321485337-Johan-Hellsten-Mastering-Opening-Strategy.pdf

JOHAN HELLSTEN

EVERYMAN CHESS

JOHAN HELLSTEN

EVERYMAN www"everymanchess"com

First published in 2012 by Gloucester Publishers Limited, North burgh House, 10 Northburgh Street, London EC1V OAT Copyright© 2012 Johan Hellsten The right of Johan Hellsten to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyrights, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permis sion of the publisher. British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. ISBN: 978 1 85744 692 0 Distributed in North America by The Globe Pequot Press, P.O Box 480, 246 Goose Lane, Guilford, CT 06437-0480. All other sales enquiries should be directed to Everyman Chess, Northburgh House, 10 Northburgh Street, London EC1V OAT tel: 020 7253 7887 fax: 020 7490 3 708 email: [email protected]; website: www.everymanchess.com Everyman is the registered trade mark of Random House Inc. and is used in this work under licence from Random House Inc.

Thanks to my parents, Lotti and Sverker Hellsten

Everyman Chess Series

Chief advisor: Byron Jacobs Commissioning editor: John Emms Assistant editor: Richard Palliser Typeset and edited by First Rank Publishing, Brighton. Cover design by Horatio Monteverde.

Contents

1

2

Bibliography

5

Introduction

7

The Nature of Development

9

Introduction

9

The king and other weak points

10

Pawn advances

16

Causes of a delayed development

22

The development factor after mutual castling

36

A defender's perspective

41

Exercises

47

Solutions

70

Crime and Punishment

90

Introduction

90

Early pawn-grabbing

91

Early queen raids

96

Multiple moves with the same piece

100

Exposure of the king

105

Premature attacks

110

Extravagance

1 13

Ignorance and indifference

1 19

Exercises

129

Solutions

1 49

3

4

5

The Battle for the Centre

166

Introduction

1 66

Pawn centre

166

Centre controlled by a piece

1 80

Centre controlled at distance

198

Pawn breaks

210

Flank advances

217

The role of the centre

224

Exercises

2 35

Solutions

25 7

Restriction

286

Introduction

286

Restriction of castling

286

Restriction of specific pieces

296

More restriction methods

3 03

Restriction of plans

3 10

Exercises

31 7

Solutions

33 1

A

34 7

Few Words on Opening Preparation

Building an opening repertoire

34 7

Plans, set-ups, guidelines and move orders

35 0

Maintaining your repertoire

352

Preparing for your opponents

353

Index of players

355

Index of openings

3 64

Books

Aagaard.J, Excelling at Chess (Everyman Chess 2001) Aagaard.J, Excelling at Positional Chess (Everyman Chess 2003) Adams.Mi & Adams.B, Chess in the Fast Lane (Cadogan 1996} Agrest.E & Hall.J, 90 Schacklektioner (Sveriges Schackforbund 2002) Anand.V, My Best Games of Chess (Gambit 1998} Bartashnikov.A, Chess Strategy Course (ChessBase 1999) Bronstein .D. Mezhdunarodniy Turnir Grossmeisterov (Fizkultura i Sport 1960} Dvoretsky.M, Shkola Vyshego Masterstva 1-4 (Folio 1998} Dvoretsky.M & Yusupov.A, Opening Preparation (Batsford 1994) Dvoretsky.M & Yusupov.A, Training for the Tournament Player (Batsford 1993) Dydyshko.V, Logika Sovremennyh Shahmat (Polymia 1989} Estrin.Y, Tratado de A jedrez Superior (Martinez Roca 1981} Euwe.M & Kramer H, The Middlegame (Hays 2001) Fischer.R.J, My 60 Memorable Games (Batsford 1995) Geller.E & Damsky.E, Grossmeister Geller (Fizkultura i Sport 1976} Gligoric.S, I Play Against Pieces (Batsford 2002) Grahn.L & Westberg J, Stormiistare (Bonniers 1979) Hall.J, Triina schack med Jesper Hall (Natur & Kultur 2001) Hellsten.J, Descubriendo los conceptos en ajedrez (Esfera Editorial 2007) Hellsten.J, Play the Sicilian Kan (Everyman Chess 2008} Hellsten.J, Mastering Chess Strategy (Everyman Chess 2010) Hillarp Persson.T, Tiger's Modern (Quality Chess 2005) Karpov.A, Mis Mejores Partidas (Paidotribo 2000} Larsen.B, Testa din spelstyrka (Prisma 1977) Johansson.G, Schackgeniet Anatolij Karpov (Prisma 1976} Marin.M, Learn from the Legends (Quality Chess 2004) Neishtadt.l, Winning Quickly with Black (Cadogan 1996} Neishtadt.l, Winning Quickly with White (Cadogan 1996} Nesis.G, Tactical Chess Exchanges (Batsford 1991) Pozharsky.V, Sovremenniy Shahmatniy Samouchitel Tom 2 (1999)

5

M a s t e ring Op e n ing S trategy

Romanovsky.P, Chess Middlegame Planning (ACP 1990) Shereshevsky.M, Endgame Strategy (Pergamon 1985) Suba.M, Dynamic Chess Strategy (Pergamon 1991) Suetin.A, Middlegame Laboratory (Chess Digest 1974) Suetin.A, Schachtraining (5portverlag Berlin 1988) Taimanov.M, Gewinnen mit Sizilianisch (Sportverlag Berlin 1989) Tal.M, The Life and Games of Mikhail Tal (Cadogan 1997) Watson.J, Los Secretos de la Estrategia Moderna en Ajedrez (Gambit 2002) Yermolinsky.A, El Camino Hacia el Progreso en A jedrez (Gambit 2002) Yusupov.A, Build Up Your Chess 1: The Fundamentals (Quality Chess 2008) Zlotnik.B, Chess: Knowledge, Training, Mastery (Danko Bokan 2001) Periodicals

Chess Informant 1-110 ChessBase MegaBase 2011 Tidsskrift for Schack 2004-08 The Week in Chess 1-860 Chess Today 1-4050 Websites

www.chessbase.com www.larsgrahn.blogspot.com

6

Introduction

Within chess literature there is a huge amount of publications dedicated to different open ings. It goes without saying that every opening, system or variation has its specific charac teristics, but even so there are a few general concepts which can claim validity in most opening positions. Which are these concepts? Let's see a few quotes from Artur Yusupov's Build Up Your Chess 1, The Fundamentals: "Thefirst principle of opening play is rapid development of all the pieces. " .t "The second principle of opening play is to strugglefor the centre. " .t "The third principle of opening play is to struggle against our opponent's ideas, in or der to make his development more difficult and to prevent him from achieving control over the centre". .t

Moreover, in his earlier work Opening Preparation co-written with Mark Dvoretsky, Yu supov also outlines a few simple rules regarding opening play, such as "don't move the same piece twice" and "don't bring the queen out too early" etc, unless there is a serious justification. The present book is structured around these principles and rules, in the following way: Chapter One investigates the role of development in the opening . .t Chapter Two touches upon some of the most typical dubious actions in the opening phase, such as early pawn-grabbing, moving the same piece twice etc. .t Chapter Three takes a look at some different ways of fighting for the centre and its role as such . .t Finally, Chapter Four is dedicated to the concept of restriction in its different facets. .t

What, then, is the need for studying these concepts, if we can already find in books and electronic publications most of the specific opening information that we need? Well, on the one hand it will be easier for us to grasp the contents of existing opening theory if we already have a basic understanding of the general concepts that underlie opening play. On the other hand, in every game we leave the territory of our opening repertoire at some point, we are surprised by a "new" move from our opponent, or we simply forget or mix up

7

M a s tering Open ing Strategy

something. In any of these cases, knowledge of opening strategy will help our orientation in the new or unfamiliar position that arises. In terms of style and format, this book is quite similar to my preceding work Mastering Chess Strategy. I have not tried to cover the intricacies of every game by extensive analytical variations in Chess Informant style, despite the fact that you can easily achieve that nowa days thanks to the chess database programs and engines. In contrast, my emphasis has been on explanatory text, combined with some key variations and assessments. The space gained by such a priority has permitted me to include quite a large number of games, thus adding to the variety of topics, structures and opening lines featured in this book. In each game I have dedicated a few words to the specific line involved, while also men tioning other options, main lines etc. You could use i t a s a first step t o further investiga tion, if there is something that catches your eye. Some openings, such as the Sicilian, occur more frequently in this book than others, let's say the Scotch. This might seem unfair but, after all, the aim of the book is to cover the general concepts already mentioned, inde pendently of the opening in which they occur. At the end of each chapter there is a section with related exercises, where the reader should try to find the best continuation, usually 1-3 moves, sometimes together with a short plan. The time required oscillates roughly between 3 and 15 minutes, depending on the exercise (they are presented in order of difficulty) and the level of the student. The ex ercises are also mostly complete games so any lazy reader could just treat them as such. As for the sources used when writing this book, I have mainly relied on Chess Informant, ChessBase Megabase 2011 and Chess Today. Among the written publications that have as sisted me, I would like to emphasize Winning Quickly With White and Winning Quickly With Black by lakov Neishtadt, which contain a lot of instructive and, at the same time, en tertaining games. My technological tools have been Chess Assistant 11 and Deep Rybka 4. Most games in the book are from the modern period, let's say from 1990 and onwards, but I have also included a number of "classics" when their instructional value justified it. Some of my own games are also featured, for the simple reason that these are the games that I know best. I should mention that the concepts covered in this book are often intertwined in one sin gle game, so you can easily find games in Chapter One that illustrate, say, the principles of Chapter Four, and vice versa. Nevertheless, the chapters are rather independent, even if I sometimes make references to earlier games. Chapter Two is probably the lightest in content and could even be examined before Chapter One. The book ends with a short discussion about opening preparation, building an opening repertoire and other practical matters. I hope and think that this book will help you in improving your skills within opening strategy, and at the same time provide you with some entertainment. Thanks to my students in Riobamba for all the valuable input to this book. Johan Hellsten, Riobamba, March 2012. 8

Cha:pter

One>

The Nature of Development

Introd uction Quick development of the pieces is a key condition in the opening, in order to exploit their power to the maximum and secure the king. Leaving aside other positional fac tors such as material, space and structure, the time factor plays a crucial role in the initial phase of the game. A player left be hind in development might face serious problems when some of his pieces, such as the rooks, can't easily take part in the bat tle. Consider the following positions which we will soon come back to in this chapter:

White has already brought all his pieces into the battle; in contrast Black still hasn't mobilized either rook and he has failed to secure his king. Take it for sure that he will have a hard time defending this position.

White to Play

White to Play

Nominally White is a piece up, but the difference in activity between both sides' forces is simply overwhelming. When teach ing young players, who tend to have big re spect for the nominal value of the pieces, in such a position I make them observe that White has ten points out of the game! For

9


example, the rook on al hardly has the same value as the one on e8, and this is, after all, what development is all about.

Black to Play

This position is actually from the next chapter, but it suits our discussion. Black h as won a pawn, but his poor kingside de velopment will leave him suffering badly once White achieves d4-d5, and that will come on the next move! In contrast, if Black h ad an extra tempo, i.e. if ... e7-e6 was al ready on the board, then after ... i.b4! his chances would increase dramatically. One single tempo makes a huge difference in the opening battle, as we will often see. So who suffered in these depressing posi tions? Dolmatov, Topalov and Timman, in games contested in 2004, 1999 and 2002 which makes it clear that the concept of de velopment is present in battles even at the highest level. By the way, observe the impor tance of the queens' presence in the above positions - if these are removed, then Black would probably be okay in the first one, White would be winning in the second one, and his compensation for the pawn in the third one would be much less convincing. 10

A few principles to bear in mind:

The imbalance between attacking and defending pieces is a key factor in any attack, and this certainly applies to positions where one side is better developed than the other, as in the three positions above. 1 The opening or sharpening of the po sition almost always favours the bet ter developed side, which makes this a key method when exploiting a lead in development. 1 The conversion of a lead in develop ment into a more stable advantage often requires a heavy usage of tac tics, sacrifices etc. Throughout the book I often use the term "punish ment" when referring to such actions, including such standard methods as opening the position, attacking weak points in the enemy camp, keeping the opponent's king in the centre, swapping his active pieces, etc. 1

The king a n d other wea k points One typical consequence of a delay in de velopment is that the king becomes ex posed to an attack. When the enemy pieces start gathering around the monarch, and his fellow forces remain immobilized, the battle usually turns into "play against one goal" (to use soccer language).

Gamel

Ma.Carl$en�s.Dolmatov

Moscow2004

Reti's Opening 1 tiJf3 fs 2 d3!?

Th e Na ture of Developmen t

Instead of entering the Dutch Defence with 2 d4, White prepares e2-e4, striking at the light squares. 2 ... d6 The natural 2 ...lbf6 can be met by the gambit 3 e4! fxe4 4 dxe4 lbxe4 5 Ji.d3 CLJf6 6 lbg5 with attacking prospects. 3 e4 es 4 CLJc3 lbc6 Black appears to be in a safe position; however... s exfs Ji.xfs

6 d4! A key move that clears the centre before Black gets castled. Now the king's bishop can be developed actively to c4 or b5. 6 .lbxd4?! 6 ... e4 seems preferable, trying to keep the position closed when behind in devel opment. Here White can choose between 7 d5 ! ? and 7 lbg 5 d5 8 f3 ! , hitting the black pawn chain, with interesting prospects in both cases. 7 CLJxd4 exd4 8 'iixd4 lbf6 The greedy 8 ...Ji.xc2?! probably wasn't even considered by Dolmatov, since 9 Ji.c4 followed by 0-0 and l:te1 looks extremely dangerous for Black. 9 Ji.c4!

The best diagonal for this bishop, where it complicates Black's short casting. 9...c6 10 ii.gs bs Thanks to White's previous move, he can now meet the logical 10 ... d5 by 11 0-0-0! intending 11 ... dxc4? 12 'iie 5+. Black is also in trouble after 11 ...Ji.e7 12 l:the1 0-0?! 13 'iie 5!. 11 Ji.b3 Ji.e7 12 o-o-o 'iid 7 13 l:the1! Carlsen's play in this game reminds me of Morphy's simple but effective treatment of the opening phase. In just 13 moves he h as mobilized all his pieces and now cre ates the concrete threat of 14 Ji.xf6 gxf6 15 'iixf6. On his part, Dolmatov would be fine if his king and h8-rook changed places, but that will never prove possible. 13 ...'it>d8 An awkward place for the king, but 13 ... 0-0-0? was impossible due to 14 g4! Ji.xg4 (or 14...Ji.g6? 15 Ji.e6) 15 J:txe7 'iix e7 16 'iixg4+ with material gains.

..

Throughout the book we will see many positions where a lead in development has to be exploited by concrete means; i.e. by tactical blows, sacrifices etc. Here is a first case. 14 J:txe7! 11

M a s te ring Open ing Strategy

Initiating a decisive combination to wards the king on d8. In positions with un balanced development we should get used to considering the relative value of the pieces. The bishop on e7 is Black's key de fender, covering vital squares such as d6 and f6. Conversely, White has so many pieces in action that losing one of them, even one having a greater nominal value than the enemy piece being captured, isn't really a big deal. With such rooks on a8 on h8, how is Black supposed to save his king ? 14.. .'�xe7 Or 14 .. .'.t>xe7 15 �xf6+ gxf6 16 l:i.e1+ fol lowed by 17 'iixf6+. 15 'iif4! �d7 16 '2le4! Intensifying the attack. In contrast, 16 l:i.xd6? ! �c8 lets Black hang on for a while. 16 ... d5 Or 16 ...l:i.f8 17 '2lxd6 with ideas like 'iWb4aS+. With such an exposed king Black can hardly resist the attack. 11 '2lxf6 h6 18 �h4 g5 19 'iid 4! 1-o

A nice final touch directed at the rook on h8. Now if 19 ... gxh4, then 20 lt:Jxds cxds 21 'iixh8+, while other 20th moves run into 21 '2lf6, in both cases with an easy win for White. Not much better is 19 ...l:i.f8 20 lt:Jxd7 12

'iixd7 2 1 �g3 with an overwhelming ad vantage, so Black resigned. In closed or semi-open positions, a lead in development tends to make itself some what less felt. In such positions, a key idea for the better developed side is to identify a weak point in the enemy camp, on which he can focus his attacking efforts.

Game2 M.Tal-G.Ttingov

Atnsterda m Interzonal 1964

Modern Defence

1 e4 g6 2 d4 �g7 Launching the Modern Defence, charac terized by a flexible development of Black's minor pieces. However, at some moment he will have to bring them out; otherwise he can end up as in this game! 3 '2lc3 d6 4 '2lf3 c6 5 �g5!? 'ii b 6?! A risky attack on the b2-pawn. A better reply to White's unusual fifth move is s ...lt:Jf6, transposing to the Pirc, or s ...�g4, fighting for the dark squares. 6 'iid 2! Tal doesn't care about the pawn and just continues development. In fact, mod ern opening theory is full of similar cases, where the b2-pawn is sacrificed for the sake of rapid development. Now 6 ... �g4 is less effective due to 7 0-0-0, so Tringov accepts the challenge. 6 ...'iix b2 7 l:i.b1 'iia 3 8 �c4 The best diagonal for the bishop, where it eyes the sensitive f7-pawn. 8 ...'iia 5?! Too many queen moves. 8 ...'2lf6, prepar ing 9 ... 0-0, looks like a better choice, waiting

Th e Na ture of Developme n t

with the queen retreat until White plays .i:i.b3. A long time ago Znosko-Borovsky ob served that, in positions of this nature, the queen should stay as long as possible in enemy territory. At this moment 9 es dxes 10 dxes l2Jg4 is quite okay for Black, e.g. 11 .i:i.b3 ? ! �cs, so the flexible 9 o-o is probably White's best choice, with ample compensa tion for the pawn. 9 0-0

9.. e6 Now 9 ... 4Jf6?! 10 es dxes 11 dxes l2Jg4 fails to 12 ..ixe7! rJlxe7 13 ctJdS+, winning the queen, so Tringov intends developing the knight via e7 instead. 10 Ufe1 a6 Unfortunately for Black, 10 ... t2Je7? runs into the same trick: 11 ..ixe7 rJlxe7 12 ctJdS+ etc. 11 ..if4! Hitting the vulnerable d6-pawn. As I mentioned before the game, the attack at weak points in the enemy camp is a key method when exploiting a lead in devel opment. 11...es? When you are behind in development, the more closed the position the better for .

you, so don't even think about opening it! After that, it will be much easier for the op ponent to make use of his more active pieces. For better or worse, 11...�d8 or 11 ... �c7 had to be tried, when 12 es can be met by 12 ... ds and 12 ds by 12 ... es, respec tively. 12 dxes dxes

13 �d6!! A terrible blow that again exploits the sensitive d6-square. Now 13 ...exf4 runs into 14 CZJds !, when 14... cxds 1S exdS+ ..ie6 16 dxe6 is disastrous for Black, while other 14th moves let the knight reach C7. On the other hand, 13 ... �d8? fails to 14 .ixf7+, and 13 ... ..if8 14 �xes+ �xes 1S CZJxes is decisive as well, since 1S ... ..ie6 runs into 16 Uxb7. As for the knight on c3, Tal has a simple reply prepared... 13 ...�xc3 14 Ued1! 4Jd7 Covering the mate on d8 but weakening the light squares, a fact that White imme diately exploits. Then again, after 14...�as 1S CZJxes Black is completely helpless, e.g. 1s ...l2Jh6 16 .ig s. 15 .ixf7+! rJlxf7 16 ttJgS+ rJle8 17 �e6+ 1-0 In view of the quick mate, Black re signed. 13

M as t e ring Op e n ing Strategy

Here is a more complex case of exploit ing the weakest point in the enemy camp when ahead in development.

Leaving the f3-square for the other knight.

Gomes S;.Movsesian-R.. Tibensky

Slovakian Championship, Kaskady 2002

Fr:enth Defen(e 1 e4 e6 2 d4 ds 3 es b6 A rather slow reply to the Advance Variation. Black prepares ...i.a6 in order to exchange his "bad" bishop, but also loses some time and activity compared to the usual 3 ... cs, hitting the white pawn chain. 4 C3 Strengthening the pawn chain and pre venting the immediate 4 ... i.a6?? on ac count of 5 .ixa6 lt:Jxa6 6 'iVa4+. 4 ... 'iVd7 5 h4!? At first sight a rather surprising move, why not just s li:Jf3, 6 .id3 and 7 o-o, simply bringing out the pieces? Well, closed posi tions have their particular nature. Since nothing is really going on in the centre White can spend a few tempi on this flank advance, which gains space and enhances future kingside actions, in particular the knight manoeuvre li:Jh3-f4. s ....ia6 Perhaps the restrictive s ...h s ! ? was better, when White could consider 6 .ie2 g6 7 .igs preparing li:Jd2-f3 and li:Jh3-f4 - Movsesian. 6 .ixa6 lt:Jxa6 7 hS cs Black finally launches this standard ad vance, although the absence of a knight on c6 makes it less powerful than in the main line with 3 ... cs. 8 li:Je2 14

8 ...f6?! A risky attempt at counterplay, since White can complete development much sooner, after which the opening of the e-file will turn to his favour. Besides, the earlier exchange of the light-squared bishops left the e6-pawn more exposed. Safer was the developing 8 ...lt:Je7, followed by ...lt:Jc6, be fore taking further actions. 9 .if4 lt:Je7 10 lt:Jd2 lt:Jc6 Another effect of White's early h2-h4-h 5 is that ...lt:Je7-g6 proves impossible. More over, as the typical... lt:Je7-f5 plan cannot be supported by ... h 7-h 5, the knight can be dislodged easily by g2-g4. 11 li:Jf3 Just like in the old games of Nimzowitsch, White gives maximum prior ity to the e s-square. 11...l:rc8 Perhaps 11 ... 0-0-0! ? followed by ... 'iii>b 7 was a safer choice - Psakhis. In this case the knight on a6 would prove useful in the king's defence, whereas in the game it will struggle to find a proper destiny. 12 o-o lt:Jab8 13 J:re1

Th e Na ture of Deve lopme n t

13 exf6 gxf6 14 .l:i.e1 might have been even stronger, forcing the kind of play that occurs in the game. 13 ...ii.e7? Tibensky doesn't sense the danger. After 13 .. .f5 ! 14 ii.g 5 ii.e7 1 5 ll'lf4 White keeps a pleasant advantage, but at least the posi tion remains closed, which gives Black time to conclude development.

14 exf6! Initiating an attack on the e6-pawn, just before Black gets castled. 14...gxf6 With hindsight 14 ...ii.xf6 should have been preferred; e.g. 15 ii.xb8 .l:i.xb8 16 ll'lf4 0-0! 17 lbxe6 .l:i.fe8 18 ll'lf4 .l:i.e4 with some compensation for the pawn. 15 ii.xb8! White has no objections to swapping the passive knight on b8 if this helps his attack in the centre. 15 ....l:i.xb8 Or 15 ...ll'lxb8 16 ll'lf4 .l:i.c6 17 c4!, intend ing 17 ... dxc4 18 d5 with strong pressure. 16ll'lf4ll'ld8 17 'iVe2 �f7 If 17 ... cxd4 then 18 ll'lxd4!, when 18 ... e5 19 'iVf3 ! exf4 20 'iVxf4 leaves Black helpless against the threats at b8, f5 and f6.

After the text, how can White step up the pressure? 18 C4! An intuitive advance that further opens the position towards Black's vulnerable king. 18...ii.d6 19 'iVd2 'iVc7 20ll'lh3 The idea of 'iVh6 is added to White's menu. 20...dxc4 21 .l:i.ad1

The last piece joins the battle, which makes Black's position very difficult to de fend, since virtually any tactical complica tions will favour White due to his superior development. 21....l:i.f8 22 .l:i.e4! Heading for g4, before Black achieves an artificial castling with ... �g8-h8. 22 ...�g8 23 dxcs ..txcs 24 .l:i.g4+ �f7 Unfortunately for Black, after 24 ...�h8 25 'iVh6 f5 (the threat was ll'lf4-g6+) 26 .l:i.xc4 the tactics work in White's favour; e.g. 26 .....txf2+? 2 7ll'lxf2 'iVxc4 28 'iVxf8 mate, or 26 ...'iVg7 2 7 'iVxg7+ �xg7 28 b4 ii.e7 29 .l:i.d7 �f6 30 .l:i.ce7 winning. 25 'iVc2! �e8 26 .l:i.xc4 With the black king back on e8, the rest is easy. 15


26 .. .'iVe7 27 b4 ..id6 28 J:!.cd4 lZ'lb7 29 lZ'ld2!

The knight's reaches e4 or c4 with great effect. 29 lZ'ld8 This makes no sense but the alternatives were hardly better; e.g. 29 .. .f5 30 lZ'lc4 ..ie7 31 'iVa4+ or 29 ... .l:!.d8 30 lZ'le4 ..ib8 31 'iVc6+, in both cases followed by a fatal 32 .l:!.d7. 30 'iVd3 lZ'lb7 31 lZ'le4 1-o In view of 31.. . ..ies 32 'iVbs+ 'it>f7 33 .l:!.d7 Black resigned. .••

In this variation of the English, White enjoys more space but Black is ready to cre ate counterplay with his queen and king's bishop on the g 1-a7 and e1-a5 diagonals. 5 g3 More common is 5 lZ'lc3. The text keeps the option of meeting s .....ib4+ with 6 ..id2, although Topalov never makes use of this idea in the game. s .....ib4+ 6 lZ'lc3 'iVas As beginners we are taught not to bring out the queen too early, but here it helps Black in interfering with White's develop ment. 7 lZ'ldbs ds! Ruling out the knight check on d6 and fighting for the centre. 8 a3 Consistent with White's previous play, if rather slow. Stohl suggests 8 ..if4!? es (or 8 ... d4 9 a3) 9 ..id2, when both 9 ... d4 10 lZ'lds and 9 ... dxc4 10 a3 ..ixc3 11 lZ'ld6+! 'it>f8 12 ..ixc3 'iVcs 13 ..ig2 lead to an interesting battle. 8 .....ixc3+ 9 bxc3

Pawn adva nces Another key method for the better devel oped side is a pawn advance, if necessary in the shape of a sacrifice, that opens the posi tion and clears new lines towards the en emy camp. Actually Movsesian did just that with 18 c4! in the previous game. Here are a few more examples.

Game4 v.Topalov..V.Ivanchuk

Linares 1999

English Opening 1 lZ'lf3 cs 2 c4 lZ'lc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 lZ'lxd4 e6 16

In the event of 9 lZ'lxc3 Black may choose between the simple 9 ... dxc4, now that the knight check on d6 is no longer possible,


and the riskier 9 ... d4! ? 10 b4 t2Jxb4 11 axb4 "ii'xa1 12 tLlb5 with unclear play. 9...t2Jf6! lvanchuk quickly brings out the pieces, unworried about 10 t2Jd6+
By tactical means White h as managed to stay above water. H ere 14...l';[ad8? and 14...�fd8? fail to 15 t2Jxb7, but lvanchuk has a much stronger move in reserve ... l4...e4! Another typical punishment method when the opponent h as delayed his devel opment: open the position. Now the e-file will be of great use in the attack towards White's king, and the annoying knight on

d6 leaves the board. 15 t2Jxe4 Queen moves all had their drawbacks: 15 "i¥c2 l2Jd4! or 15 "i¥e3 l2Jg4! or 15 "i¥d2 �ad8. As for 15 .ixe4, Black can reply 15 ...t2Jxe4 16 t2Jxe4 �ad8 with a strong ini tiative just like in the game - lvanchuk. 15 ... t2Jxe4 16 .ixe4 �adS 17 "i¥c2 After 17 "i¥e3 �fe8 White is also in big trouble. 17 ... t2Jd4! 18 "i¥b2

Topalov has defended well and is just one move away from the desired 0-0; how ever... 18 ...t2Jxe2!! One more sacrifice to force the white king to stay in the centre. Less promising was 18 ....ic4 19 "i¥h4! or 18 ...�fe8 19 0-0! .ih3 20 cxd4 .ixf1 21 .if3. In both these short lines White applies a common method when behind in development: re turn the material invested in order to bring out the pieces. 19
M as t e ring Op e n ing Stra tegy

19 .. J'tfe8! A flexible move typical of many attacks. If we look at the two pieces on f8 and e6, it is obvious that the rook is heading for e8, whereas the bishop has so many possible destinies that it shouldn't be committed yet. Less promising is 19 ... .i.c4+ 20 'it>f3 f5 21 .i.xb7 .i.d5+ 22 '1t>e2 .i.xb7 23 11Vxb711Y'xc3 24 .i.e3 11Yc4+ 25 '1t>e1 11Yc3+ with a draw lvanchuk. 2011Y'b4 After 20 f3 f5 White is also in deep trou ble, while 20 J:te1 is met by 20 ... 11Yh5+! 21 '1t>f1 .i.h 3+ 22 'lt>g1 J:txe4! - lvanchuk. 2o ...1\Yh5+ 21 f3 f5! Finally crashing through White's de fence, who can only resort to desperate moves. 22 g411Y'h3 The threat 23 ...11Vg2+ is added to the menu. 23 gxf5 .i.xf5! Another option was 23 ... 11Vg 2+ 24 'lt>e3 11Yxh 1 25 fxe6 l:td1, but a direct attack on the white king is more tempting.

A typical pattern in games with unbal anced development: the attacker has less material but overwhelmingly more activity. 18

With his king stranded on e2, there is no hope for White. 24 11Yc4+ 'lt>h8 25 l:te1 J:txe4+! 0-1 The most elegant finish. White resigned in view of 26 fxe4 .i.g4+ 27 'it>f211Y'xh2+ with mate on the next move.

Games R.Nezhrnetdinov-A.Chistiakov

Kharkov 1956

French Defence 1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 'Llc3 'Llf6 4 .i.g5 .i.b4 5 e5 h6 6 .i.d2 li'lfd7?! Very passive. Nowadays, adherents of the McCutcheon Variation play 6 ....i.xc3 and 7 ... 'Lle4 without much thinking. 7 'iVg4 .i.f8 In closed positions like this, such retreats are usually justified. In contrast, 7 ... g6?! 8 .i.d3 would have yielded White a target on g6, just as later occurs in the game. 8 'Llf3 C5 A standard advance in the French, but 8 ...a6 first was safer in order to prevent White's next move in the game. g li'lb5!


Apart from threatening ti:Jd6+, this move comes with a more long-term idea - can you spot it? 9 ...g6? Too slow. 9 ... ti:Jc6? 10 ti:Jd6+ i.xd6 11 �xg7 was very bad for Black, but 9 ... cxd4 10 ti:Jd6+ .txd6 11 �xg7 .txe5! 12 tt:Jxe5 �f6 looks quite okay for him. White should probably try 11 exd6 instead, with some initiative. 10 i.d3! Development with tempo, as 11 .txg6 is threatened. 10 ....l:!.g8

Black managed to cover all the enemy threats but now suffers a serious delay in development. Thus White's next move sug gests itself. 11 c4! A key advance in order to open the posi tion before Black closes it by ...c5-C4, mak ing White's lead in development a less rele vant factor. 11 ...cxd4 12 cxds tt:Jcs Or 12 ... a6 13 dxe6 axb5 14 exf7+ 'it>xf7 1 5 e6+! with a fierce attack. 13 �xd4 exds? Black omits the intermediate move

1 3 ...tt:Jc6!, when 14 �e3 tt:Jxd3+ 1 5 �xd3 exd5 yields him a slightly superior version of the game. 14 ti:Jd6+! White h ad this option for several moves, but only uses it now when the centre has been cleared, which makes Black's dark squared bishop a key defender. The pawn invested in this operation is irrelevant. 14 ... .txd6 15 exd6 �xd6 16 0-0 White's position plays itself. 16...ti:Jxd3 17 �xd3 ti:Jc6 18 .l:!.fe1+ i.e6

19 ctJd4! In chess strategy, exchanges can be car ried out for a variety of reasons. One of them is facilitating an attack, as in this case, where White aims at eliminating one of the defenders on e6 and c6. Note that after 19 ...ti:Jxd4 20 �xd4 the presence of opposite-coloured bishops favours White, since the opponent will have a difficult task covering the dark squares. 19 ...gs After 19 ...0-0-0 20 .l:!.ac1 the black king is in big trouble. In the game he tries to hide it on d7, but White has enough material for a successful attack. 20 .l:!.ac1 'it>d7 21 tt:Jfs! 19

M a s tering Op e n ing Stra tegy

After mobilizing all his pieces, White ini tiates concrete actions. 21...\i'f8 22 'ii'b 5! .Uc8 23 'ii'x b7+ .Uc7 24 'ii'b 5 a6 Obviously 24 ....ixf5 runs into 25 'ii'x d5+. 25 'ii'd 3 'ii' b8 26 4Jxh6 .Ug6 27 4Jxf7!

striction of Black's ....if5. other options are 5 ctJf3, 5 'ii'c 2 and 5 a4. 5 ....ig4 Perhaps 5 ... b5 6 b3 .ig4 is a more pre cise move order, avoiding White's queen sortie to b3. 6 'ii'b 3 .Ua7 The safest way of dealing with the threat at b7. The rook is temporarily out of play but can later return to the eighth rank once the b-pawn has been protected by an other piece, e.g. by ... 'ii'C 7. 1 h3 .ih5 8 tt:Jge2 .ig6 Black is anxious to exchange the oppo nent's "good" bishop, but loses precious time. 8 ... e6 seems preferable, speeding up development; e.g. 9 ctJf4 .ig6 10 tt:Jxg6 hxg6 11 0-0 .id6 followed by ...0-0. 9 .txg6 hxg6 10 0-0 e6

The final blow which destroys the black king's shelter. 21 ....ixf7 28 'ii'f5+ �d8 Or 28 ...�d6 29 .ixg 5 with decisive threats. 29 .Uxc6! .Ucxc6 30 .ia5+ 'ii'c 7 31 'ii'xf7 1-0

Game6 K.Miton ....J.Sammour Hasbun Stratton Mauntain ·1999

SlavDefence

1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 4Jc3 ctJf6 4 e3 a6 The Chebanenko Slav became very popular in the nineties, thanks to its flexi bility and great room for creativity. One merit of this system is that Black can play 4 ... a6 against virtually any white move or der. 5 .td3 Development and at the same time re20

At this point it is not clear how to exploit the slight lead in development, but Miton finds a surprisingly simple solution. 11 e4! dxc4 The safest reply. White's idea was that both 11...4Jxe4?! 12 tt:Jxe4 dxe4 13 .ie3 ! and 11...dxe4 12 .ie3 would leave Black strug gling to find a defence against d4-d5. 12 \i'xc4 b5 13 'ii'b 3! b4?!


Having seen the rest of the game it is easy to suggest 13 ....i.e7 14 .i.e3 l:td7 fol lowed by ... 0-0 in order to conclude devel opment. Sammour probably felt that 13 ...b4 was justified by the enemy queen's retreat to b3 instead of d3, but this is not so. 14 e5 By trading the knight on c3 for the one on f6 White manages to clear lines, in par ticular the b-file, towards Black's underde veloped camp. 14... bxc3 15 exf6 cxb2? Black grabs a pawn when it is ill afforded. The simple 1S ...gxf6 16 bxc3 .i.d6 followed by ... 0-0 was called for. White's superior structure implies some advantage in the middlegame, but at least all Black's pieces get into play. 16 .i.xb2 gxf6

This i s an early resignation, since the advanced c-pawn will just make White's attack even more powerful. For better or worse, the bold 18 ...ttJxc6 had to be tried. Then 19 �a4 is tempting - alas, after 19 ... �d7, both 20 l:tac1 ttJd8! and 20 l:tfd1 ttJd4!, returning the pawn in order to swap queens, keep Black in the game. A more critical try is 19 J:tac1 l:tc7 20 �f3 ! ?, when 20 ...�c8! 21 �xf6 l:th s followed by ... .i.e7 seems survivable for Black. As will be seen more evidently in the final games of this chapter, difficult positions call for unusual solutions! 19 J:tac1 l:tc7 20 ttJf4! An aesthetic follow-up to the attack, creating the the threat of 21 ttJdS. Perhaps 20 ttJc3 !? was even more efficient, with the additional idea of 21 ttJe4. 20 ... .i.h6 20 ... exf4 21 .i.xf6 followed by J:tfe1+ and �4 is terminal for Black, while after 20 ...J:txc6 21 ttJdS he lacks a proper defence of the f6-pawn; e.g. 21 ... .i.g7 22 .i.a3! pre venting ... 0-0 and threatening a fork on e7, or 21 ...ttJd7 22 ttJxf6+! ttJxf6 23 �a4 �d7 24 J:tfd1+ .i.d6 25 .i.xes with a decisive attack. 21 ttJdS .i.xc1

By now there is only one move that can justify White's previous play... 17 dS! The key move of the game, which clears several new lines towards the enemy king. At this point, the strong threat of 18 .i.xf6 �xf6 19 �xb8+ leaves Black with practi cally a single reply. 17 ... es 18 dxc6 �c8? 21


How to continue the attack? None of 22 ttJxf6+ 'it>f8, or 22 .l::!.x cl .l::!.x c6 2 3 lt:Jxf6+ 'it>f8, or 22 tt:Jxc7+ "VIilxc7 23 .l::!.x cl 0-0 is com pletely convincing. However, Miton has a much stronger move prepared ... 22 "VIilb4!! While denying Black from castling, White sets up the devastating threat of 22 "VIild6. In the same spirit 22 "VIila3 ! was also strong. 22 "VIild8 Giving back material in order to save the king. 22 ...Ags 23 "VIild6 .l::!.a7 24 c7! wins eas ily, while after 22 ....ixb2 23 "VIi!d6! Black can't cope with the double threat at f6 and C7, e.g. 23 ... .l::!.xc6 24 "VIile7 mate. 23 lt:Jxc7+ "VIilxc7 24 .l::!.xc1 as In the event of 24...4Jxc6 one of several winning lines is 25 "VIilc4 'it>d7 26 "VIilxf7+ 'it>c8 27 "VIilxf6 etc. 25 "VIilcs Thanks to the strong passed pawn and Black's badly placed king, the rest is easy. 2s ... gs 26 Aa3 lt:Ja6 27 "VIilbs lt:Jb4 28 .ixb4 axb4 29 "VIilxb4 .l::!. h4 30 "VIilb7! ..•

There follows 'it>e2-d3xd4 with an easy win, so Black resigned.

Causes of delayed development Nobody likes to get behind in development, so why does this happen? Well, two typical causes can be identified: One player grabs a pawn or two, thus slowing down his development. t One player pursues strategical goals (the bishop pair, gain of space etc) at the cost of delaying his development.

t

These causes have a dual nature, in the sense that the side with a lead in develop ment might also force his opponent to take a pawn (e.g. 14 ... e4! in Topalov-lvanchuk) or offer him the bishop pair, a doubling of pawns etc. In other words, the better devel oped player could consider both material and strategic concessions when exploiting his lead in development. The following game neatly illustrates the first cause above, and it is one of my favourites on the topic of development.

Game7 M.Dvoretsky-Wf.Schmidt Wijk aan Zee 1975 Sicilian Defence, Alapin Variation

The c-pawn finally takes its toll. 30...'it>d8 31 .l::!.d 1+ .l::!.d 4 32 .l::!.xd4+ exd4 33 'it>f1 1-0 22

1 e4 cs 2 lt:Jf3 e6 3 c3 The Alapin Variation in a delayed ver sion. Thanks to Black having already played e7-e6, White avoids some set-ups, such as the ones with ... Ag4. 3 ...4Jf6 4 es tt:Jds 5 d4 cxd4 6 cxd4 d6 7 a3 Preparing .id3 without having to bother about ... 4Jb4.

Th e Na ture of Deve lopme n t 1 . ..lbc6 8 i..d 3 dxes 9 dxes �c7?! Black initiates an attack on the es-pawn at the cost of delaying development. A safer try is 9 ... g6 followed by ...i..g 7 and ...0-0, which I have played myself in a few games.

10 0-0! White doesn't worry about the pawn and just continues development. Of course 10 �e2 ? iZ:Jd4! 11 iZ:Jxd4 �xc1+ had to be avoided. 10...tZ:lxes?! It wasn't yet too late for 10 ... g6 or 10 ... i..e 7 with a safe game. 11 tZ:lxes �xes

12 i.. b s+!

A typical punishment method in posi tions with a lead in development: give a check in order to deprive the opponent of castling. 12 ...i..d 7 13 i..x d7+ �xd7 When playing 10...iZ:Jxes, Schmidt per haps reckoned that his king would be quite safe on d7, thanks to the strong knight on dS and the two previous piece exchanges. However, Dvoretsky's determined and logi cal play that follows will show us that this is not so.

14 .l:!.e1! This natural rook move should be ef fected right away, since other moves like 14 iZ:Jc3 and 14 �f3 permit 14 ...i.. d 6! when Black, thanks to the mating threat on h2, gains an important tempo for his develop ment. 14...�d6 15 �f3 Developing the queen with tempo, and vacating the d-file for the rooks. 1S ...�e8 In the event of 1S ... i..e 7 White should avoid 16 �xf7? .l:!.af8 with counterplay, and continue just as in the game. 16 iZ:lc3! An excellent move to eliminate the de23

M a s tering Open ing Stra tegy

fender on ds. "When your opponent is be hind in development, exchange his devel oped pieces" goes another principle of opening play, which I think belongs to Yu supov. 16 .. J:d8 After 16 ... i.e7 17 i.d2 �d8 18 �ad1 Black is definitely sad about h aving lost his castling rights. 17 i.gs! Such moves, developing the pieces with tempo, are rarely wrong. 17...f6 Or 17 ... i.e7 18 i.xe7, followed by �ad1, with strong pressure.

18 �ad1! Another power move. The last piece en ters the game with tempo thanks to the threat of �xds. Note that due to Black's un fortunate tenth move, not only is his king stranded in the centre, he also has one fewer rook in the battle than White. 18 ...'it>f7 19 lt:Jxds exds 20 i.f4! After the timely swap on ds, when Black could no longer recapture with a piece, White identifies the weakest spot in the enemy camp: c7. 20...ifb6 21 �C1 24

O f course not 21 �xds? i.cs and Black h as more hope of salvation. N ow, on the other hand, 21 ...i.cs? is useless due to 22 b4. Don't forget that activity is often worth more than material in positions with un balanced development. 21 ...�d7 22 �c8! Such pins are of great use in restricting the opponent's development. 22 ...g6 23 ife2!

The final touch. 23 �ee8 might seem tempting, but after 23 ...ifxb2 the battle continues. Whereas now Black can't in any way prevent the queen's arrival at e8, since 23 ...�e7? fails to 24 �xf8+ and 2 5 ifxe7. 23 ...'it>g7 24 ife8 �f7 25 i.h6+! 'it>xh6 26 ifxf7 The rest is easy. 26...i.cs 27 �xh8 i.xf2+ 28 'it>h1 i.xe1 29 h4 'it>hs 30 ifxdS+ 1-o In this utterly hopeless position, Black resigned. Now let's see an example of the second cause. White gives priority to certain posi tional aims such as space and a strong cen tre, at the cost of normal development, and duly pays for it.


Game8 L.Psakhis.-LOofshtein

lsr:aeli Team Championship 1996 English Opening

1 c4 d6 2 d4 es

Development with tempo. W e can now spot a slight drawback to 6 g3: the c4-pawn loses its natural defence. 7 e4?! White gains space but will soon have a vulnerable centre to worry about. 7 lt:Jds followed by 8 b3 was preferable - again not 7 b3?! ds! with similar play as in the note to White's sixth move. 1 1Le1 8 f3 This shows that something has already gone wrong for White in the opening. Un fortunately, the natural 8 b3?! was again risky due to 8 ... lt:Jxe4! 9 lt:Jxe4 ds and Black regains the material by a timely ... iLb4. 8 .o-o gct:Jds Seizing the centre, but losing more time. 9 b3 was better, when Black could just react as in the game. •••

..

3ctJC3 The queenless middlegame arising after 3 dxes?! dxes 4 1Wxd8+ 'it>xd8, followed by ... c7-c6 and ... 'it>C7, is considered excellent for Black, but 3 lt:Jf3 makes quite some sense, in order to be able to recapture with the knight on d4. The pawn structure that arises after an exchange on d4 implies a space advan tage for White, so Black should get some thing in return for it. In the game, he wins a tempo by attacking the white queen. 3 ..exd4 4 1Wxd4ctJc6 5 1Wd2 In this line White intends b2-b3 and Ji.b2, after which the queen will turn out to be well placed on d2. s...lt:Jf6 6 g3 More consistent seems 6 b3 iLe6 7 e4 followed by 8 Ji.b2; but not 7 Ji.b2?! dS!, when the move ...iLb4 might soon become unpleasant for White. 6 1Le6! .

•••

So Black has already a distinct lead in development, but how to make use of it? 9 ...lt:Jd7! A great move with various purposes. Gofshtein prepares the pawn break .. .f7-f5, hitting the white centre and clearing lines towards the enemy camp. Moreover, an annoying ...lt:Jes or ...ct:Jcs is added to the menu. 25

M a s te ring Op e n ing Strategy 10 ..ig2 fs 11 exfs ..ixfs 12 tt:le3?! The problem with moving this knight will soon be revealed. A lesser evil was 12 tt:le2 tt:lde5 13 o-o! tt:lxc4 14 'iVc3 followed by tt:lef4. White has lost a pawn but at least managed to bring his king into safety. 12 ...i.e6 13 f4 White has prevented ...tt:le5, and 13 ... tt:lc5 no longer makes much sense. So how is Black supposed to punish the oppo nent for his slow development? 13...ds!!

A strong pawn sacrifice that clears lines towards the white monarch. White's next move is forced, since it is the only capture that prevents 14... i.b4. 14 tt:lxds lieS! 15 tt:lf3 After 15 'L'lxe7+ 'iVxe7 or 15 'L'le2 i.g4 White is suffering heavily along the e-file. 1s ...i.cs! Another typical method when enjoying a lead in development: prevent the oppo nent's castling. It can be effected by a check (see 12 i.b5+! in Game 7), as well as by a bishop move to the a3-f8 (f1-a6) or a2-g8 (g1-a7) diagonal as in this case, while the deployment of a knight on e6 (e3) is yet an other variation on the theme. 26

16 '>t>f1 tt:lb6 17 tt:lgs! Psakhis avoids 17 b3 tt:lxd5 18 cxd5 i.xd5 with a sad position to look at, and sets a little trap. 11 . .i.fs! Gofshtein doesn't fall for 17 ... tt:lxc4? 18 'iYd3 ! with double threats at h 7 and c4. Now White must cover the c4-pawn, since 18 tt:lxb6+? fails to 18 .....id3+ with mate. 18 b3 .

18...ctJb4! To eliminate the defender on d5, just like Dvoretsky's 16 tt:lc3 in the previous game. 19 i.f3 19 tt:lxb4 i.xb4 20 'iVxd8 (or 20 'iVxb4 'iYd1+ 21 '>t>f2 .l:!.e2+ with mate) 20 ... .l:!.axd8 is a simple but instructive line. White man aged to swap a few pieces, including the queens, but even so his delay in develop ment makes it impossible for him to cope with the multiple threats at c3, d3 and d1. 19...tt:l6xds 20 i.xdS+ After 20 cxd5 tt:lc2 the knight doesn't just aim at a1, but also at e3. 2o...tt:lxds 21 'iVxds+ Or 21 cxd5 'iYf6! 22 ..ib2 'iYa6+! winning - Gofshtein.


21 ..:iixds 22 cxds .i.d4 0-1 Obviously, keeping the king in the cen tre doesn't mean automatic defeat. In some openings, like the Open Sicilian, Black occa sionally delays castling for a while, await ing a safe moment or simply giving priority to other actions. Before continuing our in vestigation on the causes of a delayed de velopment, let's see an example of a suc cessful king in the centre.

kingside! When Taimanov introduced such a set-up into practice many years ago, the fact that the black queenside is developed before the kingside caused surprise and even suspicion.

Gameg

S.Conquest-A.Sokolov Clichy 1991

Sicilian Defence, Taimanov Variation

1 e4 cs 2 f4CDc6 3lt:lf3 e6 4CDC3 a6 Thus Black prevents .i.f1-b5, a move typical of White's Grand Prix Attack, and at the same time enables a future ...b7-b5. 5 d4 White reverts to the Open Sicilian. A dif ferent kind of play emerges after 5 g3 d5 6 .i.g2 lt:lf6 7 e5 lt:ld7 followed by ....i.e?, ...b7b5, ....i.b7 etc. s ...cxd4 6lt:lxd4lt:lxd4 Usually Black doesn't hurry to carry out this exchange, but here it helps him in achieving ...b7-b5 without having to worry about lt:lxc6. 7 'iixd4 bs 8 .i.e 2 .i.b7 A great place for the bishop, where it puts pressure on the e4-pawn and might even assist in a future attack on the white king. 9 o-o �c8 Within the first nine moves, Black has just made one single movement on the

However, Black's play is perfectly logical. The queen's rook and bishop have rather obvious destinies on b7 and c8, so they are developed straight away. In contrast, the king's bishop has both c5 and e7 at its dis posal, so it could wait a few moves, until White's set-up is more defined. Finally, the knight would like to settle at f6, but only if e4-e5 can be coped with, otherwise it will prefer the route ... lt:le7-c6(g6). 10 �h1 Parrying the threat 10 ....i.c5. An earlier game of Sokolov's saw 10 'iid3 b4 11 lt:ld1 lt:lf6 12 e5 lt:ld5 13 f5 'iih 4!? 14 �h1 .i.c5 15 .i.f3 0-0 and Black had a more active posi tion, A.Martin Gonzalez-A.Sokolov, Biel ln terzonal 1985. 10...lt:lf6 Now, on the other hand, 10...b4?! 11 lt:la4 �xc2 12 .i.d3 �c8 13 .i.d2 yields White a dangerous lead in development - Sokolov. 11 eslt:lds 12 .i.f3 The desirable 12 lt:le4 fails to 12 ... l1xc2 27

M as t e ring Open ing S trategy

13 ii.d3 l:tc8 followed by ...'iYb6. 12 ...l:tc4! 13 'iff2 'ifa8!

Thanks to this and the previous move, Black stays in charge of the long diagonal. 14 ct:Jxds .txds 15 b3l:tc7 16 .txds 'ifxds 17 ii.b2 Considering Black's slow development on the kingside, 17 fs would seem like a logical choice. H owever, after 17 ...exfs 18 'ifxfs g 6 ! ? Black can meet 19 'iff6 with 19 ... l:txc2 20 Ug1 l:txg2 ! 21 l:txg2 'ifd1+ se curing a perpetual; the flexible 17 ...�b4 ! ? doesn't seem bad either. 17 ... �e7

On this occasion, 18 fs proves even less dangerous after 18 ... exfs 19 'ifxfs o-o fol lowed by ... 'ife6. 18 ...'ife4 19 1:td2 o-o

Ten moves later Black finally gets castled and has a minimal edge thanks to his supe rior pawn structure and more active bishop. The game continued 20 l:te1 'iffs 21 J:ted1 �b4! 22 C3 �XC3 23 �XC3 J:txc3 24 l:txd7 h s ! 25 h3 Uc2 26 U1d2 l:tfc8 with a slight initiative, although it eventually ended in a draw. The following game shows the use of positional concessions, such as accepting weaknesses or exchanging "good" pieces, in order to exploit a lead in development.

Game10 N.Firman..;B�Itlds

lvov2003 Caro·Kann Defence

18l:tad1 28

1 e4 c6 2 d4 ds 3 es cs A modern alternative to the traditional 3 ... �fs. Compared with the Advance Varia tion in the French (1 e4 e6 2 d4 ds 3 es cs)


Black is a tempo down, but the h 3-c8 di agonal remains open for the bishop. 4 lZ'lf3 The main line is 4 dxc5, hanging on to the pawn, but the text is viable as well. 4...CZ'lc6 5 c4!

A logical choice: White aims to open the centre, considering the tempo loss involved in ... c7-c6 and ... c6-c5. In contrast, after 5 c3?! ii.g4 followed by ... e7-e6, Black obtains an excellent game. 5 ...e6 6 cxd5 exd5 1 ii.b5 ii.d7 8 o-o Speeding up development; whereas the greedy 8 dxc5 ii.xc5 9 iVxd5?! permits 9 ... iVb6 ! with a nasty double attack. 8 ... cxd4 g lbxd4 ii.c5 10 CZ'lb3 ii.b6 11CZ'lc3! Again White prefers development to material. After 11 iVxd5 lbge7 12 iVe4 o-o, preparing ... .tf5, Black would enjoy quite a bit of activity for the pawn. 11...ii.e6 12 CZ'la4CZ'lge7 Black also gives priority to development. The attempt to keep the "good" bishop by 12 ... ii.C7? ! permits 13 CZ'lac5 CZ'lge7 14 CZ'ld4 iVc8 15 CZ'lcxe6 fxe6 16 iVg4, when White has a clear advantage - Firman. 13CZ'lxb6 iVxb6? Surprisingly enough, this natural move

proves to b e a serious mistake after White's strong follow-up. Correct was 13 ... axb6, followed by ... 0-0, with just a slight disad vantage.

How to exploit the minimal lead in de velopment? 14 .txc6+! In the opening phase, time is money! Losing the "good" bishop and indirectly the bishop pair is not a big deal if it can help us keep the enemy king in the centre. 14...CZ'lxc6 The following piece of analysis by Fir man illustrates Black's problems if he re captures with the pawn or the queen : 14... bxc6 15 ii.e3 iVc7 16 ii.c5 ! iVxe5 (oth erwise the bishop settles on d6) 17 CZ'ld4 iVC7 18 .l:te1 0-0 19 CZ'lxe6 fxe6 20 .l:txe6 .l:tf7 21 iVa4 with a clear advantage, or 14...iVxc6 15 .tg 5 ! (preventing ... o-o) 15 ... CZ'lg6 16 .l:tc1 iVa4 17 f4! h6 18 f5 hxg5 19 fxg6 iVh4 20 gxf7+ ii.xf7 21 h3 o-o 22 CZ'ld4 iVg3 23 .l:te1 and the passed e-pawn spells trouble for Black. 15 ii.e3 iVc7 16 .tc5! A key move to prevent the opponent's castling, just like Gofshtein's 15 ....tc5 ! against Psakhis (Game 8). 29


16 ...'i¥xes Black isn't really happy about accepting this gift, since the absence of the e5-pawn will allow White to use the e-file for the attack, but the bishop would have become unbearable on d6. 11 .Ue1 'iYgs The greedy 17 ... 'i¥xb2 is answered in the same way.

'i¥c6+ .Ud7 2 7 .Uad1! and the last piece en ters the attack with devastating effect. Let's see a few more games illustrating the risks of pursuing strategic goals at the expense of development. Mikhail Tal was a true maestro at exploiting a lead in devel opment, as we already saw against Tringov (Game 2). In the next example, his oppo nent is simply demolished after a few mis guided positional considerations.

Game11

M.Tai-Z.Milev Munich Olympiad 1958

Semi�Tarrasch Defence

18 tLld4! An aggressive exchange directed at the defenders on e6 and c6. We saw Nezhmet dinov carry out a similar idea against Chis tiakov (Game 5). 18 ...tt:Jxd4? The last chance was 18 ... �d7, although after 19 'iYh3 .Uab8 20 .Uacl White's pres sure is overwhelming. 19 'i¥xd4 a6 Defending against the threat of 20 'i¥a4+, but now White crashes through on the opposite flank. 20 f4! 'iYfs 21 .Ues 1-o Renewing the threat of f4-f5. At this moment Black resigned, a possible conclu sion of the game being 21 ...'i¥g4 22 'i¥xd5 (of course 22 f5 is also fine) 22 ....Ud8 23 'i¥xb7 .Udl+ 24 .Ue1! .Ud7 25 'i¥a8+ .Ud8 26 30

1 C4 cs 2 tLlc3 tLlc6 3 tLlf3 tLlf6 4 e3 e6 5 d4 ds 6 cxds tt:Jxds 7 ilc4 From a rather innocent English Opening, the game has transposed into a more deli cate Semi-Tarrasch. 7 ...4Jb6?! Such a knight retreat is typical of some openings like the Alekhine, but here it is not really necessary, and rather implies a loss of time. Preferable was 7 ... cxd4 8 exd4 ite7, followed by 9 ...0-0, with a normal IQP bat tle. 8 itbs other reasonable options were 8 ild3 and 8 ilb3, but Tal chooses the most active move. The threat of 9 tLle5 must already be taken into account. 8... a6?! Anxious about releasing the pin, Milev keeps delaying his development. 8 ... itd7 was better, bringing out the bishop and at the same time preventing 9 tLle5. 9 itxc6+ bxc6 10 0-0


In exchange for the bishop pair, White enjoys a sounder pawn structure and a lead in development. 10....tb7? Yet one more unnecessary move. In view of the possible 11 tbe5 Milev protects the c6pawn in advance, but he should rather have accelerated the development on the oppo site flank by 10...cxd4 11 exd4 .te7. Here 12 tbe5 .tb7 13 'Yi'f3 proves inoffensive after 13 ... 0-0 14 tt:Jxc6 .tf6! with decent compen sation for the pawn; e.g. 15 tbe4 .txc6 16 tt:Jxf6+ 'Yi'xf6 17 'Yi'xc6 tt:Jd5 followed by 18 .. J::tfc8 . Probably Tal would have opted for something like 13 'Yi'h5 ! ? o-o 14 �d1, intend ing �d3-h 3, with attacking prospects. 11 tt:Je4! Provoking ... c5xd4 to clear both the c1h6 diagonal and the e-file. 11...tbd7? In order to prevent White's intentions, Black moves the knight for the fourth time. Admittedly after 11...cxd4 12 exd4 .te7 13 .tg5 ! ? f6 14 .te3 tt:Jd5 (not 14 ...0-0?! 15 'i¥h3!) 15 �c1, followed by 16 tbc5, White has the upper hand, yet Black's position is entirely fightable. 12 'Yi'c2 'Yi'b6

12 ... cxd4 was the lesser evil, but Black i s consistent. Now how t o step up the pres sure? 13 tt:Jes! A strong blow that either wins the battle for the c5-square or forces the black king to stay in the centre. 13 ...cxd4 Black opts for the latter, since after 13 ...tbxe5 14 dxe5, followed by b2-b3, .ta3 and �ac1, he would be strategically doomed. 14 tt:Jxd7 �xd7 15 exd4! White's main priority is to clear the c1h6 diagonal for the bishop. Less promising is 15 �d1?! �d8 16 �xd4+ �c8 and Black stays alive. 1S . �e8 Intending .. .f7-f6 and �f7 to safeguard the king. The attempt at artificial castling by 15 ...�d8 is well met by 16 .te3 'Yi'c7 17 'Yi'd2 ! �c8 18 .tf4 'Yi'b6 19 �fd1, with ideas like �c1-c3-b3 and .tg 3 followed by 'Yi'f4. 16 .te3! Development with tempo. Due to the threat of 17 d5, Black must waste a move on retreating his queen. 16...'Yi'c7 ..

31

M a s t e ring Op e n ing Strategy

11 ds! Anyway! Now the e-file is cleared with great effect. 11 ... exds 18 l:rfe1!
This early queen sortie is hardly a critical test of the Winawer, but the unorthodox positions that often follow may not please every French player. Moreover, at the time of this game I was inspired by some White victories in this line by my countryman GM Jonny Hector. 4...dxe4 One of several logical replies, aiming to gain a tempo by s ...l2'lf6 on the next move. 5 'li'xe4 l2'lf6 6 'li'h4 cs 7 dxcs 'li'as?! The correct move order is 7 ....i.xc3+ 8 bxc3 'li'as; e.g. 9 'li'b4 'li'c7 10 l2'lf3 l2'lc6 11 'li'h4 'li'as 12 .i.d2 'li'xcs with mutual chan ces, J.Hellsten-L.Karlsson, Gothenburg (rapid) 1996. 8 .i.d2 In contrast to 7 ....i.xc3+ above, here White keeps his pawn structure intact, thus making a future 0-0-0 possible. Besides which, a2-a3 might now prove unpleasant for Black at any moment. 8 ...l2'lc6 9 .i.d3

Come 12

J.Hellsten-N.G.Renman Norrkoping 1994 French Defence

1 e4 e6 2 d4 ds 3 l2'lc3 .i.b4 4 'li'd3!? 32

9 ...l2'les? Anxious about swapping White's "good" bishop, Black moves the knight twice (soon thrice), which will cost him duly. The simple 9 ... 'li'xcs was called for; e.g. 10 a3 .i.xc3 11

Th e Na ture of De ve lopme n t

i.xc3 es, followed by ... o-o, with much bet ter prospects than in the game. 10 a3! i.xc3 11 i.xc3 'Yi'xcs Perhaps 11 .. .'�Jxd3+ 12 cxd3 'Yi'xcs 13 i.xf6 gxf6 14 'Yi'xf6 l:tg8 was a lesser evil, sacrificing a pawn in order to prevent White's 14th move in the game, although after 15 lbf3 ! l:txg2 16 lbes the latter keeps the initiative. 12 0-0-0 Speeding up development; Black can't do the same with 12 ... 0-0? due to 13 i.b4. 12 ...i.d7 13 lbf3! Development with tempo. Now 13 ...lbxf3?! 14 gxf3, followed by l:thgl, leads to unbearable pressure on the dark squares, whereas the doubled pawns are a less serious matter. 13 'Yi'g3 ! ? was interest ing as well. 13 ...lbxd3+ 14 l:txd3 l:tc8 Since 14... 0-0-0? fails to 15 i.xf6 gxf6 16 l:tc3, Black opts for a useful move. 1S l:thd1

A familiar picture in this chapter: one player h as mobilized all his pieces, with an advantage in activity that leaves the oppo nent under a dark cloud. Note that Black's delayed castling doesn't just jeopardize his

king, it also means that he is playing with a rook less. 1s ...'Yi'fs This move doesn't achieve much, but what to do? The desirable 15 ...0-0? fails to the simple 16 l:txd7 lbxd7 17 l:txd7, while 1S ...lbds 16 lbes also has a bad aspect for Black; e.g. 16 ...lbxc3? 17 l:txc3 'Yi'xes 18 l:txc8+ i.xc8 19 l::td 8 m ate, or 16 ...i.bs 17 l:txds! exds 18 'Yi'g3 with the double threat of 19 'Yi'xg7 and 19 l:tel. At this point, 18 ... 0-0 fails to 19 l"bd3. 16 'Yi'g3! Heading for d6 with tempo. Less clear is 16 i.xf6?! gxf6 when 17 Rxd7?? fails to mate. 16 ...lbhs Or 16 ... 0-0? 17 i.xf6 'Yi'xf6 18 l:txd7. 11 'Yi'd6 i.c6 18 lbes! Now the threat of 19 lbxc6 bxc6 20 'Yi'd7+ forces Black to enter a lost endgame. 18 ...'Yi'g5+ Or 18 ... lbf6? 19 'Yi'd8+! with mate in two. 19 �b1 'Yi'e7 20 'Yi'xe7+ �xe7 21 lbxc6+ bxc6 22 l:td7+

The rest is easy: 22 ...�e8 23 i.b4! cs 24 i.xcs l:txcs 2S l:td8+ �e7 26 J::tx h8 h6 27 l:thd8 l:tc7 28 g3 lbf6 29 l:t8d2 gs 30 h3 hs 31 1:te1 l:tcs 32 b3 1-0 33


The following game was played just a few months after my battle with Renman, which confirms the fact that you learn more from your defeats than from your victories!

Game 13 C.Niklasson-J.HeUsten

Malmo 1994

Bird's Opening 1 g3 ds 2 f4 Adherents of Bird's Opening can use this move order to avoid From's G ambit (1 f4 e5). 2...Ci'Jc6 Launching a rather aggressive set-up. With 2 ... g6, followed by 3 ... i.g7, Black could have entered the Dutch Leningrad with re versed colours, where the minus tempo is no great issue. 3 CLJf3 i.g4 4 i.g2 "fid7 5 h3

...i.d6 and ...0-0-0, Black obtains a great game. Now, in contrast, 6 ... e5 can be met by 7 fxe5 Ci'Jxe5 8 d4 with a slight edge due to the bishop pair. 6 ..."fie6+?! Before playing ... e7-e6 Black aims to de ploy the queen at g6 where it will hit the g3-pawn and seize the b1-h7 diagonal. The downside to this creative idea is the time loss involved. A normal continuation was 6 ... e6 7 d4 i.d6 8 0-0 Ci'Jge7, followed by ... 0-0, with approximate equality. A later plan might be ... Ci'Jf5, ... Ci'Jce7 and ... C7-c5, hitting the enemy centre. 7 �f2 White of course avoids 7 "fie2 ? "fig6 with a double attack at g 3 and c2. 7 ..."fig6 8 d4 Fighting for the centre and ruling out any ideas of ...i.c5.

8 ..CLJb4? Black prepares ... C7-c5, striking at the enemy centre. Structurally speaking this is not a bad idea, and it is even utilized by White in a similar structure in the Trom powsky. Once ... C7-c5 is achieved, if White replies d4xc5 then Black obtains two pawns against none in the centre, whereas if he .

While 5 0-0?! i.h 3 plays in Black's hands, 5 c4! ? might be a more critical test of his set-up. s ...i.xf3 6 exf3! After 6 i.xf3?! e5! followed by ... Ci'Jf6, 34


supports the d4-pawn by c2-C3, then the double pawn capture on d4 produces an isolated white pawn on the same square. The problem with 8 ...iLlb4 is the same one as two moves ago: Black neglects develop ment. Again 8 ... e6 was called for. 9 tLla3 Of course 9 c3? tLld3+ had to be avoided, while a knight jump to b5 might soon prove useful. Now 9 ... e6 was, once more, Black's lesser evil, but I am consistent with my pre vious play. 9 cs 10 .i.f1 The bishop was idle on g2 and now helps in pushing back the knight by c2-c3. 10 dxc5?! e5 is less clear. 10...tLlc6 Or 10 ... cxd4 11 tLlb5 ! 'iVxc2+ 12 .i.d2 'iVxd1 13 l:txd1 tt'la6 14 tLJxd4, with ideas like .i.b5+ and f4-f5, when White's lead in development more than compensates for the pawn. 11 iLlbs

due to 1 2 dxc5 e 6 1 3 .i.e3. However, after 13 ... d4! 14 iLlxd4 .i.xc5 15 c3 lLlge7 Black may claim some compensation for the pawn. The development he achieves in this line will remain an illusion for the rest of the game. 12 dxcs a6 H ere 12 ... e6 fails to 13 .i.e3, so Black has to spend more time to recover the c5-pawn. 13 tLlc3 tLlb4 After 13 ... e6?! 14 tLla4 White hangs on to the pawn.

...

Well, how to defend against the fork on C7? 11 ...l:tc8? The decisive mistake, leaving the king stranded in the centre. I discarded 11 ... 0-0-0

14 .i.d3! Niklasson has nothing against swapping his "good" bishop for my only developed minor piece. Indeed, after 14 ... tLJxd3+ 15 cxd3 Black's position is hopeless; e.g. 15 ...l:txc5 16 .i.e3, winning the d-pawn, or 15 ... d4 16 'ii'a4+ with the same effect. Thus Black has to spend one more tempo on moving his queen. 14 ...'iVc6 15 a3 'iVxcs+ 16 .i.e3! Development with tempo. Now 16 ...d4 fails to 17 .i.b5+! axb5 18 .i.xd4, recovering the piece with interest; e.g. 18 ... 'ii'c 4 19 axb4 l:td8 (or 19 ...'iVxb4 20 'iVd3) 20 .i.b6! l:txd1 21 l:ta8+ �d7 22 l:txd1+, followed by 23 l:txf8. Remember, tactical complications 35

M as t e ring Open ing Strategy

usually favour the side with a lead in devel opment. 16-.lrucd3+ 17 cxd3! Clearing the c-file for future operations. In contrast, after 17 'i!Vxd3?! 'i!fc4 18 .l::!.h d1 e6 Black has much better chances for resis tance, since there is no open file where White can exploit his lead in development. 17...'i!fd6 Obviously 17 ... d4? fails to 18 'i!fa4+.

b6, while clearing the c-file for the rook. 20 ...tbe7? This tactical oversight loses the queen, but after 20...bs 21 tbcs .l::!.a 8 (there was the threat of 22 lbb7} 22 a4! White breaks through anyway. 21 ..ie5 'i!fd7 22 .l::!.c 7 'i!Vb5 23 .l::!.c 5! f6 Or 23 ...'i!fd7 24 lbb6. 24 ..ic7 .l::!.c 8 25 J::i.x b5 axb5 26 tbc3 .l::!.x c7 27 lbxb5 White soon materialized his huge ad vantage.

The development factor after m utua l castling So far in this chapter, leaving aside the "atypical" game Conquest-Sokolov (Game 9), the side lagging in development never managed to castle ! The next two games will show us that the development factor re mains relevant even after castling.

So, Black finally got what h e wanted: a superior pawn structure. Unfortunately, this is irrelevant when most of his pieces are still in their initial positions. Note that White needs just one move to connect his rooks, while Black needs four - thus the latter won't have a chance in resisting on the open file. 18 .l::!.c 1! J::i.d 8 Surrendering the c-file in order to avoid tactical surprises. After 18 ... e6 19 'i!fa4+ (19 lbbs is also interesting) 19 ....l::!.c 6 (both queen moves fail to the tactical shot 20 tbxds!} 20 tbe2, followed by tbd4, Black's queenside defence is soon destroyed; 18 ... tbf6 can be met in the same way. 19 ..id4 e6 20 tba4! Exploiting the vulnerable squares cs and 36

Game l'.f. �VaJ� We�r-"S.Guliev Europ�Jn t:hampionship, ' Oh£id 2001

Dutch Dejt:Qt;� 1 d4 f5 2 g3 tbf6 3 ..ig2 g6 4 'bf3 ..ig7 5 b4 An interesting sideline against the Len ingrad Dutch. White prepares ..ib2, in order to neutralize the enemy bishop on g7, and grabs some space on the queenside. 5 ...d6 6 ..ib2 o-o 1 o-o 'i!fe8 8 c4 h6 9 'bbd2 g5 A typical move in this defence, but the more restrained 9 ...'i!ff7 10 'i!fc2 c6 followed by .....ie6 and ... 'bbd7 might have been preferable, completing development before taking further actions.


10 e3 A sensible piece of prophylaxis as soon as .. .f5-f4 appears on Black's agenda.

10 ...f4? Black just can't wait to attack on the kingside, but this lets White open the posi tion to the benefit of his better developed forces. Again 10...'iff7 11 'ifc2 c6, followed by ... i.e6, made sense. 11 exf4! The virtue of 10 e3 becomes evident: White manages to open the e-file towards the backward pawn on e7, while his king remains completely safe. 11 ...gxf4 12 J::!.e 1 fxg3 13 hxg3 i.g4 Black quickly brings out his remaining forces, but his position is already dubious. 14 'ifc2 lZ'lc6 Other moves, such as 14 ... c6 and 14 ... 'iff7, are well met by 15 CLJh4! just like in the game - Tyomkin. 15 bS lZ'ldS 16 lZ'lh4! Heading for the weak light squares on g6 and f5. By now Black's aspirations of a kingside attack are definitely outdated, and it is White who is thinking in such terms. 16 'ifd7 17 CLJf1 The other knight joins the battle for the

kingside. Less flexible i s 1 7 lZ'lg6 J::i.f7, when White has to look out for ...i.f5. 17 ...J::i.f7 18 lZ'le3 .i.h3 19 'ifg6! .i.xg2 20 �xg2 e6

21 dS! White's game plays itself. This advance softens up the f5-square and includes the bishop in the attack, since 21 ... e5? 22 lZ'lef5 would be fatal for Black. 21 ... lZ'lh7 If 21 ...�h8 White has the strong sacrifice 22 lZ'lef5 ! exf5 23 lZ'lxf5 with irresistible threats; e.g. 23 ... lZ'lh5 24 lZ'lxg7 lZ'lxg7 25 'ifxh6+ �g8 26 J::!.h 1 winning - Tyomkin. 22 CLJg4 �f8 Black wasn't eager to enter the nice line 22 ...�h8 23 'ifxg7+! ! J::!.x g7 24 CLJg6+ �g8 25 lZ'lxh6 mate - Tyomkin . 23 'ifxh7 i.xb2 24 CLJg6+ 1-0 In view of 24 ...�e8 25 'ifg8+.

Gam� 15

J�ellsten..H�&.apet Sitv,a •••• Pin�m�r 2004 Bencnr Defence

•••

1 d4 cs 2 ds lZ'lf6 37


In this type of accelerated Benoni, an other direction is 2 ... es 3 lbc3 d6 4 e4 !!d.e7, intending 5 lbf3 !!d.g4 followed by ...id.xf3 and ...!!d.g s at the appropriate moment. 3 lbc3 This is the downside to 1 ...cs compared with the standard 1 ... lbf6 2 c4 cs. White skips c2-c4 in order to speed up develop ment and enable a future lbf3-d2-c4. 3 ... e5 I am no expert on this defence, but 3 ... d6 4 e4 g6 seems more promising to me, keep ing the long diagonal open for the bishop. 4 e4 d6 5 lbf3 g6 6 lbd2 !!d.g7 7 !!d.e2 0-0 8 o-o 'fie7 Another idea is 8 ... a6 9 a4 lbbd7 10 lbc4 lbb6, when White could try 11 lbe3 or 11 lba3, preparing 12 as and the return of the knight to c4. 9 a4 lbbd7 10 lbc4 lbe8 11 .l:!.a3! A useful move, bringing the last piece into play while awaiting Black's next step. In contrast, after 11 f4?! exf4 12 id.xf4 l2Jes, followed by ...id.d7, the latter has nothing to complain about.

is soon able to open the position for his bet ter developed pieces. Black should have looked for play on the other flank with 11 ... .l:!.b8, preparing ...b7-b6, ... a7-a6 and ...b6-bS. 12 exf5 gxf5 13 f4! A key move in order to put pressure on Black's centre before his pieces on a8 and c8 are able to join the battle. 13 ...exf4?! 13 ... e4 was preferable, keeping the posi tion closed, although after 14 h3!, followed by g2-g4, White takes the initiative anyway. 14 id.xf4 l2Je5 15 .l:!.e1 id.d7 Now the pressure at es becomes intol erable, but after 1S ...lbg6 16 id.h S!, followed by !!d.xg6 and lbbs, or 1S ... lbxc4 16 !!d.xc4 'f/f6 17 .l:!.b3!, preparing lbe2-g3, White is also much better. 16 fd.f1 .l:!.f7 17 lbb5! Creating the threat of 18 lbbxd6 and clearing the third rank for the rook. The dif ference in activity between White's and Black's pieces is striking. 17...!/d.xb5 18 axb5 a6 19 bxa6 bxa6

11 ...f5?! A natural advance in the present pawn structure; however, on this occasion White

20 !!d.xe5 Initiating a winning sequence. The re strained 20 .l:!.ae3 was also strong.

38

Th e Na ture of Deve lopmen t

2o .ixes Or 20 ... dxe5 21 d6 �e6 22 ti:Jb6!, fol lowed by .ic4. 21 tt:Jxes dxes 22 d6! ti:Jxd6 Forced, in view of 22 ...�xd6 23 .ic4. 23 �ds .l:tds Or 23 ....l:te8 24 .l:txa6 ti:Je4 25 .ic4 etc. 24 .l:txe5 1-0 With his position in ruins, Black re signed. There could have followed 24 ...�f6 25 .l:txa6 with fatal pins, or 24... �c7 25 .l:txa6 ti:Je4 26 .l:ta8 .l:txa8 27 �xa8+ 'it>g7 28 �d5, when both 28 ... c4 29 �d4! and 28 ... �a7 29 c4 should win easily for White.

up with that bishop at home. 7 .id3 �c7?!

The next game is a good example on how to work on a lead in a development even after the opening phase has con cluded. In clear contrast to the previous two games, when Black finally makes it to cas tling he is already beyond salvation.

This attack on the e5-pawn loses its sense after White's reply. 7 ... ti:Je7! was pref erable, followed by ... ti:Jc6 or ...ti:Jg6, speed ing up development. 8 0-0! Just like in Dvoretsky-Schmidt (Game 7), White doesn't lose any time on defending the pawn, aware that 8 ...�xe5?! 9 .ib5+! .id7 10 .ixd7+ 'it>xd7 11 .l:te1, followed by 12 c4, would leave the black king in serious danger - Golubev. 8 ... ti:Je7 9 ti:Jc3! .id7 Black gets ready to swap off the white knight if it jumps to b5. Again 9 ... �xe5?! is too risky; e.g. 10 .l:te1 �c7 11 ti:Jb5 �8 12 �f3 ! (threatening 13 .if4) 12 ... e5 13 ti:Jc3 d4 14 .ib5+ with huge compensation for the pawn. On the other hand, 9 ... a6! ? made some sense, in order to prevent ti:Jb5 once and for all. 10 f4 Finally White secures the e5-pawn and also adds the advance f4-f5 to his agenda, a fact that explains Black's next move. 10 ... g6 11 .ie3 hs?! Prophylaxis against g2-g4, but swift de-

•.•

Game 16 E.Berg-P.Velicka

Stock hoi m 2006

Caro-Kann Defence 1 e4 c6 2 ti:Jf3 ds 3 exds cxds 4 tt:Jes A curious reply to the Caro-Kann, one that can claim a remote relation to the more familiar variation 2 d4 d5 3 exd5 cxd5 4 .id3 ti:Jc6 5 c3. In the latter case White has a slight problem with the development of his king's knight, in the sense that ti:Jf3 might run into ....ig4. With the early knight jump to e5 he avoids that pin, while he can speculate with the idea of .ib5(+) at some moment. 4...ti:Jd7 5 d4 ti:Jxes 6 dxes e6 Considering that 6 ... .if5? fails to 7 .ib5+ .id7 8 �xd5, Black applies a French-like set-

39

M a s te ring Op e n ing Strategy

velopment by 11 .. .lt:Jf5 12 i.f2 i.c5 was more to the point. Black could then con sider both castling options, depending on White's play.

How can White exploit his clear lead in development? 12 tLlb5! Berg prepares the crucial c2-c4 break in order to open lines on the queenside. The fact that Black now manages to exchange his "bad" bishop is less relevant. 12 ... i.xb5 13 i.xb5+ tLlc6 14 c4! The d- and c-files are cleared before Black manages to castle. 14...a6 Forcing the trade of the active enemy bishop, but losing more time. Also unsatis factory was 14...dxc4 15 'ifa4!, followed by �ac1 and �xc4. Instead, the radical 14 ... 0-0-0! ? deserved attention; e.g. 15 cxd5 �xd5 16 'ifa4 i.c5 with more resistance than in the game. 15 i.xc6+ bxc6 16 cxd5 cxd5 Or 16 ...exd5?! 17 f5 with a big initiative. 17 �C1 'ifd7 18 �f2! Another power move, which prepares �fc2 with an invasion down the c-file. As Golubev observes, Black has a great pawn 40

structure and the "better" bishop, but his delay in development prevents these long term factors from taking effect.

18 ...i.e7?! A vulnerable square for the bishop. 18 ...�c8?! failed to 19 �xc8+ 'ifxc8 20 'ifa4+! (Golubev), but 18 ... i.h6 was a more tena cious choice, intending 19 i.c5 i.f8 ! 20 i.xf8?! �xf8 and ...�g7. In turn White should prefer 20 i.b6, followed by �c7 and �fc2, with a somewhat inferior version of the game. 19 �fc2 o-o The attempt to prevent the invasion at c7 by 19 ... i.d8 runs into 20 i.c5!, denying Black's castling. 20 �c7 'ifd8 21 'ifa4! With the simple idea of �d7. Black can't do anything to stop this. 21...�e8 22 �d7 'ifb8 23 �cc7 'ifxb2 This desperate shot is easily refuted, but after 23 ...'ifh4 24 'ifxb4 i.xb4 25 �xf7 i.f8 26 �f6 Black is done - Golubev. 24 �xe7 �xe7 25 �xe7 'ife2 26 i.f2 Black's attack is already over, since 26 ...�b8 fails to 27 �e8+. Velicka could have resigned at this point, but keeps on fighting until the bitter end.


The next two games will show these ideas in action.

Game 17 VA.�and-S.miviakov Wijk a an Zee 1006

Scancllnavian Defence 1 e4 ds 2 exds 'iVxds 3 ct:lc3 1Vd6

26 ... 1Vd2 21 h3 Wg7 28 .i.h4 gs 29 .i.xgs 1Ve1+ 30 Wh2 h4 31 l:txf7+! The most elegant finish. 31...Wxf7 32 'iVd7+ Wg8 33 1Vxe6+ Wg7 34 .i.f6+ 1-0 Black lost on time when the mate was around the corner; e.g. 34 ...Wh6 35 .i.e7+ Wg7 36 1Vf6+ Wh7 37 1Vf7+ Wh6 38 .i.g5 mate.

A defender's perspective Well, what to do when behind in develop ment? Here are some simple recommenda tions: Consider giving (back} material, usu ally a pawn, in order to gain time for development. t Look for exchanges, in particular of the queens. t Consider unusual ways of developing the pieces. t Keep the tactical possibilities of both sides constantly supervised - under such circumstances, just one small er ror might be sufficient to lose the game. t

Over the last decade, this has become a popular alternative to the traditional 3 ... 1Va5, with Tiviakov as its main protago nist. On d6 the queen seizes the h2-b8 di agonal, while keeping an eye on the white d-pawn. 4 d4 tt:lf6 An alternate move order is 4 ...c6 5 tt:lf3 .i.g4, with the merit that White's sixth move in the game is avoided. s tt:lf3 c6 6 tt:les White immediately seizes the centre and prepares .i.f4 in order to harass the black queen. 6 ...tt:lbd7 7 .i.f4 Another direction is 7 ct:lc4 1Vc7 8 1Vf3, preparing i.f4. 7 ... tt:lds 8 ct:lxds 'iVxds 9 i.e2!? 41

M as t e ring Open ing S t ra tegy

White offers a pawn to speed up devel opment and keep bothering the black queen. 9 ...lt:Jxes 10 .i.xes 'ii'x g2! Accepting the challenge is the best choice on this occasion. After 10....i.f5? ! 11 o-o e6 12 c4 'ii'd7 13 'ii'b 3, preparing I:!.ad1 and d4-d5, White obtains a small advan tage at no risk. 11 .i.f3 'ii'g6 12 dS?! Logically enough, White tries to open the position for his better developed forces, but Black counts on a strong reply. The pre paratory 12 'ii'e 2 was more flexible; e.g. 12 ....i.f5 13 o-o-o, intending d4-d5, or 12 ...'ii'e 6 13 d5! cxd5 14 o-o-o f6 15 .i.xd5! 'ii'xe5 16 'ii'c4 e6 17 I:!.he1 with strong pres sure, J.M.Degraeve-1.5mirnov, Cappelle la Grande 2009.

12 ....i.g4! By tactical means (13 .i.xg4? 'ii'e 4+) Black manages to exchange the dangerous bishop on f3. Moreover, he enables a quick ...I:!.d8 or even ...0-0-0, possibilities that An and hurries to prevent with his next move. 13 dxc6 bxc6 14 'ii'e 2 Not 14 I:!.g1?? .i.xf3 15 'ii'xf3 'ii'xg1+ 16 �e2 'ii'g 6 and Black wins. 42

14 ... .i.xf3 15 'ii'xf3 I:!.d8! At first sight, 15 ...'ii'e 6, intending 16 'ii'e 2 f6 with simplifications, seems tempting. However, White has the much stronger 16 0-0-0!, speeding up development, and the bishop is untouchable because of mate. Thus Tiviakov first rules out the opponent's long castling, which obliges White to hide his king on the more exposed kingside. 16 .l::!.d 1 'ii'e 6 After 16 ...'ii'x c2 17 I:!.xd8+ �xd8 18 0-0 White has compensation for the two pawns - Anand. Another idea is 16 ...I:!.xd1+ 17 �xd1 'ii'e 6 18 I:!.e1 'ii'd 5+, forcing the ex change of queens, although after 19 'ii'xd5 cxd5 20 I:i.e3, heading for a3 or b3, White keeps the initiative even into the endgame. 17 0-0 I:!.xd1 18 I:!.xd1

Black is now left with a single defender and his last rank has become vulnerable. Fortunately, White doesn't have too many attacking pieces either - even so, the for mer should proceed with care. 1s ... hs! A great idea. Since his remaining pieces can't be developed in a normal way, Tivia kov prepares to bring out the rook via h6. In contrast, after 18 .. .f6?! 19 .i.c3 �f7 20 .l::!.d 4!,


followed by lb4, White keeps the initiative. 19 'ifd3 'ii'c 8 Of course not 19 .. .f6?? 20 'ifg6+ 'iff7 21 .Md8+! .

counterpart, even at the cost of a pawn) 26 .Mes e6 27 .Mxh s .Mh6! 28 .Mxh6 gxh6 29 'iff3 c4 and the roughly equal endgame later ended in a draw. If, by chance, you felt that Tiviakov's play was not that difficult, then in the following game Black faces a much more complex task.

Ciame 18 A.Naiditsch·V.Belov Moscow 2001 Sicilian Defence, NajdorfVariation "

20 h4! By blocking the black h-pawn White pre pares 'it>h2 and i.g3 with improved safety for his king. 20....Mh6 21 'it>h2 .Mg6 22 i.g3 l:i.g4

Now that his rook has joined the battle, Black hardly has anything to worry about. The game continued 23 a3 a6 24 .Mel cs {according to Anand, 24.. .fs produced a slight advantage) 25 c3 .Mg6 {retreating the rook in order to swap its more active white

, ,

, ,,

1 e4 cs 2 'Llf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 'Llxd4 'Llf6 5 'Llc3 a6 6 i.e3 e6 7 g4

With 6 i.e3 White usually signals an English Attack by 7 f3, 'ifd2, 0-0-0 etc; in thi s game he opts for a sharper line. 7 ...es The most principled reply, which virtu ally forces White to sacrifice a piece in order to keep the balance. A safer choice is 7 ...h6 with more standard Sicilian play. 8 'Llfs g6 9 gS gxfS 10 exfs The meek 10 gxf6?! f4 11 i.d2 i.e6 43


would go against the spirit of the variation. 1o...ds This pawn advance is Black's only prom Jsmg choice. After the materialistic 10 ...lt:Jfd7?! 11 'ii'h 5, with ideas like o-o-o, .ic4, g 5-g6 etc, his king gets under too much pressure, while the seemingly prag matic 10....ixf5?! fails to 11 gxf6, followed by lt:Jd5 or �f3, with a clear grip on the light squares. 11 gxf6 d4

Black is ready to charge the piece, though it goes without saying that White's compensation will be enormous. 12 .ic4 �c7 White's previous clever move rendered both captures on e3 and c3 impossible due to the tactical blow 13 .ixf7+, while 12 ...�xf6 13 lt:Jd5 �c6 14 .ixd4! has yielded him excellent results in practice. After the text he will have to hand over the piece un der less favourable circumstances. 13 �d3 dxe3 This is currently regarded as the best choice. Several older games saw the con tinuation 13 ...dxc3 14 0-0-0 cxb2+ 15 '.i?b1 lt:Jc6 16 f4! with a strong white initiative. 14 f4!? 44

A rare try i n this sharp position, with the obvious intention of clearing the e-file to wards Black's king. The main line goes 14 o-o-o exf2 15 .ixf7+ '.i?xf7 16 �d5+ '.i?xf6 17 lt:Je4+ '.i?e7 with great complications .

14....ib4! Black hurries to swap the dangerous en emy knight on c3, exploiting the fact that, contrary to the main line with 14 0-0-0, White's king is still on e1. 15 0-0-0 .ixc3 16 bxc3 A chaotic position has occurred. White is a whole piece down and his pawn structure has been ruined. On the other hand, Black's development is minimal and his king is al ready being targeted by the active enemy pieces, in complicity with the strong f6pawn. Needless to say, calculation abilities are essential to handle such a position with either colour. 16 ...lt:Jc6 Development first, and support of the crucial e5-pawn. The greedy 16 ...exf4? failed to 17 �e4+ '.i?f8 18 �xf4! with deci sive threats. 17 M.hg1! The last piece joins the battle, with focus on the g7-square. The attempts to clear the


e-file were less convincing : 17 iVxe3?! i.xf5, 17 fxe5?! iVxe5, or 17 .U.he1?! exf4 18 iVe4+ iVe5 all help Black.

17 ....U.f8! Reinforcing the kingside defence. The earlier game E.Van Den Doel-L.Van Wely, Dieren 1999, saw 17 ...e2?! 18 iVxe2 i.xf5 19 iVh 5 i.e4 (or 19 ...i.g6 20 .U.xg6! fxg6 2 1 f7+ We7 22 iVg5+ Wf8 23 iVf6, winning) 20 fxe5 l2la5 21 i.e6! .U.f8 22 i.d7+ iVxd7 23 .U.xd7 Wxd7 24 iVg4+ and Black resigned. 18 iVxe3 In the event of 18 fxe5?! iVxe5 19 .U.g 3 i.xf5 20 iVe2 Black is saved by the oppor tune 20 ... .U.d8! ; e.g. 21 .U.xd8? Wxd8, leaving the e-file, or 2 1 .U.xe3 .U.xd1+ 22 Wb2 (not 22 Wxd1? i.g4! 23 iVxg4 iVxe3 24 iVc8+ l2ld8 and Black wins) 22 ... iVxe3 23 iVxe3+ i.e6 24 i.xe6 fxe6 25 iVxe6+ Wd8 with a clear ad vantage - Naiditsch. 18 ...i.xfs 19 iVcs Restricting the knight on c6. Naiditsch also indicates the curious line 19 fxe5 l2ld8! 20 i.xf7+!? .U.xf7! (both 20 ... iVxf7? 21 .U.g7 and 20 ...l2lxf7? 21 e6 had to be avoided) 21 .U.g8+ .U.f8 22 .U.g7 .U.f7 with a perpetual. 19 ....U.d8 The last piece is brought into the game.

After 19 ...b 6 2 0 iVa3 White keeps the initia tive; e.g. 20 ... l2la5 21 i.b3 l2lxb3+ 22 axb3 i.e6 23 .U.g 5!, intending 23 ... exf4?! 24 iVa4+! b5 25 .U.xb5 axb5 26 iVxa8+ iVc8 27 iYa7 with a decisive attack. 20 i.ds

2o .U.xds! Black returns some of the material in order to retain his valuable knight, whose departure would leave him very weak on the dark squares; e.g. 20 ... i.e6?! 21 i.xc6+ bxc6 22 .U.xd8+ iVxd8 23 iVxc6+ i.d7 24 iVxa6 e4 25 .U.e1 with a decisive attack Naiditsch. As for the attempt to castle artificially with 20 ... Wd7!?, Naiditsch indicates 21 i.e4+ (of course not 21 i.xc6+? Wc8) 21 ... We6 22 i.xf5+ Wxf5 23 fxe5 .U.xd1+ 24 .U.xd1 .U.d8 (not 24 ... iVxe5? 25 .U.d5) 25 .U.f1+ We6 26 iVc4+ Wd7 27 iVg4+! We8 28 e6 with a clear advantage. 21 .U.xds i.e6 22 .U.d6 exf4 23 .U.g7 i.d7 The only move, in view of the threat 24 .U.xe6+. 24 .U.d1 Redirecting the rook to a better destiny, such as e1 or g1. 24...i.e6 25 .U.e1? ••.

45


The materialistic 25 l:txh 7 ! was called for. Now the threat of 26 "iYxf8+ forces Black to play 2S ... l:tg8, and after 26 l:tg7! (26 "iYg s ! ? llle 7! is less promising) 26 ...l:tf8 27 l:te1 "iYc8 28 "iYd6 "iYd7 29 "iYxf4 White h as a clear edge - Naiditsch. The passed h-pawn makes a big difference compared with the position arising after White's 27th move in the game.

25 "iYc8 The desirable 2S ... "iYd8? failed to 26 l:txe6+! fxe6 27 "iYh s+. 26 "iYd6 "iYd7 27 "iYxf4 "iYd8! Heading for as, with some counterplay against the enemy king. 28 l:teg1?! White should have settled for 28 l:txh7 "iYas 29 l:txe6+! fxe6 30 "iYd6 "iYg s+ 31 �b2 "iYhs+ with a draw by perpetual - Naiditsch. 28 "iYb8 29 "iYh6 .••

•..

46

This time, 29 "iYxb8+ lllxb8 30 l:txh7 llld 7 31 l:tf1 seems preferable, with an unclear endgame. 29 "iYd6 30 l:t1g2 "iYa3+ 31 �d1 .•.

31..."iYxc3? In apparent time-trouble both players missed the strong 31 ... �d7!, escaping with the king to c7, after which only Black would have real attacking prospects. 32 l:t7g3! Now Black has to look out for the threat of "iYxf8+. 32 ... "iYa1+ 33 �d2 "iYd4+ 34 �c1 "iYa1+ 35 �d2 "iYd4+ 36 �c1 "iYcs 37 l:td2! Preventing ...�d7-C7. 37 ..."iYes 38 c3 "iYcs 39 "iYf4 "iYes 40 "iYf2 "iYas 41 "iYf4 "iYes Yz-Yz It is difficult for either side to make pro gress, besides which both players must have been really tired at this point.


Exercises Ga me 1 9

Po•.Carlsson-E. B iomqvist Stockholm 2008

Defence, Richter-Rauzer Variation Sicilian

1 e4 c5 2 i2lc3 i2lc6 3 i2lf3 d6 4 d4 cxd4 5 i2lxd4 i2lf6 6 .ltg5 .ltd7 In this Richter-Rauzer sideline, Black gives priority to his queenside develop ment, without fearing the doubled f pawns. The main line is 6 ...e6. 7 'iid 2 Itc8 8 i2lxc6!? bxc6 This recapture leaves both pieces on d7 and c8 somewhat awkwardly placed. 8 ... .1txc6 was a more natural reaction to White's surprising eighth move. 9 .ltc4 e6 10 o-o-o .lte7 11 Ithe1 After just 11 moves, White has brought all his pieces into play. On the other hand, Black enjoys a strong pawn centre, which is a typical feature of this Sicilian system. 11 d5?! A dangerous choice, considering Black's slight delay in development. Probably there was nothing wrong with 11... 0-0; e.g. 12 es iL:lds or 12 .ltxf6 gxf6 13 'iih 6 �h8, followed by ... Itg8-g7. 12 .ltxf6 gxf6? 12 ....txf6 was correct; e.g. 13 exds cxds 14 .ltxds (not 14 iL:lxds? Itxc4) 14 ....txc3 1 5 bxc3 0-0 16 .ltb3 Ite7 with just a slight edge for White. ...

(seefollowing diagram)

Your move ...

Game 2o

PAcs-A.Belezky

Germa n league 2011

French Defence

1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 i2lc3 dxe4 4 i2lxe4 iL:ld7 The Rubinstein French is quite popular these days, despite a rather cramped game for Black. 4 ....ltd7, followed by ....ltc6, is a different approach. 5 i2lf3 i2lgf6 6 .ltd3 c5 7 o-o cxd4 After the logical 7 ... i2lxe4 8 .ltxe4 i2lf6 Black also remains under some pressure; e.g. 9 .tg s cxd4 10 'iie 2!?, preparing Itad1xd4. 8 iL:lxd4 i2lc5?! Black somehow wishes to swap the bishop on d3, but wastes time. 8 ... .lte7, pre paring ...0-0, made much more sense - Ba burin. 47

M as te ring Op e n ing Strategy

9 i.g5 Swift development. 9 tt'lxf6+ gxf6 (not 9 .. :�xf6?! 10 tt'lb5!) 10 i.b5+ i.d7 11 'iie 2 looked promising as well. 9 ... h6? This is one tempo loss too much. Correct was 9 ... tt'lcxe4 10 i.xe4 i.e7 - Baburin.

1 c4 tt'lf6 2 tt'lc3 e6 3 d4 i.b4 4 e3 b6 5 tt'lge2 i.a6 6 tt'lg3 i.xc3+ 7 bxc3 d5 8 'iif3 o-o 9 e4 The current game cast doubt on this gambit. Nowadays 9 cxd5 is more popular. 9 ... dxc4 10 i.g5 h6 11 i.d2 11 e5 seems more consistent; e.g. 11 ...'iUd5 12 i.xf6 'iixf3 13 gxf3 gxf6 14 exf6 tt'ld7 15 tt'le4 with an unclear endgame. 11 ...tbbd1 12 e5 tt'ld5 13 tt'lf5?! Too optimistic - in the ensuing compli cations Black's superior development speaks in his favour. Preferable was 13 i.e2 and o-o in order to conclude development. 13 ... exf5 14 'iixd5 .nes 15 i.xc4 White is just one move away from o-o with a normal game; however...

Your move ...

Game 22 R.Mogranzini-F.Bentivegna PortoSan G i o rg i o 2011

Your move ...

English Opening Game 21

A.Saidy.:R.J Fischer US Champ ionshi p. New York 1965 ..

Nimzo-lndian Defence

48

1 c4 b6 2 tt'lc3 i.b7 3 e4 e6 4 tt'lge2 White avoids the line 4 d4 i.b4 5 i.d3 f5 and takes the game into English waters. 4 ...tt'lf6 5 d3 c5 6 g3 d5?!

Th e Na t u re of Developme n t

Opening the position when behind in development is always a risky decision. Safer was 6 ...d6 7 .ltg2 .lte7 8 0-0 lLJc6, fol lowed by ... 0-0, with a standard Hedgehog game. 7 exd5 exd5 8 .ltg2 �d7 An awkward move, but 9 lLJf4 was threatening. 9 lLJf4 dxc4 10 .ltxb7 �xb7 11 0-0! Getting the rook to e1 is White's main priority. 11...cxd3? The tempo loss involved in this capture will cost Black dearly. 11 ... .\te7 was called for; e.g. 12 lLJfd5 ! ? lLJxd5 13 �f3 lLJc6 14 lLJxd5 0-0-0! and Black defends. 12 I:!.e1+ .lte7

Very passive. Nowadays 8 ...b5, followed by ... .ltb7, is Black's main choice. 9 o-o-o lLJc6 10 g4 h6 11 .1te2 b5? A careless advance. Black should have preferred 11 ...lLJxd4, followed by 12 ... e5.

White h as a clear lead in development. Your move ...

Game24

M.Bogusl.avsky A.Bazhin ..

USSR 1990

Benoni Defence

Your move ...

Game 23 A.Suetin-L.Barczay

Budapest 1976

Sicilian Defence, Scheveningen Variation

1 e4 c5 2 lLJf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 lLJxd4 lLJf6 5 lLJc3 e6 6 .lte3 a6 7 f4 �c7 8 �f3 .ltd7?!

1 d4 tt::lf6 2 c4 e6 3 tt::lc 3 c5 4 d 5 exd5 5 cxd5 d6 6 e4 g6 7 f4 .ltg7 8 e5 This is a very principled approach against the Modern Benoni. 8 .ltb5+, check ing Black's reply before going e4-e5, is the main line. 8...dxe5 9 fxe5 tt::lfd7 10 e6 fxe6 11 dxe6 �e7 12 tt::ld 5 �xe6+ 13 �e2! Interestingly, the queen exchange fa vours White, whereas 13 .lte2?! lLJa6 is less promising. 13 ...�xe2+ 14 .ltxe2 .lte5?! While 14...tt::la 6? now fails to 15 .ltxa6 bxa6 16 lLJc7+, the active 14... 0-0! 15 tt::le 7 49

M a s t e ring Open ing S trategy

li'lc6 16 li'lxa8 li'lb4 was called for, with counterplay - Yusupov. 15 li'lf3 li'lf6 16 .i.c4 li'lxd5 17 .i.xd5 .i.f6 18 o-o li'lc6

....i.f4+, prepares li'lxes followed by .i.f4, and enables .i.g2, seizing the long diagonal. In contrast, 11 cxd7+?! .i.xd7 would just have helped Black with his development. 11 .i.d6 12 .i.g2 dxc6 •••

Your move ... Your move ... Game 25 V.Seirawan-P.Zarnicki Buen os Aires 1993 Nimzo-lndicm•.Defence

1 d4 li'lf6 2 c4 e6 3 li'lf3 b6 4 li'lc3 .i.b4 5 �b3 Preparing to meet ....i.xc3+ at any mo ment with �xc3, thus keeping the pawn structure intact. 5 ... c5 6 a3 .i.a5 7 .i.g5 li'lc6 Nowadays, 7 ... h6 8 .i.h4 g S, followed by 9 ... g4 or 9 ... li'le4, enjoys more popularity. 8 0-0-0 .i.xc3 9 d5! A strong intermediate move. 9 ....i.e5 10 dxc6 �c7?! Losing time, since the bishop will have to retreat on the next move anyway. 10... .i.C7 was preferable. 11 g3! A move with various virtues: it avoids so

Game 26 H.Nakamura-A.Cioldin Buenos Aires 2003 Scotch Game

1 e4 e5 2 li'lf3 li'lc6 3 d4 exd4 4 li'lxd4 .i.b4+ A sideline in the Scotch, by which Black provokes c2-c3 in order to avoid White's li'lc3 later on. 5 C3 After 5 li'lc3 li'lf6 the game transposes to an old variation which is currently consid ered as harmless, and s ...li'lge7!? is possible too. 5 ....i.c5 6 .i.e3 .i.b6 1 �g4 Exploiting the fact that ... li'lf6 is not yet on the board, White launches an attack on the g7-pawn. There are many other options here; for example, 7 .i.c4 and 7 li'lfs .i.xe3 8 li'lxe3.

Th e Na t u re of De ve lopme n t

Black has slight lead i n development. Your move ...

Game 2 7 A.Onischuk-A.Volokitin

German League .2010 Queen 's Indian Defence

7 .. .'iVf6 8 'iYg3 'iYg6 Not 8 ...C2Jxd4?! 9 cxd4 .ixd4 10 .ixd4 'iYxd4 11 CLJc3 with dangerous compensa tion for the pawn. 9 CLJfS d6! 10 .ixb6 Black's point is that 10 C2Jxg7+?! 'it>f8 just leads to trouble for White; e.g. 11 CZJfs .ixfs 12 exfs 'iYxg3 13 hxg3 .ixe3 14 fxe3 lLlf6 with excellent play for the pawn - Postny. 10 ... axb6 11 C2Je3 CLJf6 12 f3?! Weakening the dark squares, a fact that Black immediately exploits. 12 C2Jd2 was a better defence of the e4-pawn, developing a piece in the process. 12 ...'iYh6! 13 'iYf2

1 d4 C2Jf6 2 c4 e6 3 CLJf3 b6 4 g3 itb7 5 .ig2 .ib4+ 6 .id2 .ixd2+ 7 l2Jbxd2 cs In this apparently quiet Queen's Indian line, Black usually continues 7 ... 0-0. The text aims at achieving a H edgehog position by means of ... csxd4 and ...d7-d6; however, White has a dangerous reply prepared. 8 e4! C2Jxe4?! A risky decision. 8 ... cxd4 9 es l2Jg4 was safer, when the knight can always retreat to h6 if necessary.

9 CZJes! ds Unfortunately for Black, 9 ...CLJc3 fails to 10 'iYh s g6 11 'iYh3 ! , a trick familiar from the 4 ....ia6 5 C2Jbd2 variation in the same opening. 1o cxds exds After 10. .C2Jxd2 11 C2Jxf7! 'it>xf7 12 dxe6+ 'it>xe6 13 .ixb7 White wins - Golubev. Now .

51


Black is about to castle; however... 11 'ii'a 4+! <#;;e7 Or 11 .. .'�Jd7 12 lZ:Jxe4 dxe4 13 J.h3 ! with a decisive pin. 12 lbxe4 dxe4 13 l::td 1 The apparently natural 13 dxc5 runs into 13 ...'ii'd 5!, so White prepares it. 13 ... 'ii'd s 14 o-o fs? The attempt to castle artificially by 14...l::t d 8?! fails to 15 J::tfe1 f5 16 f3 !, clearing too many lines towards the Black's camp. His last chance was 14 ... cxd4 15 J::txd4 'ii'x e5 16 J.xe4 lZ:Jc6!, returning the piece in order to bring out the pieces. After 17 J.xc6 J.xc6 18 'ii'xc6 l::th c8! 19 l::td 7+ <#;;f8 20 'ii'f3 'ii'e 6 21 l::tfd1 White has a clear, though not yet decisive advantage - Golubev. Now, on the other hand, he manages to launch a decisive attack.

Your move ...

Game 28

S"'Mamedyarov�T.Nedev Dresden Otympiad 2008 Trompowsky's Opening

1 d4 lZ:Jf6 2 J.gs lZ:Je4 3 J.f4 cs 4 f3 lZ:Jf6 s 52

dxcs Another main direction is 5 d5 with Be noni-like play. s ... b6!?

Instead of recovering the pawn by 5 ...'ii'a 5+ and 6 ...'ii'x c5, Black gambits. 6 e4! White turns down the offer, giving pri ority to swift development. Less enterpris ing is 6 cxb6?! 'ii'xb6 7 'ii'c 1 d5, when the f2f3 move does more harm than good. 6 ...bxcs 1 es The flexible 7 lbc3 is also reasonable. 7 ...lZ:Jg8?! Black's only developed piece returns home. 7 ...'ii'c 7 seems more logical, as played in few games. H ere 8 J.g3? lZ:Jh 5 proves use less for White, who could try 8 J.c4 or 8 lZ:Jc3 instead, with a complex battle. 8 lZ:Jc3 lZ:Jc6 9 J.bs lZ:Jd4 10 lZ:Jge2! White keeps bringing out more pieces and invites the exchange of Black's only developed piece. In this context, the bishop pair is a much less relevant factor. 1o ... lZ:Jxbs u lZ:Jxbs 'ii'a s+ This won't turn out well, but Black al ready had a difficult task, considering the abysmal difference in development.


12 lt:Jec3 a6

Black has neglected development. Your move ...

Game JO

Be.Umlberg-Ax.Smith Swed ish Championshipt Stockholm 2007

Sicilian Defence,

Rossolimo Variation

Your move ...

Game 29 T.V .Petros ian-V.Ko rc h n oi

Curacao Candidates 1962 English Opening

1 c4 cs 2 lt:Jf3 lt:Jf6 3 d4 cxd4 4 lt:Jxd4 g6 5 lt:Jc3 ds 6 .igs dxc4 7 e3 ifas 7 ... .ig7, followed by ... 0-0, is safer. 8 .ixf6! exf6 9 .ixc4 .ib4 10 �c1 a6?! And here 10...0-0 is preferable - Suetin. 11 o-o lt:Jd7 12 a3 .ie7 13 b4! ifes

1 e4 cs 2 lt:Jf3 lt:Jc6 3 .ibs g6 4 .ixc6 dxc6 5 d3 A popular line of the Rossolimo Sicilian. s ....ig7 6 h3 es 1 o-o 'ife7 The natural 7 ...lt:Je7 permits 8 .ie3 b6 9 'ifd2, when Black either has to accept the exchange of his fianchettoed bishop after 9 ...0-0 10 .ih6, or postpone castling by 9 ...h6. 8 a3 as Otherwise the b2-b4 break might be come unpleasant. 9 .ie3 b6 10 lt:Jbd2 'ifc7? An unfortunate loss of time. After the correct 10 ..lt:Jf6 Black could always rely on the defensive resource ... lt:Jd7 if needed. .

Your move ... 53

M a s te ring Ope n ing S t ra tegy

Game 31. M.Taimanov-L.Polugaevsky

USSR Championship, leningrad 1960 Queen's Gambit Accepted

1 c4 e5 2 e3 iLlf6 3 iLlc3 tt:Jc6 4 iLlf3 il.b4 5 tt:Jd5 In this English variation, similar to a Rossolimo Sicilian with reversed colours, 5 �c2, preventing ... e5-e4, is White's main choice. 5 ...e4 6 t2Jg1 0-0 7 �C2 J::!.e8 8 t2Je2 b5!?

1 d4 d5 2 c4 dxc4 3 iLlf3 tt:Jf6 4 �a4+ An interesting sideline. Black can now transpose to the Slav by 4 ...c6, or launch a Chigorin-like set-up with 4 ... tt:Jc6. 4...tt:Jbd7 5 tt:Jc3 e6 6 e4 c5?! Handing over the centre. 6 ...a6 7 il.xc4 J::!.b 8 is preferable, preparing ... b7-b5. 7 d5! exd5 8 e5 d4 9 il.xc4! The position is already starting to have a bad aspect for Black. 9 exf6 dxc3 10 il.xc4, transposing, is also possible. 9 .. dxc3 10 exf6 �xf6 11 il.g5 �c6 .

Your move ...

Game 32 Di.Fiores..R.Felgaer Argentine Championship� Mendoza 2008 English Opening

54

This pawn sacrifice become popular when Gelfand launched it one move later (8 ... il.d6 9 a3 b 5 ! ?) against Salov at Linares 1992. 9 iLlg3 Both 9 cxb5 tt:Jxd5 10 bxc6 il.d6 and 9 tt:Jxf6+ �xf6 10 cxb5 tLle5 11 �xe4 il.b7! yield Black plenty of compensation for the pawn. 9 ...il.b7 Insisting on the gam bit. In contrast, the unadventurous line 9 ...bxc4?! 10 il.xc4 would just help White with his develop ment. 10 a3 il.d6 11 b3 tLle5 12 il.b2 bxc4 13 bxc4 The attempt to speed up development by the continuation 13 tt:Jxf6+ �xf6 14 il.xc4 runs into 14...iLld3+!, when both 15 il.xd3 exd3 and 15 �xd3 �xb2 favour Black. 13 ...tt:Jxd5 14 cxd5 il.xd5 15 tt:Jxe4


with counterplay, P.Tregubov-V.Baklan, European Championship (rapid playoff), Plovdiv 2008. 10 J::i.e1 �c7?! Defending against the tactical shot e4es, but the queen gets exposed on this square. Perhaps 10...�8 or 10 ...�c8 was safer, although in either case 11 a4!, in tending 12 as bxas 13 ctJ2b3 followed by lt'lxas, yields White a certain initiative. u lt'lbs �b8 Preparing a consolidation by ... a7-a6, ... i,e7, ... 0-0 etc. Your move ...

Game 33

Ci.Hertneck-H.Cirooten

Salzburg 2004 Queen 's Indian Defence

1 d4 lt'lf6 2 c4 e6 3 lt'lf3 b6 4 g3 i,a6 The Queen's Indian is one of the open ings where the principle "don't move the same piece twice" is most frequently in fringed. Any defence of the c4-pawn now has its drawbacks, after which the bishop settles on its natural square b7, at least in a majority of cases. s lt'lbd2 i,b7 6 i,g2 cs 7 e4 cxd4 Taking the pawn with 7 ... lt'lxe4?! proves very risky after 8 lt'les; e.g. 8 ... lt'lc3 9 � 5 ! g6 10 �3, winning material. 8 0-0 d6 g lt'lxd4 lt'lbd7 In the H edgehog position that now emerges, the tempo loss caused by ...i,a6b7 implies that Black is one move further away from castling, so he should choose the move order with some care. Perhaps 9 .. .'i!Vc8 makes more sense; e.g. 10 J::i.e 1 i,e7 11 a4 0-0 12 as lt'la6 13 ctJ2b3 lt'ld7 14 Ji,f4 lt'les

Your move ...

Game 34 S.Mirf(ovic"-Z l)jp,kic ..

Yugoslavia :1991 Benko Gam bit

1 d4 lt'lf6 2 ltJf3 g6 3 c4 cs 4 d s bs s cxbs a6 6 e4!? Instead of accepting the Benko with 6 bxa6, or handing over the pawn by 6 b6, White launches his own gambit. 6 ...lt'lxe4 7 �c2 fs?! A risky move due to the weakening of 55


the light squares around Black's king. 7 .. ::t:Jf6 8 iixcs d6 9 'i¥d4 .ig7, followed by ...0-0, seems preferable, in the same spirit of development above material. 8 ctJbd2 lLlf6 Aware that 8 ...ltJxd2?! 9 .ixd2 d6 10 .ic3 is horrible for him, Black surrenders the cs pawn and starts pressurizing the one on ds. 9 iixc5 d6 10 'i¥d4 .ib7 11 .ic4 axb5 12 .ixb5+ ltJbd7 13 0-0! It is White's turn to give up a pawn in exchange for quick development. 13 ....ixd5

Black initiates active operations in the centre. 9 cxd5 cxd5 10 dxe5 ltJxe5 11 .ie2

Your move ...

GomeJ;6 B.Abramovic:-M.Bertok

Yugoslav Team Cha mpionship 1979 Sicilian Defence,

Sc.heveningen Variation White is ahead in development. Your move ...

Game .35 V.Kor�hnof..JL.eliav$ky leon1994

Semi-Slav Defence

1 c4 c6 2 d4 d5 3 e3 ltJf6 4 ltJc3 e6 5 lLlf3 ltJbd7 6 iic2 .id6 1 b3 o-o 8 .ib2 More flexible is 8 .ie2, followed by 0-0, not yet defining the destiny of the queen's bishop. 8 ... e5 56

1 e4 c5 2 lLlf3 e6 3 d4 cxd4 4 ltJxd4 ltJf6 5 lLlc3 d6 6 .ie2 a6 1 o-o b5?! This line has a bad reputation due White's strong reply. 7 ... 'i¥c7 or 7 ...ltJbd7 first is safer. 8 .if3! ltJfd7? This ends badly. 8 ...�a7 was mandatory. 9 e5 d 5 10 ltJxd5! In the spirit of the position, destroying Black's centre before he manages to castle. 10...exd5 u .ixd5 lLlb6 After 11...�a7 12 .ixf7+!? �xf7 13 e6+ Black is also in big trouble; e.g. 13 ... �g8 14 ltJxb s ! axbs 15 'iVds, winning. 12 .txa8 ltJxa8 13 e6!


Clearing the e-file towards the black king; e.g. 13 ... i.xe6 14 l:'te1. 13 ..Jlid5

'ifh 5+ �d8 1 6 i.xe6 with a devastating at tack. 12 tt:ld5! Tal doesn't waste time on retreating the knight, preferring to exchange Black's only developed minor piece. 12 ...tt:lxd5 13 exd5 i.e7 14 fxe5 dxe5

Your move ...

Game 3.7 M.Ja,I�I.Bilek Amsterdam lnterzorilal 1964 Sicilian Defence, Najdor;{Variation 1 e4 c5 2 tt:lf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 tt:lxd4 tt:lf6 5 tt:lc3 a6 6 i.g5 tt:lbd7 A rather unpopular sideline in the 6 i.g 5 Najdorf. 7 i.c4 h6?! A dangerous loss of time, which even in volves a weakening of the light squares on the kingside. 7 ...e6 is safer. 8 i.xf6! tt:lxf6 9 'ife2 e6 10 o-o-o White develops with lightning speed and 11 e5 is already a threat. 10...'1lic7 11 f4 e5 Preventing e4-e5, but also weakening several light squares. Safer was 11...i.e7 12 e5 dxe5 13 fxe5 tt:lh7! 14 l:'thf1 o-o, as in the game A.Deviatkin-R.Kempinski, Moscow 2004; but not 13 ... tt:ld7? 14 tt:lxe6! fxe6 1 5

Your move ...

Game38

V�Dydysbk•A.YermQilnsky Minsk 1980 Budapest Gambit

1 d4 tt:lf6 2 c4 e5 3 dxe5 tt:lg4 4 i.f4 g5 5 i.g3 In this sideline of the Budapest Gambit, another option is 5 i.d2, followed by i.c3. 5 ...i.g7 6 tt:lf3 tt:lc6 7 e3 tt:lgxe5 8 tt:lxe5 tt:lxe5 9 h4!? Trying to punish Black's fourth move straight away. Today 9 tt:lc3 is more popu lar. 9 ... tt:lg6 Installing the double threat of 10 ... i.xb2 and 10... gxh4. 57


Your move ...

Trading pawns in order to speed up de velopment. 8 ...l2Jxe4 9 l2Jgxe4 J.xe4 10 J.xc4 J.c6 Not 10 ... J.xg2? 11 'i�Vg4 and White wins. 11 'i�Vhs e6!? Returning a pawn to facilitate the king side development. 12 J.xe6 'i�Vc7 13 J.h3 lba6? A serious mistake. Black should have preferred 13 ... 'i�Ve7+! 14 �dl 'i�Vf6 15 Mel+ J.e7, when the pawn minus is compen sated by White's badly placed king Huzman. 14 o-o J.xcs 15 Me1+ J.e7 Black is just one move away from cas tling; however. ..

Game39 D.Gurevich•A.Soltis

San francisco 1998 Queen's Gambit Accepted

1 d4 ds 2 c4 dxc4 3 lbf3 l2Jf6 4 e3 J.e6 A risky sideline. The main line goes 4 ...e6 5 J.xc4 c5 and 6 ... a6. s l2Jbd2 cs 6 dxcs 'i�Vas 7 lbgs Exploiting the unstable position of the bishop on e6. 7 ...J.ds 8 e4! Your move ...

Gome 40 V.Bologan-E.Dizdarevic

Sarajevo 2005 Caro-Kann Defence

1 e4 c6 2 d4 ds 3 es J.fs 4 l2Jf3 An interesting line against the Caro Kann, where White can hit the enemy pawn chain on both the queenside (c2-c4) and the 58


kingside (f2-f4, g2-g4) depending on Black's play. But in the first place White aims at completing his kingside development. 4...e6 5 i.e2 ti'Je7 6 o-o i.g6 7 ti'Jbd2 ti'Jf5 8 g4

An advance that gains space and time, but slightly weakens the kingside structure. 8 ti'Jb3 and 8 c3 are more flexible continua tions. 8 tbe7 After 8 ...ti'Jh4 9 ti'Jxh4 'ifxh4 10 f4 fS 11 ti'Jf3 ! 'ifxg4+ 12 'ii7h 1 White has compensa tion - Bologan. 9 ti'Jh4 h5!? A risky choice. Black aims to liberate the fs-square for his knight, but delays devel opment. 9 ... cs is safer; e.g. 10 c3 ti'Jec6 11 ti'Jxg6 hxg6 12 ti'Jf3 ti'Jd7 13 i.f4 i.e7 14 'ifd2 a6 15 l£7g2 l:.c8, preparing ...ti'Jas-c4, with balanced chances in K.Lahno-B.Jobava, Wijk aan Zee 2006. 10 gxh5 i.h7 11 ti'Jdf3 ti'Jf5 12 ti'Jg2! Thus White leaves the black knight blocking the bishop on h7 and prepares a future ti'Jf4. 12 ... c5 13 i.g5 Development with tempo. 13 ...'ifb6?!

Playing with fire: now the delay in de velopment will make itself strongly felt. 13 ... i.e7 14 i.xe7 'ifxe7, preparing ... 0-0, was safer; e.g. 15 c4! ? dxc4 16 dS exds 17 ti'Jf4 ti'Jd4!, when both 18 ti'Jxd4 'ifg S+ and 18 ti'Jxds ti'Jxe2+ 19 'ifxe2 i.d3 seem okay for Black.

Your move ...

.••

Game 41 V.Topalov·E.Rozentalis

European Team Championsh ip, Batumi 1 999

English Opening

1 c4 e6 2 ti'Jc3 ti'Jf6 3 e4 This particular English variation often leads to sharp battles. 3 ...d 5 4 e5 ti'Je4 5 ti'Jf3 i.e7 6 h4!? A curious advance aimed at the simpli fying manoeuvre ...ti'Je4-g 5. Besides, the h pawn might prove useful in a future attack. 6 ...ti'Jxc3 Also possible is 6 ... ti'Jc6 7 d4 f6 8 i.d3 with just a slight edge for White - Topalov. 7 dxc3 dxc4 8 'ifa4+! Declining the queen exchange and ena59

M a s tering Op e n ing Strategy

bling a future queen transfer to g4.

0-0-0, with strong pressure. 12 f4 lLld7 Now 12 ...iVd5 is met by 13 .itg2, so Black tries a different set-up. 13 .ite3 c6 14 o-o-o iVas Black is just one move from ... 0-0-0, bringing the king into safety; however ...

8 ...1td7 9 iVxc4 .itc6 10 iVg4! .itxf3 Both here and later, 10 ...0-0? runs into 11 .ith6. 11 gxf3! Activity above structure. After 11 iVxf3?! iVd5 !, followed by ...lbc6 and ...0-0-0, Black is fine.

Your move ...

Game 42 P.Svidler..s�volkov

Russian Championship, Krasnoyarsk 2003 French Defence

11 ....itf8 Bringing the pieces home is rarely a good idea in the opening, unless the posi tion is closed. However, Rozentalis's sugges tion 11 ... g6 12 h5 iVd5 doesn't convince either after 13 hxg6 iVxe5+ 14 .ite3 fxg6 (or 14...hxg6? 15 iVe4!} 15 .itc4, followed by 60

1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 es cs 4 c3 iVb6 5 lLlf3 .itd7 A flexible line in the Advance French. By postponing ...lbc6 Black keeps the option of a later ... .itb5, swapping his "bad" bishop. 6 a3 as White is denied the space-gaining b2b4. 7 b3 Preparing to meet ... a5-a4 by b3-b4, keeping the pawn structure intact. 1 lba6 8 .ite3 .l::tc 8 9 .itd3 lLle7 Having overprotected the sensitive c5...


pawn, Black starts bringing out his king side pieces. 10 0-0 Or 10 dxcs tt:Jxcs 11 i.c2 �a6!, prevent ing White's castling - Svidler. 1o ...tt:Jfs 11 i.xfs exfs 12 I:te1 c4? The prophylactic 12 ... i.e6 was prefer able.

Your move...

G;ame 43

E.Bareev-V.Ivanchuk N ovgorod 1994

Nimzo-Jndian Defence

1 d4 tt:Jf6 2 c4 e6 3 tt:Jc3 i.b4 4 �c2 dS 5 a3 i.xc3+ 6 �xc3 tt:Je4 A topical line of the Classical Nimzo lndian, where White counts on the bishop pair, but Black is ahead in development and will do everything possible to exploit it. 7 �c2 cs 8 dxcs tt:Jc6 9 t2Jf3 A natural choice, but practice has shown both 9 e3 and 9 cxds exds 10 t2Jf3 to be more promising. 9...�a5+ 10 t2Jd2 More ambitious than 10 i.d2 �xes with

equality. Had 9 cxds exds been inserted, then White could now swap the active black queen.

10...t2Jd4! Activity above material; the pawn can wait. 11 �d3 es! Gaining space and preparing ...i.fs. Now 12 cxds? tt:Jxcs is bad for White. 12 b4 �a4 Setting up the threat of 13 ...t2Jc2+. 13 I:ta2 tt:Jxd2 More promising than 13 ...i.fs 14 cxds! tt:Jxcs 15 �c3 with e2-e3 or e2-e4 coming up. 14 I:txd2? This recapture allows Black to develop his remaining pieces with great speed. 14 i.xd2? i.fs is equally bad, with similar play as in the game. Instead, 14 �xd2!, leaving the vulnerable b1-h7 diagonal at the price of a mere pawn, was called for. Now 14 ... i.fs?! 15 e 3 ! t2Jc2+ 16 l':txc2, followed by 17 cxds, favours White; so the old game D.Bronstein-I.Boleslavsky, Saltsjobaden In terzonal 1948, continued 14...dxc4 15 e3 t2Jb3 16 �c3 i.e6 17 i.xc4 i.xc4 18 �xc4 tt:Jxc1 19 �xc1 as! and a draw was agreed. 61


14 ... .if5! 15 'ife3 o-o-o! A move with various virtues: securing the king, mobilizing the rook, and defend ing the dS-pawn. 1S ...lbc2+?! 16 l:Ixc2 ifxc2 17 cxds is less clear. 16 g4!? Aware that both 16 cxds l:Ixds, followed by ... lbc2+, and 16 ifxes lbc2+ 17 l:Ixc2 ifxc2 leave his king in big trouble, White employs radical measures to speed up de velopment. Now 16 ... .ixg4?! lets White es cape by 17 cxds l:Ixds 18 .ig2, followed by 0-0, but Black has a much stronger option at his disposal...

Your move ...

Gome 44 s�Volkov-R.Kem pinski

European Championship, Dresden 2001

Semi-Slav Defence

1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 3 lLlc3 c6 4 e4 dxe4 The variation that now arises has a huge body of theory, so 4 ....ib4, followed by ...lbge7, makes sense for Slav players wish ing to leave the "book" at an early stage. 62

5 lbxe4 .ib4+ 6 .id2 ifxd4 7 .ixb4 ifxe4+ The initial position of Marshall's Gam bit. Black is a pawn up, but White enjoys the bishop pair and a lead in development, so a tense battle can be expected. 8 .ie2 lba6 After 8 ...ifxg2 9 .if3 ifg s 10 lbe2, fol lowed by l:Ig1, White's compensation is du plicated. 9 .ia5 By means of the threat 10 'ifd8+ White aims to provoke a minor weakness in Black's camp. Another direction is 9 .id6. 9 .f6 10 lLlf3 ..

The straightforward 10 'ifd8+ �f7 11 0-0-0 is also possible, whereas the text keeps both castling options open. 10... b6 11 lLld2 Preparing .if3 in order to attack the fresh weakness on c6. 11...'iff4 12 .ih5+ Curiously, the provocation measure ef fected on move 9 is repeated on the oppo site flank. 12 ... g6 13 .if3 lbe7 14 .ic3 lbc5 So far Black has played well, but now he starts delaying development. This was a good moment for 14 ... 0-0 - Krasenkow.

Th e Na t u re of Deve lopme n t

Your move ...

Game 4 5 Ci Kamsky-V.Anand Sa n ghi Naga,r (10th matchgame� 1 994 Torre's Opening •.

15 g3 �f5 16 o-o e5?! Again 16 ... 0-0 was more to the point Krasenkow. 17 b4 ctJb7 Perhaps Kempinski had planned 17 ...4Je6? and only now discovered the line 18 ct.:Je4 0-0 19 g4! �f4 20 ..td2 and White wins. 18 b5! Finally White is able to create concrete threats. Black should now have played 18 ... ..td7, preparing ... 0-0, in order to com plete development. Instead, he commits a new inaccuracy... 18 ...c5?

1 d4 l2lf6 2 ct.:Jt3 c5 3 c3 g6 4 ..tg5 �b6 5 �b3 l2le4 6 ..tf4 4Jc6?! A strange loss of time. 6 ... ..tg7 must be better. 7 d5 4Jd8 8 4Jbd2 4Jf6 9 e4 d6 10 ..tb5+ ..td7 11 a4 �c7 12 0-0

Evaluate the options 12 ... es.

12 .....tg7

and

Game 46 A.VovkwM.Kowara Warsaw (rap1d) 2009 Sicilian Defence, Kan Variation 1 e4 c5 2 ctJf3 e6 3 d4 cxd4 4 4Jxd4 a6 5 ctJc3 �c7 6 ..te2 4Jf6 In this branch of the Sicilian Kan, 6 ...bs, followed by ..tb7, is a safe option, delaying 63

M a s tering Ope n ing Stra tegy

...'Llf6 until the right moment. We saw a similar case in Conquest-Sokolov (Game 9). 7 o-o b5?! A well-known inaccuracy due to White's next move. If Black wants to keep on delay ing ... d7-d6, then 7 ...'Llc6, 7 ...�e7 or 7 ... �b4 were better options.

pawn, but the fact that this was a rapid game perhaps made White choose a more active move.

In this tense position, how d o you con tinue with Black?

8 �f3! Suddenly 9 es is a strong threat. 8...�b7 If 8 ...'Llc6 then White plays 9 es anyway, while 8 ...e s 9 'Llfs also favours him. 9 e5 'Llg8 10 �f4 'Llc6 The queenside should be developed first. After 10 ... 'Lle7? 11 'Lldxb s ! axbs 12 'Llxbs the check on d6 decides. 11 'Llxc6 dxc6 12 a4!? White tries to open the position in order to exploit his lead in development. The simple 12 'Lle4, heading for d6, looked strong as well. 12 ...tt:Je7 13 axb5 cxb5?! It seems that 13 ...�d8 ! ? 14 �e2 cxbs kept the material balance, whereas in the game White wins a pawn. 14 'Llxb5! axb5 15 �xa8+ �xa8 16 �xa8 'Llg6 17 �g5?! Correct was 17 �g3, hanging on to the 64

Game 47

M.Parligras-J.Melero Fidalgo seviUe 2005 Sicilian Defence, Kan Variat;on

1 e4 c5 2 'Llf3 e6 3 d4 cxd4 4 'Llxd4 a6 5 'Llc3 b5 Just as in Game 9, Black develops his queenside first. A more classical approach in this branch of the Sicilian Kan is S ... �C7 followed by ...'Llf6. 6 �d3 �b7 7 o-o �b6 8 �e3 �c5 9 �g4!? Instead of protecting his knight, White launches a counterattack at g7. Perhaps 9 'Llce2 is objectively stronger, preparing b2b4, just like later on in the game. 9 ...'Lle7 Preparing ... 'Llg6, but the simplifying 9 ...�xd4! 10 es 'Llh6 11 �xd4 �xd4 12 �xd4 'Llc6 was a safer choice - Parligras. 10 'Llce2 'Llg6 11 b4!

Th e Na t u re of Deve lopme n t

An excellent advance that helps clear the sensitive b-file towards Black's camp. 11 ....ixb4 12 lZ'lxbs .ics 13 lZ'lbd4! Having a lead in development White keeps as many pieces as possible on the board. For the same reason, the tension along the g 1-a7 diagonal favours him. 13 ...d6 14 J:Iab1 'iiq Black is just about to castle; however...

Your move ...

Game 48 N*Kalesis..J..HeUsten Corinth 1.997 Slav Defence

1 d4 ds 2 c4 c6 3 lZ'lc3 lZ'lf6 4 e3 a6 s a4 .ifs 6 'iib 3 l:Ia7 We saw a similar pattern in Game 6 {Mi ton-Sammour): 'iib 3, attacking Black's Achilles' heel in the Slav, the b7-pawn, and the awkward, but safe reply ... l:Ia7. 7 lZ'lf3 e6 8 .ie2 as Thus Black creates a stronghold on b4 and prevents a cramping a4-a5, which would have been an interesting option for White on the previous two moves.

9 0-0 lZ'lbd7 10 lZ'lh4 After a rather modest opening White starts fighting for the initiative. The ex change of the enemy bishop will facilitate the e3-e4 advance, a key idea in such posi tions. 10....ig6 11 lZ'lxg6 hxg6 12 .if3 lZ:Je4? Somehow I thought the tactical motif 13 lbxe4? dxe4 14 .ixe4 'iih 4 justified this at tempt to seize the centre, but it soon proves to be a loss of time. A sounder choice was 12 ... .ib4, complicating e3-e4, and preparing ... 0-0 in order to conclude development. 13 g3 lZ'lgs?! 13 ...lZ'ldf6 seems more natural, although after 14 .ig2, followed by f2-f3, the knight will have to leave its prominent post any way. In contrast, 13 .. .f5?! is strongly met by 14 lZ'lxe4! fxe4 15 .ig2, followed by f2-f3. 14 .ig2 lZ'lh3+ 15 .ixh3 Probably there was nothing wrong with 15 �h1, but the text gains time and elimi nates the only active enemy piece. 1S ...J:Ixh3? (seefollowing diagram) 15 ... dxc4! 16 'iixc4 J:Ixh3 was preferable, keeping the position somewhat more closed, but I still wasn't aware of the dan ger awaiting me. 65


Your move...

Game 49

S.Palatnik-S.Lputian I rkutsk 1983 English Opening 1 c4 es 2 t2Jc3 d6 3 d4 exd4 4 iVxd4 t2Jc6 5 iVd2 t2Jf6 6 g3 i.e6 7 e4 as We are already familiar with this line from the game Psakhis-Gofshtein (Game 8), where the latter preferred 7 ...i.e7, speeding up his development. As for the text, Black enables an annoying ... a5-a4 whenever White plays b2-b3. In conclusion, this line seems rather demanding for the first player, who should probably prefer 7 t2Jd5 instead. 8 b3 a4 The temporary sacrifice 8 ... t2Jxe4! 9 t2Jxe4 d5 was even stronger, followed by an opportune ... i.b4. 9 l:rb1 axb3 10 axb3 t2Jxe4! On the second occasion Black takes his chance, although this time the piece can't be recovered immediately. 66

11 t2Jxe4 d s 12 cxds In the event of 12 t2Jc3 Black can trans pose to the game by 12 ...i.b4 13 cxd5 i.xd5, though 12 ... d4! ? seems even stronger; e.g. 13 t2Ja2 i.f5 14 l:rb2 J:rxa2! 15 iVe2+ (not 15 J:rxa2? i.b4) 15 .. .'�d7! 16 l:rxa2 i.b4+ with 17 ... l:re8 next. 12 ... i.b4 13 t2Jc3 i.xds In return for his material deficit Black enjoys excellent piece activity, and the en emy king is stranded in the centre. 14 f3 0-0?! This natural move seems inaccurate due to White's strong reply. Later the improve ment 14 ...iVe7+!, preparing ... iVc5, was dis covered; e.g. 15 i.e2 iVc5 16 i.b2 o-o-o 17 �f1 i.xf3 18 iVxd8+ l:rxd8 19 t2Jxf3, as in the game P.Poobalasingam-C.McNab, Ux bridge 2009, where 19 ...t2Jd4! would have yielded Black a crushing advantage. 15 �f2! Suddenly the pin on the d-file has be come more serious than the one on the e1a5 diagonal. 1s...J:ras 16 i.c4 t2Jd4 After 16 ... i.xc4 17 bxc4, both 17 ... iVe7 18 t2Jge2 and 17 ...iVf6 18 l:rxb4! t2Jxb4 19 t2Jd5 t2Jxd5 20 iVxa5 are dubious for Black.


In this tense position, how do you con tinue with White? Your move ...

Game 50 G.Sosonko-J.Tim man Tilburg 1977

Catalan Opening

1 d4 'bf6 2 c4 e6 3 g3 cs 4 'Llf3 cxd4 5 'bxd4 ds 6 .ig2 es 7 'Llb3 In this Catalan line, White usually pre fers 7 'Llf3 these days, with immediate pres sure on Black's centre. 7 ...d4 8 e3 .ig4!? Practice has mostly seen the continua tion 8 ... as 9 exd4 a4, but the text has its logic: Black provokes f2-f3 in order to weaken the opponent's dark squares and limit the bishop on g2. 9 f3 .ie6 10 exd4 .ixc4 At the cost of a pawn, Black manages to keep the enemy king in the centre. 10... exd4 11 'Llxd4 .ixc4 was probably fine as well, since 12 �a4+?! bs 13 'bxbs fails to 13 ...�e7+! , followed by a deadly check on e2.

1 1 dxes 'Llds 1 2 'Llc3 .ib4 1 3 .id2 .ixc3 Keeping the active knight. After 13 ... 'Llxc3 14 bxc3 .ie7 15 f4 White is slightly better - Ftacnik. 14 .ixc3 'Llc6 15 �d2 �b6? A natural move, in order to prevent 0-0 and enable ... 'Lle3, but White possesses a strong reply. Preferable was 1S ... .ixb3 16 axb3 'Llxc3 17 �xc3 and only now 17 ... �b6, with sufficient compensation for the pawn. 16 'bas! 'Lle3 Or 16 ...'Llxas 17 .ixas �cs 18 f4 o-o 19 .Mel, with the strong threat of l:txc4. 17 'bxc4 'Llxc4 18 �f2 'Lle3

Your move ... 67

M a s tering Ope n ing Strategy

Game.51

G.Reehlt��fi.Avrukh Israeli te�m championshJp laos Srctlion Qejence, Rossolimo Variation

1 e4 cs 2 lZ'lf3 lt:Jc6 3 .i.bs d6 4 .i.xc6+ Nowadays, the early .i.xc6(+) capture is seen rather often in different lines of the Rossolimo Sicilian . The old main line is 4 0-0 followed by 5 l:::te 1 or 5 c3. 4... bxc6 5 o-o es 6 c3 White immediately prepares the d2-d4 break, even at the cost of a pawn, as we will see next. 6 ... .i.g4 7 d4 cxd4 8 cxd4 .i.xf3 9 �xf3 exd4 10 l:::te 1

Preparing e4-e5. The immediate 10 e5?! is less promising due to 10...d5! 11 l:::td1 lZ'le7, followed by ... lt:Jg6 - Avrukh. 10....i.e7 Another, perhaps safer option was 10 ...ttJf6 11 e5 dxe5 12 �xc6+ ttJd7 13 J:::tx e5+ .i.e7, followed by ...l:::tc 8 and ...o-o Avrukh. 11 es dxes Black agrees to do without castling, -

68

since 11...d5?! 1 2 �g4 would just make things worse for him with the knight de prived of its natural destiny on f6. 12 �xc6+ Wf8 13 ttJd2 Time to resume development, as 13 J:::txe5 ? ? runs into 13 ...l:::tc 8. 13 ...l:::tc 8 14 �f3?! 14 �a6! was stronger, so that the queen keeps on interfering with Black's play; e.g. 14...�C7 15 J:::tx e5 or 14.. .f6 15 �xa7 �d5 16 lt:Je4 f5 17 lt:Jg5 ! with the initiative Avrukh. 14...�c7 15 b3 Now that the f3-square is occupied, pre parin g the move 16 lt:Jc4 makes good sense for White. 1S ...lt:Jf6 At first sight, 15 ...�C3. swapping the queens, seems logical; however, White is better after 16 �xc3 dxc3 17 lt:Jc4 f6 18 .i.e3 a6 19 J:::te c1 - Avrukh. 16 lt:Jc4 e4 17 �fs Preparing 18 .i.f4, with increased pres sure at the enemy camp.

In this tense position, how do you con tinue with Black? Your move ...


Game .52 G.Fiear.;R.V:era Gonzalez E lgoibar 1994 Semf;.Sfav Defence

1 d4 dS 2 c4 e6 3 Lt:lc3 c6 4 e4 dxe4 5 lt:Jxe4 ii.b4+ 6 ii.d2 1i'xd4 7 ii.xb4 1Wxe4+ 8 ii.e2 We already came across this line in Volkov-Kempinski (Game 44}, where Black preferred the modern 8 ...Lt:la6. s ... cs Returning the pawn so as to enable ... Lt:ld7 with tempo in the complications that now follow. 9 ii.xcs 1Wxg2 10 1i'd2?! A dubious choice, since White will have difficulties in recovering the material sacri ficed. Either 10 ii.f3 or 10 1i'd6 CLJd7 11 o-o-o is preferred nowadays. 10 ... 1Wxh1 11 0-0-0 Lt:ld7 12 CLJf3 White brings more pieces into the bat tle, but objectively his compensation is in sufficient. In contrast, with his queen on d6 (cf. 10 1i'd6 above) at this point 12 ii.f3 would have been decisive, while here it fails simply to 12 ...1Wxh2. 12 ...1i'g2! Not 12 ... 1i'xd1+? 13 1i'xd1 CLJxc5 14 1i'd4! and White recovers the material with some initiative.

1 3 ii.a3 The tempting 13 CLJe5 LLlgf6 14 1i'd6 is re futed by 14 ... 1i'g5+! 15 f4 1Wxf4+ 16 �b1 lt:Jg8 ! - Vera. 13 ... Lt:le7? Black speeds up development, but he had more efficient possibilities at hand. as Vera himself indicates: after 13 ...1Wxf2 14 lt:Je5 1Wxh 2 ! 15 lt:Jxd7 1i'h6 White is lost; while 13 ... a5, preparing ... �a6, would also have refuted the enemy attack. 14 CLJeS Obviously this knight is untouchable be cause of mate.

In this tense position, how do you con tinue with Black? Your move ...

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Sol ution s Game 19 (continued)

Game 20 (continued)

13 exds cxds 14 i.xds! With all the white pieces in ideal loca tions, and the black king stranded in the centre, the position begs for this kind of sacrifice. 14...exds 15 .Mxe7+! A second sacrifice in order to eliminate Black's main defender. In contrast, 15 �xd5? �C7 or 15 l2Jxd5?! i.e6 was less clear. 1S .. .';;i;?xe7 Or in instead 15 ... �xe7 then 16 l2Jxd5 �e6 17 .Me1 o-o 18 .Mxe6 i.xe6 19 ctJe7+ and wins. 16 l2'lxdS+ �e6 Both alternatives 16 ...�f8 17 �h6+ and 16 ... �e8 17 l2Jxf6+! were equally terminal for Black. 17 �e3+ �d6 18 ctJe7+! 1-0 In view of 18 ... �c7 19 �xa7 mate, Black resigned.

10 i.bS+! This simple check disrupts Black's devel opment and leaves his king stuck in the centre. 10 i.xf6 gxf6 11 i.b5+!, with a transposition, is equally strong. 10...l2Jcd7 Or 10 ...i.d7 11 i.xf6 gxf6 12 l2Jxe6! fxe6 13 �5+ and wins - Baburin. 11 i.xf6 gxf6 12 �hs! Creating the lethal threat of 13 l2Jxe6 while clearing the first rank for the rooks. In the words of GM Baburin: "The game is over - Black has only one piece developed - and even that piece can't move! " 1 2...�e7 1 3 .Mad1 �c7 1 4 .Mfe1 The imbalance between attacking and defending pieces is astonishing. 14...4Jes 15 �h4 i.g7 16 l2Jxf6! A little combination that destroys Black. 16 ...i.xf6 17 ctJfS+ exfs 18 .Mxes+! �xes 19 �b4+ �e6 20 i.c4+ �ds 21 i.xds+ �es 22 f4 mate

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Th e Na t u re of Develop m e n t

Game 21 (continued)

1 3 LDxds 14 "iVf3 'iiifs? This loses on the spot, but Black had a hard time anyway; e.g. 14 ... tDc6 15 tDxdS o-o-o 16 LDxe7+ LDxe7 17 "iVxb7+ 'iiixb7 18 �xe7+ 'iiic 6 19 .id2 with a winning end game for White. 15 LDxds .td6 16 .l:Ie8+! 1-0 In view of 16 ... 'iiix e8 17 tDf6+ gxf6 18 "iVxb7, Black resigned. .••

1s ...LDxes! A strong blow that exploits the position of the white king in order to force a supe rior endgame. Less promising is 1S ... .txc4?! 16 "iVxc4 cs 17 .ie3, followed by 0-0. 16 "iVxd8 Or 16 dxes ? "iVxds 17 .txds .l:IxeS+, re gaining the piece with interest. 16 ...LDxc4+ 17 "iVxe8+ .l:Ixe8+ 18 'iiid 1 tDxd2! 19 'iiix d2 .l:Ie2+ 20 'iiic 1 �xf2 Material is about equal, but the differ ence in activity is devastating. 21 g3 .tb7 22 .l:Ie1 .te4! Restricting the white rook is Black's main priority. 23 .l:Ie3 .l:Ixh2 24 a4 hs Intending ... g7-g5 and ...hS-h4, in order to create a passed pawn. Black won without any difficulty.

Game 23 (continued)

Game 22 (continued) (seefollowing diagram) 13 tDfds! Exploiting the pin on the h 1-a8 diago nal, White manages to keep the enemy king in the centre. 13 "iVxd3 ?! o-o 14 LDcdS tDc6 was much less convincing.

12 es! Opening the position towards the en emy king. Now it becomes clear that the black queen's bishop should have been at 71


b7 instead. 12 ...dxe5 13 fxe5 b4 Now 14 exf6 bxc3 or 14 lt:le4 lt:lds is quite acceptable for Black; however... 14 lt:ldb5! axb5 15 lt:lxb5 �c8 16 exf6 b3 This counterattack is bound to fail, though after 16 ... gxf6 17 i.b6 Black was in big trouble anyway. 17 fxg7 lt:lb4 The pawn was untouchable due to 18 lt:ld6+. 18 lt:lc7+! Simplest. 18 ...�xc7 19 �xa8+ cJJe 1 20 .l::i.x d7+! cJJx d7 21 i.b5+ 1-o In view of 21...cJJ e 7 22 �e8+ cJJd6 23 .l::i.d1+, Black resigned.

Game 24 (continued)

20 i.xc6+! This and the 22nd move follow the same policy of swapping the opponent's active pieces, thus increasing one's advantage in activity. 20 bxc6 21 .l::i.a e1+ cJJd 7 22 lt:le5+! 22 .l::i.e 7+ cJJd6 23 .l::i. d 1+ i.d4+ is less pre cise - Yusupov. 22 ... i.xe5 23 .l::i.xe5 cJJc 7 24 .l::i.e 7+ i.d7 25 .l::i.d 1 .l::i.a d8 26 i.f4+ White could have won the exchange with 26 .l::i.g 7 but prefers to keep up the at tack. 26 cJJ b6 27 .l::i. b1+! Again activity above material - there is a mate coming up. 21 ... cJJa 5 28 i.d2+ cJJa 4 29 .l::i.e4+ c4 30 .l::i.xc4+ cJJa 3 31 .ic1+ cJJx a2 32 .l::i.b 2+ �a3 3 3 .l::i. b7+ 1-0 •..

..•

Game 25 (continued)

19 i.g5! A powerful move, which helps to mobi lize the queen's rook and invites the ex change of the active enemy bishop on f6. 19 i.xb2 After 19 ....ixg 5 20 lt:lxgs Black is also in trouble; e.g. 20 ....ifs 21 g4! i.xg4 22 lt:lf7 .l::i.f8 23 i.xc6+ bxc6 24 .l::i.a e1+ cJJd7 2 S lt:les+, winning. .••

72

13 .l::i.x d6! A strong sacrifice that eliminates Black's main defender and facilitates an attack on his Achilles' heel on c6. 13 ...�xd6 14 .l::i.d 1 �c7? 14...lt:lds was preferable, returning the material in order to secure the king, al-


though after 15 e4 o-o 16 exd5 exd5 17 cxd5 cxd5 18 .Mxd5 White keeps a clear edge - Ftacnik. 15 i.f4 �b7 16 lbes! i.d7 17 .Mxd7! lbxd7 18 i.xc6 �a6 19 l2lxd7 �c8 20 i.a4 An even faster win was achieved by 20 lbb8+! �f8 21 i.xa8. 20...�e7 21 �d3 f6 22 �d6+ �f7 23 l2les+! Vacating the d7-square for the bishop. 23 .. .fxes 24 i.d7 �d8 25 �xe6+ �f8 26 i.xes g6 27 i.f6 1-0

Creating new weaknesses. 1 7 f4 at once was better. 11 ... .Mhs 18 f4 l2lg4

Game 26 (continued}

19 �g3 After 19 l2lxg4?! i.xg4 it is far from clear where White's king should hide. In the game he sacrifices a pawn to castle long. 19 . ..CLixh2 20 0-0-0 lbxf1 21 .Mhxf1 l2lxb4! By a simple trick Black wins another pawn. 22 cxb4 �c6+ 23 �b2 �xc7 Black later converted his strategic and material superiority into victory. 13 ...ds! An excellent pawn break, exploiting the fact that any move with the knight on e3 runs into ...�c1+. 14 lba3! Finally White starts bringing out his pieces. After 14 exd5?! lbxd5! 15 lbxd5 �c1+ 16 �e2 0-0 he is indeed in deep trou ble; e.g. 17 lbxe7 �xb2+ 18 lbd2 �xa1 19 lbxa8 .Me8+ 20 lbe4 �xa2+, regaining the piece with a decisive advantage - Postny. 14...dxe4 15 l2lbs o-o 16 lbxc7 .Mas Possibly 16 ... exf3 ! ? 17 lbxa8 .Me8 was even stronger - Postny. 17 b4?!

Game 27 (continued}

73

M a s tering Open ing S t ra tegy

15 f3! Clearing the e-file and the long diagonal towards Black's camp. 15 ... e3 Now in the event of 15 ... cxd4 16 fxe4 "Vlixe5, White has 17 .U.xf5 "Vlie6 18 "Vlixd4 with the double threat of "Vlixg7+ and .U.e5. 16 .U.fe1 'it>f6 Or 16 ... cxd4 17 .U.xd4 "Vlixe5 18 f4, win ning - Golubev. 11 dxc5 "Vlixe5 18 .U.d6+ 'it>e7 19 "Vlih4+! 'it>f7 20 "Vlic4+ 1-0 In view of 20 ... 'it>e7 21 f4 "Vlixc5 22 "Vlie6+ 'it>f8 23 .U.d8 mate, Black resigned.

continuation 19 CLla4 "Vlih5 20 "Vlie5 ! "Vlixa4 21 "Vlixcs "Vlic6 22 .ias+ 'it>c8 23 "Vlie5 .ixd6 24 .U.xd6 "Vlih5 25 .U.d5 ! d6! (not 2S ...CL:lxd5? 26 "Vlie8+) 26 .U.xd6 "Vlixe5 27 .U.xe5 with a strong initiative even into the endgame. 19 tLle4 .if4 Obviously 19 ...-vlib6? 20 CL:lxd6 "Vlixd6 failed to 21 .ia5+. 20 .ixf4 CL:lxe4 21 fxe4 .U.e8 22 "Vlig4! This double attack breaks through Black's defences. 22 ....U.e6 23 "Vlixg7 .ic6 24 "Vlif8+ .U.e8 25 "Vlixf7 1-0 In this hopeless position, Black resigned.

Game 28 (continued)

Game 29 (continued)

13 ttJd6+! A strong sacrifice that opens the gates to Black's king. 13 ...exd6 14 exd6 "Vlib4 15 "Vlie2+ 'it>d8 16 .id2 .ib7 Unfortunately for Black, 16 ....ixd6 runs into 17 CLle4 "Vlib6 18 CL:lxd6 "Vlixd6 19 .ias+. 17 0-0-0 CL:lf6 18 .U.he1 .ixd6?! This virtually means returning the piece, making White's practical task considerably easier. For better or worse, 18 ...-vlib6 had to be tried, when Rybka suggests the curious

14 f4! By diverting the queen from the centre, White prepares a sacrifice on f7. A little less convincing is 14 CL:lds o-o 15 f4 "V!id6 and Black stays alive. 14...-vlib8 Or 14 ... -vlixe3+ 15 'it>h1 with multiple threats, such as 16 .U.f3, 16 tLld5 and 16 .U.e1 - 5uetin. 15 .ixf7+! 'it>xf7 16 "Vlib3+ 'it>e8 Or 16 ... 'it>g7 17 CL:le6+ 'it>h6 18 .U.f3 with a mating net - Horowitz.

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1 7 lZ'ld5 .td6 1 8 lt:Je6l b 5 1 9 lt:Jdc7+ We7 20 tLld4l With double threats at c6 and e6. 20...Wf8 21 tLlxa8 1-o In view of 21...�xa8 22 �e6 �8 23 tLlc6 �c7 24 tLle7, Black resigned.

Game 31 (contin ued)

Game 30 (continued)

11 b4l Opening the position to attack Black on the dark squares before he gets castled. 11 tLlc4?! is less promising due to 11 ... .te6, with ....txc4 as a future resource. 11...axb4 12 axb4 �xal 13 �xal cxb4 14 lt:Jc4 c5 15 �a4+l A strong intermediate check in order to liberate the a6-square for the queen. Less effective is 15 �a8?! tLle7, followed by ... 0-0. 15... .td7 16 �a6 .th6 This won't end well, but after 16 ... tLle7 17 lt:Jxb6 o-o 18 lt:Jxd7 �xd7 19 .txc5 the game is virtually over anyway. 17 lt:Jfxe5 .txe3 18 ttJxd7l .tf4 19 tLlcxb6 g5 20 �b5 g4 21 �all The last piece joins the attack. 21 ... f5 22 �c4 �xd7 23 lt:Jxd7 Wxd7 24 �d5+ 1-0

12 0-0-0l Setting up the threat of 13 �he1+ and at the same time seizing the d-file. Less prom ising is 12 .tb5 ? ! �e6+ 13 .te3 cxb2 or 12 tLle5 lt:Jxe5 ! 13 .tb5 .td7 14 .txc6 .txc6 15 �c2 cxb2 16 �b1 .txg2 with counterplay Taimanov. 12 ...cxb2+ After 12 ...�xa4 13 �he1+ .te7 14 �xe7+ Wf8 15 �xf7+ Wg8 16 �fxd7+ �xc4 17 �d8+ rj)f7 18 tLle5+ White wins. 13 Wxb2 13 Wb1 ! ? �e4+ 14 Wxb2 is another good option. 13 ....te7 14 �hel f6 15 .tb5 The pressure at d7 is unbearable; e.g. 15 ...�C7 16 .tf4!. 15...�b6 16 Well fxg5 17 .txd7+ Wf8 18 �xe7l rj;xe7 19 �e4+ Wd8 19 ...Wf7 20 lt:Jxg 5+ or 19 ...Wf6 20 �e5+ is equally bad. 20 .tf5+ Wc7 21 �e5+ Wc6 22 �d6+ Wb5 23 �b2+ 1-0 Black resigned in view of the line 23 ...Wa5 24 �a3+ Wb5 25 lZ'ld4+! cxd4 26 .td3 mate.

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Game 32 (continued)

15 ...l:tb8! Black increases the pressure at the en emy camp, unworried about 16 lbxd6, de priving him of the bishop pair and damag ing his pawn structure. Either 15 ...i.xe4?! 16 iVxe4 l:tb8 17 i.c3 or 15 ... lbg4?! 16 'bxd6 cxd6 17 iVf5 ! was less promising; but 15 ...i.f8 also made sense, when 16 i.xe5 ! ? l:txe5 1 7 i.d3, preparing o-o, might be White's best try. 16 lbxd6 cxd6 17 i.c3 iVh4! The last piece enters the battle, creating the strong threat of 18 ...lbg4. 18 h3 'bg4! 19 iVfs This runs into a strong sacrifice, but af ter 19 g 3 iVh6 White was also suffering badly. 19 ...lbxe3! 20 dxe3 l:txe3+ 21 lt>d2 Or if instead 21 i.e2 l:txe2+! 22 lt>xe2 iVc4+, when both 23 iVd3 l:te8+ 24 lt>d2 iVf4+ 25 lt>c2 i.e4 and 23 lt>d2 i.e4 24 iVa5 iVd3+ 25 lt>e1 l:te8! win for Black - De Dovitiis. 21 ...l:txc3! A second sacrifice that eliminates the key defender of the dark squares in White's camp. 76

22 iVxds Or 22 lt>xc3 l:tb3+ 23 lt>c2 iVd4 with deci sive threats. 22 ...l:tc5 23 iVd3 l:tb2+ 24 lt>d1 iYa4+! The same "long" queen check that we witnessed in Onischuk-Volokitin (Game 27), with colours and flanks reversed. 25 lt>e1 iVas+ o-1 In view of 26 lt>d1 l:td5, White resigned.

Game 33 (continued)

12 cs! A strong sacrifice, which prepares lbc4 with the focus on Black's weak point d6. 12 ...dxcs

Th e Na ture of D evelopme n t

On 12 ...bxc5 or 12 .. .lbxc5 there follows the same reply. 13 l2lc4 e5 14 f4! Striking while the iron is hot. The check on d6 can wait. 14....ic6? This bishop will be fatally diverted from the long diagonal. The last chance was 14 ... a6! 15 l2lbd6+ .txd6 16 l2lxd6+ r:Ji?e7 and Black is still alive. 15 fxe5! .txb5 16 exf6 .txc4 17 e5 White's game plays itself. The threat is 18 �f3 winning the exchange. 17 ...a6 18 �g4! gxf6 Unfortunately for Black, 18 ....te6 runs into 19 fxg7. 19 �xc4 fxe5 20 .l:tf1 f6 21 �e6+ r:Ji?d8 22 .l:td1 1-0 In view of the double threats at d7 and f6, Black resigned.

If 1 5 ....tg7, then 1 6 l2lxd6+! exd6 17 .l:te1+ '>t>f7 18 .ic4+ d5 19 .txd5+ l2lxd5 20 �xd5+ r:Ji?f8 21 .if4 with a winning advan tage - Mirkovic. 16 .l:te1! .ig7?! A misguided sacrifice of the d6-pawn. Obviously 16 ... .l:txb5?? failed to 17 l2lxd6 mate, but the prophylactic 16 ...r:Ji?f7 made some sense, when 17 a4 keeps the advan tage - Mirkovic. 17 l2lxd6+ r:Ji?f8 18 .if4! The last piece joins the battle, securing the knight on d6. 18 ...l2le8

Game 34 (continued)

14 l2lc4! Unconcerned about the doubling of the f-pawns, White creates the threat of 15 l2lb6 and clears the way for the queen's bishop. 14....txf3 15 gxf3 .l:tb8

19 �b4! The right square for the queen, where it supports both pieces on d6 and b5 without exposing herself to the black knights. 19 .ih6 l2ldf6! is less clear, while the game went 19 �d3?! l2lc5 ! 20 �d5 l2lxd6 21 .l:txe7! r:Ji?xe7 22 .l:te1+ l2lce4! 23 fxe4 l2lxb5 24 exf5+ r:Ji?f8 25 �c5+ r:Ji?f7 and Black had a defend able position. 19 l2le5 An unsuccessful try for complications, but the alternatives where no better; e.g. 19 ... exd6? 20 .txd6+ with mate, or 19 ...l2lxd6 20 .txd6 .tf6 21 .txb8 l2lxb8 2 2 ••.

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a4 and the passed a-pawn soon decides. 20 lL'lxe8 lL'lxf3+ 21 �h1 J:txb5 22 'ifxb5 lL'lxe1 23 ctJc7! With decisive threats at e6 and e1. But not 23 ctJxg7?? 'ifa8+.

Game 35 (continued)

20 a4 J:tac8 21 f3 J:txc3 22 .ixc3 l:te3 ! Now that 23 'ifd2 ? runs into 23 . . .J:txf3+!, White loses both his queen side pawns.

Game 36 (continued) 11...lL'lxf3+! 12 i.xf3 d4! An intuitive pawn sacrifice to clear the e-file. 13 exd4? Much better was 13 ctJe4! lL'lxe4 14 i.xe4 dxe3 15 0-0 exf2+ 16 'ifxf2 with compensa tion - Beliavsky. 13 ... l:te8+ 14 �f1 After 14 CZJe2 i.b4+ 15 i.c3 i.f5 ! Black also enjoys a strong initiative. Instead, 14 i.e2 i.g4 15 f3 i.h 5 16 o-o, securing the king, seems preferable, although 16 ... 'ifc7 17 h 3 i.g6 18 i.d3 ctJh5 keeps the initiative for Black - Korchnoi. 14 'ifa5 15 'ifd1 i.b4 16 J:tc1 i.d7 17 a3 i.xc3 18 J:txc3 ctJd5 19 i.xd5 Not 19 l:tc5? .ib5+ 20 �g 1 l:te1+ and wins - Beliavsky. 19 'ifxd5 Despite the simplifications Black keeps a clear initiative thanks to superior activity. ..•

.••

78

14 c4! Clearing either the a4-e8 or the h 1-a8 diagonal for the queen. 14 exf7+?! �xf7 is less promising - Abramovic. 14...bxc4 Or 14 ... 'ifxc4 15 'iff3 with a nasty double attack. 15 'ifa4+ �e7 16 .ig5+! 'ifxg5 17 'ifb4+ There follows 18 'ifxb8 with a devastat ing advantage.


Game 37 (continued)

speed up White's development and elimi nates Black's active fianchettoed bishop. 10 lL'lc3?! gxh4 and 10 h 5 ? ! lL'le5 11 h6 i.f6 12 tt:Jc3 o-o! are less promising. 10 i.xb2?! 10 ...'iVxg5 11 lL'ld2 d6! was a lesser evil, not even touching the b2-pawn - Dydyshko. 11 ctJd2 i.xa1 Dydysh ko also analyses 11 ...'iVxg5 12 i.xc7 i.xa1 13 lL'le4! 'iVe7 14 lL'ld6+
•••

15 lL'le6! 'iVd6 After 15 ...fxe6 16 'iVh 5+
Game 38 (continued)

10 hxgs! A strong exchange sacrifice that helps

18 i.xg6! fxg6 19 'iVf6+ .Me7 Or 19 ...

Game 39 (continued)

16 b4! An ingenious advance with the double idea of 17 b5 and 17 .i.b2. The straightfor ward 16 'ii'g 5?! �f8 17 'ii'h 5 l:td8 is less promising. 16 ...0-0 After 16 ... 'Llxb4 17 .i.b2 o-o 18 .i.f5 ! White obtains a strong attack; e.g. 18 ... g6 19 'ii'h 6 f6 20 .i.xg6 ! or 18 ...h6 19 'ii'g 4 g 5 20 'ii'h 5 ! 'ii'd6 21 l:te6 ! - Huzman. 17 bs .i.f6 Or 17 ...g6 18 'ii'e 2 .i.f6 19 l:tb1 with simi lar play. 18 l:tb1 'ii'a s 19 'ii'f s! Unpinning the pawn, with decisive ma terial gains. 19 ....i.c3 20 bxc6 .i.xd2 21 .i.xd2 'ii'x d2 22 cxb7 l:tad8 23 'ii'b s White soon won.

Game 40 (continued) (seefollowing diagram)

14 C4! Clearing the centre and preparing ac tions on the a4-e8 diagonal before Black manages to castle.

80

14...cxd4 After 14... dxc4 15 d5 ! or 14... 'Llxd4 15 'Llxd4 cxd4 16 cxd5 exd5 17 'Llf4 Black is also in trouble. 15 cxds 'Lld7 Or 15 ...exd5 16 'Llf4 and the knight en ters with great effect. 16 ctJf4 Note that White doesn't hurry with the tempting d5-d6, since the attack on Black's king is aided by the tense centre. 16 ... .i.e7 17 'ii'a4! Black is not allowed to castle. 11 ...l:td8 18 .i.bs! a6 19 .i.xd7+ l:txd7 20 l:tfc1


Creating new threats with every move. Now Black is unable to cover the c8-square, since 20 ...iVd8 fails to 2 1 dxe6. 20...iVb5 21 iVxb5 axb5 22 iLxe7 �xe7 Or 22 ... !1Jxe7 23 dxe6 fxe6 24 !1Jxe6, win ning. 23 d6+ !1Jxd6 Desperation, but 23 ... �e8 24 .Mc8+ .Md8 25 .Mac1 was fatal for Black. 24 exd6+ �xd6 25 !1Jxd4 e5 26 !1Jxb5+ �e7 27 !1Jg2 White soon materialized his extra piece.

17... .Md8 Both 17 ... iVxe5 ? 18 iLh3 ! and 17 ... !1Jxe5 18 iLh3 iVe7 19 .Mhe1 f6 20 iVg 3!, preparing f2-f4, are fatal for Black. In the latter line, note that White's attack actually becomes much swifter once the e5-pawn leaves the board. 18 iLc4 iVe1 19 .Mhe1

Game 4 1 (continued)

15 f5! Opening the position at all cost, consid ering Black's lack of development. 15 �b1?! 0-0-0 is much less promising. 15... iVxa2 After 15 ...!1Jxe5 16 iVe4 exf5 17 iVxf5 White's lead in development and strong bishop pair speak in his favour. 16 fxe6 iVxe6 Or 16 ...!1Jxe5 17 exf7+ iVxf7 18 iVe4, win ning - Rozentalis. 17 iVf4! A key move that enables iLh3 should Black castle long or capture the e5-pawn.

By now White's lead in development is decisive; again we have the typical "play against one goal" situation. 19 ... h5 Or 19 ...!1Jxe5 20 iLd4 !1Jxc4 21 .Mxe7+ iLxe7 22 .Mel etc. 20 iVg3 Preventing 20....Mh6 and preparing to meet 20 ... g6 by 21 e6!. The immediate 20 e6 fxe6 21 iLxe6 was also strong. 20 ...!1Jxe5 Suicide, but there were no good alterna tives anymore. 21 .Mxd8+ �xd8 22 iLf4 Avoiding the trap 22 iLg5 ? f6 23 .Mxe5 iVd6!. 22...!1Jxc4 23 .Mxe7 �xe7 24 iVd31 1-0 The queen enters on d6 with devastat ing effect and 24 ... b5 2 5 b3 doesn't change much, so Black resigned. 81


Game 42 (continued)

A tempting advance, but the simple 17 tZ:ld2! was even stronger; e.g. 17 ....l:!.xc3 18 tt:Jdf3, followed by i.d2, or 17 .. .f6 18 .l:!.ab1 'i!Vd6 19 tZ:ld3 iYxa3 20 'i!Vb5 ! with moves like i.f4 and tZ:lf4 hanging in the air. 11 ...f6 18 c5 iYb2 19 tZ:ld3 iYxa1 20 'i\Vxa5

13 bxc4! .l:!.xc4 Not 13 ... dxc4?! 14 d5 i.c5 15 e6! fxe6 16 tZ:le5, intending 17 � 5+, with a huge ini tiative. 14 e6! i.xe6 15 tZ:le5

For the price of a mere pawn, White has obtained a strong knight in the centre and cleared the e-file for a future attack. 15 ... .l:!.c7 16 'i!Va4+ An annoying check that forces Black to leave his king stranded in the centre. 16 c4 f6! 17 �5+ li?d8 was less promising Svidler. 16...\i?dS 17 C4 82

20...1\Va2? Black returns the favour. By 20...i.c8!, preparing ...b7-b6, he could have kept the balance; e.g. 21 tZ:ld2 b6! 22 cxb6 iYxa3 23 bxc7+ tZ:lxc7 24 'i!Vb6 'i!Va6 2 5 'i!Vb3 and White has compensation for the pawn, but noth ing more - Svidler. 21 i.f4 'i!Vc4 22 tZ:lb4! li?e8 Black correctly returns the rook in order to save his king. 23 i.xc7 'iiff7 24 iYb6 i.c8 25 tt:Jxa6 'i\Vxa6?! The ensuing endgame is lost for Black, so the capture 25 ...bxa6 was the last chance. 26 'i\Vxa6 bxa6 27 tZ:lc3 i.e6 28 .l:!.b1! Preparing .l:!.b7, with a decisive advan tage thanks to the strong passed pawn and the superior activity. The game continued 28 ...i.e7 29 .l:!.b7 .l:!.e8 30 f3 g5 31 .l:!.a7 f4 32 i.d6 li?f8 33 .l:!.xa6 i.xd6 34 .l:!.xd6 i.f7 3 5 tt:Jxd5 .l:!.e1+ 36 li?f2 and White went o n to win.


Game 43 (continued)

16 .. :�c2!! A spectacular move, and the only one that does the job! In contrast, after 16 .. .Ci'lc2+?! 17 .l:!.xc2 i.xc2 18 i.g2 or 17 .. .'�xc2 18 gxfs dxc4 19 i.d2 'ifh1+ 20 i.c1, White is alive. 17 .l:!.xd4 Entering an inferior endgame, but the alternatives were no better; e.g. 17 gxfs ?? 'i¥xc1+ 18 .l:!.d1 l2lc2 mate, or 17 .l:!.xc2 l2lxc2+ 18 �d2 dxc4+! 19 �c3 l2lxe3 20 gxfs l2lxf1 21 .l:!.xfl .l:!.d4 with a clear advantage for Black. 17 ...exd4 18 'i¥d2 'i¥xd2+ 19 i.xd2 i.e4!

Obstructing the enemy development; 19 ... i.xg4?! would invite the white rook into the battle after 20 cxds .l:!.xds 21 .l:!.g1. 20 f3 i.g6 21 cxds .l:!.xds 22 i.g2 f6 23 �f2 hs 24 .i.f4 i.c2!

Redirecting the bishop to a more prom ising diagonal, where it prevents .l:!.d1. 25 h4 .l:!.e8 26 .l:!.c1 i.a4 27 gxhs .l:!.xhs 28 i.g3 .l:!.e3! 29 .l:!.c4 .l:!.ds 30 i.d6? An oversight, though after 30 .l:!.xd4 .l:!.xe2+ 31 �xe2 .l:!.xd4 Black is much better. 30 ... .l:!.c3! 31 f4 .l:!.xd6 0-1 In view of 32 .l:!.xc3 dxc3 33 cxd6 c2.

Game 44 (continued)

83

M as t e ring Open ing S trategy

19 1Le4! Clearing the way for the f-pawn and enabling a future �f3 with increased pres sure on the long diagonal. 19 ...�e6 20 f4! A strong advance opening several lines towards Black's underdeveloped camp. 20 .. J:!.b8 This leads to unsolvable problems on the queenside, but the alternatives weren't much better. 20 ...exf4 21 �f3 fxg3 22 .Mae1 wins for White (Krasenkow), while after 20 ... 0-o 21 fxes Black is practically lost since 21 .. .fxes ? fails to 22 .Mxf8+ �xf8 23 �f3+. Now let's suppose that, instead of 18 ...cs?, Black had played the correct 18 ...1Ld7. In that case, after the analogous continuation 19 1Le4 �e6 20 f4 o-o 21 fxes fxes he would be just fine, with the rooks con nected and the long diagonal sufficiently defended. One tempo in development can indeed make an enormous difference. 21 �a4! tbas 22 JLxas 1-0 In view of the horrible position arising after 22 ...bxas 23 b6+ .1Ld7 24 bxa7! .Mc8 2 5 �xas .1Lc6 26 fxes, Black resigned.

12 ...1Lg7? 12 ...e s ! 13 dxe6 l2Jxe6 was a lesser evil, justifying the knight on d8. After 14 es l2Jxf4 15 exf6 l2Je6 16 .Mfe1 0-0-0 Black still has chances of salvation. In contrast, the text lets White clear the h 2-b8 diagonal with decisive effect. 13 es! lbhs Or 13 ...dxes 14 tbxes �c8 15 l2Je4! with irresistible pressure. 14 exd6 exd6 15 .Mfe1+ 'lt>f8 16 .1Lxd7 �xd7 11 �bs! 1-o A strong blow that finishes off Black's resistance. In view of his desperate position after 17 ... �xbs 18 .1Lxd6+ �g8 19 axbs, Black resigned.

Game 46 (continued)

Game 45 (continued)

17 ...1Le7! Speeding up development while neu tralizing White's mating idea. 17 ....1Lcs?, in the same spirit, fails to 18 .1Lc6+! and the bishop is untouchable because of mate, whereas the game continued 17 ... l2Jxes? 18 �e2 �8? (the last chance was 18 ...f6 19 �xbS+ �f7, followed by ....1Ld6) 19 �xes ! and Black resigned i n view of 1 9 ...�xes 2 0 .1Lc6 mate o r 1 9...�xa8 20 �xbS+. 84


18 f£.xe7 �xe7! Clearing the back rank for the rook. Black has nothing to worry about; e.g. 19 'ikf3 lbxe5 20 'ifa3+ 'ikd6 21 'i:Va7+ �f6 fol lowed by ....Md8.

1 8 exd6 'i:Vc6

Game 47 (continued)

15 es! A strong blow that opens the position for White's forces and undermines the bishop on c5. Less convincing was 15 lbxe6 fxe6 16 'i:Vxe6+ lbe7 17 !£.c4 .Mf8 with un clear play - Parligras. 1S ...lbd7 After 15 ... dxe5? 16 lbxe6! fxe6 17 !£.xg6+ hxg6 18 'i:Vxg6+ White soon regains the piece with a huge advantage. 15 ... lbc6 might be a better try, although after 16 lbxe6! fxe6 17 f£.xg6+ hxg6 18 'i:Vxg6+ �f8 19 lbf4 White keeps a strong initiative Chess Today. 16 lbxe6! A typical sacrifice to keep the enemy king in the centre. 16...fxe6 17 'i:Vxe6+ �d8 Or 17 ... lbe7 18 .Mxb7! 'i:Vxb7 19 exd6 lbf8 20 'ife5 !£.xd6 21 'ikxd6 with a clear edge Parligras.

19 .l:'i.xb7! Eliminating one of Black's most active pieces. 19 ...'ikxb7 20 !£.e4 'ifa7 21 !£.xa8 'i:Vxa8 22 !£.xes lbxcs 23 'ifc4! New threats with every move. Now 23 ...'i:Vc6 runs into 24 lbd4 'i:Vxd6 25 'i:Vxc5!, simplifying to a won endgame. 23 ...'i:Vc8 24 lbd4 .Me8 Black parries the threat of 25 'i:Vxc5 and 26 lbe6+.

25 d7! An ingenious move to expose the black king along the d-file. 85

M a s te ring Open ing Stra tegy

2S :it>xd7 Or 2 S .. .<:t:Jxd7 26 4Jc6+ r!;c7 27 4Je7+ and wins - Parligras. 26 �ds+ r!;e7 27 4JfS+! r!;f8 28 4Jd6 Finally White recovers the material, while Black's king remains exposed. 28 ...�c7 29 4Jxe8 r!;xe8 30 .l:i.e1+ 1-0 In view of the continuation 30 ... 4Je7 31 �g8+ r!;d7 32 �xg7 �d6 33 �xh7, Black resigned. ••

Game 48 (continued)

I n the same aggressive spirit, clearing more lines towards Black's king. 20...exds The tempting 20 ... 4Jcs failed to 21 dxc6! 4Jxb3 22 cxb7. 21 �xds �e7 22 .l:i.ad1 gs After 22 ... 4Jf6 23 �es ! Black is also in deep trouble. 23 4Jd6+ �xd6 24 �xd6 .l:i.h6 25 �a3 The bishop is kept on its best diagonal. Of course 25 �xe4+? .l:i.e6 had to be avoided. 2S ....l:!.he6 26 .l:i.fe1 �c7 27 .l:!.xe4 A good alternative was 27 �xgs �es (or 27 ... 4Jes 28 �xg7 4Jf3+ 29 r!;h 1 with irre sistible threats) 28 �4! .l:i.h6 29 �xe4, transposing to a endgame with a decisive extra pawn. 27 4Jes •..

16 cxds! Before pushing the e-pawn White rules out ...dsxc4 as in the previous subvariation ; e.g. 16 e4?! dxc4! 17 �xc4 4Jb6, followed by ...�b4, with much more resistance than in the game. 16 ...cxds 17 e4! The key move of the game, which clears the position towards the uncastled black king. Note that both black rooks prove awk wardly placed once the game is opened. 17 ... dxe4 18 4Jbs After 18 4Jxe4?! 4Jf6 19 �g s �e7 Black defends, though 18 �e3 or even 18 d s ! ? looked strong a s well. 18 ....l:!.a6 19 �f4 .l:i.c6 20 ds! 86

At this point the game continued 28 r!;g2 4Jc4 29 .l:i.xc4?! (29 .l:!.de1 was correct, keeping up the pressure) 29 ... .l:i.xc4 30 �xgS �c6+ 31 r!;g 1 .l:i.d4! and Black later saved a draw. In contrast, the simple 28 .l:i.ed4! would have left him defenceless against the mating threat; e.g. 28 ...f6 29 f4 gxf4 30 gxf4 4Jf7 31 .l:i.e4! �c8 32 .l:i.de1 4Jd8 33 fs and White wins.


Game 49 (continued)

The winning attempt 22 b4?! proves risky after 22 ... 'ifd2+ 23 l2le2 .Me8 24 .Mhel h6!, preparing 25 ... c3; but not 24... c3? 25 .Mbdl!, when 25 ....Mxe2+? fails to 26 .Mxe2 'ifxdl 27 .Me8 mate. 22 'ifd4+ 23 'lt>g2 Yz-Yz Draw agreed, in view of 23 ... 'ifd2+ 24 'lt>h3 'ifh6+ 25 'lt>g2 'ifd2+ etc. .•.

Game so (continued)

17 'ifxd4! Giving back some material in order to repel the enemy attack. Both 17 J.xd5 .Mxd5, preparing ... .Me8, and 17 'ifd3 J.c6 18 J.e3 lL'lf5! 19 'ifxd8 .Mxd8, with the threat of 20 ...b5, would have let Black retain the ini tiative. 11 ... J.cs 18 'ifxcs .Mxcs 19 lL'lxds 19 'lt>e2! Forcing favourable simplifications. 19 l2lxg2 After 19 ... 'ifb5+ 20 'lt>xe3 o-o-o 21 J.fl! Black's compensation is insufficient; e.g. 21 ...'ifb6+ 22 'lt>e2 lL'ld4+ 23 'lt>e1 .Mhe8 24 J.d3 .Mxe5+ 25 'lt>f1, followed by 'lt>g2. 20 'ifxb6! axb6 21 'lt>f2 White regains the piece and emerges a sound pawn up in the endgame. 21 ...lL'lh4 22 gxh4 'lt>e7 23 .Mhg1 .Mhg8 At this point, the game continued 24 .Mg4?! h5 25 .Me4 'lt>e6 26 a3 .Mad8, followed by ... lL'le7-d5, and Black finally saved a draw. By 24 a3, preparing .Madl, White could have maintained his advantage; e.g. 24 ....l:i.a4 25 'lt>g3 'lt>e6 26 .Madl!, when 26 ...l2lxe5? fails to 27 .Mge1 f6 28 f4. .••

19 bs! Stronger than 19 ....Mxd5?! 20 J.xd5 'ifxd5, when White manages to consolidate his slight material plus by 21 lL'le2 followed by 22 .Mel. 20 J.a3 ! bxc4 21 J.xcs 'ifxds 22 J.xf8 .••

87

M as te ring Op e n ing S t ra tegy

Game 51 (continued)

11... hs! A key move, which prepares ... g 7-g6 without having to bother about .ih6+ and lets Black develop his last piece by ...h S -h4 and ....l::th s later on. In contrast, 17 ... g6?! was risky because of 18 .th6+ Wg8 19 'ii'g S ! .l::td8 20 .l::ta c1, intending l2Jes-c6 - Avrukh. 18 .tf4 g6! 19 'ii'g s After 19 'ii'h 3 'ii'xf4 20 'ii'x c8+ Wg7 2 1 'ii'h 3 .l::td8 Black enjoys excellent compensa tion for the exchange, while 19 'ii'xf6 .txf6 20 .ixC7 .l::tx c7 21 .l::txe4 Wg7 leads to an equal endgame - Avrukh. 19 ... 'ii'd 8 20 .tes h4! Black is just in time to bring the rook into play before his centre crumbles. 21 .l::ta d1 .l::t h s 22 'ii'f4 l2'lds! 23 'ii'g4 Of course not 23 'ii'x e4? Which is met by 23 ...l2'lc3. 23 ....:gs Avrukh is not satisfied with the equality arising after 23 ....l::txc4 24 bxc4 .l::tx es 2 5 cxds 'ii'x ds 26 f3 ! exf3 27 'ii'xf3 .l::tx e1+ 28 .l::tx e1 'ii'd7 and goes for more. But also White has his trumps, as we will see next. 24 'ii'xe4! l2'lc3 25 'ii'xd4 l2'lxd1 26 .id6! Now that the black king's rook is no 88

longer preventing the mate on h8, this counterblow becomes possible.

26...Wg8 27 .l::txe7 l2'lc3! An ingenious defence that keeps Black in the game. 28 'ii'xc3 'ii'xd6 29 .l::te 8+! .l::txe8 30 lLlxd6 .l::td s! 31 h3 .l::txd6 An approximately equal endgame has arisen, and the game later ended in a draw.

Game 52 (continued)

14...0-0! Returning some of the material in order to secure the king. Less practical was 14 ... 'ii'xh2?! 1S lLlxd7 'ii'c 7 16 .ixe7 'ii'xd7 17


i.d6! and Black's king stays in the centre, while 14 .. .li:Jd5?! 15 cxd5 l2Jxe5 16 �4! 'ifg 5+ 17 f4 'ifd8 18 fxe5 seems even less appealing for him. 15 i.xe7 After 15 l2Jxd7?! i.xd7 16 'ifxd7 l2Jf5 17 i.xf8 .S.xf8 only Black can be better. 1s ... l2Jxes 16 i.xf8 i.d7! Bringing out the pieces. By now Black's safer king and extra pawn compensate for

White's bishop pair and superior activity. 17 i.b4 i.e8 Vera suggests 17 ...'ifxf2 ! 18 i.c3 f6 19 i.xe5 fxe5 20 'ifxd7 'ifxe2 21 'ifxe6+ �h8 with a slight advantage, so probably 17 i.c5 was more accurate on the previous move. 18 'ife3 l2Jc6 19 i.d6 .S.ds 20 h4 es Yz-Yz Draw agreed, in view of 21 i.xe5 .S.xd1+ 22 i.xd1 l2Jxe5 23 'ifxe5 'ifc6 with an equal endgame.

89

Chapter Two

C ri me a n d Pu n is h m e nt

Introd uction The title of Dostoyevsky's classic novel gives us a good hint about what this chapter is about. When a game is decided already in the opening phase, the scenario tends to be one and the same: either of the players has committed one of the "crimes" associated with this stage of the game, and is duly punished by the opponent. Which are the crimes in question? To start with, I would like to replace the term "crime" by the less categorical "dubious action", justified only in the case of a good reason. Here are some typical actions of this nature: t t t t t t t

Early pawn-grabbing. Early queen raids. Multiple moves with the same piece. Exposure of the king. Premature attacks. Extravagance. Ignorance and indifference.

The defect they all have in common is that development and the battle for the

90

centre are dangerously delayed. The rest of the chapter is dedicated to these actions, in the above order, although any single game will often contain several of them. Before moving over to the games, let's observe that there are actually innumerable cases of openings or opening lines where one side deliberately takes such actions. In the Alekhine, for example, Black usually has to move his king's knight several times, al lowing White to take temporary command of the centre. The King's Gambit jeopardizes the safety of both monarchs in several of its lines. Early pawn-grabbing and queen raids are combined in lines such as the Poisoned Pawn Variation in the Sicilian Najdorf {1 e4 c5 2 lbf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 lbxd4 lbf6 5 lbc3 a6 6 i.g5 e6 7 f4 'irb6 8 -v&'d2 -v&'xb2) and Mar shall's Gambit in the Slav {1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 3 lbc3 c6 4 e4 dxe4 5 lbxe4 i.b4+ 6 i.d2 -v&'xd4 7 i.xb4 -v&'xe4+). As John Watson mentions several times in Secrets of Modern Chess Strategy, practice is the ultimate judge of the correctness of every opening idea, which can't be accepted or discarded automatically due to general principles.

Crime a n d Pun ishme n t

Just to mention one more case, the Che banenko Slav (1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 lL'lf3 tt'lf6 4 tt'lc3 a6 and similar lines with 4 ... a6) was met with scepticism at its invention due to the odd move with the rook pawn - it doesn't develop anything, nor does it fight for the centre or restrict any enemy plan, at least for the moment. However, some twenty years later it is still not clear how to get an advan tage against this system, and many world class players, including Kasparov, have used it in their games. Ironically, contemporary practice sees the equally "suspicious" 5 h3 among its antidotes! Thus we should keep an open mind when discussing what is "right" and "wrong" in the opening. Nevertheless, the early defeats and difficulties in the opening phase are invariably related to the actions in the above list. What about the punishment methods? Well, we are already quite familiar with them from the previous chapter; for exam ple: pawn breaks, prevention of castling, attack at weak points, exchange of defend ers and, most importantly, a heavy use of tactics.

Ea rly pawn-gra bbing We already saw one related case in Dvoret sky-Schmidt (Game 7). Here are a few more games where one side suffers badly from early pawn-grabbing.

Game 53

P.H.Nielsen-J.Timman

Malmo 2002 Slav Defence

1 d4 ds 2 c4 c6 3 lL'lf3 tt'lf6 4 tt'lc3 dxc4 5 a4

.i.fs 6 tt'les 6 e3 is another direction in this Slav main line. Black, for his part, could opt for the sharp 6 ... e6 7 f3 .i.b4 8 e4 .i.xe4! 9 fxe4 tt'lxe4 on his next move. 6 ...tt'lbd7 7 tt'lxc4 tt'lb6

Black used to play 7 ... 'iic 7 exclusively here, preparing ... e7-e5, but nowadays the text is equally popular. 8 tt'les as 9 g3 tt'lfd7 Again challenging the active enemy knight. Another option is 9 ... e6 10 .i.g2 .i.b4, speeding up development and com plicating the e2-e4 thrust. 10 lt:lxd7 With this capture White gains a tempo for development. 10...'iix d7 11 e4 .i.g4?! Black somehow wants to provoke f2-f3 but, as the remainder of the game will show us, it is rather White who is helped by that move. 11 ....i.h3 at once was correct; e.g. 12 .i.xh3 'iixh3 13 'iib 3 .l::i.a6 14 .i.e3 e6, when both 15 d5 and 15 0-0-0 can be met by 15 ... .i.b4. 12 f3 .i.h3 13 .i.xh3 'iix h3 14 'iib 3! Attacking Black's vulnerable queenside and preparing 0-0-0. 91


14...l:i,a6 Or 14.. .'�g2 15 J:i,f1 l:i,a6 16 d5 with a clear advantage - I.Sokolov. It is indeed dif ficult to see how Black can cope with the threat 17 .ie3, whereas 16 .. .'iixh2 17 .if4, followed by 0-0-0, also looks grim for him. 15 .ie3

also done; e.g. 1 9...0-0 2 0 .ixb6 l:i,xb6 2 1 e7! l:i,e8 22 l:i,d8, winning - Hubner. 18 d5! .ig7 19 .ixb6 0-0 20 .id4 With an extra piece the rest is easy. 20 ... .ixd4 21 l:i,xd4 \\1if2 22 l:i,ed1 \\1ixh2 23 \\1ixb7 1-0

Game 54

A.Vaisser-M.IIIescas Cordoba

Spa nish Team Championsh ip 1996 Torrosch Defence

1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 3 tt'lc3 c5 4 e3 4 cxds exds 5 tt'lf3 is a more popular re action to the Tarrasch Defence, followed by g2-g3 and .ig2, eyeing the potential iso lated pawn on dS. 4...tt'lf6 5 tt'lf3 tt'lc6 6 cxd5 exd5 7 .ib5 .id6 15 ...\\1ig2? When behind in development, don't hunt pawns! The fact that a player of Tim man's calibre infringes this principle tells us something about its relevance. The last chance was 15 ... e6, intending 16 d5 .ib4 I .Sokolov, who instead advocates 16 'it>f2! .ib4 17 tt'le2 with a clear initiative now that Black's queen proves dangerously exposed to 18 tt'lf4 on the next move. In retrospec tive, that powerful king move would not have been available after the immediate 11 ....ih 3. 16 0-0-0! \\1ixf3 17 l:i,he1 White brings his last piece into the bat tle, setting up the irresistible threat of 18 d5. 17 ... g6 This practically loses a piece, though af ter 17 ...\\1if6 18 d5 cxds 19 exds, followed by tt'lbs, or 17 ... e6 18 dS ! .ib4 19 dxe6 Black is 92

8 tt'le5?! We will soon see the drawbacks of this early attack on c6. A normal continuation was 8 o-o o-o 9 dxc5 .ixcs 10 b3 and .ib2 in order to complete development, al though I suspect that the king's bishop would be better off at e2. 8 ...\\1ic7


Here and on the next move, Black doesn't hand over the bishop pair by 8 ... .id7?! 9 CDxd7, but keeps the tension. 9 11Va4 With hindsight, 9 lbxc6 bxc6 10 dxcs .ixcs 11 .ie2, followed by 12 o-o, was pref erable. 9 ...0-0! A key decision. Black sacrifices a pawn in order to speed up development. 10 lbxc6 bxc6 11 .ixc6 cxd4 lllescas immediately clears the centre, aware that 12 .ixa8? now fails to 12 ... dxc3 13 .ic6 .lies 14 J:i,b1 .ifs. 12 lbxds?! H ere 12 exd4 .l:i,b8 13 .ibs a6 14 .ie2, preparing 0-0, was preferable - lllescas, even though Black keeps the pressure after 14....l:i,e8. At this point, White should proba bly just bite the apple by 1S 0-0! .ixh2+ 16 'it>h1, since the materialistic 1S h3? runs into 1S ... .ib4! with strong threats. Indeed, when ahead in material but behind in de velopment, giving back a pawn tends to be a sensible idea. 12 ...lL\xds 13 .ixds J:i,b8

14 11Vxd4? Taking a second pawn is far too greedy.

After 14 0-0! .ixh2+ 1S 'it>h 1 .id6, with ....l:i,b4 coming up, Black has a great position with certain attacking prospects, but at least White has managed to castle. 14... .ia6!

Of course. Now White is denied castling, and his two extra pawns hardly help the defence. On the contrary, the absence of black pawns on the b- and e-files lets Black use his heavy artillery more efficiently in the attack. 15 .id2 .lies Parrying the threat of 16 .ic3. 16 11Va4 11Vd6! Stepping up the pressure. In contrast, 16 ... .ixb2? would be a strategic error in view of 17 11Vxa6! .ixa1 18 o-o .lies 19 g3, followed by e3-e4. White is the exchange down but Black's attack has disappeared completely and the bishop is a giant on dS. 17 e4 .l:i,xb2 18 .l:i,d1 After 18 1l:Vc6 .l:i,xd2! 19 'it>xd2 (or 19 11Vxd6 .l:i,e2+) 19 ....if4+ 20 'it>d1 11Vb4 the white king succumbs. 18 ....l:i,c8! The last piece joins the battle, adding new tactical themes to the menu. 19 g3 93

M as t e ring Op e n ing Stra tegy 1 e3 'ifd5

This defence of the c4-pawn has the evi dent drawback of exposing the queen. 7 ...i.e6 is the main line here. 8 i.e2 By developing the bishop first, White enables i.f3 on some occasions, e.g. if Black launches a set-up with ... b7-b5 and ... i.b7. Obviously 8 ... 'ifxg2?? now fails to 9 i.f3.

White's position was already beyond salvation. The text prevents 19 ... iJ4, but Black is now able to land another tactical blow. 19 ..J:!,xd2! 20 llxd2 Or 20 �xd2 �6+ 21 f4 i.xf4+ with a quick mate on e3. 20...llc1+ With the idea 21 lld1 i.c3 mate. White is completely lost, though he keeps on fighting until the bitter end. 21 'ifd1 'ifa3 22 i.c4 llxd1+ 23 �xd1 'iff3+ 24 �c2 'ifc3+ 25 �d1 'ifa1+ 0-1

Game 55 A.Moiseenko-S.Dvoirys

European Cup, Fugen 2006 Grunfeld Defence 1 d4 CLJf6 2 c4 g6 3 ct:Jc3 d5 4 i.g5 This line against the Grilnfeld became increasingly popular during the new cen tury, with fresh ideas for White being dis covered, particularly by Georgian players. 4 ... CLJe4 5 i.h4 ct:Jxc3 6 bxc3 dxc4 The most principled reply. 6 ... cs and 6 ...i.g7 are other options. 94

s ...'ifa5?!

Black goes for a second pawn when his development is almost zero. 8 ...CLJd7 9 CLJf3 CLJb6 10 0-0 i.g7 seems much sounder, bringing out the pieces and preparing ... 0-0. B.Jobava-P.Svidler, Dortmund 2006, contin ued 11 a4 as 12 CLJd2 'iic 6, and here Svidler recommends 13 i.f3 ! 'iid7 14 'ife2, eventu ally leading to a white advantage. A key factor in the whole 4 i.g s variation is the bishop on h4 which exerts annoying pres sure at e7. 9 CLJf3! White ignores the threat at c3 and just continues development. 9 ...'ifxc3+ 10 CLJd2 c6 Clearing a retreat route for the queen via aS-d8. Hanging on to the pawn with 10...bs? proves disastrous after 11 a4 i.b7


12 o-o a6 13 .if3! - Moiseenko. The devel oping 10....ig7 seems more reasonable, although after 11 o-o \ijfa5 12 'Llxc4 \ijfd5 13 \ijfb3 'Llc6 14 .if3 \ijff5 15 .Mac1 o-o 16 .Mfd1!, preparing d4-d5, White had a distinct ini tiative in Z.lzoria-V.Mikhalevski, Minneapo lis 2005. 11 0-0 \ijfa5 12 CLJXC4 \ijfdS In the event of 12 ...\ijfc7 White could choose between the game continuation and 13 .ig3 ! ? followed by 14 .ie5. 13 \ijfb3! Moiseenko has observed a great square for his queen on a3. 13 ....ig7 14 \ijfa3

From a3 the queen increases the pres sure at the e7-pawn, just before Black is able to castle. Moreover, a tactical shot with 'Llb6 is enabled on some occasions. 14....if8? Returning the pieces to their initial posi tions is rarely correct in the opening, but Dvoirys probably didn't expect White's next move. A better choice was 14...f6 15 .l:!.ab1 'Lld7 (parrying the threat of 16 'Llb6), al though by 16 .ig4! White keeps the pres sure. At this point, after 16 ... 0-0 17 .ixd7, both 17 ... .ixd7 18 .Mxb7 and 17... \ijfxd7 18

'Llb6 lose material for Black - Moiseenko, who also analyses 14 ... b5 15 'Lla5 (not 15 'Llb6?? b4!) 15 ...\ijfd6 16 \ijfxd6 exd6 17 .Mac1, followed by .if3 and .ig3, with strong pres sure. Nevertheless, either of these lines was preferable to the text, as we will see next.

15 dS! A well-calculated pawn break that clears several new lines towards Black's camp. 15 ...cxd5 1 5 .. .'iVxd5? obviously failed to 16 'Llb6, while after 15 ... b5 16 \ijfc3! f6 17 'Lla5 cxd5 18 .ixb5+ Wf7 19 .l:!.fd1 White keeps a strong initiative - Moiseenko. 16 \ijfc3! f6 The apparently clever 16 ...d4 17 exd4 .ig7, giving back a pawn to bring out the pieces, fails to 18 'Lld6+!, and 16 ... .l:!.g8 has the same flaw. By the text Black prepares ... .ig7 on the next move, but runs into a new tactical problem. Let's remember the fact that tactical complications tend to fa vour the side with better development. 17 'Lld6+! \ijfxd6 Black has to accept the enemy intrusion, since 17 ... exd6 18 .ixf6 would make things even worse. 18 \ijfxc8+ Wf7 19 .ibs! 95


A sensible reply to Owen's Defence, in which Black often tries to get rid of his king's bishop on b4. 3 ...1tb7 4 lZJc3

Enabling a check on e8, while limiting both the black queen and knight. 19 'iYxb7 'iYc6 20 ..ia6! was another good option. 19...1tg7 Now White recovers the material with heavy interest, but 19 ... 'iYb6 20 ..ie8+ �g7 21 J:!.ab1 was also terminal. 20 'iYxb7 J:!.d8 21 'iYxa8 'iYb4 22 J:!.ab1 'iYxh4 23 ..te2 fs 24 g3! 1-0

Ea rly q ueen ra ids One of the first things taught to beginners is to be careful with the queen, bringing her out only when the rest of the pieces have been developed. Although the validity of this "rule" obviously varies from case to case, we just witnessed an affirmative one in Moiseenko-Dvoirys. Here are two more games where early queen sorties led to big difficulties for the involved side.

Game 56

T .HiUarp Persson-K.Nygren

Sweden 2004 Owen's

1 d4 e6 2 c4 b6 3 a3 96

Defence

4 ...'iYh4? This early sortie with the queen doesn't fulfil any particular function and rather exposes her to the enemy pieces. Normal continuations are 4 .. .fs and 4....:t'Jf6, taking control of the key square e4. s lZ:lf3 The most natural reply, though 5 e4! ? was possible too, since s .....ixe4? loses the bishop after 6 g 3 . s ...'iYhs Or s .....ixf3 6 exf3, followed by g2-g3 and ..ig2, when the location of the queen on h4 just helps White. 6 e4 Gaining space and preparing the tempt ing ..ie2. 6 ...fs Despite the lack of development Black opens the game, as this was probably the only way to justify his previous play. 7 ..ie2! Relying on some simple tactics White ignores the threat to e4 and just speeds up


development. other continuations were less promising; e.g. 7 ds?! fxe4 8 lbxe4 exds or 7 es?! ..txf3 8 gxf3 lbc6 and the queen is no longer that badly placed on the h-file.

7 ...'flf7 A sad necessity, but after 7 .. .fxe4? 8 lL'lg5 Black can't defend his queen properly; e.g. 8 ...'fih4 9 g 3 'flh6 10 lbgxe4 'flh3 11 ..tg4! 'f/g2 12 ..tf3 'fih 3 13 CDg 5 etc. s lbes 8 CDg 5 ! ? seems even stronger: 8 ...'fle7 (or 8 ...'fig6? 9 ..ths) 9 exfS ! exfs 10 o-o, fol lowed by !tel+, with a devastating lead in development. 8 ...'flf6 At this point there are several tempting continuations such as 9 ..tf3 and 9 exfs 'fixfs 10 ..td3, but Hillarp finds an even more enterprising one. 9 h4! In order to bring the last minor piece into play via g S . Black can't stop this idea by 9 ...h6? due to 10 ..th s+, while 9 .. .fxe4? fails fatally to 10 ..tgs 'flfs 11 ..tg4. 9 .....te7 10 ..tgs 'f/fs Hardly the square that the queen was dreaming of when she left the camp on move 4.

1 1 exfs! Simple but strong - in order to exploit the great lead in development White should open the position. The fact that the bishop on b7 wakes up becomes irrelevant after the next move. 11 ... exfs Unfortunately for Black, 11...'fixfs fails tactically to 12 ..td3 'fif8 13 'fih s+!, whereas 11...-txg s 12 hxgs would just activate the rook on hi. 12 ..tf3! Another logical move in order to swap the only active enemy piece. 12 ...lbc6 13 lL'lbs! Stepping up the pressure, now that Black no longer can protect the C7-pawn by ...lba6. 13 .. 0-0-0 This won't end well, but what else? For example, 13 ... ..td8 allows the nice blow 14 ..th s+ g6 15 lL'lxg6!. 14 CDxc6 ..txc6 15 CDxa7+ �b7 16 dS! The most forceful follow-up. 16 .....txg5 Obviously 16 ... �xa7 runs into 17 dxc6 dxc6 18 'fla4+. 17 dxc6+ dxc6 18 'fla4! .

97

M a s t e ring Open ing Strategy

but also because i n this system Black often needs considerable time to develop his re maining minor pieces, thus the absence of that knight might be strongly felt.

More precise than 18 .i,xc6+ �b8. Now Black has to give a piece in order to repel the attack. 18 .. .'�e8+ 19 �f1 t:De7 20 hxgs l:!.a8 21 l:!.e1! l:!.xa7 22 �b4 Finally White wins material. 22 ... ti'Jg6 23 l:!.xe8 l:!.xe8 24 .i,xc6+! 1-0 In view of 24 ... �xc6 25 �b5+.

Game s? E.Postny-T .Abergel Europea n Cha m pions h i p, Warsaw 2005

Benko Gambit

1 d4 t:Df6 2 ti'Jf3 cs 3 d s bs By this advance Black stays in the waters of the Benko and Blumenfeld Gambits. 3 ... e6, heading for the Benoni, is a main al ternative. 4 .i,gs At first sight, a surprising move - is White about to exchange his "good" bishop and surrender the bishop pair? The answer is yes, mainly since the knight on f6 exerts unpleasant pressure on his centre (i.e. 4....i,b7, hitting the d5-pawn, is coming up), 98

4...ti'Je4 Black also frequently plays 4 ... �6 and 4...d6, not opposing the exchange on f6. 5 .i,f4 Even the odd 5 �d3 ! ? has been tried here, insisting on the bishop vs. knight ex change. s ....i,b7 6 a4 A typical idea: before carrying on with his development White softens up the light squares on the queenside.


6 .. Ji'b6? An unfortunate decision. Black assigns the defence of the bS-pawn to the queen, but now she becomes dangerously exposed to the enemy pieces, just like 4.. .'iVh4 in the previous game. 6 ...'tiaS+ is a more justified queen sortie to disrupt White's development, although after 7 CL:lbd2 .i.xds 8 axbs 'i¥b6 (not 8 .. :vixbs? 9 c4!} 9 CL:lxe4 .i.xe4 10 CLJd2, followed by e2-e4 and CLlc4, White has had excellent results in practice. Perhaps the modest 6...b4 is Black's best choice here; e.g. 7 c4 e6 8 'iVd3 CLJf6 9 e4 exds 10 exds d6 with just a slight disadvan tage in D.Komarov-J.M.Degraeve, French Team Championship 2002. 7 axbs 'iVxbs

9 CL:lxd2 d6 Black resumes development, noticing that both pawns are immune: 9 ....i.xds? this time runs into 10 e4, whereas 9 ...'iVxb2? fails to 10 .Mb1 'iVf6 11 e3! - Postny. 10 e4 'iVd7 The queen takes the square intended for the knight, since 10 ... 'i¥b6 would just give White another extra tempo with 11 CLlc4. 11 CLJc4 g6

Now if Black manages to play ... .i.g7 and ... 0-0 the worst would be over for him; how ever. .. 12 es! Just in time, hitting the opponent's pawn chain before he is fully developed. 12 .i.g7! Abergel sacrifices a pawn, after seeing that 12 ... dxes ? 13 CL:lxes 'iVxds fails fatally to 14 .i.bS+!. 13 exd6 0-0 14 .i.e2 exd6 15 0-0! The straightforward 15 CL:lxd6?! permits 1S ... .i.xb2 16 l!b1 .i.c3+ 17 �fl .i.a6 with some counterplay - Postny. The text lets Black save the pawn, but only by making a serious positional concession. 15 .i.a6 Or 1S ... .i.es 16 CL:lxes dxes 17 .i.h6, fol..•

8 CL:lbd2! Speeding up development and swap ping the opponent's most active piece for an undeveloped one. We saw a similar case with 13 CLJf3 ! in Hellsten-Renman {Game 12). 8...CL:lxd2 8 ....i.xds? loses a piece to 9 c4, while the provocative 8 ...'i¥h4 is well met by 9 c4 CL:lxd2 {the threat was 10 l!a4) 10 CL:lxd2, with ideas like l!a3-b3.

•..

99

M a s te ring Op e n ing S t ra tegy

lowed by c2-c4 and f2-f4, with a huge posi tional plus. 16 lt:Jxd6 Postny is happy to trade the d6- and b2pawns, anticipating a great future for his queen's rook. 16 ... .llxe2 17 'ifxe2 .llxb2 18 .l:i.ab1 .llg 7 19 .l:i.b7 Material is even, but White's active pieces spell big trouble for Black. 19 ...'ifa4 20 .lle s!

White exchanges the main defender of the enemy king, exploiting the fact that ... .l:i.e8 isn't available. 20...'ifh4 Instead, 20 ...lt:Jd7 runs into 21 .l:i.a1!, while after 20....llx es 21 'ifxes both 21 ... lt:Jd7 22 'ife7 .l:i.ad8 23 lt:Jxf7 and 21 ... 'ifd4 22 lt:Jxf7! 'ifxes 23 lt:Jxes win for White. 21 .llxg7 �xg7 22 'ifes+ �g8 23 lt:Je8! 1-0 In view of the multiple threats at g 7, f6 and c7, Black resigned.

Mu ltiple moves with the same piece It is simple logic that if we move the same piece several times, the development of its 100

colleagues i s delayed. H ere are some games that illustrate this problem.

Game 58 l•Hracek-U.�Illinsch

Oeriman· Ee,�IJ.Je 2008 Sicilian Defeltce,

Sche-ve.nirJge.n·.va.riation 1 e4 cs 2 lt:Jf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 lt:Jxd4 lt:Jf6 5 lt:Jc3 e6 6 g4

The famous Keres Attack, which has made many devotees of the Sicilian Scheveningen adjust their move order. White discourages Black's ... 0-0, prepares g4-g5 pushing away the enemy knight from the centre and, for the longer term, gains space on kingside. 6 ... h6 The most popular reply, neutralizing g4g 5 so that the knight can stay on f6, at least for a while. 7 h4 a6 8 .ll g2 lt:Jfd7 The knight moves away before g4-g5 is actually played. Such prophylactic retreats are frequent in the middlegame battle; however, in the opening we should keep a


certain focus on developing moves. Both 8 .. .lt:lc6 and 8 ... g6 hold better reputations. 9 i.e3 A logical reaction to 8 ... 4Jfd7. White re frains from g4-g 5 and prefers to continue development.

9...tt:Jes?! The knight again ! The later game D.Rogic-U.Bonsch, Austrian Team Champi onship 2009, saw the possible improve ment 9 ... b s ! ?, and after 10 es ds 11 f4 'W/c7 12 o-o i.cs 13 'Wif3 tt:Jc6 14 tt:Jce2 i.b7 Black had no real problems. His minor pieces are well developed and he is ready to castle to either side at the appropriate moment. In our main game, all this will remain a dream for him ! 10 'W/e2 Before harassing the knight with f2-f4, Hracek enables 0-0-0. 10 ...'iVc7 11 f4 lt:lc4 12 o-o-o! White isn't concerned about losing the bishop pair, and just keeps on bringing out his pieces. 12 ...4Jxe3?! After such a long journey, it doesn't seem right to swap the knight. Perhaps Black could have tried 12 ... bs, preparing

...i.b7, and keeping the active knight for a while - although after 13 i.f2, preparing l:the1 and tt:Jds ! ?, White enjoys a dangerous initiative. 13 'iVxe3 tt:Jc6

Finally Black starts bringing out the rest of his pieces, but it is already too late ... Can you spot the punishment? 14 e5! Of course! With such a colossal differ ence in activity on the board, White should hurry to open the position before Black consolidates with ... i.d7 and ... 0-0-0. 14 ...4Jxd4 In the event of 14...ds, hoping to keep the position closed, White could try 15 i.xdS ! ? exds 16 tt:Jxds 'Wib8 17 tt:Jf6+!? gxf6 18 exf6+ with a fierce attack. 15 'W/xd4 dxes Again, 1S ... ds runs into 16 i.xdS!, when 16 ... exds? 17 tt:Jxds 'ifas 18 tt:Jb6 is very bad for Black. 16 fxes i.cs? A tactical slip, though Black's position was difficult anyway; e.g. 16 ... i.d7 17 tt:Je4 0-0-0 18 4Jd6+ with l:th3-b3 as a future resource, or 16 ... i.e7 17 lZ:Je4 0-0 18 gS with ideas like 18 ... h s 19 4Jf6+!. 101

M as te ring Open ing Strategy

17 ii..c 6+! bxc6 17 .. .'ifxc6 failed to 18 �d8 mate. 18 �XC5 1-0 With the devastating plan ctJc3-e4-d6(+), targeting the enemy king who can't leave the centre, so Black resigned.

Game 59 R.Vera Gonzalez A.Romero Holmes leon 1996 Colle's Opening

1 d4 e6 2 ctJf3 cs 3 c3 l2Jf6 4 e3 White sets up the Colle, an apparently modest opening but with great attacking potential, as in this game! 4...b6 5 l2Jbd2 .ib7 6 ii..d 3 cxd4 A logical capture now that White can no longer play l2Jc3, but Black had many other options; e.g. 6 ... ds, gaining space, or 6 ... l2Jc6, preparing to meet 7 e4?! at any moment with 7 ... cxd4 8 cxd4 ctJb4!. 7 cxd4

7 exd4 is more popular, clearing the c1h6 diagonal for the bishop, whereas the text has the merit of enabling e3-e4 later. 1 02

7 ...l2Jds?! With bishops on gs and e7 this is a common feature in openings like the Queen's Gambit Declined and Torre's Open ing, in order to release the tension by ex changes. Here, on the other hand, Black's intention is rather to meet e3-e4 by ...ctJb4 or ... ctJf4, but we will soon see that this idea doesn't justify a second move with the knight. Preferable was 7 ...d5 or 7 ...ii.e7 8 0-0 d6 9 e4 ctJbd7 in Hedgehog style. s o-o ts?! Directed against e3-e4, but now the black king is dangerously exposed. 8 ...ii.. e 7, bringing out the pieces, was more prudent, although after 9 e4 ctJb4 (9 ... ctJf4 10 ii..c 2 ii.. a6 11 .l:i,e1 ctJd3 comes to the same thing) 10 ii..b 1 ii.. a6 11 .l:i,e1 ctJd3 12 J.xd3 ! J.xd3 13 ds!, with the threat of 14 l2Jb3 and 15 d6, Black still has some difficulties to resolve. 9 e4! The same old story: the side with a lead in development opens the position. Black could now delay .. .fsxe4 for one move by 9 ...ctJb4 or 9 ... ctJf4, yet after 10 ii..b 1 or 10 ii.. c2 respectively, it is not clear what he has achieved. 9 ...fxe4 10 l2Jxe4 g6? Romero takes precautions against the emerging threats on the b1-h7 and h S-e8 diagonals, but also delays development for the third time in ten moves. Instead, 10 ... ii..e 7 11 lLJeg S ! ?, with ideas like 11 ... g6 12 l2Jxh7! and 11 ...l2Jf6 12 lLJes o-o 13 �c2 !, looks extremely dangerous for him; so the radical 10...l2Jc6, preparing ...�C7 and ... 0-0-0, seems like his last chance; e.g. 11 lLJegS �c7! 12 l2Jxh7 o-o-o with some slight compensation for the pawn. Remember, difficult situations call for unusual solu tions!


bishop o n g 7 just before White's 12th move, would have a similar effect. 13 CLJf6+! Cbxf6 14 �xf6 l:i.g8 1S dS! Exploitin g the pin along the c-file, Vera manages to clear the e-file towards the black monarch. 1S ...exdS 16 l:i.e1+ The white pieces are cooperating beau tifully. 16.. .'�f7 17 �es 'ii'd 8

In GM Baburin's words: "Black has been ignoring the principles of development and the punishment is swift! " 11 �gs! Development with tempo. Now 11 ...�e7? runs into 12 CLJd6+, so Black has to move his queen, thus giving the opponent another extra tempo. 11 'ii'c 7 12 l:i.c1 Cbc6 ••.

18 CLJgS+! 1-0 An elegant way of including the last piece in the attack. In view of 18 ...'ii'x gs 19 'ii'f 3+ �e6 20 �f4+ 'ii'e s 21 l:i.xc6+! dxc6 22 l:i.xes+, Black resigned.

Game 6a

MiAdams..M.Ciurevich

FIDFWorld Cup, Khanty�Mansiysk 2007

French Defence

With the bishop already on g 7 Black would be quite fine here, but now White is able to launch a deadly strike. Indeed, one tempo plays a gigantic role in the opening battle. A similar "cheating" experiment in Postny-Abergel (Game 5 7), placing the

1 e4 e6 2 d4 dS 3 CLJd2 cs 4 CLJgf3 A flexible move, by which White post pones e4xds until the moment seems right. 4 exds is the main option in this French Tarrasch. 1 03

M as t e ring Op e n ing S t ra tegy

4...cxd4 5 exd5 'ifxd5 6 i.c4 'ik'd8 Black deviates from the main line 6 ...'ifd6 7 0-0 tl:lf6 8 tLlb3 tl:lc6 9 tl:lbxd4 with a heavy theoretical battle. The text permits a more flexible development, since ... tl:lf6, preventing White's tl:le4 harassing the queen, is no longer mandatory. 7 o-o tl:lc6 8 tl:lb3 a6

9 'ife2!? Before taking the pawn White wants to play .l:!.d1 in order to control the d-file. After 9 tl:lbxd4 tl:lxd4 10 tl:lxd4 'ifc7 11 11¥e2 i.d6, followed by ...tl:le7, Black has less to worry about. 9 ... b5 Thus Black delays White's recapture on d4 and provides the bishop with the great b7-square. On the downside, his queenside pawns become vulnerable to a future a2a4. A safer choice was 9 ...i.d6 10 .l:!.d1 tl:lge7 11 tl:lbxd4 tl:lxd4 12 .l:!.xd4 with just a slight edge for White - Grivas. 10 i.d3 tl:lf6 By now, the set-up with ...tl:lf6 makes sense, in order to prevent i.e4 or 11¥e4. 11 .l:!.d1 i.e7 12 tl:lbxd4 tl:lxd4 13 tl:lxd4 'ifc7 14 C3 The immediate 14 a4 permits the 1 04

cramping 14 ... b4, so White prepares it.

14 ...i.c5? Black g ets ready to meet 15 a4 by 15 ... b4. Unfortunately, moving the bishop again also implies the loss of a vital tempo for development. Gurevich obviously re jected 14 ... 0-0 due to 15 a4, when both 15 ... bxa4 16 .l:!.xa4, hitting the a6-pawn, and 15 ... b4 16 cxb4 i.xb4 17 i.g 5!, followed by .l:!.ac1, yield White the upper hand. However, a simple solution was 14 ... i.d7!, complicating a2-a4 while getting on with development. Admittedly this bishop was heading for b7, but in demand ing situations you need to be flexible. After 15 tLlf3 o-o 16 tLle5 .l:!.fd8, followed by ... i.e8, Black is okay, and he could even consider 15 ... i.c6 16 tl:le5 i.d5 17 i.f4 'ifh7 with un clear play - Adams. 15 i.g5! White immediately changes his focus to the kingside, exploiting the absence of the bishop on e7. 15 ...i.b7?! Underestimating the dang er. 15 ...i.xd4 16 cxd4 tLld5 was essential, with some kind of blockade, although after 17 .l:!.ac1 'ifd6 (or 17 ...'ifd7 18 'ifh 5!) 18 'ifg4!, intending

Crime and Pun ishme n t

18 ...0-0? 19 .1i.h6, Black has definite prob lems in completing his development. 16 .1i.xf6 gxf6 17 .1i.e4! After destroying the black king's shelter, White proceeds with the exchange of the active bishop on b7. 17 ....1i.xe4 17 ...l:td8? fails to 18 .1i.xb7 llVxb7 19 lZ:Jxe6! fxe6 20 llVh s+, while after 17 ... 0-0-0 18 b4 .1i.xd4 19 cxd4 llVd7 20 a4 White has a clear initiative - Adams. 18 llVxe4 0-0

19 llVh4! Hitting the vulnerable f6-pawn. 19 l:tfd8 Black just hands over the pawn, seeing that both 19 ....1i.e7 and 19 ...llVes run into 20 l:td3 !, heading for h3 or g3, while 19 .. .fs 20 llVgS+
23 lZ:lxe6!. 22 llVe5 23 llVg4 l:td6 24 l:tg3 l:tc8 25 llVh4
..•

Exposure of the ki ng Another recommendation to beginners is to castle quickly in order to secure the king and activate one of the rooks. H owever, in practice things are far from being that sim ple, and sometimes one side delays castling for one or another reason - to avoid an en emy attack, develop other pieces, fight for the centre, etc. Next, let's see two games where Black's decision to delay castling was less justified, and cost him dearly.

Game 61 U .Andersson L.Portisch Skopje Olympiaq 197 2 Sicilian Defence, Rossolimo. Variation ..

1 e4 c5 2 lZ:lf3 d6 3 .ltb5+ You might think of the Rossolimo Sicil ian as a quiet, solid, opening line, yet it of ten produces miniatures, perhaps due to White's typically rapid development. 3 ...lZ:Jc6 4 o-o .1i.d7 5 l:te1 lZ:lf6 6 c3 A main idea of the Rossolimo is to build a pawn centre by c2-c3 and d2-d4. 6... a6 7 .1i.f1 e5 Nowadays, the disruptive 7... .1i.g4! is 1 05

M a s tering Ope n ing S t ra tegy

much more popular; e.g. 8 d3 e6 9 lLlbd2 i.e7 10 h3 .i.hs 11 g4 i.g6 12 lLlh4 lLld7 with a complex game. 8 h3 A useful piece of restriction: before launching d2-d4, White prevents ...i.g4.

8 ... h6?! In contrast, Black's corresponding pawn move makes little, if no sense at all. He should have preferred 8 ...i.e7 9 d4 0-0 in order to speed up development. 9 d4 "W/c7 10 a4! Typical preparation for the lLla3{d2}-c4 manoeuvre. 10...g6? Portisch must have decided that this bishop belongs on g 7; unfortunately, he now loses one more tempo for his devel opment. After 10 ... i.e7 11 lLla3 o-o 12 dxcs dxcs 13 lLlc4, with ideas like a4-a5 and lLle3-dS, White is a bit better, but at least Black has managed to castle. 11 lLla3 i.g7 12 dxcs dxcs 13 lLlc4! Simple and strong, spotting the fresh weakness at d6. 13 ... .l:,b8? A fatal misevaluation. Portisch probably didn't like the look of 13 ... 0-0 14 "Wid6! "W/xd6 106

1 5 etJxd6 .l:,fb8 {both 1 S ...b6 1 6 lLlc4 and 1S ... .l:,ab8 16 i.e3! shed a pawn) 16 i.c4 i.e8 with a passive position for Black. How ever, worse things will happen to him in the game.

At this point there is of course 14 lLld6+?!, depriving Black of castling - yet after 14...'>t>e7, followed by ....l:,hd8, things aren't that clear. Andersson finds a much stronger solution. Remember, when ahead in development, open the position ! 14 b4! An ingenious sacrifice that aims to ex ploit the a3-f8 diagonal with the bishop. 14...cxb4 15 cxb4 i.e6 Unfortunately for Black, the desired 15 ... 0-0 now loses material after 16 bs, fol lowed by i.a3{-d6}. Even worse is 1S ...etJxb4? 16 i.b2 ! with overwhelming pressure; e.g. 16 ...lLlc6 17 i.a3 followed by lLld6+. With the text Portisch prepares ...i.xc4 as well as ... .l:,d8, but Andersson is just in time to complete the punishment. 16 lLld6+ '>t>e7 11 i.a3! The move order matters - after 17 bs?! lLlb4 18 i.a3 as Black can put up a better defence. 11 ...lbe8


After 17 .. ."�ixd6 18 bS �b4 19 �xd6+ �xd6 20 .ixb4+ �c7 21 l:!.ac1+ the location of the black king decides. 18 �xb7! The most effective follow-up, which helps to clear the c-file for the attack. 18...�xb7 After 18 ... l:!.xb7 19 bS+ �d6 20 bxc6 �xc6 21 l:!.c1 �d7 22 .ixa6 Black is also helpless. 19 bS+ �f6 20 bxc6 �c7 Or 20 ... �xc6 21 �xe s ! , inviting the king to a fatal walk. 21 �xes! 1-0

In view of 21 ... �xes 22 �f3+ or 21 ...�xes 22 f4+! �xf4 23 es, followed by mate, Black resigned.

Game 62

R.Ovetchldn-N.Efanov

Nizhl1ij TagH 2007 Semi-Slav Defence

1 �f3 dS 2 C4 c6 3 d4 �f6 4 �b3 A flexible sideline against the Slav. By de fending the c4-pawn with his queen, White keeps any other development issues open.

4...e6 4...dxc4 5 �xc4 .i.fs, followed by ...e7-e6, is one of many alternatives. S �C3 White opts for a classical set-up. 5 g 3 with Catalan-like play is also possible. s ...�bd7 Black finally reverts to some kind of Queen's Gambit Declined. A more active choice was a Meran set-up with s ...dxc4 6 �xc4 bS, followed by ... �bd7, ... a7-a6 and ... c6-cS. 6 .if4 .ie7 7 e3

This was a natural moment to castle, but Black prefers to challenge the bishop on f4. 7 �hs s .ies! �xes White's previous move forced Black to make some minor concession in order to swap the bishop. After the text his knight becomes temporarily misplaced on hs, whereas 8 .. .f6 9 .i.g3 �xg 3 10 hxg3 fs 11 .id3 leaves him with a somewhat passive position. 9 dxes g6 Parryin g the threat of 10 g4. 10 .ie2 �b6 11 �c2! White correctly estimates that his space ...

107

M a s te ring Open ing S t ra tegy

advantage and slight lead in development will be more efficiently exploited with the queens still on the board. 11 . .lt:Jg7 12 o-o fs?! This was another good moment for 12 ...0-0. Black somehow wants to prevent e3-e4 but, as we will see next, the effect of his move is quite the opposite. 13 exf6! Opening the position is usually correct when ahead in development. 13 ... .i.xf6 .

14 e4! A key move that creates new threats be fore Black manages to castle. 14..:�as? Moving the queen again does very little to resist White's initiative; and neither does 14... d4?! 15 e5! .i.e7 16 lt:Je4, nor 14... dxe4?! 15 lt:Jxe4 �xb2 16 �d3 !. So Black should have tried 14... 0-0! 15 cxd5 exd5 16 exd5 .i.f5 with some compensation for the pawn thanks to the bishop pair. As we will see next, it was definitely worth a pawn to get castled. 15 exds exds 16 cxdS .i.xc3 Practically forced in view of 16 ... cxd5 17 .i.b5+!, displacing Black's king. 108

17 bxc3 The intermediate 17 �e4+!? was inter esting as well. 17 ... cxds 18 c4! Just like four moves ago, White hurries to install new threats before Black castles away. Now 18 ... 0-0 19 cxd5 �xd5?? obvi ously fails to 20 .i.c4, while after 19 ....i.f5 20 �3 Black's compensation for the pawn is much less convincing than in the 14 ... 0-0 subvariation above. On the other hand, 18 ... dxc4? 19 .i.xc4 would leave his king fatally exposed in the centre, so he decides to reinforce that diagonal with the bishop. 18 ....i.e6 19 .l:!.ab1! An accurate move, bringing a new piece to the battle with tempo. In contrast, 19 lt:Jg 5 ? ! lets Black escape by 19 ... 0-0 20 lt:Jxe6 lt:Jxe6 21 cxd5 lt:Jd4, while 19 cxd5 .i.xd5 also moves him a bit closer to castling. 19...�C7 The only defence of the b7-pawn, since 19 ....l:!.b8? loses after 20 cxd5 .i.xd5 21 .l:!.b5 or 21 .i.b5+.

Again Black is just one move from get ting castled, but the following ingenious manoeuvre puts an end to any illusions . 20 �a4+! �c6

Crime a n d Pun is hme n t

20 ... i.d7 is met with the same reply. 21 'ifa3 Now Black can definitely forget about castling, and the rest is play against one goal. 21 ...dxc4 22 lZ:Jd4 'ifd7 23 lZ:Jxe6 lZ:Jxe6 24 i.xc4 <:J';f7 1-0 At the same time, Black resigned. 2 5 'iff3+, followed by l:txb7, is one of several winning options. The next game shows another unfortu nate decision regarding the king : castling to the "wrong" side.

Game 63 A.Sokolov-LSandler

11 lDd1!? A curious idea. White spends two tempi on transferring the knight to f2, where it can't be bothered by ... b5-b4. u .. tZ:Jcs Another sensible option is 11 ... g6 12 lZ:Jf2 i.g7; e.g. 13 l:tac1 e5 14 lZ:Jb3 d5 ! with coun terplay in Wang Zili-Xu Jun, Shenzhen 1992. 12 lZ:Jf2 i.e7 13 l:tae1 g6 Black prepares ... e6-e5 without having to worry about lZ:Jf5, but also weakens his kingside. The simple 13 ...0-0, followed by ... l:te8 and ...i.f8, was perfectly possible; e.g. 14 a3 l:tfe8 15 b4 lZ:Jxd3 16 cxd3 i.f8 with . .. g7-g6 and .....ltg7 next. 14 a3 Preparing b2-b4, or just a clever waiting move... .

USSR 1991

Sicilian Defence,

Najdoif Variation

1 e4 cs 2 lZ:Jf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 lZ:Jxd4 lZ:Jf6 5 lZ:Jc3 a6 6 i.e3 e6 7 f4 Twenty years ago set-ups with f2-f4 were quite popular in the Sicilian, whereas nowadays, the English Attack starting with 7 f3 is far more common in practice. 7 ...lZ:Jbd7 8 'iff3 'ifc7 9 i.d3 bS 10 o-o i.b7

14...0-0-0? A fatal decision. Sandler must have thought that with most enemy pieces lo cated on the kingside, his king would be safe on the opposite flank, but this is far from being the case. Again there was nothing wrong with 14... 0-0; e.g. 15 g4 e 5 ! 16 fxe5 (or 16 lZ:Je2 d5!) 16 ...dxe5 with a solid game. At this point 17 lZ:Je2 lZ:Je6 18 g 5 ? backfires after 1 09


18 .. .lbh s 19 h4 fs ! with a strong initiative. Black could also delay castling for a while, a typical feature of some open Sicilians in order to frustrate White's attack. One idea in this sense is 14... ds 15 es ctJfe4; e.g. 16 b4 'bxf2 17 �xf2 ctJe4 with balanced play. 15 b4! It makes sense to start the attack right away, before Black consolidates with ...'.tb8 and ... .Mc8. 1S ...ct:Jxd3 After 1S ...ctJa4 16 c4! White also man ages to clear the c-file. 16 cxd3 '>tb8 17 a4! Opening more lines towards the black monarch. 11 ... es Black tries a counterstrike, aware that 17 ... bxa4? would just play in White's hands after 18 b s ! es 19 .Mc1 �as 20 'bc6+ etc Sokolov. 18 .Mc1 �d7 19 fxes dxes 20 'bb3

clear edge - Sokolov. 22 bxcs! The right recapture, to clear the b-file and create a dangerous passed pawn. 22 ...'be8 23 �g3 '.ta8 Black just hands over the pawn since 23 ...f6 24 d4! followed by 25 dS is terminal . 2 4 �xes f6 25 �c3 By now White's game plays itself. 2s ... il.c6 26 .Mb1 il.bs 27 .Mfc1 �c6 28 d4! 'bc7

29 �as After 29 ds 'bxds 30 exds .Mxds things might get a little more complicated. In fact there is no hurry with d4-d5, since Black is short of active plans. Thus Sokolov just im proves his pieces until the position be comes ripe for a tactical shot. 29 ... .Mhe8 30 il.f4 '>tb7 31 il.xc7 �xc7 32 c6+ '>tc8 3 3 .MxbS! axbs 34 �a6+ '>tb8 35 �xbS+ '.ta8 36 .Mc4! 1-0 The knight has found a great destiny on cs. Apart from the clouds gathering around his king, Black has a serious problem with the unstable knight on f6. 2o ... bxa4 21 ct:Jcs il.xcs Or 2 1...�5 22 il.g s .Md6 23 d4 with a 110

Premature attacks "Don't be rushed into a premature, unpre pared attack" says one of Yusupov's rules in Opening Preparation. The following two games illustrate rather well the risks in volved in such action.


Game. 64

I.Csom-V.Korchnoi Gyula 1965

King�s lndian Defence 1 d4 ti:lf6 2 c4 g6 3 ds?! This move is usually effected only after Black's ... C7-c5 or ... e7-e5. By playing it at this early stage White sidesteps the Griln feld (3 tiJC3 dS) but also loses a tempo and weakens the dark squares, in particular cs. 3 ...i.g7 4 ti:lc3 o-o 5 e4 d6 6 i.e2 c6 The opponent's third move made Black's planning a bit easier, and he now starts actions on the queenside. 7 i.e3 a6 8 a4 8 ti:lf3 bs 9 tt:ld2, preparing o-o, was quite reasonable. s ...as! The conclusion of a typical trick in open ing s like the King's Indian . First, Black sets up the "threat" ...b7-b5 in order to provoke White's a2-a4, then he plays ... a6-as, fixing the dark squares on cs and b4 as future outposts.

9 g4? The beginning of an absurd plan. lgnor-

ing factors such as the tense centre and a certain delay in development, White initi ates an attack on the black king. The mod est 9 ti:lf3, followed by 0-0, was called for. 9 tt:la6 10 f4 On 10 h4 Black could just react as in the game. 10...tt:ld7! Simple but strong. Black redirects the knight to cs and clears the long diagonal for the bishop. 11 h4 ti:ldcs 12 i.f3? Fatally diverting the bishop from the de fence of d3 and c4. White had to be consis tent and continue 12 h S, when 12 ...i.xc3+?! 13 bxc3 tt:lxe4 14 i.f3 yields him some com pensation for the pawn. In turn Black should avoid this line and continue as in the game. •••

12 .. .1\Vb6! A severe punishment that practically decides the game. The method of attacking the weakest spot in the enemy camp, in this case b2 and its neighbouring squares, is familiar to us from Tal-Tringov (Game 2) and Movsesian-Tibensky (Game 3). 13 �d2 This fails to a simple trick, but after 13 111


.Ubi �4! 14 Ci:Jge2 'ii'xc4 White is suffering anyway.

13...'ii'x b2! 14 'ii'xb2 CDd3+ 15 '>t>d2 Ci:Jxb2 16 .lte2 Trying to trap the knight; however... 16 ....ltxg4! 0-1 A second blow directed at the over loaded bishop on e2. White resigned, since both 17 .ltxg4 Ci:Jxc4+ 18 '>t>d3 Ci:Jxe3 and 17 .ltfl cxds 18 cxds .Uac8 are hopeless for him - Neishtadt.

Game 65

R.Milu"'I.Zaitsev Bucharest 1994

Modem Defence 1 e4 g6 2 d4 .ltg7 3 Ci:Jc3 d6 One of the main protagonists in the Modern Defence with 4... a6 is my country man GM Tiger Hillarp Persson. The present game is referenced in Tiger's Modern, his entertaining work on this opening system. 4 .ltg5 4 .lte3 is far more popular, followed by 'ii'd2 and 0-0-0. With the text White tries to provoke ...h 7-h6, but if Black refrains from 112

that move, then the bishop might prove somewhat misplaced on gs. 4...a6 5 'ii'd 2 b5 6 f3 Ci:Jd7 One merit of the Modern is its flexible development. By delaying 6 ...Ci:Jf6 Black avoids an annoying 7 .lth6; neither has he to worry about e4-es.

7 h4?!

Such an early kingside expansion is not uncommon in this system, but here White doesn't have sufficient central control for it to work properly. A more sustained ap proach was 7 a4! ? b4 8 Ci:Jdl as 9 c3 with a queen side focus. 7 ...c5! In accordance with classical principles, Black responds to the flank attack with ac tions in the centre. Note that in a similar position arising after 4 .lte3 a6 5 'ii'd2 bS 6 o-o-o Ci:Jd7 7 h4, the analogous 7 ... cs? would fail to 8 dxcs dxcs 9 .ltxcs!. 8 dxc5 If 8 dS, trying to keep the centre closed, then Black could react by 8 ... h6 9 .lte3 Ci:Jgf6; e.g. 10 g4 b4 11 Ci:Jd1 ct:Jes 12 Ci:Jf2 e6! in Be noni-style, with excellent counterplay in the centre. 8 ...ct:Jxc5 9 h5 .lte6!


Black simply gets on with his develop ment, avoiding double-edged lines like 9 ... b4 10 'bds ,txb2 11 I:l,b1. From now on, with the bishop on e6, it is sometimes pos sible to swap a knight on ds.

10 h6? This advance only makes sense when the reply ...,tf8 is forced. Preferable was 10 tbge2 b4 11 'bd1, keeping the tension on the h-file. 1o...,tes The bishop is of course happy to stay on the long diagonal. By now it is hard to find a justification for the time spent on the h4h S-h6 advance. 11 'bge2 Or 11 f4 ,txc3 12 �xc3 'bf6!, followed by ... 0-0, with a clear lead in development. 11 'bf6 Black brings his last minor piece into the battle and prepares to meet 12 f4? by 12 ... 'bfxe4. 12 ,tf4?! The following bishop exchange will just open the d-file for Black's better developed forces. 12 'bf4, followed by ,te2 and 0-0, was probably a lesser evil. 12 ... �c7 13 ,txes?! dxes 14 'bc1 •..

14...0-0! Of course. With the h-file closed forever, Black's king is completely safe on g8. 15 tZ'ld3 I:,fds 16 �gs I:,d4 Simple and strong, in order to double rooks on the open file. 11 ,te2 Or 17 'bxe s 'bfxe4! 18 fxe4 f6, recover ing the pawn with a huge positional plus. 11 ...,tc4 18 'bxes? White makes a tactical slip in a difficult position. 18 ...'be6 19 �g3 b4! Finally Black breaks through on the queen side. 20 ,txc4 I:l,xc4 21 'be2 I:l,xc2 Unable to castle, White is rendered help less. 22 �f1 I:l,d8! 0-1 Short of a proper defence against the threatened 23 ... I:I,dd2, White resigned.

Extravaga nce Some opening lines challenge the logic of opening play, usually by neglecting devel opment or the fight for the centre. Often they are associated with play on the flanks, as in the next three examples. 113


Game 66

G.Kaidanc)v-D.Ciurevich US Championship, Chandler 1997

Jrre.gular defence

1 d4 lt:Jf6 2 c4 a6?! With this offbeat move Black tries to ob tain an improved version of the Benko. This game will give us a hint about why his idea is not seen more often in practice. 3 ctJC3 C5

We should compare this position with the one arising after 1 d4 ctJf6 2 C4 c5. In the latter case, White usually continues 3 d5, aware that 3 dxc5?! lt:Ja6 or 3 ... e6 yields Black an easy road to equality. As we will see next, the inclusion of ctJb1-c3 and ... a7a6 changes things a great deal. 4 dxcs! H ere the natural 4 d5 permits 4...b 5 ! 5 cxb5 axb5 6 lt:Jxb5 'iVa5+!? (6 ...i.a6 7 lt:Jc3 transposes to the Benko} 7 lt:Jc3 i.b7 8 i.d2 'iVb6 9 e4 e6 with interesting compensation for the pawn. The text is much strong er White gains an important tempo that will help him seize the centre by e2-e4 on the next move. 114

4...e6 After 4...'iVa5 5 e4! 'iVxc5 (or 5 ...lt:Jxe4?! 6 'iVa4! 'iVxa4 7 lt:Jxa4 lt:Jc6 8 i.d3 with a firm grip on the queenside} 6 i.e3 'iVa5 7 i.d3 Black's opening hardly impresses, but in the game he will actually face more serious problems. 5 e4 'iVc7 The immediate 5 ... i.xc5 runs into 6 e5, so Black prepares it. 6 b4! There was nothing wrong with 6 f4 i.xc5 7 e5 and 8 lt:Je4 next, but the text is more ambitious.

6 ...lt:Jxe4 Kaidanov also indicates that 6 ... a5 7 lt:Jb5 'iVe5 8 i.e3 or 6 ... b6 7 cxb6 'iVe5 8 i.d2 i.xb4 9 lt:Jf3 'iVc5 10 .l::!.b 1 leads Black into big difficulties. The text lets him regain the pawn, at the cost of a serious delay in de velopment. 7 ctJxe4 'iVes 8 i.e3 'iVxe4 9 ctJf3 b6 Trying somehow to release White's queenside bind, and providing the queen with a retreat square on b7. 9 ...lt:Jc6? failed fatally to 10 i.d3 'iVg4 11 h 3 ! , trapping the queen after 11...'iVxg2 12 .l::!.h 2 or 11...'iVh 5 1 2 g4.


10 .td3 11Yb7

In view of the imminent mate, Black re signed.

Gome 67

l�cheparinov-I.. Salgado Lopez Moscow 2011

Blumenfeld Gambit 1 d4 4Jf6 2 c4 e6 3 4Jf3 cs 4 dS bS

The opening experiment has turned into a nightmare for Black - the open centre suggests a tactical battle, in which his bad development will be severely felt. 11 tLlgS! Exploiting the absence of a knight on f6, Kaidanov takes the first step to an attack on the black king, and creates the threat of 12 .te4 tLlc6 13 bs. 11...bxcs 12 bxcs fs Or 12 ... 11Yh4+ 13 �f1 4Jc6 14 11Yf3 fs 15 4Jxe6 etc - Kaidanov. The text parries most of White's threats but creates new weak nesses on the kingside. 13 o-o 11Yc6 After 13 ... tLlc6 14 J:te1 .te7 15 l:tb1 11Ye7 16 .txfs ! exfs 17 11Yds l:tf8 18 4Jxh7, fol lowed by .tg s, Black is also in big trouble. 14 .td4! This move doesn't just prepare to meet 14 ... .txcs by 15 .txg7, it also installs the irresistible threat of 11Yh s+. Black is already beyond salvation. 14....tb7 1S 11Yhs+ g6 16 11Vh3 l:tg8 11 .te4! A nice piece of obstruction. 17 ... fxe4 18 11Yxh7 l:tg7 19 .txg7 11Yxcs 20 .tf6! 1-0

In contrast to Black's nameless defence in the previous game, the Blumenfeld Gambit is a fully respectable opening, which has been used by many strong play ers over the years. On the other hand, its treatment in the present game could be regarded as truly extravagant. How often do you make four of your first eleven moves with a rook? s .tgs As we already discussed in Game 57 (Postny-Abergel), in such lines White is generally happy to swap his "good" bishop for the active knight on f6. s ...11Yas+ The sharpest reply, unpinning the knight in order to increase the pressure on White's centre. The Benoni-style s ... exds 6 115


cxds d6 is also playable. 6 'Libd2!? Curiously, this natural move is nowhere near as popular as 6 �d2 or 6 'Lic3. White temporarily gives up a pawn to speed up development. 6 ... bxc4 The tempting 6 ... '2ie4 runs into 7 b4! �xb4 8 I:i.b1, a trick familiar from a similar Benko line (i.e. 1 d4 'Lif6 2 c4 cs 3 dS bS 4 '2id2 �as S e4 'Lixe4?! 6 b4!). There can fol low 8 . . �c3 9 I:i.b3 �as 10 I:i.xbs �c3 11 I:i.b3 �as 12 .if4, and 13 �1 next, with a clear initiative. 7 .ixf6 gxf6 8 e4 I:i.g8 Exploiting the semi-open file to compli cate the recapture .ixc4. Capitalizing on the pawn with 8 ... C3?! yields White a dan g erous initiative after 9 bxc3 �xc3 10 I:i.c1 �as 11 .ic4, followed by o-o. 9 g3

10 .te2! Simple and strong. White just hands over the e4-pawn in order to castle, after which his lead in development will be overwhelming. In contrast, after 10 �c2 fs ! 11 .ixc4 I:i.xe4+ 12 <;t>f1 .l::i.g 4, followed by ....ib7, Black gets the kind of play he was looking for. 10...I:i.xe4 11 0-0

.

9 ....l::i.g4?! A fancy rook raid, though move 9 is a bit too early for it! Much sounder was 9 ... .ia6, starting to bring out the minor pieces; e.g. 10 �c2 .ih6 11 .ixc4 .ixc4 12 �xc4 'Lia6 as tried in a few earlier games, with rather unclear play. 116

11 ...I:i.xe2?! This exchange sacrifice doesn't really ease Black's defence - rather, it helps White to seize the central files with his major pieces. After 11 ... .l::i. g 4 12 'Lixc4 �c7 13 I:i.e1, or even 13 �a4!? intending 'Lid6+, White has a huge initiative for the pawn, but the battle goes on. 12 'Lixc4! �a6 13 �xe2 An amusing picture - of Black's pieces, everyone except the queen is still in its ini tial position ! With several open files at White's disposal, the black king is practi cally doomed. 13 ....ib7 14 I:i.ad1 �xa2 15 I:i.fe1! �a4 Unfortunately for Black, 1S ...'Lia6 loses a piece after 16 I:i.a1 �3 17 'Lias. 16 b3 Exploiting the trick 16 ...�xb3 ? 17 I:i.b1,


White gives his knight some extra protec tion, thus liberating the queen. 16.. Jib4 17 iVd3 a6 17 .. .<:t:Ja6? fails to 18 dxe6, threatening mate. The text prepares ....l:b7 reinforcing the defence, though it is already too late.

iVg6 mate, Black resigned.

Game 68

K.Hutak..I.Saric

Croatlan Team Championship 2007

Benoni Defence

1 d4 tt:lf6 2 c4 c5 3 d5 e5 4 tt:lc3 d6 5 e4 In this initial position of the Czech Benoni, Black usually continues 5 ...i.e7, followed by ...0-0, with ...tt:le8, ...g7-g6 and ...tt:lg7 as a fu ture idea. Saric's next move looks like a trans position to the King's Indian, but we will soon see that he has other intentions. 5 ... g6 6 i.e2 h5?!

Having placed his pieces in ideal posi tions, Cheparinov is ready for a decisive combination. 18 dxe6 fxe6 19 .Mxe6+! Opening the gates to Black's king. On the previous move, 18 iVxh7, intending 19 tt:lfe 5 ! fxe5 20 tt:lxe5, was another strong option. 19 ...dxe6 20 'iVd8+ r:Jlf7 21 tt:lg5+! r:Jlg6 Or 21 .. .fxg 5 22 tt:le5+! r:Jlg8 23 iVxg5+ with mate - Golubev. 22 tt:lxe6 'iVxb3 If 22 ... tt:lc6, White wins by 23 tt:lxf8+ r:Jlf7 24 tt:ld6+ r:Jlg8 2 5 'iVd7! .Mxf8 26 tt:lf5 .Mf7 27 tt:lh6+ - Golubev. 23 tt:lxf8+ r:Jlh5 24 tt:le5! Avoiding any tricks with ...iVf3 and cre ating the threat 25 g4+. Obviously the knight is immune because of mate. 24 i.f3 25 tt:lxf3 'iVxf3 26 .Md5+ r:Jlh6 27 'iVe7! 1-0 In view of 27 ...'iVxd5 28 'iVxh7+ r:Jlg 5 29 ..•

Thus Black prepares ...i.h6 in order to swap the "bad" bishop. This might seem like a clever strategic idea; unfortunately, it implies a certain time loss and also rules out short castling. Moreover, as Watson pointed out several times in Secrets of Mod ern Chess Strategy, such "bad" bishops can actually be missed once the position is opened. The simple 6 ...i.g7 was preferable here. 7 f4! Anticipating the absence of dark117

M a s t ering Open ing Strategy

squared bishops, Hulak clears lines towards the vulnerable points at d6 and f6. 7 ...exf4 8 .i.xf4 'ile7 Preventing e4-e5 and preparing ... tt:lbd7es. After 8 ... .i.h6?! 9 .i.xh6 .l:!.xh6 10 'ild2 .l:!.h8 11 'ilf4! a6 (the threat was 12 tt:lbs} 12 tt:lf3, followed by 13 es, White develops a strong initiative.

9 'ila4+! A clever restrictive move. Now the de sired 9 ... tt:lbd7 runs into 10 tt:lbs; e.g. 10 ...'W/xe4 11 tt:lh 3 ! 'W/xg2 12 0-0-0 with a dangerous initiative. Thus Saric prefers to parry the check with the bishop. g ....i.d7 10 'W/c2 .i.h6 The pragmatic 10 ... .i.g7 11 tt:lf3 tt:lg4 might have been worth a shot, but Black gets on with his plan. 11 .i.xh6 .l:!.xh6 12 tt:lf3 tt:lg4 With the queen's knight deprived of the intended route d7-e5, Saric uses the other knight to control the crucial es-square. 13 0-0 f6?! Strategically well-founded but too slow in this position. 13 ... tt:le3? obviously failed to 14 'ild2, so the developing 13 ...tt:la6 was called for. There can follow 14 'W/d2 .l:!.h8 15 h 3 tt:les 16 'ilf4! tt:lxf3+ 17 .l:!.xf3 g s 18 'Wif6! 118

and Black is under pressure, but the text leads to worse sufferings for him. 14 'ild2 g5

Black's dark square blockade looks im pressive, but Hulak's next move puts an end to any illusions. 15 es! A timely blow, clearing the centre before Black gets castled. Now it is White who will enjoy a great blockading square on e4. 15 ... dxes This implies a knight sacrifice on g4, but alternatives were even worse: 1S .. .fxes ? ! 16 tt:lxg s leaves Black's king exposed to ideas like .l:!.f7 and tt:lce4, while after 1S ... tt:lxes 16 tt:lxes, both 16 ... dxes 17 d6 and 16 ...'W/xes 17 .i.d3 preparing 18 .l:!.ae1+ is terminal for him, while 16 .. .fxes is no improvement in view of 17 tt:le4 with the irresistible threats 18 tt:lxg s and 18 .i.xh S+ .l:!.xh s 19 tt:lf6+. In these lines the "missing" tempo in Black's queenside development is strongly felt, preventing him from a relieving ...0-0-0. 16 tt:le4! The tempting 16 d6 permits 16 ...'W/e6 17 h3 tt:lc6! with similar play to the game, but with Black's queen's knight more actively placed on c6.


After 2 1 ...'ti'xgs 2 2 tbxg s the endgame favours White, but the text lets him launch a decisive counterattack. 22 tbf6! l:th1+ 23 �f2 1:txf1+ 24 l:txf1 'ti'c2 25 'ti'xes g3+ 26 'it>g1 l:tf8 27 'ti'e7! 1-0

16 ... tba6 17 h3 0-0-0 18 hxg4 White correctly estimates that he can cope with the enemy attack on the h-file. Otherwise 18 b4! ? was a different idea, when both 18 ... cxb4 19 cs and 18 ... tbxb4 19 d6 'ii'g 7 20 tbxcs lead to interesting attack ing prospects. 18 ... hxg4 19 tbh2 fS Or 19 .. J:txh2 20 'it>xh2 'ii'h 7+ 21 Wg1 'ti'xe4 22 l:txf6 g3 23 l:th6!, repelling the at tack with a clear advantage. 20 tbxg4 A practical choice, giving back the piece in exchange for positional superiority. 20...fxg4 21 'ti'xgs 'ii' h 7?!

Ignorance and indifference A common reason for opening failures is insufficient attention to details in the posi tion; for example, when a player doesn't pay attention to a tactical or positional threat that was just created by his oppo nent. Another, related situation is when a player goes against the logic of the particu lar opening or opening position; for exam ple, by a pawn advance that doesn't form part of his set-up, or by developing the "wrong" piece. Finally, a third cause of early defeats or difficulties is simply when a player doesn't know or remember a vital move, move order or idea in the particular opening. Let's see some examples.

Game 69

LAronin-Kantorovich

USSR Team Cha mpionship 1960 Sicilian Defence, Aiapin Variation

1 e4 cs 2 tbf3 g6 3 c3 White steers the game into the Alapin, now that Black's second move has ruled out some of his more popular set-ups against that system, such as 2 ...tbf6. 3 ... b6 Generally speaking, in the opening phase it makes sense to conclude a fi anchetto right away; i.e. 3 ....ig7 in this case, when 4 d4 cxd4 5 cxd4 dS leads to a well-known theoretical position. In the game Black initiates a second fianchetto, 119

M a s t e ring Open ing S trategy

which is not that bad an idea in itself - the problem is that he never finishes the first one with ...iig7. 4 d4 itb7 5 iic4! After S iid3 iig7 6 o-o White also has an easier game, but the text is more ambi tious.

In fact, after just five moves, Black's ex travagant opening already exposes him to some danger; e.g. s ... iixe4? 6 tt:Jgs ! dS 7 JibS+ lbd7 8 dxcs bxcs 9 f3 iixb1 10 ifxds! with decisive threats; or s ...iig7?! 6 dxcs, when 6 ...bxcs? fails to 7 ifh3. Learning from the last line, s ...cxd4 6 cxd4 iig7 could be suggested; while s ... e6, preparing ... iig7, is another option, tried in the game J.Timman-L.Ljubojevic, Wijk aan Zee 1972. Instead, Kantorovich found a "simpler" so lution to White's threats. 5 ... d5? This counter-logical move, opening the position when behind in development, proves to have fatal consequences. 6 exd5 itxd5? The automatic recapture implies that Black hasn't yet sensed the danger. The last chance was 6 ...tt:Jf6 7 JibS+ lbbd7 8 c4 iig7 with a rather suspicious gambit. 120

7 "ifa4+!

Punishing the opponent on his most vul nerable spot: the a4-e8 diagonal. 7 ...itc6?! This loses outright, though after 7 ...tt:Jc6 8 tt:Jes (or 8 Jibs followed by 9 c4) 8 ....Mc8 9 Jibs "ife7 10 o-o, preparing 11 c4, Black is also in enormous trouble. 8 lLle5! 1-o Black resigned, in view of 8 ...iixa4 9 iixf7 mate or 8 ...ifd6 9 lbxc6 lbxc6 10 dS Neishtadt.

Game 70

J.Hellsten-J.Calderon Riobamba 2008 Tarrasch Defence 1 lLlf3 e6 2 d4 d5 3 c4 c5 4 lLlc3 tt:Jc6 5 cxd5 exd5 6 g3 Reaching an initial position of the Tar rasch. 6 ...ite6 Somewhat premature - in this defence the queen's bishop tends to be the last mi nor piece to leave the house, simply be cause its colleagues have more or less pre-


defined squares. The main line goes 6 ...Cbf6 7 .ig2 .ie7 8 0-0 0-0, when White is at a major junction between 9 .tg s and 9 dxcs. 7 .ig2 a6?! This move, preventing CZJbs, is a com mon feature in the Tarrasch - but not this early! Black could still get a normal game with 7 ...Cbf6. 8 0-0

8....td6? This third inaccuracy leads to fatal con sequences. 8 ...Cbf6 was again vital, although after 9 .tg s .ie7 10 dxcs .ixcs 11 .txf6! Black can't play 11..J&'xf6 12 CZJxdS 11Vxb2 due to 13 Cbc7+, so he is forced into the hor rible 11...gxf6. (Interestingly, if we replace ... a7-a6 by ... 0-0 in this line, then 11...11Vxf6 12 CZJxdS 11Vxb2 is indeed possible, and has actually been tried hundreds of times in practice!) As for the alternative 9 ...cxd4 10 CZJxd4 .ie7, White could try something like 11 Cbxc6 bxc6 12 J:tc1 0-0 13 lba4 with a stable advantage, now that ...a7-a6 doesn't contribute to Black's game at all. However, much worse things will happen to him af ter the careless move played in the game. 9 e4! Of course - hitting Black in the centre be-

fore h e i s fully developed. Evidently this blow would not have worked after 8 ... Cbf6 instead of 8 ... .id6. In conclusion, not every develop ment move comes to the same thing.

9 ...CZJge7 After 9 ... cxd4 10 CZJxd4 or 9 ... dxe4 10 CZJxe4 Black is also in deep trouble. 10 exds As usual, opening the position makes sense when ahead in development. 10 eS?! .to would be a relief for Black. 10...CZJxds 11 CZJgs! With irresistible pressure on the light squares. 11...CZJxc3 12 bxc3 .ic4 13 l:te1+

121


13 ...i.e7 This loses material, though after 13 ...Wf8 14 llb1 Black can't defend properly either; e.g. 14...llb8 15 dxcs i.xcs 16 i.f4. 14 d5 o-o 15 dxc6 i.xg5 16 'Vixd8 1-0 In view of 16 ... i.xd8 17 cxb7 llb8 18 i.f4, Black resigned.

Game 71 R.J.Fischer-M.Tal Bled 1961 Sicilian Defence, Taimanov Variation

1 e4 c5 2 l2Jf3 l2Jc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 l2Jxd4 e6 5 l2Jc3 'Vic7 6 g3

This fianchetto line is one of the main replies to the Sicilian Taimanov. Play usu ally continues 6 ... a6 7 i.g2 l2Jf6 8 0-0, when Black has several choices such as 8 ... d6, 8 ... i.cs and 8 ...l2Jxd4 9 Vixd4 i.cs. Instead, with his next move Tal "modifies" the move order and is severely punished for the rest of the game. 6...l2Jf6? "Probably the losing move ! " - Fischer. Interestingly, against 6 i.e3 or 6 i.e2 there 122

i s nothing wrong with playing 6 ...l2Jf6 be fore ... a7-a6, but here it proves to be a seri ous inaccuracy, as we will see next. 7 l2Jdb5! Vib8 8 i.f4! From now on Fischer will never let his opponent rest, creating new threats on every move, with a particular focus on the d6-square. 8... l2Je5 Later it was discovered that the ugly 8 ... es offers more resistance. There can fol low 9 i.g s a6 10 i.xf6 gxf6 11 l2Ja3 i.xa3 12 bxa3 l2Je7 13 Vif3 ! ? 'Vic7 14 i.g2 d6 15 0-0, intending l2Jd1-e3, with a more com fortable game for White in Alexa. lvanov I.V.Ivanov, US Championship, Long Beach 1989. But if Black is aiming at such kind of play, I guess he should rather go for the Sveshnikov (1 e4 cs 2 l2Jf3 l2Jc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 l2Jxd4 l2Jf6 s lLic3 es) straight away! 9 i.e2!

From here the bishop covers the f3square, thus creatin g the threat of 10 'Vid4. 9 ...i.c5 On most other moves 10 Vid4 is trouble some for Black; e.g. 9 ... a6? 10 Vid4! d6 11 lld1! axbs 12 i.xes with a huge edge, now that the bishop is untouchable due to mate.


10 i.xe5! This exchange isn't favourable by itself but, together with the following two pawn moves, it lets White take a firm grip on the centre. 10 .'iVxe5 11 f4 iYb8 12 e5 Right on time, before Black consolidates with ...d7-d6. 12 ...a6 Aware that 12 ...Ct:Jg8 13 Ct:Je4, followed by Ct:Jbd6+, would be terrible for him, Tal opts to complicate the game. 13 exf6 axb5 14 fxg7 14 Ct:Je4 i.f8 15 'iYd4 was another good option - Keres. 14...l:tg8 15 Ct:Je4 i.e7 16 'iYd4! A move with several virtues: it protects the important g7-pawn, speeds up devel opment and enables a future check on f6. The b5-pawn can of course wait. 16 ... l:ta4 This inventive move won't solve Black's problems, but he was already short of a good defence. On 16 ...'iYc7 White could con sider 17 0-0-0!? J::txa2 18 'i£?b1, with similar play to later on in the game. 17 Ct:Jf6+ i.xf6 18 iYxf6 'iYc7 .•

Fischer has observed that his king will be safe on b1, irrespective of the capture on a2. In contrast, 19 i.xb5? failed to 19 ...iYa5+, while both 19 i.h 5 d5 and 19 i.d3 iYc5 give Black more hope of survival. 19 ... l:txa2 20 'i£?b1 l:ta6 Or 20 ...iVa5 21 b3! with the strong threat of 22 i.h 5. 21 i.xb5 Another good option was 21 i.h 5 d6 (or 21 ...d5 22 J::tx d5 !) 22 J::th e1 'iYe7 23 'iYh6 'i£?d7 24 iYxh7 with a quick win - Fischer. 21...l:tb6 22 i.d3 e5 Tal tries to reach an inferior endgame after 23 iYxe5+ iYxe5 24 fxe5 J::txg7, but in vain ... 23 fxe5! J::txf6 24 exf6 Now the threat of 25 i.xh7 proves irre sistible. 24...iYc5 If 24 ... iYb6, then 25 l:thfl! - Fischer. 25 i.xh7 iYg5 26 i.xg8 iYxf6 27 l:thf1 iYxg7 28 i.xf7+ With such a material advantage, the rest is easy. 28 ... 'i£?d8 29 i.e6 'iYh6 30 i.xd7! i.xd7 31 l:tf7 iYxh2 32 l:tdxd7+ White soon won.

Game 72 G.Ravinsky•E.Bebchuk

Moscow 1964 Scandinavian Defence

19 0-0-0!

1 e4 d5 2 exd5 iYxd5 3 Ct:Jc3 'iYd8 4 d4 g6 An interesting way of treating the Scan dinavian. From g7 the bishop will exert pressure on the d4-pawn, possibly joined by the knight via h6-f5. 5 i.f4! 1 23

M a s te ring Ope n ing S t ra tegy

A move popularized by Fischer after his instructive win against Robatsch at the 1962 Varna Olympiad. s .ig7 6 lZ'lf3 Fischer played 6 "iYd2, speeding up the plan of o-o-o and .ih6, though the text is equally reasonable. ••.

How should Black continue his devel opment? 6 .. .ig4? Difficult to believe, but after this natural move White is close to winning ! Either 6 ... CZ'lh6 ! ?, heading for f5, or the simple 6 ...CZ'lf6, followed by ...0-0, should have been tried - Neishtadt. Having browsed through many short games lately, I have observed that one cause of opening disasters is the development of low-priority pieces; e.g. bringing out the queenside pieces when you are going to castle kingside, as in this case. 7 .ic4! e6 Parrying the threat of 8 .ixf7+. Instead, 7 ...CZ'lf6? obviously failed to 8 .ixf7+
White's d4-d5. Unfortunately, the desirable 9 ... c6 failed to 10 CZ'le4!, heading for d6, when Black is definitely regretting the fact that his king's knight is still on g8. As for the brave 9 ... "iVxd4, after 10 "iVxb7 "iYxc4 11 "iVxa8 Black's slow kingside development again speaks against him; e.g. 11 ... .ixc3+ 12 bxc3 "iYxc3+ 13
.

1 24

11 d5! Right on time, clearing both central files before Black castles away. 11 ...exds 12 lZ'lxds lZ'lxds 13 .Mhe1+! More efficient than 13 .ixd5 0-0 14 .ixf7+ (not 14 .ixc6? "iYf6!) 14....Mxf7 15 .Mxd8+ .Mxd8, when Black could play on for a while in the lost endgame. 13 ...

14 l':i.xd5 'iff6 15 'ifa3+! A final accuracy, defending the b2-pawn with tempo and liberating the bishop on f4. 15 ... \t>gs 16 il.g5 'ifxf2 11 l':i.f1 1-o In view of 17 ... 'iVb6 18 l':!.b5 or 17 ... 'ifxg2 18 l':!.d2 'ifxg 5 19 il.xf7 mate, Black resigned.

Game 73

E•GU:feld•T..V.Petrosian

USSR Championship,

7 lt:Jxd4 c6 8 lt:Jc3 After 8 lt:Jxe7 lt:lxe7 9 'tlfd2 h6 10 il.e3 d5! or 10 il.h4 d5 ! Black has had few problems in practice. 8 ... h6 9 il.e3 9 il.h4, maintaining the pin, seems more logical. 9 ...lt:Jf6 10 il.c4 o-o The immediate 10 ... d5 looks strong as well.

Moscow 1969

Three Knights Game 1 e4 e5 2 li:Jf3 lt:Jc6 3 li:Jc3 g6 This variation has quite an old record, with several World Champions taking on Black's position. 4 d4 exd4 5 lt:Jd5 The sharpest choice, though 5 lt:Jxd4 il.g7 6 il.e3, followed by 'tlfd2 and o-o-o, is probably a more critical test of Black's opening. 5 ...il.g7 6 il.g5

6 ... lt:Jce7! With that knight, since 6 ...lt:Jge7? runs into the trap 7 lt:Jxd4! il.xd4 8 'tlfxd4 lt:Jxd4 9 li:Jf6+ �f8 10 il.h6 mate.

By now Black already enjoys a slight lead in development and ... d7-d5 is in the air, so White should proceed with care. Here 11 o-o?! d5 12 exd5 lt:Jfxd5 is hardly in his fa vour, but by 11 e 5 ! ? lt:Je8 12 o-o he could obtain a decent game; e.g. 12 ... il.xe5?! 13 il.xh6 or 12 ... d5 13 Jl.e2 c5 14 li:Jb3 d4 15 il.f4, followed by lt:Je4. Instead, the game took a completely different turn ... 11 'iff3? A seemingly active move, which, how ever, leads to huge difficulties due to the exposed position of the queen. I suspect that Gufeld simply didn't foresee Black's 12th move, or else miscalculated some thing. 11...d5! 12 exd5 c5! Cramping the enemy pieces and gaining 125

M a s tering Op e n ing S t ra tegy

the f5-square for the knight. In contrast, after 12 ... i.g4 13 'iVg3 l2Jexd5 14 i.xd5! cxd5 15 o-o White is okay. 13 l2'ldb5 After 13 l2'lb3 i.g4 14 'iVf4 g5 15 'iVe5 l2'lf5, preparing ....l:!e8, Black obtain s a strong attack; e.g. 16 h 3 .l:!e8 17 'iVh2 l2'lxe3 18 fxe3 .l:!xe3+ 19 'lt>d2 .l:!xc3 ! 20 bxc3 i.d7 with ideas like 21 ... l2Je4+ and 21 ... b5. Even worse is 13 l2Jde2? i.g4 14 'iVf4 g5 15 'iVe5 l2'lh 5 ! 16 'iVe4 i.f5 17 'iVf3 g4 and the queen is trapped at last. 13 a6! 13 ...i.g4?! 14 'iVg3 l2'lf5 permits 15 'iVc7, so Petrosian eliminates that possibility, leaving White with a single reply. 14 d6 l2'lf5 15 l2'lc7 .•.

15 l2Jxd6! A final finesse. Now after 16 l2'lxa8 l2Jxc4, followed by ... i.d7, Black recovers the mate rial with a huge positional plus, so White starts fishing in muddy waters. 16 0-0-0 'iVxc7 17 i.f4 i.g4! The most practical choice, in order to simplify the game. 18 'iVd3?! 18 i.xd6 i.xf3 19 i.xe7 i.xd1 20 .l:!xd1 was marginally better, when White is an

exchange down. After the text, Black's pres sure soon becomes unbearable. 18 b5! 19 i.d5 .l:!ad8 20 f3 b4! 21 'iVxg6 Desperation in a lost position. 21 ...'lt>h8 22 'iVd3 bxc3 23 fxg4 'iVb6 24 b3 'iVb4! 0-1 .••

Game 74

T.NabatyNI.Khairullin Europea n Championship, Rijeka 2010 Caro-Kann Defence

1 e4 c6 2 d4 d 5 3 f3 One of the most aggressive replies to the Caro-Kann, which has become quite popu lar in recent years. 3 ... g6 other main options are 3 ... e6 with French-like play, and 3 ... dxe4 4 fxe4 e5 5 l2'lf3 i.e6!, preventing the dangerous 6 i.c4. 4 l2'lc3 i.g7 5 i.e3 'iVb6

•.•

126

Thus Black interferes with the oppo nent's plan of 'iVd2 and 0-0-0, but also ex poses his queen and delays development. Perhaps 5 ...dxe4 6 fxe4 e5 or 6 ...l2Jf6 offers better chances for equality.


6 a3!? A tricky defence of the b2-pawn - both here and later, 6 .. .'�xb2?? fails to 7 l2la4. 6 ...dxe4 The immediate 6 ...e s is well met by 7 l2Jge2! 'iVxb2 8 dxes i.xes 9 �f2!, intending 9 ...i.xc3 10 l2Jxc3 'iVxc3 11 i.d4 - Postny. 7 fxe4 es This counterblow leads to a favourable pawn structure, but slows down Black's development even further; the simple 7 ... l2Jf6 might have been preferable. 8 l2lf3 exd4 9 l2Jxd4

A tense position has emerged. If Black manages to castle he will have a great game thanks to the weak points on e4 and es, but White do make everything possible to prevent that, even by means of sacrifices. To start with, Black has to cope with the threat of 10 lLlfs. 9 ... i.h6? In my opinion, this move is completely opposed to the nature of the position. Black moves his only developed minor piece away from its natural place on g7, where it was controlling the crucial es-square, among other things. I guess Khairullin simply wanted to prevent 0-0-0 but, as we will see

next, h e pays too high a price for that. A sounder option was 9 ...'iVc7, on which Postny analyses 10 lLldb S ! ? cxbs 11 lLlxbs 'iVes 12 l2ld6+ �f8 13 l2Jxc8 l2Jc6 14 'iVd6+ 'iVxd6 15 l2Jxd6 i.xb2 16 l::t d1 with just a slight advantage for White. Even the para doxical 9 ...'iVd8 ! ?, intending ...l2Jf6 and ...0-0, seems much better than the text. 10 i.f2! Nabaty surrenders the plan of long cas tling to maintain dark square pressure. 10...'iVd8 If 10 ... 'iVC7, White has 11 lLldb S ! ? cxbs 12 lLlxbs, followed by 13 l2Jd6+, with a strong attack - Da Costa Junior; and 12 'iVd4!? f6 13 lLlxbS, followed by l::td 1, is another idea in the same spirit. With the text Black avoids any such sacrifices but soon runs into new problems. 11 e5!

A key move that exploits the absence of the bishop on g7 in order to seize the cen tre. Now 12 l2le4 is coming up. 11 'iVe7?! This direct attack on the es-pawn won't work out well. 11 ... l2le7, preparing ... 0-0, seems more reasonable, although after 12 i.c4 0-0 13 0-0, intending es-e6, White .••

127

M as t e ring Ope n ing Strategy

keeps a strong initiative. 12 Cbe4 CLJd7 Or 12 .. .'�xe5 13 �e2 ! with devastating threats; e.g. 13 ...CLJe7 14 CLJf3 �e6 15 .l:!.d1 0-0 16 .l:!.d6!, followed by 17 Cbf6+ and 18 �xe7 - Postny. 13 CLJf3! Seeing that 13 Cbd6+?! Wf8 leads no where, White prepares the knight check. 13 ...Cbgf6 Both 13 ...Cbxe5 ? 14 i.c5! and 13 ...i.g7 14 i.c4! i.xe5 15 o-o are fatal for Black - Da Costa Junior. With the text he again pre pares to meet 14 CLJd6+ by 14 ...Wf8, but Na baty has a strong intermediate move pre pared. 14 i.h4! By provoking ... g6-g5 White creates a weakness on f5 and limits the bishop on h6. 14...gs 15 Cbd6+ Wf8

16 i.g3! Reinforcing the e5-pawn while creating the threat 17 Cbf5. Black's game is by now very difficult due to his exposed king. 16 CLJf5?! �e6 was less clear. 16 Cbb6 17 i.e2 Cbfds 18 o-o! A nice decision in these computer days. White doesn't mind losing the exchange, .•.

128

his main priority being the swift exploita tion of the f-file towards Black's king. 18...CLJe3 19 �d3 Cbxf1 20 .l:!.xf1 CLJdS The only move, in order to keep White's rook from f4. 21 CLJd4 CLJf4 22 i.xf4 gxf4 23 Cbxc8 �xes Black finally has to give up material, since 23 ... .l:!.xc8? fails to 24 � 3 ! . 24 CLJfS .l:!.xc8 2S CLJxh6 .l:!.e8 26 �c4! A new sacrifice to intensify the attack. 26 ... .l:!.e6 27 CLJg4 �xe2 28 �xf4 .l:!.e7 This lets White recover the material at once, though after 28 .. .f5 29 �xfS+ We7 30 �g S+ Wd6 31 �f4+ Wd7 32 �d4+ We? 33 �xh8 �xg4 34 �xh7+ Black is also lost Postny. 29 �h6+ We8 30 �g7! Wd7 Seeing that 30 ....l:!.f8 fails to 31 Cbf6+, Black prepares a final counterattack, but Nabaty has everything under control. 31 CLJf6+ Wc7 32 �xh8 �e3+ 33 Wh1 �f2

34 CLJdS+! With the idea 34...cxd5 35 �c3+ and the queen covers e1. By his next move Black avoids this, but runs into a new intermedi ate check. 34...Wd7 35 �c8+! 1-0 If 3S ... Wxc8 36 CLJxe7+ �d7 37 .l:!.xf2.

. Crime a n d P u m s hme n t

Ext rcises The first dozen � cises (Games 7 5

��

o of the following exer) are games by my stu-

. dents. In my opmion, such games, despite . bein g of a l ower tech meal level th an the custom ary encounters b etween titled p l ay. ers, can often h ave a great mstructive value.

Ga. e 75 m . ·· • J�r«unill o K. Noboa0' [) M s 2 ·0 10 '�. . a. ca. n .· . V.otiaJion ,..,.pm Sicilia De:;:ence' A'"" •

Ggfn:f: 76

, J l).llnto..· IA ,.,.�le

•

. . 2op9 Riob. a mba Reti's Opening •

;;

1 ctJf3 C5 2 g3 ttJ 6 .ig2 g6 4 o-o .ig7 5 d 3 d6 6 e4 .ig4 7 h xf3 8 �xf3 1ilh6 Simpler and r:-. better was 8 ... .!t:Jf6 or 8 ... e6 foll owed by ..."Z.Jge7

'

·

9 c3 f5? . A really counter-l ogJCal move, weaken. mg the light s quares just after swapping

the b lS " h op of that coloUr.

1 e4 c5 2 c3 d 5 3 exd5 'iVxd5 4 ctJf3 r:-. "Z.JC6 5 d4 e6 6 g3 . A rare move but perhaps not th at rllogi-

' cal now th at Black can no l onger pl ay

...�g4. > 6 ... cxd4 7 cxd4 r:-. "Z..lXd4? E xtre me materialism. ·

. H ow to p umsh Black?

. How to pumsh Black)

129

M as t e ring Op e n ing Stra tegy This is a rare move against the Tarrasch

Game 79

- and with good reason !

H.Liamuca�D.Usca

Riobamba 2011 Sicilian Defence, Closed Variation 1 e4 cs 2 'Llc3 e6 3 f4 a6 A sensible move, ruling out .tb s, which is a typical feature in White's set-up.

4 'Llf3 bS 5 g3 The game has now transposed from a Grand Prix Attack to the Closed Sicilian variation.

s ....tb7 6 d3 "W/c7 Another approach is 6 ... b4 7 'Lle2 ds, hit How to punish White?

ting the light squares.

7 .tg2 d6 8 o-o 'Lld7 9 fS The

Game 78

A.Cardenas-P.Parra

Riobamba 2009 Sicilian Defence, Alapin Variation

most

straightforward

choice,

though the flexible 9 "W/e2 might be more promising; e.g. 9 ... 'Llgf6 10 e s ! .

9 ...'Llgf6? Complete indifference. 9 ... es was cor rect, keeping the position closed; e.g. 10 g4

1 e4 cs 2 c3 'Llc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 cxd4 g6? Not every developing move is of equal value. 4 ... ds was better.

How to punish Black?

130

h 6 11 h 4 'Llgf6 12 'Llh 2 b4 13 'Lle2 C4 with counterplay,

P.Dankert-B. Kurajica,

burg 1977.


H am

Crime a n d Pun ishme n t i s better than the text.

Game 8o J.Sanaguano-C.Castillo Za ruma 2010

Irregular defence 1 e4 d6 2 d4 f5? A highly suspect idea. Black weaken s the position of his king without any worthwhile purpose.

3 tl:Jc3 White responds with simple develop ment.

3 ...tl:Jf6 How to punish White?

Game 82 A.Aguiar-J.Bejar Riobamba 2010

Queen's Gambit Declined 1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 3 tl:Jc3 tl:Jf6 4 cxd5 tl:Jxd5 5 e4 tl:Jf6? This loses an important tempo. Better is 5 ... tl:Jxc3 6 bxc3 c5 with an initial position of the Semi-Tarrasch. How to punish Black?

6 .ig5 Another good set-up is 6 tLlf3, followed by .id3,

0-0, "iile 2, .l:!.d1 etc, as we will see in

Game 81

the next chapter.

D.Usca-J.Hellsten

6 .ie7 7 tLlf3 c5?!

Riobamba 2010


.••

A risky counterstrike, in view of White's superior development.

First 7 ... 0-0 was

preferable.

1 d4 tl:Jf6 2 c4 e6 3 tl:Jc3 .ib4 4 .ig5 c5 5 e3?

8 e5 8 dxc5 ! "iilxd1+ 9 .l:!.xd1 .ixc5 10 e5 was

(seefollowing diagram)

even stronger; e.g. 10 ...tLlfd7 11 tLlb 5 ! tl:Ja6 12 tl:Jd6+ .ixd6 13 .l:!.xd6 with a clear edge in

A natural move, but a bad one on this occasion. 5 d5 was correct, and even 5 tLlf3

the endgame.

8...tl:Jfd7? 131

M a st e ring Open ing Stra tegy

9 exf6

This ruins White's pawn structure but,

9 liJbs a6 10 liJbxd4 liJds 11 i.xe7

more importantly, decreases Black's light

Here 8 ...cxd4 was preferable; e.g. gxf6 or

'fixe? with just a slight disadvantage.

square control . Obviously 8 ...l2Je s ? fail ed to

9 liJxes i.xd1 10 .tbs+, so 8 ... 'f/as+ 9 liJc3 0-0-0! ? was more in the spirit of the posi tion.

9 gxf3 l2Je5 10 'fla4+! liJd7


�on:e:83

tN.,e�M.Morales


Ri:Pbarnba 2010 Slcililin Defen t.e,•Aiapin ·Variotit:Jn ·

Game :84

J.sa.-gu_..o�vaca

1 e4 c5 2 ctJf3 ctJc6 3 c3 g6?! This is not the same thing as

Riobamba. 2010

2 c3 g6,

French Defence

and we will soon see why.

4 d4 cxd4 5 cxd4 d 5 6 liJc3?! The obvious punishment for Black's sus

1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 exd5

picious opening was 6 exd S ! 'f/xds 7 liJc3,

The Exchange Variation is h ardly a criti

9

cal test of the French, and the way in which

followed by d4-d5; e.g. 7 ... 'f/d8 8 ds liJb8

i.bS + i.d7 10 o-o and l::t e 1 next with a clear

White treats it in this game is probably

plus.

more suited against the Caro-Kann.

6 ...dxe4 7 ctJxe4 .tg4?!

3 ...exd5 4 .td3 liJf6 5 h3 .te7 6 liJf3 o-o 7 0-0 liJbd7

It m ade more sense to develop the king side first; i.e. 7. . .liJf6! 8 liJxf6+ exf6, foll owed

Another good option was 7 ... cs, foll owed

by ... .tb4+ and ... 0-0.

by ... liJc6.

8 d5!

8 l::te 1 c5 9 dxc5?!

O n t h e second occasion, White finds the

Liberating the black pieces.

correct plan.

ing the centre, was preferable.

8 ....txf3?!

9 ...l2Jxc5 10 .tf1?!

132

9 c3, stabiliz

Crime and Pun ishme n t

IQP structure almost any ex

Here the bishop does not contribute to

change favours the side playing against it,

Black ' s position in any way, and rather ob

so 10 .tg s or 10 !Dc3 was better, not fearing

structs the other pieces. Not without rea

10...!Dxd3.

son, we are taught to bring out the knights

In the

10...i.d7 11 i.g5 i.c6 12 Cbd4? Of course the idea of blocking the

before the bishops, for example with 6 ...!Df6

IQP

isn 't bad, but in this particular position 12

in this case.

1 CDc3 !Dc6 8 i.e2 e6?

lbc3 or 1 2 lbbd2 made more sense, in order

Seeing th at 8 ... !Df6 permits the annoy

to play with all the pieces.

ing

12 ...lLlce4 13 i.h4?

soon see the flaw to this idea.

A rather indifferent move. The correct

9 e S ! , Bl ack prepares ... lbge7. We will

9 o-o !Dge7

retreat was 13 i.e3, and we will soon see the difference.

How to punish Black? How to punish White?

Game 85

A.Uamuc:a·K.Tipero Riobamba .2010

Sicilian Defence� Alapifl Variation 1 e4 c5 2 c3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 cxd4 g6 A rather relaxed approach against the

Game 86 J.Sanasuano..B.Rlvera

Macas lOO�t . SiciAian I!J.ef�n�e# R.QiS:o�imO:· V.arit�ti��

1 e4 c5 2 !Df3 !Dc6 3 i.b5 g6 4 o-o i.g7 5 1:'1e1 !De5? Moving the knight again serves no par

Alapin.

ticular purpose here, and rather slows

5 h3!

down Black' s development.

A good restrictive m ove, leaving the bishop on c8 short of a good destiny.

5 ... .tg7 6 lLlf3 i.d7?

6 Cbxe5 i.xe5 1 c3! The inherent plan of the Rossolimo: cre ate a pawn centre with d2-d4.

133

M as te ring Ope n ing Strategy

7 ...a6 8 i.f1 d6 9 d4 cxd4 10 cxd4 i.g7 11 t2Jc3 t2Jf6 12 i.g5 o-o?! By the admittedly unsound 12 ... h6 13 i.h4 gS

14 i.g 3

o-o Bl ack could h ave

reached a safer version of the game.


Game 88

E.Perez-l.Paredes

Riobamba 2010


English Opening Game 87 H.Liamuca-A.Briceno

Santo Domi ngo 2010

1 l2Jf3 t2Jc6 Offering a transposition into the Chi gorin variation.

Bishop's Opening

2 g3 d6 3 c4 t2Jf6 4 i.g2 i.e6 A peculiar idea, aiming to swap the

1 e4 e5 2 i.c4 t2Jf6 3 d3 d5?! A rather risky reply to the Bishop's Open

light-squared bishops as soon as possible.

ing. Either 3 ...t2Jc6 or 3 ... c6, preparing ... d7-

... i.g7, he could h ave steered the game into

d5, is more common.

a standard English.

4 exd5 t2Jxd5 5 lLlf3 t2Jc6 6 o-o i.e6?!

5 d3 'iVc8 6 o-o

Instead, by 4... es followed by ... g 7-g6 and

Black should prefer the gambit line

Both here and on the next move, the in

8 i.b3 i.g4 9 h3 i.h s 10 g4 i.g6 11 tLlxes tLlxes 12 �xes o-o, when

terfering 6 i.g s was interesting as well,

White's weakened kingside structure at

Bl ack's idea.

least implies some compensation for the

6 ... i.h3 7 t2Jc3 i.xg2 8 �xg2 h6 9 �b1 e5 10 b4 l2Jd4?

6 ...i.e7 7 �e1 t2Jb6

pawn .

while 6 h3 would also cast some doubts on

7 �e1 Preparing a direct attack on es. 7 tLlg s was another good option.

7 ... i.d6 134

Without any obvious need, Black moves the knight again. 10 ... i.e7, followed by ...

0-0, was much better, waiting with the

knight move until White goes b4-b5.


7 h3 The immediate 7

0-0 would permit the

annoying 7 ...�h s .

7 ....t h s 8 o-o e 6 9 d3 .txf3? An incomprehensive exchange; the sim ple

9 ....te7, followed by ...0-0, was much

better.

10 �xf3 .te7 11 .td2 �cs Of course there was nothing wrong with

11 ...0-0. Chang somehow forgets about cas tling in this game.

12 .te3 �d6 13 a3 as 14 .l:tad1 es? Black doesn 't sense the danger. Well, how to punish Black?

14...0-0

was called for.

Game 89 J.Calderon-A.Chang Tena 2008

Scandinavian Defence 1 e4 ds 2 exds �xds 3 lL1c3 �as


Game go J .Sanaguano--A.Vallejo

Riobamba 2010

Caro-Kann Defence An interesting sideline against the Scan

1 e4 c6 2 d4 dS 3 exds cxds 4 .td3 lZJc6 s c3 'bf6 6 h3

dinavian, which leaves the bishop rather

In this, Fischer ' s old pet line against the

4 g3

well placed on g2.

Caro, 6 .tf4 is considered the most accurate

4...lZJf6 S .tg2 .tg4 6 lLif3 lZJc6

move, in order to avoid Black's next.

6 ... c6 is a more solid choice.

6... es 1 dxes lZJxes 135

M as te ring Op e n ing Stra tegy In exchange for the IQP, Black has quite an easy development for his minor pieces.

8 .i.c2 A more critical try is 8 iVe2 iVe7

the game. 6 tLlf3 was better of course.

6 ...tt:la6! 7 iVxb7? tLlb4 8 tt:la3 .Mb8 9 iVxa7 .MaS 10 'i¥b7

9 .i.b5+

in order to swap pieces. In the game White applies this idea one move later, which will make a big difference.

8 ... .i.e6 9 iVe2?! Better was 9 tLlf3, speeding up develop ment, but White is on a m aterial hunt.

9 ... .i.d6! 10 f4?! Consistent with his plan. Again

10 tLlf3

was called for.

How to punish White?

Gam� 9¥

H�Caro Ern Lasker ..

..

Berlin l890

Baltic Defence 1 tLlf3 d s 2 d4 .i.fs 3 c4 c6?! How to punish White?

Ge�m� 91.

J.S�ekety�G.Bteyer

.Bydap�st t913

'Slav Defence•

1 d4 ds 2 c4 c6 3 tt:lc3 es 4 dxes d4 s tt:lb1?! Returning home doesn't seem right in this fluid position. Nowadays, 5 tLle4 is a much more popular way of meeting Black ' s gambit.

s ...i.fs 6 iVb3? Hunting pawns at a very early stage of

136

Later, 3 ... e6 was discovered to be the right move; e.g. 4 iVb3 tt:lc6! 5 .i.d2 (or 5 iVxb7 tLlb4) 5 ... .Mb8 with complex play.

Crime a n d Pun ishme n t 1 .tg5!?

4 "Vlib3?! "Vlic8?! Correct was 4 ... ifb6! 5 cxd5 .ixbl! 6

Setting up the dangerous threat of 7

l:r.xbl "Vlixb3 7 axb3 cxd5 with equality -

'bb5 . A more methodical choice is 7 'bc2,

Neishtadt. For this reason, 4 cxd 5 ! cxd5 5

followed by .id3.

ifh3 was a more precise move order for

7 ..."Vlib6?

White, when 5 ...ifb6 simply drops a pawn

5 cxd5 cxd5 6 'bc3 e6 7 .if4 a6?! Both 7 ...'bf6 8 ctJb5 and 7 ...'ba6 8 e4!, fol lowed by

Aware that both 7 ... h 6 ? and 7 ... cxd4? run into 8 'bb5, Black unpins his knight, but this

to 6 "Vlixd5.

9 .ib5+, were disastrous for Black 9

soon leads him into new difficulties. 7 ... a6, preventing 'bb5, was correct; e.g. 8 dxc5 "Vlic7

9 .if4 'bg6 - Neishtadt.

- Neishtadt. Instead, 7 ... 'bc6 8 'bb5 .ib4+

'it>d1! 'it>f8 ! would perhaps offer more resis tance, although 10 l:r.c1 keeps a clear initia tive for White.


Game 94

B.Lalic-.B.Laurent Metz 2007


Benoni Defence

Game 93

Atanasov-Rodriguez correspondence 1982 French

Defence

1 d4 'bf6 2 c4 e6 3 'bc3 c5 4 d5 d6 5 e4 exd5 6 cxd5 At this point, most Benoni pl ayers play 6 ... g6 without any thinking, but Laurent has

1 e4 e6 2 d4 d 5 3 e5 c5 4 c3 'bc6 5 ctJf3 'bge7 6 ctJa3 .id7 This bishop move oft en m akes sense in

an independent idea in mind.

6 ... a6?!

the Advance Variation, although on the

By means of the "threat" of ... b7-b5 Black aims to provoke 7 a4, when aft er

present occasion, 6 ... cxd4 7 cxd4 'bf5 is

7 ... g6 he has managed to sidestep the sharp

more usual .

line 7 f4 .ig 7 8 .ib 5+. However, Lalic has

13 7


8 '>t>f2 ct:Jc6 9 CLJf3 0-0 10 i.e2

other intentions.

1 f4! bs?!

With his l ast two moves White is finally

7 .. :fie7 was preferable, trying to stop e4-

taking care of his development, but it is a bit too l ate.

e5 - Baburin.

8 es b4? A fatal miscalculation. For better or worse, Black had to try 8 .. ."iVe7

9 'iVe2 CLJfd7.


Game 96 W.La.nge-E.J�Diemer


Weidenau 193 7 Dutch Defem::e

Game!�'S W�lomba.rdy•V,.Smysfov Teesside 197.5 Vienna Game

1 d4 fs 2 c4 e6 3 e3 A rather passive set-up against the Dutch. More popular is 3 g3 and 4 i.g2, tak

1 e4 es 2 CLJc3 CLJf6 3 f4 d s 4 d3?! An insipid version of the Vienna Game. 4

ing command of the long diagonal, while the c1-h6 diagonal remains open for the

fxe5 ct:Jxe4 5 CLJf3 or 5 'iff3 is more to the

other bishop.

point.

3 ...d s

4 ...exf4 5 es? A lesser evil was 5 i.xf4, speeding up

Setting up the Stonewall . Another good option was 3 ...ct:Jf6, followed by ... b7-b6 and

development.

... i.b7, exploiting the fact that with his

s ...d4!

third move White practically discarded a

By this counterblow Black grabs the ini tiative. 5 ...CLJg4 6 i.xf4 was less ambitious.

6 CLJce2 ct:Jd s 1 CDxf4 i.b4+! ral

kingside fianchetto.

4 i.d3 c6 S CLJf3 i.d6 6 o-o 'iff6 6 ...CLJf6 seems more natural, enabling a

An annoying check, now that the natu

future ... CLJe4, which is a key idea in the pre

8 i.d2 runs into 8 ...CLJe3.

sent structure.

138


7 lLlc3 lt:Je7?

1 2 .ixf6

Not every developing move is of equal value. 7 ... li:Jh6 was preferable.

Exchanging a main defender and gain ing time for the attack.

12 ...lt:Jxf6? A big mistake. After 12 ... gxf6 13 �3, in tending 14 li:Jxe6, Black is under some pres sure, but the game will present him with worse problems.


Game 97

G"'Bastrikov-I.Kogan Minsk 1971


Sicilian Defence� NajdmfVoriotion Ciome 98 Busay�Malkin

1 e4 c5 2 li:Jf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 li:Jxd4 li:Jf6 5 li:Jc3 a6 6 .ig5 e6 7 �f3 Preparing a quick 0-0-0. The main op

..

Baranovichi

1971

Sicilian Defence, Toimanov Variation

tion in this heavily debated Naj dorf line is 7 f4.

7 ...li:Jbd7 There is an argument in favour of in

8 .ih4 - then White's ninth

1 c4 e6 2 li:Jc3 c5 3 e4 li:Jc6 4 li:Jf3 li:Jf6 5 d4 cxd4 6 li:Jxd4 .ib4

move in the game becomes impossible due

The most active choice, immediately

cluding 7... h6 to ...g7-g 5 .

challenging White's Maroczy Bind.

8 o-o-o �c7 9 �g3 b5 10 .id3 .ib7 11 �he1

7 f3?!

After just 11 moves, White h as con

Bugay proceeds as if nothing had hap

8 .id3, followed by 0-0,

cluded development and is now ready for

pened. 7 lt:Jxc6 bxc6

an attack on Black's king.

is preferable in order to speed up develop

11...h6?

ment.

This move is badly timed. 11 ... .ie7, get ting on with development, was preferable.

7 ...d5! Refuting White's opening play.

139


8 cxd5 exd5 9 1Lb5 After 9 iLg s h 6 10 1Lh4 dxe4 11 '2lxc6

son to refrain from the natural

'iVxd1+ and 12 ... bxc6 Bl ack also h as an ex

10 '2lxe5 1Lxe2 11 'iVxe2!

move 1 1 - otherwise h e would h ave no rea

cellent game.

White h as seen that the d4-pawn is poi

9 ...0-0!

soned. 11 '2lxe2?! was less inspiring.

Sacrificing a pawn to speed up devel opment.

9 ...0-0.

11...'iVxd4? Consistent, but... losing. Bl ack should

9 ... 1Ld7 ? ! 10 1Lxc6 bxc6 11 es is

l ess promising .

h ave

settled

for

11...0-0,

foll owed

by

10 '2lxc6?!

... '2l8d7, with a cramped but solid position.

Too m aterialistic. 10 0-0 was called for; e.g. 10 ... 1Lcs 11 1Lxc6 dxe4 12 1Le3 bxc6 13 '2lxe4 and White is still alive.

10... bxc6 11 1Lxc6


Game 100

I.BoJeslavsky•G.Stoltz


Saltsjobaden lnterzonal 1948 Spanish Opening Game 99 ·G.Sa�-L.Hazai

Hungarian Championship, Budapest 1974 Alekhlne."s Defence

1 e4 e5 2 '2lf3 '2lc6 3 1Lb5 a6 4 1La4 '2lf6 5 o-o '2lxe4 6 d4 b5 7 1Lb3 d5 8 dxe5 1Le6 We h ave reached an initial position of the Open Spanish.

9 'iVe2 1 e4 '2lf6 2 e5 '2ld5 3 d4 d6 4 '2lf3 1Lg4 5 1Le2 e6 Quite a solid branch of the Alekhine.

6 o-o 1Le7 7 h3 1Lh5 8 c4 '2lb6 9 '2lc3 dxe5?! At this point Black must already h ave been thinking about snatching a pawn on

140

A somewhat outdated line. Nowadays White usually continues either 9 '2lbd2 or 9 C3. After the text, 9 ... 1Le7 or 9 ... 1Lcs, with 10 ... 0-0 next, yields Black a solid game, but Stoltz finds a more "active" idea ...

9 .. g5? .

Crime a n d Pun ishme n t Gaining space and preparing ... g 5-g4

Black takes the first step to a Hedgehog

with a fight for the centre, but the king is

formation with ....tb7, ... d7-d6, ...lt:Jbd7 etc,

irreparably weakened by this flank advance.

but in this case s ... d6 or s ... a6 was more advisable. How to punish Bl ack?

aa:me 10�

E.Sutov5ky�A.a,khov5ky Tef Aviv 1995 C<;�rq-Karm Defence 1 e4 c6 2 d4 ds 3 lt:Jd2 dxe4 4 lt:Jxe4 lt:Jd7 5 .tc4 lt:Jgf6


Game 101

P.Rh::anli·H.Lopez Silva Pi nama r 2004 English Opening

1 d4 lt:Jf6 2 c4 e6 3 lt:Jc3 cs 4 lt:Jf3 White turn s down the invitation to a Benoni with 4 dS, and heads for the English.

4...cxd4 s lt:Jxd4 b6?

6 lt:Jxf6+ A somewhat l ess aggressive continua tion than the usual 6 lt:Jg s e6 7 'iVe2, when both knights are kept on the board for a future attack.

6 ...lt:Jxf6 7 c3 e6 With this move, the game takes upon a French -like character. While

7 ... .tg4? failed to

7 ....tfs? or

8 �3, the elastic 7 ...'iVC7

is a more popular choice, delaying ... e7-e6 or ....tfs (g4) in accordance with White 's next move.

8 lt:Jf3 cs 9 o-o a6 A useful m ove on m any occasions. For 141

M as t e ring Op e n ing S t ra tegy example, after a l ater ...c5xd4, lbxd4, Black

venting White's next move in the game.

can pl ay ... flic7 without worrying about

11 i.c4 flib6 12 0-0 lbxe4?

lLlb5 .

This pawn soon turns out to be poi

10 i.g5 cxd4 11 lLlxd4 i.c5?

soned. lvanchuk analyses 12 ... 0-o 13 lLlf5 ! ?

This apparently active move turns out to

i.xf5 1 4 exf5 flixb2 1 5 lbd5 lbxd5 16 flixd5

0-0 13

with compensation for the pawn, but this

.l:!.ad1 flic7 was preferable, although White

certainly looks like a better deal for Black

h ave a serious flaw. 11 ... i.e7 12 flie2

seems to be a tempo up compared with

than the game continuation . As for snatch

analogous positions in the French Tarrasch

ing the other pawn by 12 ... flixb2, after 13

with 3 ... c5 4 exd5 flixd5 .

flid3 flia3 14 .l:!.ad1 i.d7 15 e 5 ! dxe5 16 i.xe5 lbc6 17 lbxc6 ! ? i.xc6 18 .l:!.fe1 White counts on a clear initiative - Pikula.

13 lbxe4 flixd4 Or 13 ... i.xd4 14 flih 5 ! winning - lvan chuk.

H o w t o punish Black?

Game 103 V.lvanchuk-A.Shirov Wij k a an .Zee 2001 Sicilian Defence, Najdoif:Variation

How to punish Bl ack?

Game 104 M.Oratovsky•N.Sulava

1 e4 c5 2 lLlf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 lbxd4 lLlf6 5 lbc3 a6 6 i.e3 lbg4

Biel 1996 Sicilian Defence$ Kan Variation

A very popular way of interfering with White's English Attack.

1 i.g5 h6 8 i.h4 g5 9 i.g3 i.g7 In exchange for his exposed kingside structure Black enjoys decent dark-square control.

10 h3 lbf6 10 ...lbe5 is a popular altern ative, pre-

142

1 e4 c5 2 lLlf3 e6 3 c4 b6 4 lLlc3 i.b7 5 d4 White finally agrees to an Open Sicilian.

5 ...cxd4 6 lLlxd4 a6 7 i.e2 flic7 8 f4!? Quite an aggressive choice. With 8 i.e3 lLlf6

9 f3 White could h ave set up a stan-

Crime a n d Pun ishme n t dard Maroczy Bind.

�xds iLe7, followed by ..

8 il.b4 8 ...CL:lf6 9 es CLJe4 10 CL:lxe4 iLxe4, fol -

would have been a normal continuation.

•••

.

o-o and d7-d6,

5 il.d2 bs? 6 CLJe4!

lowed by ... CL:lc6, was safer, not yet defining the destiny of the other bishop.

9 o-o il.xc3 10 bxc3 d6? This indifferent move will be violently refuted in the game.

10 ... il.xe4 11 il.a3 also

looks promising for White, whereas by

10 .. .'�Jf6 ! ? 11 e5 CLJe4, followed by .. .'�JC6, Black could have obtained some counter pl ay on the light squares.

White parries the threat of 6 ... b4 in ad vance and prepares the exchange of Black's only active minor piece.

6 ... �b6 7 CL:lxf6+ gxf6 8 e4! Reinforcing the centre and enabling fur ther kingside development.


Game 105

St.Schneider-C.Oisson Swedish Team

Cha m pionship 2006 Benoni Defence

1 d4 CL:lf6 2 CLJf3 cs 3 dS e6 4 CLJc3 Aft er 4 c4 the game would h ave trans posed to the Benoni, but White prefers a

8 .l::!.g8 9 c4 bxc4 Or 9 ...b4 10 g 3, followed by il.g2 and 0-0,

set-up based on swift development.

with a comfortable game for White.

4..:�as?!

10 iLc3!

This and Black's following move make a strange impression. 4... exd5 5 CL:lxds CL:lxds 6

•••

An excellent post for the bishop now that ... b5-b4 is no l onger possible.

143

M as t e ring Open ing S t ra tegy agonal are opened for his pieces. More

10 ....ia6 This deprives the knight of its supposed

flexible continuations are

9 ... .ie7 10 .U.d1

destiny, but after 10 ... .ib7 11 g3 tiJa6 1 2

"i¥'c7 and 9 ...ttJas 10 .ic2 .ib7.

.ixc4 tiJ C 7 13 0-0 White also h a s the upper

10 .U.d1 .ib7? A natural move, but one that soon leads

hand.

Black into huge difficulties. 10... d3 11 .U.xd3

11 g3 fs? Suicide - despite a lagging development

"i¥'C7 12 e4 .ie7 13 tiJdS! is known to favour

and the king in the centre, Black opens the

White, so 10 ...tDas was a safer choice, har

position.

assing the dangerous bishop on b3.

11 exd4 liJb4 An attempt to overprotect the vital ds square. 11.. ..ie7 runs into 12 dS!, while af ter 1 1...ttJas 12 d S ! tiJxb3 13 dxe6 "i¥'xd1+ 14 tiJxd1 ttJxa1 15 exf7+ �xf7 16 tiJgS+ White ' s attack was decisive in P.H . Nielsen-E. Bent zen, Danish Team Championship 2001.


Came l;06

B.Spassky Avtonomov leningrad· 1949 Queents CambltAccepted ..

H ow to punish Bl ack?

1 d4 d s 2 c4 dxc4 3 tiJf3 tiJf6 4 e3 a6 5 .ixc4 e6 6 0-0 cs An standard position of the Queen ' s Gambit Accepted has been reached.

7 "i¥'e2 tiJc6 Nowadays, 7 ... bs

8 .ib3 .ib7 is more

Game 107 B.Lalic-K.Hulak Pula 1996 English Open;ng

popular, with the queen ' s knight heading for d7.

1 tiJf3 tiJf6 2 c4 e6 3 g3 dS 4 .i g2 dxc4

8 tDc3 bs 9 .ib3 cxd4?!

Another option is 4 ... .ie7 5 0-0 0 -0, when White can play a Reti with 6 b3 or

This capture facilitates White ' s plans, now that both the e-file and the c1-h6 di -

1 44

enter the Catalan after 6 d4.

Crime a n d P u n is h m e n t

5 't!Va4+ tt'lbd7 The alternative was a Meran set-up with s ... c6 6 't!Vxc4 bS 7 't!Vc2 .ib7, followed by ... 4Jbd7 and ...c6-cS. 6 't!Vxc4 c5 7 't!Vb3 l:!.b8 8 d3 .id6 9 a4 b6 After preparing twice for this move (both 7 ... b6? 8 tt'les and 8 ... b6? 9 .if4 were premature) Black is finally ready to deploy the queen's bishop on the long diagonal. 10 tt'lc3 a6 11 tt'lg5!? .ib7 Black avoids the trap 11 ... 0-0? 12 tt'lxe6. 12 tt'lce4 Starting active operations with both knights.

1 . . .o-o 8 tt:Je2 g 6 9 't!Vh6 .if5!

Development with tempo. 10 .ib3 After 10 c3 l:!.e8 11 .ie3 .if8 12 't!Vh4 bs 13 .ib3 tt'ld7, followed by ...tt'lb6-dS, Black is also fine. 1o... c5! Being slightly ahead in development, Black is happy to open up the game. Now 11 dxcs tt'la6, followed by ... tt:Jxcs, just helps his case, so White prefers to bring one more piece into the battle. 11 .ie3 tt'lc6

Evaluate 12 0-0-0. How do you defend with Black?

Game 1.08

E.Mnatsakanian-V.Simagin Kiev 1965

Gome 109 E�Postny-J.$hahade

Budapest 2003 King's Indian Defence

Caro-Kann Defence 1 e4 c6 2 tt'lc3 d5 3 d4 dxe4 4 tt'lxe4 tt'lf6 5 tt'lxf6+ exf6 6 .ic4 .ie7 6 ... .id6 is more active. 7 't!Vh5 Quite a straightforward approach. 7 tt'le2 is more flexible.

1 d4 4Jf6 2 C4 g6 3 f3 White avoids the mainline Grilnfeld arising after 3 tt'lc3 dS and invites a Samisch King's Indian. 3 ... .ig7 Black accepts the proposal. By 3 ... d5 he could have stayed in Grilnfeld waters, while 145


the gambit 3 ...e s ! ? 4 dxes ti:Jhs has its sup porters too. 4 e4 d6 5 ti:Jc3 ti:Jbd7 6 .te3 c6 7 1'id2 h5

A double-edged advance - Black rules out .te3-h6 but also weakens his kingside structure. 7 ... es is more common, or 7 ... a6, preparing ... b7-bS. 8 o-o-o 'i'ia5 9 �b1 a6 10 ti:Jh3 b5 11 ti:Jf2 .tb7?! 11 ...ti:Jb6! ? was more active - Postny. 12 f4! The time is right for central expansion, now that Black's reply 12 ...tt:Jg4 has been neutralized. 12 ... b4 13 ti:Je2 c5 14 d 5 1 4 es?! tt:Je4 and Black is fine - Postny. 14...'i'ic7 15 ti:Jg1! A nice regrouping. The knight is heading for f3 in order to support the e4-e5 ad vance, while the bishop reaches d3. 15 ...ti:Jb6 16 .td3 ti:Jfd7 Now the immediate 17 ti:Jf3? permits 17 ... tt:Ja4, so White first enables the prophy lactic retreat .tel. 17 'i'ie2 (seefollowing diagram) Which do you prefer, 17 ...0-0-0 or 17 .. 0-0, and for what reason? .

146

Game 110 N�Mikkelsen-A.Mohammadi Lund 2005 Sicilian Defence,

Scheveningen Variation

1 e4 c5 2 ti:Jf3 e6 3 d4 cxd4 4 tt:Jxd4 ti:Jf6 5 ti:Jc3 d6 6 g4 h6 7 h4 ti:Jc6 8 .Mg1 d 5 A logical reply t o the Keres Attack Black responds to the flank aggression with action in the centre. 9 .tb5 .td7 10 exd5 tt:Jxd5 11 tt:Jxd5 exd5 12 .te3 .tb4+!?


It is not really clear what Black gains by provoking c2-c3, but it worked well for him in the game! 12 ....ie7 is the main option in this rather well-researched position. 13 c3 .ie7

14 CLJf3?! Retreating the knight from its great post the centre. More logical was 14 g S, get in ting on with the kingside expansion, or 14 1id2 preparing 0-0-0, without bothering about the h4-pawn. 14...a6 15 .ia4 1ia5 Protecting the ds-pawn and enabling a future ... 0-0-0.

When White starts pushing his pawns on both flanks in the Sicilian, he often ends up being punished in the centre. Preferable was 16 .ib3 .ie6 17 1ic2, followed by 0-0-0, in order to conclude development - Eriks son. 16 ...1ic7 17 .l:!.b1 After 17 'iVxds?! o-o-o, followed by ....l:!.he8, Black has great compensation for the pawn.

How do you continue with Black?

Game 111 S.Ernst-R.Miedema Dutch Championship, Haaksbergen 2009

Ragozin Defence

16 b4?!

1 CLJf3 lL'lf6 2 c4 e6 3 CLJc3 d 5 4 d4 .ib4 Reaching an initial position of the Ragozin Defence. 5 cxd5 exd5 6 .ig5 h6 Immediately challenging the enemy bishop. Another way to play the Ragozin is 6 ...tt:Jbd7 7 e3 cs 8 .id3 'iVas 9 1ic2 c4 10 .ifs o-o 11 o-o .l:!.e8, intending ....ixc3 and ... CLJe4. 147

M as te ring Op e n ing S trategy

7 .ih4 gS 8 .ig3 ctJe4 9 ctJd2!

Sacrificing a pawn in order to challenge the knight on e4. In contrast, after 9 l::t c 1?! hs! Black is even playing for an advantage. 9 ...4:Jxg3 Black turns down the offer. After 9 ... 4:Jxc3 10 bxc3 .ixc3 11 l::t c 1 a sharp posi tion arises, which has been heavily debated in recent games. 10 hxg3 .ie6 11 'ifc2 c6 12 a3 .if8 The idea of regrouping the bishop to g7 is rather slow. 12 ....ie7 might have been better.

148

13 e4! dxe4?! Being behind in development Black shouldn't open the position. Either 13 ... ctJd7 or 13 ....ig7 was preferable - Baburin. 14 0-0-0 lt:Jd7 15 .ic4!? Instead of recovering the pawn at once, White looks for a bishop exchange that will strengthen his control of the light squares. 1S ...e3? An unfortunate intermediate move. 1S ... 'ife7, preparing ... 0-0-0, was Black's last chance - Baburin.



Sol utions Game 75 (continued)

1 0 .ixh6! The game continued 10 exfs?! tbxfs and Black had fewer problems. 10...i.xh6 11 exfs With a huge advantage, now that 11 ... gxfs? loses a piece after 12 i.xc6+! bxc6 13 'iVh s+.

Game 77 (continued)

8 'i
Game 76 (continued)

4...cxd4! Fighting for the centre. In contrast, the game saw 4 ... dxc4?! 5 e3, followed by i.xc4, with equal chances. 5 'i
Game 78 (continued) (see following diagram)

149


The knight reaches e6 with devastating effect. 11...e5 11 ...
Game 80 (contin ued) 5 d5! tLlbs 6 �d4! The game went 6 l2'lc3?! ii.g7 and Black had fewer troubles. 6...l2'lf6 Or 6 .. .f6 7 l2'lc3, followed by l2'lf3, ii.c4, o-o etc. 1 e5 l2'lh5 s l2'lf3 With a pleasant advantage; e.g. 8 .. .f6 9 exf6 l2'lxf6 10 ii.c4 ii.g7 11 0-0 0-0 12 l2'lc3 a6 13 a4
Game 79 (continued)

10 fxe6 fxe6 11 l2'lg5! 150

4 exf5! This, admittedly, helps Black's develop ment but, more importantly, it facilitates an attack on the weakened light squares in his camp. In the same spirit, 4 ii.d3 is also strong. In contrast the game saw 4 es? dxes 5 dxes �xd1+ 6 l2'lxd1 l2'lfd7 7 l2'lf3 l2'lc6 with rough equality. 4 ... ii.xf5 5 ii.d3! Simple and strong : the exchange of these bishops will make the weakness on e6 more strongly felt. 5 ...�d7 6 l2'lf3 Preparing 0-0 and l:!e1. Black's position already looks difficult; e.g. 6 ... l2Jc6 7 0-0 o-o-o 8 ds ! l2'lb4 9 ii.xfs �xfs 10 l2'ld4, head ing for e6.


Game 81 (continued)

s ...'ifas! Creating threats of 6 ...iLxc3+ and 6 ...'Lle4. 6 il.xf6 After 6 'it'c2 cxd4 7 iLxf6 dxc3 8 il.xc3 iLxc3+ 9 'ifxc3 'ifxc3+ 10 bxc3 d6 the endgame is clearly favourable for Black. 6 il.xc3+ 7 bxc3 'ifxc3+ 8 �e2 gxf6 9 .l:tc1 'ifas Thanks to the extra pawn and the ex posed white king, Black is clearly better. The game continued 10 'ifc2 cxd4 11 exd4 'Llc6 12 'Llf3 dS 13 g3 eS! with a strong initiative. •••

9 iLxe7 'ifxe7 Or 9 ... �xe7 10 dS! with a clear initiative. 10 'Llbs! With a nasty double threat at C7 and d6. This idea is also seen in some lines of the French; e.g. 1 e4 e6 2 d4 ds 3 'Llc3 'Llf6 4 iLg s iLe7 5 es ltlfd7 6 iLxe7 'ifxe7 7 f4 cS?! 8 'Llbs ! . In contrast, the game continued 10 il.bs?! a6 11 il.xd7+ il.xd7 12 'Lle4 cxd4 13 'Lld6+ �f8 14 0-0 'Llc6 with rather unclear play. 10...'Lla6 Or 10 ... 0-0 11 'Lle7 'Llxes 12 'Llxa8 'Llxf3+ 13 'ifxf3 cxd4 14 'ifa3 !, neutralizing Black's counterplay. 11 'Lld6+ �f8 12 iLxa6 bxa6 13 dxcs With a huge advantage, now that 13 ... 'Llxcs? fails to 14 J:tc1.

Game 83 (continued)

Game 82 (continued)

11 iLh3! One of several good choices, increasing the pressure at d7. Also interesting was 11 iLg s ! ? setting up the threat 12 'Lld6; e.g. 11 ...iLg7 12 'Lld6+ �f8 13 'Llxb7 'ifc7 14 'it'c6 with some ad vantage; as well as 11 d6! ? exd6 12 iLc4 151


iLe7 13 0-0, when 13 .. .'�:Jgf6? fails to 14 tt:lxf6+ iLxf6 15 ii.h6, followed by �fe1+. In contrast, the game went 11 iLb5 a6! 12 iLg 5?? (12 iLxd7+ 'iVxd7 13 'iVd4! was correct, keeping the initiative) 12 ... axb5 13 tt:ld6+ exd6 14 iLxd8 bxa4 and Black won. 11. .fs It is difficult to find a defence; e.g. 11 ...iLg7 12 tt:lc5 tt:lgf6 13 iLg 5 winning material, while both 11 ... a6 12 o-o b5 13 'iVd4 tt:ldf6 14 d6! and 11 ... tt:lgf6 12 tt:lxf6+ exf6 13 0-0, preparing �e1(+), are equally bad for Black. 12 tt:lgs Intending tt:le6 with a huge advantage.

With decisive threats at f2 and b2. Black soon won the game.

Game 85 (continued)

.

Game 84 (continued) 10 tt:lbs! Attacking Black's weak point, the d6pawn. By the way, this was already a good option on the ninth move. In contrast, the game went 10 iLe3 ?! o-o 11 a3 d5 12 e5 tt:lf5 with balanced chances. 10 iVb8 Or 10 ... tt:lc8 11 iLf4 e5 12 dxe5 ! dxe5 13 iLg 5 ! f6 14 iLe3 with a strong initiative, now that 14 ... 0-0? fails to 15 iVd5+! �h8 16 �ad1. ...

13 ...iVb6! Hitting the vulnerable b2-pawn, while preparing ...iLc5 with strong pressure on the g 1-a7 diagonal. Now the absence of White's queen's knight in the battle is strongly felt. 14 tt:lfs? A fatal error. 14 tt:lxc6 was essential, al though after 14 ... bxc6 15 tt:lc3 iLc5 Black keeps a clear advantage. 14 ... iLcs! 1 52

Crime a n d P u n is h m e n t

11 .11.f4! l2Jc8 Obviously 11 ... es runs into 12 dxes dxes 13 iLld6+.

12 dS! White hurries to clear the centre before Black castles. 12 ...exds 13 ifxds o-o There is nothing better. 14 iLlxd6 Winning a pawn, with a huge advan tage.

dark squares. 13 ... dxes 14 dxes iLld7 15 e6!? 1S iLldS ! was another good option, when both 1S .. .f6 16 l2Jxe7+! ifxe7 17 exf6 and 1S ... l::e 8 16 e6 fxe6 17 lLlxe7+! J::: x e7 18 J:::x e6 .11.f8 19 ifd6! win for White. 1S .. .fxe6 16 J:::xe6 .11.f6?! After 16 ... i2Jf6 17 ifxd8 J:::xd8 18 J:::x e7 Black is a pawn down, but the text leaves his king severely exposed. 17 .11. c4 �h8 At this point White played 18 .11.h 6?!, permitting the salvaging ' 18...lLles ! . In con trast, after 18 l2Je4! his attack would have been irresistible; e.g. 18 ... .txg s 19 lLlxg s ifc7 20 J:::x e7! ifxc4 2 1 J:::xh7+ �g8 22 J:::c 1, followed by a decisive check on the a2-g8 diagonal.

Game 87 (continued)

Game 86 (continued)

13 es! A strong advance that hits Black on the

8 d4! Hitting Black on the e-file just before he castles away. 8 lLlg s also made sense, whereas the game went 8 c3?! 0-0 9 i2Jbd2, when 9 ... iLlf4 10 .11.x e6 l2Jxe6 11 l2Jc4 iff6 would have led to rather equal play. 8 ... o-o There is nothing better; e.g. 8 ... exd4?? 9 153

M a s tering Op e n ing Strategy

.ixdS or 8 .. .f6 9 .ib3 ! with the strong threat of c2-c4. 9 dxes White is a healthy pawn up; e.g. 9 ... .ics 10 .igs 'ii'd 7 11 'bbd2 'bas 12 .if1 .ie7 13 'bc4 with a clear edge, J.Breukelman-J.De Groote, Hengelo 2004.

Clearing new lines with a strong initiative.

Game 89 {continued)

Game 88 (continued)

u 'bxd4 exd4 12 'bbs! Gaining a vital tempo by attacking the weak d4-pawn. In contrast, the game went 12 'be4?! 'bxe4? (Black is not attentive ei ther; keeping the position closed by 12 ....ie7 was essential for him) 13 dxe4 cs 14 bxcs dxcs 15 'ii'a4+! (at last, a punish ment) 1S ...'ii'c6 16 'ii'x c6+ bxc6 17 l:Id1 l:Id8 18 l:Ib7! l:Id7 and at this point the simple 19 l:Ixd7 �xd7 20 e3 would have produced an endgame with an extra pawn. 12 ... cs 13 bxcs dxcs 14 .if4! Just in time, creating the threat 'bc7+ before Black consolidates with ....ie7 and ...0-0. 14...'ii'c6+ 15 �g1 �d7 The only way of avoiding material losses. 16 e3! 1 54

1s 'bbs! Preparing a central break with d3-d4 be fore the opponent castles away. Another good option was 15 d4! ? exd4 16 'bbs 'ii'd7 17 'bxd4 with irresistible threats. 1S ...'ii'd 7 16 d4! e4 17 'ii'e2 .idS?! This over-careful move lets White's d pawn reach the sixth rank. Again 17 ...0-0 was preferable.

18 dS! 'bb8 19 d6 c6 20 'bc3 With a decisive advantage thanks to the


powerful passed pawn. The game con cluded 20 ...0-0 21 tt:Jxe4 tt:Jxe4 22 �xe4 'iixh3 23 'iid3 g6 24 d7! �c7 25 �g s f6 26 �xf6! .l:txf6 27 d8iV+ �xd8 28 'iixd8+ .l:tf8 29 'iie 7 'iic 8 30 .l:tfe1 .l:ta6 31 .l:td6! and Black resigned in view of the inevitable and overwhelming �xg6.

Game 9 1 (continued)

Game 90 (continued)

10...tLlc6! Preparing a counterstrike on the weak ened e1-h4 diagonal. 10 ...tt:Jg6 11 fs tt:Je4! in the same spirit is also strong. In contrast, the game went 10 ... iVC7? 11 fxes �xes 12 �a4+ and White went on to win. 11 fs tLle4! Setting up the mortal threat of 12 ... 'iih 4+. Also interesting is 11 ... �g3+ 12 �f1 o-o 13 fxe6 fxe6 14 iLlf3 es with ample compensation. 12 �xe4 Or 12 fxe6 'iih 4+ 13 �d1 iLlf2+ 14 �d2 �f4+ and wins. 12 ...�g3+ 13 �f1 dxe4 14 fxe6 fxe6 By 15 ... 0-0+ next, Black recovers the piece while keeping the attack. Obviously 15 'iix e4?? at this point fails to the reply 1S ... 'iid 1+.

1o ...'iia s! Installing the double threat of 11 ...iLld3+ and 11 ...�c8. Less promising is 10...nxa3 11 bxa3 tLlc2+ 12 �d1 tt:Jxa1 13 'iix c6+ �d7 14 'iia6 with unclear play. 11 �d2 �c8 The rest is easy. 12 'iixc6+ tt:Jxc6 13 �xas .l:txas 14 tt:Jbs �b4+ 15 �d1 tt:Jxes Black went on to win .

Game 92 (continued)

8 tLla4! Exploiting the fresh weakness on b6. In155


stead, 8 llc1 t'bc6 9 t'ba4 is less accurate due to 9 ...J.b4+ with ... J.as as an extra resource. 8 ....lla 7 This won't end well, but after 8...t'bd7 9 .llc 1 �d8 10 �xb7 Black's game is also ter rible. 9 t'bb6 �d8 10 J.xb8! The immediate 10 �a4+ failed to 10...t'bc6, so White prepares it. 10...�xb8 11 �a4+ �e7 12 .llc 1 gs Desperation in a lost position. 13 t'bes! t'bh6 14 t'bc8+ 1-0 In view of 14 ...�f6 15 t'bd7+, Black re signed.

Of course not 12 J.xd4? �ds 13 c4 �e4+ and Black is alive. After the text, he had in stead to resign, in view of 12 ...�xd4 13 J.xbS+ .

Game 94 (continued)

Game 93 (continued)

9 exf6 bxc3 10 �e2+! This nasty check wins material. 10...�d7 11 fxg7 1-0 In view of 11 ... J.xg7 12 �g4+, Black re signed.

Game 95 (continued)

8 dxcs! Initiating favourable complications. In contrast, after 8 t'bbs?! t'bg6 Black is per fectly ok. s ...�xcs Or 8 ...�xb2 ? 9 t'bbs with decisive threats. 9 t'bbs! t'bxes This won't end well, but Black had no other defence against the double threat at c7 and d6. 10 t'bxes J.xbs 11 J.e3 d4 12 �xd4! 1-0 156

10...tbe3! At the cost of a mere pawn Black breaks


through o n the dark squares. 10 ...�e8 11 lt:Jxds �xds 12 i.f4 was somewhat less promising. 11 i.xe3 dxe3+ 12 �xe3 Or 12 �g 1 lt:Jxe s ! 13 lt:Jxes �d4 - Smyslov. 12 ... .tcs+ 13 d4 On 13 �d2 the sacrifice 13 ...lt:Jxe s ! 14 lt:Jxes �d4 again works fine. 13 ...lt:Jxd4! An elegant sacrifice directed at White's unsafe king. 14 lt:Jxd4 �gs! 15 c3 �xeS+ 16 �f3 �d8 17 g3 17 �d2 is met by 17 ... g S 18 �ad1 �f6! 19 g3 i.d6, getting on with the attack Smyslov. 17 ... i.xd4 18 �g2 After 18 cxd4 J::!.xd4 19 �3 gS Black also regains the material. 18 ...i.fs 19 cxd4 J::!.xd4 20 �e1 gS!

21 i.f3 Holding on to the piece by 2 1 lt:Jh s fails to the crushing pin 21...J::!.e 4 22 �f2 J::!. e 8 Smyslov. 21...�xe1 22 J::!. hxe1 gxf4 23 gxf4 J::!.xf4 Black later converted his extra pawns into victory.

Game 96 (contin ued)

8 e4! Exploiting the tactical motif 8 ...dxe4 9 i.xe4 fxe4? 10 lt:Jxe4, White achieves a fa vourable opening of the centre. 8... dxe4 9 i.xe4 es? This further opening of the position is definitely not to Black's benefit, considering his delay in development. Instead, after 9 ...lbg6 10 i.c2 0-0 11 J::!.e 1 White enjoys a clear plus thanks to his superior pawn structure, but the battle goes on.

10 dxes i.xes 11 i.gs! Development with tempo. 11...�d6 12 lt:Jxes �xd1 157

M a s tering Open ing S trategy

Or 12 ...'i¥xe5 13 �f3, followed by 14 1:te1 - Neishtadt. 13 l:taxd1 fxe4 14 tt:Jxe4 The rest is just agony for Black. 14...ltJd7 15 tt:Jd6+ �f8 16 �xe7+ �xe7 17 tt:Jxc8+ 1-0

Game 97 (continued)

14 tt:Jcxb5! 'i¥b6 Or 14... axb5 15 �xb5+, when both at tempts to defend: 15 ... �e7 16 tLlf5+! exf5 17 l:txe5+ and 15 ...ltJd7 16 tt:Jxe6 fxe6 17 'i¥g6+ �e7 18 l:txd7+ win for White Neishtadt. 15 tt:Jxe6! fxe6 16 �g6+ �e7 17 'i¥a3+! 'i¥c5 18 'i¥xc5 mate

Game 98 (continued)

13 e5! A key move, opening the gates to Black's king before he manages to castle. 13 ...dxe5 After 13 ... ltJd5 14 tt:Jxe6! fxe6 15 exd6 'i¥xd6 16 'i¥g6+ �d7 17 l:txe6 ! White's at tack is decisive.

11 tt:Jxe4! A strong sacrifice, exploiting the vulner able e1-h4 diagonal as well as White's lack of development. 12 fxe4 Or 12 �xa8 'i¥h4+ 13 g 3 tt:Jxg3 with overwhelming threats. 12 'i¥h4+ 13 �d2 Both 13 g3 'i¥xe4+ and 13 �f1 'i¥f6+, fol lowed by ...'i¥xc6, were equally bad for White. 13 ...�g4! Another piece joins the party, with deci sive effect. 14 'i¥a4 'i¥f2+ 15 �d3 dxe4+ 16 �c4 l:tab8! 0-1 In view of the multiple threats, White resigned. •..

•••

158


Game 99 (continued)

13 ...'iixb4 14 CLJbS CLJa6 Obviously 14...'iic 5? failed to 15 i.a3. 15 'iif3! llf8 Unfortunately for Black, 15 ...0-0 drops the bishop after 16 i.a3. 16 'iixb7 1-0 In view of 16 ...'iic 5 17 i.e3 ! 'iix e5 18 'iic 6+, Black resigned.

Game 100 (continued)

12 lld1! More precise than 12 CLlb5?! 'iid8 13 'iif3 .1f6 14 lld1 'iic 8 and Black is alive. 12 ...'iic s?! Now White wins on the spot, though af ter 12 ...�4 13 'Llb5 i.d8 (or 13 ...'Lla6 14 �d4! 'iif6 15 llf4 - the bishop move vacates e7 for the queen) 14 'iif3 0-0 15 'iixb7 Black's game is also difficult.

13 b4! A key move that wins a tempo by divert ing the queen from the defence of the c7pawn, and clears the a3-f8 diagonal for the bishop.

10 c4! Meeting the flank aggression with a strong counterstrike in the centre. In con trast, after 10 'Llbd2?! g4 or 10 lld1?! g4 11 'Lle1 llg8, Black's ninth move would prove more justified. 10... bxc4 Or 10 ... g4 11 cxd5!, when both 11...gxf3? 12 'iixe4 and 11...i.xd5 12 lld1! gxf3 13 'iixf3 'Llxe5 14 'iie 2 c6 15 'Llc3 leave White on top. 11 i.a4 i.d7 12 e6! Another ingenious advance that clears the e5-square and h 5-e8 diagonal for an attack on Black's king. Otherwise, 12 'Llc3, challenging the active knight on e4, also made sense. 12 ... fxe6 13 i.xc6 i.xc6 14 'Lles 1 59


14.. .''idi' 6? Saving the bishop but fatally exposing the king. By the sacrifice 14.. :iVf6! 1S 'Llxc6 'it>d7, followed by ... lies, Black could have complicated the opponent's task in practice. 15 �hS+ 'it>e7 16 .ixgS+ 'Llxgs 17 �xgS+ 'it>e8 18 �hS+ 'it>e7 19 �f7+ 'it>d8 20 �f6+ 'it>c8 21 �xh8 White later won.

The lesser of evils, since 6 ... d6? 7 .if4! just makes things worse for Black; e.g. 7 ... es 8 Jigs a6 9 .ixf6 gxf6 10 �ds ! and White wins material. 7 .i.f4 7 'Lld6+ rJiJe7 8 .if4, followed by 9 e3, was more precise. 7 ... '2la6?! This lets White take a firm grip on the d6-square. Preferable was 7 ...0-0! 8 ltc7 (not 8 '2lc7?! es! 9 .ixes 'Llg4) 8 ...�e7 9 .id6 .ixd6 10 �xd6 '2lc6 with just a slight disad vantage in the endgame. 8 .id6! .ixd6 9 '2lxd6+ 'it>e7 10 �d2! To reinforce the strong knight on d6. 1o...�c7 11 J:td1 �cs After 11 ... '2lcs 12 e4 .ib7 13 f3 Black also has a difficult time. One of his problems is that 13 ...a6, denying either 'Llbs, runs into 14 b4. 12 a3 'Llc7 13 b4 �c6 14 e4


6 '2ldbs! Immediately fighting for the d6-square, in similar fashion to Fischer-Tal (Game 71). 6....ics 160

Seizing the centre with a big edge. There followed 14.. .'=2Jce8 1S 'Llxe8 J:txe8 16 .id3 d6 17 f4! es 18 0-0 .ie6 19 'Llds+ .ixds 20 exds �c7 21 fxes dxes 22 �gS ! and White soon converted his advantage into a full point, now that 22 ...'it>f8 fails to 23 J:txf6! gxf6 24 �xf6.



12 ii.xf6! gxf6 Unfortunately for Black, the desirable 12 ... 'ifxf6? drops a pawn after 13 tt:Jxe6! ii.xe6 14 ii.xe6 fxe6 (or 14 ... 'ifxe6? 15 l:!:e1) 15 'ifh 5+. 13 'ifg4! A move with several virtues: it prevents 13 ...0-0, prepares 14 l:!:ad1, and installs the threat of 14 'ifg7.

13 ...ii.xd4 14 cxd4 h5 After 14 ... b5 15 .ib3 ii.b7 16 d5 ! ..ixd5 17 l:!:ad1 Black also has a difficult game. 15 'ifg7 �e7 16 d5! 'ifg8 Both 16 ... e5 17 d6+! and 16 ... exd5 17

ii.xd5! 'ifxd5 18 'ifxh8 ..ih 3 19 'ifg7 win for White - Blatny.

17 d6+! �xd6 18 'ifxf6 Black's king has become fatally exposed. 18 ...ii.d7 19 l:!:fd1+ �c7 20 ii.e2! 1-0 A quiet but powerful move. In view of 20 ...ii.c6 21 ii.f3 ii.xf3 22 'ifxf3, with threats like l:!:ac1+ and 'iff4+, Black resigned.


14 tt:Jxd6+! A strong sacrifice with the aim of keeping Black's king in the centre. 14...exd6 15 'ife2+ ii.e6 Both 15 ... .ie5 16 l:!:ad1, followed by 161


.l:!.xd6, and 1S ...\t>d7 16 .l:!.ad1 11Vf6 17 .l:!.xd6+ 11Yxd6 18 .l:!.d1! win for White - lvanchuk. 16 .ltxe6 fxe6 The game went 16 ... 0-0 17 .l:!.ad1 11Vf6 18 .ltds '2lc6 19 c3 with a huge positional plus for White. 17 11Yxe6+ \t>d8 18 .l:!.ad1 .l:!.e8 19 11Yg6! Black is doomed; e.g. 19 ... 11Vxb2 20 11Yxd6+ with mate on the next move.

piece. Rather curiously for a Sicilian, on move 15 Black has not yet developed either of his knights! 15 .. .f6 16 .l:!.xf6! Transposing to a superior endgame. 16 ...'2lxf6 17 11Yxf6+ 11Ye7 18 .ltg5 11Yxf6 19 .ltxf6+ \t>c7 20 .ltxh8 '2ld7 21 .ltd4 .ltxe4 22 .l:!.e1 .ltc6 23 .l:!.e7 White soon won.



11 .th5! A surprising attack on the black king, exploiting the absence of a knight on f6. Both 11 fs?! es and 11 es dxes 12 fxes '2ld7! were less promising. 11...g6 11 ... '2lf6? obviously failed to 12 '2lxe6, while after 11 ...11Ye7 12 fs es 13 f6! '2lxf6 14 CiJfs White develops a deadly attack. 12 f5! Intensifying the attack before Black gets his pieces into the game. 12 ... exf5 12 ... gxh 5 ? 13 fxe6 is even worse, with the queen heading for hS. 13 '2lxf5! gxf5 14 .l:!.xf5 \t>d8 15 11Yd4 With a tremendous initiative for the

12 .ltg2! Simple but strong. White brings his last minor piece into play and seizes the long diagonal, which became a more relevant factor after Black's previous move. Less convincing was 12 dxe6?! 11Yxe6 or 12 exfs exds 13 11Yxds .ltb7. 12 ...fxe4 13 '2le5 d6?! This runs into a strong sacrifice, though after 13 ... .ltg7 14 .ltxe4 Black's position also makes a sad impression. 14 dxe6! dxe5 Or 14.. .fxe6 15 11Yh 5+ winning. 15 exf7+ \t>xf7 16 .ltxe4 1-0 In view of 16 ... .\tb7 17 11Yf3+ or 16 ... '2lc6 17 11Yds+ \t>g7 18 11Yd7+! .lte7 19 .ltxc6, Black resigned.

1 62

Cri m e a n d Pun i s h m e n t


1 7 ...0-0? obviously failed t o 1 8 Cbc6, while after 17 ...'iVd7 18 .l:'!,e1 .l:'!,a7 19 .l:'!,ac1 the threat of 20 Ct::Jc 6 decides. 18 Ct::Jfs hS?! This loses at once, though Black was al ready short of a good defence. 19 .l:'!,xds! 'iVxds 20 1Vxe7+ �g8 21 1Vxf6 1-0


12 dS! Anyway! In the same spirit, 12 .ig s .ie7 13 .ixf6 gxf6 14 ds! is also strong. In fact, the d4-d5 break tends to work well in a wide range of IQP positions. 12 ...Ct::J bxd5 12 ...Ct::Jfxds ? 13 a3 or 12 ... .ixds 13 .igs is even worse.

13 .igs! .ie7 Black manages to keep the ds-square under control, but now his pawn structure is ruined. 14 .ixf6 gxf6 15 Ct::Jx ds .ixds 16 .ixds exds 17 CLJd4! �f8

12 ... Ct::Jxe4! Exchanging a pair of knights in order to avoid any tactical shots at e6 or f7. Instead, 12 ... 0-0? again failed to 13 Ct::Jx e6, while the game continued 12 ....ie7? 13 Ct::Jxf7! �xf7 14 Ct::Jg s+ �g6 ? (a lesser evil was 14... �e8 15 Ct::Jx e6 .ixg2 16 Ct::Jxd8 .l:'!,xd8 17 .l:'!,g1 .ids 18 1Vc2 with just a clear advantage for White Lalic) 15 .ixb7 M.xb7 16 d4! eS (17 'iVd3+ was threatened) 17 'iVf7+ �fs 18 e4+ and Black resigned in view of mate on the next move. 13 Ct::Jxe4 o-o Exploiting the pin on the h 1-a8 diago nal, Black finally manages to castle. The alternative 13 ... .ies at once should be fine as well. 14 o-o .ies Black has no problems. 1 63



This loses at once. 16 .id2 was essential, when Black could try 16 ... J::tx c3 anyway; e.g. 17 .ixc3 lt:Jxa2+ 18 .ixa2 �xa2 with inter esting compensation for the exchange. 16 ...J::tx c3! 17 bxc3 ..txc2+ 0-1 In view of 18 .ixc2 �xa2+ 19 '>tel �xc2 mate or 18 '>tel .ixb3 19 axb3 �a2 !, White resigned.


12 0-0-0? On this flank the king becomes severely exposed to Black's forces. 12 ds? lt:lb4 is just as bad, while 12 J::td l?! runs into the same reply as in the game. In contrast, the simple 12 dxcs held the balance; e.g. 12 ....ixcs 13 J.xcs �aS+ 14 c3 �xes 1S o-o!. 12 ...c4! This strong sacrifice was perhaps overlooked by White.

13 J.xc4 lt:Jb4 14 .ib3 J::t c 8 Neishtadt also suggests 14... as!?, when 1S a4 is strongly met by lS ...bS!. 15 lt:lc3 �as 16 '>t>b1? 1 64

11 ...0-0? This leaves the king fatally exposed to an attack. 17 ...0-0-0 was a much better choice - Postny. 18 .ic1 J::ta e8 19 lt:lf3 e6 A logical try to create counterplay in the centre. Unfortunately White won't capture on e6, nor will he recapture on dS with the c-pawn in Benoni-style, but with the e pawn, after which most of the black pieces will remain in the margins of the battle. 20 �c2 J::te 7 21 h3 exds 22 exds! J::tfe8 The control of the open file is irrelevant in this case, and White can just keep on attacking. 23 fs! gxfs Or 23 ...ctJf8 24 fxg6 fxg6 2S ctJh4, winning - Postny.

Crime a n d Pun is h m e n t

24 'Llh4 tt'les 25 'Llxfs .Md7 26 tt'lxg7! Swapping a main defender of Black's kingside. 26...Wxg7 27 11id2 .Mh8 28 11ig5+ 'Llg6 29 b3! 1-0 In view of 30 i.b2+ coming up.


tive. 19...g6 By now Black is strategically winning thanks to White's unsafe king. There fol lowed 20 Wf1(?) i.h3+ 21 We1 .Mfe8 22 .Mg3 i.d7 23 i.b3 i.d6 24 .Mg1 tt'les ! 25 i.xds 1Wxc3+ 26 'Lld2 'Lld3+ 27 Wfl i.bs 28 Wg2 llies !, heading for h 2, and Black's attack soon took its toll.


17 ...0-0! Black has noticed that his king will be quite safe on this flank. In contrast, 17 ... 0-o-o?! permits 18 bs with some attack ing prospects, though the flexible 17 ... i.e6 ! ? was reasonable too. 18 g5 After 18 hs i.f6 19 .Mc1 .Mfe8 White's king is in more danger than Black's; e.g. 20 g s ? hxg s 21 tt'lxg s .Mxe3+! 22 fxe3 llies, re covering the material with interest. 18 ... h5 19 ..tc2 Or 19 llixds .Mad8 20 1We4 g6 21 i.f4 i.d6, preparing ....Mfe8 with a strong initia-

16 i.xe6! This sacrifice decides the game. Obvi ously 16 fxe3?! 1We7 would be less powerful. 16 ... exd2+ 17 .Mxd2 fxe6 18 1Wg6+ 1i;e7 19 .Me1 Wd6 Heading for c7, but in vain ... 20 d5! 1-0 A timely advance that includes the sec ond rook in the attack. In view of 20 ...cxds 21 .Mxe6+ We? 22 tt'lxdS+ Wc8 23 .Me8, Black resigned.

1 65

Cha pte r T h re e

Th e B att le fo r t h e Centre

I ntrod uction The centre is the most important part of the board, and the side that dominates it will have more possibilities on the whole battlefield. In Opening Preparation, Yusu pov makes the following observation: "The centre may be called the commanding summit of chess strategy; whoever gains control of it will afterwards have the better prospects. " As a consequence, both players fight for this area - traditionally defined as the set of the e4, d4, es and dS squares - from the very first move. Here are some typical methods of fighting for the centre:

Create a pawn centre. t Occupy a central square with a piece. t Control the centre at distance. t

Moreover, the enemy centre can be un dermined by: t t

166

Pawn breaks. Pawn advances on the flanks.

In the following sections, we will inves tigate these methods together with some related games. In the final part of the chap ter we will also discuss the role of the cen tre in more general terms. It goes without saying that this chapter has more of a mid dlegame flavour than the previous ones, due to the long-term importance of the centre.

Pawn centre A pawn centre is usually a big asset in the opening and middlegame battle. Apart from controlling a set of important squares, the central pawns also work as a shield for their fellow pieces. When the pawn centre remains unchallenged, the side that pos sesses it can consider either an attack on the flanks or an advance by the pawn cen tre itself. In the following five games we will see both of these ideas being applied with great success, partly helped by rather indif ferent play from the opponents in these encounters.

Th e B a ttle fo r t h e Cen tre

Gome 112 Z.Andriasian�M.Litwiniec

European Rapid Championship, Warsaw 2010

Ita/ion Game

1 e4 e5 2 lZ:lf3 lZ:lc6 3 .ic4 .ic5 4 c3 An inherent plan of the Italian - create a pawn centre by d2-d4. 4...d6?! This move doesn't challenge White's in tentions in any way. The standard 4...lZ:lf6 is preferable, when 5 d4 exd4 6 cxd4 .ib4+ forces White either to sacrifice a pawn by 7 lZ:lc3 lZ:lxe4, or permit the destruction of his pawn centre after 7 .id2 .ixd2+ 8 lZ:lbxd2 d5!. Thus practice often sees the more flexible 5 d3, delaying d3-d4 until the mo ment is right. 5 d4 exd4 6 cxd4

6....ib4+?! Now this check proves rather useless since White was going to play lZ:lc3 anyway, besides which the bishop becomes mis placed on this square. 6 ....ib6, keeping the pressure on d4, was called for. 7 lLlc3 h6?

One more inaccuracy. Black wants to play ...lZ:lf6 without bothering about .ig5, but now she loses an important tempo. 7 ....ig4 seemed more active; e.g. 8 o-o .ixc3 9 bxc3 lZ:lf6, when 10 .ig 5 can be met by 10 ... h6 11 .ih4 g5 12 .ig 3 lZ:lxe4. 8 'iYb3! It transpires that the f7-pawn has no comfortable defence. 8 ....ixc3+ 9 bxc3 'iYe7? The last chance was 9 ...'iYf6, preparing ...lZ:lge7. In the game Black deploys these two pieces in the opposite way, with fatal consequences. 10 0-0 lZ:lf6

11 e5! A key method for the side possessing a pawn centre: its advance. The possible benefits are several: gain of space, creation of a passed pawn, or clearance of lines for the fellow pieces, as in this case. 11 .l:!.e1, preparing e4-e5, was also strong. 11 ...dxe5 12 .ia3! 'iYd7 13 lZ:lxe5 By now Black's exposed king makes her game hopeless. 13 dxe5 and 13 .l:!.fe1 were good as well. 13 ...lZ:lxe5 14 dxe5 lZ:le4 15 .l:!.ad1 'iYf5 16 .ixf7+! 167


A little combination that concludes the battle at once. 16...�xf7 17 .Md8+ 1-0

Gnme.:t.:I,r3 J.Hellsten-M.Howe

..

.. G�therr:burg ·�989

5iciHon .Defence, Alapln V:oriotipn

1 e4 cs 2 l2lf3 d6 3 c3 At that time I was 13 years old and my team-mate, GM (back then, IM) Stellan Bry nell, h ad just taught me this sideline against the Sicilian. Similarly to the previ ous game, White aims to set up a pawn centre with d2-d4. 3 ...t2lf6 4 ..ie2 tbc6 The most straightforward reaction, eliminating the queen check on a4 (4...tbxe4?? S �a4+). Another common op tion is 4 ... g6 S 0-0 ..ig7, when White can choose between 6 .Mel, followed by ..if1, and 6 ..ibS+, followed by .Mel or �e2, with the desired d2-d4 next. 5 d4 cxd4 6 cxd4

6 .....ig4?! Just like 4 ... d6 in the previous game, 1 68

Black does little to challenge the enemy pawn centre. The main line goes 6 ...tbxe4 7 dS �aS+! 8 tbc3 tbxc3 9 bxc3 tbes 10 tbxes �xc3+ 11 ..id2 �xes 12 o-o with a sharp battle. 7 o-o g6 8 ..ie3 Interestingly, rather few opening sys tems for Black tend to tolerate such a pawn structure. In contrast, with the c-pawns still on the board it is a main feature of the King's Indian and the Pirc, among others. 8 .....ig7 9 h3 Possibly 9 tbc3 0-0 10 t2ld2 ..ixe2 11 �xe2 was more promising, speeding up development. g .. ..ixf3 10 ..ixf3 o-o 11 l2lc3 �as?! Hitting thin air. Black could have fought for the centre by 11 ...es!, when 12 ds l2ld4! 13 ..ixd4 exd4 14 �xd4 l2ld7 yields him good compensation for the pawn. White should rather react by 12 dxes dxes 13 ..ie2 tbd4 14 ..ic4 .Mc8 1S b3 with a slight advan tage. 12 a3 .Mac8 13 b4 �d8 14 �b3 Overprotecting the knight and ceding dl to the rooks. 14... b6?! An unnecessary weakening of the light squares. 14... a6 1S .Mfdl e6 was preferable, followed by 16 ...�e7 and 17 ....Mfd8, with a passive but safe position. In contrast, 14 ... es?! was no longer feasible due to 1S dxes dxes 16 lbbs ! with ideas like .Mfdl and ..lies. 15 .Mac1 tbd7 16 .Mfd1 White's development is complete. With the centre firmly in his control, he can now start looking for possibilities on the whole board, in particular on the queen side where Black's unfortunate 14th move left targets on c6 and a6. .

Th e Battle fo r t h e Cen tre

16 ...
Game 114 R.Ortega�V.Korchnoi Havan,a .�963 Sicilian Defente, Taimanov Variation

1 e4 cs 2 t2Jf3 t2Jc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 t2Jxd4 e6 5 i.e2 5 t2Jc3 is more flexible; and 5 l2Jb5, pre paring a Maroczy Bind with c2-c4, is also possible. s ...t2Jf6

6 t2Jxc6?! 1 69

M a s tering O p e n i n g Strategy

Strengthening the enemy centre with out any obvious reason. Again 6 t'Llc3 is preferable, when Black can stay in Tai manov waters with 6 .. .'fic7, switch to the Scheveningen by 6 ... d6, or enter the gam bit line 6 ...i.b4 7 0-0! i.xc3 8 bxc3 t'Llxe4 9 �d3, followed by i.a3. 6... bxc6 7 i.d3 Of course 7 t'Lld2 or 7 t'Llc3 was more logi cal, avoiding a second bishop move. 1 ...d s Black starts fighting for the centre. Now either 8 es or 8 t'Lld2 was a reasonable reply; instead, White commits a new inaccuracy, one that will leave the centre in the oppo nent's hands.

8 exds?! cxds! The correct recapture, which leaves Black with two pawns against none in the centre. 9 0-0 i.d6 Development first. The tempting 9 ... es?! would be premature in view of 10 i.gs i.e7 11 i.bS+!, intending 11...i.d7 12 i.xf6 i.xf6 13 �xds. 10 t'Lld2 With hindsight, 10 c4, fighting against the enemy centre seems like a lesser evil; 1 70

e.g. 10... dxc4 11 �a4+ (not 11 i.xc4? i.xh2+) 11 ... i.d7 12 �xc4 .Uc8 13 �4. fol lowed by t'Llc3 and i.g s. 10...0-0 11 .Ue1

11 ... es! Of course. The central pawns start roll ing, with great effect. 12 t'Llf1 e4 13 i.e2 d4! Thanks to the tactical trick 14 �xd4?? i.xh2+, both pawns reach the fourth rank. Before advancing ... eS-e4 Black had to as sure this follow-up, as otherwise White could now have blocked the central pawns by 14 i.e3 and i.d4. 14 t2Jg3 �as! This time minor tactics help Black bring his queen to a great post on dS, where she will support the central pawns and, at the same time, use them as a shield. 15 i.d2 �d5 16 �C1 i.b7 17 i.f4? A tactical oversight. After 17 i.fl .Uac8 Black keeps a clear advantage, but at least the g2-pawn becomes safe. 17 ... d3! A carefully calculated blow. The pre paratory 17 ... i.cs looked strong as well, whereas the obvious 17 ... e3?! proves less powerful after 18 i.f3.

The Battle for th e C e n tre

for the Queen's Gambit Declined, he should play 2 ... e6 first. 3 cxds! lL:lxds 4 e4 lL:lf6 s lLlc3

18 cxd3

18 ... e3! 19 i.f3 exf2+ Thanks to the intermediate 17 ... d3, Black managed to clear the g 1-a7 diagonal to wards the enemy king. 20 �xf2 lL:lg4+! One more accuracy. In contrast, after 20 ...i.cs+? 21 i.e3 ! lL:lg4+ 22 �g1 White defends. 21 �g1 Or 21 i.xg4? iYxg2+ 22 �e3 i.xf4+ 23 �xf4 'iif2+ with mate to come. 21...'iid4+ 22 i.e3 lL:lxe3 23 iYxe3 iYxe3+ 24 .S.xe3 i.cs Finally Black wins the exchange and transposes to a clearly superior endgame. There followed 25 i.xb7 .i.xe3+ 26 �h1 .S.ab8 27 i.f3 .S.xb2 and Korchnoi went on to win.

Game 115 M.Grabarczyk-P.Podlesny Karvina 1994

Queen's Gambit Declined

1 d4 ds 2 c4 lL:lf6?! A well-known inaccuracy that leaves the centre in White's hands. If Black is aiming

s ... e6?! This leads to a rather cramped game. Af ter s ... es 6 lLlf3 exd4 7 iYxd4 iYxd4 8 lL:lxd4 i.b4 9 f3 White has also had good results in practice, but Black enjoys more activity than with the text. Anyway, by playing 4 lL:lf3 first White could have sidestepped that line. 6 lL:lf3 .i.e7 7 .i.d3 o-o 8 o-o a6 Unfortunately for Black, 8 ... cs? runs into 9 dxcs i.xcs 10 es lL:lds 11 i.xh7+! �xh7 12 lLlgS+ with the Greek gift working perfectly. The text prepares ...b7-b5, but the modest 8 ... b6, followed by ... i.b7, was probably more to the point, speeding up develop ment and exerting some pressure on the h 1-a8 diagonal. 9 iYe2! lL:lbd7 10 .S.d1 Such a set-up is often used in similar positions in the Queen's Gambit Accepted. On e2 the queen avoids exposure to the black pieces and enables the attacking idea e4-e5, followed by 'iie4, while the rook on d1 discourages Black's ... C7-c5. 10...c6 1 71


Again very passive, but the desired 10 ... bs ran into 11 es 'bds 12 �e4! fS 13 exf6 'b7xf6 14 �4 with a huge edge. 11 j_g5 l:,e8 12 l:,ac1 h6 13 j,h4 'bf8

counterplay and makes White's kingside attack child's play. 21 ... ltJe7 22 �f4 'bd5 23 �g4 �e7 24 l:,f3 l:,f8 25 'bf6+!

Time for White to convert his central control into something more tangible. 14 e5! A typical idea. In exchange for weaken ing the ds-square, Grabarczyk manages to swap Black's "good" bishop, something that will yield him a grip on the dark squares and, indirectly, attacking prospects on the king side. 14...'bd5 15 j,xe7 �xe7 Or 1S ... 'bxc3 16 l:,xc3 �xe7 17 'bd2 ! with similar play. 16 'be4! 'bf4 This exchange doesn't help Black's case in any way, but it was already difficult to give him good advice. 17 �e3 'bxd3 18 l:,xd3 l:,d8 19 'bfd2! White doesn't even want to allow 19 'bd6 l:,xd6! 20 exd6 �xd6, so directs the other knight to d6 as well. 19 ...'bg6 20 'bc4 �c7 21 'bcd6 In strategic terms, the game is already over - Black will never be able to get rid of that knight, which deprives him of any

Enhancing the attack and eliminating any attempts at .. .f7-fs. 25 ... \t>h8 26 �h5 l:,b8 27 l:,e1! The last piece joins the party with devas tating effect. 27 ... j,d7 28 l:,e4 'bxf6 29 l:,xf6 \t>h7 30 l:,h4! �xf6 31 exf6 l:,h8 32 �xf7 1-0

1 72

Game 116 L.Polugaevsky-J.DOtfman

USSR Cha mpionship, Tbifisi

Grunfeld Defence

1978

1 d4 d 5 2 'bf3 'bf6 3 C4 g6?! This leads to an inferior version of the Grunfeld. 3 ... c6, 3 ... e6 and 3 ...dxc4 are nor mal continuations. 4 cxd5 'bxd5 5 e4 White sets up the pawn centre, and forces Black to spend a tempo on withdraw ing his knight, in similar fashion to the pre vious game. Note that this doesn't happen in the mainstream Grunfeld arising after 1

Th e Ba ttle fo r t h e Cen tre

d4 tLlf6 2 c4 g6 3 tL:lc3 d5 4 cxd5 tt:Jxd5 5 e4, where Black has 5 ... tL:lxc3 at his disposal. s ...tt:Jb6 6 h3! A simple measure of restriction directed at 6 ... .ig4, which would leave the d4-pawn somewhat exposed. 6 ... .ig7 7 tL:lc3 o-o 8 .ie2 .ie6?!

After White's annoying sixth move, Dorfman decides to get rid of his problem bishop via c4. The drawback to this idea is that it doesn't put any pressure on the en emy centre, something that he could have achieved by 8 ... tt:Jc6 9 .ie3 f5 !. Probably White is a bit better after 10 exf5 .ixf5 11 �3+ �h8 12 l:i.d1, but Black has much more counterplay than in the game. 9 0-0 .ic4 10 .ixc4 tt:Jxc4 11 �e2 Development with tempo. From e2 the queen supports the e4-pawn and cedes d1 to the rooks. 11 ...tL:lb6 12 l:i.d1 tLl8d7 13 .igs The most active square for the bishop. Now 13 ... h6 14 .ih4 doesn't help Black too much. 13 ... c6 14 a4! There was nothing wrong with 14 l:i.ac1, but Polugaevsky's move is stronger. By the threat a4-a5 he tries to provoke the weak-

ening 14... a5. 14...�e8? This lets White effect a strong advance in the centre. 14... a5 was a lesser evil; e.g. 15 d5 cxd5 16 tt:Jxd5 tt:Jxd5 17 l:i.xd5 �e8 18 l:i.b5 b6 with better defensive chances than in the game. 15 as tL:lc8 16 ds! Just at the right moment, when 16 ... cxd5 17 tt:Jxd5 creates the annoying threat of 18 tLle7. 16 ...a6 Practically the only move, in order to prevent 17 a6 demolishing the black queen side. 17 es!

In strategic terms, White is already win ning - the centre is totally in his control, while Black's pieces are getting short of space. 17 ... h6 18 .ih4 e6 This leads to a powerful passed pawn on d6, but it was difficult to see any other lib erating attempt. 19 d6 gs 20 .ig3 fs 21 exf6 l:i.xf6 22 l:i.a4! A nice way of integrating the rook into the coming kingside attack. 22 ... tt:Ja7 23 h4 gxh4 24 l:i.xh4 tt:Jbs 25 .ies! 1 73


Black is forced to swap one of two im portant pieces - either the blocker of the passed pawn or the main defender of his king. 25 ....l:!.g6 After 2 s .. .Ci'lxes 26 lt'lxes, followed by d6d7, the passed pawn will be decisive. 26 �xg7 �xg7 27 CtJe5!

The clouds are starting to gather around the black king. 27...lt'lxc3 28 bxc3 .l:!.g5 In the event of 28 ...lt'lxes 29 �xeS+ �h7 White wins by 30 d7 �e7 31 .l:!.b4. 29 f4 .l:!.f5 3o �g4+ �h7 31 �h3 .l:!.f6 32 liJg4 Polugaevsky finally converts his posi tional advantage into material gains. 32 ...�f8 An early surrender, but after 32 ....l:!.g6 33 lt'lxh6 �g7 34 fs Black is also helpless. 33 lt'lxf6+ �xf6 34 .l:!.e1 lt'lf8 35 .l:!.e5 �g7 36 .l:!.eh5 1-0 The next three games show a more con cerned approach from the side playing against the pawn centre. Even so, its pos sessor triumphs in the end, after effecting a central advance to support the attack on the enemy king. 1 74

Game 1 1 7

zsu�Polgar·U.&ansch Dortmund 1990 Queen 's Gambit Declined 1 d4 CtJf6 2 C4 e6 3 CtJC3 d 5 By transposition w e have reached an ini tial position of the Queen's Gambit De clined. With her next move Polgar initiates the venomous Exchange Variation with lt'lge2, which was popularized by Botvinnik in the middle of the 20th century. 4 cxd5 exd5 5 �g5 c6 6 e3 �e7 1 �c2 �g4 Black prepares the exchange of his "bad" bishop, but also wastes time. The main line goes 7 ... 0-0 8 �d3 lt'lbd7 9 lt'lge2 .l:!.e8 10 o-o lt'lf8, when White usually con tinues 11 f3, preparing an opportune e3-e4, just as in the game. 8 lt'lge2 �xe2 9 �xe2 lt'lbd7 10 0-0 0-0 11 �d3 .l:!.e8

12 f3! White prevents the simplifying ...CtJ€4 and prepares e3-e4, setting up a pawn cen tre. This is the reason why the king's knight is deployed at e2 instead of f3 in this sys tem.


12 ... ctJf8 13 �h4 Black's last move enabled another sim plifier with ...Cbhs, which can now be met by �f2. 13 ... a6 Seeing that 13 ... cs?J runs into the an noying 14 �bS!, Black prepares it. On the previous move 12 ...cs?J was also dubious due to 13 dxcs Cbxcs 14 �bs, followed by J::i. ad1, with pressure on the weak ds-pawn. 14 J::i.a d1! A "mysterious" rook move that gives ex tra support to the d4-pawn and discour ages Black from ... c6-cS; e.g. 14...cs?! 15 �xf6 �xf6 16 dxcs J::i.x e3 17 Cbxds, winning a pawn. 14 ... Cbg6 15 �f2 �d6 Again the counterstrike 1S ... c s ? is tacti cally flawed, this time due to 16 �xg6 hxg6 17 dxcs �xes 18 CbxdS! - Polgar. 16 e4!

White finally pursues her plan of creat ing a pawn centre. In contrast to the previ ous two games, here she also achieves a semi-open f-file, which will come handy in a future attack on the black king. 16 ...dxe4 17 fxe4 ctJg4 18 e5! �C7 Unfortunately for Black, after 18 ... Cbxf2?

19 'ifxf2 the f7-pawn falls. 19 �C4! Increasing the pressure on f7. At this point Black is probably missing his "bad" bishop, which would have been doing a good defensive job at e6. 19...l::i.e7 20 'it>h1 Cbxf2+ Reacting to White's intention of �g1 and h2-h3. 21 'ifxf2 'ifd7 22 ctJe4!

The knight is heading for gS or cs, in creasing the pressure on Black's camp. By now White's central control is remarkable practically all the four central squares are dominated by her, a fact that facilitates her king side attack to great extent. 22 ...J::i.f8 23 'iff3 ! Seeing that the f7-pawn is rather well protected, Polgar switches her focus to the one on h7. 23 ...'ife8 24 'ifh5 'it>h8 In view of the line 24... h6?? 25 'ifxg6, Bonsch unpins the f-pawn. 25 J::i.d 3! Keeping up the attack. After 2 5 Cbgs h6 26 Cbxf7+ J::i.exf7 27 J::i.xf7 J::i.xf7 28 'ifxg6 J::i.f 8! Black could pin some hopes on the oppo site-coloured bishops. 1 75


2S ... h6 Or 2S .. .f5 26 .l::th 3 h6 27 lL:lf6! with the mortal threat of 28 iVxh6+ - Polgar. 26 .l::tdf3 lL:lxes Desperation, but the threat 27 iVxg6 was irresistible. 27 dxes .l::txes 28 .l::txf7! .l::txf7 29 iY'xf7 1-0 In view of 29 ... iVxf7 30 .l::txf7 .l::txe4 31 .l::tf8+
Ga:me :U8 w.Browne E.Martz ..

Philadelphia 1980 Griinfeld Defence 1 d4 lL:lf6 2 lL:lf3 g6 3 c4 .i.g7 4 lL:lc3 ds s cxds lL:lxdS 6 e4 lL:lxc3 7 bxc3

One of the starting positions of the Ex change Grunfeld has been reached. White enjoys a pawn centre, whereas Black is ready to undermine it by ... c7-c5, ...lL:lc6 etc, exploiting the strong bishop on g7. Interest ingly, at the time of its invention in the 1920s, the Grunfeld was regarded with suspicion due to the temporary surrender of the central squares. Nowadays, in con1 76

trast, it is definitely one of the hardest nuts for the 1 d4 players to crack. 7 ...0-0 These days Black usually plays 7 ... cs straight away, one explanation being that after 8 .i.e2 lL:lc6 9 .i.e3 .i.g4 White can't safeguard his centre properly. As a result, the approaches with 8 .l::tb 1 and 8 .i.e3 are more popular in practice. 8 ke2 cs 9 o-o b6 In contrast to the previous note, after 9 ... lL:lc6 10 ke3 kg4 11 ds! or 10 ... cxd4 11 cxd4 kg4 12 dS! White can still hope for an advantage; e.g. 12 ... .i.xa1 13 iVxa1 lL:las 14 kh6, recovering the exchange with a prom ising central grip. 1o kgs The most active post for the bishop, where it puts some pressure on the e7pawn and complicates ... e7-e6. 10...cxd4 11 cxd4 .i.b7 12 iVd3

12 ...iY'd7 Black enables ... e7-e6 again, but the queen will soon have to move again in or der to vacate d7 for the knight. 12 ...lL:ld7 13 .l::tad1 lLlf6 14 ds should also be a bit better for White, so Black should prefer 12 ... lL:lc6 13 .l::tad1 h 6 ! ? 14 ke3 (after 14 kh4 gS 15

Th e Ba ttle fo r th e Cen tre

j,g3 g4 the d4-pawn falls) 14... e6 with just a slight disadvantage. Instead of 13 ... h6 in this line, O.Gladyszev-Z.J.Szabo, Gyongyos 1995, took an instructive course: 13 ... �d7?! 14 ds! tt:Jes 15 tt:Jxes j,xes 16 f4 j,g7 17 j,h4! {the immediate 17 es allows 17...f6) 17 ...�fc8 18 e s ! �cs 19 j,f3 �e8 20 �fe1 f6?! 21 exf6 j,xf6 22 j,xf6 exf6 23 �xe8+ �xe8 24 d6! j,xf3 25 d7! �d8 26 �xf3 as 27 �3+ 'it>f8 28 �e6! and Black resigned in view of 29 �e1 next. Quite an impressive march by the white central pawns! 13 �ad1 e6 14 �e3! Using the central pawns as a shield for his queen, White prepares .lth6, swapping the Grunfeld bishop. In contrast, the appar ently natural 14 dS?! runs into 14...tt:Ja6!, followed by ...tt:Jcs with counterplay. 14...�a4 15 j,h6 tZ:ld7 In the event of 1S ... �xa2 one tempting option is 16 h4!?, followed by j,xg7 and h5h6, a plan that Black is now ready to counter by ...tt:Jf6. 16 j,xg7 'it>xg7

fice, whose benefits will become evident two moves later. 17 ... exd5 18 �d4! An important intermediate move. After 18 eS?! �e4! Black manages to interfere with the enemy attack, while 18 exds?! �fe8 or 18 �C3+?! tt:Jf6 isn't convincing. 18...�xa2 19 es! Now we can clearly appreciate Browne's idea. At the cost of one pawn the bishop on b7 has been severely restricted, a great blockading square has emerged on d4 for White's pieces, and the black kingside has become exposed. By the way, a similar pawn sacrifice also appears in the Benoni (e4-e5, ...d6xes, f4-f5), and by Black in the King's Indian ( ...eS-e4, f3xe4, .. .fS-f4). 19 ...�ae8 After 19 ... h6 20 �h4 �h8 21 e6 �ae8 22 tZ:ld4 White also enjoys a strong initiative. 20 �h4 �h8 On 20... hs there follows 21 �xh s ! gxh s 22 �g S+ 'it>h8 23 �xhS+ 'it>g7 24 �g S+ 'it>h8 25 j,d3 fS 26 j,xfs with a decisive attack. 21 j,bs! The check on h6 can wait until the op timum moment. 21 ...�e7 22 e6!

17 ds! The key move of the game. White isn't really trying to create a passed pawn, he is rather launching a positional pawn sacri1 77


22 ...CLJf6 Or 22 ...fxe6? 23 itxd7 I:txd7 24 Wi'eS+ �g8 25 Wi'xe6+, winning - Browne. 23 Wi'h6+ �g8 24 exf7+ I:txf7 25 CLJe5 Wi'b2 Desperation, but 2S ... l1e7 26 Wi'gs or 2S ... l1g7 26 Wi'gs was equally fatal. 26 CLJxf7 �xf7 27 itd3! I:te8 There was the threat of 28 itxg6+, and 27 ... CLJe4 failed to 28 I:txe4! dxe4 29 .ltc4+ �e8 30 Wi'f4! - Browne. 28 I:tf4! I:tf8 Ignoring the enemy threat, though 28 ... �e6 29 I:te1+ and 28 ... �g8 29 itxg6 were losing as well. 29 Wi'xh7+ 1-0

Game 119 P.Tregubov-P..Van der Sterren

Amsterda m 2000 Slav Defence

1 d4 d 5 2 CLJf3 CLJf6 3 c4 c6 4 CLJc3 dxc4 5 a4 itf5 6 tLlh4

We shouldn't move our pieces twice in the opening - unless there is a good reason, of course. Here White immediately chal lenges the Slav bishop, one benefit being 1 78

that after the lazy 6 ...itg6 7 tt:Jxg6 hxg6, he could go 8 e4 in one single move. Other main options are 6 e3 and 6 tt:Jes. 6 ...e6 Black doesn't care about the doubled pawns and simply continues development. The pawn structure that now arises might seem dubious at first sight, but practice has shown Black's position to be perfectly play able, with the fs-pawn being useful in ob structing White's e2-e4 advance. 7 tt:Jxf5 exf5 8 e3 itd6 8 ....\tb4 is more popular, further compli cating the e3-e4 plan; e.g. 9 itxc4 0-0 10 Wi'c2 g6 11 o-o CLJbd7, preparing ...I:tc8 and ... c6-cs. 9 itxc4 g6 A useful move, though not really a prior ity at this early stage. Van der Sterren per haps refrained from the natural 9 ... 0-0 in view of 10 h3 followed by g2-g4, a danger ous plan that has been launched several times in practice. Even so, Black's position is not without resources; e.g. 10 ... CLJbd7 11 g4 CLJe4! 12 gxfs Wi'as 13 Wi'c2 tt:Jdf6 14 itd3 I:tfe8 with counterplay in V.Filippov l.lbragimov, New York Open 1998.

10 f3!

Th e B a ttle fo r t h e C e n tre

Tregubov immediately starts building a pawn centre, before Black gets in ... 0-0 and ... l:te8. 10 'i¥'c7?! A flawed attempt at restricting White's plan. Again 10 ... 0-0 was called for; e.g. 11 e4 fxe4 12 fxe4 cs!, immediately striking at the enemy centre. Tregubov indicates the sharp line 13 e s ! cxd4 14 exd6 (not 14 'iVxd4? �xes) 14 ... dxc3 15 o-o! 'iVb6+ 16 �h1 cxb2 17 �h6 tZ:lbd7! 18 l:tb1 l:tfe8 19 'iVd2 with a clear advantage. However, by 19 ...l:te4! 20 l:txb2 'i¥'d4 Black seems to hold his own. 11 e4! Anyway! White doesn't bother about the h2-pawn and just continues the battle for the centre. 11 ... �xh2 After 11...fxe4? 12 fxe4 �xh2 13 eS �g3+ 14 �f1 tZ:lh s 15 'iVf3 Black has no de fence against l:txh s and 'iVxg 3. 12 es �g3+ 13 �f1 tZ:lhs Or 13 ...tZ:lfd7? 14 f4! with the strong threat of 15 tZ:le2. •••

14 l:txhs! A second sacrifice, one that will leave Black's king side structure in ruins and let White establish a strong grip on the centre.

14 tZ:le2?! f4 was less convincing. 14...gxhs 15 f4 h4 In the event of 1S ...tZ:ld7, Tregubov indi cates 16 'iVxh S o-o-o 17 tZ:le2 l:thg8 18 l:ta3 ! and White wins. 16 'iVhs tZ:la6 Since 16 ...'i¥'d7 runs into 17 e6 or even 17 dS !?, Black surrenders the fS-pawn and gives priority to development. 17 'iVxfs l:tdS 18 �e3 tZ:lb4 19 tZ:le4!

By now White's central control is really impressive, with the double threat of 20 tZ:ld6+ and 20 tZ:lf6+ spelling the end for Black. 19 ... tt:Jds 20 �xds cxds 21 l:tc1! 'iVxc1+ There is nothing better; e.g. 21...'iVe7 22 tZ:lf6+ �f8 23 'iVhs h6 24 fs �g7 2 5 'i¥'g4+ �f8 26 �xh6+! or 21...'iVb6 22 tZ:ld6+! ? l:txd6 23 exd6 0-0 24 d7, followed by l:tc8 Tregubov. 22 �xc1 dxe4 23 e6! The quickest way to victory, opening the gates to the black monarch. Now 23 .. .fxe6 drops a rook after the reply 24 iVxe6+ �f8 2 5 'iVf6+. 23 ...l:tf8 24 �d2! 1-0 In view of the devastating 25 �b4, Black resigned. 1 79

M a s tering O p e n ing Stra tegy

Centre control led by a piece Another key method when fighting for the centre is the occupation of a central square with a piece, usually a knight. Such a piece can become a real headache for the oppo nent, as we will see in the following games.

Game 120 J.Fries Nielsen�J�Hellsten Copenhagen 1996

Colle's Opening

1 d4 tt:lf6 2 tt:lf3 e6 3 e3 cs 4 i.d3 The Colle, a venomous opening despite its modest appearance, as we already saw in Game 59 (Vera-Romero). 4...ds s o-o tt:lc6 6 b3 i.d6 1 i.b2 o-o s tt:lbd2 Quite a sensible set-up - both bishops enjoy good perspectives and a future knight jump to e s is enabled. 8 ...'iVe7?!

Black wants to push ... e6-eS, but 8 ... .Ue8 was a better way of preparing this idea; e.g. 9 tt:les 'iVc7! 10 f4 (or 10 tt:ldf3 cxd4 11 exd4 tt:lb4! with similar play) 10 ... cxd4 11 exd4 tt:lb4! 12 i.bs i.d7 with a favourable minor 1 80

piece exchange and approximately even chances. g tt:les! White installs the knight on a great post in the centre, exploiting the fact that 9 ... tt:lxes ? isn't tactically possible. This method, once popularized by Pillsbury, is frequent in many opening systems, particu larly in the queen's pawn openings. On es the knight will have a huge impact on the battle, cramping Black's ... e6-es advance and supporting a future king side attack. 9 ....Ud8? Indifference. I could have given some justice to my previous move by 9 ...cxd4 10 exd4 i.a3 !, swapping the attacker on b2. There can follow 11 'iVc1 i.xb2 12 'iVxb2 i.d7 13 a3 .Uac8 14 f4 'iVd8 15 c4! with a distinct initiative for White, J.Nogueiras Santiago-J.Gonzalez Zamora, Cuban Cham pionship, Holguin 1991, but even so Black is better off than in the game.

10 a3! Preventing both ...i.a3 and ...tt:lb4. 10...tt:ld7 11 f4! Backing up the knight, in good old Pills bury style. 11 lLldf3 ?! f6 was less promising. 11...tt:lf8

Th e Ba ttle fo r the Cen tre

During the g ame I thought that things were going well - by ...ctJd7-f8 I reinforced the sensitive h7-pawn, and now I would be ready for .. .f7-f6, pushing the knight away from e5. Then, by ... e6-e5 I would take control of the centre, with my queen and rook ideally located. But my oppo nent played with worrying speed and I soon woke up from my illusions. As for the immediate 11 .. .f6, after 12 'ifh 5 ! g6 (12 ...'2Jf8 13 l:If3 leads to the g ame) 13 ct:Jxg6 hxg6 14 .ltxg6 'ifg7 15 l:If3 White obtains a strong attack. 12 ifhs f6

13 l:If3! A key decision of the game. Nielsen doesn't move the knight away but just gets on with the attack. 13 ... 'ife8 Vacating the e7-square for the knight or the bishop. At this moment 13 .. .fxe5 ? 14 fxe5 .lte7 is refuted immediately by 15 l:Ixf8+! �xf8 16 l:If1+ with mate. 14 'ifh4 cxd4 15 exd4 hs? Eliminating the tactical idea of l:Ixf8+ and ifxh7, so that the piece on e5 can fi nally be captured. However, after White's reply Black will just have weakened his

kingside. Had I been a bit more pragmatic, I would have played 15 .. .f5 !, surrendering the e5-square but, more importantly, ham pering White's attack. There can follow 16 ct:Jxc6 bxc6 17 l:Ie1 with a clear positional advantage, but at least Black has saved his king.

16 l:Iaf1! White ignores the threat at his knight again and brings the last piece to the at tack. 16 ...fxes?! Rather foolhardily, Black accepts the challenge. Instead, 16 ...ctJe7 was correct, sending the knight to the defence; e.g. 17 g4!? hxg4 18 ct:Jxg4 ct:Jfg6! 19 'ifh 5 '2Jf5 20 l:Ih 3 'iff7 and despite a promising white attack, Black is alive. 17 fxes .lte7 18 'ifg3 .ltd7 19 l:If4! Nielsen takes his time, aware that Black can't coordinate his forces properly. The text prepares ctJf3-g5 (or ctJh4), enhancing the attack. 19 ... l:Idc8 20 '2Jf3 ifds 21 ct:Jgs! 'i¥b6? Losing at once, though after 21 ... .ltxg 5 22 l:Ixf8+ ifxf8 23 l:Ixf8+ l:Ixf8 24 ifxg 5 White is also winning. 22 l:If7 g6 181


after 12 bxc4 .ixf3 13 gxf3 .ixh2+) 12...
23 'Llxe6! Finally Black's kingside crumbles. 23 ...'Llxes Or 23 ....ixe6 24 .Mxf8+ with mate. 24 �xes 'Llxe6 2S .ixg6 'Llf4 26 �g7 mate

Game 121 J.HellstenkR.Akesson Sweden 1996

Queen1s Indian Defence 1 d4 'Llf6 2 c4 e6 3 'Llf3 b6 4 e3 A perfectly playable line, even if 4 g3 and 4 a3 are considered as more critical tests of the Queen's Indian. 4....ib7 S .id3 dS 6 b3 .id6 Launching a similar set-up to White's in the previous game. 7 o-o o-o 8 'Llc3 'Llbd7 9 .ib2 'Lle4 This time it is Black who applies Pills bury's method. 10 .Mc1?! A rather mechanical move. 10 �c2 was more ambitious, fighting for the e4-square; e.g. 10...f5 11 cxd5 exd5 12 'Llb5!, swapping the dangerous bishop on d6, or 10...'Llxc3 11 .ixc3 dxc4 12 .ixh7+! (avoiding the perpetual 1 82

Black reinforces his central knight and at the same time prevents 14 'Llf5. With the centre more or less secured, he is now ready for a kingside attack. 14 MC2 c6! Akesson is well aware of the enemy in tentions and takes prophylactic measures. Both 14....Mf6 and 14... g5 would have run into 15 �a1!, followed by 'Lle5; e.g. 14....Mf6 15 �a1 .Me8 16 'Lle5!, and after multiple captures on e5, White snatches the c7pawn in the end. As for the impulsive 14.. .f4, after 15 exf4 .ixf4 16 .Mel the e-file is opened to White's benefit. 1S �e2 as A useful move that secures the a-pawn and enables the ... a5-a4 pinprick, a fact that explains my next move. 16 a4 .Mf6! Time to get on with the king side attack.

Th e B a ttle fo r t h e C e n tre

17 I!fc1 I!af8 18 �a6 �a8 19 �d1? A useless retreat, which leaves White in a very passive position. Much better was 19 lLJf1, followed by tt:Je1 and f2-f3, with chances for a successful defence. 19 I!h6 20 lLJf1

latter should rather continue 27 ...�xes 28 dxes cs! 29 �f3 �d7 with strong pressure; e.g. 30 �g4 d4! 31 �xd7 lLJd2+, regaining the queen with heavy interest. 27 ...�xes 28 dxes

.••

2o...gs! With such a firm grip on the centre, nothing speaks against a full-scale advance on the kingside. Less precise was 20...lLJdf6 21 tt:Jes ! with some interference. 21 g3 f4 22 exf4 gxf4 23 �e2 tt:Jdf6! Finally Black permits tt:Jes, when he has created sufficient threats on the kingside. Otherwise, 23 .. .fxg3 24 fxg3 �g7 2S �d3 I!hf6 also looked strong. 24 tt:Jes tt:Jxf2! The position was begging for this sacrifice, which opens the gates to the white king. 25 cJ:?xf2 fxg3+ 26 hxg3 After 26 cJ:?g1 gxh2+ 27 tt:Jxh2 �xes 28 dxes I!g6+ 29 cJ:?h 1 tt:Je4 Black's attack is also irresistible. 26 ...lLJe4+ 27 cJ:?g1 In heavy time-trouble I just chose the most obvious retreat, but 27 cJ:?g2 ! ? was worth considering, since 27 ... I!f2+?! 28 cJ:?g1 actually helps White more than Black. The

28...lLJf2! With the simple plan of ... c6-cS and ... ds d4, including the last piece in the assault. 29 �d2 �e6! Defending the rook and creating the threat of 30 ...I!h1+ 31 cJ:?g2 �3 mate (or simply 30 ...�3) at the same time. 30 �gS+ cJ:?h8 0-1 Since 31 �f3 saves the king but not the queen, White resigned. It is no wonder that after such painful defeats, I became interested in applying the same idea myself. Here is one example.

Game 122 J.Hellsten•C;Viuma lin ares, Chile 2003 Slav Defence

1 d4 dS 2 c4 c6 3 lLJc3 tt:Jf6 4 e3 In comparison with the more common 4 1 83


lt:Jf3, White rules out 4...dxc4 at this early stage, at the cost of restricting his bishop on c1. 4 ...i.f5?! A natural move in the Slav, but slightly inappropriate on this occasion, which White will show with his next two moves. More usual are 4... e6, 4... a6 and 4... g6. 5 cxd5 cxd5 6 �b3!

A typical idea in this opening - after the bishop's departure from c8, White hurries to attack the vulnerable b7-pawn. In con trast, 5 �3?! at once was less accurate due to s ...�6. 6 ...i.c8 The least of evils, now that 6 ... �6?! runs into 7 lt:Jxds lt:Jxds 8 �xds �4+ 9 i.d2 �xb2 10 .l:!.c1 with a clear advantage, while 6 ... b6? drops a pawn after 7 i.bS+ and 8 lt:lxds. 7 f4!? An interesting way of seizing the centre - the ensuing weakness on e4 hardly makes itself felt here. Otherwise, White could con sider the simple 7 CDf3 lt:Jc6 8 i.d3 e6 9 o-o, followed by i.d2, .l:!.fc1 and �d1, or even e3e4!?, transposing to an IQP structure. 7 ...e6 8 CDf3 lt:Jc6 9 i.d3 a6 10 o-o i.d7 1 84

After 10... i.e7 11 lt:les o-o 12 i.d2 lt:Jxes 13 fxe s lt:ld7 14 e4! White also keeps the initiative.

11 lt:le5! By now this idea is well familiar to us. Incidentally, 11 �xb7?? lt:las obviously had to be avoided. u ... b5 12 �dl i.d6?! 12 ... i.e7 was better, enabling a future ... Cbxes. Admittedly the other knight could no longer retreat to d7 as in the note with 10 ... i.e7 above, but in the game Black will suffer worse problems. 13 i.d2 �b6 14 .tel Such a bishop transfer is well known from the Stonewall Dutch. 14... h5? A pseudo-active move, which just makes it more difficult for Black to castle. It was not yet too late for 14 ... i.e7 admitting the mistake on move 12. 15 i.h4 i.e7 16 .l:!.cl! The fact that Black can't connect his rooks will play heavily against him in the dispute for the open c-file. 16 ... g6 Or 16 ... .l:!.c8 17 �f3 �8 18 �g3!, intend ing 18 ... g6? 19 CDxf7.

Th e Battle for th e C e n tre

17 iff3 lt:ig4? This counterstrike won't work out well, though after 17 ... �c8 18 ifg 3 �g8 19 a3 !, with the simple plan of �c2 and �fc1, Black is also in trouble.

Game 123

L.Van Wely-S.Karjakin

Spanish Team Championshi p 2005

Slav Defence

18 ctJxd7 The proud knight finally leaves the board in order to keep Black's king in the centre, thus enhancing the following sacrifice. 18...'.t>xd7 19 CLlxd5! exd5 20 ifxd5+ Black's position falls apart completely and the rest is relatively easy. 20 ... .id6 21 ifxf7+ lt:ie7 22 f5! �hf8 Or 22 ....ixh 2+ 23 '.t>h1 �ae8 24 fxg6 with irresistible threats. 23 ife6+ '.t>e8 24 'i!th1! Prophylaxis in the attack. Now both 25 .ixe7 and 25 f6 are threatened, neither of which worked at this moment due to 24....ixh2+. 24...ifd8 25 f6 lt:ixf6 26 .ixg6+ 1-0

1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 lt:ic3 lt:if6 4 ctJf3 a6 The Chebanenko system, which we al ready saw in Miton-Sammour (Game 6}. 5 a4 One of the most critical replies, ruling out any attempt at ...b7-b5, at the cost of slightly weakening the b4-square. 5 ... e6 6 .ii.g 5 lt:ibd7 7 ifc2 White could also play 7 e3 at once, though the text tends to be a useful move in such positions. 7... h6 8 .ih4 ifa5 An ambitious choice in the spirit of the Cambridge Springs variation (4... e6 5 .ig s lt:ibd7 6 e3 ifas etc). The simple 8 ....ie7 was possible as well; e.g. 9 e3 o-o 10 as c s ! 11 dxcs lt:ixcs 12 cxds lt:ixds 13 lt:ixds exds 14 .ixe7 ifxe7 15 .ie2 .ig4 16 0-0 �ac8 with counterplay in L.Van Wely-V.Ivanchuk, Monte Carlo (rapid} 2006. 9 e3

From the previous three games, one could get the impression that once a knight is installed on es or e4, the other player is doomed to defeat. Of course this is not the case, and here is an example on how to fight against a " Pillsbury" knight. 1 85


9 ...lt:Je4?! Karjakin hurries to install a knight on e4 at the cost of delaying development. 9 ...ii.b4, followed by ... 0-0, was a safer choice. 10 ii.d3 fS Reinforcing the knight in Pillsbury style. Less appealing is 10 ...ii.b4 11 ii.xe4 dxe4 12 lt:Jd2 fS 13 cs!, followed by lt:Jc4, when Black faces severe problems on the dark squares. 11 0-0 ii.d6

At first sight Black's position seems rather promising. He just needs a few tempi to get castled and activate his queenside pieces, after which his central grip would motivate a kingside attack, just as in the previous games. However, Van Wely has a strong antidote prepared. 12 cs! Before taking charge of the knight on e4, Van Wely fixes the queenside pawn struc ture, in order to rule out a possible ... c6-cs break, and enables a future lt:Jd2-c4 ma noeuvre. In effect, after 12 ii.xe4?! dxe4! 13 lt:Jd2 cs Black wouldn't have anything to complain about. 12 ... ii.b8 13 ii.xe4! Swapping the least active minor piece 186

for the strong enemy knight. 13 ...fxe4 By now, 13 ... dxe4? 14 lt:Jd2, followed by 'bc4 and ii.g3, would yield White a clear grip on the dark squares. 14 LLld2 0-0 15 f3!

A key move to break the enemy pawn chain and clear the f-file before Black's queen side pieces join the battle. 1S ...exf3 16 lt:Jxf3 .Mf7 Preparing ... lt:Jf8 to reinforce the king side defence. In contrast, the active 16 ... es permits 17 'ifg6 ! exd4 (or 17...e4 18 lt:Jd2 with the strong threat 19 ii.e7) 18 exd4 lt:Jf6 19 .Mae1 with a colossal lead in develop ment. 17 .Mf2! The most logical choice, in order to in clude the queen's rook in the battle. 17 ...lt:Jf8 This time 17 ... es is strongly met by 18 .Maf1 e4 19 LLlxe4! dxe4 20 'iVh3; e.g. 20...lt:Jf6 21 ii.xf6 gxf6 22 lt:Jg S ! hxgs 23 .Mxf6 and White wins. 18 b4! Exploiting the tactical twist 18 ...'ifxb4? 19 aS, followed by .Ma4, Van Wely lures the black queen to c7, thus enabling lt:Jes on

The B a ttle for t h e Cen tre

the next move. The simple 18 .Maf1! ? �d7 19 �g3!, preparing lZ:les after the exchange of bishops, looked strong too. 18 ...'iYc7 19 lZ:Jes .Mxf2 20 iVxf2 gS Practically the only move, so as to get some breathing space. 21 �g3 'iVg7

22 .Mf1! The triumph of White's strategy. The knight on es is a giant, and Black can hardly save his king with the rook and queen's bishop still out of play. 22 ...�C7 Seeing that 22 ... �d7? runs into 23 iVxf8+!, Karjakin prepares the bishop move. 23 lLlg4! Hitting the vulnerable dark squares on f6 and h6. 23 ...es This loses outright, though Black was short of a defence anyway; e.g. 23 ...�xg3 24 iVxg3 �d7 25 lZ:lf6+ 'ith8 26 lZ:lh s, followed by 27 iVes+. 24 lLlf6+! 1-0 In view of the material losses after 24 ... 'ith8 2 S lLle8, Black resigned. Now let's see some examples of other

central squares being subject to the same idea.

Game 124

K.Haznedaroglu-M.Gurevich lzmir 2002 Pirc Defence

1 e4 d6 2 d4 lZ:lf6 3 lZ:Jc3 g6 4 lZ:lf3 �g7 5 �e2 A quiet approach against the Pirc. These days, the Austrian Attack (4 f4) and the flexible 4 �e3 are probably more demand ing lines for Black. s ...o-o 6 o-o �g4 Black surrenders the bishop pair in order to start working on the dark squares, in particular d4. H e has many other options here, such as 6 ... c6, preparing ... lZ:lbd7 and ... e7-e5. 7 h3 Another direction is 7 �e3 lZ:Jc6 8 dS �xf3 9 .ixf3 lZ:les 10 �e2 c6! 11 f4 lZ:Jed7 with a complex strategical battle. 7 ...�xf3 8 �xf3 lZ:lc6

9 �e3 Considering the dark square problems faced by White later on, 9 lZ:Je2 es 10 c3 187


might be a more promising approach, safe guarding the d4-pawn. He could also con template 9 i.g 5 in order to provoke ...h 7-h6, so that a later �d2 gains a tempo by attack ing h6. 9..J1e8 An odd move at first sight - why doesn't Black just play 9 ... e5 straight away; e.g. 10 d5 tbe7, followed by ...ti'Jd7 and .. .f7-f5 - ? Well, Gurevich has quite a different idea in mind, one that will become evident on the next move. 10 �d2 On moves like 10 l::te 1 or 10 ti'Je2 Black could react in similar fashion; e.g. 10 ti'Je2 e5 11 d5 ti'Jd4! 12 ti'Jxd4 exd4 13 �xd4 (or 13 i.xd4 ti'Jxe4 14 J::t e 1 ti'Jg5) 13 ... tbg4!? 14 �d2 ti'Jxe3 15 �xe3 i.xb2 16 l::t ab1 �f6 17 �3 i.e5 18 �xb7 �f4 with clear compen sation for the pawn, N.Guliev-M.Gurevich, French Team Championship 2004. 10 ... es 11 ds ti'Jd4!

By now Black's strategy is easily appre ciated. The knight on d4 is very annoying for the opponent, and removing it by 12 i.xd4 exd4 13 �xd4 fails to 13 ...ti'Jxe4, cred iting the prophylactic 9 ...l::te 8. 12 i.d1 c6! 1 88

Such a knight supports action on the whole board, and here Gurevich has esti mated that the queenside is his best battle field. 13 dxc6 The active 13 f4 runs into 13 ... cxd5 14 exd5 ti'Jf5 !, followed by ...e5-e4 or ...i.h6, with strong pressure on the dark squares. 13 ... bxc6 14 i.e2?! But here, 14 f4, followed by �f2, seems like a better shot, creating some counter play on the f-file. The text prepares the bishop transfer i.c4-b3 but, as we will see next, it won't work tactically. 14 ... l::tb 8 15 i.c4? 15 J::tab1 was a lesser evil, keeping the material balance.

1s ...ds! Black sets up a pawn centre, exploiting the fact that 16 i.b3? now fails to 16 ...ti'Jxb3 17 axb3 d4. In contrast, 15 ... l::txb2?! 16 i.b3 would make things unnecessarily compli cated. 16 i.d3 ti'Je6 Probably there was nothing wrong with 16 ...l::tx b2, but the text has the merit of in stalling the additional threat 17 ... d4. 17 ti'Jd1 ti'Jxe4 18 i.xe4 dxe4 19 �xd8

Th e B a ttle for t h e Cen tre

l:texd8 20 i.xa7 Despite the material balance, White is seriously worse in this endgame due to Black's active pieces and central control. 2o...l:tb7 21 i.e3 fs! 22 b3

One more pawn starts rolling, while White remains badly coordinated. 26 c3 l:tba7 27 cxd4 i.xd4 There was nothing wrong with 27 ... cxd4, but Gurevich prefers to take a pawn. 28 l:tb1 l:txa2 29 'Lle3 l:te2 0-1 In view of the double threat of 30 ... i.xe3 and 30 ... l:taa2, White resigned.

Game :1.25 Y.Nikolaevsky-V.Mikhalevsld

Kiev 1995

English Opening

22... 'Lld4! The knight returns to its preferred posi tion, increasing the pressure on White's camp. In the same spirit, 22 .. .f4!? 23 i.c1 'Lld4 was interesting too. 23 i.xd4? This just helps Black in creating a passed pawn, though after 23 c3 'Lle2+ 24 'it>h 1 l:ta8! White is suffering anyway. 23 ... exd4 24 l:tb1 l:ta8 2S l:tb2 cS!

1 c4 'Llf6 2 lt:Jc3 ds Black responds to the English in Grun feld style. 3 cxds 'Llxds 4 g3 g6 s i.g2 lt:Jb6 6 d3 Another option was 6 d4 i.g7 7 'Llf3, transposing to the Fianchetto variation of the Grunfeld. 6 ... i.g7 7 'Llf3 'Llc6

A typical English structure has emerged, similar to the Sicilian Dragon with reversed colours. White has an extra pawn in the centre and also possesses a semi-open c file. On the other hand, Black enjoys more 1 89


space and easy development. 8 i.d2 White prepares 'iic 1 and i.h6 in order to exchange the bishop on g 7, aware that the absence of pawns on the central squares makes both fianchettoed bishops rather valuable. If Black tries to prevent this by 8 ...h6, then after 9 'iic 1 he can't easily cas tle, which is why Mikhalevski prefers just to continue development. 8...0-0 9 'iic 1 �b8!? An interesting piece of prophylaxis. Black overprotects the b7-pawn, so that his knight can move away from c6 later on. In contrast, after 9 ...�e8 10 i.h6 i.h8 11 h4!?, followed by 12 h s , White develops an initia tive on the kingside. 10 i.h6 i.g4 11 i.xg7 'it>xg7 12 h3?! Perhaps Nikolaevsky wanted to avoid 12 0-0 'iid 7, followed by ...i.h 3, but the text just accelerates Black's plan. 12 ...i.xf3 13 i.xf3

13 ...tt:Jd4! Thanks to the 9 ...�b8 move, Black can centralize his knight straight away. From now on, whenever White plays e2-e3, he will be left with a slight weakness on d3. 14 i.g2 es 190

Just in time, before White achieves an ideal pawn structure by 15 e3 and 16 d4. 15 o-o 'iie 7 16 \t>h2?! This and White's following moves are rather passive. 16 e3 tt:Je6 17 'iic 2 seems preferable, intending �b1 and b2-b4 with some queenside play. The slight weakness on d3 can be lived with. 16...c6 17 'iVd2 �bd8 18 �ac1?! Again White refrains from e2-e3 and 'iic 2, preferring a rather cryptic rook move. By now he even has to watch out for ...tt:Jc4.

1s ...fs! With the centre more or less controlled, Mikhalevski starts active operations on the kingside. Less useful was 18 ... tt:Jc4 19 'iie 1, when 19 ...tt:Jxb2? 20 �b1 'iia3 21 'iic 1 leaves the knight trapped. 19 f4? A serious oversight that lets Black estab lish a firm grip on the dark squares by tacti cal means. 19 e3? no longer worked due to 19 ... tt:Jc4! 20 'iie 1 tt:Jxb2 21 exd4 tt:Jxd3 22 'iie 3 tt:Jxc1 23 �xc1 �xd4 (Ribli}, so 19 b3 was more cautious and only then 20 e3. Perhaps Black could react by 19 ...h s ! ?, in tending ...hS-h4; e.g. 20 h4 e4! 21 'iie 3 f4 22 'iixe4 'iid6 with attacking prospects.


19 ...l2Jc4! Exploiting the tactical twist 20 dxc4? 4Jf3+, Black sends his knight to a great des tiny on e3. 20 1We1 4Je3 21 .l::i.f2 exf4 22 gxf4 Or if 22 .l::!.xf4 Black replies 22 ...g 5 23 .l::!.f2 1We5 ! , intending ...h 5-h4 with a strong at tack - Ribli.

Game.126

D�Bocharov•A.Tjurin

Khanty-.Mans.iysk 2008 Budapest Gambit 1 d4 4Jf6 2 c4 es 3 dxes l2Jg4 4 e3 An interesting sideline against the Bu dapest Gam bit, in which White skips 4Jf3 in order to develop this knight via h3 instead. The main moves are 4 .if4 and 4 4Jf3. 4 4Jxes 5 l2Jc3 The immediate 5 l2Jh 3 permits the gam bit 5 ...d5!?. s ...g6 Black opts for a King's Indian-like set-up. In the event of the more Budapest-spirited 5 ... 4Jbc6 White can proceed in similar fash ion to the game; i.e. 6 4Jh 3! .ib4 7 .id2 d6 8 l2Jf4 .ig4 9 .ie2 .ixe2 10 1Wxe2 0-0 11 0-0 with a slight edge. 6 4Jh3! ..•

22 ...1Wh4! With the centre completely in his hands, Black intensifies his attack and now threat ens 23 ...l2Jg4+. 23 �h1 .l::!.fe8 The last piece joins the battle, creating the unpleasant threat of 24. ..lbxg2 25 �xg2 .l::!.e 3. 24 .l::!.f1 1Wh6 25 1Wg3 White offers the exchange in order to re lieve his defence, but Mikhalevski just ig nores it and keeps on attacking. 2S ...l2Jxg2! 26 1Wxg2 .l::i.e 3 27 �h2 l2Je6! The concrete idea behind 25 ... 4Jxg2 the f4-pawn now falls. 28 .l::i.f3 l2Jxf4 29 1Wg3 0-1 At the same time White resigned, with out waiting for the reply 29 ....l::!.xf3 30 1Wxf3 l2Jxh3!, discovering an attack on the rook on C1.

The knight heads for a pleasant destiny on f4, from where it can later reach the key square on d5. 6 ....ig7 7 l2Jf4 o-o 8 .ie2 as Preparing ...4Ja6-c5 without having to bother about b2-b4. 191


9 o-o d6 10 e4! Gaining space and preparing .ie3. In similar King's Indian positions the e4-pawn often becomes exposed to Black's pieces; here, in contrast, it is somehow helped by the location of the black knight on es. Moreover, the fact that both white knights can quickly reach the ds-square also speaks in his favour. 10...tZ:la6 11 .ie3 t"Llcs 12 'iVd2 Before installing a knight on dS, it makes sense to put a few major pieces on the d-file in order to discourage Black from ...C7-c6. 12 ... b6 13 b3 �h8 14 �ad1 fs Otherwise Black is left too passive. 15 exfs .ixfs

16 t"Llfds! Finally. Now if Black expels the knight by ... c7-c6, then the d6-pawn becomes weak, a subject that we just came across with re versed colours in the previous game. 16 ...�f7 Or 16 ... t"Llg4 17 .ixg4! .ixg4 18 f3 .ifs 19 .id4! with favourable exchanges. Basically, White is happy to exchange about every piece on the board, except for the proud knight on ds. 192

1 7 f3 Taking the g4- and e4-squares from Black's pieces. Another good option was 17 h3, followed by f2-f4, a plan that is soon carried out in the game. 17 ...'iVf8 Black just gets on with the mobilization of his pieces to the king side; unfortunately, he has no real targets there to work on. In retrospect one gets the impression that he should have tried ...c7-c6 at some point, accepting a weak pawn on d6 just to get rid of the annoying knight on ds. However, both here and on the previous move, 17 ... c6 runs into 18 .ig s !, with the knight eyeing b6 and e7 at the same time. 18 h3 �e8 19 f4! t"Llc6 20 .if3 Little by little White improves his posi tion. 20...t"Lle4 21 tt::lxe4 .ixe4 22 .ixe4 �xe4 23 �fe1

Despite the exchanges Black is still in difficulties due the strong knight on dS, which ties at least one of his pieces to de fence of the C7-pawn. 23 ...�e8 24 g3! When you are aware that you have a long-term advantage, don't hurry things.


The text provides the king with a safer square on g2 and gives the f4-pawn some extra support. 24 ... 'ii?g8 25 'ii?g2 .l:!.e6 26 il.f2! Bocharov disputes the open file, aware that Black can't easily resist there due to his problem with the c7-pawn. 26 ...'�c8 27 a3 Preparing b3-b4 with a new front on the queenside. The obvious 27 .l:!.xe6 �xe6 28 .l:!.e1 can wait, since Black can't bring his second rook to the e-file anyway; e.g. 27 ....l:!.f8? 28 .l:!.xe6 �xe6 29 ti'Jxc7. 27 ...'ii?f8 28 b4 axb4 29 axb4 .l:!.xe1 30 .l:!.xe1 �as 31 'ii?g 1! Protecting the knight from exchange by ...ti'Je7. By now Black is doomed to passive defence. 31 ...�c8 32 �e2 il.d4 33 'ii?g2 il.g7 34 �e4 �d7? A tactical oversight, but after 34...�d8 3 5 g4!, followed by b4-b5, Black is also in big trouble, with 3 5 ... ti'Je7 failing to 36 il.h4! at any moment.

35 ti'Jxc7! .l:!.e7 Obviously the knight was untouchable because of mate. 36 ti'Je6+ 'ii?g8 37 b5 ti'Jd8 38 ti'Jc5! 1-0

In view of the lost endgame arising after 38 ... .l:!.xe4 39 ti'Jxd7, Black resigned. In effect, a great technical game by White.

(jam� l�'7

R.� .-�¥�Epi�irt

Germart T�a� tu;p 200�

5icili(iln DejeJ)(e. r;lr;J�ed: Vo,ri(il�ian

·'

1 e4 c5 2 ti'Jc3 e6 3 g3 d 5 A solid reply t o the Closed Sicilian. Obvi ously Black also had to be ready for 3 ti'Jf3 and 4 d4, transposing to the Open Sicilian . 4 d3 il.e7 By bringing out the bishop first, Black avoids 4...ti'Jf6 5 e5 . 5 il.g2 dxe4 The simplest. Now 6 ti'Jxe4 ti'Jf6 leaves White without any trace of an advantage, but neither does the queenless middle game that arises after the text, so he should probably have preferred e4xd5, followed by il.g2, either on the fourth or fifth move. 6 dxe4 �xd1+ 7 ti'Jxd1 il.d7!

Heading for c6 to neutralize the bishop on g2 and put some initial pressure on the e4-pawn. 1 93

M as te ring Ope n ing Strategy

8 tt:Je3 .ic6 9 tt:Je2 etJd7 10 .id2 tt:Jgf6 11 f3 0-0 12 tt:Jc4 With the dual intention of 13 tt:Jas and 13 es. Slower moves like 12 rJ;?f2 permit 12 ...bs!, gaining space and taking the c4square from White's pieces. Actually Black could already have considered 11...b5 on the previous move. 12 ....ibS Immediately preventing both enemy ideas. 12 ...b5?! 13 tt:Jas or 12 ...b6 13 es tt:Jds 14 f4 was less promising - Bangiev. 13 tt:Ja3 .ic6 14 tt:Jc4 .ibs 15 tt:Je3 .ic6 At this point White could have taken a three-fold repetition by 16 etJc4, but he de cides to play for a win. Black, on his part, could have avoided the repetition by 15 ....Mfd8 at this moment, or by 13 ....ia6 earlier on. 16 a4 .Mfd8 Black is finally ready to start fighting for the open file. 17 etJc3 The immediate 17 tt:Jc4 would have run into 17 ....ixa4! 18 .Mxa4 bS - Bangiev, so White prepares it.

17 ...etJeS! The key move of this game, by which 194

Black seizes the centre and, at the same time, prevents 18 etJc4. 18 rJ;?e2?! As the remainder of the game will show us, White shouldn't have let the knight stay on es. Preferable was 18 f4 tt:Jeg4 19 tt:Jxg4 tt:Jxg4 20 h3 tt:Jf6 21 .Mh2!, preparing e4-e5; e.g. 21...c4 22 es tt:Jds 23 tt:Jxds .ixds 24 .ie3 with just a slight disadvantage. When you are defending, a key task is to choose be tween different inferiorities, find the least of evils, so to speak. In the position after 24 .ie3 White has slightly exposed his pawn structure and his dark-squared bishop might not be such a great piece, whereas in the game he will face more serious problems. 18 ...gs! A strong move that reinforces the cen tral knight and enables a future pinprick by ...g5-g4. Now if 19 f4, then 19 ... gxf4 20 gxf4 tt:Jg6, with the knight eyeing both f4 and h4. 19 .Mhd1 .Md4! One more central field is occupied by the black forces. 20 b3 Unfortunately for White, the desirable 20 tt:Jbs ? fails to 20 ... .Mxa4!, so he prepares it, though his idea is easily prevented by Black's next move. 20... a6 21 .ie1 hS 22 tt:Jf1 g4! A timely undermining of the e4-pawn, before White pushes away the rook by 22 .if2. 23 fxg4 Or 23 f4 etJf3 ! 24 .ixf3 gxf3+ 25 rJ;?xf3 tt:Jxe4 with a clear advantage - Bangiev. 23 ... hxg4 A triumph of Black's strategy - the pow erful knight on es can no longer be expelled, and the e4-pawn has become a longterm weakness.

Th e B a ttle for th e C e n tre

Since 33 exfs? drops a piece after 33 ... .MxfS+, White is doomed to passivity. 3 3 ...lbf6 34 �e3

24 lLld2 After 24 .if2 .Mxd1 2S .Mxdl bS!, with the threat 26 ...b4, Black keeps his grip. 24...�g7! Epishin now directs his attention to the h2-pawn and will even be ready to give up the exchange for it. 25 .if2 .Mh8! 26 .ig1 After 26 .ixd4?! cxd4 27 lba2 .Mxh2 28 �fl .Mh6!, followed by ... lbh s {but not 28 ...lbh s? 29 �g1), White is in deep trouble. 26....Mh5! The tempting 26 ...b s allows 27 axbs axbs 28 .Ma7 with some counterplay, so Ep ishin first makes a useful move safeguard ing the fifth rank. 27 lLlf1 If 27 aS, preventing ...b7-bS, then 27 ....Md8, preparing ... cS-c4 and ....ib4, looks interesting for Black. 21 ... .Mxd1 28 .Mxd1 b5! Right on time. Now White again h as to take care of the e4-pawn, considering the threat of ... bS-b4. 29 axb5 axb5 30 lbd2 b4 31 lLlcb1 lLlfd7! Preparing .. .f7-fs, with a final stroke against the e4-pawn. 32 �f2 f5 33 .Me1

34 ... �f7! This is not the only winning option, but the most elegant, preparing ....if8-h6+. 35 .Mf1 .if8 36 .Md1 fxe4 37 lbc4 0-1 37 ....ih6+ 38 �e2 lbxc4 39 bxc4 .ia4 is just one possible winning path. As for the knight on es, it never actually moved again after getting there. Still, its presence in the battle was quite strongly felt. When we talk about seizing the centre with a piece, we usually refer to knights. The following game will show us that, occa sionally, the job can be carried out by bish ops too.

Game 128

Joe.Benjamin-A.Wagener US Championship, Seattle 2002 Sicilian Defence, Rossolimo Variation 1 e4 c5 2 lbf3 lbc6 3 .ib5 e6

195


After 7 ... exd5?! 8 d4 Black has a problem with her development, but 7 ... tLlxd5 was fully possible; e.g. 8 d4 tLlf6 (replying to c2c4 in advance) 9 .ie3 .ie7 10 c4 o-o 11 tLlc3 cxd4 12 tLlxd4 .id7 with roughly equal play, L.Totsky-V.Golod, Cappelle la Grande 2007.

A popular reply to the Rossolimo, by which Black prepares ...tLlge7 and ...a7-a6 in similar fashion to White's play in some lines of the Rubinstein Nimzo-lndian (1 d4 tLlf6 2 c4 e6 3 tLlc3 .ib4 4 e3). 4 o-o tLlge7 5 l:!.e1 Reinforcing the e4-pawn and providing a shelter for the bishop on fl. Another di rection is 5 c3 a6 6 .ia4 b5 7 .ic2, followed by an opportune d2-d4. s ... a6 6 .if1 ds

Black immediately strikes at the centre, before White achieves the standard plan of c2-c3 and d2-d4, building a pawn centre. 7 exds 1!Vxds 196

8 .id3! Quite an unnatural move, but rather strong. White aims to install the bishop on e4, where it can't be easily chased away by the black knights. Less promising was 8 tLlc3 1!Vd8, followed by ... tLlf5, ... .ie7 and ... o-o. 8 ...tLlg6 8 ... tLlf5?? drops a piece after 9 .ie4, but 8 ... g6 was another way of resolving the kingside M.Ulibin development. A.Galliamova, Russian Team Championship 1996, continued in curious fashion: 9 b4! cxb4 (or 9 ... .ig7 10 tLlc3) 10 .ib2 l:!.g8 11 a3! .ig7 (or 11...bxa3 12 tLlxa3, heading for c4) 12 .ixg7 l:!.xg7 13 axb4 tLlxb4 14 .ie4 iid6 15 d4 with interesting compensation for the pawn. 9 .ie4 iid6 10 c3 Benjamin aims at an IQP structure with d2-d4, where the black king's knight would have been much better off on f6. 10....ie7 11 d4 0-0 12 .ie3 cxd4 13 cxd4

The Ba ttle fo r th e Cen tre

strong threat of 24 .l:i.c3 �as 2S .Mxc8 - Ger shon. 18 �d2 tZ:lb4 Or 18 ... tZ:lxd4 19 tZ:lxd4 �xd4 20 �as ! , re covering the pawn with interest. 19 �b3 �h5

From now on White's plan is rather sim ple: bring out the remaining pieces and launch the d4-dS break. 13 ...�d7?! 13 ...tZ:lb4 seems more active, fighting for the crucial ds-square; e.g. 14 tZ:lc3 tZ:lds l S �b3 .l:i.d8 o r 1S . . .tZ:lf6. 14 tZ:lc3 .MadS 15 .Mc1 f5 Black pushes away the powerful bishop and complicates the d4-dS plan, at the cost of long-term weaknesses on es and e6. Per haps the modest 1S ... �c8, intending 16 dS tZ:lb4!?, was a lesser evil. 16 �c2! Heading for b3 to attack the fresh weakness on e6. 16...f4?! The ensuing complications hardly fa vour Black, so the restrained 16 ...tZ:lb4 17 �b3 �c6 would have been a better choice, even if by 18 �g S ! White keeps the advan tage. 11 tZ:le4 �d5 After 17 ...�4 18 �d2 �xb2 19 .l:i.bl Black is also in big trouble; e.g. 19 ...�xa2? 20 �b3 �a3 21 .Mal �2 22 �c3, trapping the queen, or 19 ...�a3 20 .l:i.xb7 �c8 21 .l:i.c7 tZ:lxd4 22 tZ:lxd4 .l:i.xd4 23 �all with the

20 tZ:leg5! White intensifies the attack at the e6pawn, exploiting the fact that the bishop on e7 is overloaded. 20 .l:i.c7 was also strong. 20 i.xg5 21 �xb4 �e7 22 �xe7 tZ:lxe7 23 .l:i.c7! Benjamin refrains from the obvious 23 �xe6+ �xe6 24 .Mxe6, aware that the e6pawn won't disappear from the board, and instead seizes the seventh rank. 23 ...tZ:ld5 24 .l:i.xb7 �c8 25 .l:i.a7 On top of all his positional advantages White now has an extra pawn, and the rest is easy. 25 .. .'�h8 26 .Me5 �e8 27 h3 tZ:lf6 28 �e2 .l:i.d6 29 .Mc5! Heading for c7, while vacating es for the fellow pieces. 29...�g6 30 �c2 �e8 31 �e5 .l:i.b6? A blunder in a completely hopeless posi tion. 32 �c7! 1-o •••

197


Centre controlled at distance Returning to the subject of the pawn cen tre, most openings actually don't permit its creation. For example, the two main reac tions to 1 d4 (1 ...lt:lf6 and 1 ... ds) both pre vent 2 e4, while the Sicilian Alapin (1 e4 cs 2 c3) is usually met by either 2 ... ds or 2 ....:t:Jf6, ruling out 3 d4 in both cases. Nevertheless, there are a number of openings, such as the Pirc, the Modern, the King's Indian and the Grunfeld, where White is indeed allowed to create a pawn centre. However, in these defences Black will sooner or later try to undermine the enemy centre by means of pawn breaks (e.g . ... c7-c5 or ... e?-eS in the first three), or by piece pressure on the central pawns (e.g. ...Ag4, ...tt'lc6, ...�as etc in the Grunfeld). From White's perspective, openings such as the Reti and the English permit similar ideas with reversed colours. Such an approach, with the centre be ing controlled "at distance", was champi oned by Reti and Nimzowitsch, among others, and maintains a fundamental role within opening strategy. Let's see some examples.

Game 129

J.Van der Wlei-R.Vaganian Ter Apel 1993

Alekhine's Defence

1 e4 tt'lf6 2 es tt'lds 3 c4 tt'lb6 4 d4 d6 s f4 The fearsome Four Pawns Attack, one of White's main weapons against the Alekhine. s ...dxes 6 fxes tt'lc6 1 Ae3 The seemingly natural 7 tt'lf3?! is impre cise due to 7 ... Ag4 8 Ae3 e6 and Black has 198

won a tempo on the game continuation. 1 ...Ats 8 tt'lc3 e6 9 tt'lf3

9 ...Ag4 An established exception from the rule that the same piece shouldn't move twice in the opening. Here it serves the purpose of putting pressure on White's pawn cen tre. Another direction is 9 ... Ae7 10 ds exds 11 cxds tt:lb4 12 tt'ld4 with sharp play. 10 Ae2 Axf3 By swapping on f3 at this very moment, Black exploits the fact that 11 Axf3? fails to 11 ... tt:Jxc4. 11 gxf3 �d7 Preparing ... l:td8 or ... 0-0-0 with in creased pressure on d4. The alternative is 11 ...�h4+ 12 .i.f2 �f4 13 cs tt'ld7 with dou ble-edged play. 12 f4?! A logical move at first sight, but now the d4-pawn becomes rather exposed. The re strained 12 �d2, followed by 0-0-0, is con sidered a better option. 12 ...l:td8 13 ds After 13 cs tt'lds 14 tt'lxds �xds 15 Af3 �d7 the problem with the d4-pawn still persists. At this point White was probably hoping


for 13 ... exds 14 .lig4! with some initiative, but Black has a much stronger move at his disposal, which will leave the enemy pawn centre in a rather shaky state.

13 ... .\ib4! Exploiting the tactical twist 14 dxc6? �xc6 with a double attack at d1 and h 1, Black speeds up development and increases the pressure on the d-file. 14 .lixb6 axb6 15 iif3 By surrendering the bishop pair White managed to keep his pawn centre intact; unfortunately, his king will now be subject to a strong counterattack. 15 ... exd5 16 cxd5 �h3!

17 �e2 An awkward move, but the desirable 17 �e2 ? failed to 17 .. .<:t'ld4. 17 .. 0-0 By now White's unsafe king makes his game very difficult. 18 �d3 Both 18 lt:Je4 .lies!, intending ... lt:Jd4+, and 18 lt:Jbs .Ufe8!, preparing ... lt:Jxes, keep up the attack - Ftacnik. 18 ...lt:Je7 19 �c4 .\ixc3 20 bxc3 .

2o... b5! An ingenious way of clearing new lines towards the white monarch. Now 21 �cs or 21 �3 is strongly met by 21 ...lt:Jg6, so Van der Wiel accepts the offer. 21 �xb5 c6! 22 dxc6 Or 22 �xb7 lt:Jxds with multiple threats. 22 ... bxc6 23 �c4 After 23 .\ixc6? �xc3 White collapses. 23 ...lt:Jg6 24 .Uag1 �f5! A final detail, by which Black installs the double threat of ...lt:Jxf4+ and ...�c2+. 25 .Ug4 �c2+ 26 �e3 Or 26 �f1 .Ud1+!, winning a piece. 26...�d2+ 27 �e4 .Ud5! o-1 Unable to parry the threat of 28 .. .fS+ 29 exf6 .Ue8 mate, White resigned. 199


In the previous game, Black's pressure on the enemy centre was basically conducted via the semi-open d-file. However, the most typical way of "long distance" central control is by means of a fianchetto, or even two of them, as in the following games.

Game .1 3:0 D.Rosandk.oA.Delchev Zadar. 2001

Modem Defence

1 e4 g6 2 d4 .i.g7 3 lt:lc3 d6 4 .i.e3 One of the most dangerous set-ups against the Modern, by which White pre pares either Wid2 and 0-0-0, followed by a kingside attack, or f2-f4, supporting future expansion in the centre. 4 ... a6 s f4 bs 6 .te2 Preparing .i.f3 to reinforce the light squares. 6 .i.d3 is also frequently seen in practice. 6 ... b4 7 ctJb1 7 lt:Ja4 is more critical - Hillarp Persson, who also suggests the flexible 6 ...ctJd7 on the previous move. 7 ....i.b7

200

As beginners we are taught to bring the knights out before the bishops, since the destiny of the former tends to be a bit more evident. However, in this defence it is the other way around - the bishops are rather predestined for g7 and b7, while the knights, in particular the one on g8, have more squares to consider. 8 .i.f3 lt:lf6 9 Wid3 Neither 9 es lt:lds, nor g lt:ld2 lt:lbd7 10 c3 as 11 lt:Je2 0-0 12 0-0 cS promises White any advantage - Hillarp. 9 ... lt:lbd7 10 lt:Je2 Black is also fine after 10 lt:ld2 o-o 11 c4 bxc3 12 bxc3 c S ! ; e.g. 13 lt:Je2 cxd4 14 cxd4 e s ! 15 .l:i,b1 .i.c6, followed by ... .tbs, with counterplay in A.Galkin-R.Ponomariov, Lausanne 2000. Note that the tempting 15 fxes dxes 16 ds would have backfired after 16 ... .i.xds! 17 exds e4, when the bishop on g7 makes itself remembered. 10...0-o 11 o-o es Supported by his powerful fianchettoed bishops, Delchev begins striking at the white pawn centre. 11 ... cs, in the same spirit, was also possible. 12 ctJg3 Reinforcing the e4-pawn. In the event of 12 fxes dxes 13 dS Black could consider 13 ... as, just as in the game; e.g. 14 lt:Jd2 .i.a6 15 lt:Jc4 Wie7, followed by ... ct:Jcs with counterplay. 12 ...as! Preparing a pinprick by ....i.a6. 13 .l:i,e1 lt:lb6 14 c4 By advancing one more pawn to the fourth rank White takes precautions against ... .i.a6, but also further weakens the dark squares, in particular d4. Instead, 14 lt:Jd2 was preferable - Hillarp, when Black could try 14 ... .i.a6 15 c4 exf4 16 .i.xf4 ds ! ?


with some initiative; e.g. 17 b3 dxc4 18 bxc4 lLJh5 ! 19 ..ie3 lbxg 3 20 hxg3 c5!, ex ploiting the double pin.

14...lLJfd7! A key move of the game, by which the knight takes prophylactic control of the dark squares on c5 and e5, while clearing the long diagonal for the bishop on g7. 15 fxes After 15 dxe5 dxe5 16 f5 W/e7, preparing ...lbc5, or 15 lLJd2 exf4 16 ..ixf4 c5! Black also enjoys a clear positional plus; e.g. 17 ..ixd6?! ..ixd4+ 18 'lt>h1 lLJe5 with a terrible game for White. 1s ... cs! An impressive pawn break which demol ishes the enemy centre. The modest 15 ... dxe5 16 d5 W/e7 and ... lLJc5 was also possible, but the text promises more. 16 e6 Rather pointless, but after 16 dxc5? lbxe5, followed by 17 ...lLJbxc4, or 16 exd6 cxd4 17 ..ixd4 lLJe5 18 ..ixe5 ..ixe5 19 c5 lbd7 Black also has a huge advantage Hillarp. At this point, hanging on to the c5pawn with 20 W/e3 is refuted by 20....Mc8 21 .Mc1 Wif6! with multiple threats. 16 ... cxd4 17 ..ixd4 lLJes 18 exf7+ .Mxf7 19

..ixes A strategic capitulation, though 19 W/d1 lLJbxc4, preparing ... d6-d5, was equally troublesome for White, who by now is re gretting his slow queen side development. 19 ... ..ixes 20 W/c2 a4! Just in time, enabling ... a4-a3 before the rook leaves a1. 21 lbd2 a3 22 .Mab1 axb2 23 .Mxb2 ..ixb2 24 W/xb2 tLld7!

Even after winning the exchange, Del chev keeps his grip on the dark squares. 25 ..ig4 lLJcs 26 "iid 4 Wigs 27 ..ih3 .Mxa2 28 tLlf3 "iif4 0-1 In this desperate position, White re signed.

Modern Dejence

1 e4 g6 2 d4 ..ig7 3 lLJc3 d6 4 ..ie3 a6 5 Wid2 White opts for the first of the set-ups outlined in the previous game . s ... lLJd7 6 a4 Preventing ... b7-b5, but the advance 201


with the a-pawn also means that long cas tling becomes unadvisable. 6 0-0-0 bS 7 h4 is a more critical option. 6 ... b6 On his part, Black prevents the cramping a4-a5 and enables ....i.b7, thus giving rise to an opening system that is known as the Hippopotamus.

where after 11 ...e s ! , when Black can even grab the initiative by a later .. .f7-f5. In simi lar fashion, e4-e5 often runs into ...d6-dS, followed by ... c7-c5. Black, on his part, is mainly awaiting the right moment for a pawn break, in which virtually any of his pawns from the c- to the g-file can partici pate.

7 l2lf3 e6 The immediate 7 ... .i.b7 would yield White the additional option of 8 dS, prepar ing lt:ld4. Now, on the other hand, 8 ds can be confidently met by 8 ... es. 8 .i.c4 On other moves Black can react in simi lar fashion as in the game; e.g. 8 .i.e2 .i.b7 9 h 3 h6! 10 o-o lt:le7 11 l:.ad1 g S ! 12 l2lh2 lt:lg6 13 .i.h s lt:lf6 14 .i.xg6 fxg6, followed by ...0-0 with balanced chances in M.Rogovoi N.Nikolaev, St Petersburg 2000. 8 ... h6! Seeing that the immediate 8 ... lt:le7?! per mits 9 .i.h6!, swapping the valuable king's bishop, Black prepares it. 9 h3 lt:le7 10 o-o .i.b7 The Hippopotamus is complete. White h as more space but it is not easy for him to improve his position; e.g. 11 ds?! leads no-

11 l:.fe1 Now Black can't castle due to 12 .i.xh6, so what to do? u ... gs! A typical "Hippo" move that enables . ..lt:lg6 with a grip on the dark squares. 12 l2lh2 lt:lg6 Just in time, before White strikes with f2-f4. 13 l2lf1 At this point 13 dS! ? eS 14 lt:lf1, prepar ing lt:lg3-f5, favours White, so the flexible 13 ... lt:ldes 14 .i.b3 Vi'f6, followed by ... o-o, is probably a better choice. 13 ...lt:lf6 14 lt:lg3 0-0 Despite the slightly weakening ... g6-g5, the king is quite safe here. 15 .i.d3 On 15 f3 Black is ready for 1S ... d5! 16 exds lt:lxds 17 lt:lxds .i.xds with rough

202


equality. The text makes 1S ...dS?! unfeasi ble due to 16 es, but invites another pawn break. 15 ...c5!

An excellent advance, which softens up the a1-h8 diagonal for the bishop on g7, and also disputes the es-square for the knight on g6. 16 dxc5?! A passive reaction that hands over the initiative to Black. 16 ds tt'les 17 .i.fl, fol lowed by .l:i.ad1 and f2-f4, was preferable Finkel. 16 ... bxc5 Now White's pawn centre is gone and Black enjoys an extra central pawn, a fact that he soon exploits. 16 ...dxcs?! 17 as was less advisable. 17 .l:i.ad1 "ilic7 18 "i!ie2 d5! 19 exd5 exd5 20 .i.c1 A necessary retreat in view of the threat ened 20 ... d4. 20....l:tae8 21 "i!id2 'Llh4! Before advancing the c- or d-pawns Black eliminates the possibilities of .i.xg6 and tt'lfs, while eyeing the g2-pawn. 21 ...'Llf4 22 .i.fl d4 looked strong as well. 22 .l:i.xe8 .l:i.xe8 23 .l:i.e1

Exchanges often favour the defender, but here Black keeps all his trumps even after the rooks' departure. 23 ... .l:i.xe1+ 24 "i/ixe1 c4! Move order matters: 24...d4 25 tt'lce4! was less clear. 25 .i.f1 d4

A dream position for Black. All his pieces, in particular the bishops, upstage their white counterparts, and a passed pawn can quickly emerge on the d-file. 26 tt'lce2 Or 26 tt'lce4 tt'lxe4 27 tt'lxe4 "i/ies!, prepar ing .. .f7-f5 - Finkel. 26 ..."ilic5 Again there is no hurry with advancing the pawns - after 26 ... d3 27 cxd3 cxd3 28 'Llc3 the d3-pawn becomes a bit exposed. 27 "ilid1 'Lle4 28 tt'lxe4 .i.xe4 29 'Llg3 .i.g6 A timely diagonal shift, which makes 30 ... d3 inevitable. White's next move accel erates the end, though it was not easy to give him good advice. 30 "ilie2?! d3! 31 cxd3 cxd3 32 "i!ie8+ �h7 3 3 .i.e 3 "illd 5 Installing the queen in the centre tends to be an excellent idea in the endgame, and here it forces White to shed a pawn in order 203


to stop ...d3-d2. 34 .i.d2 .i.xb2 35 f3 .i.e5! Ponomariov avoids the "strategical trap" 3S .. .'�es?! 36 iVxes .i.xes 37 '2le4! and White unexpectedly stays in the game. 36 '2le4 .i.xe4 37 fxe4 iVd4+ 38 �h1 iVf2! 0-1 Attack and defence at the same time. Faced with multiple threats, White resigned.

.i.b7 12 CiJds iVxb2 with decisive threats Anand. 9 . .'2lh6 10 d 5 .

Game 132

A.Beliavsky-V.Ana nd Munich 1991

Pirc Defence

1 d4 d6 2 e4 '2lf6 3 '2lc3 g6 4 f4 .i.g7 5 '2lf3 0-0 The traditional way of meeting White's Austrian Attack. The sharp s ... cs is also popular. 6 .i.e3 The main direction here is 6 .i.d3, fol lowed by 0-0, after which White often starts a kingside attack with moves like iVe1-h4, f4-f5 etc. The text prepares quite a different set-up with iVd2 and 0-0-0; moreover, it enhances the central e4-e5 advance now that after ... d6xes, d4xes, White is ready to recapture on d1 with the rook. 6 ... b6 A move with two functions: enabling ... .i.b7 and facilitating the c7-c5 thrust. 1 e5 White gains space in the centre, but also exposes his central pawns at quite an early stage of the game. Nowadays, 7 iVd2, fol lowed by 0-0-0, is more frequently played. 1 ...'2lg4 8 .i.g1 c5! 9 h3 The greedy 9 dxcs bxcs 10 iVds?! back fires after 10 ... 'iVb6!, intending 11 iVxa8? 2 04

Thus White maintains h i s pawn centre, and now enjoys a considerable space ad vantage. On the other hand, he is rather behind in development, a fact that Anand will exploit vigorously during the rest of the game. 10....i.b7 11 iVd2 Preparing 0-0-0. If 11 iVe2, in the same spirit, Black could react by 11 ....i.a6 12 iVf2 .i.xf1 13 iVxf1 CLJfS with counterplay; e.g. 14 .i.f2 dxes 15 fxes '2ld7 16 g4 '2ld4!, destroy ing the enemy centre. As for 11 g4, prevent ing ...CiJfs, after 11 ... dxes 12 fxes e6!, fol lowed by 13 ... '2ld7, White's centre again comes under strong pressure. 11 ... C2Jf5 12 .i.h2 Anand also indicates 12 .i.f2 dxes 13 fxes e6!, when 14 o-o-o? fails to 14....i.h6. With the text White enables .i.f4 at the end of this line. 12 ...dxe5 13 fxe5 e6! A key move in order to challenge White's pawn centre before he is comfortably de veloped. At this point both 14 g4? '2lh4 and 14 d6?! '2ld7 leave the es-pawn doomed,

Th e B a ttle fo r th e Cen tre

while 14 i.c4 bS! also favours Black. As a consequence, Beliavsky just gets on with development. 14 o-o-o exd5 15 tt::Jxd5 tt:lc6 16 c3 Now if White just manages to play i.c4 and l::!.h e1 he would be considerably better - Anand. But he has no time for that; e.g. 16 i.c4?! tt:lcd4! 17 tt::Jxd4 cxd4, with ... tt:le3 coming up. The text aims at preventing an annoying ... tt:lcd4, but in vain. 16 ...tt::Jcd4! 17 tt:lf6+ The best try, since 17 cxd4?! �xds 18 �b1 J::!. ad8 would leave White under un bearable pressure. 17 ... i.xf6 18 cxd4 i.g7 19 d 5

By a precise sequence of moves Be liavsky has managed to rebuild his pawn centre, and now intends to reinforce it by 20 i.c4. Anand finds a great reply. 19 ...c4! Exploiting some simple tactics (20 i.xc4? J::!.c 8 and 21 ...bs) Black prevents the enemy plan and enables a future ...c4-c3 as well. 19 ... i.h6?! 20 i.f4 i.xf4 21 �xf4 i.xds 22 i.c4 was less convincing. 20 i.e2? Practically dropping a pawn. The pro phylactic 20 �b1! was called for, when

20 ...J::!.c8 21 d6 .i.h6 can be met by 22 i.f4 without losing the d-pawn as in the game. Black should rather try 21 ...b5, followed by ... a7-a5 and ...bS-b4 with some initiative. 20 ... J::!.c8 21 �b1 Or 21 g4?! tt:le7! 22 d6 tt::J d s, when 23 ... c3 next proves inevitable. 21...i.h6 22 i.f4 i.xf4 23 �xf4 i.xd5! After some calculating Anand accepts the gift, convinced that White can't exploit the ensuing pin . 2 4 h4 In a difficult position, Beliavsky goes for a desperate attack. A key variation was 24 g4 tt:lg7 25 �6 tt:le6 26 h4 c3!, when 27 tt::Jg s fails to 27 ...c2+ 2 8 �a1 tt::Jx gs 2 9 hxg s i.xh1 30 J::!.xh1 c1�+, while after 27 bxc3 i.e4+ 28 �b2 �c7, Black's attack is the more convinc ing one - Anand. As for 24 tt:ld4, trying to exploit the pin, then 24...�4!. 24...c3 As the remainder of the game will show us, Black's attack is faster. 25 bxc3 J::!.x c3 26 h5

26...tt:le3! The knight joins the attack and at the same time liberates the queen from the defence of the bishop. 2 05

M as t e ring Op e n ing S trategy

21 ct:Jgs 27 hxg6 fxg6 28 �6 Wic7 leaves only Black's attack intact, while 27 �6 is re futed by 27 ...ct:Jxd1 28 hxg6 .ie4+ 29 'it>a1 .ixg6 30 �xd1 W/e7 - Anand. 27 ...W/c7 28 ct:Jxh7

s .. d 6 6 a3 .ie6 .

6 ... as or 6 ... a6 was more precise, provid ing the bishop with a shelter on a7. 7 b4 .ib6 8 d3 Aware that the desirable 8 ... ds? fails to 9 cs, White just continues development. In contrast, with the black bishop on a7 he would probably have preferred 8 ct:Jds at this point. 8 ...W/d7

28 ...�b3+! 0-1 An elegant finish. In view of 29 axb3 Wic2+ 30 'it>a1 Wic3+ 31 'it>b1 W/xb3+ 32 'it>a1 ct:Jc2 mate, White resigned. As I mentioned in the introduction to this section, controlling the centre at long distance is also possible with the white pieces. Here are two examples.

Garne 1.3'3 M.Taimanov�V.Hort Tallinn 19'/5

fl')fl}ish Openin9 1 C4 e5 2 CLJC3 CLJc6 3 g3 CLJf6 4 .ig2 .ic5 Another option is 4....ib4, although in that case the reply 5 CLJdS gains in strength. 5 e3 White chooses a set-up with e2-e3 and ct:Jge2 in order to restrict the bishop on cs. 206

9 h3! Before playing ct:Jge2 Taimanov prevents ... .ih3, in identical fashion to Ponomariov's 8 ... h6 against Gallagher (Game 131). In fact, White's treatment of the English in this game has great similarities to the Hippo potamus. 9 ... 0-0 10 ct:Jge2 CLJd8?! Hort prepares ... c7-c6 and ....ic7, but this plan is easily refuted by White's next move. Perhaps 10 ... as was more to the point; e.g. 11 bS CLJe7 ! ? 12 .ixb7 �ab8 13 .ig2 ds, fol lowed by ... �fd8, with quite some counter play for the pawn. Even the simple 10 ...�ab8, preparing ...CLJe7-g6 to improve the knight, seems like a better choice - in the game, that piece becomes a problem child on d8.

The Ba ttle fo r t h e Cen tre

11 tZ:la4! c6 12 tt:Jxb6 axb6 13 .ib2 An excellent deployment of the bishop, and renewed restriction of Black's ... d6-ds. 13 ... 4Je8 Preparing .. .f7-f6 and ...tZ:lf7, after which the ... d6-dS thrust would at last become possible, but White has a strong reply pre pared.

14 f4! A key move, striking at the enemy centre and softening up the long diagonal for the bishop on b2. 14...f6 15 g4! With the centre under control, nothing speaks against this flank advance, which enables castling and also prevents 1S ... tZ:lf7? on account of 16 fS. 1S ...'Jlh8?! Preparing ....ig8, but Black has over looked the pin that soon emerges on the f file. 1S ...tZ:lc7 was better, intending ...b6-bS - Taimanov. 16 o-o 'ille 7 Since 16 ....ig8? runs into 17 fxes dxes 18 .ixes!, Black has to adjust his plans. 17 'ille 1 .if7 18 tZ:lg3 Step by step White brings more pieces to the kingside.

18....ig6 19 .l:!,d1 tZ:lc7 20 'illf2 bs This facilitates White's further task, though it was already difficult to suggest a constructive plan for Black.

21 cs! A new pawn thrust in order to soften up the enemy centre. Now neither 21...tZ:lf7? 22 fS, nor 21...d5? 22 fxes works for Black, so he has finally to swap the proud es-pawn. 21 ...exf4 22 exf4 h6 On 22 ...dxcs Taimanov had prepared 23 .l:!,fe1 'illd7 24 fs .if7 25 gS! with a strong attack; e.g. 2S .. .fxg s 26 f6 g6 27 .l:!,e7. 23 .ie4! Exchanging the defender of the light squares in the enemy camp. 23 ....ixe4 24 cxd6 'il/xd6 25 dxe4 'il/e6 26 es! For the third time in the game White softens up the long diagonal for his bishop, on this occasion with decisive effect. 26...fxes 27 .ixes tt:Jds 28 'il/b2 Taimanov once mentioned that the fi anchettoed queen's bishop was his favour ite piece, both with White and Black. It definitely didn't let him down in this game, and you can find many other games of his where this piece plays the main role. 207


s ...l2Jc6 After 5 ... e5?! 6 l2J4f3 dxe4 7 l2Jxe5 or 6 ...l2Jc6 7 exd5 �xd5 8 i.c4 White obtains a clear lead in development, but 5 ...l2Jf6 was a valid alternative. 6 i.bs i.d7 7 l2:lxc6 bxc6 Another direction is 7 ... i.xc6 8 i.xc6+ bxc6 9 c4!, preparing �a4. 8 i.d 3

2s .. :�f1 29 l2:lhs! More exact than 29 l2Jf5 ?! l2Je6 30 l2Jxh6 �g6 with complications. Now, on the other hand, 29 ...l2Je6? fails to 30 f5. 29 ....l:!.gB 3o fs b6 Obviously 30...l2Je3? runs into 31 �c1!, x-raying the h6-pawn. 31 Z1fe1 l2:lb7 This loses material, though Black was beyond salvation anyway. 32 �c1! �h7 33 �xc6 1-0 In this terrible position, Black resigned.

Gome 134

A.Kundin-Kosta,novich Israeli Tea rn Championship 1998

Ftench·Defence

1 e4 e6 2 d4 dS 3 l2Jd2 cs 4 l2:lgf3 We are already familiar with this line from Game 60 (Adams-Gurevich). 4...cxd4 5 l2Jxd4 That game went 5 exd5 �xd5 6 i.c4, transposing to one of the main lines of the French Tarrasch. With the text White keeps the central tension, and takes the game into less explored terrain. 2 08

s ...es?! A very ambitious move. Black achieves a pawn centre, but the delay in development will make it difficult for him to support it adequately. 8 ..i.d6 was safer, followed by ...l2Je7. 9 0-0 l2Jf6 After 9 ... i.d6 10 .l:!.e1 l2Je7 11 exd5 cxd5 12 c4! Black's centre is successfully under mined; e.g. 12 ... d4?! 13 c5 !, preparing 14 l2Jc4, or 12 ... 0-o 13 cxd5 l2Jxd5 14 l2Jc4 i.e6 15 i.d2 with a slight edge - Kundin. 10 Z1e1 i.d6 Aware that 10... d4 invites 11 l2Jc4, Black accepts the clearance of the e-file. 11 exds cxds 12 l2Jf3! Supported by his lead in development, White starts concrete actions against Black's pawn centre. 12 c4 was also possi.

Th e Battle fo r th e Cen tre

ble; e.g. 12 ...0-0 13 cxd5 lLlxd5 14 CLJc4 transposing to the 9 ... .i.d6 subvariation given above.

12 ...�e7 After other moves White prevails tacti cally; e.g. 12 ... e4 13 .i.xe4! lLlxe4 14 �xd5, recovering the piece with interest, or 12 ... .i.g4 13 lLlxe5! .i.xd1 14 lLlc6+ �d7 15 lLlxd8 .i.xc2 16 .i.xc2 .l:!.hxd8 17 .i.d2! with .i.a4+ next - Kundin; finally, 12 ...�c7 runs into 13 lLlxe5 ! .i.xe5 14 .i.f4 lLle4 1 5 .i.xe4 dxe4 16 .l:!.xe4 f6 17 .i.xe5 fxe5 18 �d5 ! with twin threats at a8 and e5. 13 .i.f4 The correct follow-up, now that 13 lLlxe5? no longer works due to 13 ....i.xe5 14 .i.f4 .i.xf4 15 .l:!.xe7+ �xe7. 13 ... .i.g4 The only viable defence; unfortunately, Black will be left without castling after the opponent's next move. 14 .i.bs+! �fs 15 .i.gs White now directs his attention to the d5-pawn. 15 .i.c6?! .l:!.d8 or 15 c4 �C7 16 .i.g 5 a6 was less convincing - Kundin. 15 ...�b7 16 .i.c4! Increasing the pressure. 16 h3?! .i.xf3 17 �xf3 CLJe4! would be much less clear.

16 ...d4 After the alternative 16 ....i.xf3 17 �xf3 e4 18 �f5 or 18 �3 White also remains on top - Kundin.

17 .i.e2! An ingenious retreat which creates new threats, such as the captures 18 lLlxe5 and 18 CLJxd4. 17 ...lLle4 18 .i.h4 .i.e6? A logical defensive try, but it will lead to the collapse of Black's centre. 18 ....i.f5? ! 19 .i.d3, preparing �e2, is equally bad for him, so the active 18...h 5 !, reinforcing the bishop, was probably the last chance to stay alive - Kundin, whose sample line 19 h 3 .l:!.e8 2 0 hxg4 hxg4 21 CLJg5 ? ! .l:!.xh4 22 lLlxe4 �xe4 23 .i.b5 �7! illustrates Black's idea. White should rather prefer .i.d3 either on the 20th or 21st move, keeping the pres sure. 19 .i.d3 .i.ds Or 19 .. .f5 20 c3!, exploiting the loose bishop on d6, just like White's next move in the game. 20 c4! .i.c6 Black can't reply 20... dxC3 21 .i.x€4 .i.xe4 due to 22 �xd6+, while 21 ... cxb2 22 .l:!.b1 doesn't change much. 209


ten proves useful in order to put pressure on the enemy centre, apart from its inher ent function of opening a file. We already saw several pawn breaks in the previous section (Games 130-133); e.g. 11 ... es and 1S ... cs in Rosandic-Delchev, 1S ... cs in Galla gher-Ponomariov, 13 ... e6 in Beliavsky Anand, as well as 14 f4 and 2 1 cs in Tai manov-Hort. Here are some more exam ples.

Game 135

21 tbxd4! By tactical means White finally liqui dates the enemy centre. In fact this sacrifice was already available on the previous move. 21...tbc5 An early resignation, though 21 ...exd4 22 .ltxe4 .ltxe4 23 'iVxd4 was equally bad for Black; e.g. 23 ....\txh2+ 24 �xh2 .ltxg2 25 t!.g1 winning - Kundin. 22 tLlf5 'iVc7 Now the es-pawn falls as well, but 22 ....\tc7? was impossible due to 23 .lte7+. 23 .ltf1 tbb7 24 tbxd6 'iVxd6 25 'iVxd6+ tbxd6 26 t!.xe5 White is completely winning and the rest is easy. 26 ...t!.e8 27 t!.ae1 f6 28 t!.xe8+ tbxe8 29 .ltg3 �f7 30 c5 .td5 31 .Ud1 1-o In view of 31.. ..\txa2 32 c6.

Pawn breaks By the term "pawn break" I refer to the ad vance of a pawn that puts it in contact with an enemy pawn. This is an important stra tegic idea in the middlegame as well, for example in the context of pawn chains. In the opening battle, a pawn break of210

J . Herlsten..M.Mora les Riobamba 2010 Queen's Gambit Declined 1 d4 d 5 2 c4 e6 3 tbc3 tbf6 4 cxd5 exd5 5 .ltg5 A topical line against the Queen's Gam bit Declined, which we already came across in Polgar-Bonsch (Game 117). 5 ....1te7 6 e3 0-0 7 .ltd3 c6 8 'iVc2 h6 In the present structure, this move often makes Black's kingside a bit more vulner able. 8 ...tbbd7, followed by ...t!.e8 and ...tbf8, is the main continuation here. 9 .lth4 t!.e8 10 tbge2


Just like in Polgar-Bonsch, the knight goes to e2 in order to enable the future plan of f2-f3 and e3-e4. 10...tl:Je4?! A typical idea to seize the centre, but here it is somewhat premature as Black will lack the support of a knight on f6 later on. For this reason, 10 ...ll:Jbd7 11 0-0 ll:Je4 was a better move order, although White could consider inserting 11 f3 !? before castling. 11 iLxe7 'iVxe7 12 iLxe4 Creating a target on e4. An alternative approach is 12 0-0 ll:Jd7 13 .l:i.ae1, preparing f2-f3 and e3-e4. 12 ...dxe4 13 ll:Jg3 fS With the rook on e8 this move looks a bit odd, but there was no other defence of the e4-pawn available.

14 o-o ll:Ja6 In the event of 14...iLe6, preparing ... ll:Jd7, then 15 f3 ! looks just as strong as in the game. 15 a3 Quite a lazy move. The immediate 15 f3 ! was called for; e.g. 15 ...ll:Jb4 16 'iVd2 ll:Jd5 17 fxe4 ll:Jxc3 18 'iVxc3 fxe4 19 .l:i.f4!, winning a pawn, as occurred in M.Kantorik-J.Veselsky, Czech League 2007.

1S ...'i>t>h7? Black perhaps regarded this as a piece of prophylaxis, but he is in fact putting his king right into the line of fire. 15 ...ll:Jc7 16 f3 ll:Jd5 ! was correct, with just a slight initia tive for White after 17 .l:i.ae1.

16 f3! A key strike, in order to soften up Black's grip on the centre and enable a future kingside attack. We saw a similar idea in Van Wely-Karjakin (Game 123). 16... exf3 Or 16 ...'iVg 5 17 fxe4 'iVxe3+ 18 'i>t>h1 and the black king remains exposed along the b1-h7 diagonal, just as in the game. 17 .l:i.xf3 g6 18 e4! One more pawn break to clear more lines towards the enemy king. 18 .l:i.afl! ?, followed by e3-e4, looked strong as well. 18 ...fxe4 19 ll:Jcxe4 iLfs 20 ll:Jxfs 'iVxe4 Black seems to be defending quite well; however, when deciding upon 18 e4 I had already calculated the following sacrifice that exploits the weak seventh rank in the enemy camp. 21 'iVb3! gxfs 22 'iff7+ Of course 22 'iVxb7+? 'i>t>h8 23 'iVxa6 .l:i.ab8 was not White's idea. 211

M a s te ring Ope n ing Strategy

22 .. :.t>h8 23 'iYf6+ h7 24 l:i.h3! The point. Black's queen is now forced to f4, which lets White's second rook join the battle with tempo. In contrast, 24 l:i.g3? l:i.g8 leads nowhere. 24 'iYf4 2S l:i.f1 'iYd2 26 'iYxfS+ h8

6 e4 i.g7 7 tZ:lf3 tZ:le7

.••

At this point, for White's attack to pros per he must activate the other rook, and this is achieved by the following sequence. 27 'iYf6+ h7 28 J:i.g3! Diverting Black's rook from the e-file so that the queen can give check on e?. 28 ...J:i.g8 29 'iYe7+ h8 30 iYeS+ 1-0 In view of 30...h7 31 l:i.f7+, Black re signed.

Ciame :1.36 M.Uiescas Cordoba

J.Moreno Cainero Spanish Cha mpionship,

SeviUe.2004 Benoni Defence

1 d4 e6 2 c4 cs 3 d s exds 4 cxds d6 s tZ:lc3 g6 Here, and on the following two moves, with s ...tZ:lf6 Black could have entered stan dard Benoni waters. 212

The point of Black's unusual move order. On e? the knight doesn't block the fianchet toed bishop, while the .. .f7-f5 advance can be achieved much earlier than in a usual Benoni. On the other hand, White does not have to worry about the customary pres sure on his e4-pawn from a knight on f6 and a subsequent ...l:i.e8. 8 i.bS+!? This check, in conjunction with White's next move, aims at disorganizing Black's minor pieces. Another idea was 8 i.f4; e.g. 8 ...0-0 9 i.e2 a6 (by now, 9 ...fs at any mo ment runs into 10 es) 10 a4, followed by 0-0. In fact, Black could have considered ... a7-a6 even earlier; e.g. ? ... a6 8 a4 tZ:le7, thus avoiding the check on bs. 8 ...tZ:ld7?! This natural reply soon proves to have its flaws. 8 ... i.d7 was preferable; e.g. 9 a4 a6 10 i.e2 i.g4!, with ... tZ:ld7 next, and all Black's minor pieces are satisfactorily de veloped. 9 i.f4! a6 No simple defence of the d6-pawn was available; e.g. 9 ... 'iYc??! 10 es!, when 10 ... dxes ? 11 d6 is fatal for Black, or 9 ... 'iVb6

Th e Ba ttle fo r th e C e n tre

10 �b3, renewing the threat. With the text Moreno secures the pawn once and for all, at the cost of temporarily misplacing his queen. 10 .i.xd7+ �xd7 11 0-0 0-0

12 es! This pawn break is a main idea for White in the Benoni, and he rarely has the luck of achieving it at such an early point. Its benefits are several: increased central control, the creation of a passed pawn on the d-file, and a possible exchange of the strong bishop on g7. 12 ...dxes 13 .i.xes Of course not 13 ctJxe5? �f5. In any case, the text is also preferable from a strategical perspective, since it facilitates the ex change of the dark-squared bishops. 13 ... bs A useful move that enables both ... .i.b7 and ...b5-b4. After other moves White also keeps the initiative; e.g. 13 .. J:td8 14 .i.xg7 'it>xg7 15 �b3, followed by .Mad1, or 13 .. .f6 14 .i.g3 'bf5 15 d6, preparing 'bd5 or �d5 Postny. 14 d6 4Jfs 1s 'be4! White reinforces the d6-pawn and in creases his central grip at the same time.

15 ...�c6 16 .i.xg7 'it>xg7 17 .Me1 .i.b7 Or 17 ... .Me8?! 18 �c2, with the unpleas ant threat 19 �c3+. 18 .Mc1

The last piece joins the battle, making Black's position critical. 18 ....Mad8? Either by desperation or miscalculation, Black gives up material. The cold-blooded 18 ...c4! was called for, when White seems unable to exploit the opponent's dark square weaknesses in any decisive way; e.g. 19 'bd4 (or 19 g4?! .Mae8!) 19 ...�d5 20 'bxf5+ gxf5 ! 21 �xd5 .i.xd5 22 'bc5 .Mfd8 (but not 22 ....Mac8? 23 d7! .Mxc5 24 .Me8 etc) 23 d7 .i.c6 24 .Mcd1 .Ma7 25 .Md6 .Mc7 26 .Med1 'it>f8 with an inferior but holdable endgame for Black - Postny. Obviously, for humans it is not easy to decide upon such lines over the board, and we often prefer "active" defence like Moreno's choice in the game. 19 ctJXC5 But not 19 .Mxc5?! �b6, soon recovering the material with counterplay. 19 .. Jbd6 There is nothing better; e.g. 19 ...�xd6? 20 'bxb7 or 19 ... �6?! 20 d7. 213


20 'Lle6+ fxe6 Or 20 .. J�.xe6 2 1 .l:!.xc6 .l:!.xc6 22 CLld4 with a technical win - Postny. 21 .l:!.xc6 .l:!.xd1 22 .l:!.c7+ Perhaps Black had overlooked this in termediate check, which secures an extra exchange for White. 22 ...�h6 23 .l:!.xd1 .txf3 After 23 ... .tds 24 'Lles White's task is also very trivial. 24 gxf3 'Llh4 25 .l:!.dd7! 'Llxf3+ 26 �g2 �g5 27 .l:!.f7 1-0

Game 137

L.Ljubojevic-S.Gligoric Belgrade (3rd matchgame) 1979 English Opening 1 c4 cs 2 'Llf3 'Llf6 3 'Llc3 e6 4 d4 cxd4 5 'Llxd4 .tb4 6 �b3 Thus White avoids doubled c-pawns, but also misplaces his queen. More promising is 6 'LldbS, preparing a2-a3, or 6 g3, transpos ing to the Nimzo-lndian with g2-g3. 6....tcs!

Exploiting the fact that the knight on d4 is now undefended, Black forces a minor 214

concession from the opponent. 7 .te3 Setting up the threat of 8 'Llxe6, but Gli goric finds a clever antidote. Perhaps the modest 7 e3 was a better choice. 7 ...b6! 8 'Llc2?! This retreat leaves the queen in a really awkward position, and complicates further development. By 8 f3 0-0 9 .tf2 White could still hope for a normal game. 8 ... 'Lla6 Just as on the previous move, Black combines development with tactical con siderations. Now White is discouraged from taking on cs. 9 .l:!.d1 o-o 10 .td4 .tb7 11 e3 .te7! With the threat of ...'Llcs, punishing White for his dubious eighth move. 12 a3 'Llcs 13 �a2 as 14 f3 A slightly weakening move, but essential for White's further development. 14...�b8! The standard break 14... d5 would have yielded Black at least equality, but by now Gligoric is looking for more. With the text he seizes the h2-b8 diagonal and enhances future kingside aggression. 15 e4


Ljubojevic finally achieves some kind of Maroczy structure and also parries the threat of 1S ... e5; however, Gligoric has a strong reply prepared. 1s ...lt:Jhs! With the dual idea of ...ctJf4 and .. .f7-f5, punishing White for his slow development. 16 i.e2 Correctly speeding up development. 16 g 3 ? fS would be horrible for White. 16 ...lt:Jf4 17 o-o fs! This pawn break puts some pressure on the enemy centre, and helps clearing the h 1-a8 diagonal and the f-file for Black's forces. The exchange on e2 can wait until a more optimal moment. 18 e5 After 18 exfs .Uxfs Black also has a strong initiative. 18 ...d6!

Another pawn break, which clears the h2-b8 diagonal towards White's king, and creates a pawn majority in the centre. 19 exd6 i.xd6 20 �h1 es! Of course not 20...lt:Jxe2 21 lt:Jxe2 i.xh2? 22 f4 etc - Gligoric. With the text, he in stead prepares one more pawn break with ... eS-e4 to soften up the long diagonal for

the bishop on b7. 21 i.g1 e4! 22 fxe4 ctJxe2 Just at the right moment, in order to ex ploit the long diagonal to the maximum. Both 22 .. .fxe4 23 ctJe3 and 22 ...lt:Jxe4 23 i.f3 ! were somewhat less promising. 23 lt:Jxe2 i.xe4 24 ctJcd4 .Uf6! More pieces to the attack. Meanwhile, White has considerable difficulties in orga nizing counterplay, partly due to his badly placed queen. 2S ctJf3 Or 25 lt:Jc3 .Uh6 26 lt:Jxe4 i.xh2 ! 27 lt:Jxfs .Uh s with a strong attack. 25 ... l:th6 26 h3 'iYb7 27 lt:Jed4

27 ...gs! From now on, the threat of ... g 5-g4 hangs like the sword of Damocles over White. 28 i.e3 f4 29 ctJb5 i.f8 29 .. .fxe3 30 lt:Jxd6 .Uxd6! 31 .Uxd6 e2 32 .Ue1 i.xf3 33 gxf3 'iVxf3+ etc was another winning line. 30 i.xcs i.xcs 31 b4!? g4! Consequent and strong. In contrast, af ter 31 ... axb4?! 32 ctJxg s White stays alive. 32 bxcs gxf3 33 �h2 'iYg7! Instead of 33 ... fxg 2?! 34 .Uxf4 with 215


rather unclear play, Gligoric, by means of the threat of ... 11Vg3+, forces White to ob struct his rook with his queen. 34 1lff2 fxg2 35 �fe1 1lfg4! 0-1 An elegant finishing move. White re signed.

Game 1.38

G.Mateuta-J.Hellsten Kavafa 2003

Slav Defence

Before accepting the exchange of his bishop, Black provokes f2-f3 so that White's remaining knight can't move to f3. 7 f3 Black is also fine after 7 t2Jxe4?! dxe4 8 g 3 e6 or 7 1lfh3 �a7 8 a4 e6 9 as c s ! 10 f3 .ig6 11 cxds exds 12 l2Jxg6 hxg6, preparing ...tbc6, as in Bu Xiangzhi-A.Morozevich, Bled Olympiad 2002. 7 ....ig6 8 l2Jxg6 hxg6 9 f4 Vacating f3 for the knight, at the cost of a weakened e4-square. 9 . .e6 10 11Vb3 The attempt to restrict Black by 10 cs?! backfires after 10...b6! 11 b4 aS; e.g. 12 11Va4 bS 13 1lfh3 lbh s ! with ideas like ..1lfh4+ and ...tbg3. 10...1lfc7 11 t2Jf3 Or 11 cs t2Jbd7 12 1lfc3 a s ! ? 13 a3 a4!, followed by ...b7-b6, breaking the enemy pawn chain and enabling a future counter strike with ... c6-cs. .

1 d4 d 5 2 t2Jf3 l2Jf6 3 c4 c6 4 e3 a6 5 t2Jbd2 A rather passive choice. S t2Jc3 and S .id3 are the main continuations in this Slav line. 5 ... .iJ5 Black refrains from the standard s ...bs, as after 6 cxds cxds, White could try to ex ploit the early weakening of cs by lDb3-cS at some moment. 6 l2Jh4 The most ambitious choice. In the event of 6 1lfh3 Black could simply reply 6 ...1lfc7, exploiting the fact that White has no knight on c3 attacking the ds-pawn. 6....ie4!

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11...c5! Instead of standard Slav development with 11 ...t2Jbd7, Black immediately strikes at the enemy centre, and provides the knight with a more active destiny on c6. The fact that mutual pawn captures on ds 216


and c5 would leave him with an isolated pawn on d5 is less relevant now that White has weakened his own structure by f2-f4. 12 cxd5 exd5 13 .td2?! 13 .te2 seems more natural, though af ter 13 .. .lt:Jc6 Black has an excellent game anyway. 13 . ..l2Jc6 14 .te2 Or 14 .l::!.c 1?! c4 15 'iVd1 lLle4 with a clear initiative. After the text 14... c4 is entirely possible too; however, I don't want to take off the tension on White's pawn centre yet, preferring a tempting pawn sacrifice. 14...lbe4!? 15 'iVxd5 Seeing that 15 0-0?! drops a pawn after 15 ... cxd4, Mateuta accepts the challenge. 15 ...lLlxd2 16 l2Jxd2 cxd4 17 'iVe4+ .te7 18 exd4?! Too greedy. After 18 o-o 0-0 Black h as a pleasant edge thanks to the dark square weaknesses in White's camp, who probably would have liked to have his f-pawn back on f2. But the text has the clear drawback of leaving the king stranded in the centre. 18 ... o-o-o 19 d5 After 19 o-o l2Jxd4 20 .l::!. ac1 .tc5 Black enjoys a strong initiative.

The last piece joins the party, creating the threat of ....th4+, and preventing 20 0-0? on account of 20....tc5+. 20 'iVc4 lbb4 Even after the exchange of queens Black's attack will be quite strong. 20 ... .tb4 was interesting as well. 21 .l::!.c 1 21 'iVxe7+ r.!ixc? 22 .l::!.c 1+ r.!ib8 is similar. 21 ...'iVxc4 22 .l::!.xc4+? A fatal mistake, which leaves both the rook and the knight tactically exposed. 22 l2Jxc4 was essential, when both 22 ...l2Jxa2 23 .l::!. d1 and 22 ...r.!ib8 23 .l::!. d1 l2Jxd5 24 g 3 offer White some hope o f salvation. 22 ... r.!ib8 23 .l::!.e4 l2Jxd5 24 r.!id1 An early surrender, but 24 0-0? was im possible due to 24...lbf6. 24...f5 25 .l::!.e 5 lLlxf4 26 .tc4? .l::!.x d2+! 0-1 In view of 27 �xd2 .i.b4+ 28 r.!te3 .l::!. x e5+ 29 r.!txf4 .l::!. e4+, White resigned.

Fla n k adva nces The flank advance is a modern addition to the methods in the fight for the centre. By moving a pawn forward on the flank, we can indirectly undermine the opponent's centre, as shown in the following examples.

Game 139

V.Salov-R.Hiibner

Barce1ona 1989

English Opening

19 ....l::!. h e8!

1 lbf3 d5 2 c4 d4 A principled reply. Black enters some kind of Benoni with reversed colours, albeit with one tempo less, something that can be strongly felt in this opening. 2 ... e6 and 2 ... c6 are other frequent options. 21 7

M a s tering Op e n ing S t ra tegy

3 g3 li'lc6 Aware of his minus tempo, Black saves on 3 ... c5 for the sake of development. 4 .ltg2 e5 5 d3 .lte7 6 0-0 li'lf6?! A well-known inaccuracy. 6 ... a5 first was correct, for reasons that soon become evi dent. Interestingly, with reversed colours White would just have castled at this point; i.e. 1 d4 c5 2 d5 li'lf6 3 li'lc3 d6 4 e4 g6 5 li'lf3 .ltg7 6 .lte2 0-0 7 0-0, thus avoiding the trick that now follows. 7 b4!

on this occasion it lacks support from fellow pieces. Instead, 7 ...li'lxb4 8 li'lxe5 favours White thanks to the extra central pawn and semi-open b-file, while 7 ... .\txb4?! 8 li'lxe5! li'lxe5 9 �a4+ li'lc6 10 .ltxc6+ bxc6 11 �xb4, preparing .lta3, would be even worse. Black's best option is rather 7 ... li'ld7, trying to keep the pawn centre intact, even though after 8 a3 0-0 9 e3 White enjoys some initiative . Having achieved b2-b4 so early on is quite a success - in similar Benoni positions with reversed colours, White usually does any thing he can to prevent Black's ...b7-b5. 8 dxe4 .\txb4 Obviously 8 .. li'lxe4? ! 9 b5, followed by 10 li'lxd4, was not in Black's favour. 9 .ltb2! Simple and strong - White focuses on the fresh weakness at d4. 9 ...\tc5 10 li'lbd2 �e7 This leads to unfavourable simplifica tions, though it is hard to suggest anything better. 11 li'lb3 li'lxe4 12 li'lfxd4 li'lxd4 13 li'lxc5! Securing the bishop pair, which will play a huge role now that there are no pawns left in the centre. 13 ... li'lxc5 14 �xd4 li'le6 15 �e3 o-o 16 .J:!,fd1 .

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A strong flank advance, by which White puts unpleasant pressure on the enemy centre. You can find this idea in several other opening lines, such as the Four Pawns Attack in the King's Indian (1 d4 li'lf6 2 c4 g6 3 li'lc3 .ltg7 4 e4 d6 5 f4 o-o 6 li'lf3 c5 7 d5 e6 8 .ltd3 ?! exd5 9 cxd5 b5!) and the Sicilian Dragon (1 e4 c5 2 li'lf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 li'lxd4 li'lf6 5 li'lc3 g6 6 .\te2 .ltg7 7 0-0 li'lc6 8 li'lb3 o-o 9 f4 b5!). It displays a kind of relation between the b4 and e5 (or b5 and e4 from Black's perspective) squares, regarding which the knight on c6 proves overloaded. 7 ... e4?! Hubner replies with a pawn break similar to 12 e5 in lllescas-Moreno (Game 136), but 218


White has emerged with a dream posi tion - his bishops control the whole board, and Black can't easily conclude his queen side development. 16 ...J:te8 17 J:tab1 c6 The simplifying 17 ...'ib'cs drops a pawn after 18 'ib'xcs tLlxcs 19 j,a3 - Salov.

18 j,a3! The bishop leaves the long diagonal in order to exploit the fresh weakness at d6. 18 ... 'ib'c7 19 j,d6 'ib'a5 20 J:tb2 More energetic was 20 f4! - Salov, with f4-f5 coming up. 20...'ib'a4 21 'ib'b3 It is not easy to suggest a plan for Black after 21 J:tc1, but Salov, being a renowned endgame expert, prefers a more technical approach. 21 ...'ib'xb3 22 J:txb3 f6! Hubner prepares a clever regrouping of his pieces by ...tLld8, ...j,e6 and ...tLlf7. 23 f4 tLld8 24 j,c7 tLle6 25 j,d6 tLld8 26 c;t>f2 j,e6 27 l:td4 J:tc8 After 27 ...tLlf7 28 J:txb7 tLlxd6 29 J:txd6 j,xc4 30 j,f3 Black is also suffering - Salov. 28 l:ta3 c5? This leads to tactical problems on the light squares. 28 ... a6 was called for.

29 l:te4! f5 White also breaks through after 29...J:tc6 30 j,b8! or 29 ...tLlf7 30 J:tae3 tLlxd6 31 J:txe6 l:txe6 32 J:txe6 l:td8 33 l:te7. 30 J:txe6! J:txe6 Or 30 ... tLlxe6 31 j,xb7 l:tcd8 32 j,c6, re gaining the material with interest. 31 j,d5 a6 If 31 ...J:tc6 then 32 j,e7! - Salov. 32 l:tb3 c;t>f7

3 3 e4! Just when it seemed that Black h as man aged to consolidate, White brings more pieces into the battle. 3 3 ... c;t>g6 Seeing that 33 ... g6 34 es would leave him terribly restricted, Hubner goes for ac tive defence. 34 j,xe6 tLlxe6 35 g4! Very nice. Now 3S ... tLld8 36 gxfS+ is just depressing for Black, so Hubner gives up his knight. 35 ...fxe4 36 f5+ c;t>f6 37 fxe6 b5 Or 37 ...c;t>xe6 38 l:tb6! with an easy win, just as in the game. 38 cxb5 c;t>xe6 39 j,f4 c4 40 l:tb1 axb5 41 J:txb5 l:ta8 42 l:te5+ c;t>f6 43 l:tc5 J:txa2+ 44 c;t>e3 J:tg2 45 j,g3 1-o 219


Game 140 B.Predojevic-A.Morozevich

Sarajevo 2008 French Defence

At this point 9 ...cxd4 1 0 iL:lexd4 .itcs 11 c3 might yield White a slight advantage; however, Morozevich has a much more challenging idea in mind. 9 . gs!? ..

1 e4 e6 2 d4 ds 3 iLlc3 iLlf6 4 es iL:lfd7 s f4 cs 6 iLlf3 iL:lc6 7 .ite3

An initial position of the Classical French has been reached. White enjoys more space but Black has many dynamic resources at his disposal, some of which we will see in this game. 1 a6 Preparing queenside expansion with ...b7-bS. other common options are 7 ... cxd4 8 iL:lxd4 .itcs, 7 ....ite7 and 7 ...ifu6. 8 iLle2 White enables c2-c3 to strengthen his centre. On the other hand, his queenside is now left somewhat unattended, a fact that Black immediately exploits. The flexible 8 'i¥d2 is much more popular in practice. 8 ...'i¥b6 A key move in many variations of the French, and rather natural here as White can no longer reply 9 iL:la4. 9 'i¥c1 ...

220

An energetic pawn advance, which ex ists in several French lines and related structures. Black tries to soften up the en emy centre, exploiting the fact that any capture on gS would weaken the d4-pawn and, indirectly, its colleague on es. 10 C3 The most solid reply. Both 10 iL:lxg s ? ! cxd4 11 .itf2 .itcs and 1 0 fxg s cxd4 1 1 iL:lexd4 iL:lcxes ! look promising for Black, while the greedy 10 dxcs .itxcs 11 .itxcs iL:lxcs 12 iL:lxgs is well met by 12 ... h6, pre paring 13 ...iL:le4, with great compensation for the pawn. 10 ... cxd4 11 cxd4 After 11 iL:lexd4 gxf4! 12 .itxf4 .itg7 Black has some pressure on the es-pawn. Even so, this might be White's lesser evil, in view of what follows in the game. 11....itb4+! Now that both 12 iLlc3 and 12 .itd2 drop the d4-pawn after 12 ... g4, White's king is forced to a more dangerous location.


12 �f2 f6! Another typical French pawn advance, which further destabilizes White's centre and lets Black open the f-file towards the enemy king. 13 g3 Predojevic tries to keep his pawn chain intact, aware that 13 exf6?! Ci:ixf6 would just help Black in activating his knight. 13 ... g4 An improvement on the earlier game V.Topalov-A.Morozevich, Morelia/Linares 2007, which continued 13 ....l:!.f8 14 �g2 g4 15 ctJh4 and White managed to consolidate. 14 lt:ih4 fxes 15 fxes Forced, since 15 dxes ? fails to 1S ....i.. c s! (but not 1S ...d4? 16 Ci:ixd4 Ci:ixd4 17 �c4) 16 .i..x cs (otherwise 16 ... d4 follows) 16 ...Ci:ixcs, with ...ctJd3+ next - Erenburg.

White has considerable difficulties in doing the same thing due to the poor coordina tion of his forces. Of course 17 ... d3+? 18 .i.. e 3 was less to the point. 18 �g2 .i..d 7 19 h3 Clearing some space for the king. 19 �c2 ? was impossible due to 19 ...Ci:ixe s ! 20 .i.. x es .i..c 6+ 21 �g1 d3+ 22 .i..d4 �xd4+ 23 Ci:ixd4 dxc2, with ....i.. c s next - Erenburg. 19 ... d3 20 hxg4 White gives the piece back in order to relieve his defence to some extent. Instead, 20 ctJC3 was strongly met by 20 ... Ci:ixes!, pre paring ... .i.. c 6+, while after 20 .i..e 3 �as 21 ctJf4 Ci:ixes 22 �h2 .l:!.c8 Black's initiative is overwhelming; e.g. 23 �d1 .l:!.c2+ 24 .i..g 2 .l:!.xf4! 25 .i..xf4 Ci:if3+ 26 Ci:ixf3 gxf3 2 7 .l:!.g 1 �dS with a clear advantage - Erenburg . 20 ... dxe2 21 .i..xe2 lt:id4

1s ... Ci:idxes! A strong positional sacrifice that blows up the enemy centre and clears new lines towards the white monarch. In contrast, both 1S ... .l:!.f8+?! and 15 ... 0-0+?! would just help White to secure his king by 16 �g2. 16 dxes d4 17 .i..f4 .l:!.fS With this and his next move, Black brings more pieces to the battle, whereas

Black has emerged with a pleasant ad vantage - his pieces are more active and the white king remains exposed. 22 �e3? A bad place for the queen, as Black's next move will show. More resilient was 22 .i..f3 !, not shying away from the exchange of the "good" bishop; e.g. 22 ...Ci:ixf3 23 Ci:ixf3 .i..c 6 24 .l:!.h6! with counterplay - Erenburg, 221


who suggests 22 ....l::tc 8, followed by ....l::tc 2+, as a better choice. 22 ...1Lc5! 23 b4 The only defence against the multiple threats: 23 ... iVxb2, 23 ...itc6+ and 23 .. .lbc2. 23 ...iVxb4 24 .l::t h b1? This leaves the other rook badly placed on a1. After 24 .l::tab1 itc6+ 25 �h3 lbxe2 26 iVxe2 iVe4 Black will end up with a clearly better endgame - Erenburg, but the text lets him go for more. 24...iVa5 25 �h3 Or 25 .l::td1 0-0-0 26 .l::tac1 iia4!, when 27 .l::txd4 .l::txd4 28 iVxd4 fails to 28 ...itc6+. The text avoids any such checks but, unfortu nately, also lets Black win material. 25 lbxe2 26 iVxe2 itd4 The drawback of White's 24th move be comes evident. 27 ith6 .l::tf2 28 iVe4 itxa1 29 .l::tx a1 0-0-0 •..

With the black king secured and ... itc6 coming up, the game is practically over. 30 itg5 itc6 31 .l::tc 1 iVd5! Obstructing any attempts with .l::tx c6+. 32 iVxh7 iVxa2 Installing a decisive mating threat. 33 .l::txc6+ bxc6 34 lbf3 .l::txf3 3 5 itxd8 �xd8 0-1 222

Seeing that the black king easily escapes from the checks via C7-b6, White resigned.

Game 141 Ru.Sadykov·E.Sveshnikov Cheliabi nsk 2004 Semi--Slav Defence 1 d4 d 5 2 c4 e6 3 lbc3 lbf6 The idea carried out by White on the seventh move in this game can be found in various openings, such as the Queen's Gambit: 3 ...ite7 4 cxds exds s iif4 lbf6 6 e3 itfs 7 iVh3 lbc6 8 g4!? as played in L.Aronian-V.Kramnik, Monte Carlo (blind fold rapid) 2011, or 3 ... ite7 4 lbf3 lbf6 5 g4!? as in S.Mamedyarov-R.Ponomariov, Dort mund 2010. In the Open Sicilian there are many lines with an early g2-g4, as we al ready witnessed in Naiditsch-Belov (Game 18) and Hracek-Bonsch (Game 58). Even in the Open Games there are cases of this ad vance; e.g. 1 e4 e s 2 lbf3 d6 3 d4 lbf6 4 lbc3 lbbd7 5 g4!? as introduced by Shirov. You can also find it in the English - 1 ctJf3 lbf6 2 c4 e6 3 ctJC3 itb4 4 g4!? - and in several In dian Defences. 4 lbf3 c6 5 e3 lbbd7 6 iVc2 In this standard position of the Semi Slav, 6 itd3 is another direction, when Black usually replies 6 ... dxc4 7 itxc4 bS, followed by ... a7-a6 and ... c6-cS, giving rise to the Meran System. In contrast, 6 iVc2 can be regarded as a useful move while awaiting Black's next step. 6 ...itd6 7 g4 Just as in the previous games, White launches a flank advance at quite an early stage of the battle. This move caused aston ishment at the time of its invention by Shi-


rov and Shabalov in the early nineties, but twenty years later it has an established place in opening theory.

Although White seems, at first sight, to be intending a quick kingside attack, the main idea behind 7 g4 is quite another: to dislodge the knight on f6 by ...g4-g5, and then exploit its absence with a timely e3-e4 break. By the way, the immediate 7 e4 has proved less promising after 7 ...dxe4 8 lZ'lxe4 l2Jxe4 9 �xe4 il.b4+ or 9 ... c5. We will soon see that things are a bit different when e3e4 is effected without a black knight on f6. 7...l2Jxg4 A principled reaction. other common replies are: 7 ...h6, preventing g4-g 5; 7...il.b4, preparing to meet g4-g5 by ...lZ'le4; and 7 ... dxc4 8 il.xc4 e5 striking back in the centre. In the last case, play often continues 9 g5 lZ'ld5 10 il.d2, followed by 11 lZ'le4, or even the immediate 10 lZ'le4, with a fierce battle for the central squares. 8 l:t,g 1 One key circumstance which makes the 7 g4 line work is that 6 ... il.d6 has left the g7pawn undefended. Here, 8 ...l2Jxh2 and 8 .. .f5 are Black's main choices, but Sveshnikov's next move is fully playable as well.

8 ...�f 6 g l:t,xg4 �xf3 10 l:t,xg7 lZ'lf8 The natural 10...l2Jf6 permits 11 l:t,g5, with the threat 12 il.g2, while the simple 11 h 3 h as also had good results in practice. Now, on the other hand, the threat of 11...l2Jg 6 makes White withdraw his rook on less voluntary terms. 11 l:t,g1 il.xh2?! Black grabs a pawn, at the cost of delay ing development. Safer was 11 ... l2Jg6 12 il.e2 �f6 13 il.d2 il.d7 with complex play. 12 il.e2 �f6 13 l:t,h1 il.d6

14 e4! An energetic pawn advance that hands the initiative to White. As seen in the fol lowing subvariations, his choice is tactically well-founded. 14...il.b4 After 14 ... �xd4?! 15 il.e3 �f6 16 0-0-0 Black is already under strong pressure; e.g. 16 ...d4 17 e 5 ! il.xe5 18 lZ'le4 �d8 19 f4! il.g7 20 c5, preparing lZ'ld6+ {Sadykov). And 14 ... dxe4 15 l2Jxe4 �d8 {or 15 ... �xd4? 16 il.d2 ! - Sadykov) 16 l2Jxd6+ 'ifxd6 17 il.e3, followed by 0-0-0, also gives White plenty of compensation for the pawn. 15 il.e3! The most appealing solution. White just 223


keeps on bringing his pieces out, aware that Black's king has no safe destiny any where on the board. 1S ...dxe4 16 0-0-0 .i.xc3 17 'ifxc3 .Mg8 Activating the rook and avoiding any skewers on the a1-h8 diagonal. In the event of 17 ... .i.d7 White could consider 18 .Mdg1, enabling a future .i.gs. 18 'ifb3! White prevents ....i.d7 and prepares d4ds at the same time. 18... b6

19 dS! The position was begging for this move, which clears new lines for White's pieces towards the enemy king. 19 ....i.d7 After 19 ... cs 20 'ifc2 White also keeps up the pressure; e.g. 20...exds 21 cxds 'ifes 22 .Mh4 fs 23 d6 with compensation - Sadykov. 20 dxc6 .i.xc6 21 cs! White just keeps on attacking, not car ing about the possible exposure of his king on the c-file. 21...tL:ld7 22 .Md6 .Mc8 23 .i.bs! .i.xbs 24 'ifxbs .Mc7 25 .Mhd1 .Mgs? After this pseudo-active move, Black's position falls apart immediately. 2S ... 'ife7 224

was critical, on which Sadykov's main line goes 26 b4! .Mg6! 27 .Mc6 'ifd8 28 cxb6 .Mxc6+ 29 'ifxc6 axb6 30 'ifxe4 'ifc7+ 31 �b1 hs 32 b s ! ? .Mg4 33 f4 with compensation for the pawn, but nothing more.

26 �b1! Now the double threat at d7 and gS proves irresistible and Black is just left with desperate moves. 26...a6 27 'ifxa6 .Mgxcs 28 .i.xcs bxcs 29 'ifbs 'ifd8 30 a4! A new player enters the field, exhaust ing the enemy defences. 30...'ifc8 31 as �e7 32 a6 'Llf6 33 .Md8! 1-0

The role of the centre By now we are well aware of the fact that the centre is not an element of the opening phase exclusively, but keeps its relevance in the middlegame battle as well. Here I would like to repeat a few strategic princi ples with relation to the centre: The side that controls the centre has a greater freedom of actions on the whole board. t An attack on the flank is often well met by a counterstrike in the centre. t

Th e Battle fo r t h e Cen tre 1

Without sufficient control of the cen tre, an attack on the flank is less likely to succeed.

Note that these are not absolute truths, but just principles, which nevertheless have kept their validity over the years. In the next five games we will see them in action again.

Game :t42

V.Bologan li;.Westerinen

and frequently used by his students such as Bologan, is that the knight manoeuvre 'Llbd2-f1-g3 is executed before castling. Thus White saves on the .l:te1 move, com pared with similar positions in the Spanish. 9...CLJe7 Black "copies" the opponent's idea. An other option is 9 .. ds, when White usually replies 10 'ilVe2, keeping the light square control while avoiding the exchange of queens. 10 CLJg3 'Llg6 11 0-0 h6 12 d4 .

..

Gausdal 1991

Italian Game

1 e4 es 2 CLJf3 CLJc6 3 .tc4 CLJf6 4 d3

Nowadays, this is the most popular way of treating the Italian. Adherents of open positions can consider 4 ct:Jgs and 4 d4 in stead. 4...-tcs s c3 a6 6 .tb3 A typical prophylactic measure in this line, and Black actually makes a similar one three moves later. 6 ...d6 7 ct:Jbd2 o-o 8 h3 il.a7 9 'Llf1 One key feature in this opening system, designed by Moldavian trainer Chebanenko

With the knight on g6 hindering the standard attacking plan of 'Llh4, 'Llgfs, 'ilVf3 etc, White prefers to set up a pawn centre. 12 ... exd4?! This capture leaves White with an extra pawn in the centre, a common situation in defences characterized by a strong fi anchetto bishop such as the Grunfeld and Benoni, but less advisable in the current structure. 12 ... .l:te8 and 12 ... .td7 were rea sonable options, keeping the tension while getting on with development. 13 cxd4 dS 14 es 'Lle4 This was probably Black's point when deciding upon 12 ... exd4. Unfortunately, the centralized knight will have to depart at 225


once after White's next move. 15 .ic2! l2:Jh4?! 15 .. .f5? obviously drops a pawn after 16 exf6, but 15 ... l2:Jxg 3 16 fxg3 c5! was a lesser evil, putting some pressure on White's cen tre, even if the latter keeps the advantage after 17 .ie3. The text has the drawback of leaving the centre completely in White's hands. 16 l2:Jxe4 dxe4 17 .ixe4 l2:Jxf3+ 18 'iVxf3 'iVxd4

19 .if4! Bologan gets on with development and, at the same time, reinforces his central grip. After l:!.ad1 on the next move he will in fact be controlling all four central squares, which leaves him ready to take action on the whole board. Of course 19 .ixb7? .ixb7 20 'iVxb7 'iVxe5 was less to the point. 19... c6 In the event of 19 ...'iVxb2 White has 20 l:!.fb1 'iVd4 21 l:!.d1 'iVa4 22 .ixh6! gxh6 23 'iVg3+ 'it>h8 24 'iVf4 'it>g7 25 l:!.d3 with a deci sive attack, just like later on in the game. 20 l:!.ad1 'iVb4 This time 20 ...'iVxb2 is strongly met by 21 'iVg3 'it>h8 22 e6!, intending .ie5.

226

21 .ixh6! With the centre completely under his control, White launches a strong attack on Black's king, in which the pawn on e5 plays a crucial role by shielding its fellow pieces and controlling the key square on f6. 21 ...gxh6 22 'iVg3+ 'it>h8 23 'iVf4 �g7 24 l:!.d3! l:!.e8 Or 24.. .f5 25 exf6+ l:!.xf6 26 l:!.g3+ 'it>f7 27 .ig6+, winning the queen. 2S l:!.g3+ 'it>f8 26 'iVxh6+ 'it>e7 27 'iVh4+! A clever check that obliges the retreat of Black's king, now that 27 ... 'it>d7? fails to 28 .if5+. 27 ...'it>f8 28 a3! One more intermediate move to force Black's queen to a rather less favourable square. 28...'iVd4 The only move, since 28 ... 'iVxb2 runs into 29 'iVh6+ 'it>e7 30 'iVd6 mate, while 28 ... 'iVc5 is met by 29 .ih7 ! - Cu.Hansen. 29 'iVh6+ 'it>e7 30 'iVf6+ 'it>d7 This loses the queen, but 30 ...'it>f8 31 .ih7 was terminal anyway. 31 l:!.d3 'iVxd3 32 .ixd3 1-0 In this hopeless position, Black resigned.

Th e B a ttle fo r the Cen tre

Game 143

P.Eijanov-V.Akopian

European Cup, Ohrid 2009 Catalan Opening

1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Cbf3 Cbf6 4 Cbc3 e6 5 g3 Instead of entering a Semi-Slav battle with 5 .i.g5 or 5 e3, White takes the game into Catalan waters. 5 ...dxc4 A principled reaction, exploiting the fact that with CDc3 already on the board White can't easily recover the pawn. The flexible 5 ... Cbbd7 is popular as well. 6 .i.g2 b5 1 Cbe5 Cbd5 Black can also consider 7 ... a6, when 8 Cbxc6 'iib 6! is quite inoffensive for him. 8 a4 Immediately attacking the enemy pawn phalanx, before Black consolidates by ....i.b7 and ... a7-a6. 8 ....i.b4

9 0-0! More energetic than the obvious 9 .i.d2. In Eljanov's own words, "a real Catalan player should be ready to prefer to sac a second pawn to win a few tempi!".

9 ...0-0 Eljanov analyses 9 ... Cbxc3 10 bxc3 .i.xc3 11 lia3 !, when both 11 ....i.b4 12 axb5 .i.xa3 13 .i.xa3 and 11 ...b4 12 lixc3! bxc3 13 .i.a3 lead to an overwhelming initiative for White, as does 9 ....i.xc3 10 e4! .i.xb2 11 .i.xb2 Cbe7 12 d5 !?. On the other hand, 9 .. .f6! 10 e4 Cbe7 was quite a reasonable choice; e.g. 11 Cbf3 0-0 12 axb5 .i.xC3 13 bxc3 cxb5 14 .i.a3 lif7 with unclear play in M.Ulibin-I.Salgado Lo pez, Cappelle la Grande 2009. In effect, po sitions of a double-edged nature often re quire non-standard moves, such as 9 ...f6 in this case. In contrast, the text lets White retain his powerful central knight on e5 for the rest of the game. 10 axbs .i.xc3 11 bxc3 cxb5 After 11 ... Cbxc3?! 12 iYc2 Cbxb5 13 e3 White soon recovers the pawns with a clear positional plus. 12 .i.a3 lie8 13 e4! Cbf6 This time 13 ...Cbxc3?! is strongly met by 14 iYf3. 14 iYb1!? A rare, but good place for the queen, where she overprotects the e4-pawn and exerts some pressure along the b-file. 14 f4 at once was also possible, whereas the tempting 14 Cbxf7 doesn't yield more than a draw after 14...<.toxf7 15 e5 Cbd5 16 iYh 5+ <.tog8 17 .i.e4 g6 18 .i.xg6 hxg6 19 iYxg6+ <.toh8 20 life1 Cbxc3 21 lie3 .i.b7, since both 22 lixc3 Cbc6 23 g4 iYh4! and 22 g4 Cbe2+! 23 lixe2 Cbc6 24 lie3 iYh4 let Black parry the mate on the h-file - Eljanov. 14 ... a6 15 f4 iYc7 The immediate 15 ....i.b7? fails to 16 CDXC4. White has achieved an unusually strong grip on the centre, combining a centralized 22 7

M as t e ring Open ing Stra tegy

knight with a heavy pawn centre.

In consequence, nothing speaks against a full-scale attack on the kingside, where Black is rather short of defenders. 16 g4! i.b7 11 gs lt:lfd7 18 Ita2! A neat way of including the second rook in the attack by preparing to swing along the second rank. 18 ...lt:lc6 19 Itaf2 !tabS For his part, Black prepares the only pos sible attempt for counterplay, the ...b5-b4 advance. 20 �d1 as 21 �hs lt:ldxes? Thus Black assures ...b5-b4 on the next move, but the clearance of the f-file will play heavily against him in the further course of the game. Instead, 21 ... g6 22 � 6 b 4 23 f5 ! leads to a crushing attack after 23 ...exf5 24 exf5 lt:lf8 25 lt:lg4 - Eljanov, so the awkward-looking 21 ...lt:ld8! was the only way to keep up the fight, when White could consider 22 lt:lg4, preparing the ad vance f4-f5. 22 fxes b4 23 i.b2 !tbd8 24 Itf3! White refrains from the materialistic 24 Itxf7?! Ite7 25 It7f4 �6 with unclear play, and simply sends the rook to h3. By the way, had Black opted for 21...lt:ld8!, then the 228

analogous 2 2 Itf3? would have failed to 22 ....txe4. 24...g6 Or 24...bxc3 25 Ith3 (25 .txc3 is also pos sible}, when both 25 ...cxb2 26 �xh7+ �f8 27 �8+ �e7 28 Itxf7+ �xf7 29 g6+! and 25 ... h6 26 gxh6 g6 27 �g5 �e7 28 h7+ �h8 29 .tel! are fatal for Black - Eljanov. With the text Akopian prepares a light square blockade at the cost of a pawn, but it soon proves insufficient. 25 �h6 fs 26 gxf6 �f7

27 �e3! Supporting the d4-pawn and preparing a final assault with h4-h5. 27...Itd7 28 h4! Ited8 29 hs bxc3 30 .txc3 lt:lxd4 31 Itg3 Now the g6-pawn falls, and the rest is rather easy for White. 31 ... lt:lbs 32 hxg6 hxg6 33 �h6 �h7 34 Itxg6+ �h8 35 .txas Ita8 36 �gs Itg8 37 f7! A nice intermediate move to divert the black queen from the h-file. 37 ...Itxf7 38 Itxf7 Itxg6 Obviously 38 ... �xf7 runs into the reply 39 !th6+. 39 �d8+ Itg8 40 Itxh7+ �xh7 41 �h4+ �g6 42 i.d2 1-0


vQme 144

A Kotov•I.BoleslavS:ky ..

USSRCh�.ll'lpion�hip, Moscow. 1945

Trompowsky's . Opening 1 d4 tZ:lf6 2 .igs tt:Je4 3 .if4 d6 A modest, but fully playable reply to the Trompowsky. Nowadays, 3 ...c5 and 3 ...d5 are more frequent options. 4 f3 tZ:lf6 5 e4 g6 6 �d2 tt:Jbd7 Aware that .ih6 might be in the air, Boleslavsky delays 6 ....ig7 and develops the queenside first. The same idea is often ap plied by Black in the Pirc; e.g. 1 e4 d6 2 d4 tt:Jf6 3 tZ:lc3 g6 4 .ie3 c6 5 �d2 b5 6 .id3 tZ:lbd7, delaying ... .ig7 until the moment is right, such as when White castles short. 7 .ih6?! White is eager to start a king side attack, but it made sense to bring out a few more pieces first; e.g. starting with 7 tZ:lc3. 7 ....ixh6 8 �xh6

9 c3?! This attempt to maintain the pawn cen tre is strongly punished by the opponent's next move. After 9 d5?! �6 and an oppor tune ... e7-e6 Black grabs the initiative too, but the developing 9 dxc5 tt:Jxc5 (or 9 ... �a5+) 10 tZ:lc3 was reasonable. 9 ... �b6! 10 �d2 A sad retreat for White, but due to his lagging development it was the only way to avoid material losses. In contrast, with his queen's knight already on d2 or a3, he could have played 10 tZ:lc4 at this point. 10 cxd4 11 cxd4 es! Kotov gets no time to rest. Now the ab sence of his dark-squared bishop is strongly felt. 12 tZ:la3 12 d5?! o-o, preparing ...tZ:lh5 and .. .f7-f5, yields Black a definite initiative, while in the event of 12 tt:Jc3 he could try 12 ... d5 ! ? as in the game; e.g. 13 dxe5 tZ:lxe5 14 exd5 o-o with interesting compensation for the pawn. With the text White was probably hoping for 12 ... exd4?! 13 tZ:lc4 �c5 14 b4, followed by 15 �xd4, but Black has a much stronger move at his disposal. 12 ... ds! ...

s ...cs!

Black responds to the flank attack with a counterstrike at White's centre. We saw a similar case in Milu-Zaitsev (Game 65). 229


One more central strike, preventing li:Jc4 and clearing the e-file for future actions towards the enemy king. 13 dxe5 After 13 exd5 li:Jxd5 14 dxe5 li:Je3 15 li:Jc4 li:Jxc4 16 i.xc4 li:Jxe5 17 'ife2 'ifb4+, fol lowed by ... 0-0, White is also in trouble Ftacnik. 13 ...li:Jxe5 14 i.b5+ Seeing that 14 exd5 o-o, followed by ....l:!.e8(+), yields Black a strong attack, Kotov tries to bring out his pieces quickly.

14...�f8!? There was nothing wrong with 14...i.d7 15 i.xd7+ li:Jexd7, followed by ... 0-0 and ....l:!.fe8(+), but Boleslavsky wants the bishop on b5 as a future target. 15 exd5 �g7 16 li:Je2 Or 16 o-o-o i.f5, followed by ... .l:!.ac8+ with a great attack. 16 ... a6 17 i.c4 Both 17 i.a4?! i.f5, preparing ... li:Jd3+, and 17 i.d3? 'ifxb2! cause White even big ger problems. 11 ...l:!.e8 18 .l:!.d1? This lets Black land a strong tactical blow. 18 �fl i.f5 19 .l:!.d1 was essential Ftacnik, although after 19 ... .1:!.ac8 it is in fact 230

not easy to save White; e.g. 2 0 b 3 ? 'ifd6! 21 'iVb2 fails to 21 ...b5.

18...i.h3 ! White's dubious opening strategy re ceives its final punishment. 19 �f1 Ftacnik also analyses 19 f4 i.xg2 20 fxe5 .l:!.xe5 21 .l:!.f1 i.xfl 22 �xfl .l:!.f5+ with a de cisive attack. 19 ... li:Jxf3 20 'iff4 The attempt to prevent Black's next move in the game by 20 'iVC3 fails to 20 ....l:!.e3 ! . 2 0...li:Jg4! 21 'ifxf3 li:Je3+ 2 2 �e1 i.xg2 2 3 'iff2 i.xh1 With an extra exchange and the attack still intact, the rest is easy for Black. 24 .l:!.d3 'ifb4+ 25 .l:!.d2 .l:!.ac8 26 i.b3 i.xd5 27 i.xd5 li:Jxd5 28 'ifd4+ 'ifxd4 29 .l:!.xd4 li:Jf6 0-1

Game 145 I�Giek-Ch.Lutz German league 1992 Sicilian Defence, Kan Variation

1 e4 c5 2 li:Jf3 e6 3 d4 cxd4 4 li:Jxd4 a6 5 li:Jc3 'ifc7

The B a t t l e fo r t h e Cen tre

the event of e4-e5. In contrast, the immedi ate 12 ...0-o?! would invite 13 e5. 13 b4 White forces the swap on d3 in order to stabilize his centre. Instead, 13 e5 is well met by the discrete 13 ... tt:lfd7!, while after 13 a3 0-0 14 l:tf3 l:tfe8 15 l:th3 g6, preparing ...i.f8-g7, Black has no major problems. 13 ...tt:lxd3 14 cxd3 0-0

This encounter is taken from my book Play the Sicilian Kan and can be regarded as a model game for that opening variation. Just like most other Open Sicilians, White has to play aggressively to aspire at any advantage, a fact that often leads to his centre being exposed to a counterblow, as on move 18 in this game. 6 i.d3 A typical deployment in the Kan, which was possible on the previous move as well. 6 ...tt:lf6 7 f4 d6 Black opts for a Hedgehog set-up. The sharper 7 ... b5 8 e5 b4 is also popular in practice. 8 o-o bs 9 'iVe2 i.b7 10
An approximately equal position has emerged. Admittedly the exchange on d3 reinforced White's centre, but on the other hand he will miss that bishop in a future kingside attack. 1S l:tc1 The further course of the game suggests that 15 g4!? at once might be more precise. H ere Black should avoid both 15 ... d5?! 16 e5 and 15 ... e5?! 16 tt:lf5, followed by 17 g5, in favour of the prophylactic 15 ...l:tfe8 16 g5 tt:ld7; e.g. 17 f5 i.f8 18 fxe6 fxe6 19 l:tc1 'ifd8, intending ...tt:le5 and ...l:tc8 with a compact position. 1S ...'i¥d7 16 g4?! A tempting flank advance, but Black turns out to be well prepared. 16 tt:lb3 l:tac8 17 i.e3, followed by i.d4, was a safer choice. 231

M a s te ring Op e n ing Stra tegy

16 ...es! 17 li:Jfs Or 17 fxes dxes 18 li:Jfs l:tfd8! 19 g s lt:Je8 with counterplay against d3 and b4. 17 ... exf4 18 l:txf4 18 g s ? obviously failed to 18 .. .'iVxfs, while after 18 �g1 i.d8!, both 19 gS i.b6+ 20 d4 lt:Jxe4! and 19 i.xf4 ds 20 es d4! 2 1 exf6 dxc3, followed by 22 . . .l:te8, favour Black. Finally, 18 i.xf4 can be met in the same way as the text.

1s ...ds! A key move of the game, by which Black secures a lot of counterplay along the cen tral files and the h 1-a8 diagonal, with a dis tracting effect upon White's attack. In fact, the idea of responding to g2-g4 with ... d7ds at some moment has quite an old record in the Sicilian, and Dvoretsky covered the subject rather extensively in Opening Preparation. 19 g5 dxe4 20 dxe4 The consistent 20 gxf6 failed to 20 ...exd3+ 21 lt:Je4 'iVxfs ! 22 l:txfs dxe2 2 3 fxe7 i.xe4+ 2 4 �g 1 i.xfs 25 exf8'iV+ �xf8, while 20 lt:Jxe7+ 'iVxe7 21 gxf6 exd3+ 22 lt:Je4 'iVxf6! yields Black a strong initiative; e.g. 23 'iVxd3? 'iVd8! with .. .f7-f5 coming up. 20...lt:Jxe4! 232

An intuitive sacrifice that proves to be tactically well-founded. 21 li:Jxe7+ After 21 lt:Jxe4 i.xg S White will soon have to return more material; e.g. 22 l:tg1 f6 23 h4 l:tae8! 24 hxg s l:txe4 2 S l:txe4 'iVxfs 26 l:tgg4 l:te8 etc. 21...'iVxe7 22 li:Jxe4 l:tae8 23 �g1 Or 23 l:te1 fS ! 24 gxf6 l:txf6 and the knight is doomed. 23 ...i.xe4 24 l:te1 Glek had put his hopes in this new pin, but it is not nearly as effective as the previ ous one. 24...'iVxg5+ 25 l:tg4 i.d3 ! Black maintains h i s material advantage. 26 i.xgs .ixe2 27 l:tg3 i.hs 28 i.e7 fs! 29 l:tge3 l:tf7 30 i.cs l:txe3 31 l:txe3

Opposite-coloured bishops are famous for their drawing effect, but with one pair of rooks still on the board, White should be helpless against the connected passed pawns. 31 ...l:td7 32 l:ta3 l:td2 By 32 ...l:td1+! 33 �f2 l:td2+ or 33 .. .f4 Black would have made significant pro gress. At this point both players probably suffered from time trouble.


33 �xa6 �f3 34 h4 h6 35 a4! Exchanging more pawns. 3 S ... bxa4 36 �xa4 �g2+ 37 'iitf1 �g4 38 �e7 �e4 39 �a7 f4 40 �d6 0-1 Despite reasonable chances for a draw, the official scoresheet indicates that White lost at this moment. In any case, the turbu lent conclusion of the game doesn't take away its instructive merits.

Game 146

L.D.Nisipeanu-R.Dautov German League 2003 Caro-Kann

Defence

1 e4 c6 2 d3 The King's Indian Attack, a practical choice when you are not up to a heavy theoretical discussion. 2 ... ds 3 tt:ld2 es 4 tt:lgf3 �d6 A logical set-up, which exploits the sup port that ... c7-c6 gives to the pawn centre. 5 g3 tLlf6 6 �g2 o-o 7 o-o �e8 8 �e1 �g4 other main options are 8 ... tt:lbd7 and 8 ... as, preparing ... tt:la6-cs, in both cases waiting with the queen's bishop until the moment is right.

9 C3 Here and on the following two moves, 9 h3 was more precise, in order to force the bishop to h s - Dautov. 9 ... tt:Jbd7 10 �C2 �C7 11 tLJfl?! This was White's last chance for 11 h3, when 11 ...�e6 12 tt:Jg s gains the bishop pair, while 11 ...�h s 12 tt:lh4, heading for fs, also yields him a minimal initiative. 11 ... h6! Black prevents tt:Jg s, so that the bishop can retreat to e6 without any risk of being exchanged. 12 tt:le3 �e6 13 tt:lh4 as A useful move which gains some space while awaiting the opponent's next step. 14 �e2 Aware that 14 tt:JhfS yields little after 14 ...�f8, followed by ... g7-g6, White prefers to reinforce his future kingside attack with a queen transfer to f3. 14... �ad8 15 �f3 �f8 16 �f1 Both sides are using considerable pro phylaxis. The immediate 16 tt:lhfs?! back fires after 16 ... g6 17 g4 tt:Jcs ! , hitting d3 Dautov. 16 'iit h 7 .••

Black has defended his kingside rather 23 3


carefully, his two last moves fulfilling the purpose of overprotecting the h 6-pawn, so that l2Je(h)-f5 can be met by ... g7-g6. 17 g4?! White gets on with the attack, but we will soon see that his position doesn't sup port such aggression. The modest 17 h3, preparing lLle3-g4, was a better choice Dautov. 17 ...g6 Covering the vital f5-square. In contrast, the impulsive 17 ... dxe4 18 dxe4 lLlc5?!, heading for d3, runs into 19 l2Jef5 g 6 20 l2Jxh 6 ! lLlfxe4 21 �3 with an attack Dautov. 18 l2Jefs The only way to justify the previous move. Now there appear ideas l ike 19 �3 and 19 l2Jxh6 .txh6 20 g 5, so Black must react with care. 18 ...dxe4 19 dxe4 gxfs 20 gxfs .tds! A key decision, which was probably al ready foreseen by Dautov when making his 17th move. By returning the piece in this way, Black obtains a firm grip on the centre, and both his rooks will prove ideally placed. 21 exds cxds 22 "V!Vh3 e4! Parrying the threat of lLlf3-g5 and vacat ing the e5-square for the knight, from where it can reach several interesting des tinies such as g4, f3 and d3. 23 �h1? A natural move; however, the unde fended f2-pawn wil l soon play against White tactically. 23 .te2 l2Je5 24 l2Jg2 was correct, improving the passive knight, when 24 ... .tg7 25 .tf4 "V!Vb6 26 "Vlig3 l2Jfd7!, head ing for c5, keeps Black's advantage Dautov. 23 ... l2Jes 24 .tf4 .td6!

234

By now the merits of Black's 20th move are clearly appreciated. His strong pawn centre, well supported by the rest of his pieces, gives him a very dominant position, whereas White's kingside attack has reached a dead end. 25 .te2 The aggressive alternative 25 l2Jf3? failed fatally to 25 ...l2Jeg4!, so Nisipeanu opts to prevent ... l2Jeg4. Unfortunately for him, the knight has another great destiny at its disposal. 2S ... lLld3! 26 .txd6? A tactical oversight in time trouble. Af ter 26 .txd3 .txf4 27 .tb5 .l::!.g 8 White's game is strategically very difficult, but the text l oses material. 26...l2Jxf2+ 27 �g2 "V!Vb6! A clever intermediate move which l ets Black simplify to an endgame with a sound extra pawn. 28 "Vlig3 Or 28 .to .l::!.g 8+! 29 l2Jg6 "V!Vxc7 30 �xf2 fxg6, winning - Dautov. 28 ... .l::!.g8 29 lLlg6 .S.xd6 30 "V!Vxf2 fxg6 0-1 A pawn down and worse on the whole board, White resigned.

Th e B a ttle for th e C e n tre

Exe rcises

Oame 1:4 7

H.Dobosz�F.Landleiter Nurem berg 1999 Queen's Gambit Declined

1 e4 c5 2 d3 The King's Indian Attack can be used against a variety of defences, including the Sicilian. Another popular way of launching it is with 2 ctJf3 and only then 3 d3. 2 l2Jc6 3 g3 d5 4 l2'ld2 dxe4 5 dxe4 g6 6 j_g2 j_g7 7 l2Jgf3 l2Jf6 8 0-0 0-0 9 .l:te1 Probably the most exact choice, since 9 c3 permits 9 ... �d3, while 9 �e2 j_g4, followed by 10 ...l2Jd4 or 10...l2Jes, also makes life a bit easier for Black. Now, on the other h and, 9 ... j_g4 can be met by 10 h3. 9 �C7 10 C3 .l:td8 11 �e2 ctJg4 Just in time, before White goes e4-e5. A different approach is 11 ... es. 12 l2'lc4 l2'lge5 12 ... b6 13 j_f4 lLlges 14 lLlfxes lLlxes is more precise, as in L.Vogt-M.Petursson, Brocco 1990, although by 15 l2'le3 ! ? e6 16 j_xes j_xes 17 f4 j_g7 18 es j_b7 19 .l:tad1 White could have achieved a slight plus. 13 ctJfxe5 lLlxe5 14 j_f4 j_e6 .••

1 d4 l2'lf6 2 c4 d 5?! 3 cxd5 �xd5?! Black's second move surrendered the centre without getting anything in return, and here 3 ... l2Jxds was more to the point, avoiding the early exposure of the queen. 4 l2'lc3 �d8 5 l2'lf3 e6 6 e4 j_e7 7 j_c4 c6 8 o-o l2'lbd7 9 .l:te1 o-o 10 a3 b5 11 j_a2 a6 12 j_g5 j_b7 13 .l:tc1 h6 14 j_h4 .l:te8

...

Your move ... (+ short plan)

Game 148 A.Strikevic-R.Mascarina$ Geneva 1991 Sicilian Defence, King 's Indian Attack

Your move ... (+ short plan) 235


Game 149

.A.Zapata-M.Tat

Subotlca l nterzona l 1987 Alekhine's Defence 1 e4 tbf6 2 es tbds 3 d4 d6 4 f4 Quite a rare, but far from insipid line against the Alekhine. 4...dxes s fxes cs 6 c4?! But this pawn advance is badly timed, in contrast to the Four Pawns Attack which we saw in Van der Wiel-Vaganian (Game 129). Instead, with 6 tbf3 cxd4 7 �xd4 lbc6 8 �e4!, White could still fight for an edge. 6 ...lbb4! 1 ds?! One more inaccuracy. 7 a3 tb4c6 8 e6!? was more in the spirit of the variation. 7 ... .iUS 8 tba3

�d8 5 lbf3 e6 6 e4 i,e7 1 i,d3 h6? A loss of time as well as a weakening of Black's kingside structure. 7 ...b6 at once was a lesser evil. 8 o-o b6 9 �e2 i,b7 10 .Md1 Such a set-up is quite logical in this structure, in order to support the pawn centre with two major pieces and compli cate Black's ... C7-cS. 10...lbbd7 The immediate 10...0-o? would have run into 11 e s tbds 12 �e4. when Black's inac curacy on move seven makes itself felt. 11 i,c2 c6 12 i,f4 lbhs?! This won't end well, but it was already hard to give Black good advice. 13 i,e3 �c7

Your move... Your move ...

Game 151 Mat.BarteJ-B.Macieja

Game 1so

Polish Championship,

J..Heflsten-M.LJevtic Befgrade 2002 Queen's Gambit Declined

Ragozin Defence

1 d4 ds 2 c4 tbf6?! 3 cxds �xdS?! 4 tbc3 236

Warsa w 2011 1 d4 l2:Jf6 2 C4 e6 3 t2:Jf3 dS 4 i,g5 By this move order White avoids the

The B a ttle fo r t h e Cen tre

sharp Botvinnik Variation ansmg after 4 lbc3 c6 5 itg 5 dxc4, since 4...c6 can now be met by 5 lbbd2 or 5 e3, securing the c4pawn. 4 ... h6 5 .ltxf6 �xf6 6 lbc3 .ltb4 On his part, Black refrains from transpos ing to the Moscow Variation with 6 ... c6 and takes the game to the Ragozin Defence. Who benefited from these move order tricks is only known by the players themselves. 7 e3 o-o 8 .ie2 More flexible than 8 .id3, when 8 ... dxc4 forces White to reply 9 .ltxc4. Incidentally, 8 l:tc1 and 8 �3 are also possible. 8 ...dxc4 9 0-0 b6?! 9 ... c5 was preferable - Bartel, immedi ately putting some pressure on White's centre.

Quite a popular deviation from the thematic 8 ... c5. Black aims at light square play with ...lba5, ...b7-b6, ... itb7 etc, while the central break ... e7-e5 can also be considered. 9 0-0 �d7 An awkward move at first sight, but since the queen's bishop is heading for b7, the queen will prove well placed on d7. 10 .ia3?! The bishop isn't doing much there. 10 .ie3, followed by �d2, is a more popular choice. 10 ...tZJa5 11 .id3 b6 12 tZJf4?! 12 l:tb1 .ltb7 13 d5 c6 14 c4 was prefer able - Moiseev. 12 ... .ltb7 13 �e2 l:tfd8 14 l:tad1 e6 15 e5?! Exposing the central pawns. The modest 15 .ib4 lbc6 16 i.a3 was better - Moiseev.

Your move ... (+ short plan) Your move ...

Game 152

A.Lilienthai-V.Korchnoi USSR Cha mpionship, Kiev 19 54

Griinfe/d Defence

1 d4 lbf6 2 c4 g6 3 lLlc3 d 5 4 cxd5 lbxd5 5 e4 lbxc3 6 bxc3 .ltg7 7 .ltc4 0-0 8 lbe2 lbc6

Game 153

V.Antoshin-B.Ivkov Polanka Zdroj 1970 Beno ni Defence

1 d4 lbf6 2 c4 c5 3 d 5 e5 4 lbc3 d6 5 e4 ite7 23 7

M a s te ring Op e n ing S trategy

The Czech Benoni, an ideal opening for players who like closed positions and aren't bothered by a space disadvantage. 6 h3 With this and his next move, White aims at frustrating the typical plan .. . 0-0, ....�be8, ... g7-g6, ....�:lg 7 and . ..f7-f5. Another popular approach is 6 g3, followed by i.g2, lbge2, 0-0 and f2-f4, with completely different play. 6 ... 0-0 7 g4 a6

with a strong initiative. 13 ... b6 14 'it>e2 14 'it>f1! ? seems safer, followed by 'it>g2, and this is in fact how Gurevich dealt with the royal problem. 14...'it>h8 Stepping off the g-file and enabling ... lbg8 if needed. 15 J:l.ag1 i.d7 16 l:l.g3 �c7 17 J:l.hg1

Your move ... Black signals that he might be consider ing ... b7-b5 at some moment. 8 lbf3 lbbd7 9 i.d3 lbe8 10 a3 Copying the opponent's idea from three moves ago. 10...g6 Another idea was 10...lDC7, preparing ...b7-b5, but the text is more efficient, since it soon lets Black complete the develop ment of all his minor pieces. 11 i.h6 lbg7 12 �d2 lbf6 13 b4 A parallel attack on both flanks can be a risky business {cf. the game Gurevich-Piket in Mastering Chess Strategy), but Black is also fine after 13 lbe2 'it>h8! 14 lbg3 lbg8 15 i.e3 b5! as in L.Pachman-V.Ciocaltea, Har rachov 1966; e.g. 16 cxb5 axb5 17 i.xb5 f5 ! 238

Game 1.54 M.:Mrndzic-M.Pejic

Zupanja 2007 Queen's Gambit Declined 1 d4 ds 2 c4 lbf6?! I am sorry about bringing up this lousy line in yet another game, but it does have a tendency to produce instructive battles. 3 cxds lbxds 4 e4 lbf6 s lbc3 e6 As we already discussed in Grabarczyk Podlesny {Game 115), 5 ... e5 is a more active choice here, which White could have avoided by playing 4 lbf3 first. 6 lbf3 i.e7 7 i.d3 o-o 8 o-o b6 9 �e2 i.b7 10 l:l.d1

Th e Ba ttle fo r the Cen tre

Applying the same set-up as in the abovementioned game. 10...1\VcS?! An odd move. 10 ... 4Jbd7, followed by ....Me8 and possibly ...lbf8-g6, was probably a better choice. 11 i.g5 .Me8 12 .Mac1! The last piece joins the party, discourag ing Black from the liberating ... C7-c5 ad vance. 12 ...4Jbd7

useful for preventing e3-e4 - besides, in the event of g2-g4 in similar fashion to Sadykov-Sveshnikov (Game 141}, Black can always rely on ... i.xc3 and ...lbe4 if it is needed. 9 a3 i.a5 10 i.d3 o-o 11 .Md1 The natural 11 e4? backfires after 11 ... e5! - Cram ling. 11 ....Me8 12 cxd5 This leaves Black with an easy game, though after 12 o-o e5!, intending 13 cxd5? i.xc3 and ...e5-e4, her opening problems are over too. As for 12 b4 i.c7 13 0-0, again 13 ... e5! works rather well; e.g. 14 cxd5 cxd5 15 lbxd5? e4. 12 ...exd5 13 b4 i.c7 14 o-o

Your move...

Game 155 K.Kachiani Gersinska..P.Cramling German

League 2003


Slav Defence

1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 lbf3 lbf6 4 e3 i.g4 Black takes the opportunity to bring out the queen's bishop. other popular options are: 4...i.f5 in the same spirit, 4...a6 as in Mateuta-Hellsten (Game 138}, and 4...e6 with a Semi-Slav. 5 lbc3 e6 6 h3 i.xf3 1 11Vxf3 lbbd7 8 i.d2 i.b4 A rare move in the Slav, but here it is

Game 156

R.Letelier Martner-R.J.Fischer Leipzig Olympiad 1960

King's Indian Defence

1 d4 lbf6 2 c4 g6 3 lbc3 i.g7 4 e4 o-o 5 e5 Quite a risky advance, which exposes the central pawns to a black counterstrike. Standard moves like 5 lbf3 and 5 f3 are 239


preferable, depending on White's reper toire. s ... 'Lle8 6 f4 d6 7 .ie3

Your move ...

Your move ...

Game 157 S.Giigoric-B.Rabar Zagreb 1939 Nimzo-lndian Defence

1 d4 'Llf6 2 c4 e6 3 'Llc3 .ib4 4 e3 o-o 5 .id3 d6 Quite a modest choice, at least in con junction with Black's next move. Nowadays he usually prefers s ... ds or s ... cs, immedi ately challenging the enemy centre. 6 tt'lge2 e5 7 0-0 "fie7 8 'Llg3 After 8 a3 .ixc3 9 tt'lxc3 e4 10 .ie2 .ifs and ...tt'lbd7 next, Black obtains a better ver sion of the game. With the text White de prives the opponent of ... .ifs and prepares 'Llfs on some occasions. 8 ....ixc3 9 bxc3 e4 10 .ie2 g6?! Preparing ...hS-h4, at the cost of delay ing development. The more solid 10 ...b6, followed by ....ib7, was preferable - Gli goric. 240

Game :l58 L.JavakhishviU-J.Avalos Parra Gi bra lta r 2010 Slav Defence

1 d4 d 5 2 c4 c6 3 'Llf3 'Llf6 4 e3 .if5 5 'Llc3 e6 6 'Llh4 A popular variation over the last decade. White aims to gain the bishop pair and also enjoys more space, though Black's position remains solid. 6 ....ie4 Provoking f2-f3 before accepting the swap on g6, just as in Mateuta-Hellsten (Game 138). 7 f3 .ig6 8 "fib3 "ffc 7 9 .id2 .id6?! A seemingly active place for the bishop, but this move is probably inaccurate here. 9 ....ie7 and 9 ...tt'lbd7 are more usual op tions. 10 cxds exds Unfortunately, 10... cxds?, preparing ... tt'lc6, now runs into 11 tt'lbs, which is why the bishop would have been better off at e7. White also has a slight edge after

The B a ttle fo r t h e Cen tre

10 .. /t'lxds 11 e4, but this might have been the least of Black's evils. 11 0-0-0 l2Jbd7?! A natural developing move, but in fact it does nothing to interfere with the enemy plans. In the event of 11 ...0-0 White can just reply as in the game, so 11 .. .'ii'b 6 ! ?, looking for a queen exchange, might be worth a try.

13 ...l2Ja5 14 .tc2 l2Jc4 The immediate 14... cs is also popular in practice, with the point that the knight can sometimes retreat to c6. 15 b3 lLlb6 16 .tb2 c5 17 dxc5 dxc5 18 c4! With both black knights having a long journey to d4, this advance makes a lot of sense. Now both the e s-pawn and the ds square become targets for White. 18.. ."ii'c 7 19 .td3 l2Jc8 Preparing ... l2Ja7-c6-d4.

Your move ...

Game 159 A.Kosteniuk·D�Voc:aturo Moscow . 2011 Spanish Opening


Game 160 S.Estremera Panos.;E Relange ..

1 e4 e5 2 lLlf3 l2Jc6 3 .tb5 a6 4 .ta4 l2Jf6 5 o-o .te7 6 .Mel b5 7 .tb3 d6 8 c3 o-o 9 h3 An initial position of the Closed Spanish has been reached. The apparently natural 9 d4 is seen much less frequently in practice due to 9 . .tg4. 9 ... h6 10 d4 .Me8 11 l2Jbd2 .tf8 Smyslov's Variation, in which Black hur ries to apply some pressure down the e-file. 12 l2Jf1 .td7 13 l2Jg3 A standard knight manoeuvre in this opening. ..

Andorra 1998 Queen's Pawn Opening 1 d4 l2Jf6 2 CtJf3 g6 3 g3 .tg7 4 .tg2 0-0 5 0-0 d6 6 a4 A curious line, at least the first time that you see it. White gains some space on the queenside, while awaiting the opponent's set-up. 6 a5 Parrying any ideas of a4-a5(-a6}. 6...l2Ja6, preparing ... C7-c5, is another idea. •••

241

M a s tering Ope n ing S t ra tegy

7 C3 CLJbd7 8 CLJbd2 After the inclusion of a2-a4 and ... a7-a5, the c4-square has become a good destiny for this knight. In this sense 8 ... ds could now have been considered, but Black pre fers a typical King's Indian set-up. 8 ... e5 9 dxe5 dxe5 10 CZJc4 'iie 7 The pressure at es is making itself felt. 10 .. J::te 8? failed to 11 lLlfxes, while 10 ... e4 11 ctJd4 also yields White a slight initiative, with 11 ... cs?! running into 12 lLlbs at any moment.

Probably 8 es lLlg4 9 o-o-o is more criti cal, when the gambit 9 ... c s ! 10 dxcs bxcs 11 iixcs Wias leads to a sharp battle. 8 ...lLla6 9 a3 c5! A typical counterstrike in the Austrian Attack, after which the game takes on a Benoni character. 10 d5 CLJC7 11 h3 A useful move that rules out ...CLJg4 be fore castling short. In contrast, 11 0-0-0?! bS! yields Black a promising attack. 11 ... b5! Highlighting the relationship between the bs- and e4-squares, a subject that we touched upon in Salov-Hi.i.bner (Game 139) with reversed colours. 12 g4?! A careless advance. 12 0-0 was called for.


Game 1 61.

A.Serras Uria-F.Peralta San Sebastian 2005

Pirc Defence

1 e4 d6 2 d4 lLlf6 3 lLlc3 g6 4 f4 iig7 5 lLlf3 o-o 6 iie3 Quite an aggressive line, familiar to us from Game 132 (Beliavsky-Anand). 6 ... b6 7 'iid 2 A more flexible choice than Beliavsky's 7 es. 7 ...itb7 8 iid3 242

Your move ...

Game 1 62 R.Fine·H.Steiner Hollywood 1945

Queen1S Gambit Accepted 1 d4 d5 2 c4 dxc4 3 lLlf3 lLlf6 4 e3 e6 5 iixc4 c5 6 o-o a6 7 Wie2


7 a4, preventing ... b7-b5, is another di rection in this m ain branch of the Queen's Gambit Accepted. 1 ... bs 8 .i.b3 .i.b7 9 a4 c4?! A dubious choice, since releasing the tension at d4 implies that White will have free hands in the centre. 9 ... b4, followed by ... tLlbd7, was better. 10 .i.c2 tLlc6 11 axbs As usual, clearing lines is a good strat egy for the better developed side. 11 ...axbs 12 .Uxa8 �xa8 13 t2Jc3 Not 13 e4?! tLlb4! with counterplay. With the text White wins a tempo for his devel opment, exploiting the fact that 13 ...b4?! 14 tLlbs produces a double threat at c4 and C7. 13 ...�as

A modern alternative to 6 ...tLld7, by which B1ac1<. "keeps the o-ption of ...c6-c5 and ...tLlc6 on some occasions. 7 h4 h6 8 hS White proceeds like in the main line with 6 ... tLld7. Probably 8 tLles is more critical. 8 ... .i.h7 9 .i.d3 .i.xd3 10 �xd3 �aS+?! A dubious queen excursion. Both 10 ... tLlbd7 and 10 ... e6 were more to the point, speeding up development. 11 .i.d2 �a6 12 c4! Simple and strong. Both .i.d2 and c2-c4 are often useful moves for White in the Classical Caro-Kann anyway, so by now he has a slight lead in development. 12 ... e6 13 o-o .i.d6

Your move ... Your move...

Game 164 Game 163

I.Herrera-J.Becerra Rivero Cuba n Champions h i p, Las Tunas 1996

Caro.:.Kann Defence 1 e4 c6 2 d4 dS 3 tiJd2 dxe4 4 t2Jxe4 .i.fs 5 tLlg3 .i.g6 6 tLlf3 tLlf6

Di.Fiores-C.lujan Buenos Aires 2006

English Opening

1 tiJf3 tiJf6 2 C4 g6 3 b4!? A kind of improved fianchetto, which gains some extra space on the queenside. We came across a similar idea in Van Wely243


Guliev (Game 14), and it can also be used by Black; e.g. 1 d4 ttJf6 2 tLlf3 e6 3 g 3 bS!?, in stead of the more established 3 ...b6. 3 ....ltg7 4 .ltb2 o-o s g3 c6 6 .tg2 as 1 bs ds 7 ...cxbs 8 cxbs a4! seems more conse quent, followed by ... d7-d5, leaving the bs pawn somewhat loose. 8 tLla3! 8 bxc6 tt:Jxc6 just helps Black. 8 ... cxb5 9 cxbs tt:Jbd7 10 o-o .Me8 Preparing ...e7-es.

o n e 7 lacks a good destiny. S uch a restric tive retreat is rather common in the Open S icilian - also when Black has played ... .ltd7, preparing ... tt:Jxd4 and ... .ltc6. In contrast, after the text he is ready for ... d7-d6 and ... tLld7 if White goes 9 tLlb3. 9 es White gains space but exposes his e pawn. Perhaps 9 tt:Jxc6 tt:Jxc6 10 .Mel, intend ing 10....\te7?! 11 tt:Jds!, was more critical. 9 :VJJJc 7 10 .Me1 tt:Jxd4 11 .ltxb7 "it'xb7 12 "it'xd4 ttJc6 13 "it'f4 .lte7 14 .lte3?! Passive. Black is fine after 14 tLle4 0-0 15 tt:Jf6+ �h8 ! 16 tt:Jhs f6 17 "it'g4 .Mf7, but 14 "it'g4!, intending 14... 0-0? 15 .lth6, was more to the point, when Black could choose be tween the cautious 14... g6 and the more enterprising 14...h s ! ? 15 "it'xg7 0-0-0. 14 . 0-0 15 tLle4 ••

.

.


Came 165 H.Lope2 Silva-J�Hel·lsten

Santiago 2005 Sicilian Defence, Kan Variation

1 e4 cs 2 tLlf3 e6 3 d4 cxd4 4 tt:Jxd4 a6 5 tLlc3 bs 6 g3 .ltb7 1 .ltg2 tt:Je7 An interesting deviation from the usual 7 ...tt:Jf6. On e7 the knight exerts less pres sure on White's centre; on the other hand, any tactical motifs with e4-e5 are avoided. 8 0-0 tt:Jec6 At first sight, 8 ... tt:Jbc6 appears more natural; however, after 9 tLlb3 ! the knight 244

Your move ...

Game 1 66 R.Knaak-J.Piachetka Bratislava 1983 Nimzo-lndian Defence

1 d4 ttJf6 2 c4 e6 3 tLlc3 .ltb4 4 e3 b6 5 tt:Jge2


.ia6 6 tLlg3 .ixc3+ 7 bxc3 d5 8 "iVf3 In this double-edged line of the Rubin stein Nimzo-lndian, 8 .ia3, sacrificing a pawn in order to stop Black castling, is more popular nowadays. 8 ... o-o 9 cxd5 exd5 9 ....txf1? 10 dxe6 wins a pawn for White, but 9 ..."iVxd5 might be a more prom ising choice; e.g. 10 e4 iVa5 11 .ixa6 "iVxa6, preparing ... t2Jbd7 and ... C7-c5, with roughly equal play. 10 .txa6 t2Jxa6 11 "iYe2 t2Jb8 12 0-0 c5

4....ib4 In contrast, 4...f5 5 t2Jxe4 fxe4 6 tLlc3 d5 7 .if4 now yields White a pleasant advan tage. With the text Marshall accelerates his development and also sets the little trap 5 a3 ?? "iVf6. 5 "iVc2! Increasing the pressure on e4 and ena bling 6 tLlc3. 5 ... d5 6 lLlc3 f5

Your move ... (+ short plan) Your move ... (+ short plan)

Game 167

A.Aiekhine-f.MarshaiJ

1927 Irregular defence

Game 168

V.Golod;.E.Rozentalis

Eu ropean Cu p, Neum 2000

Nimzo"lndian Defence

New York

1 d4 tLlf6 2 c4 e6 3 lLlf3 t2Je4?! Quite an optimistic move, which is con vincingly dealt with by Alekhine in this game. 4 t2Jfd2! 4 g3 also made sense, whereas 4 t2Jbd2 f5 5 t2Jxe4 fxe4, with 6 ... d5 next, is less am bitious.

1 d4 t2Jf6 2 c4 e6 3 tLlc3 .ib4 4 f3 d 5 5 a3 .ixc3+ 6 bxc3 c6!? An interesting reply to the sharp 4 f3 variation. Black prepares to meet c4xd5 by ... c6xd5 at any moment, thus maintaining an excellent pawn structure. As for the "bad" bishop on c8, it can be activated by ...b7-b6 and ....ia6. 7 "iVc2 An ambitious try, preparing e2-e4. An24 5


other direction is 7 e3 0-0 8 Jtd3 b6 9 tt:le2 Jta6 with a complex battle. 1 .. 0-0 8 cxd5 The immediate 8 e4 can be dealt with in the same way as in the game, starting with 8 ... dxe4. 8 cxd5 9 e4 dxe4 10 fxe4

been more prudent.

.

...

Your move...

Game 110 M.Gurevich-S.Vega Gutierrez

Spanish Team Championship 2006

Your move ...

Slav Defence

Game 169 S.Vuferov-G.Chepukaitis St Petersburg

1996

Modern Def�nce

1 d4 g6 2 e4 Jtg7 3 tLlf3 d6 4 tLlc3 a6 5 a4 b6 6 h3 e6 1 Jtg5?! Probably not an ideal move against the Hippopotamus, since a later ...h 7-h6 will be effected with tempo. 7 ...tLle7 8 �d2 h6! Of course, before White plays 9 Jth6. Now 9 Jte3 was probably called for, since the text just encourages Black's ... g6-g5 Hillarp. 9 Jtf4 Jtb7 10 Jte2 tt:ld7 11 .l:!.d1 g5! 12 Jte3?! As we will see next, 12 Jth2 would have 246

1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 3 tt:lf3 c6 4 �c2 A solid reply to Black's accelerated Meran System. 4...dxc4 5 �xc4 tt:lf6 6 Jtg5 Jte7 This is quite a passive approach. The al ternative 6 ... bs 7 �c2 Jtb7, with the plan ... tt:lbd7, ... a7-a6 and ... c6-c5, is more popu lar in practice. 7 tt:lbd2 b6 8 e4 Jta6 9 �c2 Jtxf1 10 tt:lxf1 o-o 11 tLlg3 tt:la6?! Again overly passive. 11 ... cs, challenging the white centre, was essential; e.g. 12 dxcs bxcs 13 o-o tt:lfd7 14 Jtxe7 �xe7 with just a slight disadvantage in A.Delchev D.Pavasovic, European Team Champion ship, Batumi 1999. 12 o-o �c7 13 �e2 �b7? The sad 13 ...tt:lb8 was mandatory.


i.b1 ct::Jf8 15 b4?! as! with counterplay in L.Psakhis-E.Pigusov, Novosibirsk 1993. 12 0-0! More ambitious than 12 i.g3 ct::Jx c3 13 'tffx c3 with a slight edge - Kramnik. The doubled pawns that now emerge will yield White dynamic assets such as a semi-open e-file and increased control of the crucial es-square. 12 Cbxf4 13 exf4 'tffc 7 14 CLJe5! ct::Jf6 Or 14...c s 15 ds! ct::Jx es 16 fxe s 'tffx es 17 .l:i.fe1 with a strong initiative - Kramnik. ..•

Your move ...

Game 111 V.Kramnik-S.Lputian Europea n Team Championship,

Debrecen 1992 Queen's Gambit Declined 1 d4 ct::Jf6 2 c4 e6 3 CLJf3 d5 4 CLJc3 i.e7 5 i.f4 In the nineties, this move became a popular alternative to the more explored 5 i.g s. 5 ...0-o 6 e3 c6 Another main reply is 6 ... cs, exploiting the fact that with the bishop on f4 White exerts less pressure on the dS-pawn. 7 'tffc 2 White delays i.d3 so that ...dsxc4 can be met by i.xc4 in one go. 7 ...ct::J bd7 8 h3 a6 9 .l:i.d1 h6 10 a3 dxc4 Kramnik's suggestion 10 ... .l:i.e8! ? seems more flexible. 11 i.xc4 CLJd5?! A common simplification method in this opening, but here it leads to a rather pas sive game for Black. Perhaps 11 ... bs 12 i.a2 i.b7 was more logical; e.g. 13 e4 .l:i.e8 14

Your move... (+ short plan)

Game 1 72 H.AI H adarani-Ma.Carlsen

Dubai 2004

Sicilfan Defence, Rossolimo Variation 1 e4 c5 2 Cbf3 Cbc6 3 i.b5 g6 4 o-o i.g7 5 .l:!.e1 CLJf6 6 c3 Another main direction is 6 es ct::J d s 7 CLJc3, a line that makes some Black players prefer s ...e s instead. 6 ... o-o 7 d4 d5 8 exd5 8 es CLJe4 9 i.xc6 bxc6 10 ct::Jbd2 is more 24 7


ambitious, trying to get a grip on the dark squares. 8 J:Uxd5 9 c4 'iVd6 10 d5 l2Jd4! The most active choice, exploiting the fact that 11 t2Jxd4 cxd4 12 'iVxd4? runs into 12 ...l2Jg4!. 11 t2Jxd4 cxd4 12 h3?! White will soon have to pay for his slow development. 12 tZ:ld2, followed by tZ:lf3, was essential, when Black could react just like in the game. ..

in the spirit of the set-up with f2-f4, while the restrictive 7 a4 can also be considered. 7 ...e5 8 tZ:lb3 b5 9 a3 ..tb7 10 ..tf3 t2Jbd7 11 o-o ..te7 12 �h1 o-o 13 g4 After standard moves from both sides, White finally commences actions on the kingside. 13 'iVe1, heading for g3, was also possible.

Your move ...

Game 1 74 G.Kasparov-L.Yurtaev Moscow 1981

Your move...


Game 1 73 S.Dolmatov-N.Rashkovsky

USSR Championshipt Minsk 1979

Sicilian Defence, Najdorf Variation 1 e4 c5 2 tZ:lf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 tZ:lxd4 tZ:lf6 5 tZ:lc3 a6 6 f4 In the previous century this line was quite popular against the Najdorf, whereas nowadays White tends to prefer 6 ..te3 or 6 ..tgs. 6 'iVc7 7 ..te2 After this move the battle becomes simi lar to the 6 ..te2 variation. 7 ..td3 was more ••.

248

1 d4 tZ:lf6 2 c4 e6 3 t2Jc3 ..tb4 4 e3 o-o 5 ..td3 d5 6 cxd5 exd5 7 t2Jge2 l2Jbd7 The more flexible 7 ...l:i.e8 is preferred nowadays. 8 0-0 c6 9 f3 Just as in the Queen's Gambit Exchange Variation with tZ:lge2, White takes the first step towards the creation of a pawn centre with e3-e4. Black's next two moves put this idea on the shelf, but even so White ends up in a more comfortable position. 9 c5 10 a3 cxd4 ...


Or if instead 10...i.as 11 b4! ? cxb4 12 axb4 i.xb4 13 e4 with the initiative - Kas parov. 11 exd4 i.e7 12 lt:Jf4 In positions with a fixed pawn centre the placement of the minor pieces is a key factor, and here most of the white pieces are already more active than their black counterparts. 12 ...4Jb8 A time-consuming rearrangement, but 12 ...4Jb6?! would leave Black deprived of any counterplay. 7 ...c6 Although practice favours 7 ...lt:Jc6, the text is quite logical, in order to support a central break with ...d6-d5 later on. 8 h3 lt:Ja6 9 o-o lt:Jc7 With this knight manoeuvre Black gets a bit closer to achieving ... d6-ds.

Your move ...

Game 175 S.Nyysti-O.Sepp

Tallinn 2001 English Opening

1 C4 g6 2 g3 i.g7 3 i.g2 lt:Jf6 4 lt:JC3 0-0 5 d3 es 6 e4 d6 7 lt:Jge2 In the English Opening White usually aims at queenside play, but here we have an exception. After castling he will try to build a kingside attack with h2-h3 and f2f4.

10 f4 In the event of 10 d4 one simple reply is 10...exd4 11 lt:Jxd4 .l:i.e8, preparing ... d6-d5; while 10...i.e6 ! ?, intending 11 dS cxds 12 cxds i.d7 and ...b6-b5 next, can also be con sidered. 10...exf4 11 lt:Jxf4 On 11 i.xf4 Black could just react as in 24 9


the game, whereas 11 gxf4 is well met by 11...'�Jh 5, followed by .. .f7-fS. At this point, 12 fs proves quite harmless after 12 ... gxfs 13 exfs �h8!, followed by ... t'tg8. 11 .. J!Ve7 With the simple idea of concluding de velopment by ...i.d7 and ... t'tae8. 12 �h2 i.d7 13 'i¥f3 t'tae8 14 i.e3

6 i.xb5 i.g7 7 'Lle2! The best destiny for this knight, now that 7 'Llf3? fails to 7 ...'i¥as+. 7...'i¥a5+ 8 'Llbc3 i.a6 9 i.xa6 'Llxa6 10 0-0 d6

Your move... (+ short plan)

Your move ...

Game 1 76 J.Hjartarson-M.Ballmann Winterth ur 1996 Benko Gambit 1 c4 g6 2 d4 c5 3 d 5 b5?! This version of the Benko Gambit doesn't work too well, as we will see next. 4 cxb5 a6 5 e4! A natural move that yields White swift development. In a normal Benko after 1 d4 'Llf6 2 c4 cs 3 ds bs 4 cxbs a6, it would ob viously have failed to s ... 'Llxe4. 5 ... axb5 s ... i.g7 was more flexible, waiting with ... a6xbs until White moves his king's bishop - Hjartarson. 250

Game 1 77 Peng Xiaomin•N.McDonald

England-China match, london 1997 French Defence

1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 e5 c5 4 c3 'Llc6 5 'Llf3 i.d7 6 i.e2 'Llge7 Now that the white bishop has settled on e2, it makes sense to bring the knight to fs. In contrast, against 6 i.d3 Black usually prefers 6 ... cxd4 7 cxd4 'i¥b6, exploiting White's lessened defence of the d4-pawn. As for 6 a3, one popular reply is 6 .. .f6 with a king side focus. 7 o-o cxd4 8 cxd4 'Llf5 9 'Llc3 t'tc8 Just like s ...i.d7, a useful move while awaiting White's next step. 10 �h1 Some prophylaxis before launching g2g4. The immediate 10 g4 is well met by


10 .. .<�:Jh4 11 tt:Jxh4 "Vixh4 12 Jte3 f6! , un dermining the enemy centre. 10 -vib6!? Distracting White from his intended kingside advance. 10...Jte7 11 g4 lZ:Jh4 12 tt:Jxh4 Jtxh4 13 Jie3 0-0, followed by .. .f7-f6, has also done well in practice. 11 tt:Ja4 "Vias 12 Jtd2 "Vid8 13 Jte1?! A rather passive solution to the problem with the d4-pawn, which became unde fended after Black's queen sortie. Instead, Psakhis suggests 13 Jie3, although in that case, Black will always be able to meet by g2-g4 by ...tt:Jxe3. 13 ... hs! 14 a3 Now that Black's previous rendered the g2-g4 plan impossible, White prepares queenside play with b2-b4 and tt:Jcs. •..

Compared with the main line with 3 f4, this branch of the Vienna leads to a strate gically more complex battle, not remote from some English variations. 3 ...ds The most principled reaction, by which Black exploits White's temporary surrender of the centre. 4 exds tt:Jxds 5 Jtg2 tt:Jxc3 6 bxc3 Jtd6 7 �b1 c6 8 lZ:Jf3 o-o Here and later, 8 ... e4 9 lZ:Jd4 causes Black a slight problem with the e-pawn. 9 o-o lZ:Jd7 10 �e1 fs A risky approach, considering that Black hasn't yet finished development. 10 ... -viC7 or 10 ...�e8 was safer. 11 "Vie2! Before getting on with his development, White prepares "Vic4+ in order to exploit the weakened a2-g8 diagonal. 11... h6 12 "Vic4+ <;t>h7 13 d3 "Vif6 14 a4 With the black knight evidently heading for b6, it makes sense to push this pawn forward. 14 tt:Jb6 15 "Vib3 f4 After 1S ...Jte6 16 c4, followed by Jib2, White also has a more active game. ..•

Your move ...

Game 1 78 M.Dvoretsky-J.Kiovans USSR Cham pionship, Yereva n 197 5 Vienna Game

1 e4 es 2 lZ:Jc3 tt:Jf6 3 g3

Your move ... 251


Game 179

A.Beliavsky-A.Vusupov USSR Champions hi p, Minsk

Dutch Defence

198 7

1 d4 f5 2 c4 CLJf6 3 g3 e6 4 i.g2 d 5 5 CLJf3 Another popular approach is 5 CLJh 3 c6 6 0-0 i.d6 7 i.f4, followed by CLJd2-f3. 5 ...c6 6 0-0 i.d6 7 b3 'iie 7 Black prevents 8 i.a3, swapping off his "good" bishop. Now White plays 8 a4, insisting with this idea, then 8 ... as fixes a stronghold on b4. Thus White prefers to leave the bishop on b2 for the moment. 8 i.b2 0-0 9 CLJc3 Apparently this natural move doesn't fit in too well with i.b2. Both 9 'iic 1, followed by i.a3, and 9 CLJbd2, preparing tbes and CLJdf3, are more popular options in practice. 9 ...i.d7 The bishop manoeuvre ...i.d7-e8-h 5 is thematic for the Stonewall, and it some times occurs in the French as well. 10 CLJe5 i.e8 11 CLJd3 11 e3, preparing CLJe2-f4-d3, seems better. 11 ...tt:Jbd7 12 e3

Your move ... 252

Game 180

W .Browne-F.Gheorgh iu

Wi� k a an

Zee 1981

Queen's Indian Defence 1 d4 CLJf6 2 c4 e6 3 CLJf3 b6 4 CLJc3 i.b7 5 a3 By transposition we have reached the Petrosian Variation of the Queen's Indian. 5 ...d5 6 cxd5 tt:Jxd5 This leads to a more dynamic battle than 6 ... exds and could be regarded as Black's main reply to the Petrosian. 7 e3 Another option is 7 'iic 2, in order to play e2-e4 in a single move. 1 ...i.e7 8 i.b5+ c6 9 i.d3 tt:Jxc3 10 bxc3 c5 11 e4 Finally, White is able to set up a pawn centre. 11 ... CLJc6 12 i.b2 .Mc8 13 'iie 2 From now on, whenever needed, the d4pawn can be reinforced by a rook move to d1.

13 ...cxd4 14 cxd4 0-0 15 0-0 i.f6 16 .Mad1 tt:Ja5 Some prophylaxis in view of the possible d4-dS. In contrast, 16 ...CLJxd4?! 17 i.xd4


.lixd4 18 .libs es 19 'Llxes yields White a clear initiative. 17 .U.fe1 .1ic6? Black intends ... .lia4, but now runs into an unpleasant surprise. Again, prophylactic action was called for, either by 17 ... .U.e8 or 17 ... g6.

timely swap on b3. 10 .lig5 d5 11 C3

Your move...

Game 182 S.Bryneii-J.Hellsten

Your move ...

Game 181 A\.Khachiyan-H.Nakamura la s Vegas 2006

Alekhine's Defence

1 e4 'Llf6 2 e5 'Lld5 3 d4 d6 4 'Llf3 g6 5 .lic4 'Llb6 6 .lib3 .lig7 7 0-0 7 'Llgs, followed by �f3 or f2-f4, is a more aggressive approach. 7 ...0-0 8 h3 Preventing 8 ... .1ig4, a move that didn't work last turn due to 8 .lixf7+. In contrast, 8 �e2 .lig4 9 e6?! is strongly met by 9 ... dS! 10 exf7+ .U.xf7 11 'Llbd2 'Llc6 12 c3 es and Black seizes the initiative. 8 ... '2lc6 9 �e2 'Lla5 A typical idea in the Alekhine, in order to reduce White's attacking potential by a

Malmo 1997 Sicilian DefetJce, AlapitJ Variat;on 1 e4 c5 2 'Llf3 e6 3 c3 'Llf6 4 e5 'Lld5 5 d4 cxd4 6 cxd4 d6 7 a3 We already came across this line in Game 7 (Dvoretsky-Schmidt). 7 ...'2lc6 8 .lid3 dxe5 9 dxe5 g6!? Quite a logical set-up against the 7 a3 line, in order to restrict the bishop on d3 and put some pressure on the es-pawn. 10 o-o .lig7 11 .U.e1 o-o 12 �e2 In later games I had to face 12 b4 and 12 .lie4, both of which might be more critical. 12 ... .1id7 Practice has seen 12 ... �c7 and 12 ... b6 more often, but I like my move, which keeps maximum flexibility. 13 h4?! Preparing a kingside attack with h4-h 5, but Black has a strong reply at his disposal. 2 53

M a s te ring Op e n ing S trategy

13 �e4 !1Jce7, preparing ...tJJfs and ....ic6, also looks fine for him, so 13 .id2, followed by !1Jc3, might have been White's best choice.

the h-file for a future attack on the enemy king, supported by a timely �4.

Your move ... Your move ...

Game 184

Game 183

S.Sulskis•A.Gatkin

Europea n Cha m pionship, Batumi 2002 Caro-Kann Defence 1 e4 c6 2 c4 dS 3 cxds cxds 4 exds !1Jf6 Since 4...�xds 5 !1Jc3, followed by d2-d4, yields White a favourable version of main stream IQP positions, Black prepares to re capture on dS with the knight. s �a4+ This check obstructs Black so that he can't easily recover the ds-pawn. In the same spirit, 5 .ibS+ is also possible. s ...!1Jbd7 6 !1Jc3 g6 7 g4!? A highly aggressive way of treating this system. More common is 7 !1Jf3 .ig7 8 .ic4 0-0 9 d3, hanging on to the pawn. 1 ....ig1 s gs 'Llhs 9 'Llge2 o-o 10 'Llg3 White doesn't hide his intentions: clear 2 54

A.Dreev-S.Volkov Samara 1998

Slav Defence

1 d4 ds 2 c4 c6 3 !1Jc3 !1Jf6 4 !1Jf3 a6 5 cs A logical reply to the Chebanenko Slav, now that s ... b6 6 cxb6 axb6 isn't available for Black. As a consequence, he prepares the central break ... e7-e5 instead. s ... !1Jbd7 6 .if4 tlJhs! Just in time: before White plays h2-h3, providing the bishop with a shelter on h2. 1 .id2 !1Jhf6 8 h3 es! 9 b4 Black's point is that after 9 dxes !1Je4, the attempt to hang on to the pawn by 10 b4? fails to 10 ... !1Jxd2 11 �xd2 as!, while 10 !1Jxe4 dxe4 11 tJJg s tlJxcs 12 b4 !1Je6 13 !1Jxe4 �d4 14 !1Jd6+ .ixd6 15 exd6 0-0! is about equal - Volkov. 9 ...�e7 After 9 ... e4 10 !1Jg1, followed by .if4 and e2-e3, White might be slightly better, so


Black prefers to maintain the central ten sion. Next he could consider ...g 7-g6, fol lowed by ... i.g7, with pressure along the a1h8 diagonal.

and White replies ttJe s. 13 i.e3 Not 13 ii'lb6? �f6! 14 i.e3 �c3+ etc. 13 ... i.e7! Very nice. Now the intended 14 i.d4? runs into 14 ... i.h4! with the deadly threat of ... �(x)g3. 14 �d4 �fs! 15 �d3 i.f6 16 g4?! This helps Black's queen to a better square. 16 J:!.c1 was preferable - Volkov. 16 ...�e5 17 J:!.d1

10 dxes?! 10 i.e3 seems safer, followed by g2-g3 and i.g2. 10.. .li'lxes 11 ii'lxes �xes 12 ii'la4 With the dual idea of ii'lb6 and i.c3, but Black has a strong reply prepared. Your move...

Game 185

R.Palliser-R.Pert

Ed inburgh 1997 Queen 7s Gambit Declined

12 ...ii'le4! When one knight leaves, another ar rives. This phenomenon appears in many different openings; for example, in the IQP structures when Black plays ... ii'las or ... ii'lb4

1 d4 dS 2 c4 e6 3 ii'lc3 ii'lf6 4 cxds exds s i.gs i.e7 6 e3 c6 7 i.d3 ii'lbd7 8 �c2 o-o 9 ii'lge2 l:!.e8 10 o-o ii'lf8 11 f3 ii'lg6 We have reached a main position in the Exchange Variation with ii'lge2 against the Queen's Gambit. At this point White usu ally continues 12 l:!.ad1, supporting an op portune e3-e4, but In this game he prefers to set up the pawn centre at once. 255

M as tering Open ing Stra tegy

reply 16 lDC7. 14 �ad1

12 e4 dxe4 13 fxe4 i.e6 13 . . cs is less appropriate due to 14 i.xf6 i.xf6 15 lbds !, when 1S .. cxd4 runs into the .

.

256

Your move...


Solutions Game 147 (continued)


15 e5! This is a powerful advance that clears the b1-h7 diagonal for an attack, and cre ates a stronghold on the d6-square, just like in the game Grabarczyk-Podlesny (Game 115). The preparatory 15 �b1! ? looks strong as well. 15 ... CLld5 16 �xe7 'iVxe7 17 ctJe4! ctJ7b6 18 ct:Jc5 18 ct:Jd6! l:i.ed8 19 'iVc2, was even stronger, hitting the c6-pawn while prepar ing �b1. 18 l:i.ac8 19 l:i.e4! With the centre secured, White proceeds with a kingside attack. 19 ... l:i.c7 20 'iWc2 l:i.ec8 21 �b1 g6 22 l:i.g4 White is preparing the advance h4-h 5. This was the last move on the official score sheet; independently of the conclusion of the game, White now enjoys a strong at tack.

15 CLle3! Redirecting the knight to the central post on d5. 15 .. :�a5 16 ct:Jd5 l:i.d7 Unable to accomplish ... e7-e6, Black opts for a few useful moves. 11 h3 l:i.c8 18 �g5! An annoying move for Black since any defence of the e7-pawn implies some kind of concession, besides which f2-f4 might be in the air. 18 ... �xd5 19 exd5 c4 20 h4! Preparing �h 3. Thanks to the bishop pair and the semi-open e-file, White al ready possesses a slight advantage. 20 l:i.e8 21 'iWe4 h6?! This leads to unfavourable complica tions. 21 ... b5, preparing ... CLld3, was proba bly a lesser evil. 22 �xh6! CLld3 23 �xg7 ct:Jxe1 24 �d4 CLJd3 25 h5!

.••

..•

257


lowed by ...4Jed3+, with a huge lead in de velopment. 11 ... exds 12 cxds ttJxds 13 i.c4 lZJ7b6 14 i.bS+ i.d7 Having a sound extra pawn, Black went on to win.


Initiating a strong attack. The game con tinued 25 ...'ifa6 26 'ifh4 f5 27 hxg6 'H#xg6 28 i.f3 !, preparing i.h 5, and White went on to win.


8 ...e6! By means of the double threat of ... e4xd5 and ...'ifh4+, Black destroys the en emy centre. 9 'Mia4+ There is nothing better; e.g. 9 d6? 'Mih4+, followed by one more queen check. 9 'Mid7 10 'Mixd7+ 4Jxd7 11 4Jf3 Or 11 dxe6 4Jxe5 12 exf7+ c;t>xf7, fol•••

258

14 d5! A strong advance that opens the posi tion to the benefit of White's better devel oped forces. 14 e5?! g6 15 g4 l2Jg7 was rather less promising. 14...4Jhf6 After 14... e5 15 l::!. ac1 or 14... exd5 15 exd5 cxd5 16 l2Jd4! Black is also in trouble. 15 dxe6 fxe6 16 es! The most forcing choice, although the methodical 16 l2Jd4 4Jf8 17 i.b3 'H#c8 18 J::!. ac1 was strong as well. The text has the point that 16 ...4Jd5 runs into 17 i.g6+, so Black accepts the offer. 16 ...4Jxes 17 l2Jd4 With the dual threat of 18 t2Jxe6 and 18 i.f4. 17 ... 'H#c8 18 i.f4 cs 19 ttJdbs 4Jf7 Or 19 ...'H#c6? 20 4Jd6+! i.xd6 21 i.a4 etc. 20 4Jc7+

The Ba ttle for th e Cen tre

The rest is easy. 20 ...'lt>f8 21 l2lxe6+ 'lt>g8 22 l2lc7 'lt>f8 23 M.e1! �d7 24 .ia4 �g4 25 �xe7+ 'lt>g8 26 .ig3 l2lg5 27 lZ'le6 lZ'lf3+ 28 gxf3 .ixf3 29 h3 1-0


10 l2le5! This and the following move give White a firm grip on the centre. 10 ... .i.b7 11 f4! �e7 Black opts for a careful approach. In the event of 11 . . cs White could try 12 .if3 �e7 13 dS! with some initiative. 12 .if3 c6 13 �c2 A developing move with the additional merit of enabling f4-f5. 13 ... .ixc3 14 bxc3 c5 15 f5!? White doesn't care about recovering the pawn, and tries to create opportunities on the king side before Black is fully developed. 15 ....ixf3 16 M.xf3 l2ld7?! This accelerates White's attack. 16 ... exfs 17 �xfs �e6 ! was preferable - Bartel. 17 l2lxd7 �xd7 18 f6! Of course. Now 18 ... g6 runs into 19 e4!, preparing �d2 while preventing 19 ...�d5, so Black opts for active defence. 18...e5 19 M.af1 g6 20 M.h3 �g4 21 M.g3 �h5 .

22 d5?! After 22 M.fs ! gs 23 M.xes White has a big advantage - Bartel, and 22 ...�4 23 M.h 3 �g4 24 M.xes is similar. 22 ...M.fe8? For his part, Black misses 22 ... e4! 23 �xe4 M.ad8 with counterplay. 23 e4 'lt>h7 24 �d2 g5 25 M.f5 M.g8? 2S ... 'lt>g6 was the last chance - Bartel. 26 M.xe5 �g6 27 M.exg5! �xg5 28 M.xg5 M.xg5 29 d6 M.d8 30 d7 b5 31 �d6 b4 32 �e7 bxc3 33 �xd8 c2 34 �h8+ 'lt>xh8 3 5 d8�+ 'lt>h7 36 �d2 1-0


259


1s ...cs! A strong counterstrike to soften up the enemy centre. 16 dxcs?! White gets rid of the backward pawn on d4, but now the one on es turns into a tar get for Black's pieces. 16 �bs 'ito 17 h4 was a lesser evil, when 17 ... a6 18 �a4 cxd4 19 cxd4 'fkc4! keeps Black's advantage Moiseev. 16 ...'fkc7! 17 cxb6 Or 17 l:i.fe1 l2Jc6 and the pawn falls any way. 17 ... 11Vxes 18 'ftxes �xes 19 l2Je2 axb6 Thanks to his sounder pawn structure and more active pieces, Black is clearly bet ter in the endgame. There followed 20 �c1 �ds 21 �g s f6 22 f4 fxg s 23 fxe s l2Jc4 24 �xc4 �xc4 2S l:i.xd8+ l:i.xd8 26 l:i.e1 l:i.d2 and Korchnoi went on to win.

18 h4 Since 18 cxbs axbs 19 �xbs ? �xbS+ 20 lZ:lxbs lZ:lxe4 is completely impossible, White just ignores Black's queenside expansion and carries on with his attack, even at the cost of a pawn. 18...bxc4 19 �c2 cxb4 20 axb4 l:i.ab8 Now it is evident that Black's attack is faster. 21 hs l:i.xb4 22 hxg6 fxg6 23 l:i.h1 l:i.b2! Wisely enough, both here and on the next move Black avoids 23 ...l2Jxg4? 24 �xg7+ �xg7 25 l:i.xg4, followed by 26 �6+. 24 �d1 'itas 2S lLlgs lLlxg4! lvkov has seen that receiving a check on h7 isn't a serious matter when his own at tack is close to success. 26 �xg7+ �xg7 27 l:i.xh7+ �g8 28 'fkc1 �xgs 29 'ftxgs 'fka1+! 0-1



11 ... bs! An excellent counterstrike, exploiting the fact that the knight on c3 is tied to the e4-pawn. 17 ...cxb4 18 axb4 bS is less dy namic, when 19 cxbs axbs 20 l:i.c1 keeps the balance.

13 lLlbs! The start of an excellent strategical op eration, with the objective of installing a knight on d6. 13 es lLlds was rather less convincing. 13 ...c6

260


In the event of 13 ...cs White can just react as in the game. 14 es! lt:Jds 15 'ife4 15 �xe7 l':txe7 16 4Jd6 first was even simpler. 1S ... lt:Jf8 Or 1S .. .fs 16 'ifh4! �f8 17 4Jd6 �xd6 18 exd6, followed by lt:Jes, with a huge initia tive. 16 �xe7 l':txe7 17 4Jd6 'ifd7 18 lt:Jgs! White gets on with the attack, exploit ing the fact that 18 ... h6 now runs into 19 lt:Jh7 lt:Jg6 20 lt:Jxf7! l':txf7 21 'ifxg6 with an overwhelming position. 18 ...4Jg6 19 h4! fs 20 'iff3 ttb8? Overlooking the enemy threat. 20 ... lt:Jxh4 21 'ifhs h6 2 2 'ifxh4 hxg s 23 'ifxg s doesn't help Black's defence much either, so in this case 20 ...lt:Jf8 was the least of the evils.

21 lt:Jxh7! lt:Jxes 21...'it>xh7 is met by 22 'ifh S+ and White wins easily. 22 dxes 'it>xh7 23 lt:Jxfs! This simple shot decides the game at once. 23 ...l':tf7 24 4Jd6+ 'it>g8 25 lt:Jxf7 'ifxf7 26 �h7+ 'it>f8 27 'ifxf7+ 'it>xf7 28 �e4 1-0

Game 1 5 5 (contin ued}

14...'ife7! Preparing ...lt:Je4 to seize the centre. 1S l':tfe1 lt:Je4! 16 g3 4Jdf6 17 'it>g2 aS! A pinprick on the queenside, just when White had reinforced her defences on the opposite flank. 18 �xe4 The pawn that now emerges on e4 will enhance Black's attack, but after 18 'ife2 axb4 19 axb4 'ife6!, with ideas like ... lt:Jg s, White is also under pressure. 18 ... dxe4 19 'ife2 hs! Preparing ...hS-h4 to soften up the h 2-b8 diagonal. 20 h4 �d6 21 l':tb1 axb4 22 axb4 'ife6! Aiming at the light square weaknesses in White's camp. 23 bS cs 24 b6 Or 24 dxcs �xes, with the plan ... 'iffs and ...lt:Jg4. 24 ... cxd4 25 exd4 l':tac8 26 'ifbs 'ifg4 27 'ife2 'ife6 28 'ifbs?! 28 l':tbs, followed by l:tg s, seems prefer able, interfering with the enemy attack. 28 ...l':tc4! Intercepting the white queen from the king side defence. 261


29 ds i\i'c8 30 .l::i. bc1 e3!

A key move that destroys the white king's shelter and brings the rook on c4 into the attack. 31 .Mxe3 31 i.xe3? failed to 31.. ..Mxc3, while on 31 fxe3 there follows 31....Mxh4! 32 gxh4 i\i'g4+ in similar fashion to the game, with White soon receiving mate. 31 ... .Mxe3 32 fxe3 .Mxh4! 33 gxh4 i\i'g4+ 0-1 In view of 34 'it>f2 i.g3+ 35 'it>g2 i.xh4+ 36 'it>h2 i\i'g3+ 37 'it>h1 i\lff3+ with mate to come, White resigned.


2 62

7 ...cs! Softening up White's centre before it gets support from its fellow pieces. Black might lose a pawn in the process, but once the position is opened his superior devel opment will be a telling factor. In contrast, 7 ... dxe5?! 8 dxe5 plays into White's hands. 8 dxcs After 8 CLJf3 cxd4 9 i\i'xd4 Cbc6 10 i\i'd2 i.g4 Black grabs the initiative. 8 ...Cbc6 9 cxd6 exd6

10 CLJe4?! Moving that knight again seems rather dubious in this tense position. 10 CLJf3 was more natural, when 10 ...i.e6 or 10...i.g4, followed by ...i\i'a5, keeps Black's initiative. 1o ... i.fs! Development with tempo. 10... dxe5?! 11 i\i'xd8 Cbxd8 12 i.c5 was less clear. 11 CLJg3 Or 11 Cbxd6 Cbxd6 12 i\i'xd6 i\i'e8 !, pre paring .. .f7-f6 with a strong initiative. 11 ... i.e6 12 CLJf3 i\i'c7 13 i\i'b1 Awkward, but after 13 exd6 Cbxd6 Black's compensation is also excellent. 13 ... dxes 14 fs e4! 15 fxe6 15 Cbxe4 i.xf5 or 15 i\i'xe4 i.xb2 is not much better.


1S ...exf3 16 gxf3 fS! The e6-pawn should be recaptured by... the rook! 17 f4 ct:'Jf6 18 .Jte2 .l:Ue8 19 'iitf2 After 19 o-o .l:txe6 20 .Jtcs .l:td8 White's game is also very difficult. 19 ....l:txe6 20 .l:te1 .l:tae8 21 .Jtf3

A strong pawn break that undermines Black's central control and clears the f-file for the major pieces. u ... hs? A useless move since the knight on g3 is about to leave the board anyway. With 11 ...exf3 12 .Jtxf3 h S Black could still get a decent game; e.g. 13 e4 h4 14 ct:'Jh 1 ctJh7!, heading for gs. 12 ct:'Jxe4 ct:'Jxe4 13 fxe4 �xe4 14 .Jtd3! �e7 1S e4 Thanks to his lead in development and Black's weak kingside, White is already much better. 1s 'iitg7 16 .Jtf4 f6 17 �d2 gs?! The passive 17 ....l:th8 was called for, al though Black's position remains difficult. 18 .Jte3 h4 19 es! .••

21 ....l:txe3! The start of an elegant combination. 22 .l:txe3 .l:txe3 23 'iitx e3 �xf4+! 0-1 In view of 24 'iitxf4 .Jth6 mate, or 24 'iitf2 ct:'Jg4+ 25 'iitg 2 ctJe3+ 26 'iitf2 ct:'Jd4.


11 f3!

Of course. Relying on his huge lead in development, White opens the position towards the enemy king. 19 ...dxes 20 dxes �xes 21 Ad4 �as 22 cs! With the threat 23 �xg S+. 22 ...'iit h 6 23 Axf6 �xes+ 24 Ad4 �d6 2S .l:txf8 �xf8 26 .l:tf1 "Never again would I be able to win games so easily" - Gligoric. 26 ... �e7 27 .l:tf6+ 'iit h s 28 Ae2+ 1-0 2 63



12 e4! Of course, creating a strong pawn cen tre. 12 ...dxe4 13 li:lxg6 hxg6 14 fxe4 Unable to prevent e4-e5, Black is already in serious trouble. 14...li:lg4 Or 14 ...i.f4 15 es li:lh s 16 i.c4 with strong pressure. 15 e5 i.e7 16 i.e2! li:lh6 After 16 ...li:lf2 17 l::thfl li:lxd1 18 'i¥xf7+ �d8 19 'i¥xg7 l::tf8 20 J::txd1 White has a crushing advantage. 17 g4 o-o-o 18 �b1 'i¥b6 19 'i¥a4!

With certain prospects for an attack, White avoids the queen's exchange. Now Black should probably have copied his op ponent's previous move by 19 ... �b8, mak ing life a bit safer for his king. Instead, he tries to free himself by a knight manoeuvre, thereby forgetting about the potential of the white pawn centre. 19 ...li:lf8? 20 d5! i.b4 Or 20...cxds ?! 21 i.xh6, followed by 22 li:lxds etc. 21 dxc6 bxc6 22 li:ld5! A temporary sacrifice that opens the gates to Black's king. 22 i.e3 ! ? was also strong, intending 22 ...'i¥xe3 23 'i¥xc6+. 22 ...J::txd5 23 i.xb4 J::tx d1+ 24 J::tx d1 li:le6 25 i.a5 'i¥b7 26 l::td6 �b8 27 'i¥d1! White doesn't content herself with the c6-pawn, but goes for a final attack. 27 ... c5 28 l::td 7 'i¥c6 29 i.f3 'i¥a6 30 'i¥b3+ 1-0


20 li:lf1! Heading for ds in order to seize the cen tre. Interestingly, the same idea had already been used by Tal: 19 ...J::t ad8 20 'i¥c2 b4 21 li:lfl! li:lh s 22 li:le3 li:lf4 23 i.fl 'i¥d6 24 h4 2 64


'iWf6?! 25 g 3 ! l2Jd3 26 .i.xd3 'iVxf3 27 a3 bxa3 28 l:i.xa3 .i.c8 29 .i.e2 'iWf6 30 l2Jd5 l2Jxd5 31 cxd5! c4 3 2 bxc4 .i.xa3 33 .i.xa3, followed by c4-c5 with a huge advantage, M.Tal I.Zaitsev, USSR Championship, Alma Ata 1968. 20...l2Ja7 21 t2Je3 b4 Since 2 1 ... l2Jc6? fails to 22 cxb5 Golubev, Black must waste a tempo on se curing the b-pawn. 22 tZJds 'iWd6 Not 22 ... t2Jxds? 23 exd5 .i.d6 24 l2Jh4 with a strong initiative for White. 23 .i.c2 .i.c8?! 23 ... l2Jc6 was more logical, reintegrating the knight into the battle, although the sac rifice 24 l2Jxe 5 ! ? l2Jxe5 25 f4 seems rather promising for White, just like in the game. 24 lZJxes! l:i.xes 25 f4! l:i.xds The only move, since 25 ...l:i.e8? 26 e5 is disastrous for Black. 26 cxds 'iWxf4 27 es

Despite his material advantage Black is in trouble due to White's great activity. At this point the counter-sacrifice 27 ...c4! ? 28 exf6 c3 was perhaps worth a try, since Black's next move exposes him to a strong attack.

27 l2Jh7?! 28 'iWd3 tZJgs 29 l:i.f1! 'iWh4 30 e6! tZJbs Or 30 ...f6 31 l:i.ae1, winning - Golubev. 31 l:i.xf7! l2Jd6 32 'iWg6! l2Jxh3+ On 32 ...l2Jdxf7 there follows 33 exf7+ 'it>h8 34 'iWxg 7+! .i.xg7 35 f8'iW mate Golubev. 3 3 'it>f1 tZJfs 34 l:i.xf8+! 1-o ..•


11 b3! Preparing .i.a3 with increased pressure on the enemy camp. 11 ...e4 After 11 ... l:i.d8 12 .i.a3 'iWe8 13 'iWc2, pre paring l:i.ad1, White keeps the initiative; e.g. 13 ...l2Jd5 14 l:i.ad1 l2J7b6 15 t2Jcxe5 ! .i.xe5 16 l2Jxe5 lWxe5 17 c4 .i.f5 18 e4 i.g4 19 cxd5! .i.xd1 20 l:i.xd1 with a big edge in D.Garcia lllundain-D.Del Rey, Saragossa 1998. 12 .i.a3 tZJcs Or 12 ... c5 13 l2Jd4!, heading for the great square on b5. 13 l2Jd4 b6 14 b4! Clearing the a3-f8 diagonal for the bishop. 14...axb4 15 cxb4 l2Je6 Since 1S ...t2Jxa4? loses material after 16 2 65


b5 Lt:ic5 17 i.xc5, Black has to accept the entrance of the other knight at c6.

Or 24...�xh 3 2 5 �c6! with double threats at a8 and f6. 25 �b31 Defence and attack at the same time. The rest is easy. 25 ... i.xh3 26 �xf7+ �h8 27 �xe8+1 Lt:ixe8 28 LLif7+ �g8 29 Lt:ixg5 i.xf1 30 �xf1 1-o Having a piece less, Black resigned.

Game 161 (continued}

16 Lt:ic6 �d7 17 b5 J::te 8 18 �c21 Simple and strong, preparing J::t ad1. 18 ... Lt:ig5 19 J::ta d1 Lt:ih3+ 20 �h1 �e6 21 Lt:id8 Tempting, though the prophylactic 21 Lt:ie3 might have been even stronger. 21 ... �f5 22 LLie31 LLixf2+ 23 �g1

23 Lt:ih3+? Black defended very well up to this point, but here he goes astray. After 23 ...Lt:ixd1! 24 Lt:ixf5 i.xf5 25 J::tx d1 J::t axd8 the game is far from over. 24 i.xh3 �g5 •..

266

12 ... e6l This central counterstrike practically re futes White's flank advance. 12 ... b4 is somewhat less precise due to 13 axb4 cxb4 14 lt:ie2, when 14 ... e6?! fails to 15 �xb4. 13 dxe6 fxe6 14 0-0-0 This won't end well, but after 14 g5 LLih 5 White's position is also starting to crack. 14...a5! There was nothing wrong with 14...c4 or 14 ... b4 either, but the text is more powerful. 15 g5 LLih5 16 �h2 c4 17 i.e2 b41 Black's attack is almost automatic, and the rest is easy. 18 lt:ia4 bxa3 19 bxa3 i.xe4 20 Lt:ib6 Lt:id51 Simplest, clearing the b-file. 21 Lt:ixd5 exd5 22 �d2 �d7 23 �e1 J::ta e8 0-1




14 e4! The central pawns start rolling before Black makes it to castling. 14 i.d2 ? ! i.b4 was less promising. 14.. .lZ'ld7 Perhaps 14...b4! ? was more to the point, although after 15 ds! bxc3 16 dxc6 i.xc6 17 lt:Jd4!?, followed by �xc4, White keeps the initiative. 15 dS! lt:Jd8 On 1S ...lt:Jb4 White can react in the same way as in the game. 16 lZ'ld4 b4 17 lt:Jcbs es 18 �xc4! Of course. Now Black's king is under a big cloud. 18 d6! in the same spirit was pos sible as well. 18...exd4 19 lZ'lc7+ r!Je7 20 es! A clever pawn sacrifice to clear more space for the attack. 20...lt:Jxes 21 .l:!.e1 f6 22 d6+! �xd6 Again Black has to accept the gift, since 22 ...r!Jd7 runs into 23 i.fS+ r!Jxd6 24 lt:JbS+ r!Je7 25 .l:!.xes+! fxes 26 i.gS+ etc. 23 lZ'lbs+ �xbs Or 23 ...r!Jd7 24 i.fs+ with similar play as in the previous note. 24 �xbs r!Jc7 25 �aS+ 1-0

14 lt:Jes! A typical idea in such structures. On es the knight dominates the centre and facili tates an attack on the kingside. 14... cs?! A risky counterstrike given Black's lag ging development. 14...i.xes 15 dxes lt:Jfd7 16 lt:Je4! is also dangerous for him, whereas both 14...lt:Jbd7 and 14 ... 0-0 looks like safer choices, with just a slight edge for White after 15 i.C3. 15 .l:!.fe1! Supporting the central knight and get ting ready for future actions on the king side. 15 ... 0-0 16 lt:Je4! A standard attacking method - the ex change of defending pieces. 16 ...i.xes? This will just help the white rook join the attack with decisive effect. While 16 ... lt:Jbd7? failed to 17 lZ'lxd7 lZ'lxd7 18 dxcs, correct was 16 ...lt:Jxe4 17 .l:!.xe4 cxd4 18 �xd4 i.xes 19 �xes lt:Jc6! 20 �g3 lt:Je7, heading for fs, with chances for a success ful defence. 17 dxes lt:Jxe4 18 .l:!.xe4 lt:Jc6 267


Too late, but White's following blow was difficult to parry anyway. 19 .txh6! f5 Or 19 ... gxh6 20 .S.g4+ �h8 21 'ife3 ! 'it>h7 22 'ife4+ 'it>h8 23 'iff4 'it>h7 24 'iff6 .S.g8 25 'ifxf7+ 'it>h8 26 .S.g6! etc. 20 exf6 .S.xf6

21 .l:tg4! An elegant and well-calculated follow

11 .S.c1! Seizing the open file and preparing 'ifc2c7. As for Black's intended pawn centre, it might actually become a burden for her later on. In contrast, 11 'Lles?! 'Lle4! 12 d4 'Llxes 13 dxes .te6 leads to rather unclear play. 11 ... e5 12 d 3 b6?! Probably 12 ....tf8 at once was better, avoiding the weak square on c6. 13 'ife2! .tf8 14 'ifc7 Without queens on the board, White's guerrilla strategy will be easier to conduct. 14 ... 'ifxc7 15 .S.xc7 .td6 16 .S.c6 .tb8 17 .S.fc1 .tb7 18 .th3! An elegant way of increasing the pres sure at Black's camp. Now after 18 ....txc6 19 bxc6 'Llcs 20 'Llbs .S.e7 21 .ta3 White's activity and strong passed pawn more than compensate for the exchange, so Lujan in stead prepares ...'Llg4 to limit the annoying bishop. 18 ... h5 19 d4!

up. 21 ... .S.xh6 22 'ifd7 .S.h7 23 h6! g5 24 'ifxe6+ 'it>f8 25 'iff6+ �e8 26 'ifg6+ 1-0 In view of 26 ....l:tf7 27 h 7, Black resigned.


A typical counterstrike softening up the dark squares, familiar from the ancient game R.Reti-F.Yates, New York 1924. 19...CLJg4?! Curiously, from now on it is very diffi cult to defend Black's position. 19 ... e4?! 20 268


'Lle5 doesn't favour her either, so the prag matic 19 ... exd4 20 .ixd4 'Llg4 seems like a better choice, accepting an inferior pawn structure in order to liberate the pieces. 20 dxe5 .ixc6 21 bxc6 'Llc5 22 'Llb5! .Uc8 There was the threat of 23 c7, and 22 ... .ixe5 failed to 23 'Llxe5 'Llxe5 24 .ixe5 .Uxe5 25 c7 .Uee8 26 'Lld6 etc. 23 .ig2! White shifts his focus to the long diago nal. 23 ....Uxc6 24 h3 'Llh6 25 'Llg5! More precise than 25 'Llfd4? ! .ixe5 26 'Llxc6 .ixb2. 25 ....Uc8 26 .ixd5 .Ua7 If 26 ....Ua6, then both 27 e6 and 27 .ib7 win for White. 27 'Llxa7 .ixa7 28 e6! 1-0 In view of more material losses, Black re signed.


White prepares .Uad1, but Black's reply finishes off this idea at once. 18 �e4 was correct, when 18 ... d5 19 �g2 'Lle5 20 .if4 'Llg6 21 .ig5 .Uf5, preparing ... e5-e4 and ... 'Lle5, keeps the initiative. 18....Uf5! With the dual intention of 19 ...'Lle5 and 19 ....Ud5. 19 .if4? Now the knight enters on d4 instead with strong effect. 19 f4 .Ud5 20 �a3 was more solid. 19 ....Ud5 20 �a3 Or 20 �c7? �xc7 21 .ixc7 .Uc8 with ... 'Lle5 or ...'Lld4 next. 20 ...'Lld4 21 �d3 .Uf8 22 .Ue4? Overlooking Black's next move. The last chance was 22 �e4, when 22 ... g5 23 c3 'Llc6 24 .ie3 'Lle5 keeps the initiative. 22 ... e5! 23 c4 Both 23 .ixe5 and 23 .Ud1 lose straight away to 23 ...CDf3+, while 23 .Uxe5 .Uxe5 24 �xd4 .Ue2 is also hopeless for White - Atlas. 23 ... bxc4 24 �xc4 .Uc8 25 �a4 .Ud6! 0-1 In view of the imminent material losses, White resigned.


15 ...f6! By this pawn break Black fights against the enemy centre and clears the f-file for a future attack. 15 .. ."�e7?! was less promising due to 16 .ic5 .ixc5 17 'Llxc5 'Lle7 18 b4!. 16 exf6 .ixf6 17 'Llxf6+ .Uxf6 18 �d6?! 2 69


13 f3! The plan of creating a pawn centre re mains viable in positions with less material on the board. 13 ... tt:Jc6 14 .Jtb2 'i¥d7 Or 14 ... .l:te8 15 e4!, when 15 ... dxe4 16 fxe4 cxd4 17 cxd4 tt:Jxd4?! fails to 18 'i¥c4! tt:Je6 19 .Jtxf6 gxf6 20 tLlh 5 with a strong initiative. 15 e4! cxd4 16 cxd4 'iVe6 Just as in the previous note, the central expansion is tactically justified; i.e. 16 ... dxe4 17 fxe4 tt:Jxd4 18 'i¥f2! tt:Je6 {or 18 ....l:tad8 19 .l:tad1} 19 .Jtxf6 gxf6 20 tLlf5 ! �h8 21 'iVb2 with a decisive attack - Wat son. By the text Black instead prepares a light square blockade. 17 e5! tLld7 18 tLlh5 After 18 f4?! f5 Black nears his goal. 18 ....l:tfd8 19 .l:tad1 The last piece joins the battle. 19 tt:Jf4?! 'iVh6 20 tt:Jxd5 tt:Jdxe5 ! etc was less convinc ing. 19 tt:Jf8 20 f4 Seeing that he can challenge Black's blockade on the next move, White finally advances his pawn majority. 2o...f5

21 g4! tt:Jg6?! 21 .. .fxg4? 22 f5 was terrible for Black, so perhaps he should h ave tried 21 ...tt:Je7 22 .Jta3 tt:Jfg6 23 tLlg3 .l:tf8 ! ? 24 gxf5 .l:txf5 25 tt:Jxf5 tt:Jxf5 in Petrosian style, as after the text White breaks through on the kingside. 22 gxf5 'iVxf5 23 .Jtc1 .l:tf8 24 tt:Jg3 'i¥h3 25 f5 Apart from its strategic benefits, this advance leaves Black's queen trapped on h3. 25 tt:Jh4 26 .l:td3 ! .l:tae8 27 .Jtb2 The immediate 27 tLlh 5 was also strong, but White is in no hurry. 27 ... tt:Jb4 28 .l:tb3 tt:Jxa2 29 .l:ta3 .l:tc8 Or 29 ...tt:Jb4 30 tLlh 5 etc. 30 .l:txa2 tt:Jxf5 31 .l:ta3 tt:Jh4? 32 tLlf5! 1-0 .•.


•..

7 tt:Jdxe4! White eliminates the active enemy knight, and prepares a swift development with .Jtf4, e2-e3, .Jte2 and 0-0, after which he will be able to strike at the enemy centre with f2-f3. Obviously 7 f3?? 'iYh4+ was less suitable. 7 .. .fxe4 8 .Jtf4! o-o 9 e3 c6 The active 9 ... c5 can be met by 10 a3 ! .Jtxc3+ 11 bxc3, keeping the central control. 2 70

Th e Ba ttle fo r th e C e n tre

10 i.e2 lt:Jd7 11 a3 i.e7 12 o-o i.g5 A logical attempt to swap the active enemy bishop, but White has a strong reply prepared.

13 f3! A powerful pawn break in the same spirit as in Van Wely-Karjakin (Game 123), gaining central control and clearing the f file towards Black's underdeveloped camp. 13 ... i.xf4 14 exf4 l::txf4 Or 14... e3 15 g 3 ! dxc4 16 i.xc4 lt:Jb6 17 �d3 and the e3-pawn is doomed. 15 fxe4 l::txf1+ 16 l::txf1 e5? When you are behind in development, don't open the position! The restrained 16 ... dxc4 17 i.xc4 lt:Jb6 18 �f2! �e7!, fol lowed by ... i.d7, was called for. 17 �d2! The queen joins the battle for the king side. By now Black's defensive task is very difficult. 17 ... c5 18 dxe5 d4 19 �f4! dxc3 20 �f7+ �h8 21 bxc3! Simple and strong, keeping all the threats. In contrast, after 21 e6 lt:Jf6 22 e7 �g8 things get more complicated; e.g. 23 J::t xf6 i.e6! 24 �xg8+ �xg8 25 J::tx e6? c2!. 21...�g8 22 �e7 h6

Intending 2 3 e6 lt:Jf6 24 e5 lt:Jh7, but Alekhine has a stronger move prepared.

23 i.h5! Mobilization is another basic attacking method. Now Black can hardly move. 23 ... a5 24 e6 g6 Or 24...lt:Jf6 25 i.f7 �7 26 l::txf6! gxf6 27 �f8+. 25 exd7 i.xd7 26 l::tf 7! 1-0 In view of the coming queen check.


1o...e5! A strong advance that destabilizes White before he is properly developed. 2 71


11 d 5 Leaving Black with a stronghold o n cs, but it was hard to find anything better; e.g. 11 lbf3 exd4 12 cxd4 l:i.e8 13 .id3 lbc6 14 ii.e3 .ifs ! and White loses a central pawn. 11 ... lbbd7 12 .id3 12 lbh 3 lZJcs 13 lbf2 seems more solid, when Black can choose between the simple 13 ...lbg4 14 lbxg4 .ixg4 15 .ie3 l:i.c8, keep ing some advantage, and the more complex 13 ...lZJfxe4 14 lZJxe4 .ifs 15 1i'f2! lZJxe4 16 1i'xfs �4+ etc - Golod. 12 ...lbc5 13 .ig5 There is nothing better; e.g. 13 .ie3 lbfxe4! 14 .ixe4 �4+ or 13 lZJf3 lZJfxe4! 14 .ixe4 fs regaining the piece with a clear advantage - Rozentalis. 13 ... h6 14 .ih4 1i'd6 15 lbe2?! This runs into a strong reply. 15 lDf3 lZJxe4! again works well for Black, so the uninspiring 15 .ixf6 1i'xf6 16 lDf3 had to be played either here or on the previous move. 15 ...lbg4! With the double idea of ... lbe3 and .. .f7fS. All of a sudden, White's position is very difficult to defend. 16 lbc1 f5! 17 h3 fxe4 18 hxg4 exd3 19 lZJxd3 1i'xd5

2 72

With an extra pawn, safer king and su perior pawn structure, Black is winning. 20 lDf2 .ixg4! 21 0-0 Or 2 1 lZJxg4 lbd3+ and the next check is decisive. The text leaves Black with a second extra pawn, making the win a matter of technique. 21 ... .if5 22 1i'e2 l:i.ae8 23 l:i.fe1 b6 24 a4 .ic8 25 l:i.ed1 1i'c6 26 1i'c4+ �h8 27 lbd3 .ib7 28 l:i.d2 .ia6 29 lbb4 .ixc4 30 lZJxc6 lZJb3 0-1


12...f5! An excellent pawn break that under mines the enemy centre while clearing the f-file and the long diagonal for Black's pieces. 13 exf5 If 13 dS, then 13 ....ixc3! 14 1i'xc3 eS is rather strong, but 13 1i'd3 might have been a lesser evil - Hillarp. 13 ... lbxf5 Stronger than 13 ... exfs 14 dS! f4 15 .id4 etc. 14 1i'd3 o-o 15 .ic1? Wasting a vital tempo. 15 o-o was bet ter, not fearing the exchange on e3. 15 ...c5!

Th e Battle for th e Cen tre

The story is repeated on the opposite flank. I guess that anyone who sees this game will be tempted to try out the Hippo potamus. 16 dxcs There is nothing better, since 16 d5 .ixc3+ 17 "iVxc3 .ixd5 leaves White without any compensation at all for the pawn Hillarp. 16. ..li'lxcs 17 "iYc4 .l:tc8 18 h4?! Admittedly Black is h aving a dream po sition, but this desperate attack will just make his task easier. 18 0-0 must have been better, when 18 ... "iYd7, with the idea of ... lbe4, keeps the initiative. 18 ....ixf3 19 gxf3 lbxh4 20 "iYg4 lbg6 21 lZJe4 lZJes 22 "iYh3? A tactical error, though after 22 "iYg 3 lbxe4 23 fxe4 .ttx c2 Black is also much better - Hillarp.

22 ...g4! 23 "iVhs lZJxe4 24 fxe4 "iYf6! With double threats at f2 and c2, Black is winning. The game concluded 25 .tth 2 .ttx c2 26 .ixh6 .ttx e2+! 27 'it>xe2 "iYf3+ 28 'it>e1 g3 29 .ixg7 gxh 2 ! ? 30 "iYh8+ 'iiif7 31 "iVxf8+ 'it>g6 32 'it>d2 "iVxf8 33 .ixf8 liJf3+ 34 'iiie 3 lbg1 35 .ttxd6 h 1"iY and here White re signed.


14 d S ! An unexpected blow, based o n the fact that both 14 ... cxd5? and 14 ... exd5? drop a piece after 15 e5. In contrast, 14 e5?! lbd5 leads nowhere for White. 14 ... cs 15 .tta d1 Another good option was 15 d6! ? .id8 16 .ixf6 .ixf6 17 e5 with a huge strategic plus. 1S ... h6 16 .ixf6 .ixf6

11 lDhs! An unpleasant move for Black, who now has to hand over the e5-square in order to keep her king side pawn structure intact. 2 73

M a s t ering Open ing Strategy

17 ....td8 18 dxe6 fxe6 19 tt:Je5! With the irresistible threat of 20 l:td7. 19....if6 20 l:td7 'i!Vb8 21 tt:lg4 .id4 22 e5! 1-0 22 'i!Vxa6 'iie 8 was less convincing. After the text Black resigned, seeing that after 2 2 ...l:tf7 23 tt:Jxh6+ gxh6 24 tt:lf6+ 'it>f8 2 5 'iig 4 she is soon mated.


Simple and strong, bringing the last piece into the battle. 18...\t>hS 19 dxe6 Black was ready for 19 ... cxd5, so White finally fixes a favourable pawn structure. 19 ... l:txd1 20 l:txd1 fxe6 21 tt:Je4 g6 22 tt:Jc5! .txc5 A positional capitulation, but 22 ... 'i!Vc8 loses material after 23 tt:Jxg6+! .txg6 24 'i!Vxg6 .txc5 25 'i!Vxh6+ 'it>g8 26 'iig 5+ 'it>h8 27 'i!Vxc5 - Kramnik. 23 'i!Vxc5 l:tg8 24 .ta2! 'it>g7 There is nothing better; e.g. 24....tf7? 2 5 'i!Vd6! o r 24. . .tt:Jd5 2 5 .txd5 exd5 26 l:txd5. 25 .txe6 l:tf8 26 tt:ld7! 1-0 Interestingly, this is the first move with the knight since it settled on e5. 26 ...tt:Jxd7 27 l:txd7+! .ixd7 28 'iie 7+ is hopeless.


15 .ta2! With the centre completely dominated by the strong knight on e5, Kramnik initi ates a kingside attack. 15 ... .td7 16 .ib1 .te8? 16 ... l:tfd8 was correct, preparing the evacuation of the king; e.g. 17 tt:Je4 'it>f8 18 tt:Jxf6 .txf6 19 'i!Vh7 'it>e7 and Black is still alive. 11 d5! An aesthetic blow, which exploits sev eral tactical motifs at the same time. Now both 17 ... cxd5? and 17 ... exd5? run into 18 tt:Jxd5! with material gains, besides which there appears the threat of 18 d6 .txd6 19 tt:lg4, a fact that explains Black's next move in the game. 17 ...l:td8 18 l:tfe1 2 74

12 ... a6! Preparing ...b7-b5 in order to destroy the enemy centre. 13 .ta4 b5! 14 cxb5 axb5 15 .txb5 'i!Vxd5 Already at this point Black is much bet ter - he has two mobile pawns against none in the centre, and White is far from completing his development.


16 a4 Obviously 16 i.e2 e5 17 i.f3? failed to 17 ... e4. 16 ... i.b7 11 ..tf1 es! The central pawns start rolling, sup ported by both fianchettoed bishops. White now opts for a similar idea on the queen side; unfortunately, his pawn majority will play a less important role until the end game phase is reached, and Black probably won't let that happen. 18 b4 e4 19 bs

19 ... tt::ld 7! A move with several virtues: the a1-h8 di agonal is cleared for the bishop, the knight is improved, and a future .. .f5-f4 is enabled. 20 l:ta3? A weird move, refusing to develop the minor pieces. With 20 i.b2 tt::lc 5 21 tt::ld 2 White could still put up some resistance. 20 ... d3 On top of all his other advantages, Black now controls the a1-h8 diagonal, and his position plays itself. 21 tt::ld 2 fs 22 �b3 J:tfc8! The last piece joins the battle with dev astating effect. 23 �xds+ i.xds 24 as i.f8 25 l:ta4 tt::l b 6!

Finishing off any of White's illusions with the passed pawns. 26 l:ta1 i.b4 27 a6 J:tc2 28 l:td1 i.c3 29 l:ta3 J:txc1 30 J:txc1 i.xd2 0-1


13 ... ds! A thematic counterstrike in the Open Si cilian, which makes White's kingside attack less likely to succeed. The pawn possibly lost in this operation is usually well in vested. 14 exds Black is also fine after 14 g5 dxe4! ? 15 i.g 2 tt::le 8, followed by ...tt::l d 6. 14...e4! 15 i.g2 After 15 tt::lx e4?! tt::l xe4 16 i.xe4 tt::lf6 17 i.f3 J:tad8 and ...tt::lxd5 next, Black obtains a better version of the game. 1s ...tt::l b6 16 gs tt::lfxds 17 tt::lxe4 J:tad8 In exchange for the pawn, Black enjoys excellent piece activity. 18 tt::l d4 J:tfe8 19 c3 After 19 �g4 i.f8 20 f5 �e5 ! 21 tt::lb 3 tt::lc 4 22 g6 tt::l de3 Black again had counter play in L.Psakhis-Z.Azmaiparashvili, Riga 1980. 19 ...i.f8 20 �g4 2 75

M as t e ring O p e n ing Strategy

20...'Llxc3! Rybka 's suggestion. In contrast, the game went 20 ...�h8?! 21 f5 ! 'Llc4 22 g6 with attacking prospects for White. 21 ctJf6+ Both 21 bxc3 ?! .ixe4 and 2 1 'Llxc3 .Mxd4 let Black restore the material balance with a pleasant advantage. 21...gxf6 22 gxf6+ �h8 23 bxc3 'Llds With threats at f6 and c3, Black is better - Rybka.


13 g4! A timely flank advance which prepares 2 76

g4-g5 undermining d5, while creating at tacking opportunities on the king side. 13 ....id6?! 13 ...h6?! leaves the king exposed after 14 .ic2 and 15 �d3, so 13 ... 'Llc6 14 .ic2 .ie6 15 �d3 g6 16 .ie3 was preferable, with just a slight edge - Kasparov. 14 �h1 .Me8 Or 14 ... 'Llc6 15 g5 .ixf4 16 gxf6! .ixc1 17 fxg7 .Me8, when 18 .Mxc1, followed by .Mg1, looks like the simplest way of keeping the initiative. The text avoids such play by re moving the rook from f8 in advance. 15 gs .ixf4 16 .ixf4 'Llhs 17 .ixb8! Time is money - by giving up the bishop pair White accelerates his king side attack. 17 ... .Mxb8 18 f4 g6 19 �f3 b6? 19 ... 'Llg7 was essential, preventing f4-f5. At this point, 20 'Llxd5? runs into 20 ... .ig4! 21 �g2 .ih 3, so White should prefer 20 .ib5 ! .id7 2 1 .ixd7 �xd7 22 'Llxd5 'Llh 5 23 .Mad1 with a clear advantage - Kasparov. 20 f5! .Mb7 Parrying the threat of 21 fxg6, though after White's next move the black king be comes severely exposed anyway. 21 f6! .ie6 22 .Mae1 �d6 23 .Mes! .Md8 24 �e3


With the simple but inevitable plan of i.e2xh 5. 24... bs 25 i.e2 b4 Removing the rook from the seventh rank will soon play against Black, though he was short of good advice. 26 axb4 Itxb4 27 i.xhs gxhs 28 g6! hxg6 29 Itxe6! fxe6 Obviously 29 ..."ii'x e6 fails to 30 "ii'h 6. 30 "ii'h 6 Itb7 1-0 At the same time Black resigned, with out waiting for 31 "ii'x g6+ \t>h8 32 f7 "ii'f8 33 "ii'xh 5+ \t>g7 34 Itg1+ \t>f6 35 "ii'h4+ etc Kasparov.


18 dxc6 etc) 17 i.d4 with roughly equal play. 1s ...tbfxds! Of course, clearing the long diagonal for the bishop. 16 i.xa7 Or 16 tbcxd5 tt:Jxd5 17 tbxd5 cxd5 and it is White who is fighting for equality. 16 ... tt:Jxc3 17 bxc3 tt:Jbs! 18 "ii'f2 tt:Jxa7 19 "ii'xa7 .l:ta8 20 "ii'b6 Obviously 20 "ii'xb7? fails to 20 ... i:tfb8 21 "ii'c 7 i.e5. 20...i.xc3 21 ltac1 i.es By now Black has a more active game. There followed 22 d4 i.xf4 23 Itxf4 Itxa2 24 "iVb3 "ii'e 6! and the threat of ..."ii'xh3+ forced White to enter the endgame a pawn down, which Sepp went on to win.


14...ds! Exploiting the pin on the e-file, Black manages to break in the centre despite six enemy pieces controlling the d5-square. 15 cxds?! This runs into a strong reply. 15 i.xa7 g 5 ! ? 16 tbh 5 tbxh5 17 "ii'x h5 d4! 18 tbe2 tbe6, followed by ...i.e5, yields Black inter esting compensation for the pawn, so 15 "ii'f2 !, with the threat of i.c5, was a safer choice; e.g. 15 ... b6 16 cxd5 cxd5 (contrary to the game, 16 ...l'iJfxd5? fails to 17 exd5 "ii'x e3

11 f4! Preparing a pawn break with e4-e5, in order to open the position before Black is properly developed. 11 ...tbf6 12 es dxes Or 12 ... tbd7 13 e6! fxe6 14 dxe6 tbf6 15 f5 with a strong attack - Hjartarson. 13 fxes tbd7 27 7

M as t e ring O p e n i n g S t ra tegy

In the event of 13 .. .'=2Jg4, Hjartarson h ad planned 14 e6 fxe6 15 lt:lf4! i.d4+ 16 �h 1 lt:lf2+ 17 .Mxf2 i.xf2 18 lt:lxe6 lbo 19 Vif3 with strong threats. 14 e6! fxe6 15 i.g5! Some mobilization before capturing on e6. Less convincing was 15 dxe6?! lt:lf6, fol lowed by ... 0-0, or 1S lt:lf4?! i.d4+ 16 �h1 0-0. 15 ...lt:lf6 16 lt:lf4! Again White is attentive to the oppo nent's castling. Now 16 ... 0-0? runs into 17 lt:lxe6 .Mf7 18 d6! with decisive threats. 16 ...lt:lc7 17 d6! exd6

18 lt:lxe6! A strong temporary sacrifice that fur ther exposes Black's king. 18 Vixd6?! .Ma6 was less clear. 18 ...lt:lxe6 19 Vie2 Of course not 19 i.xf6? 0-0. Now, on the other hand, 19 ...0-0? drops a piece after 20 Vixe6+, so Black's king is forced to stay in the centre. 19 ...�d7 20 i.xf6 .Mhf8 21 lt:le4! �c7 22 i.xg7 lt:lxg7 23 .Mxf8 .Mxf8 24 lt:lxd6! Luring the king to a decisive double at tack. 24 ...�xd6 25 .Md1+ �c6 26 Vie4+ 'lt>b5 27 Vi'd3+ c4 28 Vid5+ 1-0 2 78

In view of 28 ...�b6 29 Vi'd6+ or 28 ... �a6 29 Vixc4+ �b6 30 .Md6+ �b7 31 .Md7+ �b8 32 Vih3+ with mate, Black resigned - Hjar tarson.


14... g5! An excellent flank advance to gain space and undermine the d4-pawn by ... g5-g4. 15 i.c3 g4 16 lt:le1 f6! A timely pawn break, by which Black ex ploits the fact that 17 exf6 Vixf6 leads to strong pressure at d4. 17 i.d3 fxe5 18 i.xf5 18 dxes d4 19 i.xfs exfs comes to the same thing. 18... exf5 19 dxe5 d4 Thanks to his superior activity Black is already a bit better, since 20 i.xd4? fails fatally to 20...lt:lxd4 21 Vixd4 i.bs ! . 2 0 i.b4 lt:lxb4 2 1 axb4 i.b5! 22 .Mg1 b6 Restricting the knight on a4. 22 ... i.xb4?! 23 lt:lc2 was less clear. 23 lLlc2 d3 24 lt:le3 f4 25 lLlxg4? Desperation. After 25 lt:lfs Vi'd7 26 lt:ld6+ i.xd6 27 exd6 Vixd6 28 lt:lc3 i.c6 Black keeps the initiative, but the battle goes on. 25 ... hxg4 26 Vixg4


also weakens the light squares in his camp. 16 ... i.xa3 17 'iixa3 fxg3 18 fxg3 i.h3 ! was preferable - Dvoretsky, although after the simple 19 l:tf1 i.xg2 20 �xg2, followed by l:tbe1, White keeps some advantage thanks to his superior pawn structure.

26 ...l:tc7! With the idea 27 'iig 6+ l:tf7 28 e6? l:txh2+! and mate. 27 h3 l:th6 28 ctJc3 i.c6 The rest is easy. 29 f3 'iih4 30 'iifs i.d7 31 e6 i.xe6 32 'iib s+ �f7 33 J::.a e1 'iig 3! 0-1


16 i.a3! By an indirect attack on the es-pawn, White makes the enemy attack less likely to succeed. 16 ... cs?! Black prevents the bishop exchange but

17 aS C4 Just as on the previous move, 17 ...i.e6?! 18 c4 only yields Black an additional prob lem with the b7-pawn, while 17 ... ctJd7 18 ctJh4!, preparing i.e4(+}, is also awkward for him. 18 'iia 2 i.xa3 19 'iixa3 ctJd7 20 'iib4 20 d4! exd4 21 l2Jxd4 was even stronger - Zlotnik. 20...cxd3 21 cxd3 By now White's superiority in piece ac tivity is striking. 21...�h8 22 'ii b s! More technical than 22 lLlxes?! lLlxes 23 J::.x es fxg3 24 fxg3 i.h3 ! - Zlotnik. 22 ...l:tb8 23 lLlxes lLlxes 24 'iix es fxg3 25 fxg3 With a sound extra pawn and more ac tive pieces, White is winning. There fol lowed 2S ...'iif2+ 26 �h1 i.d7 27 J::.f1 'iic 2 28 'iid 6! l:tfd8 29 J::.xb7 l:txb7 30 i.xb7 and Black resigned. 2 79



12 ...g5J "If you don't have the central position under control, it is better to avoid this kind of undertaking; otherwise you risk suffer ing a counterblow in the centre and coming away empty-handed. But there is no danger of this in the present case, since Black firmly controls the entire complex of cen tral squares." - Yusupov. 12 .. .'�'le4?! 13 f3 was less convincing, when 13 .. .'�'lxg3? 14 hxg3 �xg 3 fails to 15 tLle2.

13 a4 Resuming the plan of 'iic 1 and �a3. As 280

for 13 f3, preparing e3-e4, 13 ...�g6, intending ...hS-h4, looks promising for Black. 13 ... �g6 14 f4 Weakening the e4-square, but 14 'iic 1 at once permitted 14 .. .f4. 14...�h5 15 'iic1 tLle4! A Stonewall expert knows to wait with this move until the optimal moment. Here it helps him prevent 18 �a3 once again. 16 fxg5 tt'lxc3! Preparing a favourable exchange on e2. In contrast, 16 ...'iixg s?! 17 tt'lxe4 fxe4 18 tLlf4 helps White - Yusupov. 17 'iix c3 �e2! 18 .Mfe1 �xd3 19 'iix d3 'iixg5 By now Black has a comfortable game, with his minor pieces superior to their white counterparts. 20 �a3 �xa3 21 .Mxa3 tt'lf6 22 'iif1 h5!

The pinprick ...hS-h4 is enabled, a fact that motivates White to exchange queens. 23 'iif4 'iixf4 24 gxf4 Or 24 exf4 r;t>f7, followed by ...hS-h4, ... .Mh8, ... .Mag8 etc. 24 ...r;t>f7 25 .Ma2 .Mg8 Preparing ... .Mg7 and ... .Mag8, with ... tLle4 as a later option. Thanks to his superior minor piece Black has a stable edge in this endgame, and Yusupov went on to win .



Black accepts the sacrifice, since 22 ...J:Ic6?! 23 i.xh7+ 'it>f8 24 ctJd4! makes things even worse for him. 23 i.xh7+! 'it>xh7 or 23 ...'it>f8 24 i.g6 l:tf4 25 tt:lg s ! i.xg s 2 6 i.es with deadly threats. 24 'ifxf7 'iff8 25 'ifh5+ 'it>g8 26 'ifxds+ 'iff7 27 'ifxd1 With an extra pawn and safer king, White won without major difficulty.


18 dS! A thematic pawn sacrifice, which we al ready saw in Browne-Martz (Game 118). 18 es?! i.e7 is less convincing. 18... exds

19 es! i.e7 20 e6 Tempting and strong, in order to clear lines against the black king. 20...i.a4?! 20 ...i.e8 was more logical, bringing a defender to the kingside, although after 21 exf7+ J:Ixf7 2 2 tt:les White keeps a clear ini tiative. 21 exf7+ l:txf7 22 'ife6! i.xd1

11 ...f6! A strong pawn break that increases Black's central control and complicates White's intended attack. Also possible is 11...tt:lxb3 12 axb3 f6 with similar play, whereas 12 ...i.fs?! permits 13 'ife3 ! , fol lowed by i.h6, keeping some attacking prospects. 12 i.f4 Obviously 12 exf6?! exf6, followed by ...J:Ie8, would play into Black's hands. 12 ... gs! Gaining some space on the king side. The slight weakening of the light squares is not too serious, now that the bishop on b3 will soon leave the board. 281


13 .ig3 'Lixb3 14 axb3 .tf5 15 'Lih2 15 'Libd2, followed by .l:!ae1, seems more natural. 15 ... c6 16 ct:id2 'ife8 17 exf6 The clearance of the centre will make Black's bishop pair even stronger, but White must have feared the plan of ...'ifg6 and ....id3. 17...exf6 18 'ifxe8 .l:!fxe8 19 f4 .id3 20 .l:!f2 h6! Black gets ready to meet f4xg5 by ...h6xg s, thus preventing the arrival of any white piece at es. Nakamura later con verted his slight advantage into victory.

'Lixd4 'ifxd4, followed by ....l:!ac8, or 14 'Lic3 'Lid4 15 'Lixd4 'ifxd4 16 ct:ixds exds! with ....l:!fe8 next.


13 ...'iVb6! Responding to the flank attack with ac tion in the centre. Now 14...CLld4 is enabled, while the queen's rook can quickly join the battle. Evidently, after 12 ... b6 this queen sortie would not have been available, whereas in the event of 12 ...'iVC7 Black would be one tempo down by now. By the way, 13 ... 'Lias causes White fewer worries after 14 .tgs 'iVb6 15 'Lic3. 14 'ife4 Black is also better after 14 h s 'Lid4 15 282

14.. .f5! Another key move, which enables a counterattack along the f-file, exploiting the lead in development. The damage to the pawn structure is less relevant. 15 exf6 'Lixf6 16 'ife3 'ifc7 17 'Libd2? A slow move that exposes White to a deadly attack. 17 'iff4!, insisting on the queen exchange, was essential; e.g. 17 ...'ifd8 18 'iVd6!, followed by 'Lic3, or 17 ...'ifxf4 18 .ixf4 'Lids 19 .id6 .l:!fd8 20 ct:ibd2! .ixb2 21 .l:!ab1 .ig7 22 'Lie4 with some counterplay for the pawn. 17 ...'Lig4 18 'ife2 Other squares were no better; e.g. 18 'ifcs .id4, or 18 'ife4 .l:!f4, followed by ....l:!af8, or 18 'ifg s es! and the queen is trapped by ....ih6 or ....tf6 on the next move. 18...'Lid4 19 'iVd1 .ic6 Black's pieces coordinate perfectly. 20 .ie4 .l:!ad8 21 .txc6 bxc6 22 'it>f1 Or 22 'ifa4 .l:!xf3 ! and the queen finally enters on h2. 22...'Lixf3 23 gxf3 'ifh2 0-1



10...e6! Responding to White's flank attack with action in the centre. 10...l2le5?! 11 .i.e2 or 10 ... lbxg3?! 11 hxg3, followed by 'iVh4, was less accurate, while 10 ... l2lb6?! 11 'iVh4 lbxd5 12 lbxh5 gxh 5 13 .i.g2! also favours White Lukacs. But 10 ... l2lc5 ! ? 11 'iVh4 .i.xc3 12 bxc3 �xd5 was possible; e.g. 13 d4 �d8! ? 14 .i.e2 lba4 15 .i.d2 l2lg7 16 o-o l2lf5 - Galkin. 11 d4 If 11 lbxh5?! gxh5 12 'iVh4 l2le5, both 13 �xh5 exd5, preparing ....i.g4(f5), and 13 .i.g2 lbg6, intending 14 �xh5 l2lf4, favour Black. 11 ... l2lb6 12 �d1

12 ...lbxg3! Now that White can't easily mount an attack down the h-file, Black decides to keep his pawn structure intact. 13 hxg3 exd5 14 .i.e3?! 14 .i.g 2 �e8+ 15 �fl was preferable, al though after 15 ... .i.e6! ?, intending ...�c8-c4 as well as .. .f7-f6, Black h as counterplay Galkin. 14...�es 15 �d2 .i.f5!? The greedy 15 ...�xg 5 was also possible; e.g. 16 o-o-o �e7 17 .i.h6 .i.h8 18 .i.b5 .i.d7 with a clear edge - Lukacs. 16 .i.b5 CDc4 17 .i.xc4 dxc4 1S 0-0-0

1s... b5! Black hurries to start his own attack, even at the cost of a pawn. 19 l2lxb5 �bS 20 l2lc3 �e7 21 .i.f4 Disrupting the plan of ...�eb7. 21 ...�b6 22 �de1 White's only chance is to use the e-file for counterplay. 22 ... �eb7 23 �e3 .i.xd4 24 �eS+ �xeS 25 �xeS+ �g7 26 l2la4 �xb2! Of course not 26 ...�b4? 27 .i.d6! Galkin. 27 l2lxb2 c3? A tempting idea, but White can defend 283


after this. 27 ....l:i.xb2 was correct; e.g. 28 .l:i.he1 .l:i.b1+!? 29 �d2 c3+ 30 �e2 .l:i.b2+ 31 �d1 .l:i.xa2 ! ? 32 .id6 h5 33 gxh6+ �h7 and Black keeps the advantage - Galkin. 28 tl::ld 3! .ixd3 29 .l:i.b8 .l:i.b2 30 .l:i.d1 .l:i.c2+ 31 �b1 .l:i.d2+ Black has to settle for a draw, since 31 ....iJ5 ? fails t o 32 .l:i.xd4 .l:i.xf2+ 33 �c1 .l:i.fl+ 34 .l:i.d1 etc. 32 �c1 .l:i.c2+ 33 �b1 .l:i.d2+ 34 �c1 Yz-Yz



11 ...as! With the centre under complete com mand, Black launches an attack on the frag ile enemy queen side. 18 .ig2 This leads to a soon collapse of White's position, but 18 tl::lb 6 'i¥c3+ 19 .id2 tl:Jxd2 20 'i¥xd2 .l:i.b8 - Volkov, or 18 b5 cxb5 19 'i¥xb5+ .id7 was also bad for him. 18...axb4 19 tl::l b6 .l:i.a3! 20 'i¥c2 .l:i.xe3! A final detail, which leaves White with out protection on the dark squares. 21 tl:Jxc8 .l:i.c3 22 'i¥b1 0-0 23 tl::l b6 tl:Jxf2! 24 �xf2 .ih4+ 0-1 In view of 25 �fl 'i¥f4+ 26 .if3 .l:i.xf3+ or 26 ... 'i¥g3, White resigned. 2 84

14...tl:Jg4! Black wishes to soften up White's centre by ... c6-c5, but seeing that the immediate 14... c5?! permits 15 .ltxf6! .ltxf6 16 e5 .ig5 17 .ib5 .l:i.e7 18 d5 and 19 e6 with an initia tive, he first removes the knight from f6. In retrospect, White should have preferred 14 h3 and then mobilized the queen's rook. 15 .ltxe7 Or 15 .\tel c5! 16 .ltb5 'i¥c7 17 g3 .l:i.ed8 18 d5 .ltc8 with a slight edge for Black thanks to his control of the dark squares, V.Neverov-B.Gelfand, Uzhgorod 1987. 1S ...'i¥xe7

The Ba ttle fo r t h e C e n tre

16 Wid2 In view of the threat ... ctJe3 White has no time for the desirable 16 es. 16...cs! A key move which fixes a favourable pawn structure, since neither 17 h3?! cxd4, nor 17 .ibs cxd4 18 lbxd4 .l:!.ed8 works at all well for White. 17 dS .id7 18 h3 ctJ4eS Thanks to his stronghold on es and the bad bishop on d3, Black is already a bit bet ter. 19 ctJf4 Wigs 20 lbxg6 Wixg6! Pert has observed that he can soon mo bilize for an attack on the enemy kingside, whereas White has no obvious plan to fol low. 21 c;t>h1 .l:!.ad8 22 Wif2 b6 23 .ib1?! A sad place for the bishop. Perhaps White should have tried 23 .ibs ! ? instead; e.g. 23 ... .ixbs 24 ctJxbs Wixe4 25 lbc7!, with ideas like 2S ... .l:!.e7 26 d6 and 2 S ... .l:!.f8 26 .l:!.de1.

23 .ic8 24 .l:!.fe1 Wih6 25 Wid2 Wih4 26 .l:!.f1 ••.

26....l:!.d6! A nice rook lift that enhances the com ing attack. 27 Wit2 Wihs 28 CZJbs .l:!.h6 29 Wig3 .l:!.g6 30 Wih2 .ia6 31 a4 .ixbs! 32 axbs Wie2 Black wins a pawn, while maintaining his huge positional plus. 33 d6?! .l:!.xd6 34 .l:!.xd6 Wixf1+ 35 Wig1 Wixbs 36 Wid1 h6 37 Wids? Wif1+ o-1

2 85

Cha pter Fo u r

Rest rict i o n

I ntrod uction Just like the battle for the centre, the con cept of restriction isn't exclusive to the opening phase, and I covered its role in the middlegame quite extensively in Mastering Chess Strategy. Basically, restriction means that you don't let your opponent carry out the moves or plans that he is aiming for. In the context of opening play, we can divide the restrictive measures into three distinct types:

Restriction of the opponent's devel opment (including castling). t Restriction of a specific enemy piece. t Restriction of the opponent's general plans. t

Evidently, the two latter types are rele vant during middlegame and endgame play as well, whereas the first type is exclu sive to the opening. In this chapter we will come across restrictive measures of all three types, sometimes even intertwined within the same game.

286

Restriction of castling Throughout this book we have seen many games where the prevention of the oppo nent's castling had a huge effect on the battle; e.g. Dvoretsky-Schmidt (Game 7; 12 i.b5+!), Psakhis-Gofshtein (Game 8; 15 ... i.c5!), Firman-ltkis (Game 10; 16 i.c5!), Vaisser-lllescas (Game 54; 14...i.a6!), Ovetchkin-Efanov (Game 62; 20 iVa4+!, 21 iVa3), and Kundin-Kostanovich (Game 134; 14 i.b5+!). Here are some more examples on the subject.

Game 186 A.Vusupov-T.Wedberg

Stockholm 2003 Colle's Opening 1 d4 lbf6 2 lbf3 e6 3 e3 cs 4 i.d3 b6 5 o-o i.b7 6 c4 i.e7 7 lDc3 As mentioned in Game 59 (Vera Romero), the Colle is by no means an in sipid opening, despite its peaceful looks. By playing 7 lbc3 at this moment, White pre pares to meet 7 ... 0-0 with 8 d5!, when

Res triction

8 ... exds 9 cxds li:Jxds 10 li:Jxds �xds 11 �xh7+ �xh7 12 'iVxds yields him a pleasant advantage, whereas other Black 9th moves produces some kind of inferior Benoni due to the placement of the black bishops.

1 ... d s

7. . .cxd4 8 exd4 d S is more popular, when play usually continues 9 cxds li:Jxds 10 li:Jes ! (10 �bS+ �c6 is less promising) 10...0-0 11 'iVh s or 11 'iVg4 with a sharp bat tle. The drawback to the immediate 7 ... d5 will be well displayed by this game. 8 cxds exds

While 8 ... cxd4?! 9 �bS+! is annoying for

Black, 8 ...4:Jxds 9 e4 li:Jxc3 10 bxc3 o-o was probably a lesser evil. Similar positions of ten arise in the Petrosian Variation of the Queen's Indian (1 d4 li:Jf6 2 c4 e6 3 li:Jf3 b6 4 a3), but there White h as wasted a move on a2-a3, so he should be slightly better here. 9 �bS+! White violates the principle of not mov ing the same piece twice in the opening, but with good reason. This check either leaves Black without castling or under mines the d5-pawn. 9 ... �f8 Wedberg opts for the former. 9 ...4:Jc6? 10 li:Jes .l:!.c8 11 'iVa4 'iVc7 12 'iVxa7 is just disas trous for Black, while the natural 9 ... 4:Jbd7 runs into 10 dxcs bxc5 11 li:Jes ! with the idea 11 ...0-0 12 li:Jxd7 li:Jxd7 13 li:Jxd5. Finally, 9 ...�c6 is strongly met by 10 'iVa4! �xb5 11 'iVxb5+, when 11 ... 4:Jbd7 12 dxc5 bxc5 13 .l:!.d1 again leads to a problem with the d5-pawn, and 11 ...'iVd7 12 li:Je5 'iVxbs 13 li:Jxb5 li:Ja6 14 .l:!.d1 also favours White; e.g. 14...0-0 15 li:Jc6 .l:!.fe8 16 b3! �f8 17 �b2 with strong pressure in N.Sulava-C.Debray, French Team Championship 2009. 10 �e2 Prophylaxis against an annoying ... c5-c4, i.e. 10 b3 c4!? 11 bxc4 a6 12 �a4 dxc4, and 13 ... b5 next, with some queenside activity for Black. 10 ... 4:Jbd7 11 b3! Of course. On b2 the other bishop will control the long diagonal and discourage Black's natural plan of ... g7-g6 and ...�g7. 11 ...a6 12 �b2 .l:!.c8 13 .l:!.c1 hs!? 14 h3! With his last move Black probably hoped for 14 li:Je5 li:Jxes 15 dxe5 li:Jg4!, when 16 �xg4 hxg4 17 'iVxg4 d4, intending ....l:!.h4, yields him some counterplay, but Yusupov prevents that idea. 28 7

M as t e ring O p e n ing Strategy

14...'it>g8

15 ctJe5! Activating the knight and preparing .i.f3, with increased pressure on the hanging pawns. Due to his badly placed king, it is al ready difficult to find a good plan for Black 15 ... cxd4 16 iVxd4 The right recapture, so as to keep the long diagonal open. 16....1l.c5 11 iVf4 lLlf8 Both 17 ....i.d6 18 ctJxf7! and 17 ...ltJxeS 18 iVxes d4 19 exd4 i¥xd4 20 iVgs ! favour White. 18 .i.f3 lDe6 19 'i¥f5! g6 Doing a favour to the bishop on b2, but the queen was annoying on fs. 20 'i¥d3 lDg5 21 l:td1! Yusupov isn't bothered about the ex change on f3, and brings the last piece into the battle. 21 ...ctJxf3+ Or 21 ....1l.d6 22 .i.xds! lbxds 23 lbxds l:xc1 24 l:xc1 .ll. x es 25 .ll.x es .ll.xds 26 iVxds! etc. 22 ctJxf3 With the rook on e8 instead of h 8, this would be a normal fighting position. Here, in contrast, Black's disconnected rooks and 288

the tactical motifs along the a1-h8 diagonal spell big problems for him.

22 ...'i¥e7? Black's first tactical mistake in the game, and a decisive one. The prophylactic 22 ... .1l.e7 was called for, when 23 ctJa4, fol lowed by .ll.d4, is one possible way for White to work on his advantage. 23 b4! A nice strike, which exploits the fact that 22 ...'i¥e7 l eft the bishop on b7 overloaded to the defence of c8 and ds. 23 ....i.xb4 24 lbxd5 lbxd5 25 l:xc8+ .ll.xc8 26 iVxd5! Even simpler than 26 .ll.xh8. 26 ...l:h7 27 'jfd8+ 'jff8 28 iVxf8+ .ll.xf8 29 l:d8 1-0 In view of 29 ....i.fs 30 .ll.a3, Black resigned.

Game 187

P. Ricardi�J.Hellsten Sa ntiago 2006

Cotafan Opening

1 d4 lDf6 2 c4 e6 3 g3 d5 4 .ll.g 2 dxc4 5 lDf3 a6 With this and the following move, Black

Restriction

declares his intention to hang on to the c4pawn. A calmer approach is s ... .ie7 6 o-o o-o 7 �c2 a6, when Black resolves the de velopment of his queen's bishop after both 8 �XC4 bS 9 �C2 .ib7 and 8 a4 .id7! 9 �xc4 .ic6. 6 o-o tZ:lc6 7 tZ:lc3 Also possible is 7 e3, followed by �e2, .U.d1 and e3-e4. 7 ....ib4 In my search for a reply to the Catalan, this rare move had attracted my attention. 7 ... .U.b8, preparing ... b7-b5, is much more popular; e.g. 8 e4 .ie7 9 �e2 bs 10 .U.d1 o-o 11 dS exds 12 es tZ:lb4! 13 exf6 .ixf6 with a double-edged battle, as occurred in several games.

8 e4!? Ricardi plays just the move that I was trying to prevent! An earlier game of mine went 8 �c2 0-0 9 .U.d1 .ie7 (vacating the b4-square for the knight) 10 e4 b S 11 �e2 .U.e8 12 .if4 tZ:lb4! 13 tZ:le1 and a draw was agreed in J.Gustafsson-J.Hellsten, European Team Championship, Gothenburg 2005. 8 .ixc3 Accepting the challenge. The simple 8 ...0-o was also reasonable; e.g. 9 es tZ:lds or ...

9 dS exds 10 exds tZ:le7, with unclear play in both cases. 9 bxc3 tZ:lxe4 10 tZ:les! Being two pawns down, White should of course act energetically. After 10 �c2?! tZ:ld6, followed by ...0-0, Black has no prob lems. 10 tZ:lxes Not 10 ...tZ:lxc3? 11 .ixc6+ bxc6 12 �f3 etc. 11 .ixe4 tZ:ld7?! Here I definitely underestimated my op ponent's next move. By 11 ...tZ:ld3 12 .ia3 c s ! Black could h ave tried t o return the pawns to facilitate his development, a common strategy when facing gambits. At this point, 13 .ixd3 cxd3 14 .ixcs b6! 15 .ia3 .ib7 16 �xd3 �ds 17 f3 .U.c8, preparing .. .f7-f6 and ...c/J;f7, seems about equal; while 13 � s ! ? h 6 ! , insisting o n the idea of ...o-o, o r 13 dxcs �as 14 .ib4 �C7! 15 c6 tZ:lxb4 16 cxb4 o-o also looks okay for Black. ••.

12 .ia3! A typical restriction method, that we al ready came across in Vaisser-lllescas {Game 54) with reversed colours, among others. 12 tZ:lf6 Despite the two extra pawns and the ••.

289


absence of direct enemy threats, it is not easy to find a plan for Black here. With the text I transfer the knight to the good d5square, though that doesn't solve the prob lem of the uncastled king, of course. An alternative was 12 ... c 5 ! ? 13 dxc5 lt'lf6 in the spirit of the note to Black's 11th move, although after 14 .i.f3 'iVxd1 15 lbxd1 lt'ld5 16 J:i.fe1! White keeps the pres sure; e.g. 16 ...lt'lxc3 17 c6! lt'Jxd1 18 cxb7 l:i.b8 19 bxc8'iV+ J:i.xc8 20 .i.xd1 with a fa vourable endgame. 13 .i.g2 lt'lds 14 'iVg4 'iVf6

15 'iVe2! Having lured the black queen to f6, White now creates the double threat of .i.xd5 and 'iVxc4. Less to the point was 15 .i.xd5?! exd5 16 l:i.ae1+ .i.e6 17 f4 g6 18 f5 gxf5 19 J:i.xf5 o-o-o! and Black defends. 15 ...lt'Jxc3 The ensuing complications favour White thanks to his better development, but 15 ... c6 16 'iVxc4 was depressing for Black. 16 'iVxc4 lt'lbs 17 .i.b4! Of course, keeping ... 0-0 out of the ques tion. 17 ... 'iVxd4? An oversight in a difficult position. 290

1 7...lt'lxd4? was equally bad due t o 18 l:i.ad1 e5 19 J:i.xd4! exd4 20 'iVxc7 with decisive threats, while after 17 ... .i.d7 ! ? 18 a4! 'iVxd4 19 l:i.fc1! 'iVxc4 20 l:i.xc4 lt'ld6 21 l:i.xe7 White keeps a huge advantage.

18 .i.c6+! A nice blow which converts White's ini tiative into something more tangible. 18 ....i.d7 Or 18 ...bxc6 19 'iVxc6+ 'iVd7 20 'iVxa8 lt'ld6 2 1 l:i.ac1 0-0 22 'iVb8 with an easy win. 19 .i.xbs 'iVxc4 20 .i.xc4 Material is about even, but Black's pawns are rather unfortunately distributed to put up much resistance to White's mighty bishop pair. 20... 0-0-0? I was already a bit disillusioned with the course of events and overlooked 20... c5!, preparing ...b7-b5 and ...c5-c4, with some minimal counterplay. 21 l:i.fc1 .i.a4 22 .i.c3 l:i.hg8 23 J:i.ab1 hS 24 h4 l:i.d7? A useless move which lets White break through on the queenside. 24... c6 and ....i.b5 was the last chance. 25 .i.e2! g6 26 .i.f3 c6 27 l:i.b4 .i.bs 28 a4 as Or 28 ....i.d3 29 .i.e5 l:i.e7 30 .i.xc6 etc.

Restriction 29 .Uxbs! 1-0 In view of 29 ... cxb5 30 i.e5+
Gome 188

Ma.Carlsen C.Deepan Chakkravarthy Dubai 2004

Sicilian Defence, Rossolimo Variation 1 e4 cs 2 lLlf3 tbc6 3 tbc3 lLlf6 By his last move White sidestepped the Sveshnikov, whose adherents can also play 3 ... e5 here. 4 i.bs Finally White settles for a Rossolimo, and now intends 5 e5. In this sense, 4.. .'�C7 is the most frequent choice in practice, while the game move invites the opponent to surrender the bishop pair to gain a lead in development. 4...es 5 i.xc6 dxc6 6 tbxes tbxe4

The only way of recovering the pawn. 7 tbxe4 'iVd4 8 o-o Another direction is 8 'iVe2 'iVxe5 9 f4, or even 9 d4, with complex play.

s...'iVxes

Give Black two extra tempi and he will be just fine after ... i.e7 and ... 0-0. Thus Carl sen invests a pawn to increase his lead in development. 9 d4! cxd4?! It seems that 9 ... 'iVxd4 was preferable; e.g. 10 'iVf3 i.e7 11 i.g 5 f6 12 .Uad1 'iVxb2 13 tbd6+ i.xd6 14 .Ufe1+
11 i.gs! Simple and strong - White prevents the opponent's ...0-0-0 and also creates the threat of 12 lLlf6+. other moves fail to pose any problems for Black; e.g. 11 f4?! 'iVd5 12 tbg5 o-o-o, or 11 tLlg 5 'iVd5 12 'iVg4

11 ...i..e 7 The natural 11 ...'ifd5 is strongly met by 12 i..f6!, paralysing Black's game; e.g. 12 ...c5 13 c3 d3 14 c4!, intending 14...'ifxc4 15 i..xg7! - Postny, or 12 ...d3 13 c4! 'ifa5 14 i..c 3 'ifd8 15 .Me3 'ifh4 16 'ifxd3 .Md8 17 'ife2 with a dangerous initiative in O.Kurmann J .Markos, Zurich 2010. 12 f4! By 12 l2lf6+ i..xf6 13 .Mxe5 i.. x e5 14 f4 i.. C 7 15 f5 !, intending 15 ...i..xf5 16 'ife1+! i..e 6 17 'ifb4, White could have secured an advantage in the endgame, but Carlsen goes for more. 12 ... 'ifds Unfortunately for Black, after 12 ...'ife7 13 i..x e7 Wxe7 14 'ifxd4 'ifb6 White has 15 l2lc5 ! . 13- i..xe7 Wxe7

14 f5! Now that 14...i..xf5? runs into 15 lbc3+, Black has to accept the trade of the f- and d pawns, which lets White's queen onto the stage with devastating effect. 14 ...'ifxfs 15 'ifxd4 'ifds Or 15 ... .Mhd8 16 'ifb4+
that and keeps his attack going. 16 'ifb4+ cs 17 lbxcs as 18 'ifa3 'ifd4+ 19 Wh1 'ifb4 20 'ife3! 1-0 In this hopeless position Black resigned. There could have followed 20 ...'ifg4 21 h3 'ifg6 22 'ifa3 We8 23 'ifh3 ! with decisive threats.

Game 189 s�Bryneii;.J.Barkhagen Swedish Tearn Championsh i p 2008 Queen 's Indian Defence

1 d4 lbf6 2 c4 e6 3 l2lf3 b6 4 g3 i..a 6 s b3 bs A interesting alternative to the more common 5 ... i..b4+ or 5 ... i..e 7. At the cost of a few tempi, Black achieves the exchange of the influential c4-pawn. 6 cxbs i..x bs 7 i..g 2 ds 8 o-o lbbd7 The most accurate choice, since both 8 ...i..d6 and 8 ... i.. e 7 give White the addi tional option of g lbc3 i.. a6 10 b4! ?, cramp ing Black on the queen side - Avrukh. g lbc3

g ..i..c 6?! .

But this is misguided, as the bishop had

Res triction

no reason to leave the active f1-a6 diagonal yet. Several games saw 9 ....i.a6 10 .Mel .i.b4 {or .i.e7 I.i.d6), followed by ...0-0. 10 .i.b2 .i.b7 Black prepares ... c7-c5, a structurally sound idea but risky on this occasion due to White's lead in development. 10 ... .i.e7 was safer, both here and on the next move. 11 .Mel es 12 CZ'la4! Forcing the the exchange of pawns on White's terms, which will yield him consid erable activity. 12 dxc5?! .i.xc5 was less ambitious. 12 ... exd4 Or 12 ... .Mc8 13 dxc5 CZ'lxc5 14 'ilfd4!, keep ing the pressure. 13 CDxd4 .Me8 14 'ilfd3! Natural and strong - White connects his rooks for the battle of the c-file, and also enables an annoying 'ilfb5 or 'ilfe3 later on. 14... a6?! Preventing 15 'i1Vh5, but this additional tempo loss will be strongly felt in the fur ther course of the game. After 14 ....i.e7 15 'i1Vh5 ! .Mb8 16 CZ'lc6 .i.xc6 17 'ilfxc6 o-o 18 'ilfa6 CZ'lb6 ! Black is still worse, but at least his king has reached safety. 15 .Mxe8 'ilfxe8 16 .Mel 'ilfa8

Just as in the previous game, if Black is given two tempi he will have no problems after ....i.e? and ...0-0. How can White pre vent that? 17 'ilfe3! A key move that prepares a sacrifice on e6. The alternative 17 .Me??! .i.d6 was less constructive. 17 ....i.e7 Or 17 ....i.d6? 18 CZ'lxe6! fxe6 19 'ilfxe6+ .i.e7 20 .Me7 with the devastating threat 21 .i.xf6. 18 .i.h3! The threat is stronger than its execution - after 18 CZ'lxe6 fxe6 19 'ilfxe6 CZ'lf8 Black can still defend. 18 ...CZ'le4 Seeing that 18 ... 0-0 runs into 19 CZ'lxe6! fxe6 20 .i.xe6+ .Mf7 21 .Mc7 with huge mate rial losses, Black intercepts the enemy queen. 19 CDxe6! fxe6 20 .i.xe6

By means of a minimal sacrifice White has managed to open the gates to Black's king, and prevent ... 0-0. Actually, the occu pation of the e6-square {or e3 with reversed colours) with a minor piece tends to have a strong restrictive effect on the opponent's 293


development, a fact that motivates similar sacrifices in the Open Sicilian, among oth ers. 20. ./bfS Inviting the white knight to the party, but the threat of 2 1 .i.xd7+ �xd7 22 lt:ib6+ had to be parried, and 20...lt:idf6 21 '11c 7, preparing 'ifb6, was also grim for Black. 21 lt:ib6 'iia 7 Both 21...'iib 8 and 21...'iid8 were strongly met by 22 .i.xds!. Now, in contrast, the capture on dS would let Black swap the queens, so Brynell adjusts his plans. 22 '11c 7! 'iib8 Or 22 ... lt:ixe6 23 11xe7+! �xe7 24 CtJxdS+ .i.xds 25 'iix a7+ �d6 26 .i.a3+ �es 27 f3 with an easy win. 23 '11x b7! 'iixb7 24 .i.xds Black's camp is being completely demol ished. 24...'iic 7 25 .i.xe4

2s ...lt:ie6 2 S ... .i.cs 26 .i.g6+ leads to mate, while after 2S ... 'iic s 26 .i.d4 'iig s 27 .i.c6+ �d8 28 'iic 3 the black king is doomed. 26 .i.ds 1-o In view of 26 ... lt:ics 27 .i.xg7, Black re signed. 294

Game :J.90

N.Short�L.OIJ

Parnu 1996 Scandinavian

Defence

1 e4 dS 2 exds 'iixds 3 CtJc3 'iia s 4 .i.e2 Short opts for a modest set-up, delaying the fight for the initiative until a later stage of the game. 4 d4, followed by lt:if3 and .i.c4, is the main line here. 4...lt:if6 s lt:if3 c6 6 h3 .i.fs 7 0-0 lt:ibd7 A simple alternative was 7 ... e6 8 d4 .i.d6 and ...0-0 next. 8 d4 e6 9 CtJh4 .i.g6 10 lt:ixg6 hxg6 11 .i.f4!

Depriving the black queen and bishop of their standard posts on c7 and d6. 11 ...'11d 8?! A natural move in this structure, but here it has the drawback of taking a vital retreat square from the queen, a fact that White immediately exploits. 11.. . .i.e7 was preferable, or even 11.. . .i.b4!? 12 'iid 3 'iifs Short. 12 a3! lt:ib6?! This runs into a strong reply. After 12 ... .i.e7 13 b4 'iifs 14 'iid2! Black is also in trouble, since 14...lt:ids? 15 lt:ixds cxds 16 g4

Res triction

'Yi'f6 17 g5 'Yi'f5 18 i.g4 leaves his queen trapped, and 14 ... e5 15 dxe5 l2Jxe5 16 'Yi'e3 is equally unpleasant for him. In contrast, the pragmatic 12 ... .l::i.c 8!? 13 b4 'Yi'd8 looked quite acceptable, with ... i.e7 and ... 0-0 just around the corner. 13 i.es! Intercepting the black queen from the f5-square, which means that 14 b4 h as be come a mortal threat. 13 ... lLlbdS 14 lLlxds exds?! A third inaccuracy, which yields White an open e-file to operate on. The usual re capture 14 ... cxd5?! was also dubious due to 15 b4 ifb6 16 c4! dxc4 17 'Yi'a4+! - Khalif man; thus 14 ... ifxd5 ! 15 c4 'Yi'd7 should h ave been preferred - Short. 15 b4 'Yi'b6

Without any intention to bore the reader, here we have one more case where Black is about to reach safety by ... i.e7 and ... 0-0. How can White prevent that from happening? 16 c4! By means of the threat of c4-c5, Short manages to clear new lines towards the enemy king. The isolated pawn that now arises on d4 is a less relevant factor.

16...dxc4 Forced, since 16 ....l::i.d7 17 c5 'Yi'd8 18 b5, followed by 'Yi'a4, .l::i.ab1 etc, leads to a crush ing white initiative on the queenside. 17 i.xc4 i.e7 After 17 ... i.d6 18 'ife2 ! i.xes 19 dxes lLld5 White is just in time for 20 e6! Khalifman.

18 'Yi'C2! A key move, which stops 18 ... 0-0? on ac count of 19 ifxg6. Thus Black is forced onto the defensive. 18 ...�f8 19 .l::i.a e1 lLlds 20 .l::i.e 2?! The idea of doubling rooks on the open file is very logical, but 20 .l::i.e4 was a more active way of doing it - Short. On the other h and, the concrete 20 i.xds .l::i.xds 21 i.xg7+! �xg7 22 .l::i.x e7 .l::i.xd4 23 'Yi'C3 .l::i.h d8 24 .l::i.fe1 might have been even more prom ising - in this major piece endgame White is far more active, and he has the safer king. 20...i.f6 21 .l::i.fe1 �g8! Providing the king with a flight square on h7, so that 22 i.xd5 can be met by 22 ....l::i.xd5 from now on. In contrast, 21 ... i.xes? 22 dxe5 lLlf4 {otherwise 23 e6) 23 .l::td2 'Yi'C7 24 'Yi'd1! ? �e7 25 .l::i.d6 ! yields White a huge advantage. 295


22 !:te4 Admitting the inaccuracy two moves ago. 22 ...l::t h4? After a tenacious defence, 011 finally goes astray. Khalifman suggests 22 ... as as an improvement, while 22 ... '>i?h7, preparing ...l::th e8, seems possible as well, keeping up the fight.

quite a radical impact on the battle. I n con trast, the restriction of a specific enemy piece tends to have a more long-term effect on the game, one that can leave the af fected side suffering even into the end game. Let's start with a basic method of this type .

Game 1.91

T.Radjabov•Eu..Torre

Caivia·.Oiyrnpiad· 2004 Pirc &e.fence

23 .txd5! cxd5 Perhaps Black had planned 23 ...l::txds 24 i.xf6 l::txe4 25 �xe4 gxf6, only to discover that 26 �e8+ '>i?g7 27 l::t e 7 wins for White; e.g. 27 ... �xd4 28 h4! - Khalifman. 24 l::tx h4 i.xh4 25 i.c7 l::tc 8 Or 2S ... i.xf2+ 26 '>i?xf2 �xd4+ 27 '>i?f1 l::tc 8 28 i.es!, keeping the extra m aterial. 26 l::te 8+! l::txe8 27 i.xb6 axb6 28 '>i?f1 In this endgame Black's weak queenside pawns make it impossible for him to set up a fortress, so White is winning. 28 ...l::ta 8 29 �b3 l::td 8 30 '>i?e2 i.f6 31 '>i?d3 '>i?f8 32 �a4 1-0 In view of 33 �a7 next, Black resigned.

Restriction of specific pieces As we saw in the previous games, the re striction of an opponent's castling h ad 296

1 e4 d6 2 d4 tZ'lf6 3 tt:Jc3 g6 4 f4 i.g7 5 tZ'lf3 o-o 6 i.d3 tt:Ja6 A common reply to the Austrian Attack, by which Black prepares ... c7-c5 without obstructing the bishop on c8. 1 es!? An aggressive choice. The main line goes 7 0-0 cs 8 dS i.g4, preparing ...t2JC7, ...l::tb 8 and, if possible, ...b7-b5. 7 ...dxe5 This and the next move provide an easy solution to the problem with the threat ened knight, but also leaves White with an extra pawn in the centre. The restrained ] ...tbd7, insisting on the ... c7-c5 idea, is more common in practice. 8 fxes tt:Jd5 9 tt:Jxds The most ambitious try, to gain some space before Black gets ... c7-c5 in. 9 ...�xds 10 c4 �d8 11 h3! A typical restriction method, which leaves the bishop on c8 short of a good des tiny. It is used in many different openings and in fact we already came across it in Andersson-Portisch (Game 61) and Po lugaevsky-Dorfman (Game 116). In con trast, after 11 o-o i.g4 Black has an easier

Restriction

task; e.g. 12 .i.e4 c6 13 h 3 .i.xf3 14 .i.xf3 "ifb6 or 14... 'ilk7, followed by ....l::!.ad8 and possibly ... c7-c5.

11 ...f6 A sensible pawn break, reducing some of White's space advantage. 11 ... c5 12 d5 'iiie 7 13 'iiie 2 '2lb4 14 .i.b1 was less convinc ing. 12 exf6 exf6 13 0-0 c6 Preparing ...'2lc7 in order to get the off side knight into play. After 13 ...c5 14 d5 or 13 .. .f5 14 .i.c2 White should also be slightly better, while the flexible 13 ... .l::!.e 8 can be met by 14 �h1 ! ?, intending 14.. .f5 15 .i.g 5. 14 .i.f4 '2lc7 15 'iiib 3! Another sensible developing move, with the additional merit of again restricting the bishop on c8. 15 ...�h8 16 .l::!.a d1 '2le6 17 .i.e3 'iiic 7 18 .l::!.fe1 White brings the last piece into the bat tle, and prepares to meet ...'2lf4 by .i.f1. 18 ...'2lf4?! On this square the knight will just be come exposed. Preferable was 18 ...'2lg 5 ! 19 '2lh2 ! 'iiig 3 20 �h1 with only a slight white advantage - Erenburg, who also suggests 18 d5!? on the previous move. 19 .i.f1 b6?

With d4-d5 hanging in the air, Black should have taken prophylactic measures. After 19 ....l::!.d8 20 d5 cxd5 21 cxd5 'iiid6 22 .l::!.d4 White remains on top - Erenburg, but in the game he will obtain an even bigger advantage.

20 d5! Finally, the time is ripe for the inherent plan in the position: converting the pawn majority into a passed pawn. 20 ... cxd5 21 cxd5 'iiid 6 22 'iiic4! An accurate follow-up, which attacks the knight and threatens 'iiic 6 at the same time. 22... ttJh5? This loses material, but after 22 ... g5 23 'iiic 6 'iiixc6 24 dxc6 Black's game is also dif ficult due to the dangerous passed pawn and White's clearly more active pieces. 23 g4! b5 Since 23 ... '2lg3 fails to 24 .i.f4, Black's fate is practically decided. 24 'iiic6 'iiig 3+ Or 24...'iiix c6 25 dxc6 '2lg3 26 .i.c5 .l::!.g 8 27 .i.xb5 etc - Erenburg. 25 .i.g2 .i.xg4 26 .i.f2 'iiif4 27 hxg4 'iiixg4 28 'iiie 6! The rest is easy. 29 7

M as te ring Op e n ing S t ra tegy

28 ...fs 29 ttJes 'ifgs 30 l2Jf7+ lixf7 31 'ifxf7 h6 32 'ife7 'ifg4 3 3 'ifh4! 1-0 In the previous game we saw Radjabov successfully restricting the opponent's light-squared bishop, while in the following encounter, Geller directs his attention to the queen's knight. Moreover, the second half of the game will show us a great deal about restriction in general.

b3-b4!, exploiting the fact that ...c4xb3 en passant is no longer available. Moreover, a regrouping with ... ctJc4-b6 is now also im possible. The immediate 14 l2Jf1 gives Black fewer worries after 14 ... CLJc4, or 14 ... c4 with ...CLJb7-cS next.

Game 1.92

E.Oeller·H.Meddng Palma de Mallorca lnterzonal 1970 Spanish Opening

1 e4 es 2 C2Jf3 l2Jc6 3 i.bs a6 4 i.a4 l2Jf6 5 0-0 i.e1 6 lie1 bS 7 i.b3 d6 8 c3 0-0 9 h3 ttJas The Chigorin Variation, just as popular today as 100 years ago! 10 i.c2 cs 11 d4 'ifc7 12 C2Jbd2 l2Jc6 Nowadays, 12 ... cxd4 13 cxd4 l2Jc6 is a more frequent continuation, with Black securing some counterplay along the c-file. This has even made 12 ds a popular choice, in order to close the centre at once. 13 ds ttJas The knight returns, but the remainder of the game will show us the drawbacks to this decision. 13 ... l2Jd8 is much more com mon, with the future plan of ...l2Je8, ...g 7-g6, ...CLJg7, f7-f6 and ...ctJf7, discovered by Rubinstein at the beginning of the previous century. 14 b3! A clever piece of restriction directed at the knight on as. From now on, the typical idea of ... cS-c4 and ...ctJb7-cS will be met by 298

14...i.d7 14... g6!?, preparing ...CLJh S, is a different idea analysed by A.Filippov. 15 CLJf1 White gets on with his intended king side attack. 1S ... CLJb7 16 CLJg3 C4 17 b4! lifc8?! A rather cooperative move. By 17 ... g6 Black could have complicated the oppo nent's attack to a considerable extent; e.g. 18 l2Jh2 as 19 i.h6 lifc8 20 'iff3 lia6 2 1 a3 lica8 22 CLJfS i.d8! with a tense battle in M.Zufic-B.Lengyel, Budapest 2002. 18 ttJfs i.f8 19 l2Jh2 as 20 lie3 ! The rook joins the kingside attack and also eyes the sensitive c3-square. 20 ... axb4 21 cxb4 i.xfs?! Geller writes that Black could h ave waited with this exchange, but also men tions that the doubling of rooks on the a file would not have made much sense due to a2-a3. In any case, 21 ... g6 22 lig 3 'lt>h8 23

Restriction

C2Jh6 .ie8, or perhaps 2 1...�h 8 ! ?, followed by ... CZJg8 and g 7-g6, seems more tenacious than the text, with a slight hope of reinte grating the knight in Rubinstein style by .. .f7-f6 and ... C2Jd8-f7 later on. 22 exf5 c3

23 l2Jg4! The exchange of knights will liberate the e4-square for the rook, where it will prevent Black's intended ... �c4. 23 ... .ie7 24 CZJxf6+ .ixf6 25 .Ue4! Before resuming his kingside attack, White prevents 25 ....ig 5 as well as a posi tional sacrifice with ... e5-e4. As a conse quence, Black is limited to passive defence. 25 ..J�Vd7 26 �f3 .Uc7 27 h4 �e7 Parrying the threat of g4-g 5. 28 g3 C2Jd8?! As Geller says, on d8 the knight has a single destiny: back to b7! 28 ....Uac8, fol lowed by 29 ....Uc4, seems preferable, al though strategically speaking Black's task remains very difficult due to his passive knight. 29 a3 This and the following moves aim at creating a "second front" on the queenside. 29....Ucc8 30 .Ub1 .Uc7 31 �e2!

By a simultaneous attack at the b5- and c3-pawns, White aims at diverting the black queen from the h4-d8 diagonal, so that g3g4 can be launched later on. 31....Ub8 32 .Ub3 �d7 33 �f3 .ie7 34 .Ue3 After 34 .Uxc3 .Uxc3 35 �xc3 .Uc8 Black obtains some minimal counterplay. 34 ....if6 35 .Ue4! Of course not 35 .Ubxc3? .Uxc3 36 .Uxc3 e4. 3 5 ... .ie7 36 g4! f6 Practically forced, in view of the threat 37 g 5, but this means the end for the c3pawn now that the bishop can no longer settle at f6. Of course 36 ....ixh4? failed to 37 g 5 . 37 .Ue3 CLlf7 38 .Ubxc3 .Ubc8

39 .ie4! Finishing off Black's last hope of coun terplay: ... e5-e4 followed by ... CZJe5. By now White's extra pawn and attacking potential make the win a matter of time. 39....id8 40 .id2 MC4 41 MXC4 MXC4 In the event of 41 ... bxc4 Geller had pre pared 42 .Uc3, followed by .ib1-a2 and �e4. besieging the c4-pawn. 42 .Uc3 .ib6 43 .Uxc4 bxc4 44 g5 fxg5 45 hxg5 .ids 46 �h5 c3 47 .ie3! h6 With 47 ...C2Jh8 48 g6 h6 Black could have 299


avoided an direct assault at his king, but that would be a cruelty to the poor knight, which has already suffered enough in this game. 48 f6! 1-0 In view of 48 ... ct'lxgs 49 .i.xg s hxgs so iYh7+ with a quick mate, Black resigned.

1 e4 d s 2 exds ct'lf6 3 d4 ct'lxds 4 ct'lf3 .i.g4 4... g6 is another direction in this Scan dinavian line (with an Alekhine flavour). 5 C4 ct'lb6 6 cs .i.xf3?! This early exchange yields White a clear initiative. Today, the more elastic 6 ...CLJ6d7 is preferred; e.g. 7 'i¥h3 i.xf3 8 'ifxf3 ct'lc6 with a sharp battle. 1 'ifxf3 ct'lds

Provoking light square weaknesses on the enemy queen side. Such a "punishment" with 'i¥h3 is rather common in openings with an early development of the black queen's bishop, such as the Slav. In con trast, 8 .i.c4 c6 9 ctJc3 e6 is less dangerous for Black. 8 ... b6 The active 8 ... ct'lc6? fails to 9 'ifxb7 ct'lxd4 10 .i.bs+ ct'lxbs 11 'ifc6+! - Suetin. 9 .i.gs! Restricting the opponent's development with ... e7-e6. 9 'ifd7 Perhaps Black should have tried 9 ...h6 10 .i.c4 c6 11 .i.h4 gs 12 .i.g3 e6 instead, ac cepting a slight weakening of his kingside structure in order to speed up develop ment. 10 ct'lc3 e6 11 ct'lxds! At this moment, Suetin must have al ready had his strong 13th move in mind. Again, 11 .i.c4 c6 was less promising. 11 'ifxd s Or 11 ... exds?! 12 0-0-0, followed by l:te1(+) with a strong initiative. 12 'ifxds exds

8 'ifb3!

13 c6!

Here is one more game from older times, where Black's queen's knight again falls victim to restrictive measures.

Game 193 A.Suetin-l.Shamkovich USSR Championship, Kiev 1964 Sct:mdinavian Defence

3 00

...

...

Restriction

A key move that paralyses the enemy queenside. Now 13 ...l2Jxc6? obviously fails to 14 .ib5 �d7 15 .l:!.c1, so Black will have to develop the opposite flank first. 13 .ie7 14 .ie3 ! 1 4 .ixe7? �xe7 15 .l:!.c1 �d6 o r 1 4 .if4?! .if6 were inferior - Suetin . 14...�d8 15 .l:!.c1 .l:!.e8

2o...f6 21 .l:!.fs! .l:!.d6 Or 21 ...l2Jxc6 22 .l:!.xd5+ �e7 23 .l:!.h 5 etc. 22 .l:!.xds .l:!.xds 23 .ixds

••.

16 g3! By 16 .ie2 .ib4+ 17 �d1 .l:!.e6 18 .if3 .l:!.xc6 19 .ixd5 .l:!.xc1+ 20 �xc1 c6 21 .ixf7 White could reach an endgame with a sound extra pawn, but Suetin wants more. Now the analogous 16 ... .ib4+?! is met by 17 �e2 ! , intending 17 ....l:!.e6 18 .ig2 .l:!.xc6 19 .l:!.xc6 lbxc6 20 .ixd5 �d7 21 .l:!.c1 etc. 16 ....igs 11 .ig2! White's main priority is to keep the c6pawn on the board. After 17 �d2?! .ixe3+ 18 fxe3 �e7 19 .ig2 �d6 20 .l:!.hf1 lbxc6 21 .l:!.xf7 .l:!.f8! Black defends. 17 ....ixe3 18 fxe3 .l:!.xe3+ 19 �d2 .l:!.e6 20 .l:!.hf1! Exploiting the fact that both captures on c6 lose material, White brings the last piece into the battle. Less accurate was 20 .ixd5 ?! .l:!.d6, followed by ....l:!.xd4+, when the knight could be developed via a6-c5 later on.

By skilful play Suetin has managed to swap off the opponent's active pieces, while keeping his c6-pawn alive. Over the follow ing moves Black manages to activate his rook, but not the knight, whose absence in the battle proves fatal for him. 23 ...�e7 The immediate 23 ...lba6? fails to 24 .l:!.e1! and 25 .if7. 24 .ig2 lba6 25 a3! A last piece of restriction aimed at the poor knight. 2S ....l:!.d8 26 .l:!.e1+ �d6? Moving the king into a mating net, but after 26 ...�f8 27 �c3 .l:!.e8 28 .l:!.xe8+ �xe8 29 �c4 and 30 �d5 Black is also lost due to his absent knight. 27 b4! With the inevitable threat of 38 d5 and 39 .l:!.e6 mate. 21 ... bs 28 d s lbcs 29 bxcs+ �xes 30 .l:!.e7 1-0 In the next game, White, by some clever pawn play, manages to isolate both a rook and a bishop from the battle. 301

M a s te ring Open ing S trategy

Game 194 V.Milov-V.Kotronias G i braltar 2009 Nimzo-lndian Defence 1 d4 lt:Jf6 2 c4 e6 3 lt:Jc3 i.b4 4 e3 0-0 5 lt:Jge2 dS 6 a3 i.d6

A provocative reply, by which Black de clares that he is not bothered about c4-cS. This move has lately become a popular al ternative to the main line with 6 ... i.e7. 7 cs i.e7 8 b4 Reinforcing the pawn chain is not in vain, as Black might be about to play ... b7b6 or ... a7-aS. 8 ...lt:Jbd7 Black prepares ... e6-es, hitting the base of the opponent's pawn chain. However, practice has shown that, in this particular line, an attack at its edge tends to be more efficient; e.g. 8 ... b6! 9 ctJg3 c6 10 i.e2 as! 11 llb1 lt:Jbd7 12 0-0 axb4 13 axb4 i.a6 with approximate equality, E.Bareev-V.Kramnik, Monte Carlo (rapid} 2003. 9 ctJg3 9 ctJf4 is also possible, heading for d3 if needed, but with Black apparently aiming 3 02

for ...e6-es, it makes sense to enable lt:Jfs, depriving him of his "good" bishop. g ...as?! Again 9 ...c6, preparing ...b7-b6, ... a7-a5, ...i.a6 etc, was more to the point, but Black follows his outlined plan. 10 bs! The space gained by this advance will be of great value later on in the game. 10...es 11 i.e2 Now it turns out that 11 lt:Jfs? drops a pawn after 11 ... exd4 12 exd4 lt:Jxcs!, so White just gets on with his development. 11...exd4 12 exd4 lieS 13 0-0 b6 Liberating the d6-square. In the event of 13 ... lt:Jf8 at once, White could proceed as in the game, starting with 14 f4. 14 c6 lt:Jf8

Black prepares ...lt:Jg6, ... i.d6 etc, with some kingside activity; however ... 1S f4! A cold shower for the opponent. White intends f4-f5 which will leave the bishop on c8, and indirectly the rook on a8, terribly restricted. 1S...lt:Je6 If Black tries to avoid such a scenario by 1S ...g6, then after 16 fs i.xfs 17 lt:Jxfs gxfs

R e s t riction

18 .l:lxf5 tt:lg6 19 .i.d3 he is clearly worse anyway - Scherbakov. 16
in order to eliminate the opponent's most active piece. 22 .l:lad1 tt:lc2 was less convinc ing. 22 ....i.xd4 23 .l:lae1 e3 24 .l:lf4! .l:ld8 Or 24....i.c3 25 .l:le4 .i.xe1 26 iVxf7+! etc. 25 h3 2 5 .l:ld1 was another good option Scherbakov, but White is not in a hurry, and first rules out any back rank surprises. 2S ....i.c3 After 25 ...
More restriction methods The number of possible restriction methods in chess is practically unlimited, just like the number of possible plans. The next two games feature methods of a more defen sive nature.

Game 195 A.Ardeleanu-R.Zeldc Schwa rzach 2005

Caro-Kann Defence

22 .i.xd4! Milov's play in this game is very logical, and teaches us something about priorities in chess. Three moves ago it was worth a pawn to keep restricting the opponent's forces, whereas on this occasion, he has no concern about surrendering the bishop pair

1 e4 c6 2 tt:lc3 d s 3 iVf3!? dxe4 Faced with a curious sideline, Zelcic opts for a typical pawn structure of the CaroKann. Both 3 ...tt:lf6 and 3 ...e6 are possible too, whereas 3 ...d4 4 .i.c4! probably favours White. 3 03


4 ct:Jxe4 ctJd7 5 d4 ct:Jgf6 6 c3 After 6 J.c4 ct:Jb6 ! 7 ct:Jxf6+ gxf6 8 J.b3 'ifxd4 White might not have enough com pensation for the pawn. 6 ct:Jxe4 7 'ifxe4 ct:Jf6 8 'ifc2 ••.

12 J.f4 Just like Game 190 (Short-011), White hurries to complicate Black's typical set-up with ... 'ife7 and ... J.d6. 12 e6 13 'ifb3 J.d6! Admittedly there was nothing wrong about 13 ... 'ifh6, but the text is more ambi tious. ...

8 ...J.g4! Black secures an active post for his bishop and, more importantly, interferes with the opponent's ct:Jg1-f3. Interestingly, Petrosian had already played like this in 1960. 9 ct:Je2 The knight has to content himself with a different route. After 9 h 3 J.h 5 10 J.d3?! 'ifd5 ! 11 f3 e6, followed by ...J.d6, Black was even a bit better in M.Szymanski A.Deviatkin, Warsaw (rapid) 2005. 9 J.h5 Securing the bishop in advance from a possible CL\g3, although 9 ... e6 10 CL\g3 'ifd5 ! should b e fine a s well; e.g. 11 h 3 J.h 5 1 2 ct:Jxh 5 'ifxh 5 13 J. e 2 'ifg6 with a solid game for Black. 10 ct:Jf4 J.g6 11 ct:Jxg6 After 11 'ifh3 'ife7 12 ct:Jxg6 hxg6 13 g3 e6 14 J.f4 'i!Vh6 Black has also been doing fine in practice. 11 hxg6 ...

...

3 04

14 J.xd6 'ifxd6 15 g3 It transpires that after 15 'ifxb7 .l:l.b8 16 'ifxa7 .l:l.xb2, Black's active pieces and the exposed enemy king more than compen sate for the pawn. 15 o-o-o 16 J.g2 .l:l.h5! 16 ... e5 17 o-o-o! was less promising. ...

Restriction

With the text Zelcic seizes the fifth rank, and prepares to meet 17 0-0-0 by 17 .. .'!i:Jg4, a fact that explains White's next move. 17 h3 M.f5! The opponent's 0-0-0 is again frus trated. 18 M.f1? An unfortunate defence of the f2-pawn. 18 'ii'c 2 was called for.

drawing chances in the rook endgame. By 28 ...'ii'fs ! Black would have kept a clear ad vantage, since 29 'ii'x a7? 'ii'e s! wins on the spot. 29 fxe3 M.d5 30 �d2 M.f5 31 �xd3 M.f3 32 M.g1 White is still worse, but he eventually saved a draw.

Game 196 6!Sveshnik.,v.-M.RytJhagov TaHi.nn (raptd} 2002 Sicil�an Defence, Alapin Variation 1 e4 c5 2 c3 'Llf6 3 e5 'bd5 4 'Llf3 'bc6 5 i.c4 'Llb6 6 i.b3

18 ...M.e5+! Exploiting the tactical motif 19 dxes? 'ii'd 2 mate, Zelcic revokes White's right to castling, in similar fashion to 9 i.bS+ in Yusupov-Wedberg (Game 186). 19 �d2 M.b5 20 iYc2 e5 Of course. Now White seems to be com pletely lost, but Ardeleanu finds the only sensible defence. 21 M.ad1! exd4 22 �c1 d3 23 'ii'd 2 The loss of a pawn could not be avoided, but at least the king feels a bit safer after the artificial castling. 23 ...'ii'e6 23 ... cs, preparing ... c5-c4, was an inter esting alternative. 24 b3 M.e5 25 M.fe1 'Lle4 26 i.xe4 M.xe4 27 M.xe4 'ii'xe4 28 'ii'e 3 'ii'x e3+? This exchange yields White reasonable

6 ...d6 The dynamic 6 ...c4 7 i.c2 'ii'c 7 8 'ii'e 2 g S ! is another option i n this topical branch of the Alapin Sicilian. 7 exd6 'ii'x d6 8 0-0 Currently 8 'Lla3 i.e6 9 d4 is a more popular choice, when 9 ...cxd4 is met by 10 'Llbs 'ii'd7 11 i.xe6 'ii'x e6+ 12 i.e3 ! and 'bbxd4 next, with a lead in development. 8 ...i.e6 A typical idea in this line, in order to 3 05


swap the active enemy bishop. g lt'la3 The Alapin has its own logics, and this odd move is important in several of its variations. The stereotyped 9 iLxe6?! 'ifxe6 10 .Mel offers less after 10 ... 'ifd7, followed by ... e7-e6. g ...iLxb3 10 axb3 On 10 'ifxb3 Black can just proceed as in the game.

10...'ifd3! A well-known restriction method, that dates back to the ancient game L.Paulsen P.Morphy, New York (6th matchgame) 1857. Black obstructs the white d-pawn, at least for the moment, and also avoids an annoy ing knight jump to b5 or c4. In contrast, on 10 ... e6 there can follow 11 d4! cxd4 12 lt'lb5 'ifd7 13 iLf4! lt'ld5 14 iLg3 l:tc8 (or 14... a6? 15 c4, winning a piece) 15 lt'lbxd4 lt'lxd4 16 'ifxd4 f6 17 l:tfdl! iLc5 18 'ife4 with a clear advantage for White Rogozenco. 11 l:te1 Or 11 lt'le1 'ifd7! 12 lt'lc4 lt'lxc4 13 bxc4 e6 with similar play to the game. 11...e6 12 l:te3 'ifd7 Over the last few moves, Black moved 306

his queen to a safer square on d7 and, with ... e7-e6, got one step closer to completing his development. On the other hand, White's position wasn't substantially im proved by the rook manoeuvre to e3. 13 lt'lc4 lt'lxc4 14 bxc4 l:td8 Rogozenco also suggests the simple 14... iLe7 ! ?, when 15 d4 l:td8 16 l:td3 cxd4 17 cxd4 0-0 looks fine for Black, while 15 'ifa4 0-0 16 l:tb1, copying 5 veshnikov's play in the game, can be met by 16 ...'ifd6, frustrating the b2-b4 advance. 15 'ifa4 Instead of 15 d4 iLe7, with similar play to the previous note, Sveshnikov prepares b2-b4. 1S ... iLe7 16 l:tb1 o-o 17 b4 b6 Even simpler was 17 ... cxb4 18 cxb4 lt'le5 ! 19 b5 lt'lxf3+ 2 0 l:txf3 iLc5 with equality Rogozenco. After the text White should probably have tried 18 b5, gaining some space, since his next move is tactically flawed. 18 bxcs? iLxcs! Black takes the initiative, exploiting the fact that 19 d4? is impossible due to 19 ...lt'lxd4. 19 .Me1

Restriction

19 ...es?! Black misses 19 .. .'=i'le5 ! 20 �xd7 ll:Jxf3+ 21 gxf3 l:txd7 with a favourable endgame; even 19 ...�d3 ! ?, repeating our main theme, was interesting for him. 20 .ia3 White is just in time to simplify the po sition. 20....ixa3 21 �xa3 l:tfe8 22 d4! Yz-Yz In view of 22 ... exd4 23 cxd4 l:txe1+ 24 l:txe1 ll:Jxd4 25 ll:Jxd4 �xd4 26 �xa7 �xc4 27 �xb6, the players agreed to a draw. Another common restriction method is a pawn sacrifice on a central file. This is the subject of the next two games.

Game 197 P.Keres-L.Schmid

Ba mberg 1968

Sicilian Defence, Morra Gambit 1 d4 cs 2 e4 cxd4 3 ll:Jf3 After an irregular opening sequence, a kind of delayed Morra Gam bit has been reached. At this point, 3 ... d6, 3 ... e6 and 3 ... ll:Jc6 should all lead to a standard Sicilian battle; instead, Schmid tries a more ambi tious move. 3 ...ll:Jf6 4 es ll:Je4 Black's point - the knight is installed on a good central post, and he is ready to meet 5 ll:Jxd4? by 5 ... �a5+. s �xd4 ds 6 l2:lbd2 Practice has also seen 6 exd6 ll:Jxd6 7 .if4 ll:Jc6 8 �d2 with a slight initiative. 6 ... ll:Jc6 1 .tbs .tfs In Caro-Kann style, Schmid activates the bishop before closing the pawn chain with ...e7-e6.

8 0-0 a6? Too ambitious - Black should have pri oritized development over the bishop pair. 8 ... e6 was called for; e.g. 9 �a4 �b6 10 ll:Jxe4 (otherwise 10...ll:Jc5 is possible) 10 ... .txe4 11 ll:Jd4 I:tc8 12 .ie3 .tcs 13 c3 a6! 14 .ixc6+ bxc6 15 b4 .ixd4 16 .ixd4 �5! with approximate equality. 9 .txc6+ bxc6 10 �a4! Keres hurries to exploit his lead in de velopment. 10 ... �d7 11 ll:Jxe4 .txe4

Or 11...dxe4 12 ll:Jg5 ! , winning a pawn, since 12 ... �d5? runs into 13 c4. After the text Black was perhaps hoping for 12 ll:Jd4?! 307


cs or 12 tt:lgS?! .ltfs, followed by ... e7-e6, but Keres h as a much stronger move prepared. 12 e6! A key move. At the price of a mere pawn, White obstructs the opponent's develop ment. Moreover, he forces a minor piece exchange on e4, which will clear the d-file to the benefit of his better developed forces. This sort of es-e6 sacrifice occurs in a variety of opening lines: the Alekhine (1 e4 tt:lf6 2 es tt:lds 3 d4 d6 4 tt:lf3 tt:lc6 s c4 tt:lb6 6 e6); the Rossolimo Sicilian (1 e4 cs 2 tt:lf3 tt:lc6 3 .ltbs d6 4 o-o .ltd7 s l:te1 tt:lf6 6 c3 a6 7 .ltf1 .ltg4 8 d4 cxd4 9 cxd4 dS 10 es tt:lg8 (or 10 ...tt:ld7) 11 e6}; the Slav (1 d4 dS 2 tt:lf3 tt:lf6 3 c4 dxc4 4 tt:lc3 a6 s e4 bs 6 es tt:lds 7 a4 .ltb7 8 e6}; and the Grunfeld (1 d4 tt:lf6 2 c4 g6 3 tt:lc3 ds 4 tt:lf3 .ltg7 5 �3 dxc4 6 �xc4 o-o 7 e4 a6 8 es bS 9 �3 tt:lfd7 10 e6}. Occasionally it is Black who effects it; e.g. 1 d4 tt:lf6 2 c4 g6 3 g3 .i.g7 4 .ltg2 o-o 5 tt:lf3 d6 6 0-0 tt:lbd7 7 tt:lc3 es 8 �c2 l:te8 9 l:td1 e4 10 tt:ld2 (or 10 tt:lgs) 10 ... e3.

12 ...�xe6 Or 12 .. .fxe6 13 tt:les �7 14 l:te1 �5 15 l:txe4!? dxe4 16 �xe4 with huge compensa tion for the exchange. 3 08

1 3 tt:lgs �g6?! Moving the queen away from the vul nerable queenside. After 13 ...�d7 14 tt:lxe4 dxe4 15 .ltf4! e6 16 l:tad1 �7 17 �xe4 .lte7 18 l:td3 White's advantage is indisputable, but in the game Black will suffer worse problems. 14 tt:lxe4 dxe4 15 .i.f4! Development and prevention of ... e7-e5. 1s ...fs Hanging on to the e4-pawn while pre paring ... Wf7, an idea that White restricts with his next move. 16 �c4! cs!? 17 l:tad1! More mobilization. In contrast, 17 �xes?! �e6, followed by 18 ...g6 or 18 ...l:tg8, yields Black some slight hope of concluding development. 17 ...�c6

18 f3! A decisive blow. As soon as the second white rook enters the battle, Black will be doomed. 18 ... h6 18 ... exf3 19 l:txf3 just helps White, while on 18 ... e6 Keres had prepared 19 l:td6! .ltxd6 20 �xe6+ Wd8 21 l:td1 with a deadly attack.

R e s triction

19 fxe4 �xe4 20 �xes e6 Or 20 ... es 21 �c7!, eyeing d7, just like in the game. 21 �c7 �e7 22 .l:!.d7 �d8

23 .l:!.xd8+! This temporary sacrifice finally converts White's strong initiative into something more tangible. 23 .l:!.xd8 24 �xg7 .l:!.f8 Obviously 24... �d4+? failed to 25 �xd4 .l:!.xd4 26 �es. 25 �xh6 �d4+ The only move, since 2 S ... .l:!.f7 runs into 26 �g8+
One of the oldest Spanish variations, which was sometimes used by Steinitz in his time. 4 C3 �b6 4 ...4Jf6 and the sharp 4...fs are more popular options. 5 d4 exd4 6 cxd4 CL:lce7 Preparing ... c7-c6 and ... d7-d5, an idea which White prevents with his next move. 1 ds! CL:lf6 After 7 ... c6 8 �a4 d6 9 CL:lc3 CL:lf6 10 �g s White also has a more active game. 8 CL:lc3 a6 9 �a4! The correct retreat square, so as to keep preventing ... d7-d6. 9 ...0-0

•••

Qame 198

F.Nijboer-J Hector Wijk aan Zee 200.3 Spa ni�h Opening ..

1 e4 es 2 CL:lf3 CL:lc6 3 �bs �cs

At this point, both 10 o-o d6 and 10 �gS CL:lg6, followed by ...h 7-h6, should be fine for Black, but Nijboer has a stronger move pre pared. 10 d6! A key advance that severely obstructs Black's queenside development. 10 ...cxd6 11 �gs Of course, 11 �xd6? �c7 and 12 ... ds next wasn't White's intention. 11 ...CL:lg4? Preparing .. .f7-f6 in order to release the 309


annoying pin, but this will leave the king side more vulnerable; besides which, it does nothing to solve the problem with the queenside pieces. Nijboer indicates 11 ... d5 12 i.xf6 gxf6 13 exd5 d6 14 o-o with a clear advantage for White; even so Black would have much more activity than in the game after, let's say, 14...�h8 and 15 .. J�.g8 next. 12 o-o f6 13 i.f4 lL'les 14 .Mel White keeps ignoring the d6-pawn, and just brings more pieces to the battle. 14... i.c1 15 lL'lds lL'l7c6 Or 15 ...lL'lxd5 16 i.b3!, followed by i.xd5 - Wedberg. 16 lL'lxc7 "f/xc7 17 lL'ld4! By means of the threat of 18 lL'lf5 White provokes a further weakening in Black's kingside. 17 ...g6 18 i.h6 .Me8 19 i.b3+ lL'lf7 This looks awkward, but 19 ... �h8 failed to 20 f4! "fib6 21 fxe5, when both 21 ...dxe5 22 .Mxf6 and 21 ...lL'lxd4 22 exf6! are fatal for Black - Nijboer.

20....Me6 Practically forced, since 20 ... gxf5 21 exf5, followed by 22 "fih 5, is terminal. 21 i.f4 Now Black has no other choice than to accept the "gift". 21 ...gxfs 22 exfs �f8 An early resignation, but 22 ....Me7 23 "fig4+ led to a decisive attack; e.g. 23 ...�f8 24 i.xf7 .Mxf7 25 i.h6+ �e7 26 .Mfe1+, or 23 ... �h8 24 "fih4 lL'lg 5 (24 ...�g7 runs into 25 .Mc3 !} 25 i.xg 5 fxg5 26 "flh6! "fid8 27 f6 Nijboer. 23 fxe6 dxe6 24 "fihs lL'lfes

25 .Mfdl! The last piece joins the party, and pre vents the consolidating 25 ... "fff7. 2s ... ds 26 i.xes fxes 27 .Mc3 �e7 28 i.xds! 1-0 In view of 28 ... exd5 29 "fixh7+ and 30 .Mxd5+ next, Black resigned.

20 lL'lfs! A strong sacrifice, motivated by the fact that Black is still one rook and one bishop down in the battle. 310

Restriction of plans Finally, let us see two positional master pieces by Karpov and Petrosian, which fea ture all three types of restriction mentioned at the beginning of this chapter, with em phasis on preventing the opponent's plans.

Res triction

Game 1.99 A.Karpov-V.Smyslov

USSR Team Championship 1972 Petroff's Defence 1 e4 es 2 lL'lf3 lL'lf6 3 lL'lxes d6 4 lL'lf3 lL'lxe4 5 d4 i,e7 6 i,d3 lL'lf6 Quite a passive way of treating the Pet roff. 6 ... ds is the main line, either here or on the previous move. 7 h3!

A simple piece of restriction directed at the bishop on c8, and one which we already saw in Radjabov-Torre (Game 191). 1 ...o-o s o-o cs?! This advance doesn't contribute a lot to Black's position and might even harm his pawn structure. 8 .. J::te 8, followed by ...lbbd7-f8, was a more solid choice. 9 lbc3 lbc6 10 J:le1 White maintains the central tension, aware that after 10 ...cxd4?! 11 lbbs, fol lowed by 12 lbbxd4, Black doesn't have suf ficient activity to compensate for the IQP on d6. Less promising was 10 dS?! lbb4 11 i,c4 i,fs etc. 10... a6

Black prepares ...b7-b5, an idea that Karpov will prevent with great fervour over the following moves. 11 dS! First the knight should be dislodged from c6, since the immediate 11 a4?! per mits the annoying 11 ...lbb4. 11 ...lL'la7?! Here this piece will be a problem child for the rest of the game. 11 ...lbb4 was more active, although after 12 i,fl i,fs 13 J:le2 as (a sad necessity in view of the threat of 14 a3) 14 i,f4 J:le8 15 a3 lba6 16 lbd2, pre paring lbc4, White has a pleasant edge anyway. 12 a4! i,d7 13 as! J:le8 Or 13 ... lbbs 14 lba4!, seizing the b6square and leaving the enemy knight use less on bs. At this point, neither 14.. .'ii'x as? 15 J:lxe7, nor 14...lbxds? 15 c4 works for Black. 14 i,f1 This and the subsequent moves with the other bishop are rather typical in the pre sent structure. On f1 and h2, the bishops are active and, at the same time, protected from any enemy threats. 14... h6 311


Smyslov intends 1S ... .tf8 in order to swap rooks, and first rules out an annoying pin with .tgs. Unfortunately, the problem with the queen's knight will become more evident the fewer pieces remain on the board. In this sense, 14.. .'�Jb 5 ! ? seems pref erable, redirecting it to c7, now that 15 tba4 no longer works due to 1S .. .'�xas. 15 .if4 .if8 16 .Mxe8 Obviously 16 iVd2 .Mxe1 17 .Mxe1? failed to 17 ... iVxas. 16 ...iVxe8 17 .ih2 iVd8 18 tbd2 'iVc7 Some prophylaxis against the imminent 19 tbc4, but Karpov has other plans. 19 tbde4! Swapping the opponent's most active piece, consistent with the note to Black's 14th move. 19 ...tbxe4 20 tbxe4 .tf5 21 tbd2 .Me8 22 c3 Seeing that Black can't undertake much, White takes his time. 22 ...'iVd8 23 iVb3 'iVd7

24 C4! After 24 tbc4 tbc8 White doesn't really make progress on the queenside, and Black's bad knight would actually be doing a good defensive job on c8, protecting the weak points at d6 and b6. With the text 312

Karpov instead prepares a breakthrough on the queenside, an idea which will become evident five moves later. 24...tbc8 25 g4! A useful prelude to the next move, in creasing White's light square control and providing the king with a flight square on g2. 25 ....th7

26 .id3! Black has to accept the exchange of an other active piece, since 26 .. .fs ?! 27 iVc2 doesn't favour him. 26 ....txd3 27 iVxd3 g6 28 .Mb1! Finally, the rook gained access to b1, and now b2-b4, clearing its way towards the b7pawn, can't be prevented. 28 ....ig7 29 b4 cxb4 30 .Mxb4 'iVc7 31 tDb3 Protecting the as-pawn and preventing ...iVcs at the same time. By the way, the fact that Black can't get his knight to cs had to be considered when playing b2-b4. 31... .te5 A liberating attempt with 31 ... b6? fails to 32 axb6 tbxb6 3 3 cS!, so Smyslov opts to swap the powerful bishop on h2. 32 .txe5 .Mxe5 33 �g2 g5? Preparing ...tbe7-g6-f4, but this idea is

Res triction

powerfully prevented by Karpov's next move. Black should have preferred either 33 .. Jie7 34 lLld4 Wic7, with a waiting game, or 33 ...b6, trying to improve the knight, when 34 .Ma4! keeps the advantage.

�fl! ?, intending �e2-d3 and .Mf3, Black's task also remains very difficult. 41 .Mf3! b5 42 axb6 1-0 In view of 42 ...Wixb6 43 Wixb6 l2Jxb6 44 l2Jxd6 with a hopeless endgame, or 42 ... l2Jxb6 43 l2Jxf6, heading for e 8.

Game200

T.V.Petrosian-E.Gufeld USSR Championship,

Moscow 1961

King's Indian Defence 1 c4 g6 2 d4 .tg7 3 lLlc3 lLlf6 4 e4 o-o 5 .tg5 d6 6 Wid2

34 Wid4! With this small move White gets ready to meet 34 ...lLle7? by 3 5 Wib6!, winning a pawn and forcing the exchange of queens at the same time. Thus Smyslov is limited to passive defence, which would have been easier to conduct with the g-pawn still on g6. 34...'fie7 3 5 lLld2 .Mel 36 .Mb3 .Me2 37 �f3! .Me 5 In view of the threat 38 l2Je4, the rook has to retreat. 38 .Me3 f6 After 3 8 ....Mxe3+?! 39 fxe3 ! , followed by 40 l2Je4, the black knight is badly missed on d7. 39 lLle4 �g7 40 �g2! Creating the threat of 41 lLlg 3 .Mxe3 42 lLlfs+. Another good option was 40 lLlg 3 .Mxe3+ 41 fxe3 and 42 lLlfS(+) next. 40...'fic7? This loses on the spot, though after 40... �g 8 41 lLlg 3, heading for fs, or even 41

At first sight, White appears to be pre paring a kingside attack with .th6 and h4hs, but the idea behind his set-up is quite different: to restrict Black's typical counter play with ... e7-e5, ... lLlh S, .. .f7-f5 etc, now that the bishop on g S can't be easily chased away. Incidentally, had Black played s ... h6 on the previous move, then after 6 .te3, fol lowed by f2-f3 and Wid2, White gains a tempo for his development thanks to the attack on h6. 313

M a st ering Op e n ing Strategy

6 ...cs A natural reaction, which takes the game into Benoni or Benko waters, depend ing on Black's preferences. 1 ds �as 7 ... e6 and 7 ... b5 are more popular op tions, in accordance with the previous note. 8 .i.d3 a6 9 l2Jge2 es?! Such a closure of the centre will leave Black rather short of counterplay. A more modern approach is 9 ... b5 in Benko style, or the flexible 9 ... 4:Jbd7 first. 10 o-o 4:Jbd7 11 a3 The first step to a future queenside ex pansion with b2-b4. 11...lLlhs

With his last move Black signalled the plan of .. .f7-f5, to which Petrosian finds a subtle antidote. 12 f3! Thus White enables the idea of a king side grip by g2-g4 and ttJg3 while, more importantly, preparing to meet 12 ...f5 by 13 exf5 gxf5 14 �c2 ! with an annoying attack on f5, now that the f2-f3 move has ruled out the reply 14 ... e4. In contrast, 12 .i.e7 .l:!.e8 13 J.xd6? failed to 13 ...�6 Chess Base. -

314

12 ...J.f6 Gufeld vacates g 7 for the knight in ad vance of g 2-g4, but now his kingside pieces become a bit awkwardly placed. Perhaps 12 ... �C7! ? was more promising, when 13 g4 ttJhf6 14 ttJg3 can be met by 14...b 5 ! 15 cxb5 c4, recovering the pawn on the next move with some counterplay. Probably Petrosian wouldn't have pro ceeded so straightforwardly, perhaps pre ferring another useful move like 13 'it>h1 ! ? while awaiting Black's next step. 13 .i.h6 ttJg7

14 g3! No hurry. White keeps the option of g3g4, and also enables the f3-f4 break through, depending on Black's coming play. 14 ... .l:!.b8 15 'it>h1! Another piece of restriction, or prophy laxis if you prefer. With his king safe from any checks on the g 1-a7 diagonal, White gets ready to meet the intended 15 ...b5 by 16 cxb5 axb5 17 b4!, when 17 ... cxb4 18 axb4 �xb4? 19 .i.e3!, followed by 20 .l:!.fb1, traps the black queen, while 17 ... �a6 18 4:Jxb5! win s a pawn since 18 ....l:!.xb5? runs into 19 a4. In contrast, 15 a4?! would be less flexible.

R es triction

In view of lines like 23 ...tt:ld7? 24 d6! i.xd6 2 5 tt:ld5, Black decides to blockade the d-pawn. 24 i.h6 .l:tf7 Unpinning the knight in order to enable a later ... tt:lf5. If 24...fxe4 25 tt:lxe4 tt:Jxe4 26 i.xe4 .l:tf7 in the same spirit, then White has the restrictive 27 g4! ChessBase, whereas it is not clear what Black gains from 24 ... tt:ld7 2 5 .l:t6b2.

15 ....�C7

-

16 b3! Preventing the idea of 16 ...b5 17 cxb5 c4. As a result, Black has to forget about queen side counterplay, and now turns his atten tion to the opposite flank. 16 ... i.e7 17 .l:tab1 �h8 Just like five moves ago, 17 .. .f5? ! is strongly met by 18 exf5 gxf5 19 ifc2 !, so Gufeld takes preparatory actions. 18 .l:tb2! The immediate 18 b4 permits 18 ...b 5 ! ? 19 cxb5 c4. 18 . ..lZ'lf6 19 b4! With the black knight having just left the queenside, the time is right to strike there. 19 ...tt:lg8 20 i.e3 fS At last. After the more cautious 20 ... b6 21 bxc5 bxc5 22 .l:txb8 ifxb8 23 .l:tb1, and ifb2 next, White is clearly better Chess Base. 21 bxcs dxcs 22 .l:tfb1 tt:lf6 At this point, 22 ...b6?! is strongly met by 23 tt:la4, while 22 .. .fxe4 23 tt:lxe4!? .l:txf3 24 .l:tb6 tt:lf5 2 5 i.g 5 leads to a clear initiative for White. 23 .l:tb6! i.d6 -

25 tt:lg1 Thus White prepares tt:lh3-g5 on some occasions. The prophylactic 25 �g2 was interesting too; e.g. 25 .. .fxe4 26 i.xg7+! (ruling out ...tt:lf5) 26 ...�xg7 27 tt:Jxe4 tt:Jxe4 28 i.xe4, intending tt:lc3, i.d3 and tt:le4, with a pleasant advantage. 25 ...f4? A suicidal attack. 2 5 .. .fxe4 was called for, when 26 tt:Jxe4 tt:Jxe4 27 i.xe4 tt:lf5 28 tt:lh3 ! keeps a clear initiative. 26 gxf4 tt:ld7 Perhaps Gufeld had overlooked some thing in the line 26 ...exf4 27 .l:txd6! ifxd6 28 i.xf4 tt:lxe4 29 i.xd6 tt:lxd2 30 i.xb8 tt:lxb1 31 i.xb1 with a huge edge for White in the endgame. 27 fxes! i.xes 315


Or 27 .. .<�:Jxb6? 28 exd6 �xd6 29 es! �d8 30 i.g s �c7 31 d6 �c6 32 i.e4 etc.

At this point Black perhaps expected 28 .M6b3 tt:Jhs ! with some dark square play in exchange for the pawn; however...

316

28 .Me6! Surprising, and very strong. On e6 the rook severely obstructs Black's play and is ready to sacrifice itself on es whenever the knight leaves d7; e.g. 28 ...tt:Jf6? 29 .Mxe s ! �xes 3 0 i.f4, o r 28. . .tt:Jf8 2 9 .Mxes! �xes 3 0 f4 � s 3 1 fs ! gxfs 32 i.e2 �g6 33 tZ:lf3 ! with a crushing advantage. 28 ... bs?! This counterattack is bound to fail, but it was difficult to give Black good advice. 29 cxbs c4 30 .Mc6! �d8 31 i.xc4 With three extra pawns and superior ac tivity, the rest is easy for White. 31 ...�h4 32 .Mc1 tt:Jhs 33 i.gs! Forcing Black into a useless sacrifice. 33 ...tLlg3+ 34 'it>g2 tt:Jxe4 35 tt:Jxe4 �xh2+ 36 'it>f1 .Mxf3+ 37 tt:Jxf3 �h1+ 38 'it>f2 1-0

Res triction

Exerci ses

Game 201

P .Morphy-C.H.Stan ley New York

(blindfold match) 1857

Evans Gambit

10 eS! Clearing lines towards the enemy king. 10 �g s h6 was less convincing. 10...dxes

1 e4 es 2 l2'lf3 l2'lc6 3 �c4 �cs 4 b4 �xb4 5 c3 �as s ... �e7 6 d4 lLlas is another popular re ply to the Evans Gambit. 6 d4 exd4 7 0-0 d6 7 ...lbge7, followed by 8 ... ds, is supposed to be Black's best try, whereas 7 ... dxc3?! 8 ifu3 Wife7 9 lbxc3 l2'lf6 10 e s ! yields White a crushing attack. 8 cxd4 �b6 9 l2'lc3 Your move ...

Game 202

R.J.Fischer..M.Matulovic Palrna de Mal lorca lnterzonal 1970 Sicilian Defence, Rossolimo Variation

g, ..lbf6?!

Quite an indifferent move, as if this was a quiet Italian. After 9 ...l2Jge7?! 10 lLlg S ! , with the idea 1 0... 0-o? 11 Wiih s, Black is also in great danger; so 9 ... l2Jas was called for, when 10 �d3 l2'le7, followed by ...0-0, should be playable for him.

1 e4 cs 2 lLlf3 l2Jc6 3 �bs g6 4 c3 4 0-0 is more flexible, when the plan of c2-c3 and d2-d4 is sometimes discarded in favour of other set-ups; e.g. after 4...�g7 5 .l:te1 es 6 �xc6 dxc6 7 d3, followed by l2Jbd2-C4. 4 ...l2'lf6 s Wi!e2 �g7 6 es lLlds 7 Wifc4?! This early pawn-grabbing runs into a strong antidote. 7 o-o 0-0 8 d4 seems more 31 7

M as t e ring Open ing S t ra tegy

natural, although Black has few problems after 8 ... cxd4 9 cxd4 d6, so White should rather prefer 6 o-o 0-0 7 d4, or even the flexible 7 .l:i.d1 ! ? first. 7 . ..ti:Jc7 8 .i.xc6 After 8 'iix cs? ! b6 9 'iic4 ct:Jxes the pawn trade clearly favours Black - Matulovic. 8 ...dxc6 9 'iixcs

favours 8 .. h6! 9 .i.h4 '2lg6, when both 10 .i.xf6 exf6 11 .i.xc4 .i.d6, followed by ...0-0, and 10 .i.g 3 es! should be okay for Black. 9 .i.xd3 cxd3 10 CLJf3! Speeding up development, the pawn can wait. After 10 'iix d3?! g6 11 .i.xf6 exf6 12 '2lf3 .i.d6 13 o-o o-o Black has less to worry about. 10 ... g6 11 .i.xf6 exf6 12 0-0 .i.g7 With the white queen still on d4, 12 ... .i.d6? clearly fails to 13 '2le4. .

Your move ...

Game 203 M.T.Arnold,.A.Stamnov

Chicago 2008

Caro-Karm Oefence 1 c4 c6 2 e4 dS 3 exds cxds 4 d4 '2lf6 s '2lc3 From the English we have transposed to the Panov Attack in the Caro-Kann. s ...ct:Jc6 6 .i.gs dxc4 A risky, but quite popular choice. 6 ... e6 and 6 ... .i.e6 are safer options. 1 ds A gambit with 7 .i.xc4 is possible as well. 1 ...ct:Jes 8 'iid 4 '2ld3+?! "Don't swap a developed piece for an undeveloped one" is a possible addition to the existing opening principles. Practice 318

Your move ...

Game 204

F.Nijboer-S.E mst G roningen 2004

Petroffs Defence

1 e4 es 2 '2lf3 '2lf6 3 ct:Jxes d6 4 '2lf3 ct:Jxe4 5 d4 d s 6 .i.d3 .i.d6 1 o-o o-o 8 c4 '2lf6 A surprising retreat of Black's most ac tive piece. Practice sees 8 ... c6 almost in variably here, keeping the presence in the centre. 9 cs .i.e7 10 'iic 2 Preparing to meet 10 ....i.g4 by 11 ct:Jes. other logical reactions are 10 ct:Jes, seizing

Res triction

the centre, and the restrictive 10 h3. 10... b6?! A badly timed attack on White's pawn chain. 10 .. .<�:Jc6, speeding up development, was preferable.

6 ...d5 7 cxd5 cxd5 8 .i.xf6 White hurries to swap on f6 before ... .i.e7xf6 is possible. 8 ...'ifxf6 g li'lc3 'iVdS Rather passive. S.Halkias-E.Postny, Mureck 1998, saw the inventive 9 ... 'ife7! ?, heading for b4 or b7, and after 10 a3 'ifb7 11 .i.g2 li'ld7 12 0-0 .i.e7 13 J::tfe1 0-0 Black had little to worry about. 10 li'le5! Seizing the centre and eyeing the oppo nent's Achilles' heel on c6. 10....i.d6?!

Your move...

Game 205

K.Kulaots-E..Aiekseev Moscow 2004 Queen's .Indian Defence

1 d4 li'lf6 2 c4 e6 3 li'lf3 b6 4 g3 .i.a6 5 'ifb3 A viable alternative to the main line with 5 b3. The gambit 5 'ifc2 .i.b7 6 .i.g2 cs 7 dS!? has recently also become very popu lar in practice. 5 ...c6 An interesting reaction - Black plans to recapture on dS with the c-pawn after ... d7d5, thus reaching a Slav structure where his light-squared bishop would outstrip its white counterpart. 6 .i.g5 6 .i.f4 is more popular, when Black often delays ... d7-d5 for a few moves, starting with 6... .i.e7.

Your move ...

Game 206

J.HeBsten-O.Panno Mendoza 2004 Modem Defence

1 d4 g6 2 c4 .i.g7 3 li'lc3 c5 4 d 5 .i.xc3+ 5 bxc3 f5 A double-edged variation that has gained popularity in recent years. White's pawn structure has been damaged and, while the position remains closed, his bishop pair won't be much of an asset, a 319

M as tering Op e n ing Strategy

fact that explains my next move.

6 e4!? fxe4 7 f3 es 7 ... exf3 ?! 8 tt:lxf3, followed by 9 i.d3 and 10 o-o, would fully justify White's gambit, but 7 ... d6 8 fxe4 tt:lf6 was a safer choice, with complex play. 8 dxe6 Sticking to the idea of opening the posi tion for the bishops. Obviously 8 fxe4? failed to 8 ...iVh4+, while 8 d6 tt:lc6 9 tt:lh 3 �as didn't please me either. 8 �e7 A sharp choice. After 8 ... dxe6 9 �xd8+ �xd8 10 ..ltgS+ �e8 11 0-0-0 White should be slightly better, whereas 8 ... tt:lc6!? is well met by 9 tt:lh 3 tt:lf6 10 fxe4, when both 10 ...tt:lxe4 11 �d3 and 10 ... 0-0 11 ..\th6 �e8 12 ..ltd3, followed by 13 0-0, yield him a slight initiative. 9 tt:lh3 ! Development first. After 9 exd7+?! ..\txd7, followed by 10...tt:lc6 and 11 ...0-0-0, it is Black who is ahead in development. 9 tt:lf6 10 ..\te2 exf3?! Much safer was 10... dxe6 11 o-o es 12 tt:lf2 0-0! 13 tt:lxe4 tt:lxe4 14 �dS+ �g7 15 �xe4 ..ltfs 16 �e3 with just a minimal edge for White.

11 ..\txf3 dxe6 Or 11 ... �xe6+ 12 �f2 ! 0-0 13 �e1 �xc4 14 �g1 ds 15 ..ltg s ! tt:lbd7 16 tt:lf4 with a strong initiative. 12 0-0 tt:lbd7 After 12 ... 0-0?! 13 ..\th6 �d8 14 �e2 eS 15 ..ltg s Black is again under strong pres sure.

Your move ...

Game 2D7

...

••.

320

J.Helfsten-N.De Firm ian

Bermuda 1997 Sicilian Defence, Alapin Variation 1 e4 cs 2 tt:lf3 d6 3 c3 tt:lf6 4 ..\te2 g6 5 o-o ..ltg7 6 ..ltbS+ In order to set up a pawn centre quickly, White moves the bishop again. 6 �e1, fol lowed by ..\tfl, is another option. 6 tt:lc6 6 ... ..\td7 is much more common, when, after the swap on d7, White can prepare d2-d4 by either �e1 or �e2. 7 d4 a6 7 ...tt:lxe4? obviously fails to 8 ds a6 9 ..\td3, but 7 ... 0-0 8 dS tt:lb8 is interesting, ...

Res triction

followed by ...e7-e6, with some kind of Be noni battle where Black might have more counterplay than in the game. 8 .ixc6+ bxc6 9 �e1 cxd4 10 cxd4 0-0 Or 10 ....ig4 11 CDbd2! 0-0 12 h3 .ixf3 13 l2Jxf3 with a slight advantage.

The only way to fight for an advantage White gains some space and expels the black knight from the centre. 10...l2Jb8 11 .if4 a6 12 .ia4! .if6?! 12 ... b5 13 .ib3 d6 seems preferable, fol lowed by ... l2Jd7 to reactivate the knight, although after 14 CDd4 .ib7 15 c4 bxc4 16 .ia4!? �f8 17 lLlfs .if6 18 �b1 White had some initiative in S.Conquest-J.Garriga Nu alart, Olot 1994.

Your move ...

Game 208

G.Maroc�y-H.Pillsbury

Your move ...

Nuremberg 1896

Four Knights Game 1 e4 e5 2 lLlf3 l2Jf6 3 l2Jc3 l2Jc6 4 .ib5 .ic5 4 ....ib4 and 4...CDd4 are more frequent reactions to the Four Knights Game. 5 o-o o-o 6 l2Jxe5 �e8 After 6 ... l2Jxes 7 d4 .id6 8 f4! White soon regains the piece, with some initiative. 7 ctJf3 7 l2Jxc6?! dxc6 is quite risky; e.g. 8 .ic4 l2Jxe4!? 9 l2Jxe4 �xe4 10 .ixf7+ Wh8 ! with some initiative for the pawn. 7 ...l2Jxe4 8 d4 CDxc3 9 bxc3 .ie7 9 ....if8 is more natural, keeping the e file clear for the rook. 10 d5!

Game 209

V.Anand-G.Kamsky Las Pal mas matchgame) (11th 1995 Sicilian Defence, Najdorf Variation 1 e4 c5 2 CDf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 l2Jxd4 lLlf6 5 l2Jc3 a6 6 .ie3 e6 7 .ie2 The point of such a move order might be to sidestep the 6 .ie2 es variation. 7 ....ie7 8 f4 CDc6 9 'ii'd 2!? Preparing 0-0-0, quite an unusual idea in connection with f2-f4. In contrast, 9 0-0 0-0 leads to a basic position of the Classical Scheveningen. 321


9 ...tt:lxd4 By this capture Black enables a quick ...b7-b5 later on. 10 'ifxd4 o-o 11 o-o-o 'ifa5? In the event of 11 ...bs at once, 12 es is a bit annoying, so Kamsky prepares this ad vance. However, the prophylactic 11 ...'Lld7 was a better idea in this sense, with rather encouraging results for Black in practice.

8 'ifxd4 .ie7 9 .l:!.d1 Stepping up the pressure at ds. A good alternative was 9 cxds exds 10 .ibS+! .id7 11 .ixd7+ 'ifxd7 12 0-0, with a slight but enduring advantage in this simplified IQP position.

Your move ...

Game 21l

Your move ...

E.Bareev-A.Mikhalchishin

Game 210

D�Rojas-A.Lema

Tena

2008

Tarrasch Defence

1 d4 d 5 2 c4 e6 3 'Llc3 c5 4 'Llf3 'Llc6 A sharper battle arises after 4...cxd4 5 'Llxd4 es 6 'LldbS a6 7 'ifa4 or 6 ... d4 7 'Llds. 5 .if4 'Llf6 6 e3 White is applying a modest, but fully playable line against the Tarrasch. 6 ...cxd4 7 'Llxd4 'Llxd4 7 ... .ie7 or 7 ... .\tb4 was preferable, speed ing up development, since 8 tt:lxc6 bxc6 at any moment just helps Black in reinforcing her centre. 322

Eu ropean Team Cha mpionship, Plovd iv 2003

Queen's Gambit Accepted

1 d4 d 5 2 c4 dxc4 3 e4 The most straightforward reaction to the Queen's Gambit Accepted. 3 ... 'Llf6 A popular reply, which leads to play reminiscent of the Alekhine's Defence, but with a stronghold on dS for Black. 3 ... es is the other main direction. 4 e5 'Lld5 5 .ixc4 'Llb6 6 .id3 In the event of 6 .ib3 Black usually con tinues 6 ...'Llc6 7 .ie3 .ifs, exploiting the opponent's absence on the b1-h7 diagonal. 6 ...'Llc6 7 'Lle2

Restriction

Since 7 l2lf3 ?! is well met by 7 ... .ig4, White brings the knight to e2. 7 .ie3 l2lb4 8 .ie4 fs 9 exf6 exf6, followed by .. .f6-fS, is another frequently played line. 7 .ig4 Before settling with the bishop on e6, Black provokes f2-f3. 8 f3 .ie6 9 l2lbc3 .ids Preparing ...e7-e6. Practice also sees 9 ....ic4 with the same purpose, while 9 ...'i¥d7 10 l2le4 .ids 11 ttJcs 'i¥c8, followed by ... e7-e6, is yet another option. 10 ttJxds iVxds Or lO ...ttJxdS 11 a3 e6 12 o-o with a slight white advantage - Bareev, though this may be Black's safest choice. 11 .ie4 'i¥d7 ...

kept its popularity to modern times, in par ticular at club level. 7 .id2 .ixd2+ 8 l2lbxd2 dS leads to quieter play. 7 d s?! This counterstrike will just accelerate White's attack. The main line goes 7 ... l2lxe4 8 0-0 .ixc3 9 dS .if6 10 .Mel l2le7 11 .Mxe4 d6 with a heavy theoretical battle. 8 exds tLlxds 9 o-o .ie6 Or 9 ... l2lxc3?! 10 bxc3 .ixc3? 11 'i¥b3 ! .ixa1 12 .ixf7+ \t>f8 13 .ia3+ l2le7 14 .Mxal, followed by .Mel, and White wins. 10 .tgs! Development with tempo. At this point 10 ...'iVd7 11 .ixds .ixds 12 .Mel+ \t>f8! was Black's safest choice, but he prefers a more obvious reply. 10 .ie7?! ...

...

Your move ... Your move ... Game 212

W.Steinitz-C.Von Bardeleben

Hastings 1895 Italian

Game

1 e4 es 2 l2lf3 l2lc6 3 .ic4 .ics 4 c3 l2lf6 s d4 exd4 6 cxd4 .ib4+ 7 l2lc3 A sharp version of the Italian, which has

Game 213 H.Westerinen�K.Rasmussen

Malaga 2003 Caro-Kann

Defence

1 e4 c6 2 d4 ds 3 l2lc3 dxe4 4 l2lxe4 .ifs 5 l2lg3 .ig6 6 .ic4 323

M as tering Op e n ing S t ra tegy

An aggressive line against the Classical Caro-Kann. White intends ctJ1e2(h 3)-f4 next, after which he could either harass the bishop on g6 by h 2-h4, or prepare a sacri fice on e6, while this game features a third plan with f2-f4. The main line goes 6 h4 h6 7 'bf3 'bd7 8 h5 i.h7 9 i.d3 with a heavy theoretical battle. 6 ...e6 7 'b1e2 'bf6 8 o-o 8 'bf4 is another option, when Black of ten replies 8 ... i.d6, followed by 9 .. Yille 7, in order to challenge the knight on f4. 8 ... 'bbd7 9 f4 Intending f4-f5 to clear the f-file and the a2-g8 diagonal towards Black's king. 9 . . .'bb6 10 i.d3 i.xd3 11 �xd3

4...�b6 5 C5 5 'bc3 is more flexible. After the text Black had a good alternative in 5 ... �C7. but he prefers a queen less middlegame. 5 ...�xb3 6 axb3 i.f5 7 e3?! 7 ctJC3 is more powerful, keeping the op tion of i.f4 later on. 7 ...'iJbd7 8 ctJC3

Your move ...

Game 215 J.Lundin..Th.Ernst

Karlstad 2010 Grilnfeld Defence

Your move ...

Game 214

E.Lobron-G.Hertneck

Nu remberg (rapid) 1990 Slav Defence 1 d4 d5 2 C4 c6 3 ctJf3 ctJf6 4 �b3 An interesting sideline against the Slav, which we already came across in Game 62 (Ovetchkin-Efanov). 324

1 d4 'bf6 2 c4 g6 3 'bc3 White's set-up in this game can also be initiated by 3 g3, with the point that after 3 ... d5 4 cxd5 'bxd5 5 i.g2 i.g7 6 e4 Black lacks the option of 6 ... 'bxc3. 3 ...d5 4 cxd5 'bxd5 5 g3 i.g7 6 i.g2 'bxc3 Anyway, 6 ... 'bb6 is perfectly possible as well. 7 bxc3 c5 8 e3 'bc6 8 ... �a5 9 i.d2 o-o 10 'be2 'bc6 11 o-o l:i.d8 is another popular set-up. 9 'be2 i.d7

Res triction

Black hurries to start action on the queenside, his traditional battlefield in the Grilnfeld. Of course, 9 ... 0-0 is also possible. 10 o-o l:tc8 11 l:tb1 cxd4?! 11...b6 or 11..,.:t:Jas was preferable Lundin. We will soon see the difference. 12 cxd4 b6

Anyway, the text rules out this idea by pro tecting the bishop on b4. 9... tt:Jg6 Both 9 ... �xg2?! 10 0-0-0 tLld7 11 tLlf3 and 9 ... cs?! 10 i.xcs tt:Jbc6 11 tLlf3 o-o 12 o-o-o! clearly favour White - Khalifman.

Your move ... Your move ...

Game 216

Game 21 7 A.Shirov-P.Eijanov

A.Khalifman-V.Filippov Russia n Team Cha m pionsh i p 199 5

Caro-Kann Defence

1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 tLlc3 e6 4 e4 dxe4 5 tt:Jxe4 i.b4+ 6 i.d2 �xd4 7 i.xb4 �xe4+ A sharp branch of the Slav, that we saw earlier in Volkov-Kempinski (Game 44) and Flear-Vera (Game 52). 8 i.e2 tLle7 Quite a rare alternative to the more fre quent 8 ...tt:Ja6. 9 �d2 The main idea behind Black's previous move was to meet 9 tLlf3 by 9 ... tt:Jds, but even so, after 10 tLld2 �d4 11 i.a3 tLlf4 12 0-0 White has had good results in practice.

1 e4 c6 2 d4 d5 3 e5 i.f5 4 tLlf3 e6 5 i.e2 c5 We already came across this line in Game 40 (Bologan-Dizdarevic). There Black preferred s ...tLle7, followed by ...i.g6 and ...tt:Jfs, whereas on this occasion he strikes immediately at the white pawn chain. 6 i.e3 tLld7 7 0-0 tLle7 Here and on the previous move, 7 ... cxd4 8 tt:Jxd4 i.g6 9 c4! yields White some initia tive. 8 C4 This is indeed a key advance in the cur rent variation, in order to open the position for White's better developed forces. In con-

Semi-Slav Defence

Moscow 201o

325


trast, 8 c3 l2Jc6, followed by ...Yl.e7 and ...o-o, yields Black fewer problems. 8 ...dxc4 g l2Ja3 c3 10 l2Jb5 Not 10 bxc3?! lbds, when Black wins a tempo by attacking the c3-pawn, but a gambit with 10 Yl.g s was interesting as well. 10 ...l2'ld5 11 l2'lxc3 l2'lxc3 11 ...l2Jxe3 12 fxe3 Yl.e7 seems safer, as in A.Morozevich-G.Kamsky, Moscow 2008, which continued 13 �3 0-0! 14 'ifxb7 :l,b8 and it was actually Black who decided whether or not to repeat moves. 12 bxc3 Yl.e7 13 dxc5 Yl.xc5?! "Big mistake" - Shirov. 13 ...0-0 14 l2Jd4 was a lesser evil, with just a slight white advantage - Golubev.

Your move ...

Game 218 Ci.Sosonko-R.Hiibner

1979 Catalan Opening Tilburg

1 d4 l2'lf6 2 c4 e6 3 g3 d5 4 Yl.g2 dxc4 5 l2'lf3 a6 6 o-o b5 6 ... l2Jc6 is more popular, familiar to us 326

from Ricardi-Hellsten (Game 187). 7 lbe 5 lbd 5 An alternative is 7 ...c6; e.g. 8 l2Jxc6 'i¥b6 or 8 b3 cxb3 9 l2Jxc6 �6 10 lLlas :l,a7 11 l2Jxb3 :l,d7! 12 e4 Yl.b7 13 'ife2 Yl.e7 as seen a few times in practice. 8 l2'lc3 Nowadays, 8 a4 Yl.b7 9 b3 is more fre quent here. 8... c6?! A rather slow move that lets White take a clear initiative. 8 ... Yl.b7 is much more popular, when 9 lLJxdS exds 10 e4 dxe4 11 'ifhs g6! 12 l2Jxg6 fxg6 13 'ifes+ 'ife7 14 'ifxh8 l2'ld7 leads to a double-edged battle. g lLJxds exds Or 9 ... cxds 10 e4 Yl.b7 11 'ifh s!, when 11 ... g6 runs into 12 l2'lxg6! fxg6 13 'ifes, and 11 ... 'ifc7 12 exds Yl.xds 13 Yl.xds exds 14 :l,e1 is equally bad for Black - Sosonko. 10 e4 Yl.e6 11 a4! A typical Catalan advance, which softens up the black pawn phalanx. 11 ... b4 The desirable 11 ... Yl.e7? fails to 12 axbs cxbs 13 exds Yl.xds 14 l2'lxf7! �xf7 15 'ifh s+ etc. - Sosonko. 12 exds Yl.xds?!

R e s triction

Too materialistic. For better or worse 12 ... cxds 13 tt:Jxc4 �e7, followed by ... 0-0, had to be tried, although the sharper 13 f4! ? can also be considered - Sosonko. Your move ...

Game 2:1.9 A.Yusupov-S.Dolmatov

USSR Championsh1p, Minsk 1987

Benoni Defence

1 d4 tt:Jf6 2 c4 e6 3 tt:Jf3 c5 4 d5 exd5 5 cxd5 d6 6 ctJc3 g6 7 �f4

dark-squared bishops is usually an achievement for White. 12 ... �xh6 13 �xh6 b4?! Since the immediate 13 ... �f6 is strongly met by 14 e s ! dxes 15 tt:Je4 - Franco, Black first expels the enemy knight from c3, but in doing so creates an outpost for White on c4. The flexible 13 ... ctJd7 was preferable Yusupov. 14 ctJd1 �f6 15 ctJd2! With the dual intention of 16 tt:Jc4 and 16 g3, restricting the knight on h s . 15 ...�d7?! Again 1S ... ctJd7 seems more natural, al though after 16 g3 tt:Jes 17 �e2! tt:Jg4 18 �xg4 �xg4 19 ctJe3 White keeps the advan tage - Yusupov.

1 ... a6

In most opening variations a fianchetto is completed immediately, but here 7 ... �g7 permits 8 �a4+! �d7 9 �3 with good re sults for White in practice. 8 e4 The most ambitious, trying to break in the centre before Black is developed. After 8 a4 �g7 normal Benoni play is reached. s ... b5 9 �e2 tt:Jh5 White's previous move made 10 es a real threat, so Black takes preventive action. 10 �g5 �e7 11 �h6 �f8 12 �e3! In this opening, the exchange of the

Your move ...

Game 220

A.Vajda-C.Fiorescu Rumanian Team Championshi p 2004 Sicilian Defence, Scheveningen Variation

1 e4 c5 2 ctJf3 e6 3 d4 cxd4 4 tt:Jxd4 tt:Jf6 5 32 7


tt:ic3 d6 6 .lte2 a6 7 o-o bs?! As mentioned elsewhere in the book, this is a rather risky line for Black, whose ...b7-b5 advance works better if prepared by 7 .. :'ilic7 or 7 ...tt:ibd7. 8 .ltf3! .S.a7

Your move ...

Game 221

S.Kindermann-A.Vuckovic Germ a n League 2004

9 a4 Immediately hitting Black's fragile queenside before he is comfortably devel oped. 9 ... b4 10 tt:ia2 ds Securing the b4-pawn, at the cost of al lowing White a certain dominance in the centre. Perhaps 10 ... e5 11 tt:ib3 .S.b7 was more promising, although after 12 c3 bxc3 13 tt:ixc3 .lte6 14 tt:id5 .ltxd5 15 exd5 "iiib 6?! 16 tt:id2, heading for c4(-a5}, White had the initiative in S.Vajda-C.Florescu, Bucharest 2000. 11 es tt:ifd7 12 .ltf4 .lte7 13 .ltg4!? Creating the threat of 14 .ltxe6 fxe6 15 tt:ixe6. 13 .. ."'ilib6 13 ...tt:ic5? obviously failed to 14 tt:ixb4, but 13 ... 0-0 was safer, when both 14 .ltxe6 fxe6 15 tt:ixe6 "iiia 5 16 tt:ixf8 tt:ixf8 and 14 "iiid2 "iiib 6 15 .lte3 .ltc5 seem to be okay for Black. 328

Defence, Rossolimo Variation Sicilian

1 e4 cs 2 tt:if3 tt:ic6 3 .ltbs g6 4 .ltxc6 Quite a popular choice in contemporary practice, in order to find out straight away how Black is going to recapture on c6. 4...dxc6 5 d3 If White is bothered by a bishop move to g4 then he could play 5 h3 here, although in that case Black obtains the additional op tion of 5 ... e5, when 6 tt:ixe5?! runs into 6 ..."iiid4. In contrast, after the text Black would have to prepare ... e7-e5 by ... .ltg7. s ....tg4 6 tt:ibd2 Another option is 6 h3 .txf3 7 "iiixf3, fol lowed by tt:id2-c4. 6....th6 A curious deviation from the normal 6 ... .\tg7. Black aims at equalizing by ex changes, but the remainder of the game shows us that things aren't that simple.

Restriction

7 h3 .ixf3 8 tt:lxf3 .ixc1 9 �xc1 �aS+ If 9 ...tt:lf6, then 10 �6! is a bit annoying - Finkel. 10 C3 l:f.d8 The point of Black's previous move now after 11 �e3 tt:lf6, thanks to the pres sure at d3, he would manage to castle. However... 11 0-0! An intuitive pawn sacrifice motivated by the lead in development. 11 ... l:!.xd3

5 �c2 .ib7 6 tt:lc3 cs

If his queen was still on d1, White could now have reached a favourable Benoni by 7 ds. H ere, in contrast, he has to accept the exchange of his d-pawn, which gives rise to a H edgehog structure. 7 e4 cxd4 8 tt:lxd4 .ics other options are 8 ...tt:lc6 and 8 ...d6. 9 tt:lb3 tt:lc6 10 .igs White can also play 10 .if4, fingering the crucial d6-square, whereas 10 tt:Jxcs bxcs has shown to be less useful for him, both here and later.

Your move ...

Game 222

G.Kasparov-J.Van Der Wiel

Amsterd a m 1988

Queen 's Indian Defence 1 d4 tt:lf6 2 c4 e6 3 tt:lf3 b6 4 a3 The Petrosian Variation, in which White rules out ... .ib4 before further action. 4....ia6 Just like in the classical line with 4 g3 (cf. Game 189, Brynell-Barkhagen), this attack on the c4-pawn provokes a minor concession from the opponent.

10...a6 Preparing a Hedgehog set-up with ... �c7 329


and ...d7-d6. The simplifying 10 ...h6 11 .ih4 'Lld4 is more popular; e.g. 12 'Llxd4 .ixd4 13 .id3 WV'b8! 14 iig3 .ies and Black is okay. 11 0-0-0 The most energetic reaction, giving jus tice to the early 'iVc2. 11 'iVc7 12 �b1 o-o-o?! An awkward place for the king in this structure. By 12 ....ie7 and ... d7-d6 next Black could still get a normal, albeit some what delayed Hedgehog. 13 'iVd2 d6 Again 13 ....ie7, preparing ... d7-d6, was reasonable, although after 14 MC1 Black must look out for a possible 'Llds or 'Llbs .

14 f3 h6 15 .if4 'Lles

...

330

Your move ...

Res triction

Solutions Game 201 (continued}


11 i.a3! Preventing Black's castling is White's main priority here. 11 I.t.e1 o-o and 11 d5 tt:la5 are less powerful. 11 ...i.xd4 After 11 ...tt:Jxd4 12 tt:lxe5 i.e6 13 I.t.e1 c5 14 'iia4+ 'iiif8 15 l.t.ad1 White had a strong initiative in J.Blackburne-NN, Great Britain (simul) 1872. 12 'ii b 3 i.e6?! An early surrender, but 12 ...'iid 7 13 tt:lg5 tt:ld8 14 I.t.ad1 is also depressing for Black. 13 i.xe6 fxe6 14 'iixe6+ tt:le7 15 tt:lxd4 exd4 16 I.t.fe1 tt:JfgS 17 tt:ld5 Recovering the material with a clear advantage. The game continued 17 ...'iid 7 18 i.xe7 (18 'iie 5! won outright) 18 ...'iix e6 19 I.t.xe6 'iiid7 20 l.t.ae1 (20 i.c5! won a pawn) 20 ... I.t.e8 21 I.t.6e4 c6 22 I.t.xd4 cxd5 23 I.t.xd5+ 'it'c6 24 l.t.d6+ 'iiie 7 25 I.t.c1+ 'it'b8 26 i.h4 tt:lh6 27 i.g3 'it'a8 28 h3 tt:lf5 29 l.t.d7 and White went on to win.

9 ...'iid 3! Of course, immobilizing White's queen side forces and preventing 10 0-0. 10 'iie 3 i.f5! 11 'iixd3 i.xd3 Despite the exchange of queens White is still under pressure due to his cramped de velopment. In the following moves, Fischer finds the only way of challenging the an noying bishop on d3. 12 'it'd1! tt:le6 13 tt:le1 tt:lf4 14 tt:lxd3 Avoiding 14 g3? i.e2+ 15 'it'c2 tt:lh3 ! , when White must even b e careful of a mate on d1. 14 ... tt:lxd3 15 f4!? Seeing that both 15 'it'c2 and 15 'it'e2 are well met by 15 ... 0-0-0, Fischer tries a radical solution. 15 ...i.h6 Matulovic turns down the offer. After 15 ...tt:lf2+ 16 'it'e2 tt:lxh1 17 d4, preparing i.e3, tt:ld2 etc, the position is far from clear. 16 'it'c2 tt:lxc1 17 I.t.e1! 331


A clever intermediate move. In contrast, 17 �xc1? .ixf4 wins a pawn for Black. 17 ...0-0-0 17 ... .ixf4 18 g3 probably leads to the game, while 17 .. .'�Jxa2 18 g 3 ! li:Jxc3 19 bxc3 yields White compensation for the pawn Matulovic, 18 �xc1 .ixf4 19 g3 .ih6 20 �c2 l:tds

Intending 21 d4 c5!. After inventive play from both sides Black has ended up with a slight initiative in the endgame, which later finished in a draw.

Keeping the enemy king in the centre. 13 l:tfe1+?! �f8, followed by ... �g8, is less convincing, though 13 ifc5 ! is a good alter native; e.g. 13 ... ifd7 14 l:tfe1+ �d8 15 d6 ifc6 16 ifd4 with a huge advantage - Bot vinnik. 13 ...ifd7 A clumsy move, but the d8-square was badly needed by the king. 14 li:Jbs �d8 15 l:tac1! With the devastating threat of 16 l:te7. 1s ...as Neither 15 ...ifxd5? 16 li:Je7 nor 15 ....if8 16 ifd4 was any better for Black. 16 ifcs l:ta6 17 li:Ja7! A technical choice, by which White se cures a decisive material advantage. 17 ...l:txa7 18 ifb6+ �e8 19 l:tfe1+ �f8 20 ifxa7 .ih6 21 ifcs+ �g7 22 l:tcd1 There followed 22 ...ifa4 23 l:txd3 ifxa2 24 ifd4 l:td8 25 d6 b5 26 iVb6 l:td7 27 ifxb5 and Black resigned, in view of 27 ... l:tb7 28 ifxb7! .ixb7 29 d7.



13 ifb4! 332

11 c6! Severely restricting the enemy queen side. Contrary to Suetin-Shamkovich (Game

R e s triction

193) here Black is able to liquidate the c6pawn, but only at the cost of permitting White a strong initiative on the kingside. 11 ...1iVd6 12 'Lies 'Lig4 13 Jif4! 13 'Lixg4 Jixg4 14 Jixh7+ rJih8 15 Jif5 Jixf5 16 11Vxf5 'Lixc6 is less effective Huzman. 13 ...'Lixes 14 Jixes 11Vxc6 1S 'Lic3! Stronger than the obvious 15 Jixh7+, since now Black can't avoid the capture on h7 anyway due to the additional threat of 16 'Lixd5 11Vxd5 17 Jie4. 1S Jie6 16 Jixh7+ rJih8 17 Jid3 With the strong threat of 11Ve2(d1}-h 5. 17 ...CLld7?! 17 ...11Vd7 was more tenacious, although after 18 11Ve2 rJig8 19 11Vh 5 f5 20 .Mfel White keeps a strong initiative. 18 11Ve2 rJig8 19 Jibs! 11Vb7

With a crushing advantage. There fol lowed 25 ....Mg8 26 11Vh 5+ rJig7 27 .Mg3+ rJif8 28 11Vh6+ rJie7 29 .Mel+ rJid8 30 .Mxg8 .Mxg8 31 11Vf6+ rJic8 32 11Vxf7 .Mxg2+ 33 rJih l! .Mg4 34 f3 .Mxd4 35 .Me8+ rJic7 36 11Ve7 c5 37 11Ve5+ and Black resigned, in view of the imminent mate.


..•

20 Jixg7! This temporary sacrifice leads to an ex tra pawn for White, and further exposure of the enemy king. 20...rJixg7 21 Jixd7 Jixd7 22 11Vxe7 c6 23 .Mae1 23 f4 .Mfe8 24 11Vg5+ rJif8 25 f5 was a good alternative - Huzman. 23 .Mae8 24 11VgS+ rJih7 2S .Me3 ! .••

11 11Va4+! A timely check that deprives Black of castling. For this reason, 10 ... 'Lid7 was pref erable last turn, when 11 11Va4 Jib7, prepar ing ... a7-a6 and ... b6-b5, is quite acceptable for h im - Gershon. 11...rJif8 12 e4! With the enemy king stuck in the centre, it makes sense to the open the position. 12 ...11Ve8? Quite a desperate choice - Black sacri fices the d5-pawn in order to swap queens. 12 ...Jixf1 13 rJixfl Jixe5 14 dxe5 'Lid7 was preferable, although White keeps the pres sure after 15 exd5 'Lixe5 16 .Md1 - Gershon. 13 11Vxe8+ rJixe8 14 exds exds 1S Jig2! Jixes Or 15 ...Jib7 16 'Lixd5, followed by 'Lic4. 16 Jixds Jixd4 17 o-o-o!? Jixf2 18 Jixa8 333


With both a material and positional su periority White is winning. There followed 18 ...f6 19 'lt>b1 (19 tbe4, heading for d6, was stronger - Gershon) 19 ... .tcs 20 .tds g6 21 .i.b3 'lt>f8 22 l'be4 .i.e? 23 �he1 and Black's position remained very difficult, although incredibly enough, he eventually won the game!

queen after 1 9 .tc7+ 'lt>e8 2 0 �ae1, but 18 ... .tb7 was more tenacious, when one good reply is 19 �c7+ 'lt>e8 20 �ae1 h6 2 1 tbf2 �e6 22 .td6!, with the devastating threat of 23 l'bxe4 tbxe4 24 .txe4 .txe4 2 S �f4. 19 �ad1+ .i.d7 20 .txes �xes 21 .tg4! 1-0 In view of heavy material losses, Black resigned.

Game 206 (continued} Game 207 (continued}

13 .th6! A key move that prevents Black from castling while connecting the major pieces. 13 ... es? Black aims at liberating himself by ...es e4 and ...l'bes, but after White's reply he will hardly be able to move. The last chance was 13 ... l'bg8! 14 .tg s l'bgf6, insisting on the castling - Giardelli, when 1S l'bf4 0-0 16 �e2 keeps a strong initiative. 14 �a4! 'lt>d8 There is nothing better; e.g. 14 ... e4?! 1S �ae1, followed by 16 l'bf2, or 14...l'bg8? 1S .tg s l'bgf6 16 .txb7!. 1S �aS+! Provoking new weaknesses. 1s ... b6 16 �a4 e4 17 �c6 �b8 18 .tf4 l'bes? This loses outright. 18 ...exf3 ? drops the 334

11 h3! Restricting the bishop on c8. In contrast, after 11 l'bc3 .i.g4! 12 .i.e3 l'bd7, preparing ... �6 and ... c6-cS, Black obtains counter play. 11...l'bd7 After 11 ....td7 12 l'bc3 �b8 13 b3 �as 14 .i.d2 �S?! 1S es! White took the initiative in R.Kaula-B.Wilk, Polish Team Champion ship 1999. 12 l'bc3 cs 13 .te3 13 dS?! is less appropriate due to 13 ...�b8 with some black pressure along the a1-h8 diagonal. 13 ...�b8 14 �d2 cxd4 1S .txd4 .txd4 Such an exchange rarely favours Black, but after 1S ... l'bes 16 .txes dxes 17 �e2,

Res triction

preparing b2-b3 and 'Lld2-c4, White has a pleasant advantage. 16 tt'lxd4 .ib7 17 .J:'lad1 'Llf6 18 �gs With the dual intention of 19 es and 19 'Llfs. 18...e6 Thus Black responds to both enemy ideas, since 19 es can now be met by 19 ...'Llds. On the other hand, the d6-pawn becomes rather weak. Anyway, after 18 ... �c7 19 'Llfs White also has the initia tive. 19 'Llb3! Clearing the d-file towards the d6-pawn, while preparing 'Lla5-c4 later on. 19 ... �e7 20 .l:'ld2 .l:'lfd8 21 tt'las �g7 22 .l:'led1 h6?! Helping the white queen to a better square. After 22 ....ia8 23 'Llc4 dS! 24 exds .ixds Black would just be minimally worse. 23 �e3 .ia8 24 'Llc4 tt'le8 25 b3 �h7 26 .l:'ld3!

Preparing �d2 with increased pressure on d6. There followed 26 ... �c7 27 h4 .ic6?! (losing a pawn, but 27 ....l:'lbc8 28 hs also favoured White) 28 �d2 .ibs 29 tt'lxbs axbs 30 'Llxd6 tt'lxd6 31 .l:'lxd6 .l:'lxd6 32 �xd6 �xd6 3 3 .l:'lxd6 with a sound extra pawn in

the endgame, although after a series of er rors I finally had to concede a draw.


13 d6! A powerful advance that severely re stricts Black's queenside pieces, in particu lar the bishop on c8. It is for this reason that 12 .ia4! was essential on the previous move, in order to keep preventing ... d7-d6, just like in Nijboer-Hector (Game 198).

13 ...c6?! Now the knight on b8 becomes re stricted too. A lesser evil was 13 ... cxd6, when White could consider 14 �xd6! ? 335


.i.xc3 15 .l:i.ad1 followed by .i.b3, with excel lent compensation for the pawn. 14 .i.b3 bs 1s 'ifd2 .i.b7 16 lZ'lgs! Maroczy utilizes the threat at f7 to bring his knight to e4, where it will complicate Black's intended ... c6-c5. 16 ....l:i.f8 17 lZ'le4 as 18 a3 lZ'la6 19 .l:i.ae1 Since Black can't easily connect his rooks, it makes sense to work on the open file. 19... cs 20 .ids .i.xds 21 'ifxds b4

22 .l:i.e3! White just ignores the enemy attack on the queenside, and starts preparing a final assault on the opposite flank. 22 ... .i.xc3? A serious mistake - without this bishop there will be nobody defending the king. For better or worse, 22 ...bxa3 had to be tried. 23 .l:i.xc3 23 l2Jxc3 bxc3 24 .i.g 5 ! was another good option, followed by a deadly i.f6; e.g. 24...'ifc8 25 .i.f6! gxf6 26 .l:i.g3+ 'it>h8 27 'iff5 'ifd8 28 .l:i.h3 with mate. 23 ... bxc3 24 .i.gs l2Jc7 Forced, since any queen move, such as 24...'ifc8, runs into 25 lZ'lf6+!, when both 25 ... gxf6 26 .i.xf6 h6 27 'iff5 and 25 ... 'it>h8 336

26 'iff5 g6 27 'ifh3 h 5 28 l2Jxh5 lead to a quick mate. 2S 'ifc4!? 'ife8 26 dxc7 Again 26 lZ'lf6+! was possible, though the text wins easily as well. 26...'ifes 27 .l:i.d1 .l:i.fe8 28 .l:i.xd7 'it>h8 29 'ifxf7 'ifxgs 30 f4! 'ifg4 31 h3 'ifxd7 32 'ifxd7 .l:i.xe4 33 c8'if+ 1-0


12 'ifb6! A key move that prevents ...b7-b5, Black's only active plan, and leaves the en emy pieces rather cramped. 12 ...'ifxb6 13 .i.xb6 lZ'le8 Parrying the threat of 14 .i.e?. Neither 13 ... lZ'ld7? 14 .i.e?, nor 13 ... e5?! 14 f5 was any good for Black, while 13 ... .i.d7 14 e5! dxe5 15 fxe5 lZ'ld5 16 l2Jxd5 exd5 17 .i.f3 .l:i.ac8 18 .i.xd5 .i.f5 19 .i.b3 clearly favours White - Anand. 14 eS! Increasing the pressure on Black's camp and, for the long term, restricting his knight on e8. 14...ds 1s fs! i.d7 16 .i.g4! More precise than 16 fxe6 fxe6 17 .i.g4, when 17 ... .i.c8, followed by ... g7-g6 and

Restriction

.. .li'lg7, lets Black liberate himself to some extent. Now in contrast, ... g7-g6 will always fail to fS-f6. 16 ....i.c8 Retreating the bishop doesn't seem right, but the threat of 17 fxe6 fxe6 18 tt:lxds had to parried. Instead, 16 ... exfs 17 .i.f3 and tt:lxds next clearly favours White, while 16 ... .i.b4 is strongly met by 17 fxe6 .i.xe6 18 tt:lxds .i.xg4 19 l:td4!, recovering the piece with a clear advantage due to the miserable knight on e8. 17 J:thf1 as Perhaps preparing ... aS-a4 and ...J:ta6 in order to expel the annoying bishop, but White easily prevents this idea with his next move. 18 tt:la4! f6 Complicating the game when behind in development tends to be a bad idea, though Black was short of good alterna tives; e.g. 18 ... J:ta6? ! 19 .i.e2 or 18 ...exfs 19 .i.xfs .i.e6 20 tt:lcs and White wins material. 19 fxe6 fxes 20 tt:lc3!

2o....i.gs+ On the natural 20...J:txf1 21 J:txfl tt:lf6 Anand had prepared the nice blow 22 J:txf6!, when 22 ... gxf6 23 tt:lxds �f8 24

tt:lxe7! Wxe7 2 5 .i.cs+ leads to a new white queen, while after 22 ....i.xf6 23 tt:lxds a4 24 c4 the black pieces prove decisively re stricted. 21 �b1 tt:lf6 22 tt:lxds! A well-calculated temporary sacrifice. 22 ...tt:lxg4 23 J:txf8+ �xf8 24 tt:lc7 J:ta6 25 .i.cs+! A key part of White's combination, which moves the black king away from the e-pawn, now that 2 S ....i.e7? runs into 26 J:td8 mate. 2S ...�g8 26 tt:lxa6 .i.xe6 Or 26 ... bxa6 27 e7 �f7 28 J:td8 etc. 27 CLJC7 Anand later converted his extra ex change into a full point.


9 ...0-0! Black simply continues with the devel opment, seeing that if White takes the pawn, then her king will be subject to an annoying check on b4. Instead, 9 ... dxc4?! 10 'it'xc4 is less ap pealing, whereas the game continued 9 ... 'it'as?! 10 cxds exds (even worse is 10 ...0-o 11 d6 or 10...tt:lxds 11 'it'xg7 .i.f6 12 337


.tbs+!

12 e6! A timely pawn sacrifice that complicates Black's kingside development. Obviously 12 ... 'i¥xe6? now fails to 13 ds. 12 .. .fxe6 13 .1i.xc6! A surprising exchange, but it helps White in quickly installing the other bishop on eS, thus keeping his central grip. other moves, such as 13 'i¥c2, permit 13 ... g6 and 14 ... .1i.g7 with normal development. 13 ...'i¥xc6 14 .1i.f4 tt::l d s 15 .l:!.c1 'i¥b6 16 .tes! 338

16 . ...l:!.g8 Bareev was ready to sacrifice another pawn in order to keep the initiative, but Mikhalchishin gives priority to his devel opment. Instead, 16 ...'i¥b4+ 17
Heading for the excellent square on cs. There followed 22 ...'i¥bs 23 .1i.xg7 .l:!.xg7 24 tt:Jcs .l:!.g6 2 5 .l:!.fe1 b6 26 a4 'i¥b4 27 tt:Jxe6 'i¥d6 28 tt::lxf4 gxf4 29 .l:!.e4 with a slight but enduring advantage, which Bareev later converted into a win.

Restriction


11 kxds! Clearing the e-file is White's main prior ity. Of course, 11 kxe7? ttJcxe7 was less powerful. 11...kxds After 11 ...kxg 5 12 kxe6 fxe6 13 d5 ! exd5 14 ttJxg 5 �xg 5 15 .l:'te1+, intending 15 ...tiJe7, 16 ttJxd5 Black is also in big trou ble. 12 ttJxds �xds Or 12 ...kxg5 13 .l:'te1+ ke7 14 ttJxe7 ttJxe7 15 �e2 ! with an improved version of the game.

13 kxe7 tiJxe7 14 .l:'te1! f6 15 �e2 �d7

White has managed to keep Black's king in the centre, and should now act quickly before the latter consolidates with ...r.Jlf7 and ... .l:'the8. 16 .l:'tad1! Zaitsev's suggestion, which aims at a quick d4-d5. In contrast, the game contin ued 16 .l:'tac1?! c6? 17 d5! cxd5 18 tiJd4 r.Jlf7 19 ttJe6! and Steinitz went on to win, with a final combination that has become a clas sic. However, by 16 ... r.Jlf7!, Black would have obtained excellent chances of survival. 16 ...r.Jlf7 Or 16 ... c6 17 d5 ! cxd5 18 .l:'txd5 etc. 17 �c4+ ttJds 18 ttJes+! fxes 19 dxes With double threats at d5 and e6, and 19 ... r.Jle6 failing to 20 �g4+, White is win ning.

Game 213 (contin ued}

11...g6! Simple and strong, preventing the en emy plan of f4-f5 while providing the bishop with a good destiny on g7. By the way, had White preferred 10 kb3 two moves ago, then 10...�d7! would have been Black's best choice, in the same spirit of preventing f4-f5. 339


12 b3 '2lbd5 The immediate 12 ....ig7 permits 13 .i.a3 ! ?, complicating ...0-0. 13 c4 '2le7 A good square for the knight, from where it could move on to f5 one day. 14 .i.b2 .i.g7 15 �ad1 o-o Black has more or less equalized, and now intends ... 'i�Va5, ... �ad8, ... �d7, ...�fd8 etc, with pressure on the d4-pawn. There followed 16 'Lle4 'Llxe4 17 'i�Vxe4 'i�Va5 ! 18 'i�Vc2 �fd8 19 �d3 �d7 20 .i.C3 'i�Vc7 21 �fd1 �ad8 22 \t>h1 'Llf5, preparing ...c6-c5, with an excellent game for Black, who went on to win.

9 '2lh4 Now if 9 b4, then simply 9 ...�c8 or 9 ... �d8, finishing off the b4-b5 idea. 9 ...iLc2 10 b4 �dS! 11 \t>d2 .ig6 Black has nothing to worry about. There followed 12 f4 e6 13 'Llxg6 hxg6 14 .ie2 .ie7 15 \t>c2 'Lle4!? 16 'Llxe4 dxe4 17 iLd2 'Llf6 18 h4 '2ld5 19 g3 \t>d7 20 �a3?! g 5 ! 21 fxg5 iLxg 5 22 �fl iLf6, intending ...\t>e7 and ... g5, with a slight initiative that Hertneck later converted into a win.



8 ...a6! An essential move that parries the dan gerous plan of b4-b5. In contrast, 8 ... e6?! 9 b4! iLe7 10 b5 o-o 11 b4, intending 12 bxc6 and 13 b5, yields White a favourable struc ture on the queenside, and even 8 ... e5!? is well met by 9 b4. By the way, in the event of 8 b4 on the previous move, Black could have resorted to 8 ... .ixb1! 9 �xb1 a6 10 �a1 �c8 with simi lar play as in the game. 340

13 .id2! Restricting ...'Lla5-c4 is White's main pri ority here. Less to the point was 13 e4?! 0-0 14 .ie3 '2la5 with ...'Llc4 next. 13 ...0-0 14 �C1 The rook had fulfilled its duty on b1 and now helps White in disputing the open file. 14...e6 After 14 ... e5 15 d5 'Lla5 16 .ib4!, fol lowed by d5-d6, White has the initiative. 15 'i�Vb3 b5?! A typical idea, but here it is badly timed due to White's strong reply. 15 ...11Vf6, con necting the rooks, seems preferable, but not 15 ...'i�Ve7? 16 .ixc6 iLxc6 17 .i.b4 etc.

Res triction

16 .l:!.cs! a6 17 �c3 �b6 18 .Mel tiJa7? A bad location for the knight, where it even becomes a target on the next move. 18 ... tiJe7 was called for, when White could proceed as in the game. 19 .l:!.c7! As often happens, the victory in the fight for the open file leads to the seizure of the seventh rank. 19 ....if6 The ... .id8 plan is one tempo too slow, though Black was short of good options anyway. 20 �cs This wins material, but 20 �as ! �xas 2 1 .ixas was even stronger, when Black loses a whole piece. 20...�xcs 21 .l:!.1xcs .ie7 22 .l:!.xa7 ii.xcs 23 dxcs .ic6 24 .l:!.xa6 At this point, 24 ... .ixg2 25 �xg2 .l:!.xcs? fails to 26 .ib4. White later converted his material advantage into victory.


10 tiJh3! An excellent move that takes the f4square from the enemy pieces, while con tinuing development. In contrast, 10 0-0-0?!

�f4 lets Black swap queens, and 10 tiJf3 tiJf4 isn't convincing either. 10 ...f6!? Creating a haven for the king on f7. Most other moves like 10 ... �xg2 are well met by 11 0-0-0, just as in the game. 11 0-0-0 �f7 12 f3 �h4 Or 12 ...�es?! 13 f4 �c7 14 Ji.d6 �d8 15 cs with a clear edge - Khalifman.

13 .ics! Enabling the powerful knight manoeu vre tiJf2-e4. 13 ... es 14 tlJf2 fs 15 g3 �f6 After 1S ...�h6 16 .ie3 f4 17 gxf4, both 17 ...exf4 18 .id4 and 17 ...tiJxf4 18 tiJd3 ! clearly favour White - Khalifman. 16 .l:!.hf1! A "mysterious" rook move that aims at bringing the knight to e4 anyway. 16...tiJa6?! 16 ... tiJd7 was safer, enabling a later ...tiJf6, although 17 .ia3 �e6 18 �c2 !, with the double idea of 19 .l:!.d6 and 19 .id3, maintains excellent compensation for White. 17 .ia3 .ie6 18 tiJe4! fxe4 Or 18 ...�d8 19 tiJgS+ �f6 20 �c3 �6 21 f4, winning - Khalifman . 341


19 fxe4 tt'lf4 20 gxf4 .S.hd8 21 i.d6 �g8 22 fxes �h4

At this point, there followed 23 �f4?! �xf4 24 .S.xf4 with a superior endgame, which White went on to win. However, the simple 23 �e3!, preparing .S.f2 and .S.df1, would have left Black with a hopeless posi tion at once - Khalifman.


14 �a4! Preventing 14 ... 0-0 on account of 1S .S.a(f)d1. In this sense 14 i.bS ? ! i.xe3 1S fxe3 a6 was less convincing. 14...i.xe3 342

The attempt to castle queenside by 14... �C7 1S .S.fd1 0-0-0 runs into 16 tt'ld4! tt'lxes 17 tt'lbs �6 18 i.xcs �xes 19 �as ! Golubev. After the text Black was perhaps hoping for 1S fxe3 0-0 16 .S.ad1 tt'lcs!, but Shirov has a much stronger move prepared. 15 .S.ad1! a6 Black parries the threat of 16 .S.xd7 �xd7 17 i.bs, but the troublesome pin along the d-file remains. 16 fxe3 bs 17 �f4 �c7 Or 17 ...0-0 18 g4! i.g6 19 h4 with a strong king side attack, just like the game. 18 g4! i.g6 19 h4 hs After 19 ...h6 20 hs i.h7 21 g S ! i.fs 22 e4 Black is also under pressure. 20 .S.d6! hxg4 21 tt'ld4 tt'lcs By his clever 20th move White secured the vital es-pawn, and the attempt to at tack it by 21 ... �cs? now fails to 22 tt'lxe6 fxe6 2 3 .S.xe6+, followed by .S.xg6. Instead, 21 ... 0-0 seems preferable, when 22 i.xg4 maintains the attack - Golubev. 22 �xg4 �e7? Eljanov must have missed White's next. For better or worse, 22 ... 0-o 23 h S i.e4 24 h6 i.g6 had to be tried.

23 i.f3!

Restriction

Not just attacking the rook, also creating the threat of 24 i.c6+ �f8 25 iVxg6. Black's next move fails fatally, though after 23 ... 0-0 24 i.xa8 .l:'txa8 25 h5 i.e4 26 h6 he would be lost anyway. 23 ... !'1xh4? 24 i.c6+ �f8 25 iVxg6 1-0



13 iVg4! A power move that restricts the bishop on f8, thus complicating Black's resistance on the e-file. 13 .l:'te1?! i.e7 14 i.g 5 .l:'ta7! was less convincing. 13 ... hS After 13 ...i.xg2 14 .l:'te1! or 13 ...i.e6 14 iVh5 i.e7 15 tt:Jxc6 Black is also in deep trouble - Sosonko. 14 i.xd5! cxd5 Or 14...hxg4 15 i.xf7+ �e7 16 i.g5+ etc. 15 iVf5 With the black king fatally trapped in the centre, the rest is easy. 15 !'1a7 16 .l:'te1 !'1e7 17 i.g5 g6 Obviously 17 .. .f6? failed to 18 iVg6+. 18 il.xe7 1-0 In view of 18 ... gxf5 19 i.xd8 �xd8 20 tt:Jxf7+, Black resigned. ..•

16 a4! White is aware that the opponent in tends 16 ...i.b5, and so prevents it. Now the knight on b8 becomes a problem for Black, since after 16 ... bxa3 17 .l:'txa3 he can't play 17 ... i.b5 anyway. 16 ...�d8 Preparing to meet 17 ttJc4 with 17 ... !'1e8, but Yusupov sticks to his original plan. 17 g3 i.g4 18 ti:Je3 i.f3 19 e5! Clearing the long diagonal for the bishop. 19 ... dxe5 20 tt:Jxf3 iVxf3 21 i.g2 iVf6 22 d6 .l:'ta7 23 o-o By now Black is in big trouble due to his uncoordinated forces and the exposed king on d8. 23 ...ttJg7 Or 23 ... ttJd7 24 ttJd5 ! ?, when both 24...iVxd6 2 5 .l:'tfd1 and 24 ... iYg7 2 5 iVe3, preparing 26 ttJe7, clearly favour White. 24 .l:'tac1! ttJd7 25 .l:'tfd1 ti:Jf5 After 25 ... tt:Je6 26 ttJd5 iVg 5 27 iVxg5+ tt:Jxg 5 28 ttJe7, with the threat of ti:Jc6+, Black is done - Yusupov. 26 ttJxf5 iVxf5 27 iVe3!

343


The threat of 28 l:txcs proves decisive. 27 ...e4 28 .i.xe4 �es 29 l:tds �e6 30 l:tdxcs tt:Jxcs 31 �xes 1-0

Game 220 (contin ued}

1 S .i.xe6! fxe6 1 6 tt:Jxe6 g6?! Now the second white knight joins the battle with great effect. A lesser evil was 16 ...<.t>f7 17 i2Jd4 tt:Jcs 18 �f3 with compen sation for White - Nisipeanu/Stoica. 17 i2Jc3! �xa1 Or 17 ... �6 18 iLlg7+ <.t>f7 19 tt:Jxds �d8 20 tt:Jfs! gxfs 21 �h S+, when both 21 ... <.t>g8 22 e6 and 21 ... <.t>e6 22 tt:Jxe7 �xe7 23 l:tad1, followed by l:td6+, lead to a devastating attack. 18 �xa1 bxc3 19 �as! i2Jc6 After 19 ... cxb2 20 iLlC7+ l:txc7 21 �xc7 o-o 22 e6 White is also winning. 20 �xds iLlb4 21 �d4 l:tb7 22 bxc3 With Black's forces in disorder and his king still exposed, the rest is easy for White. 22 tt:Jxc2 23 �c4 iLlb6 24 iLlc7+ <.t>d8 2S l:td1+ .i.d7 26 �e4 l:txc7 27 e6! 1-0 ..•


14 aS! Diverting the black queen from the sixth rank so that a sacrifice with .i.xe6 or tt:Jxe6 becomes possible. 14...�xas 14...�c7?! is strongly met by 15 .i.xe6 !, while after 14...�7 15 tt:Jxe6!? fxe6 16 .i.xe6 d4! 17 �xd4 tt:Jc6 18 �d2 tt:Jdxes 19 .idS !, followed by l:tfe1, White also enjoys a strong initiative. 344

12 es! With the simple, but powerful idea of preventing ... tt:Jf6. As a result, Black's devel opment is seriously hampered. In contrast, 12 ttJes l:td8 13 �f4 i2Jf6 or 12 �f4 etJf6! 13 �8+ l:td8 14 �xb7 �6 is less convincing . 12 ...�d8?!

Res triction

12 ... e6, preparing a quick ...ti'Je7, was preferable, despite the weakening of the d6- and f6-squares. There can follow 13 ti'Jg 5 'Wic7 14 'Wif4 .Ud5 ! 15 .Ufe1 h6 16 li'Je4 g 5 17 'Wig 3 'Wixe5 ! 18 'Wixe5 .Uxe5 19 ti'Jd6+ ctle7 20 .Uxe5 ctixd6 21 .Ue2 with just a slight edge for White in the endgame - Finkel. 13 'Wif4! Threatening both 14 e6 and 14 ti'Jg 5. 13 'Wid7 14 e6! The e-file and the h2-b8 diagonal are cleared for the major pieces, and the knight gets access to e5. 14...'Wixe6 15 .Ufe1 'Wif5 Or 15 ...'Wid6? 16 ti'Je5, winning - Finkel. 16 'Wib8+ .Ud8 17 'Wixb7 'Wid7 18 'Wib3! ti'Jh6 Overprotecting the f7-pawn. After 18 ...ti'Jf6? 19 ti'Je5 'Wid5 20 'Wia4, the double threat of 2 1 ti'Jxc6 and 21 .Uad1 is more than Black can take. 19 .Uad1 'Wic7 20 .Uxd8+ 'Wixd8

25 'Wixc6 was less ambitious. 24 ti'Jf5 25 'Wixc5 'Wixb2 26 ti'Jxh7! .Ua8 27 ti'Jf6+ ctlg7 28 'Wixc6 White later converted his two extra pawns into victory. •..


.•.

21 'Wib7! Finally, White regains the material, with some interest. 21 ...0-0 22 'Wixa7 'Wid5 23 'Wixe7 'Wixa2 24 ti'Jg5! Eyeing both the h 7-pawn and the e4square. The straightforward 24 'Wixc5 'Wixb2

16 h4! Before taking aggressive action, Kas parov limits the opponent's intended plan of ... g7-g5. 1n contrast, after 16 ..ie2?! g 5 ! 17 ..ig3 ti'Jh 5 Black obtains some counterplay on the dark squares. 16 ... ctib8 17 h5! 17 ..ie2 ?! ti'Jh5 18 ..ih2 ..if2! was less pre cise - Kasparov. 17 ... .Ud7 A typical Hedgehog pawn break with 17 ... d5? fails to 18 exd5 exd5 19 ti'Jxc5 bxc5 20 'Wie1! .Uhe8 21 cxd5 - Kasparov, so Black can only wait while the opponent improves his position little by little. 18 .Uc1 .Uc8 19 ..ie2 ctla7 20 .Uhd1 .Udd8 21 g4 By now White is better across the whole board. 21 ... ti'Jg8 22 ..ig3 ti'Je7 23 f4! ti'J5c6 24 ..if3 .Ub8 25 ..ih4 .Ud7? 345


This lets White launch a spectacular

346

combination. 2 S .. J:tbc8 was more solid, af ter which Kasparov intended the space gaining 26 gS. 26 li:JbS+! axbs 27 cxbs tt:Jas? Losing outright, but after 27 ...l:l.c8 28 bxc6 lt:Jxc6 29 es Black is also in huge trou ble. 28 lt:Jxas bxas 29 l:l.xcs! The drawback to Black's 25th move be comes evident. 29...dxcs 30 V!¥xd7 V!¥xf4 31 l:l.d6! 1-0 In view of 3 1...�a8 32 '¥!¥c7 ! .ixe4+ 3 3 .ixe4+ V!¥xe4+ 3 4 �al, renewing the threat of 3 S l:l.a6 mate, Black resigned.

Ch a pter Five

A Few Words on O pe n ing Prepa ration

In this short chapter, I would like to share some general thoughts about opening prepara tion.

Bu ilding a n opening repertoire Let's reflect for a while on the nature of knowledge in chess. Middlegame and endgame knowledge is generic, shared by all players - in the middlegame, we must all know how to fight for an open column, create a passed pawn, exploit a weak square etc, while in the endgame, a player who isn't familiar with the concepts of opposition, rear attacks with the rook, the principle of two weaknesses etc, is doomed to failure. As for the knowledge of tactics, we are simply obliged to master forks, pins, discovered checks etc, in order to have success in chess. In contrast, the opening phase holds much more room for personal style and tastes. You don't have to know anything about the French Defence or Albin's Counter-Gambit in order to become a GM, if these aren't part of your repertoire ( although extra knowledge never hurts, of course) . If you are a fanatic of the English, then knowledge of the king's pawn openings becomes less necessary, except for your defence ( s ) against 1 e4, obviously. Thus, opening knowledge is quite a personal matter, originated by the preferences of each player. For this reason, you probably won't find two players with exactly the same reper toire, unless they are under strong influence of the same trainer, and haven't yet started to work independently. As a consequence, we should exploit the room for personal preferences in the opening by building an opening repertoire that corresponds to our style and tastes. A favourable fact in this sense is the existence of openings and defences with structural and style fac tors in common. Below I have grouped some openings in two different tables, the first one 34 7


according to structural similarities, and the second one according to general "style" simi larities. Note that some openings and defences appear more than once, due to their diver sity and the variety of fashions in which they can be played.

Openings with structural similarities Openings and defences

Factor(s) in common

Slav, Ca ro-Ka nn, Sca ndinavian, Torre, London

Pawn structure, q ueen's bishop outside the chain

Dutch Stonewa ll, French, Open Spa n ish

Pawn structu re, opposing pawns in the centre

Benoni, Pirc, Closed Spa n ish

Pawn structu re, dark sq u a re play

Nimzo-l ndian, Queen's I ndian, Bogo-lndian, Sicilia n Scheveni ngen, Taima nov a n d Kan

Pawn structure, q u eenside fia n chetto

King's I ndian, Pi rc, Modern, Sicilian Dragon

Pawn structu re, kingside fia nchetto

Queen's Gam bit Accepted, Petroff

Pawn structu re, open ga me

Gru nfeld, Cata l a n (some lin es)


Sicilian Dragon Accelerated, E nglish with g3, Sym metrica l English (with Black)


Sicilia n Rossolimo, English with 1...e5 and ... �b4 (with Black)

Pawn structure

Col le, Sem i-Slav

Pawn structure

King's Indian Attack, King's I nd ian, Pirc, Old Indian

Pawn structure

Ta rrasch, Petroff, Sicilian Ala pin, Queen's Gam bit Accepted, Ca ro-Ka n n Pa nov Attack

Pawn structure (IQP)

348

A Fe w Wo rds on Op e n ing Prep ara tion

Openings with general "style" similarities Openings and defences

Factor(s) in common

Queen's Gam bit Accepted, Petroff, Spanish Berli n, Sicilian Alapin, Spa nish Exchange, French Tarrasch

Solidity, piece excha nges, endga me perspective

Ki ng's I nd ian, Sicilian Dragon, Dutch Len ingrad, French 3 tt:lc3, Open Sicilian

Aggressiveness, closed or semi-open positions

Sem i-Slav, Spa n ish Mars h a l l, Arkhangelsk and Sch liemann, Ca ro-Ka n n with 3 f3, Open Sicilian

Aggressiveness, open or semi-open positions

French, King's Indian, Czech Benoni

Closed positions, pawn chain battle

Queen's Gam bit Declined, French

Solidity, closed position s

Dutch Stonewa l l, Sici lian Svesh ni kov

Weak poi nts, activity

Sicilian Najdorf, Grunfe ld, Sicilian Dragon, Semi-Slav Botvi n n i k var.

Theoretica l battle, s h a rp play

Ni mzo-l ndian, French Winawer, Sicilian Rossolimo, E nglish with l...eS and ...j,b4

Surrender of the king's bishop, dou bled e nemy pawns

Cata lan, Benko Gam bit, other ga mbits

Pawn sacrifices, activity

Sici lian Scheveningen, Ka n a n d Taima nov, Alekhine, Pirc, English Hedgehog

Space disadva ntage, flexi bility, few piece excha nges

Trom powsky, Ch igori n

S u rrender of the q u een's bishop, i m balanced play

King's Indian Samisch, Classical N imzo-lndian

Space adva ntage, slow development

Consider these tables as a simple reference, not as an attempt to classify all openings and defences according to their respective characteristics. By now I notice that I have been more generous with Black's openings for some reason. In any case, you get a brief idea about the directions in which to think when building your repertoire. Finally, don't forget that an opening to which you never paid much attention, might ac tually be well suited for you. In my case, I "discovered" the Sicilian Kan some twelve years after starting with chess, and at the same moment I also switched from 1 e4 to 1 d4. Both

349


these modifications of the opening repertoire had a rather positive impact on my tourna ment results, apart from a few initial setbacks.

Pla ns, set-u ps, guidelines a n d move orders Every opening has its particular logic, which can be translated into plans, set-ups and mi nor guidelines. These should be carefully studied alongside with the "theory" moves, in order to obtain a complete picture of the opening involved. In Strategia, Mark Dvoretsky advocates the study of typical positions, with a similar pawn structure, piece configura tion, etc. Such a task is easily accomplished by examining complete, annotated games with a certain typical position in common. An additional, interesting approach is to study a certain opening using the games of a specific player; for example, the Grunfeld by Svidler or the Open Sicilian by Anand. You can then gradually "copy" their repertoire, seeing how Svidler responds to 4 i.f4, the way An and handles the Sveshnikov, etc. When studying openings, we should pay special attention to their inherent, basic plans. Some examples: t t t t t

The .. .f7-f5 advance in the King's Indian. The d4-d5 break in IQP positions. The .. .f7-f6 break in the French. The lt:lbd2-f1-h2 manoeuvre in the King's Indian Attack. The minority attack with b4-b5 in the Queen's Gambit Exchange Variation.

Having acquired some basic knowledge about the opening in question, you will start noticing the "right" and "wrong" moments for the application of these plans. For example, the .. .f7-f5 advance in the King's Indian often works better when White has castled short, and it tends to lose some of its power when the d-file is open, just to name a few cases. The lt:lbd2-f1-h2 manoeuvre in the King's Indian Attack is often powerful when White has achieved the e4-es advance, but not so much when it is Black who has a pawn on es. Another important issue is the choice of set-ups within a particular opening. For exam ple, in the classical Benoni lines Black is often happy to develop his queen's bishop to g4, and then follow up with ... lt:lbd7. However, this proves impossible if White chooses a set-up with an early h2-h3 or f2-f3. On such occasions, Black could instead consider a set-up with ... lt:\a6-e7 and ... i.d7. In the King's Indian Samisch with an early ...c7-c5, d4-d5, White has a slight problem with the king's knight. Thus he might keep it on g1 for a while, waiting to see whether Black plays ... lt:lbd7, on which he could reply lt:lh3 followed by lt:\f2, exploiting the fact that ... i.xh3 is un available for the moment. In contrast, if Black prefers a set-up with ... lt:\a6, as in the previous Benoni example, then the white knight could choose the e2-g3 route instead. 350

A Fe w Wo rds on Open ing Prep a r a t i o n

Again, talking about the King's Indian Samisch with White, an aggressive set-up with 'ifd2, 0-0-0, lbge2, g2-g4 and lbg3 can be very effective if Black h as played ...e7-e5 (and White has responded d4-d5). In contrast, after ... c7-c5, White usually avoids such a set-up due to Black's menacing bishop on g 7, and opts for short castling instead. In some Slav lines with e2-e3 White restricts Black's intended ...iJ5 by an early i.d3, thus the black bishop often goes to g4 instead. In similar fashion, if White plays h 2-h3 early on in the Scandinavian, Black's intention of ... i.g4 can be modified with ... i.f5. In the Pirc with 4 i.e3 White h as a ready-made, dangerous plan in 'ifd2, f2-f3, 0-0-0, i.h6, h4-h 5 etc. Thus Black often delays the natural ... i.g7 and ... 0-0 until a later stage of the game, starting with 4 ... c6. In contrast, against the classical set-ups with 4 'bf3 he rarely waits with ... i.g7, since a white attack along the h-file becomes less feasible once the knight settles on f3. When studying new opening lines, try to establish "mini-rules" or simple guidelines that facilitate your understanding of them. For example, in the Classical Variation (4... i.f5) of the Caro-Kann, Black should usually react to h 2-h4 with ...h7-h6, and very rarely with ... h 7-h 5. On the other hand, in the Advance Variation (3 e5) of the same defence, h2-h4 is often more efficiently met by ...h 7-h 5, than by ...h 7-h6. With Black in the Classical Philidor (1 e4 e5 2 'bf3 d6 3 d4 exd4 4 lbxd4 'bf6), playing ...c7(c6)-c5 is normally a dubious idea from a structural point of view, but once White sig nals his attacking intentions by advancing f2-f4, then ...c7(c6)-c5 becomes much more rea sonable, in order to organize quick counterplay. As for playing White in IQP positions, if Black hurries to block the d4-pawn by ... lbb4-d5, then the typical plan of d4-d5 h as to be discarded, and we could consider a king side attack instead, with moves like lbe5, .l:t.d3-h 3 etc. On the other hand, if Black keeps the knight on c6 and continues his queen side development by ... b7-b5, ... i.b7 etc, then his control of the e5-square makes the previous plan less feasible, while the d4-d5 advance becomes relevant again. When building your repertoire, also be careful with move-orders. For example, if you enjoy playing the Slav against 1 d4, then you could consider 1 ...c6 as a reply to 1 c4, al though in that case you must also be ready for 2 e4. Now, if by chance you like the Old In dian too, then 2 ... e5 is a possible choice; e.g. 3 'bf3 d6 4 d4 'bd7, transposing to that open ing. otherwise you should continue 2 ... d5, when it is White who has to think about move orders. If he plays 3 exd5 here, then Black could consider 3 ...'bf6, transposing to a sideline of the Scandinavian, where 4 dxc6 lbxc6 is regarded as risky for White - who is left with 4 d4, when after 4...exd5 we have finally ended up in an initial position of the Panov Attack of the Caro-Kann. However, if this is not to White's taste, then he should prefer 3 cxd5, af ter which Black has nothing better than 3 ... exd5 4 exd5 'bf6, entering a kind of accelerated Panov Attack, where White often continues 5 i.b5+ or 5 'ifa4+, trying to hang on to the d5pawn. 351


Now let's presume that you didn't like the look of this line and that, by coincidence, with the white pieces you enjoy playing the Rossolimo Sicilian . In that case, you could con sider meeting 1 c4 by 1 ... e5 instead, followed by a quick ....ib4, getting you into familiar territory, albeit with reversed colours. However, White could also start his English opening with 1 'Llf3, ruling out 1 ... e5. The attempt to prepare it by 1 ... 'Llc6 unfortunately permits 2 d4, when a Chigorin with 2 ... d5 seems like the best choice, and that might not be part of your repertoire. White could also play 2 e4, when 2 ... e5 is probably the best reply, but now you must be prepared for a Span ish or Italian, among others. Fortunately, there is a much simpler solution at hand: 1 ... d5, followed by 2 ... c6, by which you easily reach the Slav structure that we talked about in the first place! Considering the situation from the English player's perspective, if he likes the positions arising after 1 c4 e5, then 1 c4 is clearly the right way for him to start the game. In the op posite case, he could play 1 'Llf3 first and only then c2-c4, thus sidestepping Black's 1 ... e5. However, this also means that a set-up with g2-g3, .ig2, e2-e3 and 'Llg1-e2 will no longer be available for him, among other things. Time for him to check his priorities. Summing up, move orders play an important role when building an opening repertoire.

Ma inta ining you r repertoire When referring to work on our opening repertoire, we could distinguish between three, different preparation processes: a) General preparation. This is the major part of the work and consists of different tasks, such as defining your repertoire, gathering information, updating your lines with new games, analysing critical positions, etc. It is my sincere advice that you do this process at home, and not at the tournament, where time is limited and energy reserves are vital. How can this work be carried out, in concrete terms? Well, every player has his personal habits and working methods, and I can only tell from my own ones. Here is a possible work ing plan, to be executed within a chess database program, such as ChessBase or Chess Assis tant: a1) Create a new game, in which you elaborate a simple tree of moves for the opening in question. For example, in the case of the Pirc Defence with Black, the main branch might be 1 e4 d6 2 d4 'Llf6 3 'Llc3 g6 4 'Llf3 .ig7 5 .ie2 0-0 6 0-0 .ig4, with sub-branches such as 3 f3 'Llbd7, 3 .id3 e5, 4 .ie3 c6, 4 f4 .ig7 5 'Llf3 o-o 6 .id3 'Lla6 etc. When finished you will have an empty tree game, so to speak. a2) Using books and periodicals, start feeding your tree game with variations and comments. As for electronic sources, cutting game fragments and pasting them into your tree game will facilitate the process. Also add your own pieces of analysis, and analyse critical positions. At the beginning of the tree game, attach a few general guidelines simi lar to the ones mentioned previously in this section - they will prove useful later during tournament preparation. 352

A Fe w Wo rds on O p e n ing Prepa ra tion

a3) Repeat steps a1-a2 for each opening in your repertoire. a41) Update your repertoire periodically. This can be achieved by creating a filter (in Chess Assistant, this is called "classifier") containing the initial positions within your reper toire; for example, the "stub" positions in the Pirc example above. This filter can then be stored as a template (I am now referring to the process in Chess Assistant), and once you have new games to examine (e.g. a new issue of The Week in Chess, a new monthly data base of Chess Today, or a new volume of Chess Informant), attach a new filter - based on the template - to the database in question. Finally, execute the filter (i.e. "Search for all nodes" in Chess Assistant) and all the games that coincide with the initial positions of your repertoire will be automatically retrieved in separate datasets, ready for your examination. a42) Practice your opening lines whenever and wherever you can ! Even blitz games on the internet suit this purpose, and you can easily feed them afterwards into the corre sponding tree game. For example, in the Blitzin interface you can mark the "Store my games" option and later access the associated PG N file. b) Specific preparation. Contrary to "a", this process takes place during the tournament. Here you focus on the opening lines that are likely to occur on the board against your next opponent. Perhaps these lines weren't sufficiently covered in your corresponding tree games - in that case you will have to follow the procedure outlined in step "a2" above. The good thing about this is that, when you are about to face the same lines in a new game, the work has already been done. Obviously, the more effort you put into the general prepa ration, the less is needed for the specific preparation. c) Quick scans. Just like "b", this process is carried out during the tournament. With "quick scan" I refer to a rather superficial examination of one or several tree games, with the simple purpose of refreshing your memory. This kind of preparation is useful when you are not really sure about the opening or opening line to occur on the board. You could compare it to the computer's transfer of data from the hard disk to its RAM memory.

Prepa ring for you r opponents From my tournament experience, I recall three main types of opening repertoires among my opponents: i) narrow but well-researched. ii) wide and flexible. iii) a mixture of "i" and "ii''. The "i" type makes the pre-game preparation quite an easy task, since you usually know in advance which opening or opening line will appear on the board. Thus you can limit yourself to that opening (see "b" above), which makes the preparation a bit more profound and complete. On the other hand, if you manage to surprise your opponent with some new 353


move or idea, he will often be able to find a good solution anyway due to his experience in that particular type of position. In contrast, the "ii" type makes preparation much more difficult, and it is quite prob able that he will base his opening choice on .. your repertoire. When facing such "chame leon" players, the quick scans (see "c" above) make a lot of sense, with focus on the varia tions where you have had problems lately, which tend to be the typical targets for such players. In any case, facing chameleon players can have the advantage that their opening knowledge is a bit superficial (in contrast to the "i" type}, a fact that is often revealed once the early middlegame is reached. Finally, the "iii" type of repertoire implies that the player has some customary openings to rely on, but is also ready to make adjustments in accordance with your repertoire; for example, if you have used a dubious line on several occasions. Basically, you again have to perform a number of quick scans, and then focus on a few lines that are the most likely to occur in the game. .

Some final pieces of advice: Aim for a flexible repertoire; e.g. by mastering different subvariations within a single opening. Such flexibility makes the opponent's preparation a bit more demanding. t Be psychologically prepared for surprises. It is possible that your next opponent is about to try out a new opening line, or the games where he played a specific opening didn't make it to the major databases such as ChessBase Mega base. A quick glance at your opponent's games with the "wrong" colour can establish t whether he plays a particular line with both colours - there is at least one such line in the repertoire of any player. The way he treats it with the other colour is definitely relevant for your preparation. Obviously he will be well-acquainted with the line in question, but on the other hand, a player can become a bit confused when his own lines are used against him. When preparing for your next opponent, you could also consider his style and prefer t ences in the later stages of the game. Is he a superb attacker, does he swap pieces as soon as he can, are tactical complexities problematic for him, does he get bored in closed positions, or desperate in defending positions, is he great or not that great in endgames, and so on. Your observations can then be borne in mind during the game and aid your decision-making. If this approach sounds interesting to you, then don't forget to check his games with the "wrong" colour as well. t

Good luck with your preparation.

3 54

Index of Pl ayers

The index corresponds to page numbers. The white games are in bold. Abergel T. 98 Abramovic B. 56 Acs P. 47 Adams Mi. 103 Aguiar A. 131 Akesson R. 182 Akopian V. 227 Alekhine A. 245 Alekseev E. 319 Al Hadarani H. 247 Anand V. 41, 63, 204, 321 Andersson U. 105 Andriasian Z. 167 Antoshin V. 237 Ardeleanu A. 303 Arnold M.T. 318 Aronin L. 119 Atanasov 137 Avalos Parra J. 240 Avrukh B. 68 Avtonomov 144 Ballmann M. 250 Barczay L. 49 Bareev E. 61, 322 Barkhagen J. 292 Bartel Mat. 236 Bastrikov G . 139 Bazhin A. 49

355

M as te ring Open ing Stra tegy

Bebchuk E. 123 Becerra Rivero J . 243 Bejar J. 131 Belezky A. 47 Beliavsky A. 56, 204, 252 Belov V. 43 Benjamin Joe. 195 Bentivegna F. 48 Berg E. 39 Bertok M. 56 Bilek I. 57 Blomqvist E. 47 Bocharov D. 191 Bonsch u . 100, 174 Boguslavsky M. 49 Boleslavsky I. 140, 229 Bologan V. 58, 225 Breyer G . 136 Briceno A. 134 Brito D. 129 Browne W. 176, 252 Brynell S. 253, 292 Bugay 139 Bykhovsky A. 141 Calderon J. 120, 135 Cardenas A. 130 Carlsen Ma. 10, 247, 291 Carlsson Po. 47 Caro H. 136 Castillo C. 131 Chang A. 135 Cheparinov I. 115 Chepukaitis G. 246 Chistiakov A. 18 Conquest S. 27 Cram ling P. 239 Csom 1. 111 Dautov R. 2 3 3 Deepan Chakkravarthy C. 291 Delchev A. 200 De Firmian N. 320 356

I n dex of Players

Diemer E.J. 138 Dizdarevic E. 58 Djukic Z. 55 Dobosz H. 235 Dolmatov 5. 10, 248, 327 Dorfman J. 172 Dreev A. 254 Dvoirys 5. 94 Dvoretsky M. 22, 251 Dydyshko V. 57 Efanov N. 107 Eljanov P. 227, 3 2 5 Epishin V . 193 Ernst S. 147, 318 Ernst Th. 324 Estremera Panos S. 241 Felgaer R. 54 Filippov V. 3 2 5 Fine R. 242 Firman N. 28 Rscher RJ. 4� 122, 239, 317 Flear G. 69 Flores Di. 54, 243 Florescu C. 327 Fries Nielsen J. 180 Galkin A. 254 Gallagher J.G. 201 Geller E. 298 Gheorghiu F. 2 5 2 Glek I. 230 Gligoric S. 214, 240 Gofshtein L. 2 5 Goldin A . so Golod V. 245 Grabarczyk M. 171 Grooten H. 5 5 Gufeld E. 125, 313 Guliev S. 36 Gurevich D. 58, 114 Gurevich M. 103, 187, 246 Hazai L. 140 357


Haznedaroglu K. 187 Hector J . 309 Hellsten J. 32, 34, 37, 65, 120, 131, 168, 180, 182, 183, 210, 216, 236, 244, 253, 288, 319 Herrera I. 243 Hertneck G. 55, 324 Hillarp Persson T. 96 Hjartarson J. 250 Hort V. 206 Howe M. 168 Hracek Z. 100 Hubner R. 217, 326 Hulak K. 117, 144 lllescas Cordoba M. 92, 212 ltkis B. 28 lvanchuk V. 16, 61, 142 lvkov B. 237 Jaramillo D. 129 Javakhishvili L. 240 Jevtic M.L. 236 Kachiani Gersinska K. 239 Kaidanov G. 114 Kalesis N. 65 Kamsky G. 63, 321 Kantorovich 119 Karjakin S. 185 Karpov A. 311 Kasparov G. 248, 329 Kempinski R. 62 Keres P. 307 Khachiyan M. 253 Khairullin I. 126 Khalifman A. 325 Kindermann S. 328 Klovans J. 251 Knaak R. 244 Kogan I . 139 Korchnoi V. 53, 56, 111, 169, 2 3 7 Kostanovich 208 Kosteniuk A. 241 Kotov A. 229 Kotronias V. 302 358

In dex of Players

Kowara M. 63 Kramnik V. 247 Kulaots K. 319 Kundin A. 208 Lalic B. 137, 144 Landleiter F. 2 3 5 Lange W. 138 Lasker Em. 136 Laurent B. 137 Lema A. 322 Letelier Martner R. 239 Lilienthal A. 237 Lindberg Be. 53 Litwiniec M. 167 Ljubojevic L. 214 Llamuca A. 133 Llamuca H. 130, 134 Lobron E. 324 Lombardy W. 138 Lopez Silva H. 37, 141, 244 Lputian 5. 66, 247 Lujan C. 243 Lundin J. 324 Lutz Ch. 230 Macieja B. 236 Malkin 139 Mamedyarov 5. 52 Maroczy G. 321 Marshall F. 245 Martz E. 176 Mascarinas R. 2 3 5 Mateuta G. 216 Matulovic M. 317 McDonald N. 2 50 Mecking H. 298 Melero Fidalgo J. 64 Miedema R. 147 Mikhalchishin A. 322 Mikhalevski V. 189 Mikkelsen N. 146 Milev Z. 30 359


Milov V. 302 Milu R. 112 Mirkovic 5. 55 Miton K. 20 Mnatsakanian E. 145 Mogranzini R. 48 Mohammadi A. 146 Moiseenko A. 94 Morales M. 129, 132, 210 Moreno Camero J. 212 Morozevich A. 220 Morphy P. 317 Movsesian 5. 14 Mrndzic M. 238 Nabaty T. 126 Naiditsch A. 43 Nakamura H . so, 2 5 3 Nedev T. 5 2 Nezhmetdinov R . 18 Nielsen P.H. 91 Nijboer F. 309, 318 Niklasson C. 34 Nikolaevsky V. 189 Nisipeanu L.D. 233 Noboa K. 129 Nygren K. 96 Nyysti 5. 249 011 L. 294 Olsson C. 143 Onischuk A. 51 Oratovsky M. 142 Ortega R. 169 Ovetchkin R. 107 Palatnik 5. 66 Palliser R. 255 Panno 0. 319 Paredes l. 132, 134 Parligras M. 64 Parra P. 130 Pasto J. 129 Pejic M. 238 360

In dex of Players

Peng Xiaomin 250 Peralta F. 242 Perez E. 134 Pert R. 2 5 5 Petrosian T.V. 5 3 , 1 2 5 , 313 Pillsbury H. 321 Plachetka J. 244 Podlesny P. 171 Polgar Zsu. 174 Polugaevsky L. 54, 172 Ponomariov R. 201 Portisch L. 105 Postny E. 98, 145 Predojevic B. 220 Psakhis L. 25 Rabar B. 240 Radjabov T. 296 Rashkovsky N. 248 Rasmussen K. 3 2 3 Ravinsky G. 123 Rechlis G. 68 Relange E. 241 Renman N.G. 32 Ricardi P. 141, 288 Rivera B. 133 Rodriguez 137 Rojas D. 322 Romero Holmes A. 102 Rosandic D. 200 Rozent�is E. S9, 245 Rytshagov M. 305 Sadykov Ru. 222 Saidy A. 48 Salgado Lopez L. 115 Salov V. 217 Sammour Hasbun J. 20 Sanaguano J. 131, 132, 133, 135 Sandler L. 109 Saric I. 117 Sax G. 140 Schmidt Wl. 22 361

M a s tering O p e n ing Stra tegy

Schmid L. 307 Schneider St. 143 Seirawan Y. 50 Sepp 0. 249 Serras Uri a A. 242 Shahade J. 145 Shamkovich L. 300 Shirov A. 142, 325 Short N. 294 Simagin V. 145 Slobodjan R. 193 Smith Ax. 53 Smyslov V. 138, 311 Sokolov A. 27, 109 Soltis A. 58 Sosonko G. 67, 326 Spassky B. 144 Stamnov A. 318 Stanley C.H. 317 Steiner H. 242 Steinitz W. 323 Stoltz G. 140 Strikovic A. 235 Suetin A. 49, 300 Sulava N. 142 Sulskis S. 254 Sutovsky E. 141 Sveshnikov E. 222, 305 Svidler P. 60 Szekely J. 136 Taimanov M. 54, 206 Tal M. 12, 30, 57, 122, 236 Tibensky R. 14 Tigrero K. 133 Timman J . 36, 46 Tiviakov S. 41 Tjurin A. 191 Topalov V. 16, 59 Torre Eu. 296 Tregubov P. 178 Tringov G. 12 3 62

In dex of Players

Usca D. 129, 130, 131 Vaca 0. 132 Vaganian R. 198 Vaisser A. 92 Vajda A. 327 Vallejo A. 135 Van der Sterren P. 178 Van der Wiel J . 198, 329 Van Wely L. 36, 185 Vega Gutierrez S. 246 Velicka P. 39 Vera Gonzalez R. 69, 102 Vizama C. 183 Vocaturo D. 241 Volkov S. 60, 62, 254 Volokitin A. 5 1 Von Bardeleben C . 3 2 3 Vovk A. 63 Vuckovic A. 328 Wagener A. 195 Wedberg T. 286 Westerinen H. 225, 323 Yermolinsky A. 57 Yuferov S. 246 Yurtaev L. 248 Yusupov A. 2 52, 286, 327 Zaitsev I. 112 Zapata A. 236 Zarnicki P. so Zelcic R. 303

3 63

Ind ex of O pe n i n gs

The index corresponds to page numbers.

Alekhine's Defence 140, 198, 2 3 6, 253 Baltic Defence 136 Benko Gambit 55, 98, 250 Benoni Defence 3 7, 49, 117, 137, 143, 212, 237, 327 Bird's Opening 34 Bishop's Opening 134 Blumenfeld Gambit 115 Budapest Gambit 5 7, 191 Caro-Kann Defence 28, 39, 5 8, 126, 135, 141, 145, 233, 243, 254, 303, 318, 323, 325 Catalan Opening 67, 227, 288, 326 Colle's Opening 102, 180, 286 Dutch Defence 36, 138, 252 English Opening 16, 2 5, 48, 53, 54, 59, 66, 134, 141, 144, 189, 206, 214, 217, 243, 249 Evans Gambit 317 Four Knights Game 321 French Defence 14, 18, 32, 47, 60, 103, 132, 137, 208, 220, 250 Grunfeld Defence 94, 172, 176, 237, 324 Irregular defences 114, 131, 245 Italian Game 167, 225, 323 King's Indian Defence 111, 145, 239, 313 Modern Defence 12, 112, 200, 201, 246, 3 19 Nimzo-lndian Defence 48, so, 61, 131, 240, 244, 245, 248, 302 Owen's Defence 96 Pirc Defence 187, 204, 242, 296 Queen's Gambit Accepted 54, 58, 144, 242, 232 Queen's Gambit Declined 131, 171, 174, 2 10, 2 3 5, 236, 238, 247, 2 5 5 Queen's Indian Defence 51, 55, 182, 252, 292, 3 19, 3 2 9 Queen's Pawn Opening 241 Ragozin Defence 147, 236

3 64

Index of Op e n ings

Reti's Opening 10, 129 Petroff's Defence 311, 318 Scandinavian Defence 41, 123, 135, 294, 300 Scotch Game so Semi-Slav Defence 56, 62, 69, 107, 222, 325 Semi-Tarrasch Defence 30 Sicilian Defence, Alapin Variation 22, 119, 129, 130, 132, 133, 168, 2 5 3, 305, 320 Sicilian Defence, Closed Variation 130, 193 Sicilian Defence, Kan Variation 63, 64, 142, 230, 244 Sicilian Defence, King's Indian Attack 2 3 5 Sicilian Defence, Morra Gambit 307 Sicilian Defence, Najdorf Variation 43, 5 7, 109, 139, 142, 248, 321 Sicilian Defence, Rossolimo Variation 53, 68, 105, 133, 195, 247, 291, 3 17, 328 Sicilian Defence, Richter-Rauzer Variation 47 Sicilian Defence, Scheveningen Variation 49, 56, 100, 146, 327 Sicilian Defence, Taimanov Variation 27, 122, 139, 169 Slav Defence 20, 65, 91, 136, 178, 183, 185, 216, 2 39, 240, 246, 254, 324 Spanish Opening 140, 241, 298, 309 Tarrasch Defence 92, 120, 129, 3 2 2 Three Knights Game 1 2 5 Torre's Opening 6 3 Trompowsky's Opening 5 2 , 229 Vienna Game 138, 251

3 65

321485337-Johan-Hellsten-Mastering-Opening-Strategy.pdf

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