cS �f7 39.l"i:xd2 l"i:bl 40.�e2 l"i:h2 41. �d3 l"i:xd2 42.�xd2 l"i:b2 43.�c3 l"i:xa2 44.�b3 E1g2 4S . .b:a3 l"i:xg3= and a mutual fortress position has arisen on the board; or 36 . . . l"i:xh2 37.l"i:xh2 and White activates his forces, so that, for example, after 37 . . . l"i:d8 38.l"i:h7 �d6 39.l"i:f7 cS 40.�g2 �c6 4l .�e6 �bS 42 .�d7 �aS 43 .�e6 lLld2 44.�e3 l"i:d6 4S.

Complete Games

�dS= it should all end in a draw.). Now White should continue to play in the same active way: 36. l"i:xh8 l"i:xh8 37.cS ! (White is com­pletely paralysed after 37.�cl lLla4 38.�g2 lUeS !+ and, to add to White's worries, Black's knight penetrates to the d3-outpost. ) 37 . . . lLla4 38 .f4 ! (after 38.�g2, it is very good for Black to play 38 . . . l"i:b8+, threatening �b4-c3 and l"i:b8-b2 and White's bishop on cl is helpless to prevent this idea.) 38 . . . exf4 39.gxf4 gxf4 40 .�d4 !+ and White still preserves good drawing chances.

35 . . • 13xh8 36.'i!?g2 1"1d8 37. 1"1hl

White can try passive defence but that would not help, because after 37.l"i:c2 , Black penetrates in­side his opponent's camp: 37 . . . l"i:d3 38.�cl lLla4 39.f4 gxf4 40. gxf4 �d6+ and White's pawns on a2 and c4 will soon fall.

37 • . . �xc4 38.13h7 'i!?d6 39. i.a7 c5 4 0 .i.h5

4 0 . . . i.a5 This move complicates Black's

win slightly, instead, he could have won easily with 40 . . . 'it>c6-+, clearing the d-file for his rook.

2Sl

Complete Games

41.gf7 lt>c6 42.gxf6 lt>b5 43.<.t>h3 ghs

Black provokes the move g3-g4, so that White's king cannot occupy that square, but it was much stronger for Black to play 43 . . . lt:Je3 with the same idea. Then his rook penetrates to dl or d2 (according to circumstances) and he wins easily.

44.g4 gas Black bases his hopes on

White's stranded bishop on a7, but this provides his opponent with tactical chances.

His most reliable route to vic­tory was to prevent all attempts at counterplay by playing 44 . . . lt:Jb2 ! , followed by the transfer of this knight to the d3-outpost.

45.gf7 ltld6 46.gd7 lt>c6 47. gh7 .ib4 48.f4!

This i s White's only practical chance.

48 . . . exf4 Black's win here was by no

means easy to find. It seems at first sight that after 48 . . . gxf4 ! 49. g5, White's passed g-pawn may be very dangerous, but in the line: 49 . . J'!g8 ! 50 .g6 lt:Jxe4 ! 51 .�f3 lt>d5-+ Black easily prevents its

252

further advance. 49.e5 ll:lc8 Things are not so clear in the

variation 49 . . . lt:Jb5 50.e6 c4 51. �f2+

5 0 .e6 lt>d6

st.ghs White overlooks a chance of

saving the game: 51.�b6 ! lt:Je7 (or 5l . . .Wxe6 52 .�d8 l'!a7 53J'!h6 We5 54.hg5 c4 55.�f6 We4 56.g5oo and his g-pawn is as powerful as Black's passed pawns) 52 .�c7 Wxc7 (52 . . . Wxe6 53.�f7 Wd7 and now, in the variation 54.�e5 c4 55.hc4 l'!c8 56.�b3 �c3 57.�a4 We6 58 .�b3 Wxe5 59.l'!xe7 Wd4+, as well as after 54.�c4 Wxc7 55. l'!xe7 Wb6 56.l'!e6 WaS 57.l'!e5 l'!d8 58.l'!xg5 l'!d4 59 . .ie6 , White has chances for a draw thanks to the presence of bishops of opposite colour) 53.l'!xe7 Wd6

54.l"i:e8 ! Here, it looks as though the endgame with oppo­site coloured bishops after 54 . . . l"i:xe8 5 5 . .b:e8 lt>xe6 56.'it>g2 i s a draw after all : 56 . . . \t>es 57.'it>f3 'it>d4 58.'it>e2 (but not 58 .�g6 \t>c3 59.'it>e2 c4 60 .�f7 f3 61.'it>xf3 'it>d3-+ and the c-pawn promotes) 58 . . . c4 59.'it>f3 �d6 60. �d7 'it>c3 61 .�b5 ! 'it>d3 62 .�a6 and Black cannot make any progress. If 62 . . . 'it>d4, then 63 .�c8= and i f h e ad­vances his c-pawn, White's bishop goes to the bl-h7 diagonal .

It is correct for Black to play 54 . . . l"i:a7 ! , keeping the rooks on the board. 55 .�g6 (If White ad­vances his pawn further, Black will capture it, still keeping the rooks on the board. In the varia­tion 55.e7 �c3 56.'it>g2 �f6 57.l"i:a8 l"i:xe7 58.l"i:a6 lt>e5 59.l"i:xa3 'it>d5-+ his passed pawns on c5 and f4 will settle the issue.) 55 . . . l"i:c7 56.'it>g2 lt>e5+ and there is still some fight left.

51. . . �xe6 52 . .ig6 �d5 53. �d8 �c4 54 . .if5 �xa7 55.�xc8 �c3 56.�c6 �b2 57 • .ie6 �e7 58.�g2 �xe6. White resigned.

4 Sutovsky Sakaev Serbia 2009

l.e4 e5 2.ttlf3 ttlf6 3.ttlc3 .ib4 4.ttlxe5 0 - 0 5 . .ie2 �e8 6.ttld3 .ixc3 7.dxc3 ttlxe4 8. ttlf4 d6 9. 0 - 0 ttlc6 1 0 .a4!?

This is a very interesting and non-standard idea. White pre­pares to transfer his rook to the third rank.

Complete Games

1 0 . . . h6 This is a useful multi-purpose

move. Black can use the h7-square not only as an escape-hole for his king, but also as a retreat for his bishop on f5. It is also important that the h6-pawn restricts White's dark-squared bishop, depriving it of the g5-square.

ll.a5 White radically prevents

Black's plan of deploying his pawns on the dark squares. This is very reasonable from the strate­gic point of view, because White's dark-squared bishop obtains good prospects in the future.

ll . . . a6

Black is obviously reluctant to play this move, but White was threatening to advance his a­pawn further, undermining the base of the enemy knight on c6.

253

Complete Games

Black's last move has some pluses too, because now White's aS­pawn will be permanently under attack by Black's knight.

12.c4 .if5 13.ga3 .!Df6 Black's knight clears the e-file

for future active operations.

14.gg3 White must play very precise­

ly, because after the careless move 14.ltJdS, Black has the resource 14 . . . hc2 ! , winning a pawn.

After 14.l'!el, Black's most reli­able move seems to be 14 . . . ttJb4 (14 . . . l'!eS 1S.l'!g3 ttJe4 16.l'!e3 ltJf6 is also playable, but here White does not need to repeat moves and he can play for example: 17. ttJdS�, obtaining significant com­pensation for the sacrificed aS­pawn. ) 1S.ltJd3 ttJc6 and White has nothing better than 16.ttJf4=, which leads to a repetition of moves.

14 • • • .!De4 Here it would be too risky for

Black to play 14 . . . ttJxaS. White has no immediately decisive continu­ation, but he has several attractive possibilities at his disposal :

1S.b4 ltJc6 16.ib2 ttJeS 17.ltJhS± and Black will have serious prob-

2S4

lems on the al-h8 diagonal , as well as on the g-file;

lS.ltJhS ig6 (here lS . . . ttJxhS 16.hhS is bad, since the dark squares on Black's kingside are disastrously weak) 16.ltJxg7!? (16. ltJf4 ifS=) 16 . . . c±>xg7 17.�d2 l'!xe2 18.�xe2 ttJc6 19.�d2� and White has very good compensation for his minimal material deficit.

15.ge3 .!Df6 16.gg3 .!De4 17.ge3 .!Df6

18.gxe8 White is eager to continue the

fight, although it would have been more prudent to repeat moves.

18 • • • ¥be8 19.gel .!Dxa5

2 0 • .!Dd5?! This is a mistake. The correct

move for White here is 20 .g4 ! , and only after 20 . . . ih7 playing 21 .ctJdS, for example: 21 . . .ltJxdS

22 .cxd5 b5 (Black cannot contin­ue here analogously to the game with 22 . . . �e4 because of 23 .id3 and White's d5-pawn is taboo.) 23 .b4 ltJb7 24.c4 �d7 25.cxb5 axb5 26.ifl ):le8 27.):lxe8 �xeS 28.f3 l2ld8=. White's initiative compensates for the sacrificed pawn, but no more than that and a draw seems to be the most likely outcome.

2 0 . . . !Llxd5 21.cxd5 �e4! Emil obviously overlooked

this move.

22 . .id2 Here, after long deliberation,

White chose a very risky line in the hope of mating the opponent. Of course, not 22 .id3 �xd5 and the bishop on f5 is protected.

White's objectively best move here was 22 .ixh6 ! and now:

after 22 . . . gxh6, he continues with 23 .id3 �f4 (if 23 . . . �xd5 24.�h5� with sufficient compen­sation) 24.g3 �g4 (after 24 . . . �g5 White plays 25.b4, comfortably regaining his piece) 25.�xg4 ixg4 26.b4 if3 27.bxa5 ixd5 28. ):le7 ):lc8 29.if5 Wf8 30.):lxf7 Wxf7 31.hc8= and this bishop and pawn ending is very sharp but

Complete Games

should end in a draw; Black's best line seems to be :

22 . . . �xc2 23 .�xc2 ixc2 24.):lcl gxh6 25 .):lxc2 c5 26.dxc6 ltJxc6 27.if3 ):lc8 (after 27 . . . ltJd4, White has the resource 28.hb7! ):le8 29.):lc8 ! ) 28 .g3+ and Black's pawn-structure is in ruins, so White has great drawing chances.

22 .. .'�xd5 23.J.£J �b5 24. J.c3 !Llc6 25.i.d5 �f8!+

Black has consolidated his po­sition. White's initiative can com­pensate for one of the sacrificed pawns, but not both, so Black has the advantage.

26.h3 White admits that his strategy

was wrong. He could have rekin­dled his fading initiative with the not-so-obvious move 26.h4 ! , with the idea of advancing g2-g4-g5 with tempo. After, for example, 26 . . . id7 27.):le3 Wh8 28.):lf3, he would have maintained some compensation, although not quite enough.

26 . . . �h7 27.h4 f6 28.f4 �c5 29.�fl !Llb4 3 0 .i.b3 d5

Black begins his final offensive and his position is winning.

31.�h5 i.g6 32.W/g4 d4 33.

255

Complete Games

.hb4 flxb4 34. �f2 d3 35.h5 flc5 36.�g3 i.f5 37.f!dl dxc2 38.fld2 �h8 39.�h4 f!b6 4 0 . ge3 a5 41.g4 i.h7 42.gc3 c6 43.f5 a4 44 • .ha4 flxb2 45. gxc2 flbl 46.gcl flb6 47.i.c2 gds 48.flf4 i.g8 49.gbl f!c5 5 0 .i.e4 f!e7 51.gel gd4 52.ge2 �h7 53.flf3 fld6 54.flg3 f!b4 55.i.f3 gd3 56.f!c7 gxf3 57. ge3 gf4. White resigned.

5 Z'\jaginsev Najer Ohrid 2009

l.e4 e5 2.tt:lf3 tt:lc6 3.tt:lc3 tt:lf6 4.g3 .ic5 5.i.g2 d6 6.d3 a6 7.�e3 .he3 8.fxe3

8 . . . tt:le7 9.tt:lh4 c6 1 0 .fld2 tt:lg6 n.tt:lf5 � 12.exf5 tt:lf8 13. 0 - 0 - 0 d5

14.ghgl

256

This move prepares g3-g4, but is possibly imprecise, because White's rook is removed from the h-file, which will be opened.

It seems more logical to pre­pare the advance of the g-pawn with the help of the line : 14.\We2 ! ? h 5 15.h3 \We7 16.g4

Now, Black is faced with a choice :

16 . . . 0-0-0 17.g5 tt:le8 18 .h4 tt:ld6 19.\Wf2 \Wc7 (after 19 . . . g6, White dominates the f-file, while if 19 . . . f6 20 .g6, Black's h5-pawn is isolated and might soon be lost) 2 0.f6 g6 2l .d4oo with a very com­plicated fight ahead;

16 . . . g5 ! ? (Black is trying to prevent his opponent from seiz­ing additional space on the king­side.) 17.fxg6 fxg6 18.g5 tt:l6d7 19 .h4 0-0-0 2 0.ih3 tt:le6 2Ulhfl Elhf8= . Black's pawns are placed on light squares and they perfect­ly restrict White's bishop. The game is equal.

14 . . . h5 15.h3 \We7 (diagram)

16.e4?! Now White's light-squared

bishop remains in exile. In fact, from the point of view

of correct pawn-strategy, White should try to advance d3-d4 and not e3-e4. It seems more logical for White to play 16.�f3 lt:J8d7 17.g4 hxg4 18.hxg4 0-0-0oo, with a complicated battle.

16 • • . d4 17)2)e2 0 - 0 - 0 18 . .if3 ltl8d7 19.g4 hxg4 2 0 .hxg4 lt:lh7 21.g5 f6 22.g6 lt:lg5+

Black already has a slight but stable edge.

23 • .ig2 :Bh2 24.�el ltlb6 25. ltlg3 �c5

Here 25 . . . @b8 ! ? deserved con­sideration, preparing the advance of his c-pawn.

26.ltlfl :Bhh8 27.ltld2 �a5 28.a3 �b5 29.�e2 lt:la4 3 0 . ltlb3

After 30.lt:Jc4 Black would have possibly continued with 30 . . . �c5, followed by b7-b5.

3 0 . • . a5 31.:Bhl lt:lxb2 32.

Complete Games

@xb2 a4 33.�d2 axb3 34.cxb3 @d7 35.�c2 :BaS 36.b4

Now the a2-g8 diagonal is open and White is able to organ­ize sufficient counterplay along it.

36 . . . :Bxhl 37.:Bxhl

37 • . . c5?! Black should have kept the po­

sition closed. He should have continued

with 37 . . . @c7 38 .�b3 @b6, se­curely defending against White's only dangerous idea, based on playing l"lhl-h7. Neither side has any real chances of improving his position, so a positional draw ap­pears on the board.

38.�xc5 �xc5 39.bxc5 @c6 40 • .ifl @xc5 41..ie2 @d6 42. .idl l"lc8 43 . .ib3 @d7 44 . .ic4 @d6

45 . .ib3?!

257

Complete Games

White refuses to fight and this is not easy to understand. He had the opportunity to play 45.'it>b3 ! , with the idea of penetrating with his king. After 45 . . . 'it>c5 White plays 46.a4, followed by 'it>a3, gradually squeezing Black's king.

45 . . . 'it>d7 46.i.c4 'it>d6 47. i.b3 'it>d7 48.i.c4. Draw. This game was unspectacular; but it was nevertheless very interesting and non-standard.

6 Sutovsky Kramnik Baku (rapid) 2010

l.e4 e5 2.ll:J£3 tLlc6 3 . .ib5 tLlf6 4.tLlc3 tLld4 5.i.c4 i.c5 6.tLlxe5 �e7 7.tLl£3

7 . . . d5 8.hd5 i.g4 9.d3 0 - 0 - 0 1 0 .i.g5 i.h5!?

This is a common-sense move

258

which is very useful to Black. He frees the g-file, clearing the way for a possible g7-g5. At the same time, Black now has the possibili­ty of exchanging knights on f3 , af­ter which his light-squared bishop will no longer be attacked with tempo.

Besides this sharp move, it is good for Black to play here 10 . . . h 6 ! ? , a s we pointed out i n the the­oretical section of Chapter 8 .

ll.'it>fl After 11 .0-0 Black can play

ll . . .h6 12 . .ie3 (it would be too risky for White to continue with 12 . .ih4 g5 13 . .ig3 hf3 14.gxf3 h5 15 .h3 g4-t and Black has a crush­ing attack) 12 . . . lt'lxf3 13.gxf3 lt'lxd5 and now the natural move 14. lt'lxd5 loses to 14 . . . �h4 15.'it>g2 (15.hc5 l"lxd5 16.exd5 �h3-+) 15 . . . .id6 16.h3 c6 17.lt'lc3 f5-+ and Black's attack is decisive, while following 14.exd5 he3 15.fxe3 Wxe3 16.!'1f2 !'1he8i his initiative more than compensates for the sacrificed pawn.

White's best move here is 11 . .ib3 ! , removing the bishop from possible attacks by the enemy rooks or knight. Black has no con­crete operations in sight, so his best idea would be to protect the d5-square from invasion by the enemy knight with the move 11 . . . c 6 ! (11 . . .!'1he8 12 .h3 h 6 1 3 . .ie3 lt'lxf3 14.gxf3 he3 15.fxe3 lt'lxe4 16.lt'lxe4 Wh4 17.'it>d2 l"lxe4 18.�e1 hf3 19.Wxh4 l"lxh4 20 .!'1hg1 g5 21 .hf7±; 11 . . . h6 12 . .ie3 lt'lxf3 13. gxf3 he3 14.fxe3 lt'ld7 15.'it>d2

l2Je5 16.ElfU).

It becomes clear now that Black has an excellent position in all variations : 12 .ih4 (12 .0-0 id6�; 12 .ie3 l2Jd7 13.hd4 hd4 14.l2Je2 hb2 15.Elb1 ia3� and he has wonderful compensation for the pawn) 12 . . . g5 ! 13.ig3 (13. hg5 Elhg8 14.h4 h6-+) 13 . . . hf3 14.gxf3 h5 15.h4 g4+

ll . . . c6 12 . .ic4 Now Black has an additional

resource, based on the advance of his b-pawn.

It was better for White to re­treat his bishop a bit further with 12 .ib3, although after 12 . . . l2Jxf3 (if 12 . . . h6 White can retreat with 13.ie3, where his bishop is very active in the fight for the central squares) 13.gxf3 h6 14.ih4 id4� with the plan of g7 -g5 followed by the transfer of the knight to e5, via the d7-square, Black obtains more than sufficient compensa­tion for the pawn.

12 . . . h6 13 . .ih4 Here White should have

played 13.ie3, after which Black can choose between several prom­ising possibilities for maintaining his initiative:

Complete Games

13 . . . l2Jd7 14.hd4 hd4 15. l2Je2oo;

13 . . . l2Jxf3 14.gxf3 (but not 14. hc5 1Wxc5 15.gxf3 l2Jd7t and Black's knight will go to the e5-square with decisive effect) 14 . . . he3 15.fxe3 b5 16.ib3 b4 17.l2Jb1 l2Jxe4 18.l2Jd2 l2Jxd2 19.1Wxd2 hf3 2 0 .Elg1 g5 2l.a3oo ;

it looks as though Black's best line here is: 13 . . . l2Jg4 14.hd4 hd4 15.1Wd2 ix£2 16.h3 l2Je3 17. �xf2 l2Jxc4 18.1Wf4 1Wc5 19.�e2 l2Jxb2 20 .1Wf5 1Wxf5 2l .exf5 Elhe8+ and Black maintains a slight ad­vantage, while after 22 .�f2 hf3 23.gxf3 Ele5 24.Elab1 l2Jxd3 ! ? (24 . . . Elc5 25.Elxb2 Elxc3 26.Elg1 Eld5=) 25.cxd3 Elxd3+ he obtains three pawns for the piece and his pieces remain very active.

13 . . . g5 14 • .ig3 b5! 15 • .ib3 b4 16.l2Ja4

Black is clearly better after 16.e5 bxc3 17.exf6 1Wxf6 18 .ie5 1Wf5 19.hd4 Elxd4+

16 •.. l2Jxe4 17.WI'el .ixf3 Black would have a great ad­

vantage after 17 . . . l2Jxf3 18.gxf3 hf3 19.dxe4 hh1 20 .l2Jxc5 1Wxc5 2 1.1We2 �b7 22 .�g1 f5+ when Black has an extra exchange. The

259

Complete Games

line he chooses in the game is even stronger.

18.dxe4 .ie2 19.'i!?gl .ib5 2 0 .c4

Or 2 0 .h3 h5 21 .ltJxc5 'Wxc5 2 2 .h4 ltJe2 23.i>h2 ltJxg3 24.fxg3 gxh4 25.c4 l"lhg8 26.cxb5 hxg3 27.i>h3 l"lg4 !-+ , with the unpre­ventable threat of 'Wc5-e7.

2 0 . . . .ixa4 It was much more practical,

from the point of view of prevent­ing future mistakes, to begin gain­ing material here with : 20 . . . ttJxb3 2 l.axb3 .ba4 22 .bxa4 l"lhe8-+ and Black would be totally domi­nant on the central files, with a very easy game.

21..ixa4 h5 Black could maintain an over­

whelming and easily realisable advantage with 21 . . .l"lhe8, threat­ening to capture on e4, but Black obviously wants more than that.

22.h4 ghg8 After the immediate 22 .. .f5 !

23.hxg5 'Wxg5 24.l"lh3 ltJf3 ! 25. gxf3 h4-+ his attack is decisive.

23 . .idl! (diagram)

This is an excellent defensive resource for White. His bishop

260

protects the f3-square against Black's knight-sorties and at the same time eyes the h5-square . .

23 . . . f5! If Black had tried to play posi­

tionally, then after 23 . . . g4 24.i>h2 l"lge8 25.a3+! White would have organized counterplay.

24.hxg5

24 . . . gxg5 Black has played perfectly un­

til now, but the position is still very sharp. He was evidently short of time (this was a rapid game) and inevitably mistakes start to appear . . .

I t i s very likely that i n a game with a classical time-control Vladimir Kramnik would have found the line: 24 . . . 'Wxg5 ! 25. l"lxh5 ttJe2 ! 26.he2 'Wxg3 27.'Wfl l"ld2 28.l"lel l"lg4 !-+ with a deci­sive attack for Black.

25.i.h4 l3dg8 26. �fl White could have gained

some material here with 26.hg5 �xg5 27.Elh2 when continuation of Black's attack is far from easy.

26 • . . f4 Now White's f2-pawn, which

is the main source of his worries, is reliably protected.

It was stronger for Black to play 26 . . . fxe4 27.hg5 l3xg5�, with sufficient compensation.

27.i.f3 �e5 This is an attempt to seek com­

plications by all means. Black was not tempted to try to regain the exchange, because after 27 . . . lLlc2 28 .�dl lLlxal 29.�xal± he would end up a pawn down without any compensation.

28 . .ixg5 l3xg5 29.�dl It was stronger for White to

play simply 29.13dl±, with a clear advantage.

29 ..• �b7 Black should have assured

himself of a queenside pawn-ma­jority by playing 29 . . . lLlxf3 30. �xf3 �xb2� with excellent coun­terplay.

3 0 .13xh5

Complete Games

3 0 •.. 13xh5 It is possible that in the heat of

battle Black had overlooked that after 30 . . . lLlxf3 White has the in­termediate check 31 .13h7+-

31.i.xh5 �b6 32.�g4 �xe4 33.13el

It is stronger to play 33 .�g6 ! , not letting the enemy queen enter his camp. After 33 . . . �e5 34.13el �h8 35.�h5 �f6 36.�e4+- White should gradually realise his ad­vantage.

33 . . • �d3 34.�gl �d2 35. l3dl �xb2 36.�xf4 lLle6 37. �d2 �f6

38.13bl? ! The correct plan here would

be 38 .�g4 ! lLld4 39.13el !±, freeing the dl-square for the bishop, from where it protects f3 and blocks the possible advance of Black's

261

Complete Games

queenside pawns. 38 . . . a5 39.a3?! White probably overlooked his

opponent's next move. 39 . . .'�f5 4 0 .�b2 Here it was better to play

40.E\el, although Black's counter­play is already quite sufficient.

4 0 .. .'�xh5 41.axb4 axb4 42.�xb4 <tlc7 43.�b1 tl:ld4

44.'�f4? This is a blunder. After the

natural move 44.E\eU a compli­cated position arises, but White would still be slightly better.

44 . • . i.d6 45.'�xd4 �h2 46. @fl �h1 47.<tle2 �xb1-+

Now it is all over and Black easily realises his extra bishop.

48.�g7 <tlc8 49.�g8 @b7 5 0 .�g7 .ic7 51.�£7 �e4 52.@fl �d3 53.<tle1 <tlb6 54.c5 @b7 55.'�e7 �d4 56.<tle2 �g4 57. <tle3 �xg2 58.'�h7. White re­signed.

7 Nepomniachtchi-BuXiangzhi Sochi 2009

l .e4 e5 2.tl:lf3 tl:lf6 3.d4 tl:lxe4 4.dxe5 d5 5.tl:lbd2 tl:lxd2 6.hd2 c5 7.i.g5 �a5 8 .c3 i.e6

262

9.i.d3 tl:lc6 1 0 . 0 - 0 h6 ll.i.d2 �c7

12.�e1 i.e7 13.�c1 �d7 14. a3 0 - 0 15.b4 �fd8 16 . .ie3 d4 17.cxd4 cxb4 18.axb4 tl:lxb4 19.i.b1 �ac8 2 0 .�e2 �xc1 21. hc1 i.d5+ 22.ttld2

This knight is headed for the e4-square and the queen can go to hS, but White's actions on the kingside are too slow.

22 . . . �c8 It is high time that Black ad­

vanced his passed pawns, espe­cially since after 22 . . . b5 ! he would soon take control of the important e4-square. He exploits this in the variation 23.tt:Je4 i.c4 24.�h5 �xd4 25 .i.e3 �b2 26.lLld6 i.xd6 27.exd6 tt:Jd3 28.i.xd3 i.xd3+, ending up with an extra pawn.

23.tl:le4

After 23.lLlfl Black can play 23 . . . a5 24.l2Je3 �e6 25.�b2 lLldS+, securely blockading his oppo­nent's centre pawns.

23 • • • �c6 24.�a3 ! c!Llc2 25. .ixc2

25 • • • �xc2 Black does not wish to risk an­

ything. Although with 25 . . . .b:a3 26.�d3 aS+ he could have main­tained the advantage, he would need to precisely calculate various tactical complications, connected for example with a knight sacri­fice on f6. Furthermore it would help White to exchange his dark­squared bishop, restricted by his pawns on d4 and eS.

26.�xc2 l:'1xc2 27 • .ixe7 .ixe4 28.f3 .ic6 29.l:'1dl .id5 3 0 .l:'1al

Complete Games

nected pawns and at the same time maintain the blockade on dS, so the draw is unavoidable.

3 0 . . • l:'1c7 31.i.d6 l:'1c4 32. l:'1xa7 l:'1xd4

The rest of the game is quite simple and of no interest . .

33.l:'1al b5 34.l:'1bl .ic4 35. l:'1b2 h5 36.®f2 ®h7 37.®e3 l:'1d3 38.®e4 l:'1dl 39.f4 l:'1el 4 0 .@f3 ®g6 41.h3 l:'1f1 42.®e4 h4 43 • .ic5 f5 44.®e3 l:'1el 45. @f3 .id5 46.®f2 l:'1e4 47.g3 l:'1c4 48.�e3 b4 49 • .id2 l:'1d4 5 0 .hb4 l:'1d3 51.gxh4 l:'1f3. Draw.

8 N avara Kramnik Prague (rapid) 2008

l.e4 e5 2.c!Llf3 ll:\f6 3.d4 ll:\xe4 4.i.d3 d5 5.dxe5 c!Llc5 6. ll:\c3 c6 7.ll:ld4 .ie7 8. 0 - 0 0 - 0

9.f4 ll:\xd3 1 0 .�xd3 f5 11. ll:\b3 ll:\a6 12.�e3 ll:\c7 13.c!Lle2 b6 14.c!Llbd4 i.a6 15.�d2 �e8 16.c3 c5 17.ll:\f3 l:'1d8+ 18.l:'1fdl c!Lle6

(diagram) 19.a4 White does not have any active

Black cannot keep his con- plan of his own, so all he can do is

263

Complete Games

prevent the development of Black's initiative. His last move is aimed at thwarting the advance of Black's queenside pawns.

19 . . . h6 Black reminds his opponent

that besides the queenside, there is a kingside where Black has ex­cellent prospects based on the pawn-advance g7-g5.

2 0 .a5 This move only helps Black.

Instead, White should remain passive, playing for example: 20 .b3.

2 0 .. .\!9b5 21.�g3

21. . .bxa5 Here Black could have

launched a decisive operation right away - 2l . . .d4 22 .cxd4 cxd4 23.�f2 �b7+ with an overwhelm­ing advantage.

22.Wfc2 g6

264

23.Wfa4 Now White loses by force, but

even after his relatively best line, 23J�1d2 iWb6, Black cannot be pre­vented from advancing d5-d4, with decisive effect.

23 . . . Wfxa4 24J�xa4 d4 25. cxd4 cxd4 26.�xd4

It is hardly any better for White to play 26.�d2 !'1d5-+ and Black dominates the entire board.

26 . . . i.c5 Black could have maintained

the deadly pin along the d-file with the move 26 . . . �b4 ! , after which White loses by force in all variations : 27.!'1aal �xd4 28.!'1xd4 �c5 29.!'1xa5 hd4 30.hd4 !'1xd4 31 .!'1xa6 <;t>g7-+ , or 27.<;t>f2 �xd4 2 8.hd4 �c4-+ followed by �c4-b3.

27Jba5 �xd4 28.gxa6 �f3

29.�f2 .b:e3 3 0 .�xf3 gxdl 31.�xe3

31. . . gfd8 This was a rapid game, so it

was quite natural that the oppo­nents had practically no time left after move 30, so there were plen­ty of mistakes towards the end of the game.

It was stronger for Black to play 31 . . .Wg7, maintaining the compactness of his pawn-chain on the kingside. White would need to play very precisely then in order to save the game.

32.gxg6 �h7 33.ga6 gsd3 34.�f2 gld2 35.tt:le2 gd7 36. e6 gb7

After 36 . . . gc7, White can reply with 37.We3 E1xb2 38 .g4� obtain­ing good counterplay.

37.�e3 gdxb2 38 • .!t:ld4 g2b6

It is again a draw after 38 . . . mg6 39.e7 mf7 40.tt:lxf5 E17b3 41. We4 E1xg2 =

39.gxb6 The evaluation of the position

would remain the same after 39J�a5 Wg6 40.:!"1e5 E1e7=

39 . . • gxb6 4 0 .e7 gbs 41. .!t:lxf5 a5

Complete Games

42 . .!t:ld4 This last move was imprecise.

After 42.Wd4 a4 43.We5 a3 44. tt:ld4 a2 45.tt:lc2 Wg7 46.�e6 E1b6 47.md7 E1b7 48.We6= there is an easy draw.

42 . . . a4 43 . .!t:lc6 ges 44.md4 �g7 45.�c4 �f7 46.�b4 gas 47.�a3 ga6 48 • .!t:lb4 gd6 49. �xa4 mxe7 5 0 .�b5 gd2 51.g4 gxh2 52.�c5 �e6

53.�d4? This is White's decisive mis­

take. The move 53.tt:ld3= would have still drawn.

53 .•. gh4-+ Now it is all over, because White

loses his most important pawn. 54.f5 �f7 55.�e5 gxg4 56.

.!t:ld5 ga4 57 . .!t:lc3 gb4 58 . .!t:le4 h5 59 . .!t:lg5 �g8 6 0 .f6 h4 61. �f5 E1b5 62.�g6 gxg5. White resigned .

265

Complete Games

9 Karpov Larsen Tilburg 1980

l.e4 e5 2.lt:lf3 c!Llf6 3.d4 c!L\xe4 4 . .id3 d5 5.c!Llxe5 c!L\d7 6.We2 c!L\xe5 7.he4 dxe4 8. Wxe4 .ie6 9. Wxe5

9 . . . Wd7 1 0 . 0 - 0 0 - 0 - 0 l l . .ie3 .ib4 12.c!Llc3 f6 13.Wg3 hc3 14.bxc3 h5� 15.h4

This is an attempt by White to stop the development of his oppo­nent's kingside attack. Black is ready to continue with g7-g5, fol­lowed by h5-h4, developing his offensive, after almost any move by White.

15 . . . g5! It would be sufficient for Black

to equalize with the move 15 . . . l'l:he8= followed by simplifying the position by exchanging the rooks along the e-file, but he wants to fight for more than a draw in this position.

16.f3 White hopes to restrict the en­

emy light-squared bishop with this move, but Black opens up the light squares anyway.

16 . • J=�dg8 17.llf2 Wc6 The queen controls the long

diagonal from this square, as well

266

as restraining White's doubled pawns on the c-file.

18 . .id2 g4 19.f4 .ic4!

Black exerts powerful pressure on the light squares; meanwhile, White's queen and f2-rook are out of the game.

2 0 .d5 This is a desperate attempt to

free himself from the positional bind.

2 0 . . . hd5 21.f5 l'l:e8 22.a3 l'l:e4 23.l'l:el l'l:he8 24.l'l:xe4 l'l:xe4 25.'it>h2 Wc5 26 . .if4 l'l:el 27. .id2 l'l:al 28.We3 Wd6 29.l'l:f4 b6 3 0 .c4 hc4 31.Wd4 Wxd4 32.l'l:xd4 i.b5

Now White also loses his a3-pawn.

33.i.h6 l'l:xa3 34.i.g7 i.d7

35J:'1f4 l:'1a5 36 . .hf6 .ixf5 37.c3 .ie6 38.1!lg3 l:'1d5 39.l:'1e4 l!?d7 4 0 . .ie5 l:'1d2 4l.l!?f4 l:'1xg2 42. l!?g5 l:'1c2 43. l!?xh5 g3 44 . .ixg3 l:'1xc3 45 . .ie5 l:'1c4 46.l:'1e3 .id5 47.l:'1a3 l!?e6 48 . .ig3 @f5 49. l!?h6 a5 5 0 .I!?g7 l!?g4 5l.l!?f6 a4 52 .l:'1e3 .if3 53 . .iel l:'1cl 54.l:'1e7 l!?h3 55 . .id2 l:'1c4 56.l:'1e3 l!?g2 57 . .iel l:'1c1 58 . .id2 l:'1dl 59 . .ic3 c5 6 0 .l:'1e7 b5 61..ie5 a3 62.l:'1h7 b4 63.h5 b3 64.h6 b2 65.l:'1g7 l!?f2 66 . .ig3 l!?e3. White re­signed.

1 0 Short Shirov Dubai (rapid) 2002

The following game was played with a fast time-control, so we should not be too critical towards the grandmasters. Even though they made many mistakes, the game was still tremendously interesting and creative, in the spirit of the old masters.

l.e4 e5 2.ll:lf3 ll:'lf6 3.ll:'lxe5 d6 4.ll:'lxf7 l!?xf7 5.d4 c5 6.dxc5 lt'lc6 7 . .ic4 .ie6 8 . .ixe6 l!?xe6 9. 0 - 0

9 . . . 1!?f7 1 0 J1�'e2 �e8 ll.l:'1el d5

Complete Games

It is even stronger for Black to play ll . . . �e6 ! , as was pointed out in the theoretical section of Chap­ter 16.

12.e5 ll:'le4 13.ll:'lc3 ll:'lxc3

14.bxc3 The defects of White's pawn­

structure are more important than any initiative he can develop on the b-file.

It was preferable to continue with 14.�f3 l!?g8 15 .�xc3 b6 16. .ie3� Black is unable to castle ar­tificially, while White's pawn-for­mation is really impressive and very effective.

14 •.. �e6 15.l:'1bl l:'1b8 16 . .ie3 .ie7

17.f4 Black has time now to bring

his rook on h8 into play. It would be much harder for

267

Complete Games

Black to prove any advantage af­ter 17.Wf3 lt>g8 18.:ged1 and here he could maintain an edge only after the not-so-obvious move 18 . . . Wf7! (The endgame after 18 . . . tt:Jxe5 19.Wxd5 Wxd5 20.:gxd5 'Llc6 2 1 ..if4 :gd8 22 .c4 lt>f7 23.:gxb7= seems to be approximately equal ; White has too many pawns and his pieces are very active.) 19. Wh3 (After 19.1M/xd5 Wxd5 20.:gxd5 lt>f7+ Black's king will occupy the e6-square and White's pawn­chain e5-f4 will soon be under­mined with the move g7-g5.) 19 . . . 'Llxe5 20.f4 'Llc6 (After the attrac­tive variation: 2 0 . . . tt:Jc4 2 1 .c6 tt:Jxe3 22 .:gxb7 tt:Jxd1 23.:gxb8 .if8 24.:gxf8 lt>xf8 25.1M/c8 lt>e7 26. Wc7= White draws by perpetual check.) 21 .Wd7 h5 ! Black secures the h6- and h7-squares for his rooks and his king, as appropri­ate. 22 .:gxb7 :gxb7 23.Wxb7 We6 24 . .if2 :gh6 25.:ge1 Wf7+ Black has consolidated his forces and his extra piece (ignoring the tripled pawns) will surely tell .

17 . • • �hf8 18.i.d4 lt>g8 19. �fl.

19 • • • g5 This is a very risky move! It

268

would be much more solid for Black to opt here for 19 . . . :gf7, bringing his other rook to the f8-square and carrying out the undermining move g7 -g5 only later.

2 0 .fxg5 hg5 After 20 . . . :gxfl 21 .:gxfl hg5

Black's king would be much more comfortable.

21.�xf8 \t>xf8 22.Wh5 If 2 2 .1M/d3 Black would play

22 . . . \t>g8 23.1M/g3 Wg6 24.e6 .ih6+, parrying White's attack.

22 .•• Wg6 23.�:f3 @g7 24. �xd5

There will be no repetition of moves, because after 24.:gf1 :gd8 25.:gb1 Black will play 25 . . . b6 ! 26.cxb6 tt:Jxd4 27.cxd4 axb6+

24 • • . �xc2! This is a very important move

and the best for Black in this posi­tion! Now, his king remains com­pletely exposed, but with the help of his queen he succeeds in creat­ing dangerous counter-threats.

25.e6 It was correct for White to play

here 25.:gf1 ! 'Llxd4 26.cxd4 Wd3 27.:gf7 lt>h8 28 .g3 .ie3 29.\t>g2 hd4 30.It>h3 !+ and there would

be plenty of fight left, but Black would still be much better.

25 • • • c;tJg6 Black was winning with 25 . . .

@h6 ! 26.l"1el tt'lxd4 27.'�xd4 l"1d8 28.'@fe5 l"1f8 29.'@fd4 (after 29.l"1e2, Black's simplest solution would be the counter-attacking move 29 . . . l"1f5 !-+) 29 . . . '@fd2-+ and after the exchange of queens his road to victory would be quite easy.

26.gfl It was more tenacious for

White to defend with 26.l"1el, al­though the position arising after 26 . . . tt'lxd4 27.cxd4 l"1f8 28 .'@fe4 '@fxe4 29.l"1xe4 l"1f4 30.l"1xf4 i.x£4 3Lc;tJf2 c;tJf6-+ seems to be win­ning for Black in any case.

26 • • • 't!fd3? Black overlooks the possibility

of concluding the fight in spectac­ular fashion with 26 . . . tt'lxd4 ! 27.cxd4 l"1f8 !-+

27.'t!fd7? White misses a win in turn, al­

though it is a rather complicated one : 27.h4 ! ie3 (or 27 . . . hh4 28. e7! tt'lxd4 29.'t!fd6 c;tJhs 30 .'@fe5 ig5 31 .�xb8+- and Black has no dangerous checks) 28.c;tJh2 '@fxfl (after 28 . . . tt'lxd4 29.h5 c;tJh6 30.

Complete Games

l"1f6 @g7 31 .'@fe5+- there is no de­fence against White's deadly dis­covered check) 29 .h5 @h6 30. he3 @g7 31.'@fg5 @f8 32 .if4+­and Black is helpless.

27 • • • .ie3 It all ends in a draw in the var­

iation 27 . . . tt'lxd4 28.�f7 @h6 29. cxd4 �xd4 30 .@hl '@fe4 31.l"1f3 l"1d8 32 .h4! hh4 33.l"1f6 hf6 34. '@fxf6 @h5 35.'@fxd8=

28.he3 't!fxe3 29.c;tJht gf8

3 0 J:�gl Most probably, both players

were blitzing and they overlooked the simple but very beautiful vari­ation 30 .'@ff7! l"1xf7 31 .exf7+-

30 • • • tt'le5 31.'t!fd6 gf6

32.h3 If the opponents had had

enough time, the game might have ended in brilliant and rather

269

Complete Games

unusual fashion after 32 .e7! ct:Jg4 33.�g3 �xg3 34.e8=� �g5

35.�g8 (or 35.hxg3 �h6 mate ! ) 3 5 . . . �g6 36.�xg6 hxg6 37.hxg3 ct:Jf2 38.�h2 ct:Jg4= and Black's lone knight gives perpetual check.

32 • • .l2Jd3 33.�d5 c!Llxc5 34. e7 W/xe7 35.Wfg8 �h6 36J'Ml c!Lle4. White resigned. This game was full of mistakes, but it was very impressive and beautiful !

11 Topalov Kramnik Linares 1999

l.e4 e5 2.c!Llf3 c!Llf6 3.c!Llxe5 d6 4.c!Llxf7 �xf7 5.c!Llc3 c5 6. i.c4 i.e6 7 • .h:e6 <;!?xe6 8.d4 �t7

9.dxc5 c!Llc6 1 0 .Wfe2 Wfd7 11 • .ie3 dxc5 12.f4 ges

We mentioned in the theoreti-

270

cal part that it is preferable for Black to continue here with 12 . . . ct:Jd4! 13 . .bd4 cxd4 14.0-0-0 �c8 15.e5 �xc3 16.bxc3 .ia3 17.�b1 ct:Jd5 18.�a1 �c6+

13.e5

13 • • • c!Llg4 He should answer an attack

with a counter-attack, by playing 13 . . . ct:Jd4. The almost unbelieva­ble variation 14 . .bd4 (Black is better after 14.�c4 �e6 15.�xe6 �xe6 16 . .bd4 cxd4 17.ct:Jb5 ct:Jd5 18.ct:Jxd4 �f7+) 14 . . . �xd4 15.�f3 g5 16.ct:Je2 �b4 17.�f2 ct:Je4 18. �e3 ct:Jf6 19.�f2 = leads to a draw by repetition of moves.

14.gdl Wff5 The queen has occupied a very

good blockading square. Here 14 . . . �e6 would fail to

15.f5 ! �xeS 16.�c4 �f6 17.ct:Jd5± 15. 0 - 0 h5!

He continues with his block­ading strategy and radically pre­vents the possibility g2-g4. Mean­while, Black's rook might enter the game at some point via the h6-square.

16.i.cl White avoids exchanges, but

pays a hefty price for this, since his bishop goes back to its initial position.

It was better for him to choose 16.h3 lt:lxe3 17.'®xe3 8:h6 18.lt:le4 ffig8 19.c3�, maintaining good compensation for the piece.

16 . . . ttJd4 17.'®c4

t7 . . . mg6 Black overlooks the possibility

of exchanging queens : 17 . . . '®e6 ! 18.'®d3 '®a6 !+. It is easy to miss a move like this, particularly when calculating several moves ahead. 19.'®e4 '®c6 20 .'®xc6 (White can­not really avoid the exchange of queens, because after 2 0 .'®d3 Black has the resource 20 . . . c4 !-+) 20 . . . bxc6 21 .h3 ttJh6-+ and he is very close to victory.

18.h3 ttJh6 19.ttJb5 It is no better for White to opt

here for 19 .i.e3 lt:lxc2 20 .i.f2

Complete Games

ttJd4+, because Black's pieces come into play, while White's two pawns are insufficient to compen­sate for the sacrificed piece.

19 . . . a6 ! This is an excellent move for

Black. His c5-pawn considerably restricts his own bishop and it is very useful for him to have it re­moved.

2 0 .ttJxd4 cxd4 21.'®xd4 8:c8

Now White has not two, but three pawns for the piece.

It is stronger for Black to con­tinue with 2l . . .'®xc2 ! 22 .8:f2 (it is no use for White to play 22 .f5 tlJxf5 23.'®f4 i.c5 24.mh2 8:hf8 25.8:d2 lt:le3 ! -+) 22 . . . '®c6 (Black also maintains his advantage with the move 22 . . . '®f5+) 23.'®d3 tlJf5 24.i.e3 i.e? 25 .8:c2 '®b5 26.'®e4 h4+ Black has set up a secure blockade on the kingside and White's position is terrible.

22.'®b6 mh7 23.'®xb7 8:xc2 24.i.e3

Gobbling pawns cannot end well for White : 24.'®xa6 i.c5 25. mhl lt:lg4 !-+ and he is helpless against lt:lg4-f2 .

271

Complete Games

24 • • • ¥;Yg6 This was played instantly but,

as is often the case in open posi­tions, there was a stronger con­tinuation : 24 . . J''le2 ! 25 . .ia7 l!¥e4 26.1!¥xe4 l"lxe4+ and Black would have still maintained a slight edge.

25Jkl l':!xcl After 25 . . . l"le2 , the bishop does

not need to flee : 26.1!¥f3 ! (or 26. l"lfel l"lxel 27.l"lxel liJf5 28 . .if2 .ie7 29 .e6oo) 26 . . . l"lxb2 27.f5 liJxf5 28. 1!¥xf5 l"lxg2 29.\t>hl l"lg3 30.1!¥xg6 lt>xg6 3l .l"lc6 'it>h7 32 . .icl .ib4= , with a draw.

26.l':!xcl c!L\f5 27 • .if2 h4 Black frees the h5-square for

his queen. After 27 . . . .ie7 28 .l"lc6 1!¥f7 29.

1!¥xa6 l"ld8 30 .1!¥e2± White is even better, because he already has four pawns for the piece and his connected pawns on the queen­side are particularly dangerous.

28.l':!c7 The game should end in a draw

after 28.l"lc6 l!¥h5 29.1!¥xa6 .ie7 30.'it>h2 l"ld8 3l.l"lc8 l!¥dl 32 .1!¥e6 liJg3 33.hg3 hxg3 34.\t>xg3 l!¥d3 35.\t>g4 1!¥e2 36.\t>g3=

(diagram) 28 .•• c!L\g3!

272

This is a prudent decision for Black, because after 28 . . . 1!¥h5 29. l!¥e4± White is totally dominant and Black's pieces might never come into play.

29.'it>h2 c!L\fl 3 0 .\t>gl ¥;Ybl 31..ixh4 i.c5

This is not a stupid move. It is the simplest route to a draw for Black.

After 31 . . .liJg3, White has the additional possibility of 32 .'it>f2 ! ? , sharpening the game.

32.l':!xc5. Drawn, in view of the line : 32 . . . liJg3 33.'it>h2 (or 33.'it>f2? liJe4-+ and White loses his rook) 33 . . . liJfl .

12 Ovetchkin Motylev Sochi 2004

l.e4 e5 2.c!L\f3 c!L\f6 3.c!L\xe5 d6 4.c!L\c4 c!L\xe4 5.c!L\c3 c!L\xc3 6.bxc3 g6 7.d4 .ig7 8 • .id3 0 - 0 9. 0 - 0

9 . . . lL!d7 1 0 .f4 lLlb6 ll.lLle3 lL!a4 12 . .id2 lL!b2 13J�Yf3 lL!xd3 14.cxd3 f5 15.d5 .id7 16.gabl gbs+

There will inevitably be a clash of pawns on the queenside and the position will then be opened up. Black has the bishop-pair, which will give him some advan­tage.

17.�f2 c5 It is more or less the same af­

ter 17 . . . c6, since White can hardly maintain the tension in the cen­tre.

18.dxc6 bxc6 19.lLlc4 �c7 2 0 . .ie3 c5 21.�d2 .ic6 2 2 . .if2 gfe8 23.gfel gxbl 24.gxbl .ia8!

Black is already threatening �c7-c6 !

25.gel gxel 26.hel i.f6!

Complete Games

threats yet, so he simply improves his position. His bishop on f6 con­tinues to exert pressure along the long diagonal, forcing White to protect his c3-pawn. In addition, it has some new functions now, depriving White's bishop of the h4-square and his queen of e7, a possible invasion-square on the e­file.

27.�e2 'it>t7 Black's king is brought closer

to the centre in anticipation of the forthcoming endgame. He is al­ready planning to exchange the strongest pieces on the board.

His other chances of realising his advantage would require him to keep the queens on the board and in that case it would be more natural for Black to play 27 . . . @g7.

28.'it>fl i.e7 Black's bishop protects the d6-

pawn in order to release the queen, which has been carrying out that task until now.

29.�b2 �b7 3 0 .�xb7 hb7

There are three pawn-islands each on the board : on the a-file, on the c- and d- files and on the f-, g- and h- files. This type of game,

Black cannot create any direct particularly since there is play on

273

Complete Games

both flanks, is clearly in Black's favour, because he has a powerful bishop-pair. In addition, White's f4-pawn is terribly misplaced. If it had been on f3, he would have considerably more chances of a successful defence.

31.ll::la5 .taB 32.c4 .if6 33 . .id2 l!le6 34.ll::lb3 l!ld7 35.1!lf2 l!lc6

Black makes several non-com­mittal moves with his king before the time-control, following the endgame rule "don't hurry if you don't have to . . . " .

It looks much more purposeful for him to transfer his bishop somewhere, for example to e6, or to play h7-h6, followed by g6-g5.

36 . .ie3 .ie7 37.d4 cxd4 38. hd4 a6 39.g3 .idS 4 0 .1!le3 l!ld7

41.h4? White loses patience and that

is the reason why so many end­games of this type are lost !

The move g6-g5 is not a threat yet and it will be much easier for Black to attack the g3-pawn than the h2-pawn, so White's last move is a decisive mistake. He should have played the waiting move 41.

274

ll::ld2, depriving Black's bishop of the e4-square in the process.

41 . . . .ie4 42.ll::ld2

42 . . . .tc2 Black could have created great

problems for his opponent with the straightforward move 42 . . . d5, opening the route for his king into the enemy camp via the light squares. On the other hand, from the practical point of view, the rule "don't hurry" is quite applica­ble here as well. White cannot do anything meaningful at the mo­ment, so Black always has the pawn-break d6-d5 in reserve. Ac­cordingly, Alexander Motylev's decision at this point can only be applauded!

43.ll::lf3 .ia5 44.a3 .idl 45. ll::lg5 h6 46.ll::lf3

46 . . . .ixf3!

Do you see the consequences of the move 4l .h4? The bishop and pawn ending would have been a draw with a white pawn on h2 and Black would need to try to break with the move d6-d5.

47.®xf3 .ie1

48.h5 White is in agony, because he

is helpless against 'it>d7-c6, fol­lowed by d6-d5. His king is stuck with the protection of his g3-pawn and in the king and pawn ending after 48.�f2 hf2 49.Wxf2 Wc6 50.We3 'it>cS Sl .'it>d3 dS 52.cxd5 'it>xdS- + Black is victorious, since his king gains the opposition -one of the most typical resources in all king and pawn endings.

48 . . . gxh5 49 . .ig7 Wc6 5 0 . hh6 Wc5 5 1 . .if8 a5 5 2 • .ie7 a4 53.®g2 c,!;>xc4

Black wins even faster after 53 . . . �c3 54.'it>h3 �b2 ss.'it>h4 ha3 56.�f6 �cl 57.Wxh5 a3-+ followed by �cl-b2 and the a­pawn promotes.

54.h:d6 .ic3 55.c.!;>h3 .if6 56 . .if8 'it>b3 57 . .id6 .ib2 58. c.!;>h4 ha3 59 . .ie5 .ib4 6 0 . Wxh5 a3 61.g4 .ic3 62.gxf5 a2. White resigned.

Complete Games

13 Carlsen Kramnik Nice (rapid) 2008

l.e4 e5 2.li:lf3 ll:lf6 3.ll:lxe5 d6 4.ll:lc4 ll:lxe4 5.ll:lc3 ll:lxc3 6.bxc3 g6 7.d4 .ig7 8 . .id3 0 - 0 9. 0 - 0

9 . . . ll:ld7 1 0 . �f3 ll:lb6 ll.ll:le3 c5 12.dxc5 dxc5 13.a4 .id7 14.a5 ll:la4 15.�xb7 ll:lxc3 16. .id2 .ie6+ 17.hc3 hc3 18.l��a4

18 . . . �d7 Black wishes to play a slightly

better endgame without any, even minimal, risk.

Another good option was 18 . . . �d4 (with the threat 19 . . . Ei:b8 20.�xa7 c4) and here :

White loses after 19 .�e4 Ei:b8 20 .Wxa7, in view of 20 . . . Wd6 ! (Black is threatening 21 . . .c5-c4) 21 .ll:lc4 (or 2l .c3 he3 22 .fxe3 fS 23 .�f3 Ei:f7-+ and he traps the en-

275

Complete Games

emy queen) 21 . . .hf2 22 .'tt>hl hc4 23.l"lxc4 l"lfd8 followed by 24 . . . l"ld7-+ ;

Or 19.1c4 hc4 20 .lt:Jxc4 �f6+ with a clear advantage for Black.

19.�xd7 hd7 2 0 .l'�a3 i.b4 2U'!aal i.c6

This situation is quite typical, because in a fight on both sides of the board, Black has the advan­tage, thanks to his powerful bish­op-pair.

22.a6 �adS It is almost the same after 22 . . .

l"lfd8, leaving the b8-square for his queen's rook.

23.l'�fcl i.c3 24.�abl �fe8 25.i.b5

Black's pieces are active all over the entire board, so White is trying to free himself from the po­sitional bind. He will need to ac­quiesce to the eventual loss of his a6-pawn, which is likely after the exchange of the light-squared bishops.

25 . . . �e6 26.i.c4 (diagram)

26 . . . �e4 It is stronger for Black to play

here 26 . . . l"led6 ! 27.l"ldl id4+, con­trolling the board and preventing

276

the exchange of a pair of rooks, which facilitates White's defence.

27.�dl �xdl 28.�xdl i.d4 29.i.d5 hd5 3 0 )bxd5

White has exchanged one of the black bishops and thus dimin­ished the attacking potential of Black's pieces, but White's a6-pawn is defenceless now and Black could have exploited this.

3 0 ... �e2 Black could have created great

problems for his opponent with some delicate manoeuvres of his rook: 30 . . . l"le5 ! 31.lt:Jf4 l"lf5 32 .g3 l"lf6 33.c3 1e5 34.lt:Jd5 l"lxa6+, winning a pawn and preserving excellent winning chances.

31.c3? Now, the fight becomes very

tense again. It was an easy draw after 31.

lt:Je3 ! he3 32 .fxe3 l"lxc2 33.l"ld7=

31. .• .ixf2 32.Wf1 :Ba2 33. :Bbl .ih4

Black is unable to keep his bishop on the a7-gl diagonal : 33 . . . c4 34.l"lb8 lt>g7 35.l"lc8. The c5-square is under attack by White's rook and the rook and pawn end­ing after 35 . . . ib6 36.C2Jxb6 axb6 37.l"lxc4= is a draw.

34.g3 It is more precise for White to

play 34.l"lb8 lt>g7 35.C2Jc7, activat­ing his pieces and attacking the enemy a7-pawn.

34 . . . .ig5 35.h4 .id2 36.li:Jf6 Wg7 37.l!:Je4 .ih6 38.:Bb7 :Bxa6 39.li:J xc5 :Bc6 4 0 .lL!e4 :Be6 41. tLlc5 :Be5 42.tLld7 :Be3 43.:Bxa7 :Bxg3 44.tLle5 Wf6

After 44 . . . l"le3 45.l"lxf7 lt>g8 46.l"le7 if4 47.C2Jc6 l"lxc3 48.C2Jd4 :Bc4 49.tLlf3 ig3 50 .h5 gxh5+ a very unusual position with dou­bled black h-pawns arises and here Black can continue to tor­ture his opponent for a long time.

45.tLlxf7 .ie3 46.:Bb7

46 • • . h5 White's pawn is fixed on the

h4-square and is likely to be cap­tured soon. From the strategic

Complete Games

point of view, this move is strong, but it has a definite drawback. Suddenly, White succeeds in ex­ploiting the vulnerability of the g6-pawn.

Black would have preserved decent winning chances with the line: 46 . . . l"lh3 47.l"lb4 icl 48.C2Jd6 lt>e5+

47.We2 .if4

48.c4 White could have drawn im­

mediately with 48.C2Jh8 ! ie5 49. l"lb6 lt>f5 50.l"lxg6 l"lxg6 5l.C2Jxg6 lt>xg6 52 .\t>f3= and later the white king goes into the corner and there, as is well-known, Black can only stalemate it !

48 ..• :Be3 Black would have more practi­

cal winning chances after 48 . . . lt>f5 49.l"lb6 l"le3 50.\t>fl l"lc3 51 . tLlh8 g5 52.hxg5 lt>xg5 53.l"lg6 (White loses after the careless move 53.C2Jf7 lt>g4-+ and Black's h-pawn becomes unstoppable.) 53 . . . \t>f5 54.l"lc6 l"lc2 and there will soon arise an endgame of rook and bishop against rook, in which the defending side must play pre­cisely to draw.

49.Wf1 :Bc3

277

Complete Games

5 0 .ll)h8 ! Finally, a bit late but not too

late, Magnus Carlsen demonstrates the correct idea to save the game.

5 0 .. J�xc4 51.�b6 @f5 52. lilxg6 i.g3 53. @g2 @g4 54.�b2 �e4 55.�a2 i.d6 56.�a5 �e2 57.@fl �e6 58.�g5 @f3 59.�f5 @g4 6 0 .�g5 @h3 61.@£2 �f6 62.@e2 i.g3 63.@e3 �e6 64. @f3 �f6 65.@e3 �e6 66.@f3. Draw.

14 Berg Pe.Nielsen Helsingor 2009

1.e4 e5 2.lilf3 lilf6 3.lilxe5 d6 4.lilc4 lilxe4 5.�e2 �e7 6.lile3 lilf6

7.b3?! We have shown in the theo­

retical section that White should prefer 7.lt:Jc3 here.

7 . . . lilc6 8.i.b2 i.e6 9.g3 d5!

278

White has developed his piec­es a bit awkwardly on the flank and Black counters this with straightforward play in the cen­tre. Only nine moves have been played, but Black already has the advantage.

1 0 .i.g2 0 - 0 - 0 ll.d4 Look at White's bishop on b2

- a sorry sight! ll . . . h5! This is a very useful move, be­

cause Black keeps the option of gaining additional space on the kingside with the move h5-h4, as well as using the g4-square as a base for his minor pieces.

12.lild2 g6 The move 12 . . . h4 would not

create any concrete threats, so Black prefers to complete his de­velopment.

13. 0 - 0 - 0 i.h6 14.�he1

14 • • • '1Wb4 Black attacks the d4-pawn and

at the same time frees the e-file for his rook. However, in most variations White's d4-pawn is ta­boo, therefore instead of this move, bringing his last piece into action with 14 .. J=1he8 was worth considering.

From a human point of view, the position is rather unclear after 14 . . . . be3 15.\Wxe3 (it would be anti-positional for White to play 15.fxe3 �g4+ when Black would have very easy play on the light squares) 15 . . . 'Llg4 16.1We2 'Llxh2 17.f3 h4 18 .g4 h3 19 .�hl iWd6 and in many variations Black must sacrifice a piece (in fact, he has no alternative, since his knight on h2 is trapped . . . ). A possible continu­ation is 20 .\Wf2 Elde8 2 l.Ele2 'Llxg4 22 .fxg4 hg4+ and Black's three connected passed pawns are stronger than White's piece, mostly because the bishop on b2 is rather isolated from the real ac­tion.

15.a3 After 15.c3 \WaS 16.1iibl Elhe8+

Black maintains some piece-pres­sure.

15 . . . \Wb6

Complete Games

16.lilbl This is a useful prophylactic

move, because White's king re­treats to a safe place, away from the cl-h6 diagonal .

The d4-pawn is not hanging yet, so he does not need to protect it with the move 16.\Wd3. Further­more, after 16 . . . 'Llg4 17.'Llxg4 hg4 18.�f3 �fs 19.\Wc3 �g7, the d4-pawn really would be defence­less and after 20 .'Llfl, Black wins with 20 . . . 'Llxd4 ! 2l .Elxd4 cS-+

16 • • • E!he8 The pawn is taboo: 16 . . . 'Llxd4?

17.\Wd3 cS 18.b4 ! +- and White wins a piece.

17.'1�'d3?! It was much more resilient to

play 17.f4 ! , neutralizing the ene­my bishop on h6. It would be rather difficult for Black to exploit the vulnerability of the light squares in the centre - e4-f5-g4 - and after, for example, 17 . . . �g4 18.'Llf3 'Lle4 19.\Wfl hf3 20 .hf3 fS+, Black's advantage would be only minimal.

17 .. .ll:lg4

18.'Llxg4 White could have tried to com­

plicate matters a little with the

279

Complete Games

line : 18.l2lxd5 ! ? �xd5 19.:gxe8 hg2 20 .ltJc4 Wa6 2 l.We2 �dS 22 . f3 ltJf6 23.:gxd8 ttJxd8 24.:gel+ and although Black would have the edge, White would have coun­terplay.

18 .•. hxg4 Black's g4-pawn restricts

White's possibilities considera­bly, because now he does not even have the f3-square for his knight.

19.b4 White wants to place his

knight on b3, but proves unable to do this.

19 . . . a5! With his last move Black pro­

vokes new weaknesses in his op­ponent's camp.

2 0 .bxa5 tt:\xa5-+ White has numerous weak

squares, bad pieces and a terrible pawn-structure, so he is already beyond salvation.

21.�c3 hd2 22J�xd2 ltJc4 23.:gdd1 lM6 24.-ifl tt:\xb2 25. �xb2 ghs 26.ge3 �xb2 27. 'it>xb2 gxh2 28.gd2 .if5 29.c4 .ie4 3 0 . .ie2 f5 31.c5 gds 32 . .id1 gdhs 33.'it>c3 gh1 34 . .ic2 gc1 35. 'it>b2 ghh1 36.he4 fxe4 37.'it>b3 gb1 38.gb2 gxb2 39.

280

'it>xb2 gd1 4 0 .'it>c3 'it>b8 41.a4. White resigned.

15 Reindennan-Kasimdzhanov Wijk aan Zee 1999

l.e4 e5 2.ltJf3 tt:\f6 3.ttJxe5 d6 4.tt:\f3 tt:\xe4 5.�e2 �e7 6.d3 tt:\f6 7 . .ig5 tt:\bd7 8.li)c3 �xe2 9.he2

9 . . . h6 1 0 . .ih4 g5 ll . .ig3 tt:\h5 12.tt:\d5 'it>d8 13.h4 g4 14.tt:\d2 li)b6 15.tt:\f4 tt:\xg3 16. fxg3 .ig7 17. 0 - 0 - 0

Or 17.c3 :ges 18.d4 �d7 19.:gfl �h8oo, followed by c7-c6 and 'it>d8-c7. The endgame is double­edged, but Black has a powerful bishop-pair and is not worse at all .

17 . . • ges 18.gde1

18 . . . .id4!? Black seeks complications by

penetrating with his bishop into White's camp. The position would have been approximately equal after 18 . . . .id7 19.l"lhfl .ieS 2 0 .c3 cS 21 .tt:lc4 cJlc7=

19.�hfl .ie3 2 0 .tlJh5 f5 21.tlJg7

Black will counter 2 l .c3 with 21 . . .c5, not allowing his opponent to advance d3-d4.

21. . .�e5 22.c3 c5 23.'it>c2 d5!

This surprising move is also very strong. White wanted to play tLld2-b3 and then d3-d4, in order to oust the enemy rook from the eS-square.

24.d4 After 24.tLlb3, Black has the re­

source 24 . . . d4 !+, securing reliable bases for his bishop on e3 and rook on eS and maintaining a clear advantage.

White had here a very interest­ing move at his disposal in 24.b4 ! , with the idea of eliminating by all means the enemy pawn on cS. I have failed to find any advantage for Black:

24 . . . cxb4 25.tLlb3 bxc3 (25 . . . .id7 26.d4 l"le4 27.tt:lc5 bxc3 28 . .id3 .id2 29 .he4 dxe4 30 .tLlxd7

Complete Games

cJlxd7 31.l"le2=) 26.d4 l"le4 27. .id3= ;

24 . . . d 4 25.bxc5 l"lxcS 26.tLlc4 tLldS 27.t2Jxf5 .ixfS 28.l"lxf5 t2Jb4 29.cxb4 l"lxfS 30 .hg4 l"lf2 31.cJlb3 l"lxg2 32 .tLlxe3 dxe3 33 .l"lxe3= and a draw is the most likely outcome.

24 . . . cxd4 25 . .id3 dxc3 26. bxc3 d4

Black would not achieve much with 26 . . .f4 27.gxf4 .ixf4 28.l"ldl .ig3 29.l"lf8 cJlc7 30.l"lf7= and White maintains the balance thanks to his piece-activity.

27.ttJxf5 �c5 28)i:lxe3 �xc3 29.cJlb2

29 .. .lt:la4! Here it would be bad for Black

to play 29 . . . l"lxd3 30.t2Jec4 tt:Jxc4 31 .tLlxc4 l"lxg3 32 .l"lf7t. White seiz­es the initiative and with a tre­mendously powerful rook on the seventh rank he will at least man­age to draw by perpetual check.

3 0 .cJlal dxe3 31.�xe3 ttJc5 32.�dl �xd3 33.�xd3 ttJxd3 34.tlJe4 .if5 35.�xd3

(diagram) 35 • • • 'it>e7 It was much better for Black to

advance his king to the queenside, because he could eventually ere-

281

Complete Games

ate a passed pawn there : 35 . . . <±>c7 36.Ek3 <±>d7 37.lLlc5 <±>c6+, with excellent winning chances.

36.l::�e3 �MS 37.<i>b2 <i>f7 38. <i>c3 gd1 39.a3 <±>g6

Or 39 . . . b6 40.<i>c4 .be4 (after 40 . . . h5, White plays 41.lLlc3= and his knight will go to the f4-square via e2) 4l.l"1xe4 h5 42 .l"1e5 l"1d2 43. l"1xh5 l"1xg2 44.l"1h7 <i>f6 45.l"1xa7 l"1xg3 46.l"1a8= White should man­age to draw.

4 0 .<i>c4 This move is imprecise. It was

better for White to opt for 40.lLlc5 b6 41.lLle6= and he should not lose after transferring his knight to the f4-square.

4 0 • • • b6 Black in turn makes a mistake.

After 40 . . . .ie6 ! 4l.<±>b4 <i>f5 !+ he would still have good chances of winning this game.

282

41.lLlc3 White redeploys his knight to

an active position and Black's edge evaporates.

41 • . • gd2 42.lLld5 @f7 43. ge7 @f8 44.l"1e5 .ig6 45.lLlf4 .i£7. Draw.

16 Ni Hua Motylev Tiayuan 2 005

l.e4 e5 2.lLlf3 lLlf6 3.lLlxe5 d6 4.lLlf3 lLlxe4 5 • .id3 lLlf6 6.h3 i.e7 7. 0 - 0 0 - 0

8.c3 b6 9 • .ic2 .ib7 1 0 .d4 lLlbd7 ll.i.g5 ges 12.ge1 lLld5 13.�d3 g6 14.i.d2 c5 15.c4 .!Llc7 16.i.c3 d5=

17 • .!Llbd2 This natural move is imprecise

and enables Black to fight for the initiative.

It was correct for White to play 17.ltJa3, with the following sample continuation : 17 . . . ltJe6 18.Eladl dxc4 19.ltJxc4 ltJf4 20 .�e3 ltJdS 21 . �d3 ltJf4= and a draw by repeti­tion of moves.

17 . . . b5! 18.cxb5 If 18 .b3, then after 18 . . . dxc4

19.bxc4 b4 20 .ib2 cxd4 21 .ltJxd4 ltJcS 22 .�g3 if6+ Black is slightly better, because his pawn-struc­ture is superior and his pieces are more harmoniously deployed.

18 . . . c4 19.�e3 ltJxb5 2 0 . .ia4 a6+

Complete Games

and he can counter 25.�h4 with 2S . . . ltJb6+, with the idea of ltJb6-a4.

25 . . . Elxe8 26.�xg7 'it>xg7 27 . .ib4 .if4 28.ltJgfJ ltlb6 29. g3 .ib8 3 0 .Elel Elxel 31.ltlxel .ic8+

At this point the opponents agreed to a draw, which seems rather premature, because Black could have captured on a4 with his knight, creating serious prob­lems for White.

Black has seized more space 17 and maintains an edge.

Tiviakov Germany 2010

Girl

21..ixb5 axb5 22.a3 .id6 23.�h6 �f6 24.li:lg5 �g7

25.:!;xe8 Black's position is preferable

with queens present on the board

l.e4 e5 2.ltlf3 ltlf6 3.ltlxe5 d6 4.ltlf3 ltlxe4 5 . .id3 ltlf6 6. 0 - 0 .ie7 7.h3 0 - 0

8.c3 Ele8 9 . .ic2 b6 1 0 .d4 .ib7 11.ltlbd2 .if8 12.ltlc4 ltlbd7

283

Complete Games

13.i.g5 h6 14.i.h4 g5 15.i.g3 li)e4 16.li)fd2 li)xg3 17.fxg3 li)f6=

18J'�e1 White must try to exchange

the rooks, because otherwise his queen cannot come into play, since it has no squares.

18 • . J:'�xe1 The position would be much

more complex after 18 . . . '\Wd7 19. li:le3 Ele7oo

19.'1Wxe1 '\We7 2 0 .¥be7 If 20.'1Wf2 , then Black contin­

ues with 20 . . . Ele8, occupying the e-file and not allowing White's knight to go to the fS-square via e3.

2 0 . . . he7 21.li)e3 .if8 22. l£)£5 �e8 23.i.d3

The f5-square is very weak; otherwise, Black would have the

284

edge. Now the position is equal . 23 •.. g4 24. <!>f2 .ic8 Black could have maintained

the tension by playing 24 . . . h5, but he decided to rely on simplifica­tion.

25.�e1 �xe1 26.<!>xe1 gxh3 27 .gxh3 li)d5

28.<!>e2 It is slightly more precise for

White to play 28 .li:lc4 li:le7 29. li:lce3 li:lxf5 30 . .bf5 �b7=, but even then the draw is certain. It is essential for Black to prevent the exchange of the light-squared bishops, since in that case he would end up with a "bad" dark­squared bishop. If he keeps both bishops, he has no problems whatsoever.

28 ..• li)e7 29.li)xe7 he7 3 0 . h4 .ig4 31.<!>e3 d5 32.li)fl f5 33.li)h2 .id6 34.li)xg4 fxg4 35.<!>f2 <!>g7 36 • .if5 h5 37 . .ie6 c5 38.hd5 cxd4 39.cxd4 <!>h6. Draw. White's king must protect the g3-pawn and he can make no progress.

18 ZhangPengxiang-Motylev Shanghai 2001

1.e4 e5 2.li)f3 li)f6 3.li)xe5

d6 4)t)f3 �xe4 5.d4 d5 6.i.d3 �c6 7. 0 - 0 i.e7 8.c4 �b4

9.cxd5 �xd3 1 0 J�fxd3 �xd5 ll.l''!el .if5 12.g4 .ig6 13. �c3 �xc3 14.�xc3 f6 15.b3 @£7 16.�xc7 �he8 17.�c4 �xc4 18.bxc4 b6+

Black is a pawn down, but he has no problems at all . In fact, it is White who must play precisely, because his c4-pawn is not pro­tected and the g4-pawn does not embellish his position either. If White had a light-squared bishop, instead of any other minor piece, his position would have been preferable.

19.i.b2 After this move White's king­

side becomes even more vulnera­ble, in particular his f4-square.

Following 19 . .ie3 l'!ac8 2 0 .c5

Complete Games

(or 2 0 .�d2 .ib4+ and White is to­tally pinned, while after 20 .l'!acl .ia3+ he loses material) 20 . . . bxc5 2l .dxc5 .ixc5 22 . .ixc5 l'!xel+ 23. l'!xel l'!xc5+ Black will be able to torture his opponent for a long time. His bishop is superior to the enemy knight and his rook is more active.

White needed imagination in order to reach equality. He could have solved his problems only af­ter the not-so-obvious line : 19. l'!e3 ! l'!ac8 20 . .ia3 ! , exchanging the dark-squared bishops and maintaining the activity of his pieces. After 20 . . . ha3 2l .l'!xa3 l'!xc4 22 .l'!xa7+ @f8 23.l'!dl= Black has full compensation for the pawn, but no more than that. The game should end in a draw.

19 . . . �ac8 2 0 .�acl i.d6 21. �xeS

For 2 l .c5 .if4 22.l'!xe8 l'!xe8 -see 2l .l'!xe8.

21. . . �xe8 22.c5 i.f4 23.�c3 i.e4

This bishop is ready to go to the d5-square, since this is the perfect place for it.

24.�h4 White makes a mistake in a

285

Complete Games

difficult position. He wants to transfer his knight to the fS­square, but this proves to be im­possible. After 24.Ei:a3, Black has the strong response 24 . . . ib8, keeping his queenside pawn-for­mation intact.

24 . . . bxc5! 25.l':1 a3 It turns out that the cS-pawn is

taboo, owing to the vulnerability of White's back rank.

After 25.Ei:xc5, Black wins with 25 . . . Ei:b8-+, while if 25.dxc5 then 25 . . . Ei:d8 wins.

25 . . . gbs 26.gb3 c4-+

This is the simplest road to victory. Black's king goes to the dS-square after the trade of the rooks. The rest is very simple.

27 .gxb8 hb8 28.c!iJg2 hg2 29.�xg2 �e6 3 0 .h3 �d5 31. �£3 g6 32.�e3 i.c7 33.ic3 ib6 34.a4 a6 35.£3 f5 36.h4 fxg4 37.fxg4 h5 38.gxh5 gxh5 39.�f4 hd4 4 0 .i.e1 c3 41. �f5 c2 42.i.d2 �c4. White re­signed.

19 Leko Kramnik Brissago (m/1) 2004

1.e4 e5 2.�£3 �f6 3.�xe5

286

d6 4.�£3 �xe4 5.d4 d5 6.id3 �c6 7. 0 - 0 i.e7 8.c4 �b4

9.i.e2 0 - 0 1 0 .�c3 i.f5 11. a3 �xc3 12.bxc3 �c6 13.ge1 ge8 14.cxd5 \Wxd5 15.i.f4 gac8 16.h3 ie4!

17.i.e3 �a5 18.c4 �xc4 19. hc4 \Wxc4 2 0 .�d2 \Wd5 21. �xe4 \Wxe4 22.i.g5 \Wxe1+ 23. \Wxe1 hg5 24. \Wa5 i.f6 25. \Wxa7 c5=

26.\Wxb7

If White's rook escapes from the "X-ray" pressure of the enemy bishop with 26.Elbl, then Black plays 26 . . . .bd4 and after 27. Elxb7 Ela8 28 .'®b6 Elxa3= White loses his only queenside pawn and, with it, any remaining illu­sions of being able to play for a wm.

26 . . . hd4 27J�!a2 c4

For the side having a queen against a rook and a bishop, it is usually advantageous to have an outside passed pawn. In this case however, White's a-pawn is not very dangerous, since Black's c­pawn has been advanced much further and is well supported by his pieces.

28.ge2 Black can counter 28.Elc2 with

28 . . . c3= and White's rook will re­main passive.

28 . . . ged8 After 2 8 . . . c3? , the vulnera­

bility of Black's back rank be­comes the decisive factor and fol­lowing 29.Elxe8+ Elxe8 30.'®d7 Elel+ (30 . . . Elb8 31 .'®xd4 c2 32 . '®d2+-) 31. �h2 1e5+ 32 .f4 hf4+ 33 .g3 Ele2 + 34.�gl+- White wins.

Complete Games

29.a4 If 29.Eld2, Black plays 29 . . . 1f6

30.Elxd8+ Elxd8= and he has eve­rything protected and his c-pawn is ready to advance. After that he will use this pawn to deflect the enemy queen and will then pick up White's a-pawn. With pawns left on only one side of the board, the draw will become inevitable.

29 . . . c3 3 0 .ee4 After 30 .'®b3 Elb8 31.'®c4 Eldc8

32 .'®d3 g6 33.exd4 (ifWhite does not capture the bishop, Black plays Elb8-b2 ! ) 33 . . . c2 34.Elxc2 Elxc2+. White's a-pawn will inevi­tably be lost, so Black is in no dan­ger. In fact, it is White who will have to try to make a draw by a perpetual check on the kingside.

3 0 . . . .ib6 This is a quiet positional reply.

The advance of White's a-pawn

287

Complete Games

has been stopped. Black also had a tactical solu­

tion available : 30 . . . g6 ! ? 31 .a5 �e5 ! 32 .\WxeS c2 33J�xc2 l"lxc2 34.h4= when White should be able to draw by perpetual check after advancing his kingside pawns.

31.'1Wc2 White can also block the ene­

my c-pawn with his rook: 31 .l"lc2 �a5 32 .\Wf5 l"la8= with a probable positional draw.

31. . . g6

White's pawn is not threaten­ing to advance, so Black has enough time to make a generally useful move.

32.'1Wb3 �d6 Here Black could have played

32 . . . �a5 33.l"le7 l"lf8 34.l"le2 l"lfd8= with a repetition of moves.

33.�c2 White did not need to place his

rook so passively. He could have maintained the balance with the move 33.g4=, planning to ad­vance his h-pawn later and also securing the g2-square for his king.

33 • . . .ia5 34.g4 �d2 35. <;t>g2 �cd8

288

36.�xc3?! Now White will have great

problems achieving a draw. The right way for White to

save the game was 36.g5 ! , creat­ing the threat of perpetual check on the kingside. After 36 . . . l"lxc2 37.\Wxc2 l"ld2 38.'\We4 c2 39.\We8+ <;t>g7 40.'\We5= it will be a draw by perpetual check.

36 . . . .ixc3 37.\Wxc3 �2d5 Black redeploys his rook to be

able to capture the enemy a-pawn. 38.'�c6 �a5 39.<;t>g3 �da8

4 0 .h4!

40 . . . �5a6 It would be imprecise for Black

to play 40 . . . l"lxa4 41.h5= , intend­ing h5-h6.

Black could have stopped the advance of White's h-pawn with 40 . . . h6 41 .h5 g5, although after 42 .f4 ( 42.\Wxh6? l"l8a6-+) 42 . . .

gxf4+ 43. Wxf4 Elxa4+ 44. Wg3 l"14a6 45.�d5+ Black could have still tortured his opponent for a long time, transferring his rooks to attack the g4-pawn.

41.�cl gas Black continues to thwart the

advance of the enemy h-pawn. After the immediate 41 . . . Elxa4,

White can continue with 42 .h5= 42.�h6 gxa4 43.h5 g4a5

44.�f4? This is the decisive mistake.

Now Black can keep the position closed, preventing the threat of perpetual check. Later he can re­deploy his rooks for an attack against White's backward f-pawn.

Instead, White could have tried to open the position a little

Complete Games

would fail ; after 46.f4, Black wins for example with 46 . . . Ela2 47.Wf3 l"\8a3+ 48.We4 l"\a4+ 49.We3 l"12a3+ SO.We2 Elb3-+, combining his threats to capture White's pawns with mating threats with his rooks.

46 . . .l'!5a6 47.�c3 ga4 48. �c6 gsa6 49.�e8+ c;!?g7 5 0 . �b5 g4a5 51.�b4 gds 52.�b3 gad6 53.�c4 gd3 !

with the line : 44.hxg6 hxg6+. White is in zugzwang. If his There would still be plenty of fight queen retreats, Black redeploys left, but a draw would be the most his rooks for an attack against the likely result. f3-pawn, while if White's king re-

44 • . . g5!-+ 45.�f6 h6! treats to the second rank, Black is (diagram) able to avoid his rook being at-

Thanks to this possibility, tacked with check and he wins a Black is able to cement his king- tempo for the transfer of his other side pawn-structure. rook to the f6-square.

46.f3 54.c;!?f2 ga3 55.�c5 46.�xh6 l"18a6-+ After SS.f4 Black continues An attempt to play actively with SS . . . Eld2 + 56.Wel Elh2 ! 57.

289

Complete Games

Wd4+ '.t>g8 58.fxg5 �al+ 59.Wxal �hl-+ , winning the queen.

55 . . . �a2+ 56.'.t>g3 g£6. White's f3-pawn falls and the rest is simple. 57.Wb4 gaa6 58.'.t>g2 gf4 59.Wb2+ gaf6 6 0 JWe5 gxf3 61.Wa1 gfl 62.Wc3 g1f2+ 63.'.t>g3 g2f3+ 64."�xf3 gxf3+ 65.�xf3 �f6. White resigned.

2 0 Grischuk - lvanchuk Linares 2009

l.e4 e5 2.lLlf3 lLlf6 3.ttJxe5 d6 4.ttJf3 ttJxe4 5.d4 d5 6 . .id3 lLlc6 7. 0 - 0 i.e7 8.c4 lLlb4 9. .ie2 0 - 0 1 0 .lLlc3 .if5 ll.a3 ttJxc3 12.bxc3 lLlc6 13.ge1 ges 14.cxd5 Wxd5 15 • .if4 gac8 16. h3 h6 17.g4 i.g6

18.-ifl i.d6 19.gxe8+ gxe8 2 0 .c4 �e4 21. .ie3 gds 22.i.g2 �e7 23.g5 i.c5 24.ga2 i.h5 25.gd2 ha3 26.gxh6 i.b4+

290

White has a pawn-centre, but Black's prospects are better thanks to his powerful pressure against it.

27,gd3 gd6 This rook is going to the g6-

square, from where it will exert pressure along the g-file and pro­tect Black's king.

He cannot achieve much with the concrete variation 27 . . . .ig6 28.�b3 'Lla5 29 . .ig5 f6 30.�e3oo

It would be more promising for Black to opt for 27 . . . a5 ! ?, ad­vancing his passed pawn and bol­stering the bishop on b4. All this might be very useful in the even­tual sharp struggle.

28.c5 After 28 . .if4 �g6 29.hxg7 .id6

30.hd6 cxd6+, the material is equal, but Black retains the initia­tive.

28 . . ,gg6 29.i.f4

29 . . . �£6 It would be more precise to

continue with the immediate 29 . . . gxh6 30 . .ig3 a5+ since Black's queen would not be forced to go from e7 to f6 as happened in the game. After 31 .'.t>h2 b6 32.cxb6 (32 .d5? ttJe5-+) 32 . . . cxb6 33.

�b3, White still preserves some compensation for the exchange, but only enough for equality at best.

3 0 . .ig3 gxh6 31.@h2 a5 32.�a4

White wants to put his queen on b5, or advance d4-d5.

Instead, 32 .�b3oo was worth considering, with the rather un­pleasant threat of �b3-d5; the po­sition would then have remained unclear.

32 . . . .ixf3 After 32 . . . �f5 White continues

with 33.�b5t, with somewhat better chances. Thus Black's ex­changing operation is completely justified.

33 . .ixf3

33 . . .l'�xg3! 34.fxg3 lt'lxd4 35 . .ig2 c6 36.�d1 .ixc5 37. �g4+ @f8

After 37 . . . @h7, White can play 38.h4=, depriving his opponent of the g5-square, after which Black cannot avoid perpetual check.

38.�c8+ @g7 39.�g4+ @f8 4 0 .�c 8 + @g7 4 1 . �g4 + . Draw

Complete Games

21 Karjakin Gelfand Monaco (blindfold) 2011

l.e4 e5 2.lt'lf3 lt'lf6 3.lt'lxe5 d6 4.lt'lf3 lt'lxe4 5.lt'lc3 lt'lxc3 6. dxc3 .ie7 7 . .ie3 0 - 0 8.�d2 lt'ld7 9. 0 - 0 - 0 lt'le5 1 0 .h4 c6 11. c4 .ie6 12.lt'lg5 .if5 13.£3 f6 14. lt'lh3 .ie6 15.b3 a6 16.lt'lf4 i.£'7+

17.�f2 Here White should have pre­

ferred 17.tL:ld3 b5 18.tL:lxe5+, re­ducing the attacking potential of his opponent's pieces. After 18 . . . fxe5 or 18 . . . dxe5 Black would re­tain the initiative, but White would have considerable chances of equalizing.

17 . . . b5 18.c5 �c7 It was also very good for Black

to play the immediate 18 . . . a5 ! ?t, when his threat of a5-a4 would be very serious, while White would have no chances of effectively ex­ploiting the pin along the d-file.

19.lt'ld3 If White continues with the

positional pawn -sacrifice 19 .g3 dxc5 20 . .ih3, with the idea tL:lf4-e6, then Black responds with 20 . . . c4 21 .tL:le6 �aS+, preserving his extra pawn and the initiative.

291

Complete Games

19 • . . a5 2 0 .cxd6 It is no improvement for White

to opt for 20 .li:lxe5 dxeSt - Black's initiative is dangerous and he can combine the threat of a5-a4 with the advance of his f- and e- pawns.

2 0 . . . hd6 21.i.b6 �b8 22. i.c5

White is trying to ease his de­fence by exchanging pieces.

22 .. J:1d8 Here it was even stronger for

Black to choose the straightfor­ward move 22 . . . a4t when White would come under a dangerous attack.

23.li:lxe5 he5 24.1':1xd8+ �xd8 25.f4 i.d6 26.i.d3 a4 27. gdl axb3 28.cxb3 hc5 29. �xc5 �c7 3 0 .mbl gds 31.�c2

31.i.c2 gxdl+ 32 .i.xdl Wxf4 33 .Wxc6=

3t . . . mhs 32.g3 Or 32 .We2 �d4 33.g3 followed

by moving the bishop out of the pin on the d-file.

32 . . . �d7

33.f5 White blocks the bl-h7 diago­

nal in this way to prevent Black's bishop from occupying it later.

292

However, White's pawn is rather misplaced on fS, since it re­stricts the movements of his own bishop. His only chance of saving the game was 33.'<We2 ! i.g6 34. lttc2 Wa7 35.i.xg6 Wxa2 + 36.\ilcl �xdl+ 37.\ilxdl Wal+ (The king and pawn ending arising after 37 . . . Wxe2+ 38.\ilxe2 hxg6 39.\ile3 cS 40.\ile4= is a draw.) 38.\ilc2 hxg6 39.We4+ and having re­gained his pawn, White should be able to save the game.

33 • . . Wd6 ! Black's queen exerts pressure

across the whole board from this square.

34.�-r.! i.d5! Black's bishop has occupied a

solid outpost in the centre. Black is ready to continue with h7-h6 on the kingside, obtaining the safe h7-square for his king. On the queenside he plans to penetrate with his queen to a3, after which his c-pawn will carry out the crushing break c6-c5-c4 !

35.�f4 �a3 36.i.e4? This is a blunder in a very dif­

ficult position, most probably due to the fact that the game was played blindfold.

But even after the natural line : 36.Wd4 cS 37.Wb2 Was 38 .i.c2 hS !+ White would be faced with a very difficult defence, because Black's king is safely sheltered, while its white counterpart is ex­posed.

36 • . • he4+ 37.�xe4 gxdl+ . White resigned.